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Summary
JRPGsas a genre aren’t exactly known for pushing the envelope.
Obviously, there are exceptions.
Japanese game developers aren’t a monolith, after all.
Looking for LGBTQ+ representation?
These indie games have you covered.
Just because it’s smaller and portable doesn’t mean the games aren’t pretty!
In Japanese, A is spoken of with masculine identifiers despite a more feminine appearance.
It’s a small thing, but very nice to see.
The gender-nonconforming Flea uses he/him pronouns but presents in a clearly fluid manner.
Decisions weigh more heavily when they have real consequences.
4Final Fantasy 9
Quina Quen
Oh Quina.
Final Fantasy 9 never comes out and states exactly how you see yourself.
But one thing is for certain: you are absolutely not a cisgender person.
Maybe gender simply has no meaning to Quina’s race.
Other characters use neutral pronouns in Japanese and a mix of he and she in English.
So, at the very least, Quina could be considered somewhere between agender and nonbinary.
Granted, these reveals are subtle, and most players likely didn’t even realize.
The game doesn’t treat their relationship as some hidden reference that could easily be misinterpreted.
These games have some unexpected and wholly queer storylines we loved to discover.
