Name some JRPGs where you defeat God.

DonB(qv.YankeeTeachings) · Mar 23, 2021

So so many.

The first one I played was Final Fantasy Legend 2 on Gameboy. But I think it was maybe even MORE on the nose in FF Legend 1.

In these games it's framed in a very straightforward way: if you want free will/self determination then you have to get rid of the big guy.

There's basically no debate.

DrHercouet · Mar 23, 2021

From a certain point of view...

Chrono Trigger

Okay, okay

It's basically The Entity VS Lavos but they're still lowkey godlike. Lavos litteraly brought magic so he's still kind of a god? Plus, there are cults and stuff so...

TRUSTNO1 · Mar 23, 2021

Dice said:
Breath of Fire 2 is an older and awesome example.

I'd argue the Breath of Fire games all apply (even in whatever dragonic demi-god capacity).

Breath of Fire 2 is unique in that St Evan is actively worshipped and you clash with the church many times during the game. Most gods in other rpgs just exist.

DiipuSurotu · Mar 23, 2021

psynergyadept said:
I think it would be a better question of a JRPG where you don't kill a god lol!

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest... that's all I can think of

Open Wound · Mar 23, 2021

Kromeo said:
The first two Trails Sky games and the Crossbells don't have gods as bosses, I'm not sure what you'd class the final bosses of Sky 3 and Cold Steel 1/2 as..

Wouldn't the Sept-Terrions count towards the trope? They have dominion over one aspect of reality, making them extremely powerful entities, pretty much godlike, and for all we know these powers could be divine in origin. However, they're more like AIs where their intended purpose gets twisted due to humanity's own inherent faults.
But they're as close as it gets to a god without being one.

Kasey · Mar 23, 2021

kurahador · Mar 23, 2021

psynergyadept said:
I think it would be a better question of a JRPG where you don't kill a god lol!

Yeah this.

The only jrpg series that doesn't make you kill gods is Trails series AFAIK.

DiipuSurotu · Mar 23, 2021

kurahador said:
Yeah this.

The only jrpg series that doesn't make you kill gods is Trails series AFAIK.

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

Dogui · Mar 23, 2021

The definition of "god" people uses for most jrpg's final bosses is loose af

Being someone that did something to attain some supernatural strength and a cool abstract design is enough to be considerated a god? Even if there's no religion based on this individual?

Kefka or Sephiroth have final forms that are like a parody of a god, but it's pretty much only that lol

Still, there's actually a lot of actual gods as final bosses in Jrpgs, but atleast half of those are just someone super strong that threats the existence of the world or something. Like, with this logic, Vegeta or Freeza or Cell or Majin Buu in DBZ would be considerated gods.

Sometimes i feel like it's just people trying to be edgy in the internet.

Lobster Roll · Mar 23, 2021

What's interesting about using spoiler tags in this thread is that it's almost pointless. If you put the title of the game in the spoiler in the description, you've spoiled the moment. If you leave it blank, the person clicking has to be ok rolling the dice that the "killing god" moment could be in literally any JRPG that they have or haven't played.

DiipuSurotu · Mar 23, 2021

Dogui said:
The definition of "god" people uses for most jrpg's final bosses is loose af

Being someone that did something to attain some supernatural strength and a cool abstract design is enough to be considerated a god? Even if there's no religion based on this individual?

Kefka or Sephiroth have final forms that are like a parody of a god, but it's pretty much only that lol

Still, there's actually a lot of actual gods as final bosses in Jrpgs, but atleast half of those are just someone super strong that threats the existence of the world or something. Like, with this logic, Vegeta or Freeza or Cell or Majin Buu in DBZ would be considerated gods.

Sometimes i feel like it's just people trying to be edgy in the internet.

Kefka literally has a cult dedicated to worshipping him...

Cult of Kefka

The Cult of Kefka is an organization in Final Fantasy VI. It is made up of men and women who worship Kefka out of fear after his rise to power in the World of Ruin, and are said to have sold their hearts and souls to him. The cult is based out of a tower in the center of the risen Serpent...

finalfantasy.fandom.com

Dogui · Mar 23, 2021

DiipuSurotu said:
Kefka literally has a cult dedicated to worshipping him...

