OMG RPG

Japanese culture and Japanese gaming companies are notoriously patriarchal. It is then no surprise to find scores of shallow, one dimensional female character. Often, as a closet feminist, I feel that the women characters are given the short shift. They are either super duper kawaii (Fina from Skies of Arcadia Legends) or cool as cucumber with a lethal glint in their eyes, i.e. Lulu from FFX. Some are just plain ole crazy and unhinged, and some are obviously created for men *cough*Tifa*cough.* Still, if you look hard enough, there are memorable, complex, and engaging female characters in JRPGs.

First and foremost, I must admit that this is a tough list to come up with. I had to list all the games I played before or watched my husband play, wiki them up to refresh my memory, scratch my head, and debate about the merits of each lady on my list. After much deleting and rewriting, here is my list of the 10 most memorable JRPG female characters I have ever played or known.

As I have yet to play all the JRPGs in the world, I do apologize if I missed out your favorite girl. I welcome everyone to list their favorite women from both JRPGs and WRPGs on the comment section. Disputes and criticisms are also equally welcomed.

Warning: Major spoilers abound!

God, she is gorgeous even in that shapeless suit. Look at her eyes! You can positively drown in it. I must admit that as I was playing through Crisis Core, I was touched by her willingness to help Zack whenever he gets stuck at the risk of losing her own job. Plus, she is the only girl in the all-guys-only-Turks. It is my opinion that she is prettier than Aerith. Too bad the above picture does not do Cissnei any justice!

Ah, the Great Mizuti. A strange creature who wears a strange looking mask and refers to itself as "the Great Mizuti." I was totally creeped out by it and was shocked to find out that it is a girl. Not only is she capable of pawning enemies with her awesome black magic card, she is also hilarious: The Great Mizuti never lies. Rarely. Once in a blue moon. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you the weirdest and coolest female character, the Great Mizuti! Oh hail the Great Mizuti! *kowtows*

I could not decide which one deserved to be #8, so I put both of them up. Both Rosalyn and Marlene are the perfect examples of tragicomedy figures in video games. Though both of them come with a sad background, they are also hilariously funny and saves the game from being a complete bore. I mean, come on, who would not laugh at Rosalyn's pink shadow? (Or in Rosalyn's own words, "Pink, you know, pink! And not even a tasteful pink, but a fluorescent pink!") And when it turned out that Marlene was an animated doll all along, I really felt for my guy. Both of them were getting on so well romantically! Arggh!

She is gorgeous. She dresses like a real knight instead of a knight-want-to-be. She is a powerful fighter and healer in the game. She wants to serve her people and is fiercely loyal to the Zexen Knights. She does not like to be idolized. Plus, she gets a horse in the beginning! I always thought that she is not the "true" hero destined to have the Fire Rune. For me, she is the true bearer of the Water Rune. Chris, what would I do without you? Most probably not finish the game. Hahahaha.

Oh sure, she is as cute as a button, but that was not what impressed me. I was impressed by her will and her growth. She started out as a na�ve, confused fairy who believed her dastardly cousin even though he killed her mother, the Queen. After some adventuring, Mercedes came out stronger, tougher and eventually led the Fairies in the war against the valkyries. Plus, she has an awesome magical crossbow which made playing her section a breeze thanks to its machine-gun-non-stop-shooting-feature. Now who wouldn't be impressed?

In the first game, she is the crazy evil and loony little girl who killed Kain's sister. In the second Drakengard eighteen years later, she repents and wants to free the people being sacrificed to the Seals. And obviously, she falls in love with Nowe, the main protagonist in Drakengard 2. She's still a bit loony in the second game, but one must give her points for her effort to redeem herself. Her tenacity and strong will earns her the fifth spot on my list. I always appreciate a tortured soul just as long as it is not mine. J

What can I say? Princess Anastasia's antics made me laugh so hard sometimes that my husband would give me a funny look. She is young and small and quite possible annoying, but above all, she is hilarious! Lighten up people. She is so plucky and determined to get her guy. Even though I felt so sorry for that young samurai, I was so happy for her in the end. Yeah, you read that right, a Russian princess and a Japanese Samurai. Just thinking of her still brings a smile to my face.

No, I'm not joking. Yes, it is Sialeeds up there in #2. I will never forget that moment when she defected to the Godwins' camp. I think I yelled at the TV. Hahaha. At first, I thought that she was floozy for dressing so skimpily, but I must admit that she did grow on me, especially when I learnt that the real reason why she betrayed the good side. You want to know? Go play the game. Seriously, it is a great title with a story that rivals Suiko 2. Before I move on to #2, props must be given to Queen Arshtat who is another memorable female character from Suiko V, though not as much as her sister. Arshtat is a strong and shrewd ruler before she went crazy thanks to the Sun Rune. She manages to keep the Godwins and the Barrows in place, deftly juggling these two factions on top of managing an entire country and raising a family. Queen Arshtat simply rules them all.

Lenneth's fans must be frothing at their mouth to see Alicia's name up there instead of Lenneth's, but let me explain first. I have not gotten around to finishing the first Valkyrie Profile on PSP, so I cannot nominate Lenneth. Plus, you got to admit the Alicia at the very beginning of the game is so different from the one at the end. She matures, grows into the leadership position, and just plain evolved from a scared little girl to a tough woman. Even though she knows that doing the right thing will cost her the one person she loves, she still did it. I really felt for Rufus at the very end.

To prevent this list from turning into Top Final Fantasy Women, I have combined them under a single heading. Before all the hate mail comes rushing at me, please note that I played FF6 before but was much too young to understand it; thus, I did not include Celes in this list. Like you guys out there, I am also eagerly awaiting the re-release of this game with souped up graphics. Now where was I?

My little sister finds her annoying. I agree that she is a wee bit annoying at the beginning (or cute depending on your perspective) but she becomes really human at the end. I think the 'aha' moment for me is when she asked Squall at the playground if they must really fight. She questions the necessity of violence. In that instant, I felt closer to her. And plus in the end, she is the one who saves Squall and is no longer a helpless damsel.

Anybody who thinks she is a wuss is sleeping through FF9. Come on, she survived the loss of her mother, the loss of her kingdom, finds out that she is adopted, and overcomes a severe bout of depression. The scene where she chopped off her hair and renamed herself was inspiring.

Another no-brainer. When faced with a major religious and personal crisis, she chose to go the unknown path. I like to think that in FFX, she is only a caterpillar that truly becomes a butterfly in FFX-2. She went through so much but she never gives up. It always amazes me how gracefully she copes with the loss of Tidus, especially at the end of X-2 (if you get the normal ending). Brings a tear to my eye.

Well, if she is not on the list, Mandifesto will kill me! Just kidding. ;) Even though I have never played FFXII before, I know how tough she is just by watching my husband play the game. Yes, I do not like her tight pink mini-skirt, but at the moment when she realizes the ghost of Rasler is a bait all along, I forgive her atrocious fashion sense. She learns to deal with what life has given her and never looked back or whined. I might not like her very much, but I do respect her.