There have been numerous games based on anime over the years, including fighting games, visual novels, side-scrolling beat ‘em ups, and more. However, not all anime series are lucky enough to get a video game adaptation. Even if they do, they are rarely considered on par with their non-anime-based contemporaries, often being cheap ways to cash in on a series’ popularity.
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One genre we see anime-based games dip into less often these days is the JRPG, one whichs tends to have more gameplay variation than commonly seen 3D arena fighters. We think that plenty of anime series, both old and new, deserve JRPG adaptations.
10Black Butler
The Black Butler manga series by Yana Toboso has received several anime adaptations, with the second season having a completely original story. It features young earl Ciel Phantomhive andhis demon butlerSebastian Michaelis as they travel around 19th century Europe, investigating all kinds of criminal and supernatural occurrences.
Later arcs show that there are more characters than only Sebastian capable of fending off enemies, so it would be easy to include a bigger party than just Sebastian and Ciel in a JRPG. It could still keep the visual novel elements of the Japan-exclusive Nintendo DS game too, but be a little more refined due to how the genre has evolved.
9Deadman Wonderland
Deadman Wonderland was a short anime series based on the manga by Jinsei Kataoka, but only covers a small portion of the source material. The titular location is a prison and theme park in what remains of Tokyo, after a massive earthquake had caused most of it to sink a decade prior.
Besides regular inmates there are also Deadmen, individuals capable of manipulating their blood in various ways. These supernatural beings are also compelled to participate in gladiatorial battles, in an event titled the Carnival Corpse. A JRPG based on the series would likely have action-based gameplay, with protagonist Ganta Igarashi the main playable character. Most, if not all of the other Deadmen could playable to some degree.
8Flame Of Recca
Flame of Recca was a manga by Nobuyuki Anzai that debuted in 1995, receiving an anime adaptation of the first few arcs in 1997. The series had two Japan-exclusive games, but has never had a JRPG adaptation. It stars Recca Hanabishi,a ninja-obsessedteenager who can control fire. Recca and his friends then set out to defeat his older brother and the latter’s adopted father.
Since they have no latent powers, Recca’s friends and most other characters fight using madogu, ancient artifacts that grant special powers when wielded. A Flame of Recca JRPG would likely be turn-based, with characters getting access to new techniques and madogu as they level up.
7Black Clover
Black Clover is a medieval fantasy action anime series based on the manga by Yuki Tabata and features Asta and Yuno, two rivals seeking to become the Wizard King — a title given to the strongest Magic Knight. Asta can’t use magic, so he focuses on physical strength, while Yuno is adept at magic early on.
Due to its setting, a Black Clover JRPG could take cues from series likeDragon Questand olderFinal Fantasygames, with either a traditional turn-based battle system, an ATB-inspired battle system, or more action-oriented combat. No matter the gameplay, a Black Clover title would have to provide a bigger and better adventure than the series' first console game, Black Clover: Quartet Knights.
6Yashahime
Rumiko Takahashi’sInuyashaseries is no stranger to JRPGs, as Secret of the Cursed Mask for the PlayStation 2 and Secret of the Divine Jewel for Nintendo DS launched in 2004 and 2007, respectively. Inuyasha’s sequel series, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, is less popular, but since it has already finished, it could get a proper adaptation similar to these past games.
Instead of having a plot-relevant self-insert character, a Yashahime game could focus solely on the anime’s story. Sesshomaru’s daughters, Towa and Setsuna, as well as Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter, Moroha, could be the three main party members. It could also update the turn-based gameplay of its predecessors to more modern standards.
5Claymore
The Claymore anime adapts the first 55 chapters of Norihiro Yagi’s dark fantasy manga with some changes, but the last two episodes have their own original story. A hypothetical JRPG based on the series could either adapt the anime series or the entire manga.
While Claymore-inspired action games likeSoulsticeexist, a new officially licensed Claymore JRPG could help renew interest in the series. It would probably be an action-based game, with Clare as the main playable character. She could defeat Yoma enemies to gain experience and grow more powerful. Other Claymores would be playable in certain sections when necessary.
4Berserk
The late Kentaro Miura’s Berserk series has had a few games of varying quality, but despite heavily influencinga number of popular JRPGs, it has never had a game in the genre itself. Often developers have opted for hack-and-slash type games instead, which makes sense being based on the material.
A JRPG based on Berserk could cover the entire story starting from the Golden Age arc, and even including later arcs that have yet to be seen in animated form. While a Berserk JRPG could be action-based similar to its predecessors, it could also have many Soulslike elements, since FromSoftware’s dark fantasy games are heavily inspired by Berserk’s world.
3Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Boruto may not be as popular ashis dad, but his series is still relatively popular due to its legacy. Since the Boruto series features additional arcs not adapted from the manga, there are a few different things a hypothetical JRPG could do, story-wise.
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It could follow every anime arc, follow only the manga, have a story involving Boruto and other newer characters exploring past Naruto arcs, or have an original story as some Naruto games have in the past. The gameplay could be inspired by the Uzumaki Chronicles duology, having action-based combat during missions and stat management between them, but it could also add more world exploration as some more modern anime-based games do.
2My Hero Academia
My Hero Academiahas had a few games, including mobile games, fighting games, and a battle royale, but what if there was a JRPG based on the series? Of course, Deku would be the main playable character, but all the UA students, staff, and other heroes could serve as potential party members or guests.
A potential My Hero Academia JRPG could also take cues from games likeFairy TailandOne Piece Odyssey, having its own movement and weakness mechanics that could be manipulated depending on who’s in the party. For those who prefer a more fantasy look in their JRPGs, class 1-A’s costumes from the series' third ending animation could be bonus cosmetic items.
1Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventureby Hirohito Araki had a handful of video games in various genres before the 2012 anime adaptation started airing, but only some of the earlier parts have games to themselves. The third part, Stardust Crusaders, had a turn-based JRPG on the Super Famicom in 1993. A hypothetical game based on Diamond is Unbreakable could improve and expand on its gameplay.
Written in 1994, Diamond is Unbreakable takes place in 1998, so the game could borrow elements from the various JRPGs released around that time, with a top-down pixel art style in the overworld and a visually different yet still two-dimensional look during turn-based battles — maybe somewhat similar to the HD-2D art style.