Cult of Kefka

The Cult of Kefka is an organization in Final Fantasy VI. It is made up of men and women who worship Kefka out of fear after his rise to power in the World of Ruin, and are said to have sold their hearts and souls to him. The cult is based out of a tower in the center of the risen Serpent...

finalfantasy.fandom.com

But what separates Kefka from a mad dictator, since his "cult" is made from people that only follows him out of fear?

If there's no dogma, or a path of salvation, it's not exactly a cult, is it?

They worship Kefka for mercy, at most. Kefka is not promising anything to them.

Even tho the 3 statues were gods at some point and the party defeats them, so FFVI still is a game where you defeat gods.

shoptroll · Mar 23, 2021

The FF series isn't as orthodox about this trope as other franchises, but XIII sure as hell has you killing God.

DonB(qv.YankeeTeachings) said:
So so many.

The first one I played was Final Fantasy Legend 2 on Gameboy. But I think it was maybe even MORE on the nose in FF Legend 1.

In these games it's framed in a very straightforward way: if you want free will/self determination then you have to get rid of the big guy.

There's basically no debate.

And you can do it with a chainsaw!

Chopchop · Mar 23, 2021

I'm having trouble coming up with a jrpg where you don't kill some incarnation of a god without tons of technicalities.

For example, you're a "god slayer" in ffxiv because primals are seen as gods, but later in the story it's revealed that they are not. Not even Hyedalyn or Zodiark are gods.

shoptroll · Mar 23, 2021

Chopchop said:
I'm having trouble coming up with a jrpg where you don't kill some incarnation of a god without tons of technicalities.

Mother series
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy VIII
Front Mission
Super Mario RPG
Mario & Luigi series? (At least 1 and 3 I know for sure you don't)
Pokemon Red/Blue

Zen · Mar 23, 2021

There was a gaming article somewhere that explored the idea of this recently

Ah here it is Attack and Dethrone God: exploring a classic JRPG trope – TheSixthAxis

Alent · Mar 23, 2021

Grandia II has a cartoonishly evil church and you end up killing the bad god.

Sephiroth · Mar 23, 2021

Golf Story :)

Rapscallion · Mar 23, 2021

Yu Yevon would be more like a religious founder or something, but is pretty much the crux of Spira's religion.

It's been 20 years since I played FFX so I could be misremembering.

delete12345 · Mar 23, 2021

Is this thread still open-spoilers?

We're missing Nintendo 3DS games...

Etrian Odyssey.

Ever Oasis

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

Miitopia

And a Nintendo Switch game....

Octopath Traveler

aiswyda · Mar 23, 2021

delete12345 said:
Is this thread still open-spoilers?

We're missing Nintendo 3DS games...

Etrian Odyssey.

Ever Oasis

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

Xenoblade Chronicles 3D

Miitopia

And a Nintendo Switch game....

Octopath Traveler

XC has been listed multiple times....
I don't recall killing god in ever oasis? Also I wouldn't consider it a JRPG really

delete12345 · Mar 23, 2021

aiswyda said:
XC has been listed multiple times....
I don't recall killing god in ever oasis? Also I wouldn't consider it a JRPG really

No one wanted the New 3DS exclusive Xenoblade Chronicles port. :(

In Ever Oasis, the last boss you fight claims to be the new Chaos that rules over the sands. In the Japanese edition, Chaos is considered an entity of a dark, destructive power, typically associated with evil gods.

antitrop · Mar 23, 2021

Grandia II was my introduction to the trope. You get a 2 for 1 special on God and the Pope.

psynergyadept · Mar 23, 2021

kurahador said:
Yeah this.

The only jrpg series that doesn't make you kill gods is Trails series AFAIK.

