It is interesting to note that since the beginning of CRPGs in both countries, a number of trends have been strongly followed in both countries, with very little divergence since then.

Notes:

Class: as class titles can be game-specific (swordsman, knight, dark knight, magic knight, etc.) the class column has been generalized into the following groups:

Fighter: warrior (may have access to special attacks)
Hero: warrior with magic abilities (may have access to special attacks)

Weapon: "Sword, etc." specifies a hero that can equip various weapons, but the most common weapons and most powerful weapons are swords, resulting in the hero basically wielding only swords.

Main Healer: main healers are defined as "pure" healers, i.e. those characters most purely devoted to the healing arts and with the most healing skills. In AD&D game terms, this would include single-class clerics only; in Japanese CRPGs, this would exclude characters equally devoted to both combat and healing magic.

Available Races: Races shown in italics are available as NPCs, but not for character creation.

Although "Fellpool" is used to describe certain Star Ocean characters, I have changed it to the more general "felpurr."

Table 1: Japanese CRPGs

Game Title Main Character Class Weapon Main Healer(s) Max. Level Available Races Dragon Quest [Male] Hero Sword, etc. - 99 Human Dragon Quest VIII [Male] Hero Sword, Spear, Boomerang, Fist - 99 Human Final Fantasy Party Creation (4 PCs) 99 Human Final Fantasy IV Cecil Harvey Fighter Sword Rosa Farrell 99 Human, Lunarian Final Fantasy VI Tina Branford Fighter Sword, etc. - 99 Human, Half-Esper (幻獣) Secret of Mana [Male] Fighter Any [Female] 99 Human Tactics Ogre [Male] Any* Any - 99 Human Chrono Trigger Crono Hero Sword (Katana) Marle 99 Human, Robot Tales of Phantasia Cless Alvein Fighter Sword Mint Adnade 99 Human, Half-Elf Star Ocean Ratix Farrence Fighter Sword Milly Kiliet 255 Human, Felpurr, Featherfolk, Highlander, Lycanthrope, Lesser Felpurr Star Ocean: The Second Story Claude C. Kenni Fighter Sword Rena Lanford 255 Human, Nedian, Felpurr, Tetragenes Grandia Justin Hero Sword, Mace, Axe - 50 Human

^* Although Tactics Ogre allows you to choose your own class, it is very difficult to stay alive with anything but a fighter!

Table 2: American CRPGs

Game Title Main Character Class Weapon Main Healer(s) Max. Level Available Races Champions of Krynn Party Creation (6 PCs) 7-9 Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Kender Secret of the Silver Blades Party Creation (6 PCs) 15-18 Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Halfling Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra Party Creation (6 PCs) ?? Human, Dwarf, Elf, Half-Orc Wizardry VI: Crusaders of the Dark Savant Party Creation (6 PCs) ?? Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Hobbit, Faerie, Lizardman, Dracon, Felpurr, Rawulf, Mook Eye of the Beholder Party Creation (6 PCs) 12 Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Halfling Ultima VI: The False Prophet † Any** Any - 8 Human, Gargoyle Baldur's Gate † Any Any Branwen, Viconia DeVir 8-10 Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Halfling Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn † Any Any Viconia DeVir 30-40 Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Halfling, Half-Orc, Tiefling

^† Unnamed, male or female
^** The game decides your starting "class" based on questions you answer at the start of the game.

There are a number of trends that can be seen from this simple comparison.

• Main characters in Japanese CRPGs are male fighters equipped with swords.
• Characters in Japanese CRPGs are pre-generated, with names and personalities already set, while characters in American CRPGs are generated by the player.
• Maximum level limits in Japanese CRPGs are typically very high (50-100), while maximum level limits in American CRPGs are typically very low (10-20)
• Devoted healers are typically female in both American and Japanese CRPGs.
• Japanese CRPGs never allow players to select the hero's race, and races for NPCs tend to be more-or-less-human (or "furry"—i.e., humans with furry cat-ears and tails or humans with wings); American RPGs offer many races that can be chosen for PCs. In general, Japanese CRPG races seem to be influenced by Japanese comic books, while American CRPG races are mainly influenced by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's various works, as well as later fantasy derivatives and indigenous myth and legend. In particular, Japanese CRPGs NEVER include short races—perhaps this is significant?