The Top 10 JRPGs with Female Protagonists 

RIGHT???

shes the best

BESTelle!!❤

Best Trail protagonist! And best girl as well

True

Wholeheartedly agree! The entire experience was so great.

gust primarily makes games with female leads.

I’ve seen this game mentioned a few times and never really been sold on it, mainly due to its asthetics. But after this video I’m basically sold in giving it a try.

too bad the girl on your portrait didn't make the list

If you take into account games where there is a choice of many characters, then the SaGa series is suitable: it's full of female protagonists. And here is Octopath Traveler, made in the same way.

Oh man, it’s really looking like I’ll need to do a part 2, there are even more than I realized.

Nier Automata is not really an rpg tho, it's an hack and slash with stats and equipment. Otherwise we should also consider Devil May Cry an rpg?

Yeah, very true, and I wonder if people just didn’t stick around with the game long enough to learn that about her, because I do think it helps explain the WHY.

@@JustTheGems That aspect of Lightning is explored even more in Lightning Returns with the character of Lumina (who is actually *SPOILER* a part of Lightning's personality and is actually a young Claire and not Serah as first assumed) But honestly, I'm in a minority here, knowing these things and being willing to meet these games on their terms. Despite being with Final Fantasy from the very beginning, playing the first game at 7 years old back in 1990, my absolute favorite of all the games is actually the XIII Trilogy. My second is VI. I don't understand why I was able to connect with XIII and appreciate it for what it is trying to be, and not holding against it for the things that it is not. Linearity doesn't bother me, every FF game is linear to varying degrees. Not having towns full of NPCs to talk to is actually refreshing, as it allows you to keep the story progressing without (generally unnecessary) side conversations. And I appreciate not having to enter every single command for everyone in my party in battle. The strategy is still there without the hassle of constant micromanaging. But after years now of trying to defend XIII to fanboys and naysayers, I still don't fully understand what it is that is causing so much beef with this game. Most frequently, I find it to be people who are very (somewhat to a toxic degree) nostalgic for FF games to be exactly like their favorites from the past. X is the cutoff for a lot of people. They say that's the game that went too far from the "classic" formula of Final Fantasy. And yet the irony of FF7 Remake essentially using a retooling of the battle formula from XIII (many of the same programmers from both teams) is not lost on me at all. I also blame particular influencers within the video game zeitgeist that turned the game into a joke or a bit for views. In the end, maybe I'm the one who is seeing something that isn't there though, i.e. a good game. Who knows.

You feel cool about saying what I presume is Lightnings birth name?

@@Darcnhife What, you think it needs a SPOILER warning? I don't think that's spoiler information. Or are you implying I think I'm cool for saying it? I mentioned it specifically to note that "Lightning" is Claire's tough persona.

@@Darcnhife If you got a problem just say it, King. I'm always open to criticism.

Estelle is bestelle, for sure! And Celes needs more love, I agree, she deserves at least equal billing as an MC.

Haha, thank you!

Thanks! I wish I had one that's automatic, I have to turn it from beneath by hand...😅

Thank you, I really appreciate it!!

Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!

Oh man, that means a lot, thank you!

Haha thanks! I was hoping people would get a laugh at that 😂

Yeah, I agree. There's a lot of untapped potential, but even still, I enjoy the game and the world. And I need to go back to Eternal Sonata, I started it and got distracted, so I didn't get very far, but I was enjoying it up to that point.

Glad you liked it!!

Yeah, even though their experiences aren’t exactly the same as mine, I still felt a lot of overlap, especially on the emotional side, so it really resonated with me.

@@JustTheGems i still have to play the second one, the first one was the first game i completed a letsplay for so it holds a very special place in my heart. sadly, there was a lot of discourse on facebook and most my gamer groups wont allow talk about the game (cause some fanboys decided to do lewd art of 15yr olds and post it..) so i have noone to talk ot about it.

Hmm, I’ve never heard of Nora and the Time Studio, so I’m gonna look it up. Thank you!

Yeah, it’s really phenomenal. My play order was weird, too - pretty similar to you, except I didn’t go back and play Trails in the Sky the 3rd until after I’d played Cold Steel 1 & 2. Definitely a strange way to experience it, but I’ve gone back and played through everything again in series order, so I feel more or less like I’ve got it all straight.😅

Yeah, I'll fully agree here, if anyone hasn't played Tales of Berseria, you really should.

Yes!!

Thank you so much!

She's the best!

Thank you!

Thanks! Those two Tales definitely rank among my favorites. And I hope you like Trails! If you try them, and you think of it, I'd love to hear your thoughts

@@JustTheGems That's so cool actually 😅 Also...sounds like a plan once I try them out 😎

Thank you!!

Oh, 2B for sure. I haven’t actually played any Neptunia yet, but I have one or two of them in the game room somewhere, so I intend to. And same with Atelier, I’ve really only played Rorona, but I own them all, so I’m gonna carve out some time to get into them. Thank you so much!

