JRPG tropes aren't all bad, in fact these tropes make their games better

JRPGs are a beloved genre for many reasons, from their expressive, likable characters to their engaging combat systems and epic stories set in their heart-wrenching, vast, flesh-out worlds. Even if your hero is a blank slate, you can almost guarantee that their adventure will be fun and emotional until the bitter end.

But among the hundreds of entries in this great genre, you can find many of the same tropes, which can be a bit of a problem if they're not particularly fun. However, and thankfully, the genre is full of some of the best tropes out there that will have us grinning from ear to ear or bawling our eyes out every time it pops up!

Villains being all villains

Turns out, the seemingly evil man is, in fact, evil!

One of our favorite things about JRPGs is that almost every villain looks the part, allowing you to spot them from a mile away. Does someone look a little too tough, have wild hair, and always have an angry expression on their face? You know, they are your primary adversaries. Unless it's supposed to be a big twist, you'll almost always be able to single them out before they properly reveal themselves.

Take Final Fantasy X's Seymour Goudo as an example; This guy exudes bad vibes the moment he enters the picture, and we absolutely love that about him. There's something about villain designs that the genre does so well, because they look and act the part to perfection every time!

party breaker

They should be kept separate

Another common trope in JRPGs is when the game decides, 'OK, your current or preferred party structure is enough for now, it's time to mix things up' and literally turns everything on its head, forcing you to use party members you may have been ignoring up to this point.

This trope occurs a lot in Final Fantasy titles, but it's also present in Skies of Arcadia, Lost Odyssey, Suikoden, and other great titles. Being forced to use unique pairings of each party member and character is always fun and rewarding, and the final reunion of your party is always a fun and wholesome moment!

Are you good now?!

There's nothing like a good redemption arc

Speaking of party members and characters, another great trope in the genre is when a villainous character realizes their mistakes and wants to make amends, usually joining your party in the process, doing a complete 180 on them. Who doesn't love a good redemption arc and phenomenal character development?

Magus from Chrono Trigger is a textbook example of this, and there are many more where that comes from, and we love it every time it happens. It's not as common these days, but when it happens, we'll be there rooting for them to fight against the corrupt system we ran into them in the first place!

Betrayal at its finest

Oh, so you're evil now?!

On the flipside, you can go about it the other way around, with one of your beloved party members betraying you, using you to further their grand plans, usually resulting in you having to fight them in a dramatic, heartbreaking moment. And in some cases, you'll be the one who turns on your party, forcing you to brutally take them out, such is the story of Xillia 2's bad ending.

Again, this trope isn't very common these days, but it's always soul-crushing when it happens, because you've bonded with this character for dozens, if not hundreds, of hours, only for them to stab you in the back and dump you all in the blink of an eye. Despite the pain it causes, it's still a great mechanic and will always be a memorable moment when it happens!

Fighting with God

Ramban children vs. God, what could go wrong?

There's nothing quite like forming a ragtag group of cute teenage girls and taking down God himself, which is amazing in JRPGs. Although it teeters on a slightly overused line, we can't deny how hyped it is when you finally face the corrupt and abusive God and take it down for good.

Most JRPGs don't end with you fighting a god, but those hold a special place in our hearts, as the build-up to that point is usually filled with difficulties, twists, turns, and pure chaos. Is it a bit too common? for sure But that doesn't stop us from reaching heaven and fixing the universe!

A very forgettable hero

How does it always hit?

Finally, of course, we have the hero, who suffers from amnesia, erasing all or some of their memories, essentially making them somewhat of a blank slate, revealing more and more important information as you progress through their often tragic story, such as Xenogears Finish Cloud or Xenogears Deep Deep Fei Fong Wong.

While this may be one of the more common tropes in the genre, it never gets old, and the way it haunts you to death from the beginning to the end of the hero's journey is infuriating. It has everything you could want, all wrapped into one, heightened drama, deep mysteries, and big twists once everything is revealed. How can you not love it?!