Angsty jRPG Heroes

[SavingPrincess]

Now that I'm posting in the right forum... (tabbed browsing can be dangerous!)

I'm not sure when this stereotype came about, so I'm curious if people can point to the first game that made this the "norm."

Going back over my history with jRPG's, I can't find an emo protagonist among them until Squall from Final Fantasy VIII (the guy's dialogue for the first part of the game consisted largely of the word "... whatever").

Back further than that, Terra from Final Fantasy VI was initially confused and full of doubt from losing her memory, Cecil from Final Fantasy IV was a justice-oriented knight, Chrono wasn't emo... Breath of Fire's Ryu, Dragon Quest's various "Heroes", the characters from Lufia, Earthbound, Phantasy Star; nope... so when did this whole mess start? I mean, even Cloud wasn't really "emo;" more of a jerk really... though Advent Children certainly gave him a violent shove toward emo.

When did this all start?

 

[TheNamlessGuy]

DELETED

 

[Doktor Merkwurdigliebe]

I think it's less related to emo subculture, more to how the concept of masculinity is understood in modern Japan. To be more precise, HOW MUCH DIFFERENT is it than in the west.

Spoiler

 

[Amnestic]

Squall. People just played FFVIII once and went THEY'RE ALL LIKE THIS then started flicking poop at the zoo visitors.

Indeed. Hell, even the very next game had a distinctly non-emo main character.

 

[Cherry Cola]

I think it's less related to emo subculture, more to how the concept of masculinity is understood in modern Japan. To be more precise, HOW MUCH DIFFERENT is it than in the west.

Spoiler

Oh Japan, how you have changed...

OT: I'm not sure. Although I think TheSpoonyOne played a large part in encouraging hatred towards FF.

 

[Corven]

I don't know how it started either, most jrpg's I've played never had what I consider to be a angsty main character, whiny perhaps but not angsty, and they are normally whiny only in the beginning before they find whatever it is that "they have to fight to protect" or whatever bullshit reason it is , normally that one though.

 

[shini]

The "Angsty jRPG Heroes" trope is exaggerated. Sure, there are plenty of them, but... Jasper from Rogue Galaxy? Johnny from SH 3? The mains in Ar Tonelico?

 

[Hiphophippo]

Angsty does not equal emo, really. Squall was emo. Cloud was Angsty. Those two games are often pointed to as the start of the trend and that's unfair. If you're going to dislike a genre dislike it for more than a superficial reason.

Personally, I don't get into jrpgs simply because I'm tired of the linearity and battle systems. I've nothing against the genre as a whole I just simply feel as if I've seen and done most of what there is to see and do.

I'm also sorta put off by the anime aesthetic. Not out of any sort of masculinity issues but I feel that by everyone looking so similar it's hard to convey depth of character through appearance alone. That said, I love Valkyria Chronicles so I don't judge everything.

 

[Gladion]

You forgot Shadow Hearts' Yuri.
Stop forgetting Shadow Hearts for effs sake you people D:

But it's quite possibly Final Fantasy's (7, 8, 10, and to a certain degree 12) and Yahtzee's fault (people take him so fucking seriously it's embarrassing).

 

[SavingPrincess]

You forgot Shadow Hearts' Yuri.
Stop forgetting Shadow Hearts for effs sake you people D:

If you notice I didn't even mention something from anything passed the PSX era. Don't blame me, I'm old.

But it's quite possibly Final Fantasy's (7, 8, 10, and to a certain degree 12) and Yahtzee's fault (people take him so fucking seriously it's embarrassing).

Truth.

I still blame Squall and to an extent, Tetsuya Nomura and his Gackt obsession.

 

[reg42]

I think it's less related to emo subculture, more to how the concept of masculinity is understood in modern Japan. To be more precise, HOW MUCH DIFFERENT is it than in the west.

Spoiler

Oh Japan, how you have changed...

OT: I'm not sure. Although I think TheSpoonyOne played a large part in encouraging hatred towards FF.

