JRPG May Be an Outdated Term—but It Was Originally Born out of Love

During a recent interview with SkillUp, Final Fantasy XVI producer had a lot to say about the term “JRPG,” in part noting how he and some of his fellow developers in Japan didn’t like the term when it started popping up around 15 years ago.

Now look, I’m not about to tell someone who is Japanese how they should or should not feel about the term “JRPG,” but as someone who has used said term for probably 30-some years now—it’s definitely been around a lot longer than 15 years—I do want to give some context on the terms for those who might not know its full history.

At least in the circles I ran in, usage of “JRPG” was born not from any sort of insult towards RPGs created by Japanese studios, but instead as a show of dislike for Western-developed RPGs. “JRPG” was a way to separate the good games from those awful CRPGs (Computer RPGs)!

These days, the genre is full of games that take inspiration from one another, and there’s no real clear definition of what a “Japanese role-playing game” is or means—unless you’re specifically talking about “it looks like anime” or whatever.

That wasn’t always the case, though!

Before I give a few examples, let me be clear: I’m not saying that every game in either category followed these rules. But, it definitely did feel like there were two distinct styles of gameplay and storytelling mentality between the two sides.

Overall, JRPG vs CRPG often came down to “console-style RPGs” versus “PC-style RPGs.” Sure, games like Ultima did come to consoles, and teams like Falcom had some projects that felt more Western in style and influence. But those were exceptions. There absolutely were some clear design differences between what was considered “standard” for a console RPG compared to one on PC, as well as differences in what each of those player bases tended to gravitate toward.

One of the biggest differences, especially for me, was that console RPGs—which, by nature, were almost always from Japan—focused on pre-created characters who had set names, personalities, backstories, char designs, and so on. Even when characters might allow for some customization in terms of their name or “job,” those chars still often had pre-determined backgrounds, with stories specifically written to center around that character or party being the focus of the narrative. 

On the opposite site, CRPGs often had no central character with any pre-set personality or history. You would have X number of slots in your party, and would then create your own characters to fit into those slots. Their only backstory was whatever you came up with in your head.

At the time, I found myself much preferring to follow a group of characters who were real characters, not just blank slates for me to fill in. I wanted people with personalities, motivations, pasts, all that stuff, who weren’t just replaceable pieces of the bigger story.

There was also just the overall style of storytelling. CRPGs often seemed to fall into two categories: either heavy fantasy inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, or far-future sci-fi stuff. I’m not saying that was all that was out there, but what it felt like as a non-CRPG fan looking at my options.

Sure, JRPGs like Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior as we knew it back then) or Miracle Warriors might feel like standard fantasy stuff, but even the original Final Fantasy played with some interesting non-traditional ideas, and Phantasy Star was astounding in its mix of fantasy and sci-fi.

CRPGs often felt like they had expansive worlds where you had to delve deep into the lore, landscape, politics, and other elements. They came with manuals that offered hundreds of pages of details and descriptions that you’d need over the course of your adventure.

These days, I can get into those types of games, but back then, JRPGs offered something simpler yet more exciting. A ragtag band of heroes get together to save the world from evil! Move from one town to the next defeating all foes! And that’s all I really need to know!

Of course, some of those heavier elements that were trademarks of CRPGs would find their way into JRPGs, but they were always done in ways that worked to expand those trademark character types and stories, not replace them with dry, personality-less alternatives.

Another difference was combat. Again, not for every game, but it often felt like a case where CRPGs were based around slow, more methodical, more tactical battles. Where as JRPGs had shorter, more fast-paced and “exciting” battles—and a whole lot more of them.

It was after playing games like Phantasy Star and Dragon Quest that I tried some of the SSI gold box RPGs, and to a much younger Mollie, man those battles felt like a slog to get through. So, that was another reason that “JRPG” became a part of my vocabulary.

And, in that regard, I think some of the usage of “JRPG” to this day simply comes from those of us who found the word become a huge part of our vocabulary in those younger days. Like, to this day, the original PlayStation is still the “PSX” to me, and it’ll never not be that.

I totally understand how, at this point, “JRPG” is a fairly outdated term that doesn’t make sense anymore. Absolutely, there has been and still is some really awful “Japanese games are trash” sentiment out there, not only from the fanbase, but even from Western media itself. That attitude has existed for years among some, and there’s been a lot of racist shit said as a part of it.

There is some legitimate criticism that can be directed at the Japanese game development industry, for example in how some studios have moved from making games for a wider audience to trying to make as much money as they can off of hardcore yet much smaller fanbases. However, those criticisms can be laid upon plenty of other developers and markets as well, and is not something that’s strictly Japanese.

I think it’s also fair to say that you’re not a fan of something that might be a staple of Japanese media, such as the trend of having younger protagonists or certain character tropes. But, you can make those arguments about any segment of media without it becoming race-related.

So, just to be clear: I’m not defending the negative usage of “JRPG,” nor am I pleading for us to keep the term alive. I simply want to add context for the history of the term, why it came to exist, and why many of us have used it over the years. I’d like to believe that more people are using it because they were fans of Japan’s offerings in earlier eras, versus those that use it in a derogatory way.

RPGs are RPGs, and that’s never been more evident than today. There’s a long and important history for why “JRPG” came to exist as a term, though, and a lot of its usage was born out of love and appreciate for what Japanese studios were giving us.

Still, we can and maybe should retire the term at this point. And, at the same time, maybe we can all finally agree that Dark Souls and Elden Ring are not RPGs you screwballs!

Putting a few RPG elements into a game does not an RPG make, and I will fight this fight until my dying breath.