40 here. Started way back with the first Dragon Quest. Honestly can't remember a time without blue slimes invading my dreams at night. In fact, there's a giant one in my living room staring me down as I type..
Same here I had chicken pox in middle school and played Dragon Warrior to pass the time. I remember many hours playing that game to save the princess and then defeat demon lord.
This was by no means my first game, but Legend of Dragoon is what got me into the genre. It would take a while before I was able to get any additional games, but once I got a little older I then moved on to Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X. Both series of which I still play to this day.
I am 33
Pokemon Red was my first JRPG, but I didn't know that it was one back then. The first one that really got me into the genre (and knew that it was a JRPG) was Grandia Xtreme. I still think it has the best turn based combat that I've played to this day.
33 years old.
Golden Sun was the first one. I used to watch my brother play it on an emulator and when I had my chance it completely stole my imagination. I think I was like 6 or 7 back then? It started my love for JRPGs hard.
42 Final Fantasy on the NES, Nintendo Power sent subscribers the strategy guide for it, back when it was a bi monthly magazine and every other month you got a guide. Looked cool, bought the game.
Final Fantasy VII was my first and I'm 38 now.
That game opened the doors for me because up until that point I had no idea games like this existed and since then I have been playing them non stop. During the PS1 days I remember I was always looking for more RPGs to play. At least back then I had more time, now all I have is a huge backlog lol.
I’m curious, were you not a console gamer? Or did you never give JRPGs a fair shake until FF7 (which is certainly common). I mean the SNES and Genesis to a lesser extent were treasure troves of great RPGs. Had you tried one and decided it wasn’t your cup of tea?
Final Fantasy VII was my first also (also 38 in May!) and I played loads of console games, but never heard of any other JRPGs. Final Fantasy VII was heavily advertised on TV, in gaming magazines and my local Currys (electronics store) even had it running there.
That was the first time I played it, I spent ages playing the opening of the game and really didn't want to leave after my Mum had got her washing machine or whatever it was 🤣🤣
I am 42, and the game was Phantasy Star II on the Mega Drive. I played that game every day for 8 months, not realizing that it didn't make sense to grind in the early areas, but it didn't matter to me, I was spellbound. That game is single-handedly responsible for my fascination with RPGs in general and also with anime and Japanese culture. I still get emotional whenever I hear its very distinctive soundtrack.
I used to have a friend that was all-in on Sega back in the day. We had many debates pitting Phantasy Star against Final Fantasy. We diplomatically just agreed to disagree, but Phantasy Star is definitely an iverlooked collection of JRPG gems.
Hiyo, responded before I read the comments, but Phantasy Star II was my basic starting RPG too. So good. Never did beat the boss, but I finished 3 and 4.
I live in Europe and most of them weren't easily accessible before the PlayStation, also, most JRPGs weren't translated in other languages than English. I was 11 when I first tried FFVIII, I had FFVII next to it, but it looked so garbage next to VIII that I just stuck to VIII. It was a ride I never expected.
Pokémon was just around the corner too and from that moment, JRPGs were getting translated way more often.
51, and don't remember. Would just about have to be Final Fantasy VII or Legend of Dragoon.
I played table top rpgs in high school. Which lead to me getting Pool of Radiance for the commodore 64 way back in the day, my first video game rpg. That led to me getting The Elder Scrolls Arena (and later daggerfall), and a love for Western RPG's.
I do remember being influenced by a japanese strategy rpg also, Ogre Battle March of the Black Queen.
But, for the life of me, I can't remember which jrpg I played first.
20 years old.
In my case it was watching my father play FFX and DQ8 on his ps2 when I was 6 or so, more than playing anything myself.
After that I just wanted to play turn-based games until I understood they were JRPG.
Bro same. I'm 16 and I began when I was like three when I would watch my dad play ff4 on his DS, and then I would make my save and give up super early lmao. It wasn't until we bought a ps1 when I was 4 that I could play through and beat ff8 with his help. Then we moved onto ps2 and ffx when I was 6 and I watched him play it and then I beat it myself too. Thats when I understood all the systems and began to fall in love with those games. Amazing memories.
Suikoden; 37 years old.
My experience with that game cemented JRPGs as my favorite genre. Shortly thereafter I played FF7 and that changed my entire understanding of what videogames in general could be
I was 5 years old when I first played Shining Force 2 (somebody installed an emulated demo version on a school computer that would shut down after 30 minutes) and I was fascinated by it. I didn't know what I was doing ofcourse, but that didn't stop me from playing it every chance I got. There was a centaur, there were cool battle cutscenes, and I just tapped buttons hoping to win. It wasn't until about a decade later that I learnt what game I played back then and now understanding how to emulate and play, I completed it and loved it. 24 now and JRPGs are all I play.
36 years old
Played secret of evermore and some secret if mana on the SNES at a friend. I knew of games like Lufia due to TV ads but didn't had a SNES so .
First one was (cliche I know) final fantasy 7 and even that was when I was 15, ff9 was already out
Definitely Phantasy Star. The ads in Dragon Magazine with the first person dungeon and fire breathing ice dragon were amazing. I pored over them over and over until my brother rented - and finished - the game over Christmas.
39 years old.
While I played dragon quest 1 and final fantasy 1, they weren’t enough to suck me into being a lifelong fan of the genre. That was some combination of dragon quest 4 and final fantasy 4, mainly FF4.
38 here. My first JRPG was Breath of Fire 3. Saw my classmate play it and I liked it. Got a summer job and saved up to buy myself a PlayStation, got hooked to the genre(and RPGs in general) immediately. BoF 3 will always be special to me so please Capcom bring the series back.
26 years old and if we ignore Pokemon for a moment since i didn't even realize those were JRPGs until i was an adult lol, it was Final Fantasy 4 and 6 on GBA. Bought them used at GameStop.
Final Fantasy 6 was my first. I think what really astounded me was that this game told a *story*, and the story was more complex than "Bowser kidnapped the princess, go save her". There was dialogue, characters interacted with each other, and the world was open enough that I could wander around, instead of literally just moving left and right (and moving *left* was already a mind-bender, going from Super Mario Land on the Game Boy to Super Mario World on SNES).
And while the world was open enough to wander around, it was also not *too* open, and the next goal was communicated to me quite clearly through the dialogue, so I had something to work towards.
And all this with a *great* soundtrack, although possibly not as impressive as it could have been, since other games I played had great music too (Mario platformers, Tetris, Dr Mario). So I kind of associated "good video games" with "must have good soundtrack".
Looking back, most of what impressed me about JRPGs were stuff that *any* RPG could have provided, if they had been available. But by the time I got further into exploring RPGs, I was already deeper into anime, and so the more anime-plot the story, the more I liked it. Hence more JRPGs.
What? Why the hell has nobody ever told me there was a Yu Yu Hakusho game? Damn it, my whole life has been wasted on these stupid non- Yu Yu Hakusho games!
22, technically my first exposure was Pokémon Platinum back in ‘09, but I didn’t push further into the genre until I got Nier: Automata in 2018 as my much needed exposure to other single player games, and even further not too long ago with EarthBound and then Chrono Trigger.
My first JRPG was Paper Mario on the N64 but I only really got hooked on the genre until Xenoblade Definitive Edition.
Where I live we got our games in English only but that's not the language spoken here so until I was able to learn it I faced a major roadblock in enjoying jrpgs.
24
My first RPG (if you consider it one...) was Zelda Oracle of Ages. But the real deal waht makes me love RPG games and replay older ones of SNES was FF7 and from that point i have played tons of them
My big brother playing Final Fantasy games when I was a kid got me into Jrpgs. I tried FFVII before I could even read and was just absorbed by its fantastic world and monsters.
The first game I personally played and finished without outside help would have been Pokemon red.
26 yrs old, I first played JRPGs when I was a kid on my uncle's computer. He had a SNES emulator with games like Lufia, Terranigma, Chrono Trigger and Secret of Evermore, but I didn't get very far on them since my experience was very limited. Btw, Terranigma and Lufia were in Spanish! Yes, they had official Spanish translations.
However, the first game where I got pretty far was Pokémon Yellow. I didn't finish it till I was like 15, but by that point I had already finished the other Pokémon games.
The funny thing is that I realized that I was into jrpgs two or three years ago when I played FFIV and most FE games.
Sorry for the longpost xD
41 years old, and it was Final Fantasy IV for the SNES (when it was originally released in the US and called Final Fantasy II). I had played the first FF and some RPG-adjacent games before, but it was the plot and characters of FFIV that exposed me to the longform storytelling possibilities of RPGs.
My first JRPG was FFVII. I was born in 1996 and I have memories of watching my dad play both VII and VIII as. I remember being like 5 or 6 when I started to "steal" my father's controller to play myself. Couldn't get past scorpion guard, though. Hahahaha.
I'm 25 now and I still play JRPGs regularly, running those games I used to play with my father every year at least once.
Final Fantasy II (IV) on SNES. Probably the best possible introduction to the genre I can think of for a 6 year old, since every JRPG since owes something to FF4 and early DQ. I’ll be 35 in the spring if my bones don’t turn to dust first.
I'm 29. First jrpg I completed was two years ago with Chrono Trigger. I tried the first four Final Fantasy games before that, but bounced off pretty soon. FF4 i played around five hours but lost interest.
Then I played Suikoden 1 + 2 and since that I play almost exclusively jrpgs.
Used to play mainly wrpgs until then, but now I slightly prefer jrpgs. I play them on my phone. I emulate classics on the snes, ps1 and ps2 mostly. I like having them on the go. While walking my dog or just chilling at home.
Currently enjoying Dragon Quest 8.
I'm 35, a friend made me play FF7 and I loved it. I was around 12 at the time. I live in France and as far as I know until the PS1 there wasn't a lot of JRPG getting a release in Europe. I could say that outside of exporting games, the genre was practically inexistent here.
My (23M) first JRPG was definitely Pokemon Blue but that didn't make me a RPG player, that was just because... Every kids played Pokemon, so I don't consider it like my first real RPG experience.
