Best JRPGS That Include Queer Characters

Summary

• JRPGs can have LGBTQ+ representation, with characters like Tatsuya in Persona 2 and Quina in FF9.
• Games like Nier and Blue Reflection feature subtle LGBTQ+ representation in their characters.
• Final Fantasy 16 showcases a tender gay relationship between Dion and Terence.

JRPGs as a genre aren’t exactly known for pushing the envelope. Obviously, there are exceptions. Japanese game developers aren’t a monolith, after all. But JRPGs tend to absolutely excel at tight, traditional gameplay and storytelling, and often times, that’s exactly what you want.

However, that classic vibe doesn’t mean they can’t push for something a little more progressive when it comes to the characters. Many JRPGs from throughout the decades have included representation for the LGBTQ+ community, and that likely includes some of your favorite games.

10

Persona 2: Innocent Sin

Tatsuya Suou, Jun Kurosu, Anna Yoshizaka

Given the Persona series’ less-than-stellar track record when it comes to depicting the LGBTQ+ community, you might be shocked to find out that some of the earlier games included some pretty decent (for the time) portrayals. In Persona 2: Innocent Sin, you play as Tatsuya Suou, who can end up in a relationship with his male best friend, Jun Kurosu.

This isn’t just one of those ‘playersexual’ things where the characters’ preferences depend entirely on player choices. Tatsuya heavily implies attraction to men and women during the game, regardless of whom you romance. A more subtle example is the character Anna Yoshizaka, whose romantic feelings for another female character, Yukino Mayuzumi, are revealed in a tie-in novel after being implied in-game.

9

Nier: Automata

6O, 16D, 11B

Nier: Automata loves its tragedies, and thanks to the ‘bury your gays’ trope, tragedy always seems to follow queer people in fiction. The game includes several side characters who are unambiguously attracted to the same gender, but a happy ending isn’t on the cards.

Operator 6O, who keeps in regular contact with main character 2B throughout the game, reveals she got turned down when asking out a fellow female operator, despite 2B not exactly requesting that information. Also, in a side quest, depending on your choices, you can find out that the character 16D was in a relationship with her female instructor, 11B.

8

Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Andrea Rhodea

One of the best parts of Final Fantasy 7 Remake also includes some refreshing queer representation. Win-win. Over in Wall Market, Cloud’s famous cross-dressing segment from the original game is brilliantly fleshed out, most notably with the help of the gender-nonconforming legend Andrea Rhodea.

Not content to simply let Cloud put on a simple dress and wig, he makes a spectacle out of the situation for a whole audience (though that might defeat the purpose of using it as a disguise). During this moment, he proudly declares that beauty transcends gender, and the moment is thankfully not played for laughs like one might expect given how the original Final Fantasy 7 handled this point.

7

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Juniper, A

One of the many heroes you can recruit in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is the nonbinary Agnian Juniper, who leads Colony Tau. Aside from being one of the most enjoyably chill characters in the game, they are explicitly referred to with they/them pronouns in the game itself, and they may not be the only one.

In the game’s Future Redeemed DLC, no pronouns are ever used to refer to the character A, at least in the English version. In Japanese, A is spoken of with masculine identifiers despite a more feminine appearance. A’s backstory is hard to explain out of context, but suffice it to say, this person is definitely not cis.

6

Harvestella

Player Character

Harvestella is a remarkably cozy game, blending action RPG mechanics and a surprisingly developed story with a satisfying farming sim system. But before you get to any of that, you need to create a character, and one simple choice can make all the difference.

Quite literally, the first thing you see when you start a new game is your choice of your character’s gender between male, female, and nonbinary. The character creator is rather shallow beyond that, but NPCs use your proper pronouns and all romance options are available to you regardless of gender. It’s a small thing, but very nice to see.

5

Chrono Trigger

Flea

This may be a bit of a controversial example of LGBTQ+ representation, but it doesn’t change the fact that Chrono Trigger includes a character who is canonically outside of the gender norm. The gender-nonconforming Flea uses he/him pronouns but presents in a clearly fluid manner.

The issue here is that Flea’s gender fluidity can easily be seen as being an indicator of his villainy, as queerness has often been depicted in media. It’s a conversation worth having, but it’s also easy to see how his line about power being beautiful regardless of gender might feel empowering to some.

4

Final Fantasy 9

Quina Quen

Oh Quina. Final Fantasy 9 never comes out and states exactly how you see yourself. But one thing is for certain: you are absolutely not a cisgender person. Maybe gender simply has no meaning to Quina’s race. Zidane and the rest of the party certainly never figured it out, which is unfortunately probably why they played Quina’s gender for laughs a few times, notably during the wedding scene.

Other characters use neutral pronouns in Japanese and a mix of he and she in English. So, at the very least, Quina could be considered somewhere between agender and nonbinary.

3

Nier

Kainé, Emil

Even before Nier: Automata included LGBTQ+ representation in its side characters, the original Nier had some of its own in two of its most prominent figures. Kainé, Nier’s crude and aggressive companion, is an intersex woman, while Emil, a young cursed boy, is gay.

Granted, these reveals are subtle, and most players likely didn’t even realize. But supplemental materials, including the Nier Replicant remake, have been more forthcoming, notably with Emil heavily hinting at his romantic preferences in a re-translated scene.

2

Blue Reflection

Shihori Sugamoto, Many More In The Sequel

The idea of a magical girl RPG seems like a slam dunk, and Blue Reflection definitely qualifies. Playing as a ballerina who gains magic abilities, you get to live that fantasy in this almost Persona-style school-life/monster-fighting adventure. With the Persona style often comes romance, and unlike most Persona games, Blue Reflection acknowledges that non-straight people exist.

While this game is largely platonic when it comes to same-sex interactions, the character Shihori does eventually declare an unambiguous crush on the player character Hinako. The sequel, Blue Reflection: Second Light, goes even further letting you get much more flirtatious with the girls your (again, female) player character dates, and even includes some canonical relationships between the other female characters.

1

Final Fantasy 16

Dion And Terence

One of the most pleasant surprises regarding Final Fantasy 16 (and it boasted many) was the truly tender and loving relationship between the characters Dion and Terence. As a prince, Dion had lofty aspirations, which made his childhood friend, Terence, initially assume his romantic feelings would remain one-sided.

But a near-death experience forced them both to confront the possibility of losing one another, and they both finally confessed to each other. The game doesn’t treat their relationship as some hidden reference that could easily be misinterpreted. It’s right there in the forefront, and there’s no wonder Dion and Terence are easily one of gaming’s best gay couples.