He only did those reviews in 2007/2008. I'm pretty sure that the hate started before then. But yeah, I'm sure he helped a lot.

 

[Veldt Falsetto]

I think Cloud was pretty emo tbf, the fact that he meets a flower girl then spends disc 2 and 3 crying until Tifa slaps the little ***** out of it because she was just a random flower girl that you knew for the whole of 3 months or something...Cloud and Squall are the worst though they both get better in the end. Anyone who says Tidus is emo is wrong tbh, he gets so much crap thrown at him he's bound to be a little emotional by the end, I mean I'd be fucked from being sent 1000 years in the future the rest of the

SPOILERific events like


His dad is a huge monster that kills everything just to see him who you eventually have to fight
or how about watching someone he obviously fell in love with marry this evil thing and finding out shes gonna die
infact not being real might be a bit of a shocker too


SPOILER OVER

just saying I'd be broken much before all this and he stays relatively cheery throughout infact he probably only cries like 3 times in the game then gets on with it.

 

[Remleiz]

What about the cast of Skies of Arcadia?
I thought that pretty much the entire player character cast were upbeat, more like "let's go save the world and kick butt" then "...whatever 'CRAAAAAAAAWLING!!'" you know?

Sure Ramirez was all dark and such, but that was more goth then emo lol

 

[SavingPrincess]

(On Tidus)

just saying I'd be broken much before all this and he stays relatively cheery throughout infact he probably only cries like 3 times in the game then gets on with it.

Haha, that was my problem with Tidus... he was like... the opposite of emo. He was so stupidly cheery and gung-ho at one moment, you'd think his potions were laced with zoloft; the next he would be in tears or incredibly angry at something in that wonderful 7 year-old kind of way. He wasn't emo... he was bipolar. I like to somewhat identify with my characters or at least find them believable; with him it was like, "No one I have ever met in life shares any emotional resemblance to any aspect of this person... even people who are ACTUALLY bipolar."

Spoiler: You definitely got it right when you said:

he is not real...

Back On Topic:

I think it might be backlash against Final Fantasy VII fanboyism that is responsible for the "all jRPG characters are emo" stereotype. Previous to that game, I always admired the heroes in jRPG's to an extent (Terra, Cecil, Chaz, Ness, Chrono, et. al.), even the supporting casts were more "real" than they seem to be today. I mean, does anyone know someone who honestly acts like Zell (Final Fantasy VIII) in real life? If so have you punched them in the face yet? Final Fantasy IX's characters were a step back in the right direction (got a soft spot for Vivi and Garnett I do), but when you compare them to the casts of a Final Fantasy VI, the emotional depth is more kiddie-pool-ish than oceanic.

God I really must be getting old.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

Square Enix is the most popular JRPG developer/punlisher. Therefore, people who don't regularly play JRPGs get the stereotype from Square Enix.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

I think it's less related to emo subculture, more to how the concept of masculinity is understood in modern Japan. To be more precise, HOW MUCH DIFFERENT is it than in the west.

Spoiler

Actually, those old black and white movies didn't reflect how traditionally the refined "noble" samurai was actually seen as being fairly effeminate and homosexuality was accepted as part of samurai warrior culture. Samurai were not angry thugs, they were more like the British officer class or high ranking Greeks or Romans.

 

[xxnightlawxx]

I don't really know and I care even less.

 

[Mr.Lucifer]

Cloud and vincent weren't that emo and had reasons to depressed. Same thing with tidus who was less angsty than them. There's nothing wrong with being angstly as long as its not overdone, if they have good reasons to be angsty, and if they eventually get over it like people do in real life.

 

[Blanks]

Having emotion, being sad, depressed and happy... it makes these characters seem human
so it kinda bothers me when people just label human traits as angsty or emo

I like my characters to be more than voiceless death machines you know?

 

[_Cake_]

When Japanese people started making games. They are a culture known for committing suicide.