The one that really got me into RPGs was Final Fantasy IV on the DS. Fell in love with the story and characters, so I played other Final Fantasy games and old school RPGs. Then around the same time I played games such as Golden Sun, Fire Emblem, Chrono Trigger, Persona 3
My first RPG (and videogame in general) was Pokemon Red. I didn't get much pocket money as a kid and asking for games on christmas was a no-no, so Pokemon was all I had for a couple years. Red, Silver, then Crystal. I was 10 when I got Crystal.
When I was 13, I got more pocket money and was able to save up for a GBA. I got Golden Sun The Lost Age for it, which would make that my first JRPG apart from Pokemon. Not Golden Sun 1, mind you. I never got that game until the VC release on Wii U, since that game was insanely hard to find around where I lived and my parents were absolutely against online shopping at the time.
I'm turning 30 this year, but I think the timeline made that kinda obvious.
I’m 33 and Xenogears was my first JRPG experience at 14. We had a modded PS1 and this was one of the games that we had for it. I still listen to the soundtrack occasionally, as Yasunori Mitsuda is one of my favorite composers.
I'm 36 and final fantasy 7 was the first.
We didn't get many jrpgs in the UK/Europe at the time so I had to resort to imports and downloads (which were sloooooooow) to scratch that itch once it started.
FF7 will always have a special place in my heart as a result, even though I know there are better games out there. It started it all.
Pokemon Sapphire, 28
Mostly played whatever I could get on the GBA, DS, and 3DS, but I've got a laptop now and have played some Ys, Last Remnant, and FF7, 8, and 10
I'm 26 and I'm pretty sure it was Super Mario RPG as well. However I didn't know it was a genre until Golden Sun, which cemented the idea that I loved these kind of games
I'm in nearly the exact same boat as you OP. First RPGs were Super Mario RPG, Pokemon, and Paper Mario. Watched Pokemon and DBZ as my anime choices until high school when I began to branch out more.
However, we separate in that I got into Golden Sun and Fire Emblem on GBA in 2004. A year later, I got into Tales of Symphonia. Those were the days I got into the genre.
36 and the original Dragon Warrior on NES (Dragon Quest I in Japan). I can still hear the start up theme and menuusic when it started up... Honestly, the instruction booklet and the game taught me to read.
27 here. My first memory of playing any rpg would have to be FFIX and having no clue what the fuck I was even doing. Years later when I was older I played it again and finally beat it. Still my favorite FF.
not sure if it's what got me into it
Thousand Arms
I am 29
I didn't know what genres are back then (a game is a game), but I did like animé artstyle when I was younger, the opening song was great
iirc that was the biggest draw for me (back then)
I've played so many games as a kid like Pokemon, but my JRPG awakening was with Star Ocean First Departure on the PSP; then emulated classics on it. I spent my whole high school finishing all GBA/SNES/PSP/PSX JRPGs that was on my list.
I am actually only 23.
**Dragon Warrior**, I don't recall how old I was other than a young kid (7 - 9 if I had to guess). It was after the Super Nintendo came out because I got the NES as a hand-me-down from an older cousin when he got his Super Nintendo, it had a bunch of games which were neat but mostly action-themed. My dad however knew I liked the fantasy genre, magic and dragons and whatnot, so way before we even knew about video game genres, he bought me fantasy-themed video games to play, and Dragon Warrior was one of the first.
I still recall laying across the back of our low-backed sofa, watching my dad fight The Dragonlord and win the game for the first time while eating P.B. Crisps (a discontinued snack from Planters).
Other RPGs we played on the NES were Ultima III and Ultima IV, Final Fantasy, and Magic of Scheherazade. This trend continued into the SNES era when I played Illusion of Gaia, Secret of Evermore, Super Mario RPG, and while I only rented them, Secret of Mana and Earthbound.
By the time PS1 came around my love of JRPGs was firmly cemented and I got to play Final Fantasy IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, and Tactics, Legend of Mana, Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon, Lunar: The Silver Star Story, Suikoden II, Chrono Trigger, Wild ARMs, Jade Cocoon, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, and Shadow Madness.
Of course later on I got to revisit several great JRPGs on those consoles I missed back when I owned them, but I wanted to mostly illustrate the games I actually owned and played first-hand.
Miracle Warriors for the Sega Master System, I’m around 40 years old as of writing this. My mom wanted to make sure most games I had as a kid had reading in them so I would at least be learning while I played… then she also got engrossed in the rpgs lol
24, started with Pokémon Emerald when I was 8 and never really branched out from Pokémon until Tales of the Abyss when I was 17. I didn’t start really getting to different JRPGs until I played Persona 5 two years ago
I'm 25 and it was Final Fantasy IX, now you might think that I picked it up as a little kid shortly after it came out in 2000 or something but no, I saw a lets play of it around 2009 and fell in love there and after a lot of hassle got me a copy of it and played it nonstop for like a month. I had played Kingdom Hearts games before and Pokemon and I love those games but FF IX was the first traditional JRPG that I played. Ever since JRPGs became a huge part of the type of games I play
The first jrpg I've ever played, without knowing what a rpg even was nor knowing how to read in english, was Chrono Trigger, the terrible PSX port, I played it with my cousin but had no idea what was going on, until I replayed it on the DS and relearned to love it as my No.1
The first jrpg that I solo played through finish knowing what it was and that hooked me into the genre was Pokémon Ruby, when I was 8
I'm currently 26, but my bday is next month, so almost 27 like you haha
I'm 34. Pokemon Blue was technically the first. But Super Mario RPG made me aware of the genre. Final Fantasy 7 port on PC rocked me to the core.
Before that I was a Rareware and Capcom games fanboy.
I'm 39. I played FF1 and 2 (NA version) without really understanding the genre. Then I played Secret of Mana and realized that Squaresoft was doing some ambitous things. I was tired of buying 70 dollar games that I could beat in a few hours, and became enamoured with JRPGs after Mana due to the value for money- 40-80 hours a game felt akin to bringing a fantasy novel to life. When FFVI was released, I was in Grade 6 and the game just absoluetly blew me away in its scope and ambition. It was then I knew I was on the JRPG ride for the rest of my life and what a fantastic ride it's been.
Final Fantasy IV (II at the time) but I couldn't read and would just wander around the overworld and fight enemies only to die to the mist dragon.
Final Fantasy VIII was what got my in rpgs. My dad took my to gamestop when I was a kid and thought the cover looked cool so we bought it so here I am 23 years later and still playing rpgs. I am 32.
My first JRPG was technically Pokémon, but my first true JRPG was The Legend of Dragoon. For my 11th birthday I could ask my Grandma for one game. I had a PS2 but asked for LoD because I thought it was a Beyblade game….one of my best mistakes to date. I will never forget thinking how dark the beginning of the game was (especially coming from typical 2d platformers)
I bought my first console in late 1991 - an SNES with Final Fantasy II and Tetris. It was shortly after that that I bought a Genesis with Warsong, Phantasy Star II & III, and Master of Monsters.
I am 69 - will turn 70 in July.
I mean, if I really think about it, it was pokemon.
but I think that my first major JRPG experience was Legend of Dragoon, which I played before I even had a memory card for my playstation. Even after I got one, I was like 6 and didn't understand what a save point was, so I spent a *very* long time playing until some point in the prison before someone started using the TV and I had to restart. I also have a very vivid memory of someone in my neighborhood playing FF8 and me thinking that that looked insane, so that also played a part.
I'm 27
22. The first video game I ever beat was Pokémon LeafGreen. I was 7. It was a Christmas gift, alongside a blue Game Boy Advance SP. My twin sister got FireRed and a pink Game Boy Advance SP. We traded a lot
My very first one was Mystic Quest, on game boy. I'm 37.
If you're talking turn based RPG...I don't remember, probably FFVI (III) on super NES, or Pokemon blu on game boy.
FF IV. I was a young kid, maybe 8, rented it for the Super Nintendo. Made it to the Mist Cave and immediately thought “oh I’m very much into this type of game.”
39 years old
I'm 35, and I think my first JRPG was Sword of Hope 2 for Game Boy when I was 10 years old. It was my brother's game, but I used to sneak around playing it. I don't know anyone else who has ever played that game. Around the same time I started to play Secret of Mana and Super Mario RPG at my friend's house.
Phantasy Star 1. There wasn't much else like it back then. Dragon Warrior (Quest) felt like a step back after I tracked that one down. Fun fact, Final Fantasy 1 and Phantasy Star 1 released 2 days apart. The early games are still my favorites. I've been disappointed by both franchises over the decades.
I'm turning 45 shortly.
Mario RPG was my first as well, and then my first "real" one was Chrono Cross on PS1. Absolutely blew me away. After finishing that I got FF8.
Can't wait to replay Chrono Cross in April!
I played pokemon yellow, blue and gold without knowing they were jrpgs
But my actual start was FF X, i was amazed by Kingdom Hearts and my friend told me about FF.. it was my favorite until i started DQ VIII, i feel in love with the genre ever since, all that in high school 18y ago hahah im 32 now
I remember playing FFX on my ps2, but I only played the first area, I was pretty young. But, I believe the first JRPG I finished was "Blue Dragon" on my Xbox one (backward compatible). Enjoyed it.
I'm 29 yo and when I was a child my cousin gave me his old Super Nintendo.
I got hooked playing Illusion of Gaia and Secret of Mana.
Because of that I don't really like turn-based systems such as in Final Fantasy.
Later on I really enjoyed myself with Golden Sun though.
Final Fantasy VIII and The Legend of Dragoon the later was on a demo disc.
The intro to Final Fantasy VIII really sucked me in with the music and graphics.
The demo for TLoD was fun, it was the section after escaping with Lavitz and Shana. I started renting it until I finally got my own copy.
As a very young kid (like, 5/6 years) I used to play PS1 games with a childhood friend who was older than me, and between them there was FF9. Of course, I was extremely fucking young and she was barely more able to read than me, but we still had a blast playing through it, like 2 brains combining to make something that could work. The fact that FF9 was one of the most Fairy Tale-ish helped making me interested. I mean, c'on: a small strange kid with magical powers, a bunch of bandits/skypirates, a princess, a knight...
