# The 25 Best JRPG Stories of All Time

> Heartbreak, time loops and one very famous villain. Some of these stories are decades old and still get argued over online, while a few cult picks never got the mainstream credit.

*By YPB Team · Published October 24, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-25-best-jrpg-stories-of-all-time*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Final Fantasy VII** — score 1000/1000
   Cloud's 1997 fight against Shinra and Sephiroth, a story of identity, memory and a dying planet.
2. **NieR: Automata** — score 660/1000
   Yoko Taro's 2017 android-versus-machine tragedy that rewards every replay with a new perspective.
3. **Final Fantasy VI** — score 595/1000
   A 1994 ensemble epic about an empire, a fallen god and a villain who actually wins for a while.
4. **Persona 5 Royal** — score 550/1000
   Phantom thieves steal hearts in a stylish 2019 story about rebellion against corrupt adults.
5. **Tales of Symphonia** — score 550/1000
   A 2003 journey of regeneration pilgrims that unravels a deeply divided world.
6. **Final Fantasy X** — score 498/1000
   Tidus and Yuna's 2001 pilgrimage through Spira, ending in one of gaming's best-known tearjerkers.
7. **Xenogears** — score 498/1000
   A 1998 sprawling saga mixing mecha, psychology and gnostic religion, famous for its ambition.
8. **Final Fantasy Tactics** — score 498/1000
   A 1997 political tragedy about class, church and war in the land of Ivalice.
9. **Mother 3** — score 498/1000
   Shigesato Itoi's 2006 heartbreaking story of a family torn apart and a village remade by industry.
10. **Suikoden II** — score 440/1000
   A 1998 war drama of friendship, betrayal and 108 recruitable stars of destiny.
11. **Chrono Trigger** — score 440/1000
   The 1995 time-travel adventure that spans prehistory to the end of the world with multiple endings.
12. **Xenoblade Chronicles 3** — score 372/1000
   A 2022 war story of two nations whose soldiers live ten-year lives, culminating in a bold twist.
13. **Lost Odyssey** — score 372/1000
   A 2007 story of an immortal man's fragmented memories, written with novelist Kiyoshi Shigematsu.
14. **Final Fantasy VIII** — score 372/1000
   A 1999 romance wrapped in a sorceress war and a time-compression plot.
15. **Chrono Cross** — score 372/1000
   The 2000 follow-up that dives into parallel worlds and the consequences of a single changed timeline.
16. **Persona 3** — score 293/1000
   A 2006 tale of a hidden hour of the night and the cost of facing mortality with friends.
17. **Persona 4 Golden** — score 293/1000
   A small-town murder mystery from 2008 about confronting the parts of yourself you hide.
18. **Dragon Quest V** — score 293/1000
   A 1992 generational tale following a hero from childhood through marriage and fatherhood.
19. **Dragon Quest XI** — score 293/1000
   A classic hero-of-light journey from 2017 with an unexpectedly bold time-bending third act.
20. **Fire Emblem: Three Houses** — score 293/1000
   A 2019 academy-turned-war tale with branching loyalties across three rival houses.
21. **The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky** — score 293/1000
   A 2004 coming-of-age tale that seeds a continent-spanning saga of connected games.
22. **Radiant Historia** — score 293/1000
   A 2009 time-travel puzzle story where two timelines must be fixed in parallel.
23. **Xenoblade Chronicles** — score 200/1000
   Shulk's revenge-turned-revelation tale across the bodies of two dead giants, released in 2010.
24. **Final Fantasy IX** — score 0/1000
   A 2000 fairy-tale throwback about mortality and what makes a life worth living.
25. **EarthBound** — score 0/1000
   A 1994 offbeat road trip through a surreal America that ends in a strangely moving finale.

Tags: games, nintendo, japan, rpg, jrpg