5 Best JRPGs Where You Play As A samurai Or ronin

The JRPG genre is one of the most complete and complex in the world of gaming. Not only does it allow players to take on the role of different interesting characters, but it also sets the stage for a lot of stories that are exciting and deep. Regardless of what a game in this genre is about, there will always be something for players to enjoy.

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That said, some roles in JRPGs are better and more interesting to take than others. So, when players get the chance to explore the world and progress through the story as a mighty samurai or a legendary ronin, another layer of complexity is added to the experience, elevating it further. Here are some of the best JRPGs where playing as a samurai or a ronin is possible.

5 Shin Megami Tensei 4

An Action-packed Samurai Story

• Players must fight a demonic threat
• The game features a group of samurai chosen by the Gauntlet

Focusing on the main character, Flynn, and a group of samurai who are chosen specifically to protect civilians in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado from a demonic threat, Shin Megami Tensei offers a wonderful experience for players who are fans of the JRPG genre.

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As Flynn, players will have the chance to fight as a samurai to face the dangerous demonic forces this fictional world is pitted against and use their power to defend the voiceless. Shin Megami Tensei 4 features many other characters that, while not allowing for player control, are also samurai and help Flynn in his heroic quest.

4 Brave Fencer Musashi

A Young Boy's Journey To Understand His Past Lives

• Musashi is the reincarnation of a legendary hero by the same name
• Combat has many samurai elements, including fighting with a katana

When a young boy by the name of Musashi discovers he is the reincarnation of a legendary warrior of the same name who saved the Allucaneet Kingdom more than a century before his birth, he sets out on a journey to make his own mark on history. Brave Fencer Musashi is an aRPG first, and a JRPG second, which might make some people argue that it's not a true JRPG; however, while it's more action-based, it does deliver on a few other aspects that could classify it as such.

The combat mechanics of the game feature fights with Musashi's sword while using different moves and techniques that are reminiscent of those a samurai would use. That, along with the legendary backstory of Musashi's former life as a legendary hero, makes for an exciting story that many players worldwide have enjoyed for decades. In fact, when Brave Fencer Musashi was released back in 1998, it was the 17th best-selling game of the year in Japan.

3 Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

A Complex Game With Branching Storylines

• Many different classes to choose from
• Players can choose the Swordmaster class to feel like a samurai

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together features a great, complex story that is divided into four main chapters. Based on players' choices, different routes can be unlocked, which are the Lawful Route, the Chaotic Route, and the Neutral Route. This title not only has great game mechanics, personable characters, and a great combat system, but it also offers players many different classes.

One of the aforementioned classes is the Swordmaster, a weapons expert who wields two katanas and can strike their enemies down with a few swings of their blade. While this class doesn't have every trait players would expect in a samurai or a ronin, those belonging to it have amazing dexterity with their katanas and possess combat training and techniques that would be common to see in such legendary warriors.

2 Live A Live

Various Periods, And Even More Characters

• Players can explore different periods in history as various characters
• Oborumaru is a ninja but shares many similarities with samurai and the ronin

Live A Live, shares a very interesting element with many strategy games from its time and the modern era, as it explores different Ages of history, starting in Prehistory, and culminating in the Middle Ages. Each age has its own elements and things that make it interesting, offering players a refreshing experience by using various settings throughout the story. One of the periods that focuses on the topic discussed here is the Twilight of Edo Japan, where players can take on the role of Oborumaru.

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Granted, Oborumaru is not a samurai or a ronin, but rather a ninja from the Enma clan, who's been tasked with infiltrating Ode Castle and rescuing an influential politician. However, while ninjas weren't around as long as samurai throughout the history of Japan, they did coexist at some point and shared certain similarities in their discipline for combat and their dexterity with blades. This is more than reason enough to justify Live A Live making this list.

1 Final Fantasy 14

The Samurai Job Is Overpowered

• The story focuses on the Warrior of Light, the character players create
• The samurai job is very powerful and can be unlocked through the Stormblood expansion

Set in Hydaelyn, a rich world with tons of biodiversity and several regions, Final Fantasy 14 follows the story of the player character, also known as the Warrior of Light, who hails from the region of Eorzea. Throughout the story, players will encounter various challenges that they'll have to face and overcome with patience and strategy.

Similar to other Final Fantasy titles, there are different jobs with various skills and traits that players can choose from, and one of them is the samurai job. This job in particular is unlocked by first getting the Stormblood expansion and then ensuring that players are at least at level 50 in one Discipline of War or Magic Job. The samurai job allows for close-range melee damage that can bring even the strongest enemies to their knees without too much effort.