I was really loving this game, but I hit a difficulty spike and got frustrated, and I haven't been back yet... But I really want to!

@@JustTheGems I am going to take a guess and say you had issues with that pirate caption, Dulce? For me she's the hardest boss in the game (side quests included). Up until the point, the bosses were fun challenges (and I am not counting the force failure boss). I never bother trying to counter, I just always block, like right before my turn ends for a certain char, I'll move away and make sure I am facing my foe. I always use special moves that build up my chain attacks.

@@Zodia195 Honestly, that doesn't ring a bell, so I probably didn't even get that far...😅💀

That's good to hear, I have La Pucelle Tactics and I haven't tried it out yet!

Excellent recs, thank you!!

It’s always cool when the developers incorporate gameplay elements with story elements like that, it takes a lot of thought and planning but when they pull it off, it’s fantastic.

Virginia is the second-most recommended character from the comments, so I'm really looking forward to getting into some Wild Arms!

Lol thanks. I was like, this is gonna make everyone just immediately close the video, isn't it? ... But I did it anyway. 😅

With all the recommendations I'm getting, I may just have to do a full-on part 2

Yes! Polka is a great character, too!

Thank you! And I’m only just starting to get into Fire Emblem, so I expect my faves to definitely be changing to incorporate some of those characters in the not-too-distant future!

Oh, those CT characters are all made from perler beads, my wife made them for me! I love them!

And yeah, the JRPG space on RU-vid has really exploded. It's a pretty great time to be a fan

Until I sat down to come up with this video, I hadn’t thought about it either😅

Heck yes!😎

Not super familiar! Is it good, I'm assuming?

Square-Enix and tri-Ace product. First game was "Valkyrie Profile" on the PS1, and got a PSP port called "Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth" to set it up for the prequel coming after it called "Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria". Both had female protagonists but most of the cult following for the series seems to prefer the first game. It had a gorgeous but somber setting in Midgard, loosely based on Norse mythology, where you play as a Valkyrie named Lenneth, who is tasked by Odin with recruiting the souls of fallen warriors called "einherjar" to train and prepare for the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarok. The einherjar serve as party members in this game. The franchise has long been neglected by its creators, and we got a shallow homage to the originals with "Valkyrie Elysium" last year which I admittedly did not play because of the consensus of reviews. Maybe one day when it goes on sale. VP Lenneth is available as a port on android and iOS, and was packaged with Valkyrie Elysium last year (with delayed launch issues) I believe VP 2 Silmeria has not been ported yet and can only be played on PS2 to this day. There was a 3DS game called Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, which had a male protagonist largely unrelated to the past titles, and the titular character from the original VP1 is more of a background character. It's also a divisive title in the fandom, since many fans have been waiting for a Valkyrie Profile: Hrist for decades. Pros for VP1: -absolutely gorgeous story which has hit me in the feels in the past -soundtrack ❤️❤️ -one of the more unique combat styles, and no random battles; you see the enemies on the field and mostly control whether you fight them or not -cast of characters mostly coherent and tie into the world setting and plot nicely -handful of anime style cutscenes in the PS1 version, not alot though, wish there were more. The PSP ports and later replace those and add more with CGI style cutscenes Cons: -ports are based on the original japanese version of the ps1 game, instead of the american one that minor improvements like sorting your inventory -original ps1 version had a limited run and costs a collector's price on ebay, depending on condition -some of the sprite based cutscenes can take awhile before you can save (though i believe you can save anywhere in the mobile and PSN ports). The intro recruitment mission getting your first einherjar is at least a half an hour and cannot be skipped. -it's not intuitive how to get the multiple endings. Most casual players will end with ending B. You need to basically brute force your play to get ending c, and I don't know how any player would have gotten ending A without a walkthrough

Haha I figured this would be an experience that resonated with some people😅

I HIGHLY recommend it - and if you do, let me know what you think of it!

Yeah, I really feel like they bit off more than they could chew with 13, and they didn't live up to Lightning's potential. Even still, I admit I enjoy it.

If you count social media games, hidden object, and mobile puzzle games, the gender ratio is closer to 50/50, but in core games it's definitely male dominated with notable female dominated exceptions of point and click, puzzle, mystery, and farm/social sims. So it's true... but only if you use a definition of gamer that most gamers wouldn't recognize as a gamer. Of the core gaming, I do think JRPGs have a larger female audience than most genres, but it's not 50/50. It is getting closer though, and I think the adoption of manga by more and more western women is what's driving it, since very few western comics cater to women but Japanese and Korean manga/manwha have entire sections of the industry dedicated to female interests.

Thank you, I really appreciate that. FFVI is so great, it was actually really formative for me. I definitely loved Locke too. 🤩

FFVI to me didn’t really feel like it had a specific lead role. It felt kind of like Game of Thrones casting where you had a bunch of characters with important stories. Terra and Celes were like the Danaerys and Sansa of FFVI in that light.

