I just turned 40 this year. In JRPG terms, I died at least five years ago.
But alas, I live!
All joking aside, as a staff we make fun of what constitutes an “old” character in RPGs, so we decided to get together and write about some of our favorites!
Who did we miss? Are we all just impossibly old? What is “old” in an RPG, anyway? Be sure to let us know on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Discord, Bluesky, or however you most enjoy interacting with us!
Intro by Zach Wilkerson
Auron – Final Fantasy X
Writeup by Matt Wardell
Age: 35 (!!)
When I first played Final Fantasy X, the term “401(k)” may as well have been a droid in Star Wars and “sciatica” sounded like the next-level spell version of “sciatic.” Little did I know that I’d soon be approaching the age of Auron, that grey-streaked veteran warrior of the previous generations’ world-saving pilgrimage in which he protected the grand summoner, Braska. This worldly experience, combined with his gruff advice and wounded arm, make Auron seem far more wizened than 35. Even cooler, he’s by far the strongest member of your party for most of the game, and he’ll be unslinging his giant katana and chopping heavily armoured enemies for damage into the high thousands hours before any of your other characters reach such high numbers. His scolding of enemies mid-battle will forever live in my brain. “Enough!”
Bergard Zeman – The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak and The Legend of Heroes: Trails Beyond the Horizon
Writeup by Audra Bowling
Age: 69
The Trails series is no stranger to age-defying tropes like Judith’s grandmother Dominique in Trails through Daybreak II and the senior Thors Military Academy faculty staff of the Trails of Cold Steel games. However, Bergard Zeman stands out as the oldest active LoH: Trails party member. A motorcycle-riding, kick butt martial artist properly introduced in Trails through Daybreak, Bergard has had a notable narrative presence throughout the series with his influence shaping important characters like his Gralsritter successor Gaius, his two apprentices Leon and Celis, and his martial arts student Van (who, at twenty-seven, isn’t the old man others in the cast say he is!). Even when retired and taking a break, Bergard remains a helpful and prominent force investigating the dangerous shenanigans that populate Zemuria. He’s supportive, kind-hearted, and knows more about what’s going on than others: a standout older character in one of the few RPG series that excels at them.
Byron Rosfield – Final Fantasy XVI
Writeup by Audra Bowling
Age: 56
Final Fantasy XVI’s Byron Rosfield is Clive and Joshua’s doting uncle, as seen when he’s visibly moved during their respective reunions. A supportive figure to his nephews throughout their dark times, Byron is boisterous and cheerful in the best of ways, remaining a steadfast protector of his people who offers much-needed support to the heavily persecuted Bearers whenever he can. Some of my favorite FFXVI scenes involve him: the inn fight scene where he valiantly tries to finish his meal before a brawl and pleasantly offers gil to the staff afterwards to make up for the destruction; his spats with the much younger-but-equally-spirited Mid; and the begrudging friendships he forms as he allies with other nations for the greater good. Byron is tenacious, caring, and the loving family that Clive and Joshua desperately need in their corner throughout FFXVI’s bleak moments.
Caretaker and Agatha Harkness – Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Writeup by Audra Bowling
Age: While they appear to be in their 60s or so, both were alive during the Salem Witch Trials.
Caretaker and Agatha Harkness are partners in Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and the closest people that protagonist Hunter has to supportive parental figures. In fact, Caretaker (real name Sara) is Hunter’s aunt, who technically raised Hunter to be a weapon against their own mother; a fact she has mixed feelings about. She is actually the founder of the Midnight Suns, serving as its capable leader before Hunter. Caretaker is no-nonsense and has difficulty expressing her genuine emotions, but cares in her own blunt way.
Agatha is a wise and sweet-natured individual, looking out for Hunter by helping them uncover the secrets of the Abbey and their bloodline, even after losing her physical body. It’s apparent that Agatha and Caretaker clearly love and understand one another, making their romance a partnership of equals. Both women are powerful figures who fight when necessary, helping to guide and influence the lives of those around them.
Chizuko Nagao – Persona 5: The Phantom X
Writeup by Audra Bowling
Age: 75
Persona 5: The Phantom X’s Chizuko Nagao is a stylish seventy-five-year-old woman who serves as the basis for the Phantom Idol Persona user Vino, which is appropriate, as she enjoys drinking in her spare time! Chizuko also relished playing the saxophone before her music-loving husband passed away, and his death understandably tempered her desire to continue doing so. She cares for her granddaughter who lives with her, but struggles to communicate with her properly in the aftermath of her granddaughter’s injuries. But that simply showcases how she isn’t afraid to stand up for others when they are in trouble. As far as Persona users go, Chizuko is a truly unique character, proving that you can still be capable and viable long after your teenage, twenty-, and thirty-something years.
Cid – Final Fantasy IV
Writeup by Jimmy Turner
Age: 54
Final Fantasy IV‘s Cid may be my favorite mentor archetype character in RPGs, and my personal favorite Cid in all of Final Fantasy. I often describe him as the “crazy uncle” amongst the FF Cids. In truth, Cid Pollendina has a heart of gold and plays an integral part in Cecil’s story arc.
At 54, Cid may feel out of place amongst FFIV’s young protagonist group. Yet, the skilled airship pilot and engineer makes it possible for the heroes to embark on their intercontinental journey. Despite his quirky personality, he has the wisdom to hide the Enterprise from the King of Baron when he notices something amiss. He is also willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, allowing Cecil and company to escape the Underworld. It can be difficult for older characters to resonate with younger fans, but I’ve been a big Cid supporter since my teenage years.
