Missed all of the drama but I find the premise of this thread amusing even out of context.

Not that big a JRPG fan myself, frankly. Some of them are genuinely attractive to me but I think I have failed to actually finish a single one unless one considers the Yakuza games JRPGs (well, perhaps the turn-based Like a Dragon but I haven't played that one yet).

But may I suggest Anachronox as a gateway drug? JRPG gameplay without the need to overcome typical JRPG aesthetics and I think without some of the potentially more annoying characteristics of JRPGs (if I remember correctly it didn't have an endless stream of random encounters?). That's a few barriers down, isn't it?

Or the opposite approach: one could sneakily gift him HuniePop so he develops an anime fetish first and will potentially begin to seek out JRPGs driven by a natural desire for anime boobs on his own.

Also, I think the first actual JRPG that ever drew me in for a longer time was Grandia II but I don't see it on the store. Did I just dream of it getting released here or was it removed at some point? Anyway, I remember that its peculiar combat system made it far more attractive to me than all the other JRPGs available at the time and it was perhaps the first JRPG that I played for longer than 1-2 hours. I have literally no idea how well it holds up after all these years, though.

The legend of heroes series.. Great Gameplay, great story

But he could also try the YS games if he just wants some action

Anachronox. JRPG style RPG but written in a Western fashion. Possibly one of the funniest RPGs ever made, and the JRPG style turn based combat (not sure how else to describe it!) has a fast-forward function for once it gets tedious.

Chrono Trigger? It always tops lists, and everything I heard about it makes it seem like it avoids a lot of pitfalls of JRPGs. Not that I ever properly played it, only ever played some of the introduction.

Wait, is it that Hungarian guy with the anime avatar and the four digit negative rep? Why doesn't he like them?

On GOG? Septerra Core. Not actually made in Japan, but ticks all the boxes for a JRPG. It's a really nice game with a interesting Planescape-like steampunk setting. Often goes on sale for peanuts as well, so it's a nice low barrier of entry.

If he wants one of the all-time classics? Can't go wrong with Final Fantasy 7. The combat isn't that complex or groundbreaking by today's standards, and the characters do indeed look like Duplos, but it's still such a excellent game. The story, characters, soundtrack and game world is so memorable. If he has a PS4/PS5 he can play the remaster, but it's honestly a completely different game. The original is still my favorite.

Pick some random visual novel. He won't notice the difference.

I suggest that he tries out Strategic Mind - Blitzkrieg. It is close enough.

Really hard to say because he seems to have alot of dislikes. I think a particular dislike is anime and anything related to anime and that blocks off a significant number of JRPGs (although its hard to really define what “anime” is tbh. Its like saying I dislike anything CGI).

Chrono Trigger, FF series, DQ series, Tales of series, Breath of Fire I-IV, Fire Emblem series...
on GoG?
Trails of series, Xanadu Next, Ys series...

A jrpg is a rpg made by a japanese company,/people.
Some people said jrpg for games which aren't made by jp.
I mean, K-Pop is music made in South Korea, not China.

no-anime JRPG? Very hard. since 90+% of them have "anime style"
Dark souls (action/ RPG)
Wizardry Chronicles (PC) ?
Wizardry on the PS2?
Tactics Ogre?
Shin Megami Tensei? (yeah the art is anime, but the battle system is awesome)
it's very hard, because anime style is prominent in JRPG.

I had some success introducing people to JRPG through Chrono Trigger, Growlancer, Disgaea, Persona 1 and 2, but they're all pretty old and not on GOG.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon?

Finally an useful topic!

I only have one on the gog wishlist The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. Looks like a typical jrpg to me, and got good reviews.

That Agarest game got down rated saying fighting is slow , I don't like slow repeating fights at all, so thats a skip.

Anachronox doesnt look like a typical jrpg , I should try that out.

Atelier Ryza 2 is probably what I'll try to try out , hope the game is better than those faces. yeah i play mostly these strat games not Strategic Mind series thou :(
Anime is fine like Ninja Scrolls , these very young baby faces with big heads what I don't like at all and nearly all jrpg-s have these...

:-D

Perhaps, although I'd debate whether the country the game was made in was actually relevant. However, the purpose of the thread is to recommend Orkhepaj a JRPG and let's be honest, to find him something that he might actually like. So, I'd not get hung up on where it was made, but find something with characteristics of JRPGs and see if he likes them.

So, the Anachronoxes and Stick of Truths of this world are probably the place to start.