After playing the brilliant JRPG that is Chrono Trigger, I am positive that this is my favorite JRPG of all time. The environments are amazing, the story is brilliant, the music is catchy, the combat is fun, and the characters are some of the best I’ve ever seen. I can’t hate a single character from this game. Yeah, imagine that, a JRPG with no hateable characters. And to think that having at least one awful character in a JRPG was mandatory. But, the best characters have to be the main party. Each party member has amazing attacks, and even more amazing stories. So, I want to talk about my favorite party members from least favorite to favorite. Now, first off, this is just my general opinion. If there is a character you like more than the ones I do, than that is your opinion, and I respect that. Also, I am going to spoil all of the character side quests and backstories, so if you don’t want them spoiled, do not read this list. You have been warned. Now, with all that said, lets start the list.
#7: Ayla
I know that people like Ayla for her combat skills, and while I agree she is the toughest party member, he backstory is just bland. All we know about her is that she’s strong, is the leader of her tribe, and marries Kino in the end… That’s it. When you compare her backstory to the backstories of others, it get’s pretty bland. But, that’s not to say that Ayla is all bad. Like I said, she is one of the toughest party members to have. Unlike all the other characters, Ayla fights with her bare fists, and by god, they are tough. They can do a lot of damage, and not to mention, she has a lot of HP right when you first meet her. Her techniques also include a lot of up close fighting, and some of her double techniques can cause over a thousand damage right when you get it, when other characters only to a hundred damage. She is just such a powerhouse and it is amazing. If her backstory was more detailed, she may have been higher, but, at least she is a well recommended party member, so that’s something, right?
#6: Magus
Now, how can I go to someone with little to no backstory to a character with such an incredible backstory, that it actually affects the main plot? Because Magus is optional to have as a party member… Yeah. Before we talk about that, however, let’s talk about his backstory. Magus was once known as Janus, who was the brother of Schalla and the son of Queen Zeal. When he was met with Lavos, he, as well as the three Guru’s were sent into different time periods, with Janus being sent into the medieval time. After witnessing the threat that was Lavos, Magus was determined to top him, and was raised by Ozzie to become the king of the Mystics, a group of monsters that despise humans. Although he is some what cruel and hateful, Magus is actually caring towards his sister, and that is why he wants to defeat Lavos, so he can keep her safe. When you fight him as a boss, he is REALLY tough. He uses all sorts of powerful magic, making him the strongest magic user in the game. But, the reason I didn’t make him higher is because he is just an optional party member. The first time I played this game, I killed Magus. Yeah, not the best choice I ever made. But still, Magus is just an awesome character and a real tough boss. And that is what makes him so cool
#5: Crono
Yes, I am aware that this guy is the main character. I understand that he is supposed to not have a backstory because that way, it helps the player put themselves in Crono’s place. But the problem about this is very simple. The name. Crono is already named. There is no longer a point for the player to project himself in Crono’s place. It’s pointless now. But that doesn’t mean I hate Crono. In fact, he is a badass main character. He has some of the best attacks in the game, allowing him to use all kinds of sword slashes, and use lightning magic to stun enemies. It’s pretty cool. Not to mention his sidequest is one of the best in the game. After Crono sacrifices himself to save his friends from the wrath of Lavos, his friends can go and bring him back to life with a touching scene showed afterwards. Just seeing Crono be that loyal to his friends that he is actually willing to die for them is amazing. Also, Crono looks like Goku from Dragonball, so instant success there.
#4: Marle
Now, when you think of the main love interest in a JRPG, you think of that annoying whiny girl with a cute face who has pathetic attacks and magic and the only thing she is good at is getting kidnapped (I’m looking at you, Aerith from Final Fantasy VII). Thankfully, Marle is nothing like that. Marle is the princess of the country, and the daughter of the king. Of course, she doesn’t want to be a part of the royal lifestyle, because there is no fun in it. Not to mention her and her father despise each other after her mother’s death. Of course, with her sidequest, you find out that Marle’s mother never wanted them to hate each other, and after Marle saves her father from being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, they then try to rebuild their relationship. But in a battle, Marle is not the best fighter, but I’ll be damned if someone says she isn’t the best healer. Sure, Marle doesn’t have the healing abilities of Robo, by healing every party member at once, but she is able to heal one character's health, while Robo’s only heals about 100 or more HP. Marle also uses Ice magic to fight off enemies, which can actually be pretty touch. Not as tough as most magic, but still pretty tough. Marle proves that there is actually a love interest in a JRPG that doesn’t suck.
#3: Lucca
How the hell could someone like Lucca possibly make it higher than a princess who hates royal lifestyle, an evil wizard, and the freaking main character. Tragic backstory, that’s how. As a child, Lucca got into machinery after a mistake that happened when her mother got caught on one of her father’s inventions. When Lucca couldn’t help her mother get out, her mother ended up injuring her legs, which soon caused Lucca to blame herself, wanting to try and make her machinery safe. This lead to her carrying the guilt for her entire life. And if you think that’s bad, the next two characters have it even worse. But, I’ll get to those guys later. Lucca uses a long ranged attack from her pistol, which fires energy at her enemies. Even though they are pretty weak, this makes Lucca a pretty good magic user. She uses fire magic, which, in my opinion, is the strongest magic in the game, and is just so fun using every time I have Lucca in my party and I just want to get rid of some pesky enemies. Lucca is just one of the greatest and most loveable characters, and it’s nice to see she had some sort of major role in Chrono Cross.
