Summary

The JRPG genre is one of the biggest in gaming right now. There are plenty of JRPG franchises to pick from, many of them witha ton of games to their names. This means jumping into a new JRPG franchise can be an intimidating and time-consuming endeavor.

For this reason, it’s important that people pick a franchise that is a good fit for them. Just because a lot of JRPGs feature similar battle systems doesn’t mean they’re all created equally, not even within the same franchise. The following franchises might have the occasional dud in their libraries, but on the whole, their battle systems are a great mix of fun and easy to learn while having enough depth to keep the pros happy.

Only franchises with at least 4 or 5 entries will be considered.

Ever sincePokemonfirst launched back in 1996, it has been one of, if not the biggest, JRPG franchises. A lot of that success is likely down to Game Freak’s “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. ThePokemongames have always had relatively simple battle systems with a lot of hidden depth, meaning both children and adults can enjoy them.

A certain lack of innovation for much of the franchise’s run doesn’t necessarily mean there hasn’t been the occasional change along the way. Many of the gameshave distinct battle gimmicks, some of them good, some not so much. More recent entries in particular have struggled in this regard and left many long-term fans feeling cold. This slight lack of consistency, and the fact that many JRPG fans might find the battle systems a little too simple putPokemonin bottom place on this list.

One of the most remarkable things about theFinal Fantasyseries is how consistent its quality has been. While fans certainly have their favorites, the fact is that it’s hard to describe any of the main entries in the franchise as anything less than good. The same can be said for the franchise’s battle systems.

Square Enix has never been afraid to experiment, and it’s played around withFinal Fantasy’sBattle Systems a lot over the years. While most entries in the franchise are turn-based, each turn-based system is different. Some had minor differences, while others pretty much reinvented the wheel. In more recent years, the franchise has become more action-oriented and has turned to real-time action battle systems. While these action-battle systems are still good, a quick look at any list ofFinal Fantasygames rankedshows which system most fans seem to prefer.

Many fans of theXenoblade Chroniclestrilogy are likely unaware that the games are part of the wider Xeno franchise. The franchise began withXenogearsin 1998 and continued until 2019 with theXenosagaseries, all of which featured excellent turn-based battle systems.

The franchise’s revival in 2015 with theXenoblade Chroniclesgames saw a move to an impressive real-time action battle system. The system Monolith Soft implemented has a surprising amount of depth. While some JRPG fans complain that real-time action systems lack tactical depth, theXenoblade Chroniclesgames have plenty. Party management is vital to success, and despite the auto-controls, the player actually retains some control. Still, auto controls are a turn-off for many RPG fans, putting theXenofranchise at a lower ranking.

In most JRPG battle systems, death is rarely more than a minor inconvenience. Bringing a knocked-out character back normally just means giving them a revival item or, worse, trekking to an inn. InFire Emblem, however, death has always been a big deal.

The highlight ofFire Emblem’sbattle system has always been its perma-death mechanic. These are strategy JRPG games where player mistakes have real, long-lasting consequences. Besides the perma-death, theFire Emblemfranchise is loved for its turn-based strategy combat system, which is easy to pick up but tough to master. Much like the Pokemon games, the franchise has evolved relatively slowly over the years, but unlikePokemon, most of the changes inFire Emblemhave been well-received. Fans ofthe best grid-based JRPSwill find a lot to love inFire Emblem’scombat system.

TheStar Oceanfranchise was one of the first JRPG franchises to truly embrace real-time action and its pedigree shows. The battle system it uses is similar in some ways toXenoblade’sbut focuses on engaging action rather than strategy. While the rest of the party is AI-controlled, the player controls one character directly and gives them commands in real time.

The moment-to-moment action inStar Oceangames is so good that at times it feels more like playing a beat-em-up. Outside of battle, players can get their strategy fix by tinkering with ally AI and deciding on equipment. The franchise’s battle system has evolved over the years, culminating in Star Ocean 3, which many gamers consider to have one ofthe best-ever RPG battle systems.

TheTalesfranchise has given us some ofthe best modern-day JRPGs, withTales of Arisebeing particularly notable. Each game in the series uses the franchise’s unique twist on a real-time action battle system, the Linear Motion Battle System (LMBS). This system allows the player to control one character in battle while an AI manages the other party members, much like inStar Ocean.

Over time, this already strong system has been refined, adding ever-flashier attacks and combos and features like Arise’s Boost Strike and the Style Shift system fromTales of Graces. Each addition has only improved upon the base LMBS. Worried that the system was becoming a little unwieldy, forTales of Arise,the developers simplified some of the more complex mechanics but kept the tactical depth.

Real-time action systems in JRPGs are all well and good, but many traditional fans of the genre still prefer the old-fashioned turn-based systems of yesteryear. TheGrandiaseries, despite not having seen a new mainline entry since 2005, has often been regarded as having one of the best turn-based systems ever made.

Its battle system is turn-based, but everything happens in real-time, giving the gameplay a sense of urgency. Much of the strategy comes from the fact that the characters' and enemies' actions can be seen quoted on the action bar at the bottom of the scene. When an icon reaches the end of the bar, it’s that unit’s turn to take action. The system is easy to learn but tough to master, meaning that, unlike lesser battle systems, it never gets dull.

TheDragon Questseries has been going on for a long time, and next toFinal Fantasy,is one of the most respected names in the world of JRPGs. The franchise has given us some ofthe most influential turn-based JRPGsever made and is pretty much the poster child for turn-based battle systems, now thatFinal Fantasyhas joined the dark side.

Dragon Quest’sbattle system really hasn’t changed much over the years and is about as vanilla as it gets when it comes to turn-based battles. The biggest changes to the system came withDragon Quest 11,which generally sped things up a bit and made the system more accessible. It also introduced the Pep Meter, which grants stat boosts to characters and enables special, ultra-powerful moves. For fans of old-fashioned turn-based JRPGs, theDragon Questseries remains the top dog.

As a spin-off from the legendaryShin Megami Tenseiseries, thePersonagames have taken that franchise’s battle system and pretty much perfected it. They use a turn-based battle system that rewards focusing on elemental weaknesses and making the most of each turn. Another layer of strategy is added via the knockdown system, which gives players extra turns if they play smart.

This already great system is enriched further by the demon-collecting aspect, which works similarly to thePokemongames. The gamescan get pretty hardand, unless fans want to grind for hours, playing strategically is the only way to win.Persona 5further perfected this already consistently great formula by borrowing the essential aspects ofPersona 3and4’s battle systems and combining them.