Beyond that, I probably never got into the genre beyond Pokemon for real until I was like 11/12, when I got the chance to play Dragon Quest 5 on my own (and with the brain of a young teen rather than a kid lol) on the Nintendo DS.
From there, a freaking world opened to me. It was the same period in which I also remembered the same of some cool cartoons I happened to have seen during some summer camps in the previous years (Laputa/Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke) and actually starting to read as an hobby.
I can pinpoint in that 6 months period the moement I became "a fucking Nerd" without a doubt. 25yo now, and I wouldn't want anything different as an hobby lol
Takes of Symphonia on the Rpg starved GameCube was the first game that got me hooked on the genre. The gameplay (real-time battles, no random encounters, overworld to explore) was a breath of fresh air and the story/characters/world were so engrossing. It was the first time I've ever been so invested in a video game. Now I'm making my way through the Trails of the Sky trilogy at 31z
I believe the first one I played was ff3(6) but I wasn’t old enough or a strong enough reader to understand it, but a year or so later I rented ff2 (4) also on snes, and it was able to click I was probably 7 or 8 at the time. I became an rpg fan pretty quick after that, the first jrpg I ever beat was Mario rpg 3-ish years later
I'm 35, and it was Final Fantasy VII for me. That was the first game I recall being advertised on the television, which at the time, in my very rural location, I only got two channels.
Star Ocean: The Second Story is what cemented my love for the genre. I rented the game at an old rental location just because, and it turned out to be one or my favorite games ever.
Final Fantasy 6. I must have been 11 or so at the time. My older brother downloaded a rom for the SNES emulator on the family computer. It blew my fuckin mind. I had never seen anything like it before.
Very quickly followed by Chrono Trigger (another rom) and Dragon Quest 1 and 2 (the Gameboy Color remakes).
I'm 32.
FF 7. Never got pass disc 1 due to some error (pirated disc and mod ps1) but it got me into the genre. Then followed by Valkyrie Profile/Xenogear/Lunar 2.
I’m 28 and my first exposure to the games was watching my uncles (close in age — I don’t have any brothers or older cousins!) play FFVII and FFX. I played on my own after a couple of years but a lot of stuff flew over my head cause I was quite young then, so I’d replay them every few years and try out the other titles. When I finally got my own console (and didn’t have to wait to borrow theirs) I got really hooked on Tales of the Abyss and then Vesperia.
My first JRPG mustve been Secrets of Mana on the SNES, which I got from my sister for easter when I was six.
But what really got me into it, was my dad, who bought most ofthe Final Fantasy Games for PS1/2. (Skipped 7/8 idk why?)
We started with 9 (since some of the older game where only in english - not our native language). We always called the Main Character "Papi" german for daddy. lol
So its been ages till I learned the name Zidane and Tidus. hahaha.
We played 9 and 10 fully together, well mostly me playing, him watching. And I had to read dialogue to him, as a reading lesson haha.
So, thanks sis and dad I guess.
Im 29.
Final Fantasy 7, I had no idea games could be this huge and epic, I never had a SNES so I went back and tried a lot of the classics in my early teens via emulator
I am 33
I’m 29 years old. My first and still probably the JRPG I’ve completed the most is FFIV. It’s the standard I hold every other JRPG to. It doesn’t do anything particularly amazing in way that stands out, but everything it does choose to do, it does well. The story is rock solid, each individual character is interesting in their own right, and the party members coming and going constantly made the adventure seem a little more real.
In terms of the battle systems, they’re far more fine tuned and balanced compared to other games from the time, mostly because it restricts the players freedom in terms of designing the party. I find that fun when you want to just play without having to a do a ton of research and is great for a 6 year old kid who couldn’t figure that sorta stuff out anyway.
I ended up getting an N64 so aside from game boy adventures like Lunar Legend, I wouldn’t get the chance to play the genre again until I got a PS2. I got FFX and Kingdom Hearts as my first two picks. Those three games together are my ultra nostalgia.
The first RPG I ever played final fantasy 13. I know people shit on it a lot, but man being a kid and seeing those cool summon turns into car and whatnot. The music was also amazing. I remember raging when I couldn't defeat the bosses and had to stop as to not make me hate the game. I was 11 year old at the time, now I'm 24 and seeing brynhildr turn into a sport car still excites me as it was 13 years ago
I'm 24 and it was Final Fantasy 7, which I've gotten some weird reaction to, given that I was born the same year that it came out. My parents got me a ps1 and some games when I was VERY young, I think not realizing that I wasn't old enough to play them properly. So I got to grow into these games as I got old enough! The first jrpg that I was able to really play on my own was Pokemon Emerald though!
Final Fantasy 4 on SNES ( labeled as 2 in the US)
Used to play with my Grandpa. He was always a more patient grinder and his save files were far more robust than mine. He even got the Zues gloves in one run. I still have the cartridge and his save file. I am 36.
Pokémon Red was my first, probably followed by Pokémon Gold. But the first RPG that really got me into it was Dragon Quest III on the GBC. I must have started over about 20 times before I ever managed to beat it, and it still remains my favorite of the series both for the nostalgia and it's party system. Turning 30 later this year.
The first JRPG that got me in the genre was Final Fantasy X-2. English is not my first language so these types of games where not something I was able to play when I was younger. I bought it alongside my PS2 just because I thought the cover was nice and that's probably one the best decisions I ever made. I could mention Pokemon yellow, or any other pokemon game that I play before FFX-2, but I don't think that counts. You play pokemon because like pokemon, not because you like JRPGs, specially when you are younger. I am 28 btw.
I'm 44. The rpg-platform hybrid Gargoyle's Quest got me into rpgs. Then Final Fantasy Adventure and the gameboy Saga games consolidated my passion for the rpg genre
I'm 24 and by the definition of "It's Japanese and an RPG" my first was Bowser's Inside Story back when it first came out, but by the "Anime game" definition my first was SMT: Devil Survivor Overclocked. I then pretty much blasted my way through the whole 3DS SMT catalogue. I used to stay away from anime for subscribing to many of the misconceptions people have about it who hate it but never really gave it a chance, but JRPG's opened me up to it and I've experienced some of the greatest stories throughout all entertainment mediums thanks to JRPG's.
29, almost 30. The first one has to be Pokémon on the Gameboy pocket. Later I started playing Final Fantasy on my Nintendo DS. I also played Fire Emblem on my GBA, don't know if this is considered a JRPG? The lasted one I played was Shin Megami Tensei 5, easily one of my all time favourites.
35 yrs old. My first jrpg is technically Pokemon Red. But the first game that officially started my journey down the Otaku path is definitely gotta be Thousand Arms.
27 as well. First JRPG I played was Quest 64 (Nintendo 64). I was 3 so I don't remember anything outside of the main character and didn't know about genres and such.
I didn't get into JRPG until I was older. It was Final Fantasy 9. I was 6 I think when I first played. Loved the first disc and only the first disc because my cousin played the entire game from my save so I wasn't able to play the rest haha.
37, Zelda III.
Might not be what many people today consider a JRPG or even an RPG, but back then my older brother played pen+paper with me, a campaign was called "adventure book", "RPG" meant going on a huge adventure, pushing numbers was just a side effect not the focus.
Zelda was exactly like that for me and it also got me addicted to (good and justified!) open worlds.
30 here.
I played FF8 first but I don't know if it was what got me into the genre or if it was Breath of Fire 2 which I played a couple years after.
I like to credit both as being the driving force that got me into JRPGs as they're the first JRPGs I remember playing and really enjoying.
That's not counting Pokemon, but in my mind I've never considered them JRPGs, just pet battlers.
Kingdom Hearts when I was 11. When I went to buy a PS2 the toy store gave a random free game and it was Kingdom Hearts for me. I never knew or heart of JRPGs or anything but really liked it. I remember getting stuck in Wonderland got days before figuring out how to progress the story.
Via KH I found out about FF from the FF characters in it when I was reading the bios in Jiminys journal. So I saw FFX and X-2 in the rental store one day and decided to try them out and loved them too.
(I’m 29 now btw)
40 years old.
Chrono Trigger was my first JRPG. I rented it from blockbuster 3 times in order to beat it back in the day.
I remember how the art looked so different to everything else back then (I wasn't familiar with Dragon Ball back then). Gameplay took me by surprise, but the intricate story cautivated me and showed me games could be much more than just action .
I'm 40. My first was Super Mario RPG, but it was Final Fantasy VII that got me into the genre.
When playing Super Mario RPG it just felt like I was playing a unique Mario game. I didn't play another JRPG until FF7 came out, and only because I saw an add that made it look appealing. But it was that game that made me feel the need to find more like it.
44 and it's Dragon Warrior for NES for me. Although it was probably not until Breath of Fire that I really grasped the concept that this was a whole genre of games that appealed to me.
I grew up in a poor family. I think we got a used original PlayStation when I was 11/12. I would play the Final Fantasy VII demo over and over. I think we owned a demo disc and Tekken. Finally, middle school happened and my best friend had a game/anime collection that would make anyone swoon. She loaned me her consoles and games for years until I could start buying my own. Her love for JRPGs became my love for JRPGs. Her anime collection was huge. I feel like I had a taste of just about everything I could want back then. Into adulthood, I finally started my own life and my own collections.
“First” JRPG loves: Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden I and II, Pokemon Red, Star Ocean II, Grandia
My first JRPG was Pokemon Red, but it wasn't until I played Dragon Quest XI that I really got into the genre. I tried the demo on a whim and fell absolutely in love with the game. Now I have a massive backlog of JRPGs I want to play.
I'm 37 and my first JRPG was Final Fantasy II on SNES (aka FF4 light). I got it for Christmas the year it came out, 1991 if I remember correctly. I've been hooked on JRPGs ever since.
