Although it took a little longer to make its way west than some of theother big JRPG series,The Legend of Heroeshas built up quite the following in Europe and North America over the past few decades. As well as its captivating stories, the series is perhaps best known forits huge variety of playable characters; often putting other series to shame with its excellent selection.
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Unlike other JRPG franchises likeFinal Fantasy, almost every one of theLegend of Heroesgames features at least ten playable characters, with some of them having considerably more. It certainly helps that many of the games are sequelsrather than standalone titlesas this allows some characters to show up in multiple entries rather than just a single game.
14The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky (8)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Skyis the first game in theTrails in the Skytrilogy and centers around a young girl named Estelle and her adopted brother Joshua as they set out on a quest to join the illustrious Bracer Guild. The pair are joined by six other playable characters at various points throughout their journey, many of whom are Bracers themselves. This may seem likea fairly standard number for a JRPG, although it marked an all time low for theLegend of Heroesseries.
13Dragon Slayer: The Legend Of Heroes II (10)
Despite the secondLegend of Heroesgame featuring a smaller cast of characters than its predecessor, it does bring about the return of both Logan and Mica. Rather than Logan reprising his role as the main protagonist though, it is instead his son, Atlas, that players are expected to control. The young prince is joined by a small yet interesting cast of playable characters including a large man named Cindy and the incompetent magician Rando.
12Dragon Slayer: The Legend Of Heroes (12)
The Legend of Heroesoriginally began life as part of theDragon Slayerseries before eventually spinning off into its own franchise. The very first game bearing the name tells the story of Prince Logan as he sets out to reclaim his rightful place on the throne after it is usurped by the villainous Baron Drax. Along the way, Logan teams up with 11 other playable characters, one of whom is his eventual wife and queen, Mica.
11The Legend Of Heroes III: Prophecy Of The Moonlight Witch (12)
Sometimes referred to asThe Legend of Heroes IIin the west,Prophecy of the Moonlight Witchis the first game in the Gagharv trilogy and tells the story of a young boy named Jurio and his childhood friend Christina as they travel around Tirasweel to become fully-fledged adults.
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The pair are joined by ten additional playable characters, although, of the twelve protagonists, only Michel and Thomas would go on to feature in subsequentLegend of Heroesgames. Some of the other characters are referenced here and there though, even if they don’t actually make another appearance.
10The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky SC (13)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SCpicks up immediately after the end of the firstTrails in the Skygame and continues Estelle’s quest to protect her adopted brother Joshua. The pair are two of thirteen characters that the player is able to control throughout the game, most of whom are also returning from the previous installment.
9The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Zero (13)
Releasing for the PSP in 2010,The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Zeroserves as a direct sequel toTrails in the Sky the 3rd. Like several of the series' other installments though, itnever released outside of Japan, meaning that many western fans never got a chance to play it. The story takes place a few months after the destruction of Phantasma and features a total of 13 playable characters. The most notable of these is Lloyd, who serves as the game’s main protagonist and goes on to feature in numerous otherLegend of Heroesgames.
8The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Azure (16)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Azureis the fifth entry in theTrailsseries and was first released for the PSP in 2011. Sadly, however, the gamenever officially made its way to western shoresdespite a PS Vita version being released in Japan some three years later. Lloyd Bannings returns as the main protagonist and is joined by many of the original members of the Special Support Section. There are some interesting additions to the roster as well, including the Divine Blade of Wind, Arios.
7The Legend Of Heroes III: Song Of The Ocean (16)
The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Oceantakes place some seven years on from the events ofA Tear of Vermillionand features cameo appearances from some of its predecessor’s main cast. Avin is among them, as too is his close friend Mile. This time around, however, it is a new protagonist named Forte who leads the party and he is joined by ten other playable characters.
6The Legend Of Heroes: A Tear Of Vermillion (19)
The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillionis the second game in the Gagharv trilogy and was one of the firstLegend of Heroestitles to be made available in the West. Originally released in Japan on the NEC PC-9801, the game was later ported to PC and PlayStation before finally making its way to the PSP in 2005. The game’s main protagonist is Avin, who makes up one of 19 characters that players are able to control throughout the game.
5The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel (22)
Unlike many of the otherLegend of Heroessub-series which start out with a relatively small cast of characters,Trails of Cold Steelbegins with a bit of a bang. As well as the games' main protagonist Rean,The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steelintroduces 21 additional playable characters including fan favorites like Alisa and Laura. Erebonia is clearly not short of heroes, which perhaps bodes well considering some of thepowerful antagoniststhat also reside there.
