The Luckiest RPG Characters

St. Patrick’s day is on March 17 each year. What better way to celebrate than by thinking about some of the luckiest characters in RPGs? While you may not any Irish characters in this list, they all have one thing in common: they have luck on their side! You will find a wide array of popular characters here, from gamblers to thieves to clowns, and even an animal or two. After taking a look, sound off in the comments to let us know which RPG characters you think are the luckiest.


The Lucky Cat
(Like a Dragon: Ishin!)

Who doesn’t love cats? How about a cat that will give you interesting items in exchange for money? In Like a Dragon: Ishin, one of the pet bonding events has Ryoma Sakamoto encountering an adorable kitty cat who supposedly has powerful luck. Flocks of people surround the cat in hopes of it bestowing its lucky energy for currency. As Ryoma gives the lucky cat money, he is given all kinds of random items, from fish to healing items. Are they often worth the coin spent? Absolutely not! The best part of meeting the lucky cat is that he becomes Ryoma’s pet by the end, and isn’t pet ownership the best form of luck? Sam Wachter


Cores
(Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals)

What makes an enemy who is scripted to run away the luckiest character in an RPG? When that enemy sticks around instead. Cores in Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals will always make a player smile in joy, only to take it all away when they run away before the player can act. Each one that is vanquished will provide players with tons of experience, making it extremely easy to level up if you can catch one.

In addition to boosting experience during the main game, they are staples of any deep dive into the Ancient Cave. Defeating even one of them can earn multiple levels, making it a staple of any runs through this randomly generated dungeon that resets players to level 1 and strips away their equipment. – Ryan Costa


Andrew
(Vanguard Bandits)

Andrew is a character that does decent damage in the world of Vanguard Bandits but is known more for his speed. During my playthough, Andrew by sheer happenstance refused to get hit — over the course of the entire game, he was injured less than a handful of times and and not even once in the final series of battles. As a game’s difficulty ramps up, one wouldn’t expect bosses to struggle against the player party. However, that is exactly what happened, as no one could hit Andrew, no matter how hard they tried to poke, prod, or dismantle him.

Vanguard Bandits is a tactical RPG for the PlayStation, a game that for its time wasn’t overly unforgiving but still was an early strategy game, a genre known for difficulty. Vanguard Bandits had its party members jump into mechs called ATACs to do battle. While the game was fun and interesting for its time, it was Andrew that made it unforgettable, as constant barrages of attacks meant nothing to the dancing mech that couldn’t be touched. – Ryan Costa


Kyosuke Nanbu
(Super Robot Wars: Original Generation)

Kyosuke Nanbu is the very definition of how fickle luck can be.  The resident gambler of the team, Kyosuke has the sheer luck to survive in situations others would die. However, he also has the misfortune to be in those situations in the first place.  At the start, being a test pilot for experimental Personal Troopers, his luck carries him into surviving risky maneuvers. This eventually causes him to lead one of the main divisions that make up the Super Robot Wars: Original Generation line-up, the ATX Project.  However, even before that, his luck helps him as the sole survivor of a test shuttle crash during his academy days.

However his luck does not extend to just his longevity and his piloting. It also extends to his love life.  Kyosuke has the fortune to tangle with Excellen Browning, a flirtatious, smart woman who is ever the polar opposite of Kyosuke. From combat to personal matters, Excellen always has Kyosuke’s back, providing support and covering fire when needed. – Robert “MightyTAM” Albright


Any Enemy in a Tactical RPG
(Yes, all of them)

Luck can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse. Tactical RPGs over the years have had all kinds of names thrown at them by players. This is because there will always be at least one moment of do-or-die, where success seems all but certain and suddenly, nope, things go wrong and the player is left to scream into the cold unforgiving nothingness, forced to try again and hope for better luck.  Tactical RPGs often force players to think on the fly, and sometimes those moments don’t work out.