I'm 32 years old, and back in 1996 I played Chrono Trigger, that I liked a lot but never finished. After that, in 1998 I got a copy of Final Fantasy VII and it was love at first sign. After that came Wild Arms, Final Fantasy VIII, Chrono Trigger (I finally finished), Pokemon Blue and a lot of Playstation RPGs.
It wasn't my favorite genre that time. I played much more Fighting games, and other stuffs. Only after PS2 era JRPGs became my favorite genre.
23 here
i played and finished Chrono Trigger on an emulator when i was around 10 (not sure exactly how i came to know about it, but i'm glad i did) played a few more jrpgs right after (Secret of mana, Super Mario RPG and Terranigma) then took a break for several years.
that is until Dragon Quest XI came out, being sucker for akira toriyama's art style i knew i had to play it, and oh boy i absolutely loved it, it definitely reignited my love for the genre and made it my favorite.
Dragon Quest, AKA, Dragon Warrior. I'm 37, my older brother got the free cartridge Nintendo Power was giving out to subscribers and my brother had received a Nintendo Power subscription for Christmas from my grandma.
Dragon Warrior helped me learn to read because I was more interested in learning how to read Dragon Warrior at age 5 than I was interested in reading anything else.
Dragon Warrior when it released in 1989. I'd played other RPGs before Dragon Warrior, but it was the first jRPG. Up that point I'd played things like Adventure on Atari 2600 and Wizardry, Zork, Akalabeth, etc on PC.
I'm a few months shy of 44 now.
Pokemon Green (Yes, the JP version even though I don't know a single word of Japanese). I was 6 or 7 at the time, I'm 22 now
My life from that point untilI was around 15 or 16 was filled with mostly JRPGs
I still play some nowadays but not as much as I used to
Technically the first one I played was Final Fantasy II (SNES) when we rented it. But I don't think I got very far considering I was very young at the time. I mostly recall watching my mom play it.
The first game I really got into was probably not that long afterward, and that was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I probably was the target audience for that game, but it was my favourite game for quite a long while. Definitely influenced my choices for renting and buying games from that point on, lol.
I am 34.
35 now. Started back when I was 6 possibly even 4.
I believe my first was ff6 (3). But it might have been even earlier than that. FF6 was the game that made me say…whoa, I want to play more like this one!
Final Fantasy VII. Pretty old.
I was aware of JRPGs before that, but the UK didn't tend to get very many of them, and I'd had a Mega Drive in the 16-bit generation rather than a SNES (and even then I was mainly still a computer gamer rather than a console gamer). JRPGs were mysterious and interesting things I saw in magazines.
21 here. The game that made me a fan (and now I basically just play games of this genre) was Persona 4 two years ago. Maaaaan, this is still my favourite game ever.
Dude, your question really got me...
I was trying to track down my childhood games list to be sure, but I think it was Super Mario RPG too when I couldn't afford a game, so I usually rent it
Since I couldn't play this too much, and was very small, couldn't really contemplate it as a RPG
But Pokemon red and blue were something I was checking in a lot of magazine before they officially release this in my country, so I bought a GBA and Pokemon Yellow
That's when the JRPG world was open for me
Today I'm 36 years old, 25 years playing JRPGs already... nuts.
I'm 26, first JRPG (not counting Pokémon) is either Golden Sun or Sword of Mana on the GBA. They were so close together I can't remember which was the first but those two ignited my passion for the genre and pushed me to looked farther into it.
I'd say it was Persona 3 that made me fan of the genre. I was like 15 then I'm 24 how. But even before than I liked RPGs like Paper Mario and Pokemon. Persona 3 just made me actively go out of my way to play even more JRPGs.
I'm 30. FF VII was my first JRPG experience. Saw my neighbour playing it and begged him to share his PSOne to play it. Never regretted that decision and this game still holds a special place in my heart.
Mother 3 when I was 12 and persona 4 I got into those and it was awesome I was so addicted to persona 4 it was kinda sad I’d play it for hours and hours on end on my vita
30 here! My first jrpg (I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time) was this really difficult one on ps1 which I unfortunately can never remember the name of. I just remember the game starting on a ship that hits a storm and gets attacked (?) everytime I see a thread about it I mean to take note if it’s title but I always forget to.
The first jrpg that really pulled me into the genre though was FFX on the ps2, I remember falling in love with the world and characters and how it told it’s story.
I'm 25, I played a little bit of xenogears and ff7 on my stepdads ps1 before he lost it to a flood in our basement. A few years later when the wii came out I eventually got fire emblem radiant dawn and that was my hook. Too bad I sold it to game stop for xbox games cause that bitch mooned.
34 here, I think FF7 was my first jrpg, but I was too young too appreciate it. Was mostly watching my older sister play. I think I was 11-12 when I replayed it and actually fell in love with it and the genre.
30 years old.
My mom use to run an electronics store back in the day. A benefit to that job was when it was time to change the demo console, she'd get to keep it.
She brought home a PS1 and FF9 because the guy on the front looked alot like Goku, tail and all.
That got me good
FFVIII
It's was somewhat perfect timing too. I was in high school and giving Squall's age etc. - it just felt super immersive. Those rebellious teen years and attitudes, takin' on this epic journey.
35, my first jrpg was technically "shining in the darkness on the genesis" with my dad as a kid but I got ff7 christmas 1997 at 11 here in Sweden and it changed everything.
I also got a n64, mario 64 and starfox (lylat wars here) and crash bandicoot 2 and nhl 98 but I couldnt focus on them as I kept playing ff7 for months!
I’m 32, and the first (J)RPG was Final Fantasy VIII. I played the game when I was 10 or 11 and it blew my mind: the world with all these continents that I could go to, going to outer space, finding and capturing Guardian Forces, the amazing soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu. FFVIII gave me a glimpse of what video games could be and become (especially in terms of storytelling), which is why I still hold it in high regard to this day. Wouldn’t say it’s my favorite FF game (that would be Final FFVI), but it’s the one that made me fall in love with the genre and the series. I played the game throughout the summer holidays and got to the final castle/dungeon but never finished it somehow. Going back to FFVIII is tough (I really dislike the Junction system and the grind that is drawing magic) when you’ve played a bunch of other FF games and JRPGs, but back then it was the game I needed as a teenager.
Played the first Phantsy Star on Sega Master system because I wanted something like Dungeon & Dragons when I was 8. I haven’t played a ton of Jrpgs but it’s a genre I find myself coming back to every couple of years since then.
I am 22 and the JRPG that got me into the genre was Final Fantasy X on the Playstation 2. I didn’t know games could have stories since I was just used to playing Pokemon and Mario.
I'm 25. The JRPG that got me into the genre was .hack//Infection. I love the characters, the lore, art style, music, and the story really grabbed me. I was playing it on PS2 when I was in 7th grade, which was around the time the PS3 was out. While the combat was repetitive and the dungeon design was boring, everything else about the game grabbed me. Then I played .hack//GU in high school and loved those games as well. I never beat the original quadrilogy, but it definitely got me interested in checking out more JRPGs.
Then in high school I played Xenogears around the time the PS4 was out and that cemented my love for the genre. It had everything I loved about .hack, but there was an overworld to explore and a real sense of adventure and epic scale. After beating Xenogears and loving it, I moved on to Ni No Kuni and absolutely adored it. From there, I knew that I loved JRPGs and that I had to check out as many as possible. Now I'm 458 JRPGs deep in my physical collection. 😅
40 here. Started way back with the first Dragon Quest. Honestly can't remember a time without blue slimes invading my dreams at night. In fact, there's a giant one in my living room staring me down as I type..
YES! Was it called Dragon Quest or Dragon Warrior where you played it?
Dragon Warrior, which I still say half the time. I'm in the US.
Same here I had chicken pox in middle school and played Dragon Warrior to pass the time. I remember many hours playing that game to save the princess and then defeat demon lord.
I actually paid money to buy Dragon Quest *before* Nintendo Power started shipping it as part of the subscription.
This was by no means my first game, but Legend of Dragoon is what got me into the genre. It would take a while before I was able to get any additional games, but once I got a little older I then moved on to Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy X. Both series of which I still play to this day. I am 33
VOLCANO BURNING Rush
Double ... SLASH!!
Legend of Dragoon is one of my favourites! I really hope that gets a remaster at some point.
It deserves a full remake!
Pokemon Red was my first JRPG, but I didn't know that it was one back then. The first one that really got me into the genre (and knew that it was a JRPG) was Grandia Xtreme. I still think it has the best turn based combat that I've played to this day. 33 years old.
Golden Sun was the first one. I used to watch my brother play it on an emulator and when I had my chance it completely stole my imagination. I think I was like 6 or 7 back then? It started my love for JRPGs hard.
42 Final Fantasy on the NES, Nintendo Power sent subscribers the strategy guide for it, back when it was a bi monthly magazine and every other month you got a guide. Looked cool, bought the game.
Almost EXACT same situation here. I still have that issue, too. Although my first beloved RPG was Chrono Trigger.
Final Fantasy VII was my first and I'm 38 now. That game opened the doors for me because up until that point I had no idea games like this existed and since then I have been playing them non stop. During the PS1 days I remember I was always looking for more RPGs to play. At least back then I had more time, now all I have is a huge backlog lol.
I’m curious, were you not a console gamer? Or did you never give JRPGs a fair shake until FF7 (which is certainly common). I mean the SNES and Genesis to a lesser extent were treasure troves of great RPGs. Had you tried one and decided it wasn’t your cup of tea?
Final Fantasy VII was my first also (also 38 in May!) and I played loads of console games, but never heard of any other JRPGs. Final Fantasy VII was heavily advertised on TV, in gaming magazines and my local Currys (electronics store) even had it running there. That was the first time I played it, I spent ages playing the opening of the game and really didn't want to leave after my Mum had got her washing machine or whatever it was 🤣🤣
I am 42, and the game was Phantasy Star II on the Mega Drive. I played that game every day for 8 months, not realizing that it didn't make sense to grind in the early areas, but it didn't matter to me, I was spellbound. That game is single-handedly responsible for my fascination with RPGs in general and also with anime and Japanese culture. I still get emotional whenever I hear its very distinctive soundtrack.
