Best JRPG about Underdogs Rising To Power

Summary

  • Underdog hero's journeys have been a popular theme in JRPGs since '86, showing how the powerless triumph.

  • Games like “Vagrant Story,” “Xenoblade Chronicles,” and “Final Fantasy VI” exemplify this trope.

  • Characters like Ashley, Shulk and Terra rise to power through personal growth and fight against all odds.

Underdogs taking power has been a common trope in JRPGs culture ever since the first of its kind (Dragon Quest) hit stores back in 1986, and many comics have followed this formula of broken or broken people who, by fate, chance, or sheer force of will, become powerful enough to change their destinies.

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It may have started as a joke: saving a cat and then gaining enough power to defy god, but this formula has worked for years. Why is that so? Because seemingly powerless heroes making it into the big leagues with the power of friendship (and XP farming) is pretty relatable. So in this topic, we'll highlight several titles that fit those criteria, but also represent certain tipping points in JRPG history of underdogs becoming the promised heroes.

1

Vagrant story

He fights like a bloody titan (damn good he does!)

System

PlayStation-1

Released

15 May 2000

Developer

Square

The story of a soldier trying to atone for his “sins”, rising to power through a chain of suffering, climbing the dangerous chambers of a sinister dungeon, in a race against time to stop a murderous cult leader with sinister (albeit unclear) plans for world domination. This high-stakes JRPG follows Ashley Riot, a “Riskbreaker”, a member of the elite force fighting dangerous criminals in the Kingdom of Valendia, who, after a serious case of brainwashing by the very organization he worked for, is discarded in one of the most dangerous cases of his career .

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Thrown into the darkest corners of the lost city of Leá Monde (which is somehow a pocket dimension inside a duke's mansion), Ashley meets cult leader Sydney Losttarot, who unlocks the mental bond he had and reveals the ugly truth about his past. Confused but steadfast, and severely weakened by Sydney's spell, Ashley climbs back from the gutter, killing enemy after enemy, fighting with unparalleled strength and crafting his weapons from materials he finds in the dungeon. This story has a twisted side. A fog of political compromise, murder and the need for atonement cloud the protagonist's past and make him a disposable scapegoat. But players can prove them wrong by fighting like experts, never missing a combo chain.

2

Xenoblade Chronicles

A boy and his blade against the world

System

super grayscale 8-bit logo

In this tragic JRPG about life, sacrifice, friendship and love, a boy picks up a fallen blade and wields it, knowing that the power it contains will one day kill him. But revenge is a powerful motivator to continue grinding enemies across the world, chasing an enemy that is like a ghost, constantly evading them while unraveling the mysteries of the blade and an ancient war between the spawn of two gods.

Shulk goes from weapons technician to hero by accident, in a chain of sad events that will grip the hearts of the players and fill them with despair, but also curiosity about what hidden secrets the edge of the Monado blade hides.

3

Final Fantasy 6

A group of misfits band together to oppose a sinister megalomaniac

Released

October 11, 1994

Developer

Square Enix, Square

Final Fantasy 6 teaches players the power of cooperation and friendship like few other iterations of the franchise. In this story we have a thief trying to set his story straight, a rebellious prince dreaming of a life of freedom, an ex-soldier used as a test subject (a trope that would remain in successive installments of the series) and many other colorful characters that make up The Returners.

Terra and his friends are the very picture of underdogs, who often live in seclusion as pariahs, but remain true to their ideals until the bitter end. Even when the evil Kefka proves to be a formidable foe, these fellow rebels do not back down, but continue until they stand up, opposing the evil clown and his puppet emperor's evil rule.

4

Chrono Trigger

A boy, a technician, a frog, underdogs until the end

Chrono Trigger is the perfect example of underdogs banding together to fight larger-than-life battles where the stakes keep escalating. At first, players will meet Crono, a boy who dreams big, Lucca, a talented inventor, and Marle, a runaway princess who barely knows what the world is about. Together they embark on a journey through time and space to stop an impending apocalypse that threatens to destroy everything they love.

On their way, they will meet other memorable characters such as Robo, a futuristic weapon with a golden heart, who has been thrown away as trash, Ayla, the chief of a prehistoric tribe, Frog, a cursed knight who has sworn an oath of revenge against the Magus, who also happens to join the crew later. It's an incredible journey and one of the best JRPGs of all time.

5

The Sui Code 2

Nothing can stop the power of friendship

The Sui Code II

System

PlayStation-1

Released

September 29, 1999

The Sui Code 2 has been widely recognized as the best in the series, with a thrilling tale of betrayal and rebellion against tyranny. In the follow-up from the first The Sui CodeThe Unicorn Brigade is ambushed (thanks to a twisted double cross by an insider), and this sets in motion a series of events that will lead to a brutal war of conquest.

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Riou and Jowy survive but are captured by Viktor and Flik and taken as prisoners. After managing to escape, they return to the kingdom to be betrayed and branded as traitors, thrown into prison once more, and rescued by none other than those who captured them in the first place. They form an uneasy alliance at first, but as their interest in keeping the continent from being consumed by war and the evil plans of Prince Luca Blight, Riou, Jowy and the mercenaries begin to see eye to eye, eventually becoming truly bonded and rising to power through pure willpower.

6

The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel

What's the point of nobility, if they can't be true to one thing?

System

super grayscale 8-bit logo PlayStation-1

Released

December 22, 2015

Developer

Nihon Falcom

IN Tracks Of Cold Steel (part of The legend of heroes series), players embody Rean Schwarzer, the young adopted son of a nobleman and a vicious underdog. Despite not having an ounce of noble blood and having his qualifications to be in Thor's Military School constantly questioned, he is headstrong, determined and righteous.

Throughout the series, this character evolves from an underdog to a true hero of the kingdom, but this transformation doesn't happen out of the blue. He is first selected as a member of Class VII, a group of misfits caught between the political struggle for the noble class and the reformist faction. Rean becomes the “Awakener” of Valimar, the Ashen Knight, a powerful mecha who chooses the protagonist of the series because of his brave and righteous mindset.

7

Bravely Default

Heroes of different origins but all underdogs

System

super grayscale 8-bit logo

Released

February 7, 2014

Developer

Silicon Studio

The story of how Tiz Arrior, Agnès Oblige, Ringabel and Edea Lee save the world of Luxendarc is a powerful tale of rebellion against authority, overcoming one's fears with the help of friends and fighting untold odds to the beat of a brilliant soundtrack. It's one of the finest expressions of what the JRPG genre is all about, with underdog heroes taking power throughout the story, and an ominous twist that makes players shudder every time they remember their playthroughs.

The mechanics of the game itself are tied to the “weak” but strong trope and are one of the main attractions of Bravely Default and its sequels. With each character facing personal challenges and growing out of them through sheer force of will, this game embodies the spirit of rising above circumstance.

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