Games

Best JRPGs with a Predominantly Adult Cast

Published

3 months ago

October 10, 2024

Christoph Rediske

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

JRPGs with adult casts offer mature themes like sacrifice and duty, providing richer narrative experiences.
Games like Lost Odyssey and Final Fantasy 6 showcase adult characters with distinct pasts and responsibilities.
Titles such as Persona 2 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon deliver psychological depth and complexity through older characters.

An important aspect of many JRPGs is the companions who accompany the protagonist throughout the game’s narrative journey. These companions often set the tone of the story, interacting with the surrounding world while the main character remains silent. In various titles within the genre, this cast consists of younger figures, reflecting themes such as growth and discovery.

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However, some JRPGs take a different approach by featuring an adult cast with more mature characters. These members bring a new perspective to the narrative, exploring deeper and more complex themes such as sacrifice, duty, and redemption. A JRPG with an adult cast tends to offer a richer and more engaging narrative experience for those seeking more mature stories.

8 Lost Odyssey

Intertwined Lives In A JRPG With Adult Characters

Lost Odyssey

Systems

Released: February 12, 2008

As a JRPG with an adult cast, Lost Odyssey features Kaim, an immortal with over a thousand years. The narrative delves into the characters’ memories and experiences, providing a detailed view of their trajectories and motivations throughout the journey.

Kaim’s companions, such as Seth and Jansen, are adults with distinct pasts and their own responsibilities. This composition allows players to follow the individual development of each team member, enriching the gaming experience with different perspectives and personal stories.

7 Final Fantasy 6

Adults Play A Significant Role In This Game

Final Fantasy 6

Released: October 11, 1994
Developer(s): Square Enix , Square
Publisher(s): Square Enix , Square
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

Final Fantasy 6 is a classic example of a JRPG with a predominantly adult cast. The story takes place in a steampunk world where older characters, such as the veteran knight Cyan and rebel leader Banon, play crucial roles in the narrative, also bringing interesting storylines that enrich the plot with themes of loss and duty.

Despite featuring younger protagonists like Terra or Celes, the older party members add layers to the story. Sabin and Edgar, brothers with real responsibilities, and Setzer, an airship pilot with a complex past, exemplify the cast’s maturity. The interaction between characters of different ages makes the story richer and more multifaceted.

6 Xenosaga Episode 3: Also Sprach Zarathustra

Mature Themes In A Mecha-Focused JRPG

Platforms: PlayStation 2
Developers: Monolith Soft
Released: August 29, 2006
Genre: JRPG

Xenosaga Episode 3: Also Sprach Zarathustra presents a predominantly adult cast, with the exception of Momo, a Realian with a youthful appearance. Characters such as Shion Uzuki and her brother Jin, along with the cyborg Ziggy, are older and carry deep histories, dealing with their choices and responsibilities while facing cosmic threats.

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Even KOS-MOS, technically only three years old, possesses unique complexity as a conscious weapon. The game’s focus lies in the maturity of the characters, who, instead of discovering the world, strive to protect it, dealing with the consequences of events from the franchise’s previous two games and concluding the series epically.

5 Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

A Psychological Journey With Mature Characters

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Systems

Released: November 30, 2000

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is an excellent example of a JRPG with an adult cast, differing from the franchise’s more recent titles. While current games focus on teenage protagonists and school life, Eternal Punishment features more mature characters, such as the 24-year-old protagonist Maya Amano, addressing deeper and darker themes.

The narrative explores moral dilemmas and traumas, offering a more adult and psychological experience. This approach sets the early games apart from the newer entries in the series, which concentrate on existential questions and internal conflicts while maintaining the supernatural elements that define the franchise. This combination provides players with a different experience compared to the series’ more recent games.

4 Octopath Traveler

Diverse And Mature Characters In The Party

Released: July 13, 2018
Publisher(s): Nintendo
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

Except for Tressa, who is only 18 years old, the main characters in Octopath Traveler are mostly between 20 and 30 years old, making the game an excellent choice for those seeking a JRPG with an adult cast. This allows players to follow the narrative from the perspectives of different characters.

The game’s premise is based on the fact that each of the eight characters has their own story and problems to resolve, up to the point where all their stories interconnect through a common enemy. This approach, in addition to being charming, allows each character to have even more complexity within the game.

3 Vagrant Story

An RPG Featuring a Mature Protagonist In His Late 20s

Systems

Released: May 15, 2000
Developer(s): Square
Publisher(s): Square

Vagrant Story is a standout JRPG that features an adult protagonist, Ashley Riot, an elite agent known as a Riskbreaker. Nearing 30 years old, Ashley breaks the mold of typical JRPG heroes, who are often teenagers, so, his mature perspective adds depth to the game’s intricate storyline set in the dark, medieval city of Leá Monde.

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The game delves into themes of political intrigue, betrayal, and personal redemption. Its gameplay combines action and role-playing elements, emphasizing weapon customization and strategic combat. Vagrant Story offers a rich and engaging experience, distinguished by its complex narrative and the uncommon presence of an adult hero in the genre.

2 Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

A Dark Journey In An Adult-Oriented JRPG

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux

Systems

Released: May 15, 2018
Developer(s): Atlus , Lancarse
OpenCritic Rating: Strong

Developed with a global audience in mind and not just the Japanese market, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey introduced themes different from other games in the franchise, being an excellent JRPG with a predominantly adult cast. The story, for example, revolves around an anomaly called Schwarzwelt, which threatens to destroy planet Earth.

To prevent this, an elite team composed of various soldiers and scientists is assembled, with the protagonist being a military officer aiming to stop this phenomenon from annihilating humanity. The science fiction theme, combined with the ethical dilemmas the game addresses, makes the narrative even deeper, even by the standards of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise.

1 Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Released: November 10, 2020
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

Before adopting RPG elements, the Yakuza franchise already featured stories related to middle-aged adults. However, with the release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the series became one of the main JRPGs to feature an adult cast. Led by the protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, who is about 42 years old in the game.

Additionally, the rest of the Yakuza: Like a Dragon cast consists mostly of older characters compared to other JRPGs, each with complex life stories and troubled pasts. This distinctive approach gives the game significant emotional depth, even with its eccentric moments, exploring each character’s story in an interesting manner.