Cyan Garamonde – Final Fantasy VI
Writeup by Aleks Franiczek
Age: 50
I remember a friend of mine seeing Cyan’s menu character portrait and saying that he looks like a banana. How dare he. Show some respect!
As a kid becoming obsessed with Final Fantasy VI, Cyan was my favorite character. I came for the katana and stayed for the characterization. I don’t think I fully grasped the depth of his story’s tragedy, but I do know experiencing it made me understand death and grief a little more clearly. I’ll never forget the feeling of watching him chase a train with his recently murdered family’s ghosts. Or seeing him try to move on by sending anonymous love letters to a random woman while having gone full hermit.
I appreciate how his formal demeanor is played for laughs without ever disrespecting his integrity. And how his final Sword Technique shows him cleanly decimating the entire battle screen. This is how you portray an older gentleman as believable and badass.
Geralt of Rivia – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Writeup by Aleks Franiczek
Age: 61
The 2010s brought an onslaught of “dad games,” where you play as a grizzled, bearded man protecting a child figure. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is my favorite of them. Part of this is because Ciri, Geralt’s adopted daughter, turns out to be an awesome and capable character. The narrative choices you make have less to do with protecting Ciri from any physical threats; they are more about projecting your worldview onto her as a way of guiding her towards making life decisions that you hope she’ll be happy with.
As someone considering fatherhood, these conversations with Ciri are what have stuck with me the most from the game. Is it selfish to influence your kid in this way, or is that what good parenting is all about? All the worldbuilding the game invests you in culminates with Geralt trying to steer his daughter towards the “right” path—whatever that means to you as the player.
Guernica Vandham – Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Writeup by Gio Castillo
Age: 61
While Guernica Vandham doesn’t stick around for long in Xenoblade Chronicles 3, he is the single biggest catalyst for the entire game. With maybe 15 minutes of screentime, Vandham shatters our heroes’ false consciousness, literally shaking the ground beneath their feet at one point, and liberates them from the cycle of violence orchestrated by Moebius.
There’s a moment when Vandham unmasks, his wrinkles catching Noah and company by surprise. In Xenoblade Chronicles 3, most people are “born” in late childhood/early adolescence and are allowed to die after 10 years, assuming they don’t die in battle and therefore restart the cycle. Vandham’s appearance makes an impression on these kids, who have no real concept of old age, and it’s a small but poignant moment that I still think about years later.
Harrier ‘Harry’ du Bois – Disco Elysium
Writeup by Mark Roddison
Age: 44
Harrier du Bois could have been me. In many ways, he is me. Perhaps he lives in all of us, just a little. The broken, hard-drinking detective of Disco Elysium may seem like a familiar archetype, but there’s far more beneath the surface. His inner depths unfold gradually—through the thought cabinet he constructs and the choices he makes. Much of this complexity is grounded in his age. Harry has lived, loved, and lost in multiple ways. Every moment in Revachol passes through these lenses, revealing how memory and pain can distort, but also empower. Despite vulnerability, regret, and self-loathing, there remains the possibility of authorship: to shape a narrative, to become the hero of one’s own story, whatever that means at the age of 44. Harry says it best near the end: “One foot after the other, I will go on, and together we will walk the wasteland of reality.”
Hisui and Sakaki – Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
Writeup by Sam-James Gordon
Age: 70s/80s
While the Rune Factory series has become somewhat notorious for missing the opportunity to make some of its more desirable yet slightly older characters into marriage candidates, Guardians of Azuma has made commendable efforts to give us elderly party members. And by “elderly,” I do not mean 25; I mean potentially and ambiguously in the 70–80-plus bracket.
Hisui and Sakaki may be long in the tooth, but do not fall short in their combat abilities. Both of them fight with magical talismans — Hisui ruins a shop where she sells, forges, and upgrades Talismans — and they hold their own alongside the younger cast. The youngest character, Suzu, appears to be about 6 years old, and she engages in some very endearing banter with the elderfolk. In a wholesome exchange with Village Elder Sakaki, she wants a hug, and he says she can have one when they get home.
Ichiban Kasuga – Like a Dragon & Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Writeup by Stephanie Sybydlo
Age: 42 (Like a Dragon), 46 (Infinite Wealth)
It’s kind of hard to imagine Like a Dragon‘s Ichiban Kasuga as a fella in his forties, given his boundless energy for running around cities, helping people with all kinds of problems, and scrapping with “a**holes” all day. Our hero is never afraid to step in and protect the unprotected, won’t hold back a tear when moved, and he’ll cheer for everyone’s success. Perhaps best exemplifying what it is to be “young at heart,” Ichiban doesn’t let a rough start in life stop him from living his best life. In fact, Ichiban’s unlikely origin story is what takes him from sleeping on the streets to achieving corporate feats, making for a remarkable, if frankly, pretty unbelievable, tale.
But I believe it! And Ichiban believes in you! The game might as well be called “Like a Puppy” as both pups and Ichibans seem to have the same level of unanimous likability.
The Immortals – Lost Odyssey
Writeup by Aleks Franiczek
Age: 1000+
Hironobu Sakaguchi must have heard people remark that JRPG protagonists are always so young and thought up the ultimate (loophole) response for Lost Odyssey: immortality! This cast features characters who may appear to be 30 years old but have actually been around for over 1000. Oh, and they also have amnesia.
This results in some unique story touches, like protagonist Kaim needing to bury his own daughter and recruit his grandkids into the party, or having the squad’s oldest looking character, Sed, refer to his visually youthful immortal parent as “momma.”But, really, where the game makes the most of this premise is in the A Thousand Years of Dreams short stories. These unlockable texts are fragments of Kaim and the other immortals’ memories. It’s here that you get a profound sense of both the wisdom and pain that years upon years of life can bring.
