RPGs Deserve a Better Class of Criminal
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Ra's al Ghul plans to poison and vaporize Gotham's water supply. Bane transforms the city into a playground for the maniacal and disenfranchised. Even the nutty Joker, who scoffs at the idea that he'd ever do anything with a plan, has elaborate schemes involving cell phone bombs and hospitals and address swaps. You watch these movies wondering how the hell Bruce Wayne can possibly out-duel a criminal mastermind this smart, this terrifying, this coldblooded, this powerful.
In contrast, the villains in a JRPG just do things. Sure, they have goals: Sephiroth wants to reach the Promised Land. Kefka wants to blow things up. Lavos wants to destroy the world. So does Giygas. And Sin. And Dhoulmagus. And Dark Force. And Deus. And Thanatos. And Deathtoll.
But they don't do a lot of plotting. They might twirl their mustaches while planning out unique new ways to throw orcs at your face, and they might occasionally invite you to a dinner party that turns out to be a trap (surprise!), but they always figure their armies of skeleton zombies or high-powered cannons will be enough to kill you. JRPG villains don't do anything cool.
Maybe that's why Suikoden II is one of the best games this genre has to offer. Its two villains, Luca Blight and [SPOILER REDACTED] play off one another like actors in a buddy cop movie. One is a cold-blooded mass murderer; the other is a shrewd, calculating warrior. And as you watch [REDACTED] plot his way up the ranks, strategizing and scheming through wars and battles and covert assassinations, you're left wondering how the hell you'll beat the odds to take him down.
