10 PS5 JRPGs With More Compelling Villains Than Heroes

JRPGs are well-known for having deeply complex character relationships, motivations, and interactions. Some JRPGs are entirely built around a massive cast of characters with ludicrous relationships! And the tragic JRPG hero is a common trope, and for good reason — we love them even when we love to hate them.

But villains, though? Who doesn't love a good villain? Sometimes, the villain has a point. Sometimes, you're the villain. Sometimes, the villain doesn't have a point, but that doesn't matter — their backstory or motivations are so compelling that we love them anyway. These PS5 JRPGs all have something that makes their villains feel just a little more compelling than the protagonists.

10 Scarlet Nexus

Karen Travers: Doomed Emotional Spiral

Scarlet Nexus Action RPG FX Wiki Wiki Released June 25, 2021 Developer(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Genre(s) Action RPG

Karen Travers is a tragic figure with a deeply personal motivation. He wants to save Alive, but in doing so, he messes around with time in a pretty major way. This isn't just a bunch of timey-wimey shenanigans, because we're confronted with pretty big questions: The nature of fate and free will, identity, the integrity of memories and personhood, and whether changing the past can ever justify destroying the present and an infinite number of possible futures.

Karen's motivation isn't Machiavellian; it's not for some evil plan or convoluted business reason. It's a deeply emotional and irrational attempt to deny tragedy, whatever the consequences. For me, this kind of doomed, pointless, but deeply emotional motivation is always more compelling than a protagonist motivated by more prosaic heroic notions.

9 Visions of Mana

Daelophos: A System Rejected

Visions of Mana Action RPG Released August 29, 2024 Developer(s) Ouka Studios, Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Franchise Mana Series Platform(s) PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Genre(s) Action RPG

I find Daelophos a more compelling character than Val, but I'm going to have to caveat this one — The concept was better than the execution. In Visions of Mana, Daelophos was originally a hero serving the Mana Goddess who turned against the system after Cerulia's death. You've got a story of grief, betrayal, revenge, and the wholesale rejection of a system.

He's essentially a jaded version of Val who's rejected the system precisely because he knows what it's all about and has the scars to prove it. The story doesn't really deliver on this premise very well, but the missed opportunity lingers, and I can't help but think about what could have been.

8 Fairy Tail 2

Zeref: The Bad Outcome

Fairy Tail 2 Tactical RPG Hack and Slash Released December 11, 2024 Developer(s) Gust, Koei Tecmo Publisher(s) Koei Tecmo Platform(s) Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch Genre(s) Tactical, RPG, Hack and Slash

Natsu is a typically optimistic and brave protagonist. Essentially, Natsu believes you should protect your friends, defeat your enemies, and save the world. We've all been there and done that: It's not bad, but it's pretty standard. It doesn't have much emotional depth.

Zeref, however, is cursed with immortality and has spent centuries watching the people he loves die. Zeref has a much more complicated emotional burden than Natsu, and it's hard not to look at Zeref and see a version of Natsu that will never be. For me, that's just much more interesting.

7 Digimon Story: Time Stranger

Chronomon: A Doomed Attempt to Buck Fate

Digimon Story Time Stranger JRPG RPG Creature Collector Released October 3, 2025 Developer(s) Media.Vision Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment Franchise Digimon Platform(s) PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC Genre(s) JRPG, RPG, Creature Collector

Digimon Story: Time Stranger got me back into Digimon. As a kid, I loved the Digimon Adventure anime, but I never really kept up with the franchise until Time Stranger. It's a great game!

But the protagonist is kind of boring. Chronomon, though? Chronomon is fascinating. Setting aside the weirdness surrounding the Agent, the Agent is reactive. Chronomon is fighting against predestination in an ultimately doomed attempt to choose something for himself. I'm not saying the execution was perfect, but this is immediately more compelling to me than the Agent's more prosaic (by comparison) story. It's all quite well done.

6 Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Matasaka Elbina: A Dark Mirror

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth RPG Released January 26, 2024 Developer(s) Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Publisher(s) Sega Franchise Yakuza Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X Genre(s) RPG

In Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Matasaka Elbina is the star of a relatively weak cast of villains. He's essentially the opposite of the protagonist, Ichiban. Instead of helping others and giving them second chances, Elbina just wants to punish them.

Where Ichiban is intentionally written to be likable, optimistic, empathetic, and enthusiastic, Elbina is the opposite. He's cynical and hateful, focused on vengeance, and bears scars he sees as being inflicted by Ichiban's philosophy. Elbina forces us to consider a negative outcome of Ichiban's approach, rooted in the character's experience of the world. Strip away Ichiban's protagonist status and predestined success, and you start to wonder whether Elbina was actually right.