I'd actually say it has some or at least demi-god like bosses:

Tits FC no
Tits SC Technically as I'd argue the final boss fuses with and ancient power giving him "god like abilities
3rd: Yes
Zero: I was leaning on no but given the revelation of "the drug" in Cold Steel IV I'm inclined to put the final boss on "demi-god" status
Azure: another person using a power of a goddess so yes
CS1: No
CS2: I'm leaning towards yes as You facing a Huge giant version of the Vermillion knight
CS3: you kind of kill two; first being the Black dragon and then the corrupted earth spirit
CS4: The true ending you do

SirNinja · Mar 23, 2021

It'd be much easier to list the JRPGs where you don't go up against a god or demigod at some point.

Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku! · Mar 23, 2021

Dragon Quest

7

Kent · Mar 23, 2021

It's mentioned a couple times before, but SaGa 1 - originally released as The Final Fantasy Legend for the Game Boy in the US - not only lets you kill god, but due to a bug, lets you murder god with an instant-death chainsaw.

So that's neat.

delete12345 · Mar 23, 2021

Kent said:
It's mentioned a couple times before, but SaGa 1 - originally released as The Final Fantasy Legend for the Game Boy in the US - not only lets you kill god, but due to a bug, lets you murder god with an instant-death chainsaw.

So that's neat.

Also it's super cool for the developers to make a reference to the Saw Glitch in Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song, by depicting the man who challenged God with a chain as folklore in the in-game legends. Possibly an Easter egg reference too.

jblanco · Mar 23, 2021

Breath of Fire III

And Rei had some cool quotes about it when facing Myria:

Rei: I don't like the fact that this is all being controlled by you-- that you're pulling all the strings!
Rei: I'm just like a little kid, see? If you tell me to sit still, it just makes me want to run around more, yeah?

Rayman not Ray · Mar 23, 2021

There are so many games that fit the bill, that it's almost more interesting to point out games that play with the trope in interesting ways.

You don't get to fight Jesus/Joshua.

You beat Deus, but not the Wave Existence, who isn't a corporeal being at all. The game is heavily inspired by Gnosticism, so Deus is basically the Demiurge while the Wave Existence is the capital G God.

Sumio Mondo · Mar 23, 2021

If we are talking about THE God - People keep mentioning SMTIV: Apocalypse but SMT3 also has

Kagutsuchi (The Great Will AKA an avatar of God itself) as the final boss in some of the routes.

And YHWH has been fought numerous times by now as well.

As mentioned previously Digital Devil Saga 2's final boss is

Brahman AKA the "Supreme God" above all others in Hindu.

Manmademan · Mar 23, 2021

shoptroll said:
Final Fantasy VIII

Ultimecia at the end of that game definitely counts as "some sort of God" given she collapsed all of space-time to absorb it and become one with all existence.

Sorceresses also couldn't really be killed per se, only pass on their powers to someone else. Even though the party beat her in the finale, they couldn't kill her.

Hexa · Mar 23, 2021

Tales of Xillia.
Evenicle is the opposite of this in that for most of the game it feels like it's foreshadowing that the final boss will be god as the religion centered around her has issues and there are cuts to the villainous mastermind who's wearing a pope outfit, but in the end it pulls a 180 and you end up saving god instead.

Viale · Mar 23, 2021

The Sum of Zero said:
And the OST track title for the fight from IVA has all the subtlety of a brick. In fact, it should be the thread theme.

Might be about as subtle as a brick, but I love the track. Loved that whole final sequence unfortunately the final dungeon itself is hot garbage though.

BobbeMalle said:
Final Fantasy IX i guess? Whatever the hell that last boss was

Maybe? FF9's boss felt more like a victory lap/ thematic final confrontation against nihilism. I guess you could make the argument that a lot of the final boss gods in JRPGs are supposed to be more thematic than not though.

Except for SMT. Mostly just punching god in the face.

HylianSeven · Mar 23, 2021

Viale said:
Might be about as subtle as a brick, but I love the track. Loved that whole final sequence unfortunately the final dungeon itself is hot garbage though.

I was playing Persona 1, and the 2 duology recently, and even though Eternal Punishment has a couple of wibbly wobbly warp dungeons, they're still NOTHING compared to YHVH's world lol.

Name some JRPGs where you defeat God.

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