#2: Robo
Dear god, Robo. Everything sucks for you, doesn’t it. After being repaired by Lucca, he became a friend of her’s, as well as the others, and began to develop human emotions. However, Robo was invented for the purpose of killing humans and bringing them to extinction. When he refused to do that and befriended humans, his robot brethren tried to kill him by beating him to death. Not to mention that Mother Brain (Not to be confused with the one from Super Metroid), the leader of the robots, corrupted the systems of Atropos, the girlfriend of Robo. Not to mention he is the only character to nearly get killed twice. Nothing compared to what happened to Crono, but still. And if that wasn’t bad enough, after defeating Lavos, Robo was supposed to head back into the future that was destroyed by Lavos. However, since Lavos was defeated, it is quite possible that Robo will cease to exists. I mean for godsake, for someone who is just learning human emotions, he goes through some of the worst stuff imaginable in the game. Not to mention he is an amazing character to have in your party. Robo is a real heavy hitter with most of his strong punches. He also uses his robotic abilities to heal the party, though at the cost of not being able to use magic. But his heal beam is so helpful, that he is a must have for any boss that does high damage. All I can say is Robo is such a great character, and does not deserve all the crap that happens to him.
#1: Frog
Yes, yes, yes, yes, and SO MUCH YES! Frog is the greatest character in the entire game. Frog started out as a complete wimp, being bullied by every kid in the village. However, when he befriended Cyrus, he was able to become stronger, and they both soon joined the Kingdom’s army and became knights. However, during a duel with Magus, Cyrus was killed, and Frog was almost killed, but was turned into a frog by Ozzie, which gave him the name Frog. After becoming this, he went to live in the cursed forest, but tried his hardest to help the kingdom as best as he could, no matter what it took. But, he still plans on killing Magus to avenge Cyrus’s death. And after meeting Crono and doing his sidequest, Frog visits Cyrus’s grave, where he is able to lay his spirit to rest, allowing Frog to upgrade his sword, the Masamune, to it’s full power. How strong is it? Well, strong enough to cut a mountain in half… That strong. Also, Frog is quite possibly one of the best characters to have in your party. Not only does he have strong physical attacks, but he also is able to heal the entire party. Also, he uses Water Magic, which can be pretty damaging. Frog is such an awesome character, and the greatest character in Chrono Trigger… in my opinion, of course.
So, there you have it. Did you enjoy the list? Tell me what you think of it. With that said, I will see you all next time.
#7: Ayla
I know that people like Ayla for her combat skills, and while I agree she is the toughest party member, he backstory is just bland. All we know about her is that she’s strong, is the leader of her tribe, and marries Kino in the end… That’s it. When you compare her backstory to the backstories of others, it get’s pretty bland. But, that’s not to say that Ayla is all bad. Like I said, she is one of the toughest party members to have. Unlike all the other characters, Ayla fights with her bare fists, and by god, they are tough. They can do a lot of damage, and not to mention, she has a lot of HP right when you first meet her. Her techniques also include a lot of up close fighting, and some of her double techniques can cause over a thousand damage right when you get it, when other characters only to a hundred damage. She is just such a powerhouse and it is amazing. If her backstory was more detailed, she may have been higher, but, at least she is a well recommended party member, so that’s something, right?
#6: Magus
Now, how can I go to someone with little to no backstory to a character with such an incredible backstory, that it actually affects the main plot? Because Magus is optional to have as a party member… Yeah. Before we talk about that, however, let’s talk about his backstory. Magus was once known as Janus, who was the brother of Schalla and the son of Queen Zeal. When he was met with Lavos, he, as well as the three Guru’s were sent into different time periods, with Janus being sent into the medieval time. After witnessing the threat that was Lavos, Magus was determined to top him, and was raised by Ozzie to become the king of the Mystics, a group of monsters that despise humans. Although he is some what cruel and hateful, Magus is actually caring towards his sister, and that is why he wants to defeat Lavos, so he can keep her safe. When you fight him as a boss, he is REALLY tough. He uses all sorts of powerful magic, making him the strongest magic user in the game. But, the reason I didn’t make him higher is because he is just an optional party member. The first time I played this game, I killed Magus. Yeah, not the best choice I ever made. But still, Magus is just an awesome character and a real tough boss. And that is what makes him so cool
#5: Crono
Yes, I am aware that this guy is the main character. I understand that he is supposed to not have a backstory because that way, it helps the player put themselves in Crono’s place. But the problem about this is very simple. The name. Crono is already named. There is no longer a point for the player to project himself in Crono’s place. It’s pointless now. But that doesn’t mean I hate Crono. In fact, he is a badass main character. He has some of the best attacks in the game, allowing him to use all kinds of sword slashes, and use lightning magic to stun enemies. It’s pretty cool. Not to mention his sidequest is one of the best in the game. After Crono sacrifices himself to save his friends from the wrath of Lavos, his friends can go and bring him back to life with a touching scene showed afterwards. Just seeing Crono be that loyal to his friends that he is actually willing to die for them is amazing. Also, Crono looks like Goku from Dragonball, so instant success there.