5 Final Fantasy XVI

Hugo Kupka: Titan

Final Fantasy 16 Action RPG 9/10Released June 22, 2023 Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Franchise Final Fantasy Platform(s) PC, PS5 Genre(s) Action RPG

I loved Final Fantasy XVI. It wasn't the classic Final Fantasy of my youth, but it was an interesting direction for the series and I loved its setting and cast of characters. This is no diss on Clive, because Clive is one of my favorite Final Fantasy protagonists.

But I do think that Hugo Kupka is one of the FF16 antagonists whose story and presentation are more compelling than Clive's. Clive is a stoic rock who takes on problem after problem and just gets on with fixing them through a sense of duty, honor, and a secret soft heart, which is great. I love that. But Hugo Kupka is emotionally explosive, politically ambitious, physically imposing, and utterly bombastic. You understand what he wants, why he wants it, and what he'll do to get it. He's a wrecking ball, and you want to watch him wreck.

4 Granblue Fantasy: Relink

Id: Villain Turned Hero

Granblue Fantasy Relink Action RPG Developer(s) Cygames Publisher(s) XSEED Franchise Granblue Fantasy Platform(s) PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC Genre(s) Action RPG

Relink's protagonist is intentionally blank to let the player make decisions and roleplay, but that leaves them lacking compared to the game's antagonist. This is a problem many games with a less defined protagonist face, and in these cases, it's not surprising when an antagonist steals the spotlight.

That's what happened in Relink with Id. Gran/Deeja are very clearly player avatars, but Id actually does stuff independently. He has a more obvious emotional relationship with Lyria, he's defined by his conflict, trauma, and obsessions, and has clear contradictions that make him a fascinating character. He's a divisive character, but arguably that's just more evidence of how compelling he is. Who spends hours arguing about bland, average personalities, after all?

3 Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Sephiroth: One-Winged Angel

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth RPG Released February 29, 2024 Developer(s) Square Enix Publisher(s) Square Enix Franchise Final Fantasy Platform(s) PlayStation 5 Genre(s) RPG

Sephiroth has an advantage over most JRPG villains because we already know him very well by the time we see him in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. That said, the Remake team gave him more presence and agency in Rebirth than in the originals, which enhances his existing appeal.

The problem with Cloud is, for very good narrative reasons, he has an uncertain identity. This makes for a compelling story, but it can make him feel weaker as a character than Sephiroth. Stripping away Sephiroth's unreasonably cool themes and presentation, you're still left with an impactful character who has much more agency in the plot than Cloud does. Sephiroth acts, and Cloud reacts. It's hard not to see Sephiroth as the more interesting character.

2 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Renoir: Complex Family Dynamics

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Turn-Based RPG JRPG Fantasy FX Wiki Wiki GGMods Mods Released April 24, 2025 Developer(s) Sandfall Interactive Publisher(s) Kepler Interactive Platform(s) PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC Genre(s) Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy

I didn't expect to love Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 as much as I did. For a long time, I'd fallen off turn-based combat, but Expedition 33 drew me right back in. I loved its combat system, its story, and of course, its cast of characters. Its main cast are all extremely compelling characters in their own right, so it's genuinely hard to pick one over the other.

In my opinion, though, Renoir beats them all. Maybe it's because I'm old, but his story feels relatable in a way the others' don't. Renoir is wrapped in multiple conflicts at every level of Expedition 33's story, from the "real world" conflicts outside the Canvas to the ones inside it. He's compelling when there's still mystery, and he's compelling in Act 3, when you already know all the details. His story is about grief and acceptance, the value of moving on, and the deep interpersonal conflicts that can arise from tragedy. I get why Maelle does what she does; I relate to Renoir's insistence that living in the real world is the better option.

1 Metaphor: ReFantazio

Louis Guiabern: A Charismatic Dark Protagonist of a Different Game

Metaphor: ReFantazio RPG JRPG Action Adventure Released October 11, 2024 Developer(s) Studio Zero Publisher(s) Atlus Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Genre(s) RPG, JRPG, Action, Adventure

Metaphor: ReFantazio's Louis Guiabern is right at the heart of the game's narrative. He's charismatic and unafraid to use his political advantages and popularity to get what he wants. I won't sugarcoat it: Louis Guiabern is a brutal character who is absolutely not a good guy.

The thing is, his clear motivations, desires, actions, and philosophy are exactly what make him compelling. The game's protagonist (named Will by default) has his own twists and turns, but Louis is much more clearly defined. He has a concrete worldview, makes consequential decisions, and feels like a genuine actor on the game's world stage. He feels like he could be the protagonist of a much darker game. This is part of what makes Metaphor: ReFantazio such a good story, but it's also what makes Louis such an interesting villain.