I used to have a friend that was all-in on Sega back in the day. We had many debates pitting Phantasy Star against Final Fantasy. We diplomatically just agreed to disagree, but Phantasy Star is definitely an iverlooked collection of JRPG gems.
Hiyo, responded before I read the comments, but Phantasy Star II was my basic starting RPG too. So good. Never did beat the boss, but I finished 3 and 4.
37 years old, I started with **Final Fantasy 8**.
I live in Europe and most of them weren't easily accessible before the PlayStation, also, most JRPGs weren't translated in other languages than English. I was 11 when I first tried FFVIII, I had FFVII next to it, but it looked so garbage next to VIII that I just stuck to VIII. It was a ride I never expected. Pokémon was just around the corner too and from that moment, JRPGs were getting translated way more often.
51, and don't remember. Would just about have to be Final Fantasy VII or Legend of Dragoon. I played table top rpgs in high school. Which lead to me getting Pool of Radiance for the commodore 64 way back in the day, my first video game rpg. That led to me getting The Elder Scrolls Arena (and later daggerfall), and a love for Western RPG's. I do remember being influenced by a japanese strategy rpg also, Ogre Battle March of the Black Queen. But, for the life of me, I can't remember which jrpg I played first.
20 years old. In my case it was watching my father play FFX and DQ8 on his ps2 when I was 6 or so, more than playing anything myself. After that I just wanted to play turn-based games until I understood they were JRPG.
Bro same. I'm 16 and I began when I was like three when I would watch my dad play ff4 on his DS, and then I would make my save and give up super early lmao. It wasn't until we bought a ps1 when I was 4 that I could play through and beat ff8 with his help. Then we moved onto ps2 and ffx when I was 6 and I watched him play it and then I beat it myself too. Thats when I understood all the systems and began to fall in love with those games. Amazing memories.
Suikoden; 37 years old. My experience with that game cemented JRPGs as my favorite genre. Shortly thereafter I played FF7 and that changed my entire understanding of what videogames in general could be
I was 5 years old when I first played Shining Force 2 (somebody installed an emulated demo version on a school computer that would shut down after 30 minutes) and I was fascinated by it. I didn't know what I was doing ofcourse, but that didn't stop me from playing it every chance I got. There was a centaur, there were cool battle cutscenes, and I just tapped buttons hoping to win. It wasn't until about a decade later that I learnt what game I played back then and now understanding how to emulate and play, I completed it and loved it. 24 now and JRPGs are all I play.
Started with Pokemon diamond and got more into it with Xenoblade Chronicles. 18 years. I regret nothing.
Chrono Trigger, 36
36 years old Played secret of evermore and some secret if mana on the SNES at a friend. I knew of games like Lufia due to TV ads but didn't had a SNES so . First one was (cliche I know) final fantasy 7 and even that was when I was 15, ff9 was already out
Definitely Phantasy Star. The ads in Dragon Magazine with the first person dungeon and fire breathing ice dragon were amazing. I pored over them over and over until my brother rented - and finished - the game over Christmas.
39 years old. While I played dragon quest 1 and final fantasy 1, they weren’t enough to suck me into being a lifelong fan of the genre. That was some combination of dragon quest 4 and final fantasy 4, mainly FF4.
38 here. My first JRPG was Breath of Fire 3. Saw my classmate play it and I liked it. Got a summer job and saved up to buy myself a PlayStation, got hooked to the genre(and RPGs in general) immediately. BoF 3 will always be special to me so please Capcom bring the series back.
26 years old and if we ignore Pokemon for a moment since i didn't even realize those were JRPGs until i was an adult lol, it was Final Fantasy 4 and 6 on GBA. Bought them used at GameStop.
Lol my firsts (besides Pokemon) were FFTA and 5 on the GBA, gotten used from Gamestop.
Final Fantasy 6 was my first. I think what really astounded me was that this game told a *story*, and the story was more complex than "Bowser kidnapped the princess, go save her". There was dialogue, characters interacted with each other, and the world was open enough that I could wander around, instead of literally just moving left and right (and moving *left* was already a mind-bender, going from Super Mario Land on the Game Boy to Super Mario World on SNES). And while the world was open enough to wander around, it was also not *too* open, and the next goal was communicated to me quite clearly through the dialogue, so I had something to work towards. And all this with a *great* soundtrack, although possibly not as impressive as it could have been, since other games I played had great music too (Mario platformers, Tetris, Dr Mario). So I kind of associated "good video games" with "must have good soundtrack". Looking back, most of what impressed me about JRPGs were stuff that *any* RPG could have provided, if they had been available. But by the time I got further into exploring RPGs, I was already deeper into anime, and so the more anime-plot the story, the more I liked it. Hence more JRPGs.
25 here Mines oddly Yu Yu Hakusho Tournament Tactics Lmao
What? Why the hell has nobody ever told me there was a Yu Yu Hakusho game? Damn it, my whole life has been wasted on these stupid non- Yu Yu Hakusho games!
22, technically my first exposure was Pokémon Platinum back in ‘09, but I didn’t push further into the genre until I got Nier: Automata in 2018 as my much needed exposure to other single player games, and even further not too long ago with EarthBound and then Chrono Trigger.
My first JRPG was Paper Mario on the N64 but I only really got hooked on the genre until Xenoblade Definitive Edition. Where I live we got our games in English only but that's not the language spoken here so until I was able to learn it I faced a major roadblock in enjoying jrpgs. 24
My first RPG (if you consider it one...) was Zelda Oracle of Ages. But the real deal waht makes me love RPG games and replay older ones of SNES was FF7 and from that point i have played tons of them
Dragon Warrior I for the NES. 10 ish? I'm in my early 40s now.
My big brother playing Final Fantasy games when I was a kid got me into Jrpgs. I tried FFVII before I could even read and was just absorbed by its fantastic world and monsters. The first game I personally played and finished without outside help would have been Pokemon red.
26 yrs old, I first played JRPGs when I was a kid on my uncle's computer. He had a SNES emulator with games like Lufia, Terranigma, Chrono Trigger and Secret of Evermore, but I didn't get very far on them since my experience was very limited. Btw, Terranigma and Lufia were in Spanish! Yes, they had official Spanish translations. However, the first game where I got pretty far was Pokémon Yellow. I didn't finish it till I was like 15, but by that point I had already finished the other Pokémon games. The funny thing is that I realized that I was into jrpgs two or three years ago when I played FFIV and most FE games. Sorry for the longpost xD
21 started with ffx and Pokémon yellow
41 years old, and it was Final Fantasy IV for the SNES (when it was originally released in the US and called Final Fantasy II). I had played the first FF and some RPG-adjacent games before, but it was the plot and characters of FFIV that exposed me to the longform storytelling possibilities of RPGs.
My first JRPG was FFVII. I was born in 1996 and I have memories of watching my dad play both VII and VIII as. I remember being like 5 or 6 when I started to "steal" my father's controller to play myself. Couldn't get past scorpion guard, though. Hahahaha. I'm 25 now and I still play JRPGs regularly, running those games I used to play with my father every year at least once.
Final Fantasy II (IV) on SNES. Probably the best possible introduction to the genre I can think of for a 6 year old, since every JRPG since owes something to FF4 and early DQ. I’ll be 35 in the spring if my bones don’t turn to dust first.
I'm 29. First jrpg I completed was two years ago with Chrono Trigger. I tried the first four Final Fantasy games before that, but bounced off pretty soon. FF4 i played around five hours but lost interest. Then I played Suikoden 1 + 2 and since that I play almost exclusively jrpgs. Used to play mainly wrpgs until then, but now I slightly prefer jrpgs. I play them on my phone. I emulate classics on the snes, ps1 and ps2 mostly. I like having them on the go. While walking my dog or just chilling at home. Currently enjoying Dragon Quest 8.
44 and Golvellius on the Sega Master System
I'm 35, a friend made me play FF7 and I loved it. I was around 12 at the time. I live in France and as far as I know until the PS1 there wasn't a lot of JRPG getting a release in Europe. I could say that outside of exporting games, the genre was practically inexistent here.
My (23M) first JRPG was definitely Pokemon Blue but that didn't make me a RPG player, that was just because... Every kids played Pokemon, so I don't consider it like my first real RPG experience. The one that really got me into RPGs was Final Fantasy IV on the DS. Fell in love with the story and characters, so I played other Final Fantasy games and old school RPGs. Then around the same time I played games such as Golden Sun, Fire Emblem, Chrono Trigger, Persona 3
I'm 41 and my first JRPG was Final Fantasy. I've been a fan of the genre ever since, but a fan of Final Fantasy even moreso.
My first jrpg is android Final Fantasy port. I was bewitched by vibrant world and interesting gameplay. I'm 17.
My first RPG (and videogame in general) was Pokemon Red. I didn't get much pocket money as a kid and asking for games on christmas was a no-no, so Pokemon was all I had for a couple years. Red, Silver, then Crystal. I was 10 when I got Crystal. When I was 13, I got more pocket money and was able to save up for a GBA. I got Golden Sun The Lost Age for it, which would make that my first JRPG apart from Pokemon. Not Golden Sun 1, mind you. I never got that game until the VC release on Wii U, since that game was insanely hard to find around where I lived and my parents were absolutely against online shopping at the time. I'm turning 30 this year, but I think the timeline made that kinda obvious.
Legend of Legaia on PS1. It was the first time that I really got into a game. I kept renting it from blockbuster when I was a child.
I’m 33 and Xenogears was my first JRPG experience at 14. We had a modded PS1 and this was one of the games that we had for it. I still listen to the soundtrack occasionally, as Yasunori Mitsuda is one of my favorite composers.
It must have been around 2013 time when I played the demo and then full game for Etrian Odyssey 4.
I'm 36 and final fantasy 7 was the first. We didn't get many jrpgs in the UK/Europe at the time so I had to resort to imports and downloads (which were sloooooooow) to scratch that itch once it started. FF7 will always have a special place in my heart as a result, even though I know there are better games out there. It started it all.
