Monster designs and JRPGs are terms that are synonymous in the context of the sub-genre. This is because Most games under this umbrella deal with some iconic enemy or boss design that are not earthly creatures in nature.
This isn’t to say all of them are the same to look at. The variations can go far wider and beyond the scope that one can think of. So we have decided to point out a few of the coolest monster designs ourselves, in the list below.
Best JRPG Monster Designs
Glavenus (Monster Hunter)
There are going to be a lot of monsters from the Monster Hunter franchise in this discussion so buckle up. The first one we are looking at is Glavenus, one of the coolest ideas for a monster that originally appeared in Monster Hunter Generations.
Imagine dinosaurs, but what if they were swordmasters and had the sharpest blade in existence as a tail? That’s basically a surface-level idea about the kind of amazing creature we are dealing with.
Glavenus is categorized as a brute class of wyvern in the Monster Hunter franchise and is a fan favorite, always topping charts for one of the most wanted monsters in every new iteration of the game.
Bancho Leomon (Digimon)
Aside from being memed into oblivion for being the only Digimon to die frequently in the anime media, Leomon is a really cool design. A Beastkin-type Digimon who is incredibly heroic and always gives up his life to protect others.
But we are here to talk about an even cooler version of this Digimon, which is Bancho Leomon. This is a mega-level evolution for Leomon, which reinforces his core idea of heroism but with a new flavor.
Bancho Leomon dons a look that can be akin to a delinquent high schooler from other anime while wielding the tanto. This is truly one of the coolest blends of monster designs we have from this franchise.
Winter Lantern (Bloodborne)
FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games are home to some of the most terrifying enemy and monster designs among all of modern RPGs. Take the Winter Lanterns from Bloodborne, for example. At first glance, they look like the most hideous-looking monsters ever conceived.
But when players encounter one in the game, they realize that this monster is by far the coolest thing around, being way more terrifying than some bosses.
Winter Lanterns are the epitome of a good monster design. Players will know when it is around due to the lullaby they keep singing. But beware not to look one straight in the multiple eyes, if you don’t want your frenzy meter filled up.
Mega Blaziken (Pokémon)
People often forget that Pokémon are literally monsters. The name of the franchise in Japan literally translates to ‘Pocket Monsters’. So you bet we are going to take up this excuse to talk about some cool Pokémon designs.
The first one that comes to our mind has to be Mega Blaziken from the very recent Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The regular Blaziken was already a perfected design from Gen 3, blending fighting and fire-type designs.
The burning and kicking chicken has always been one of the coolest monster designs in RPGs. But this new Mega form further elevates the martial arts aspect around the design.
Jack Frost (Shin Megami Tensei)
Sometimes the coolest monster designs are the simplest. The monster-collecting RPG sub-genre is not new to the idea of mascot monsters. Pokémon may got it’s Pikachu or Charmander, and Digimon has its Agumon.
But the one mascot monster that stands apart from the rest of them in terms of coolness is definitely Jack Frost. You have probably seen him around in Persona games and other Shin Megami Tensei titles made by Atlus.
Jack Frost is literally the most adorable snowman monster in the whole franchise. But before dont fall for the cuteness, as negotiating with this demon can be a real pain, if you want him at your party.
Brachydios (Monster Hunter)
We can’t stop gushing over how many cool monsters there are in the Monster Hunter franchise. Nitpicking from the whole roster is a hard task, but we are still going to go ahead with it, so here’s the obligatory Brachydios spotlight.
Imagine a Monster that’s all about punches, because that’s the idea. Fighting a Brachydios is not just about avoiding its massive boulder fists but also reacting to the surrounding environment. Because this big guy can literally punch the earth and cause the ground beneath your feet to erupt.
Mega Lucario (Pokémon)
Here’s another pocket monster that we think is literally the coolest among all of monster kind. Mega Lucario is a fighting-type Pokémon, much like Mega Blaziken, with the exception of being a steel type instead of fire.
Mega Lucario was introduced as a further evolution form for Lucario, which was already one of the coolest Pokémon designs. The base design for this monster is noted to have been inspired by Egyptian mythology, specifically the lore of Anubis.
This is a canine-like bipedal Pokémon with exceptional martial arts skills. Mega Lucario and Lucario are fan favorite Pokémon, regularly appearing in promotional materials and fan art.
Behemoth (Final Fantasy Tactics)
Final Fantasy does not need any new introductions. It is one of the most popular JRPGs in existence, and also a franchise with recurring monsters that are very popular. One unique thing about this series is that the creators keep revamping these monsters in between titles.
We think that Behemoth is a Final Fantasy boss monster that has had a very significant presence in the modern era of the franchise. But there is only one version of the monster to pick from a whole roster of Behemoth designs, and that is the Final Fantasy Tactics design.
This version of the monster appears mostly as a sprite and artwork, but it stands out as one of the coolest iterations of the creature.
Slime (Dragon Quest)
We couldn’t have ended this list with just one mascot creature to go with. So Slime from the Dragon Quest series is making an entry. You may look at this little guy and ponder that there’s no way this is one of the coolest monsters in all of RPG.
But it’s the Slime’s legacy that keeps it up on that pedestal. We have seen it appear as a regular enemy type in several other RPG iterations. But it was only in Dragon Quest, through the genius of late Akira Toriyama, that the Slime was able to evolve into one of the most popular RPG monsters ever.
Toriyama’s idea was to simply focus on the idea of something adorable yet dangerous and true to the idea of an encounter in an RPG. What the world got was one of the earliest marketable JRPG mascots.
Starmen (Earthbound)
Earthbound, or as it is known as the Mother series in Japan, is a unique JRPG on the Nintendo systems that, unfortunately, was never fully officially released outside the West. But that’s besides the point, because it is a hotbed for some of the most unique and cool monster designs in existence.
Take the Starmen, for example. You might have seen these weird guys on memes and other online posts related to the franchise, because the fans absolutely love them. They are an interdimensional race who are known for being the original inheritors of PSI powers in the game franchise.
The Starmen appear as these full metallic humanoid soldiers created for the bidding of evil. Which is exactly the case in the game, as they serve under the main antagonist of the game, Giygas.
