The best JRPG with inspiring hero journeys

Summary

• Fictional heroes often undergo a significant change that reflects victory on their journey.

• RPG heroes like Zephyr, Vashyron and Leanne grow significantly and rank them according to their transformation.

• Clive of Final Fantasy 16 evolves from a broken man into a powerful figure through loss and revenge.

The hero's journey can mean many things in fiction. It typically refers to the main character going through the plot of their narrative and thinking about how they will change at the end. If the character changes significantly from the starting point to the ending point, then this is often seen as a victory.

Book readers, moviegoers, and game players all want to be wowed at the end of their experience, and much of this factor can be attributed to how the main character grows. If not, that doesn't mean the medium is bad, but for now let's focus on games, specifically RPGs from Japan, where the heroes change dramatically. They will be ranked according to how much they grow and how satisfying that growth is to witness.

Spoilers Ahead For The Games Listed

7

Zephyr, Vashyron and Leanne (Resonance Of Fate)

It's a three-way tie

Zephyr, Vashyron and Leanne there are three lines Resonance of fate. They are the only playable party members in this turn-based shootout RPG Matrixso it's hard to separate them. They are at the bottom of a dystopian society and the only way up is through menial work. They're okay in the beginning, but there's also not much going on with this bunch of mercenaries. They're kind of like the crew inside Cowboy Bebopwhich also take a while to get used to in that anime.

As players encounter this bunch more, their flaws and spells become fascinating. Although the game is episodic, the three heroes change as the story progresses to be a little less cash-strapped and more noble, though a dog can only learn so many new tricks.

From pauper to prince

The Persona The Atlus team usually writes their protagonists to be silent, but that changed with He will be in Metaphor: ReFantazio. He has a bigger part in the plot and his overall mission is to kill the wizard who cursed the nation's prince. Once this villain Louis is dead, Will's mission will be over and the nation will likely be saved.

The plot point is that Will is technically just this prince's “will” manifested by pushing forward in his half-dead state. When the prince is officially killed near the end, Will fuses back into his body and becomes whole again. So Will is a great example of a character who literally has an external change in his hero's journey.

5

Oliver (Ni no Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch)

No time for tears

Oliver comes from another isekai adventure, but one that's a bit more whimsical. IN Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White WitchOliver loses his mom, but ends up in another world where his stuffed animal friend, Mr. Drippy, says there might be a way to see his mom again.

To no one's surprise, Oliver starts out as a bit of a crybaby. After all, he's a kid who loses his mom and has to fight monsters. Through the strong bonds formed during the adventure, Oliver learns to wipe away those tears and heroically saves this newfound world from disaster.

4

Laharl (Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness)

Let go

Laharl is the prince of the underworld in Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. He's kind of on the opposite path to Oliver because he was raised to avoid feelings and is more angry that his father died than sad because he has to step in and rule in his place.

No one in the underworld is happy with this turn of events and is trying to usurp his throne. Laharl is basically a brat who thinks he deserves to rule, but hates it at the same time. He's slowly learning to trust his team, listen to his people in general, and welcome feelings beyond “this sucks” and “I have to kill you now.”

3

Sora (Kingdom Hearts)

Reclaiming the power of friendship

Sora starts out as a charismatic child The heart of the kingdom who dreams of adventure with his two best friends, Kairi and Riku. He comes from a normal island home but finds himself in a magical universe full of Disney. He loses Kairi and Rika, but gains the support of Donald and Goofy, who have lost their King Mickey.

While she can smile through the rough spots, Sora is hurt inside. Wanting to save Kairi, who was kidnapped, Riku turned to the dark side. With the power of friendship and his massive Keyblade, Sora literally and figuratively fights the darkness. Sora starts out as a good, caring person and ends up as a true hero ready to take on any challenge.

2

Neku (The World Ends With You)

Taking off the headphones

Don't he looks a lot like Sora with his trendy threads and combed hair. However, the two couldn't be more different in the personality department. Neku is a loner The world ends with you who doesn't understand people and instead drowns them out with music in his solitary life in Japan. This leads to his death and he wakes up in the afterlife where everything is set up as a game.

In order to be resurrected or to wish for something else, Neku must go through trials with different partners. Even when faced with this reality, Neku shrugs it off. Through repeated trials, Neku learns to trust his partners and people in general, losing the need for the safety of his headphones.

1

Clive (Final Fantasy 16)

Accepting his fate as an Ifrit

Many characters go through the wringing in the Final Fantasy series. The newest protagonist, Clive of Final Fantasy 16it really comes through, though. In an instant, he loses his home in the Grand Duchy of Rosario, his father, and his brother. Worse, his mother Anabella, who had defected to the Holy Empire of Sanbreque, an enemy nation, was behind it all. Clive then essentially becomes a slave to war.

In the opening, Clive is a broken man who slowly begins to recover as a fiery power awakens within. He learns that Joshua, his brother, is alive and is helping to put the world back together one revenge killing at a time. Clive is a brooding protagonist who usually gets what he wants in the end. It's unclear if he dies or not, but either way, he's still valiantly trying to save humanity, sacrificing everything (or almost everything) to do so.