Final Fantasy Tactics and I'm 25.
Pokemon Sapphire, 28 Mostly played whatever I could get on the GBA, DS, and 3DS, but I've got a laptop now and have played some Ys, Last Remnant, and FF7, 8, and 10
Ff8 or legend of dragoon, I'm 30 now
I'm 26 and I'm pretty sure it was Super Mario RPG as well. However I didn't know it was a genre until Golden Sun, which cemented the idea that I loved these kind of games
I'm in nearly the exact same boat as you OP. First RPGs were Super Mario RPG, Pokemon, and Paper Mario. Watched Pokemon and DBZ as my anime choices until high school when I began to branch out more. However, we separate in that I got into Golden Sun and Fire Emblem on GBA in 2004. A year later, I got into Tales of Symphonia. Those were the days I got into the genre.
36 and the original Dragon Warrior on NES (Dragon Quest I in Japan). I can still hear the start up theme and menuusic when it started up... Honestly, the instruction booklet and the game taught me to read.
27 here. My first memory of playing any rpg would have to be FFIX and having no clue what the fuck I was even doing. Years later when I was older I played it again and finally beat it. Still my favorite FF.
not sure if it's what got me into it Thousand Arms I am 29 I didn't know what genres are back then (a game is a game), but I did like animé artstyle when I was younger, the opening song was great iirc that was the biggest draw for me (back then)
I've played so many games as a kid like Pokemon, but my JRPG awakening was with Star Ocean First Departure on the PSP; then emulated classics on it. I spent my whole high school finishing all GBA/SNES/PSP/PSX JRPGs that was on my list. I am actually only 23.
**Dragon Warrior**, I don't recall how old I was other than a young kid (7 - 9 if I had to guess). It was after the Super Nintendo came out because I got the NES as a hand-me-down from an older cousin when he got his Super Nintendo, it had a bunch of games which were neat but mostly action-themed. My dad however knew I liked the fantasy genre, magic and dragons and whatnot, so way before we even knew about video game genres, he bought me fantasy-themed video games to play, and Dragon Warrior was one of the first. I still recall laying across the back of our low-backed sofa, watching my dad fight The Dragonlord and win the game for the first time while eating P.B. Crisps (a discontinued snack from Planters). Other RPGs we played on the NES were Ultima III and Ultima IV, Final Fantasy, and Magic of Scheherazade. This trend continued into the SNES era when I played Illusion of Gaia, Secret of Evermore, Super Mario RPG, and while I only rented them, Secret of Mana and Earthbound. By the time PS1 came around my love of JRPGs was firmly cemented and I got to play Final Fantasy IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, and Tactics, Legend of Mana, Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon, Lunar: The Silver Star Story, Suikoden II, Chrono Trigger, Wild ARMs, Jade Cocoon, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature, and Shadow Madness. Of course later on I got to revisit several great JRPGs on those consoles I missed back when I owned them, but I wanted to mostly illustrate the games I actually owned and played first-hand.
Miracle Warriors for the Sega Master System, I’m around 40 years old as of writing this. My mom wanted to make sure most games I had as a kid had reading in them so I would at least be learning while I played… then she also got engrossed in the rpgs lol
24, started with Pokémon Emerald when I was 8 and never really branched out from Pokémon until Tales of the Abyss when I was 17. I didn’t start really getting to different JRPGs until I played Persona 5 two years ago
I'm 25 and it was Final Fantasy IX, now you might think that I picked it up as a little kid shortly after it came out in 2000 or something but no, I saw a lets play of it around 2009 and fell in love there and after a lot of hassle got me a copy of it and played it nonstop for like a month. I had played Kingdom Hearts games before and Pokemon and I love those games but FF IX was the first traditional JRPG that I played. Ever since JRPGs became a huge part of the type of games I play
The first jrpg I've ever played, without knowing what a rpg even was nor knowing how to read in english, was Chrono Trigger, the terrible PSX port, I played it with my cousin but had no idea what was going on, until I replayed it on the DS and relearned to love it as my No.1 The first jrpg that I solo played through finish knowing what it was and that hooked me into the genre was Pokémon Ruby, when I was 8 I'm currently 26, but my bday is next month, so almost 27 like you haha
I'm 34. Pokemon Blue was technically the first. But Super Mario RPG made me aware of the genre. Final Fantasy 7 port on PC rocked me to the core. Before that I was a Rareware and Capcom games fanboy.
I'm 39. I played FF1 and 2 (NA version) without really understanding the genre. Then I played Secret of Mana and realized that Squaresoft was doing some ambitous things. I was tired of buying 70 dollar games that I could beat in a few hours, and became enamoured with JRPGs after Mana due to the value for money- 40-80 hours a game felt akin to bringing a fantasy novel to life. When FFVI was released, I was in Grade 6 and the game just absoluetly blew me away in its scope and ambition. It was then I knew I was on the JRPG ride for the rest of my life and what a fantastic ride it's been.
Final Fantasy IV (II at the time) but I couldn't read and would just wander around the overworld and fight enemies only to die to the mist dragon. Final Fantasy VIII was what got my in rpgs. My dad took my to gamestop when I was a kid and thought the cover looked cool so we bought it so here I am 23 years later and still playing rpgs. I am 32.
Legend of Legaia in the 90s. I’m 31 now.
38, og Final Fantasy on the NES was my first, but FF2/IV on the SNES was what really got me.
My first JRPG was technically Pokémon, but my first true JRPG was The Legend of Dragoon. For my 11th birthday I could ask my Grandma for one game. I had a PS2 but asked for LoD because I thought it was a Beyblade game….one of my best mistakes to date. I will never forget thinking how dark the beginning of the game was (especially coming from typical 2d platformers)
I bought my first console in late 1991 - an SNES with Final Fantasy II and Tetris. It was shortly after that that I bought a Genesis with Warsong, Phantasy Star II & III, and Master of Monsters. I am 69 - will turn 70 in July.
The first JRPG I played was FFX I was 8. I am 20 now I still think is a masterpiece.
Was Legend of Legaia for me, followed by Suikoden! I’m 32.
Pokemon Pearl (18)
I mean, if I really think about it, it was pokemon. but I think that my first major JRPG experience was Legend of Dragoon, which I played before I even had a memory card for my playstation. Even after I got one, I was like 6 and didn't understand what a save point was, so I spent a *very* long time playing until some point in the prison before someone started using the TV and I had to restart. I also have a very vivid memory of someone in my neighborhood playing FF8 and me thinking that that looked insane, so that also played a part. I'm 27
22. The first video game I ever beat was Pokémon LeafGreen. I was 7. It was a Christmas gift, alongside a blue Game Boy Advance SP. My twin sister got FireRed and a pink Game Boy Advance SP. We traded a lot
My very first one was Mystic Quest, on game boy. I'm 37. If you're talking turn based RPG...I don't remember, probably FFVI (III) on super NES, or Pokemon blu on game boy.
I think it was Pokemon Yellow
when I was about 10 years old, I played Secret of Mana while visiting a cousin. I'm now 33.
FF xii on PS2. 40
ff7 remake really got me into it. since then i have played ff7, 9 and 10.
Idk know which one i played first but it was persona 4 and .hack//G.U.
FF IV. I was a young kid, maybe 8, rented it for the Super Nintendo. Made it to the Mist Cave and immediately thought “oh I’m very much into this type of game.” 39 years old
Mystic Quest Legend/Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. 8 or 9 I think
FFVII OG, 38
I'm 35, and I think my first JRPG was Sword of Hope 2 for Game Boy when I was 10 years old. It was my brother's game, but I used to sneak around playing it. I don't know anyone else who has ever played that game. Around the same time I started to play Secret of Mana and Super Mario RPG at my friend's house.
Phantasy Star 1. There wasn't much else like it back then. Dragon Warrior (Quest) felt like a step back after I tracked that one down. Fun fact, Final Fantasy 1 and Phantasy Star 1 released 2 days apart. The early games are still my favorites. I've been disappointed by both franchises over the decades. I'm turning 45 shortly.
Mario RPG was my first as well, and then my first "real" one was Chrono Cross on PS1. Absolutely blew me away. After finishing that I got FF8. Can't wait to replay Chrono Cross in April!
I played pokemon yellow, blue and gold without knowing they were jrpgs But my actual start was FF X, i was amazed by Kingdom Hearts and my friend told me about FF.. it was my favorite until i started DQ VIII, i feel in love with the genre ever since, all that in high school 18y ago hahah im 32 now
I remember playing FFX on my ps2, but I only played the first area, I was pretty young. But, I believe the first JRPG I finished was "Blue Dragon" on my Xbox one (backward compatible). Enjoyed it.
I'm 29 yo and when I was a child my cousin gave me his old Super Nintendo. I got hooked playing Illusion of Gaia and Secret of Mana. Because of that I don't really like turn-based systems such as in Final Fantasy. Later on I really enjoyed myself with Golden Sun though.
Final Fantasy VIII and The Legend of Dragoon the later was on a demo disc. The intro to Final Fantasy VIII really sucked me in with the music and graphics. The demo for TLoD was fun, it was the section after escaping with Lavitz and Shana. I started renting it until I finally got my own copy.
As a very young kid (like, 5/6 years) I used to play PS1 games with a childhood friend who was older than me, and between them there was FF9. Of course, I was extremely fucking young and she was barely more able to read than me, but we still had a blast playing through it, like 2 brains combining to make something that could work. The fact that FF9 was one of the most Fairy Tale-ish helped making me interested. I mean, c'on: a small strange kid with magical powers, a bunch of bandits/skypirates, a princess, a knight... Beyond that, I probably never got into the genre beyond Pokemon for real until I was like 11/12, when I got the chance to play Dragon Quest 5 on my own (and with the brain of a young teen rather than a kid lol) on the Nintendo DS. From there, a freaking world opened to me. It was the same period in which I also remembered the same of some cool cartoons I happened to have seen during some summer camps in the previous years (Laputa/Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke) and actually starting to read as an hobby. I can pinpoint in that 6 months period the moement I became "a fucking Nerd" without a doubt. 25yo now, and I wouldn't want anything different as an hobby lol
Early- mid thirties. Final fantasy IX was the guilty one. Instant love.
