7 JRPG Franchises That Started on PS2

Getting my hands on a PlayStation 2 back in 2001 was supremely important for two major reasons. The first of which was to make sure I was able to play Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and the second was to be able to play all the amazing JRPGs that I knew were on the horizon.

And while the old favorites like Final Fantasy made themselves known, it's important to remember that the PS2 was a launching pad for some truly fabulous JRPG franchises to take their first steps. In fact, some of them were spin-offs that were so big, that they would give birth to an entire separate franchise as a result.

The PS2's JRPG library is deep and filled with timeless classics, but a few of them were debuts. These first-timers all came out swinging, taking full advantage of the PS2's improved hardware and massive install base in order to craft some truly amazing opening nights.

7 Drakengard

The Birth of the Taroverse

Following the massively underrated Phase Paradox, game director Yoko Taro was given full creative freedom on his next project, which became Drakengard. This dark, surreal JRPG franchise began with one of the PS2's most brilliantly esoteric experiences. It's one of those games that's on everyone's bucket list, but it shouldn't be.

Drakengard was followed up by two sequels, both of which are also excellent. Though they weren't a huge financial success, the value inherent in the franchise was clear to everyone.

The success of Drakengard spawned multiple sequels, as well as an entirely new series known as NieR. Taking off from one of Drakengard's multiple endings, NieR has made itself a permanent part of the franchise, and in many ways eclipsed it to become something much bigger.

6 Phantom Brave

The Bravest of All

The key part of Phantom Brave that made it so good was its slick, highly engaging combat system. It was one of the most aesthetically pleasing PS2 games of its era, as everything from its music to its visual design felt like it was a living anime.

It would spawn a manga and not one but two remakes, including a PSP version with added content. It's a franchise that doesn't come around often, but when it does, the drops are steady.

A sequel was just recently released in 2025, and was one of that year's most entertaining tactical strategy JRPGs. Phantom Brave isn't as huge a franchise as other JRPGs, but it's early days on the PS2 gave way to some incredibly enjoyable experiences over the years.

5 Dot Hack

Multiple Trilogies and Anime

The Dot Hack anime began airing in 2002 in Japan, but wouldn't reach the US until 2003. In the meantime, CyberConnect2 went to town with a series of beautifully made JRPGs that launched on the PS2 over the course of two years starting in 2002.

I have very distinct memories of seeing them on the shelf when I was wandering a store with my dad, and as we walked out with those games in hand, I felt like I had just got something extremely cool. I turned out to be right, as all the Dot Hack games were just absolutely lovely.

CyberConnect2 would produce more Dot Hack games, including a second trilogy, as well as multiple spin-offs. More anime would follow, and a new game was recently announced. Dot Hack continues to have a fairly large following today, and it all started as a classic PS2 trilogy.

4 Disgaea

A Massive Multimedia Franchise

Top-down tactical strategy JRPGs are having a bit of a rebirth on the indie scene. The slow transition from PS1-likes being the most popular thing on the indie scene into PS2-style indie games has been clear, and Disgaea has obviously influenced a lot of developers over the years.

The original Disgaea released on the PS2 in 2003, during one of the peak years of the console. It was one of the console's greatest titles, and spawned a sprawling multimedia franchise that is still absolutely crushing it today.

With seven mainline games, numerous spin-offs and anime adaptations, as well as toys and tie-in novels, Disgaea is an enormously popular franchise today. It's hard to believe sometimes, but it all started with a nifty little PS2 strategy JRPG, and just exploded from there.

3 Dark Cloud

It's a Niche Franchise, Sir, But It Checks Out

Dark Cloud was one of the earliest PS2 games to reach North America, launching just five months after the console in May 2001, though it had already hit Japan a year earlier. It was a total joy, and made owning a PS2 early feel like one of the best decisions you could make.

The unique, innovative systems were built around procedural generation, a rather novel concept at the time, and rebuilding a damaged world. Its sequel would continue that trend, producing an even better game that I'd argue is a top five all-time PS2 JRPG.

Sadly, Dark Cloud hasn't been heard from in quite a while. It didn't have as much success as other PS2 JRPG franchises, but it still created an entire legion of passionate fans that are still waiting.

2 Kingdom Hearts

Got it Memorized?

Following a fateful meeting between Square-Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto and a Disney executive, what now feels like it would take moving mountains to create became a reality. The meeting of Final Fantasy heroes and the vibrant worlds of Disney was spearheaded by Tetsuya Nomura, resulting in Kingdom Hearts.

The first Kingdom Hearts game launched on the PS2 in 2002, and was an instant smash success. That's easy to believe considering the star power, but it's simply incredible how much of a huge part of pop culture that Kingdom Hearts became immediately. It was a part of the zeitgeist from the jump, and it hasn't stopped.

There are so many games, so many toys, comic books, spin-offs, it's honestly impossible to keep track. No matter how you feel about the franchise, it's just one of the biggest, most impressive things in the entire world.

1 Shadow Hearts

An Underappreciated Franchise

Back on the PS1, there was a delightful little survival horror JRPG known as Koudelka. Though it wasn't a huge success, it would get a spiritual successor of sorts known as Shadow Hearts on the PS2.

The first game was launched rather perilously close to Final Fantasy 10, which contributed to its rather uninspired sales. Despite all that, it persisted and led to an impressively sized franchise of survival horror JRPGs.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is still one of the best JRPGs I've ever played, and the franchise was adapted into a number of excellent manga. Additionally, characters from the Shadow Hearts franchise appeared in a crossover fighting game called Chaos Wars.