From the earliest days of the genre, there are examples of these situations. A lucky lizard man might end a session of Tactics Ogre by getting the better of the protagonist with a low hit-rate hammer. A heavily armoured Fire Emblem foe inexplicably keeps dodging attacks, battering the player’s team in retaliation. This phenomenon isn’t just older games either as more modern tactical RPGs have had players rage as entire squads are taken down by aliens in X-Com despite being under the heaviest of cover the entire fight.

Triple-A titles aren’t the only ones either as indies jumped in with games like Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark making players clench their fists and curse as enemies have luck fall their way. One of the most unforgiving games in the genre, Battle Brothers, can have an entire game be derailed because one pesky enemy refuses to take damage despite being surrounded by player characters. If there’s one sure bet in the world of gaming, it’s that tactical RPG enemies have the most insane and indescribable luck. – Ryan Costa


Ronfar
(Lunar 2: Eternal Blue)

Ronfar from Lunar 2: Eternal Blue is the very epitome of lucky.  Even meeting his character falls into the realm of luck.  You’re just looking for a priest to heal Lucia, but you end up getting directed to a drunken gambler.  After a game of dice, which always seems to go in his favor, you spend time with him. Although he doesn’t make the best first impression, he quickly becomes a core member in your travels.

A good portion of his skills, often accompanied by the line “Lady Luck, be kind!”, are dependent on luck, from die rolls to flipping a coin. He also is the main healer of the party and sometimes that is where true luck is needed when you’re on an adventure against evil.  As a dedicated and loyal healer, Ronfar is very important.  A party could not be luckier than having Ronfar as a member, friend, and healer.  – Robert “MightyTAM” Albright


Lady Luck Dressphere
(Final Fantasy X-2)

Final Fantasy X-2 has the distinction of not having a single character based on luck, but a whole class in the form of the Lady Luck dressphere.  This outfit for the Gullwings is entirely based on luck and skill. Each costume is based around one of the four suits in a deck of cards, with each costume’s range of abilities and skills centered around each suit.

As for abilities, it’s all luck, with four different slot-based skills; from attacking to buffing, this class has all sorts of utility. The high luck of this class helps to compensate for the lower damage as it means it has a higher chance to land a critical hit.  Who needs fighters, when luck is the name of the game in itself?  – Robert “MightyTAM” Albright


 Setzer Gabbiani
(Final Fantasy VI)


Setzer, one of the wilder characters from Final Fantasy VI, is a world-class gambler. And by world-class, we truly mean it: the man has a casino on his personal airship that he uses to fly the skies. Okay, so maybe he isn’t the luckiest given his tragic backstory in the game; or given the circumstances that lead him to becoming a party member in the first palce. In fact, he arguably has the worst luck when he ends up on the losing side of a duplicitous coin toss with Celes.

Setzer bears scars on his face from the perils of his decades of wheeling and dealing, and wears a rogueish cape. But his true nature as a gambling man really comes across in battle with his slot ability. When used, the battle menu is replaced with three slot reels. The outcome of the slot pull determines Setzer’s attack. The results range from impotent to incapacitating, and the luck of the draw is the determining factor. Lady luck, be kind (at least for his sake) – Paul Shkreli 


Tai Ho
(Suikoden I/II)

While he may be a bit of a fisherman and smuggler first and foremost, Tai Ho from Suikoden is also a lover of the dice. This fisherman is found early on in the game, when the main cast is struggling to find access to a boat. Tai Ho is willing to lend his boat to the crew, so long as they can best him at a game of Chinchirorin, a game involving three dice and a bowl. Once his services are rendered, Tai Ho quickly reveals his utility to the larger group in the first two Suikoden titles.

Tai Ho is known for his adventurous spirit and willingness to try nearly anything. The fact he made it through the first two Suikoden games is testament enough to his luck. – Paul Shkreli 


Who do you think is the luckiest character in RPGs or gaming? It could be a classic gambler type, or even just a hero or villain or seemingly refuses to die. There is no wrong answer to this question, as long as you can justify it. So let us know in the comments below.

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Paul Shkreli

Paul has been playing video games since his Nana bought him a Nintendo in 1991. He joined RPGamer in 2020.

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