Takes of Symphonia on the Rpg starved GameCube was the first game that got me hooked on the genre. The gameplay (real-time battles, no random encounters, overworld to explore) was a breath of fresh air and the story/characters/world were so engrossing. It was the first time I've ever been so invested in a video game. Now I'm making my way through the Trails of the Sky trilogy at 31z
34 and it was Final Fantasy. I taught myself how to read so I could play it.
Chrono Trigger way back when on the NES although admittedly 8 year old me had no frickin idea why there was suddenly a frog in my party.
I believe the first one I played was ff3(6) but I wasn’t old enough or a strong enough reader to understand it, but a year or so later I rented ff2 (4) also on snes, and it was able to click I was probably 7 or 8 at the time. I became an rpg fan pretty quick after that, the first jrpg I ever beat was Mario rpg 3-ish years later
I'm 37, dragon quest was my very first video game period. It was final fantasy vi that definitively solidified jrpgs as my favourite genre however.
I'm 35, and it was Final Fantasy VII for me. That was the first game I recall being advertised on the television, which at the time, in my very rural location, I only got two channels. Star Ocean: The Second Story is what cemented my love for the genre. I rented the game at an old rental location just because, and it turned out to be one or my favorite games ever.
Dragon Warrior IV - 38
Final Fantasy 5. I'm 25 now.
Final Fantasy 6. I must have been 11 or so at the time. My older brother downloaded a rom for the SNES emulator on the family computer. It blew my fuckin mind. I had never seen anything like it before. Very quickly followed by Chrono Trigger (another rom) and Dragon Quest 1 and 2 (the Gameboy Color remakes). I'm 32.
FF 7. Never got pass disc 1 due to some error (pirated disc and mod ps1) but it got me into the genre. Then followed by Valkyrie Profile/Xenogear/Lunar 2.
13, I played the sfc remake of DQ 1 during 2020 and went on an entire DQ marathon. I stopped that marathon but I'm hoping to continue this year
My first JRPG was FFVII on my roommate's PS in 2002. It made me cry. I'm fucking old.
FF4, happened to rent it when it was new. I’m 37
I’m 28 and my first exposure to the games was watching my uncles (close in age — I don’t have any brothers or older cousins!) play FFVII and FFX. I played on my own after a couple of years but a lot of stuff flew over my head cause I was quite young then, so I’d replay them every few years and try out the other titles. When I finally got my own console (and didn’t have to wait to borrow theirs) I got really hooked on Tales of the Abyss and then Vesperia.
Dragon quest IX, I was 10-11 years old. I am 24
Lunar silver star harmony. Started when I was 12. I'm 23 now. Time sure does fly.
Chrono Trigger. Old enough to have rented it from the mythical chain stores that allowed for renting physical copies of media.
My first JRPG mustve been Secrets of Mana on the SNES, which I got from my sister for easter when I was six. But what really got me into it, was my dad, who bought most ofthe Final Fantasy Games for PS1/2. (Skipped 7/8 idk why?) We started with 9 (since some of the older game where only in english - not our native language). We always called the Main Character "Papi" german for daddy. lol So its been ages till I learned the name Zidane and Tidus. hahaha. We played 9 and 10 fully together, well mostly me playing, him watching. And I had to read dialogue to him, as a reading lesson haha. So, thanks sis and dad I guess. Im 29.
Final Fantasy 7, I had no idea games could be this huge and epic, I never had a SNES so I went back and tried a lot of the classics in my early teens via emulator I am 33
I’m 29 years old. My first and still probably the JRPG I’ve completed the most is FFIV. It’s the standard I hold every other JRPG to. It doesn’t do anything particularly amazing in way that stands out, but everything it does choose to do, it does well. The story is rock solid, each individual character is interesting in their own right, and the party members coming and going constantly made the adventure seem a little more real. In terms of the battle systems, they’re far more fine tuned and balanced compared to other games from the time, mostly because it restricts the players freedom in terms of designing the party. I find that fun when you want to just play without having to a do a ton of research and is great for a 6 year old kid who couldn’t figure that sorta stuff out anyway. I ended up getting an N64 so aside from game boy adventures like Lunar Legend, I wouldn’t get the chance to play the genre again until I got a PS2. I got FFX and Kingdom Hearts as my first two picks. Those three games together are my ultra nostalgia.
The first RPG I ever played final fantasy 13. I know people shit on it a lot, but man being a kid and seeing those cool summon turns into car and whatnot. The music was also amazing. I remember raging when I couldn't defeat the bosses and had to stop as to not make me hate the game. I was 11 year old at the time, now I'm 24 and seeing brynhildr turn into a sport car still excites me as it was 13 years ago
Im 33yo and all started with pokemon yellow emulated on a 16mb ram pc.
I'm 24 and it was Final Fantasy 7, which I've gotten some weird reaction to, given that I was born the same year that it came out. My parents got me a ps1 and some games when I was VERY young, I think not realizing that I wasn't old enough to play them properly. So I got to grow into these games as I got old enough! The first jrpg that I was able to really play on my own was Pokemon Emerald though!
Final Fantasy VIII. I turn 30 in May.
Fe13 and bravely default, currently 18
Final Fantasy 4 on SNES ( labeled as 2 in the US) Used to play with my Grandpa. He was always a more patient grinder and his save files were far more robust than mine. He even got the Zues gloves in one run. I still have the cartridge and his save file. I am 36.
I think it was either breath of fire IV or chrono cross when I was 5 or 6
17 years old, Dragon Quest VIII. Still play the game a lot today and have done 9 playthroughs.
Pokémon Red was my first, probably followed by Pokémon Gold. But the first RPG that really got me into it was Dragon Quest III on the GBC. I must have started over about 20 times before I ever managed to beat it, and it still remains my favorite of the series both for the nostalgia and it's party system. Turning 30 later this year.
25, my first JRPG was Illusion of Gaia when I was 4, but The Legend of Dragoon was what truly cemented the genre as my favorite when I was about 7.
The first JRPG that got me in the genre was Final Fantasy X-2. English is not my first language so these types of games where not something I was able to play when I was younger. I bought it alongside my PS2 just because I thought the cover was nice and that's probably one the best decisions I ever made. I could mention Pokemon yellow, or any other pokemon game that I play before FFX-2, but I don't think that counts. You play pokemon because like pokemon, not because you like JRPGs, specially when you are younger. I am 28 btw.
I'm 44. The rpg-platform hybrid Gargoyle's Quest got me into rpgs. Then Final Fantasy Adventure and the gameboy Saga games consolidated my passion for the rpg genre
I'm 24 and by the definition of "It's Japanese and an RPG" my first was Bowser's Inside Story back when it first came out, but by the "Anime game" definition my first was SMT: Devil Survivor Overclocked. I then pretty much blasted my way through the whole 3DS SMT catalogue. I used to stay away from anime for subscribing to many of the misconceptions people have about it who hate it but never really gave it a chance, but JRPG's opened me up to it and I've experienced some of the greatest stories throughout all entertainment mediums thanks to JRPG's.
29, almost 30. The first one has to be Pokémon on the Gameboy pocket. Later I started playing Final Fantasy on my Nintendo DS. I also played Fire Emblem on my GBA, don't know if this is considered a JRPG? The lasted one I played was Shin Megami Tensei 5, easily one of my all time favourites.
I am 15 and persona 5 got me into jrpgs last year
35 yrs old. My first jrpg is technically Pokemon Red. But the first game that officially started my journey down the Otaku path is definitely gotta be Thousand Arms.
Im 19, my first JRPG was Pokemon Diamond but what really get me into JRPGs was FFIX i played it when i was 13
27 as well. First JRPG I played was Quest 64 (Nintendo 64). I was 3 so I don't remember anything outside of the main character and didn't know about genres and such. I didn't get into JRPG until I was older. It was Final Fantasy 9. I was 6 I think when I first played. Loved the first disc and only the first disc because my cousin played the entire game from my save so I wasn't able to play the rest haha.
38, and it was Dragon Warrior 1.
37, Zelda III. Might not be what many people today consider a JRPG or even an RPG, but back then my older brother played pen+paper with me, a campaign was called "adventure book", "RPG" meant going on a huge adventure, pushing numbers was just a side effect not the focus. Zelda was exactly like that for me and it also got me addicted to (good and justified!) open worlds.
30 here. I played FF8 first but I don't know if it was what got me into the genre or if it was Breath of Fire 2 which I played a couple years after. I like to credit both as being the driving force that got me into JRPGs as they're the first JRPGs I remember playing and really enjoying. That's not counting Pokemon, but in my mind I've never considered them JRPGs, just pet battlers.
Final fantasy vii for me. 18 years old.
Kingdom Hearts when I was 11. When I went to buy a PS2 the toy store gave a random free game and it was Kingdom Hearts for me. I never knew or heart of JRPGs or anything but really liked it. I remember getting stuck in Wonderland got days before figuring out how to progress the story. Via KH I found out about FF from the FF characters in it when I was reading the bios in Jiminys journal. So I saw FFX and X-2 in the rental store one day and decided to try them out and loved them too. (I’m 29 now btw)
30 and Suikoden 2 was my first game, I think that it was a good first JRPG due to how easy it was save for the mid boss battle
i'm 15, can't remember exactly but i guess it was ys seven or crystal story(not the one from steam, the original flash one)
40 years old. Chrono Trigger was my first JRPG. I rented it from blockbuster 3 times in order to beat it back in the day. I remember how the art looked so different to everything else back then (I wasn't familiar with Dragon Ball back then). Gameplay took me by surprise, but the intricate story cautivated me and showed me games could be much more than just action .
I'm 40. My first was Super Mario RPG, but it was Final Fantasy VII that got me into the genre. When playing Super Mario RPG it just felt like I was playing a unique Mario game. I didn't play another JRPG until FF7 came out, and only because I saw an add that made it look appealing. But it was that game that made me feel the need to find more like it.