#4: Marle
Now, when you think of the main love interest in a JRPG, you think of that annoying whiny girl with a cute face who has pathetic attacks and magic and the only thing she is good at is getting kidnapped (I’m looking at you, Aerith from Final Fantasy VII). Thankfully, Marle is nothing like that. Marle is the princess of the country, and the daughter of the king. Of course, she doesn’t want to be a part of the royal lifestyle, because there is no fun in it. Not to mention her and her father despise each other after her mother’s death. Of course, with her sidequest, you find out that Marle’s mother never wanted them to hate each other, and after Marle saves her father from being accused of a crime he didn’t commit, they then try to rebuild their relationship. But in a battle, Marle is not the best fighter, but I’ll be damned if someone says she isn’t the best healer. Sure, Marle doesn’t have the healing abilities of Robo, by healing every party member at once, but she is able to heal one character's health, while Robo’s only heals about 100 or more HP. Marle also uses Ice magic to fight off enemies, which can actually be pretty touch. Not as tough as most magic, but still pretty tough. Marle proves that there is actually a love interest in a JRPG that doesn’t suck.
#3: Lucca
How the hell could someone like Lucca possibly make it higher than a princess who hates royal lifestyle, an evil wizard, and the freaking main character. Tragic backstory, that’s how. As a child, Lucca got into machinery after a mistake that happened when her mother got caught on one of her father’s inventions. When Lucca couldn’t help her mother get out, her mother ended up injuring her legs, which soon caused Lucca to blame herself, wanting to try and make her machinery safe. This lead to her carrying the guilt for her entire life. And if you think that’s bad, the next two characters have it even worse. But, I’ll get to those guys later. Lucca uses a long ranged attack from her pistol, which fires energy at her enemies. Even though they are pretty weak, this makes Lucca a pretty good magic user. She uses fire magic, which, in my opinion, is the strongest magic in the game, and is just so fun using every time I have Lucca in my party and I just want to get rid of some pesky enemies. Lucca is just one of the greatest and most loveable characters, and it’s nice to see she had some sort of major role in Chrono Cross.
#2: Robo
Dear god, Robo. Everything sucks for you, doesn’t it. After being repaired by Lucca, he became a friend of her’s, as well as the others, and began to develop human emotions. However, Robo was invented for the purpose of killing humans and bringing them to extinction. When he refused to do that and befriended humans, his robot brethren tried to kill him by beating him to death. Not to mention that Mother Brain (Not to be confused with the one from Super Metroid), the leader of the robots, corrupted the systems of Atropos, the girlfriend of Robo. Not to mention he is the only character to nearly get killed twice. Nothing compared to what happened to Crono, but still. And if that wasn’t bad enough, after defeating Lavos, Robo was supposed to head back into the future that was destroyed by Lavos. However, since Lavos was defeated, it is quite possible that Robo will cease to exists. I mean for godsake, for someone who is just learning human emotions, he goes through some of the worst stuff imaginable in the game. Not to mention he is an amazing character to have in your party. Robo is a real heavy hitter with most of his strong punches. He also uses his robotic abilities to heal the party, though at the cost of not being able to use magic. But his heal beam is so helpful, that he is a must have for any boss that does high damage. All I can say is Robo is such a great character, and does not deserve all the crap that happens to him.
#1: Frog
Yes, yes, yes, yes, and SO MUCH YES! Frog is the greatest character in the entire game. Frog started out as a complete wimp, being bullied by every kid in the village. However, when he befriended Cyrus, he was able to become stronger, and they both soon joined the Kingdom’s army and became knights. However, during a duel with Magus, Cyrus was killed, and Frog was almost killed, but was turned into a frog by Ozzie, which gave him the name Frog. After becoming this, he went to live in the cursed forest, but tried his hardest to help the kingdom as best as he could, no matter what it took. But, he still plans on killing Magus to avenge Cyrus’s death. And after meeting Crono and doing his sidequest, Frog visits Cyrus’s grave, where he is able to lay his spirit to rest, allowing Frog to upgrade his sword, the Masamune, to it’s full power. How strong is it? Well, strong enough to cut a mountain in half… That strong. Also, Frog is quite possibly one of the best characters to have in your party. Not only does he have strong physical attacks, but he also is able to heal the entire party. Also, he uses Water Magic, which can be pretty damaging. Frog is such an awesome character, and the greatest character in Chrono Trigger… in my opinion, of course.
So, there you have it. Did you enjoy the list? Tell me what you think of it. With that said, I will see you all next time.