Yeah, very much so. The more recent Ys games have done a good job of having a character (or group of characters) be the “focal point” of the story, since Adol is more or less an empty avatar.

It's a classic

I’m feeling immense guilt at having forgotten about Ys Origin. I LOVED that game, and Yunica was my favorite character.

Interesting!!

I'll check it out! I'm eager to try those games now.

​@@JustTheGems add Koudelka mc as well,really loved the aesthetic of the games

Haha yeah, playing through a bit of Berseria to grab footage really made me want to play it again... But my backlog is so huge.😩

Very good point. If/when I do a part 2 they’ll DEFINITELY make an appearance

I really wish I had played them with the EVO mods. Maybe someday…

100% agree

I actually did, I think a couple months back or so, just a general game room walkthrough but i think most of my collection is visible. I'll also do the occasional collection vid for a specific console. Those are some of the most fun to make tbh. I appreciate you watching!

@@JustTheGems oh I will hunt for the video. Keep it up

As much as I enjoy a good action-based combat system, I think I agree - I’m all about turn-based.

I know, right?! It was a real, like, Avengers moment having her and everyone all together.

Based on all the recommendations I'm getting for Valkyrie Profile, I'm definitely moving it up on the must-play list!

KOS-MOS is fantastic!

Totally agree, her characterization is spot on

Do you have a PC? They should be available on Steam!

@@JustTheGems no can't use steam sadly

Okay, glad I wasn’t just making stuff up! 😅 Thank you!!

I’m looking forward to digging into them, I think I own them all now so it’s just a matter of time!

Shion is the best

Nice, I like you too! 🥳

Thank you!!

I’m hoping (probably in vain) that the Persona 3 remake will have the female protagonist as an option, because I never got the chance to play Portable. I mean, I could get it digitally now, but with the remake imminent, I don’t know if I should… And the music in FFXIII is 🔥

I was so hyped for it, and I was ultimately pleased with how it turned out.

See, this is why I need to just bite the bullet and start FFXIV… I’m afraid it’ll take over my life, but…

Thank you! Yeah, a lot of people are recommending Valkyrie Profile, so I'm moving that one up my list for sure.

Absolutely!

Ooh yeah, nice pulls!

Oh yes, that's 100% true as well, I just have rarely encountered people who have anything good to say about Lightning myself, and I think that's a shame. But I'm glad there's discourse out there that's not so negative on her.

I'm edgy! 😎😂

Oh man, I need to play all three of those! (And I need to pick up Threads of Fate, pretty sure I have the other two.)

@@JustTheGems Princess Mint is hilarious character: selfish, lazy, impudent, greedy, and wants to take over the world XD

She's so cool

Yeah, I'm comfortable being in the minority of people who liked FF13. And 10, as well. Linearity is not always a bad thing.

@@JustTheGems 😁👍yeah

I think my description was worded weirdly, so I edited it. I feel the same way you do, for sure!

@@JustTheGems I know, if it weren't for cute chicks in JRPGs we wouldn't have gems like these: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e9weQIax3tE.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QBur3JIm8ww.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-J-Dkeqc6cXc.html

Yeah, I’m seeing several recommendations for Valkyrie Profile, so I’m going to have to give that a playthrough soon (I HAVE it, I just haven’t PLAYED it…😅)

Me too! The style looks really cool

Yeah, my wife made me the entire cast of Chrono Trigger in perlers (except for Crono, which I had bought at a convention several years ago)

@@JustTheGems aww thats so sweet 💞

Haha I was just making a joke, I grew up on shows like Sailor Moon, and Madoka is one of my favorites

I think fans would go CRAZY for Zelda as a playable character in a mainline Zelda game! I think it's been long enough, it needs to happen.

I would buy that in a heartbeat.

I don't know, I liked the Paradigm system. I just wish they could have found a way to make it less passive. Especially since I was uselessly spamming the cross button the entire time.

😂

Maybe that’s why they just called the rebel group in FF12 “the resistance”. 😂

That’s actually a pretty great theory - and thanks for subscribing! I just might do more embarrassing singing, we’ll see…😂

That was back when I was playing on my GameCube doing my childhood around 1995 which I was born to 2009

I feel like a lot of kids thought that. If you didn’t have the manual especially, you’d really have no way of knowing who was who.

Haha I forgot about that!

I'm sure it will once I get to play them. 😅 They're in my possession and on my list!

Yay!

Shion and Estelle are too good. I did enjoy XIII-2 at the time, but for whatever reason it didn't stick with me as strongly as the first.

Number 4 mon frere.

Crap I saw Milla and skipped thinking she was the Tales representative lol, my bad.

@@Zero-fx8pc Haha no worries! I'm a HUGE Velvet fan.

I'd LOVE to see that.

Yeah, the hate she gets is mostly unwarranted I think.