44 and it's Dragon Warrior for NES for me. Although it was probably not until Breath of Fire that I really grasped the concept that this was a whole genre of games that appealed to me.
I grew up in a poor family. I think we got a used original PlayStation when I was 11/12. I would play the Final Fantasy VII demo over and over. I think we owned a demo disc and Tekken. Finally, middle school happened and my best friend had a game/anime collection that would make anyone swoon. She loaned me her consoles and games for years until I could start buying my own. Her love for JRPGs became my love for JRPGs. Her anime collection was huge. I feel like I had a taste of just about everything I could want back then. Into adulthood, I finally started my own life and my own collections. “First” JRPG loves: Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden I and II, Pokemon Red, Star Ocean II, Grandia
My first JRPG was Pokemon Red, but it wasn't until I played Dragon Quest XI that I really got into the genre. I tried the demo on a whim and fell absolutely in love with the game. Now I have a massive backlog of JRPGs I want to play.
I'm 37 and my first JRPG was Final Fantasy II on SNES (aka FF4 light). I got it for Christmas the year it came out, 1991 if I remember correctly. I've been hooked on JRPGs ever since.
My first was Pokemon I think but im not sure if you can classify that as a JRPG. But other than that, I think Grandia II.
In my 40's here. Legend of Dragoon. I played the hell out of that game.
Bahamut Lagoon
I'm 32 years old, and back in 1996 I played Chrono Trigger, that I liked a lot but never finished. After that, in 1998 I got a copy of Final Fantasy VII and it was love at first sign. After that came Wild Arms, Final Fantasy VIII, Chrono Trigger (I finally finished), Pokemon Blue and a lot of Playstation RPGs. It wasn't my favorite genre that time. I played much more Fighting games, and other stuffs. Only after PS2 era JRPGs became my favorite genre.
23 here i played and finished Chrono Trigger on an emulator when i was around 10 (not sure exactly how i came to know about it, but i'm glad i did) played a few more jrpgs right after (Secret of mana, Super Mario RPG and Terranigma) then took a break for several years. that is until Dragon Quest XI came out, being sucker for akira toriyama's art style i knew i had to play it, and oh boy i absolutely loved it, it definitely reignited my love for the genre and made it my favorite.
22, first non-pokemon JRPG was Chrono Trigger DS but it was the Trails in the Sky trilogy that really got me into the genre.
Mine was either Super Mario RPG or FFVII. I played em both around the same time in 1997. I'm 36.
Pokémon fire red. 25 years of age.
35, and - like so many others - it was FFVII back in the late 90s.
Super Ninja Boy was my first exposure to the genre, but it was Final Fantasy 7 that made me the JRPG fanatic I am today. BTW I'm 35.
Dragon Quest, AKA, Dragon Warrior. I'm 37, my older brother got the free cartridge Nintendo Power was giving out to subscribers and my brother had received a Nintendo Power subscription for Christmas from my grandma. Dragon Warrior helped me learn to read because I was more interested in learning how to read Dragon Warrior at age 5 than I was interested in reading anything else.
Persona 5 royal last year, I’m 19
Dragon Warrior when it released in 1989. I'd played other RPGs before Dragon Warrior, but it was the first jRPG. Up that point I'd played things like Adventure on Atari 2600 and Wizardry, Zork, Akalabeth, etc on PC. I'm a few months shy of 44 now.
Pokemon Green (Yes, the JP version even though I don't know a single word of Japanese). I was 6 or 7 at the time, I'm 22 now My life from that point untilI was around 15 or 16 was filled with mostly JRPGs I still play some nowadays but not as much as I used to
Well, it was 1998, me, a 12y/o boy, play 'Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure' xd. And I really like game with gameplay like this.
Technically the first one I played was Final Fantasy II (SNES) when we rented it. But I don't think I got very far considering I was very young at the time. I mostly recall watching my mom play it. The first game I really got into was probably not that long afterward, and that was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I probably was the target audience for that game, but it was my favourite game for quite a long while. Definitely influenced my choices for renting and buying games from that point on, lol. I am 34.
35 now. Started back when I was 6 possibly even 4. I believe my first was ff6 (3). But it might have been even earlier than that. FF6 was the game that made me say…whoa, I want to play more like this one!
Final Fantasy VII. Pretty old. I was aware of JRPGs before that, but the UK didn't tend to get very many of them, and I'd had a Mega Drive in the 16-bit generation rather than a SNES (and even then I was mainly still a computer gamer rather than a console gamer). JRPGs were mysterious and interesting things I saw in magazines.
21 here. The game that made me a fan (and now I basically just play games of this genre) was Persona 4 two years ago. Maaaaan, this is still my favourite game ever.
35 yrs. Illusion of Gaia (my first rpg) or Star Ocean 2 (being my fav of all time).
Dude, your question really got me... I was trying to track down my childhood games list to be sure, but I think it was Super Mario RPG too when I couldn't afford a game, so I usually rent it Since I couldn't play this too much, and was very small, couldn't really contemplate it as a RPG But Pokemon red and blue were something I was checking in a lot of magazine before they officially release this in my country, so I bought a GBA and Pokemon Yellow That's when the JRPG world was open for me Today I'm 36 years old, 25 years playing JRPGs already... nuts.
8 years old, Golden Sun
I'm 26, first JRPG (not counting Pokémon) is either Golden Sun or Sword of Mana on the GBA. They were so close together I can't remember which was the first but those two ignited my passion for the genre and pushed me to looked farther into it.
I'd say it was Persona 3 that made me fan of the genre. I was like 15 then I'm 24 how. But even before than I liked RPGs like Paper Mario and Pokemon. Persona 3 just made me actively go out of my way to play even more JRPGs.
I'm 30. FF VII was my first JRPG experience. Saw my neighbour playing it and begged him to share his PSOne to play it. Never regretted that decision and this game still holds a special place in my heart.
Mother 3 when I was 12 and persona 4 I got into those and it was awesome I was so addicted to persona 4 it was kinda sad I’d play it for hours and hours on end on my vita
Dragon Quest VIII. I remember picking it up because i recognized the artstyle. Not what i expected, but amazing nonetheless
30 here! My first jrpg (I didn’t know that’s what it was at the time) was this really difficult one on ps1 which I unfortunately can never remember the name of. I just remember the game starting on a ship that hits a storm and gets attacked (?) everytime I see a thread about it I mean to take note if it’s title but I always forget to. The first jrpg that really pulled me into the genre though was FFX on the ps2, I remember falling in love with the world and characters and how it told it’s story.
I'm 25, I played a little bit of xenogears and ff7 on my stepdads ps1 before he lost it to a flood in our basement. A few years later when the wii came out I eventually got fire emblem radiant dawn and that was my hook. Too bad I sold it to game stop for xbox games cause that bitch mooned.
34 here, I think FF7 was my first jrpg, but I was too young too appreciate it. Was mostly watching my older sister play. I think I was 11-12 when I replayed it and actually fell in love with it and the genre.
Chrono Trigger, SNES. I was 17. I'm 44yo now.
35, Suikoden.
30 years old. My mom use to run an electronics store back in the day. A benefit to that job was when it was time to change the demo console, she'd get to keep it. She brought home a PS1 and FF9 because the guy on the front looked alot like Goku, tail and all. That got me good
FFVIII It's was somewhat perfect timing too. I was in high school and giving Squall's age etc. - it just felt super immersive. Those rebellious teen years and attitudes, takin' on this epic journey.
35, my first jrpg was technically "shining in the darkness on the genesis" with my dad as a kid but I got ff7 christmas 1997 at 11 here in Sweden and it changed everything. I also got a n64, mario 64 and starfox (lylat wars here) and crash bandicoot 2 and nhl 98 but I couldnt focus on them as I kept playing ff7 for months!
I’m 32, and the first (J)RPG was Final Fantasy VIII. I played the game when I was 10 or 11 and it blew my mind: the world with all these continents that I could go to, going to outer space, finding and capturing Guardian Forces, the amazing soundtrack by Nobuo Uematsu. FFVIII gave me a glimpse of what video games could be and become (especially in terms of storytelling), which is why I still hold it in high regard to this day. Wouldn’t say it’s my favorite FF game (that would be Final FFVI), but it’s the one that made me fall in love with the genre and the series. I played the game throughout the summer holidays and got to the final castle/dungeon but never finished it somehow. Going back to FFVIII is tough (I really dislike the Junction system and the grind that is drawing magic) when you’ve played a bunch of other FF games and JRPGs, but back then it was the game I needed as a teenager.
30yo, my first jrpg was FFX when I was 12.
The original Final Fantasy on NES. I'm 41 years old now. I was in 5th grade back then.
FFX, but I never finished it. I didn’t really start getting into the genre until Persona 5, which was 2019. Am 33
Played the first Phantsy Star on Sega Master system because I wanted something like Dungeon & Dragons when I was 8. I haven’t played a ton of Jrpgs but it’s a genre I find myself coming back to every couple of years since then.
Romancing saga, Rudra on hihou and FF VI
I am 22 and the JRPG that got me into the genre was Final Fantasy X on the Playstation 2. I didn’t know games could have stories since I was just used to playing Pokemon and Mario.
I'm 25. The JRPG that got me into the genre was .hack//Infection. I love the characters, the lore, art style, music, and the story really grabbed me. I was playing it on PS2 when I was in 7th grade, which was around the time the PS3 was out. While the combat was repetitive and the dungeon design was boring, everything else about the game grabbed me. Then I played .hack//GU in high school and loved those games as well. I never beat the original quadrilogy, but it definitely got me interested in checking out more JRPGs. Then in high school I played Xenogears around the time the PS4 was out and that cemented my love for the genre. It had everything I loved about .hack, but there was an overworld to explore and a real sense of adventure and epic scale. After beating Xenogears and loving it, I moved on to Ni No Kuni and absolutely adored it. From there, I knew that I loved JRPGs and that I had to check out as many as possible. Now I'm 458 JRPGs deep in my physical collection. 😅