Welcome to my first ever top 5! Today we are exploring the world of my top five favorite male protagonists. And trust me I had a hard time choosing. Male protagonists are not exactly in short supply. But these are the few that I became very attached to.
5.
Jaster Rogue from Rogue Galaxy
Now, I don't want to spend the whole time talking about how much I loved Rogue Galaxy, but good god I loved Rogue Galaxy. And Jaster is the glue that pulls the whole shebang together. Enthusiastic but not overly so. Doesn't talk too much but doesn't fall into brooding silences where his only dialogue is "…", Jaster is a great character with a great story that everyone should try.
4.
Zidane from Final Fantasy IX
Now I know some people (Casey) will disagree with me, but Final Fantasy IX is one of my favorite games. It was the first RPG that I played to completion. After Final Fantasy VII and VIII, Zidane was very refreshing. What's this? A lead who doesn't look like he leapt fully formed out of the mind of a 14 year old goth girl? Surely you jest! Zidane was also different in that instead of the normal overpowered skinny boy with a giant sword, he was a thief. His job matched his character and appearance, which is a hell of a lot more than I can say for most male leads.
3.
Yuri of the Shadow Hearts series
I love Yuri. I love his dialogue, I love his fighting technique I love pretty much everything about the character. I don't know what to say beyond that.
2.
Fei from Xenogears
It's really hard to say why I love Fei without ruining the plot of Xenogears which is almost all spoilers from start to finish. Let me just say that Fei is the ultimate badass. No questions asked. Fei will destroy you.
1.
I know I was trash talking Cloud a little while ago, but here he is. Part of this is more nostalgia than anything. Like many, Final Fantasy VII was the first RPG I ever played. Before then I had been playing Tekken and Waverace (which is an awesome game and I will fight anyone who says otherwise). This game opened my eyes to a new form of storytelling, and Cloud was the biggest part of that. To this day no other character has had as big of an impact on the way I play video games.
Comments
Yuri is an all time favorite of mine, glad to see him.
Fei FTW. Fei would destroy just about any main character from an RPG...ever. It is hard to describe without ruining the story.
@ Angela. Freaking finish Xenogears NAO!!111
Cloud is a good choice though, although the further on in the series you go, the less emo he gets.
His badassness is indirectly proportional to his emo-ness.
And the other inclusion that I love is, of course, Yuri. Maybe my favorite protagonist of the entire last generation; certainly in the running.
I'll probably be beaten for this, but I could do without either Fei or Cloud though (haven't played FFIX, so I can't comment on Zidane, but from the look of it, I'm not sure I'd like him.)
I totally agree with Jaster, Yuri and Zidane though. Great choices.
Best explanation ever
MonkeyStew