Summary
- RPG endings are crucial, leaving a lasting impression, often more important than the beginning.
- EarthBound's emotional finale relies on prayers and post-boss tranquility.
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3 wraps up its trilogy with a touching generational sacrifice.
JRPGs tend to demand a lot of your time. Whether it’s 20 hours, 30 hours, or even getting close to 100 hours, you spend a lot of time in their worlds, getting to know the characters and their problems. A lot of the time, it’s about the journey, not the destination, but when JRPGs can stick the landing and end in a great way, it sets them apart from other games in the genre.
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PostsA satisfying conclusion for the world and the characters wraps everything up in a neat bow. It’s the last impression you’ll have of the game, and it’s almost even more important than the first impression, and it’s what you’ll remember most vividly after the credits. These are the best JRPG endings across the genre.
Spoilers for all the JRPGs mentioned below.
8 EarthBound
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RPG Systems OpenCritic Reviews Released June 5, 1995 ESRB T For Teen due to Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Crude Humor Developer(s) HAL Laboratory, Ape Inc. Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine unity Franchise EarthBoundWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALEarthBound has a highly emotional ending. Rather than using all the skills and strategies you learned throughout your journey to beat the final boss, as you do in the majority of RPGs, what you need to defeat Giygas is the prayers of the people you’ve met on your adventure who believe you can defeat him. Even your prayers, as the player, are needed.
After defeating Giygas in this heartfelt battle, the ending is made even better by the fact you can walk around the world you’ve saved, now with no threats or enemies. The NPCs even have different dialogue after you’ve defeated Giygas. It’s a unique approach that not many RPGs go for.
7 Final Fantasy 9
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JRPG Systems 10.0/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 81% Released July 7, 2000 ESRB T for Teen: Violence, Mild Language Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Engine UnityWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALA lot of Final Fantasy games have excellent endings, but Final Fantasy 9's stands out largely because of one thing: Vivi’s monologue. The game doesn’t explicitly tell you who is saying the monologue, but from the context, we can deduce it’s Vivi.
Throughout the game, Vivi has to come to terms with his limited lifespan as one of the black mages created by Queen Brahne. In the ending, it seems that Vivi has already passed on, as he says goodbye to the rest of the party. He finishes the monologue with “My memories will be part of the sky…” which is one of the best quotes in the series.
In case you didn’t realise, a part of Final Fantasy 9’s ending directly quotes Star Wars: "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering.” How Square Enix got away with that, we don’t know.
6 Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed
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RPG Systems 5.0/5 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 88/100 Critics Rec: 94% Released July 29, 2022 ESRB T For Teen due to Language, Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Violence Developer(s) Monolith Publisher(s) Nintendo Engine XC2/TornaWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALXenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed doesn’t just wrap up Xenoblade Chronicles 3, but the entire Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy as a whole. The protagonists of the first two games, Shulk and Rex, return as party members in the DLC scenario, now older and wiser.
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Posts 1At the end of the DLC, Shulk and Rex decide to give their lives to the future of the City, specifically to Nikol and Glimmer, their respective children who are part of Aionios’ cycle and have short lifespans as a result. It’s a loving send-off to the two characters and leaves you with a feeling of hope for the future.
5 The World Ends With You
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Action RPG Systems Released July 27, 2007 ESRB T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Engine Unity Multiplayer Local Co-OpWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALDespite being such a short JRPG, especially when compared to the 100-hour mammoths that are common today, The World Ends With You has a lot to say and will have a profound effect on you if you connect with its characters and world.
It primarily focuses on teenager Neku Sakuraba, who is drawn into the deadly Reapers’ Game. He always wears headphones to drown out the noise of other people, and spends the game learning to open up himself, and his worldview, to others. They’re not just an iconic part of his design, but an important part of his character. So, when Neku throws his headphones to the ground in the ending to signify how he’s now opening himself up to others and the world around him, it’s a moment you never forget.
4 Chrono Trigger
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RPG Systems 10.0/10 OpenCritic Reviews Released March 11, 1995 ESRB T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Engine Cocos Creator Engine Multiplayer Local Co-OpWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALChrono Trigger has numerous endings, but the most common (and the best) ending is Beyond Time, which is achieved by defeating Lavos after bringing Crono back to life. This ending is a full-circle moment, as you return to the Millennial Fair from the very beginning of the game where Crono met Marle.
Afterwards, everyone in the party returns to their own times in the Telepods. It’s a simple and straightforward ending, but it’s bittersweet and satisfying, wrapping up the entire experience neatly.
3 Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
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LikeDragon Quest XI S: Echoes of An Elusive Age - Definitive Edition
RPG Systems OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 92/100 Critics Rec: 99% Released September 27, 2019 ESRB T For Teen // Crude Humor, Simulated Gambling, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Mild Blood, Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Nintendo, Square Enix Engine Unreal Engine 4 Franchise Dragon QuestWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALDragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age seemingly ends after Act 2 finishes, but you can keep playing through Act 3 to reach a true ending. This ending is much more satisfying than Act 2’s ending, and reveals the truth behind Mordegon.
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PostsIf you beat Calasmos, the true final boss, you will be granted an audience with the Yggdragon, otherwise known as Yggdrasil, and the Luminary is given the title of Erdrick, linking everything back to the original Dragon Quest trilogy. There’s even a neat title drop for 11’s subtitle: “The echoes of that hero’s valour shall ring throughout the ages.”
2 Metaphor: ReFantazio
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RPG JRPG Action Adventure Systems 5.0/5 12 8.9/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 93/100 Critics Rec: 98% Released October 11, 2024 ESRB T For Teen // Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence Developer(s) Studio Zero Publisher(s) Atlus Engine GFDWHERE TO PLAY
SUBSCRIPTIONMetaphor: ReFantazio is an expansive RPG you’ll spend hundreds of hours with, so does it manage to stick the landing? Yes, yes it does. After fighting to take down the tyrant Count Louis, Will finally wins the crown for the United Kingdom of Euchronia and becomes its king, with his party members being his loyal supporters.
What’s interesting about Metaphor’s ending is that it doesn’t claim that everything is fixed now Will is king. There’s a lot of ingrained bias towards other tribes for the people to unlearn, and this isn’t something that goes away overnight. It’s a realistic but hopeful ending that leaves you believing progress will be made in the future.
The post-credits epilogue is excellent too, as it shows Will doesn’t just want to sit around with a crown on his head. He wants to get out there and ensure change happens for the better of everyone.
1 Kingdom Hearts 2
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LikeKingdom Hearts 2
Action RPG Hack and Slash Systems Released March 28, 2006 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Mild Blood, Use of Alcohol, Violence Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Engine Unreal Engine 4 Franchise Kingdom HeartsWHERE TO PLAY
PHYSICALThe Kingdom Hearts 2 ending is almost universally beloved among Kingdom Hearts fans. After defeating the leader of Organization 13, Xemnas, Sora and Riku are trapped in the Realm of Darkness, which leads them to having a heartfelt discussion about how they value each other’s friendship.
A message in a bottle washes up on the shore, which opens the Door to Light. Sora and Riku walk through, and they finally return to Destiny Islands, where Kairi, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey are waiting. It’s the first time since the beginning of KH1 that Sora, Riku, and Kairi are all back on the islands together, which makes it all the more special. Hikaru Utada’s Sanctuary playing throughout is just the cherry on top.
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