We never stop to think that there are countless RPG protagonists who could be insane fighting game characters. RPGs constantly employ martial arts-based classes that rely on insane melee combat style and are a perfect fit for the genre.
In the list below, we shall be picking out some of the characters from RPGs throughout history, who we think could become insane fighting game characters.
Best RPG Protagonists Who Could Be in Fighting Games
Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII)
Some may consider this a waste of a slot because Tifa is already a fighting game character. She is one of the many major Final Fantasy characters who appear in the Square Enix Arena fighter, Dissidia series.
But let’s be honest, when we are talking about this specific genre, arena fighters are not really considered a corner stone what makes a ‘fighting game’. For the longest time, the Tekken community has been asking for Tifa as a guest character in one of their games.
Even though that did not happen yet, the fact still stands that Tifa’s fighting style perfectly fits the archetypes in traditional fighting games.
Makoto Nijima (Persona 5)
Persona fans have long been yearning for another fighting game since the original Persona Arena. That brought together the cast of the third and fourth games in an incredible fighting game, which was developed by the legendary people at Arc System Works.
Unfortunautely we have not yet had the luxury to see the cast of Persona 5 in such a spin-off, even though it’s one of the most demanded ones that fans want. But if we were to single out the cast of that game, Makoto Nijima is one character who would fit the most of all in a fighting game.
As a character, Makoto is a melee brawler type similar to Tifa Lockheart. Which makes two JRPG female protagonists who fit right in fighting games.
Demi-fiend (Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne)
Shin Megami Tensei protagonists are probably some of the most overpowered beings in JRPGs, as they are able to befriend and raise an army filled with gods and cosmic beings. They are also individually incredibly skilled at combat.
Demi-fiend, who is the protagonist of the third game, can be the perfect fit as a character for a fighting game. He is known as that one protagonist who can straight-up punch gods into submission.
Aside from a new Persona Arena title, if the fans ever get lucky enough to see a fighting game based on the Megaten franchise, then Demi-fiend should be a prime candidate for the roster.
Yuri Hyuga (Shadow Hearts)
It’s a damn shame that the Shadow Hearts game series is not as popular in the JRPG community. The franchise being locked to the PlayStation 2 hardware also lends to it being completely unknown to the average gaming public.
The series deserves a mention in this list because we feel that the protagonist of the game, Yuri Hyuga, can make for a really good fighting game character.
Aside from having a lot of melee moves in his arsenal, Yuri’s ability to morph into monsters can directly tie into fighting game mechanics such as installs and stances.
Fei Fong Wong (Xenogears)
The fun part of Fei Fong Wong is that, visually, he already fits the bill for what a fighting game character design should be like. Xenogears needs no introduction; it’s an RPG that fans have been asking to be ported to modern gen systems for ages now.
The fun part about this particular title is that the battle system just straight up utilizes an active time-based combat, which is based around an intricate combo system. It’s something that is straight-up ready-made for a fighting game’s system.
Fei, as a character, is also a martial arts practitioner who loves teaching his arts the children. That’s multiple check boxes ticking out for a fighting game character.
Ryu (Breath of Fire)
The Breath of Fire RPG franchise can be easily seen as being blended into the fighting game genre, mainly because the developers are Capcom. The aesthetics and artstyle of these games completely feel in line with the fighting games made by Capcom.
Ryu, the main protagonist, even shares his name with the face of Street Fighter, who is considered the most recognizable fighting game character of all time. Capcom had a brief history of trying to develop a fighting game around RPG mechanics, so it’s not totally unrealistic to expect a Breath of Fire fighting game someday.
Yuri Lowell (Tales of Vespersia)
Some fighting games make an unforgettable impression on people’s minds with their sword-wielding characters. The Tales of series, being an action RPG, is full of characters like that. This is why we think Yuri from Tales of Vesperia would make a great fighting game character.
Being one of the imperial knights, Yuri is able to utilize his hands and feet in melee combat while also fighting with the sword. This is in line with sword-wielding fighting game characters, because the archetype uses different types of melee moves for various buttons of strength.
Ichiban Kasuga (Yakuza)
Including a protagonist from the Yakuza franchise almost sounds like cheating because the series was not an RPG until recent years, when the new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, showed up. Ichiban’s line of Yakuza titles is dipped with pure turn-based JRPG fun.
As a street brawler who fights alongside series favorite Kiryu Kazama, Ichiban is definitely a well-suited candidate for fighting games. In fact, the Tekken community has been asking for the inclusion of Yakuza characters in their game for years now, so his showing up in the future would make a lot of sense.
Jean (Lunar: Eternal Blue)
In a sea of popular characters, Jean from Lunar: Eternal Blue is going to be our rare pick that a lot of people will not recognize. But for those of you who have played the game, you damn well know we had to put Jean in the list.
The combination of a skilled dancer and a martial artist makes for a fun fighting game archetype. For those that aren’t aware, Lunar: Eternal Blue is an RPG that was released for the unpopular SEGA CD platform.
Jean is an interesting character who was raised in the dangerous arts but escaped the life, only for it to follow her back. A backstory like that is very fitting for a fighting game character.
Velvet Crowe (Tales of Berseria)
We couldn’t have missed out on Velvet Crowe from Tales of Berseria. Every fighting game needs that one character that can go all-in with a barrage of rush-down attacks. Velvet completely fits the part with her abilities.
Hailing from the Tales of Berseria game series, she is a character with a vengeful backstory, and with her is a ragtag team of crewmates she sails the world of Midgand.
Velvet relies on kicks like a capoeira for a close and personal combat style. But when she unleashes her left arm, all hell breaks loose.
