Japanese gamers reveal the top 10 JRPGs that make them cry the most

If video games make you cry you’re not alone, as Japanese fans reveal the JRPGs that have caused the most emotional distress, from Final Fantasy 15 to Persona 3.

Video game storytelling has improved vastly over the last couple of decades, but while they can often inspire an emotional response, there aren’t many that are known for being tear-jerkers. There are always exceptions, though, and of course it depends how much you get into the story.

If you’re curious what Japanese gamers get the most upset about, a survey of 4,700 people has revealed what they consider to be the 10 Japanese role-players most likely to make them cry.

You might want to take a second to think about what your choice would be, before we show you the full list below, but don’t worry about spoilers as we won’t be speculating on what exactly caused them to get so teary-eyed.

All of the games except Mother 3 (the sequel to EarthBound) are available in the West, so there’s nothing obscure here that you wouldn’t have heard of.

It’s not entirely clear whether the survey was conducted by Japanese website Denfaminico Gamer or if they’re just reposting it, but it was originally conducted last year. Although we can’t think of too many games since then that would demand a spot in the top 10.

You’ll notice that almost all of the games are from the 2000s, with only two that are more recent than that (but still not from the 2020s) and just one from the 90s. Whether that says more about the games that were being made then or the demographics of the people being surveyed is hard to say, but 4,700 people is quite a large sample for this sort of thing.

As you can see, Final Fantasy 10 was considered the Japanese role-player most likely to make you cry, although we assume not in laughter at the infamous whistling scene.

Although most of the other games are relatively understandable, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 is something of a surprise. You can understand it if you’re familiar with the game but it’s not one that’s often talked about, even if it did get a major remaster in 2022.

It’s a little surprising that Persona 3 is the only one in the top 10, though, especially as there are four Final Fantasy games making the cut.

Final Fantasy 14 producer Naoki Yoshida recently expressed concern that younger gamers are not as invested in the franchise as much as previous generations, in part because it takes so long for a new one to come out – so they can go their whole childhood only playing one or two new ones.

This list suggests the series is still popular with older gamers, although given that, it’s surprising that Final Fantasy 7 itself is not listed, considering the infamous death of you-know-who.

Although you would assume an annoucement is relatively imminent there’s currently no clue as to when the next mainline Final Fantasy game will be announced, with Square Enix likely to focus on the final part of the Final Fantasy 7 remake trilogy before that.

A Persona 6 reveal is also long overdue and there hasn’t been a new Tales game since 2021. Konami will hopefully get round to a Suikoden revival at some point, while an Ōkami sequel has already been announced – although this is the first time we’ve ever heard anyone call it a role-playing game, so we’re not sure why the original is on the list.

Not only is Mother 3 unlikely to ever be adapted for release in the West but a new entry is almost certainly not happening, as creator Shigesato Itoi hasn’t made a new game since then.

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