Is The Legend of Zelda an RPG?

So if you ask that question you have to consider other similar games as well. Then it becomes a mess of "why is this an ARPG but this isn't?"

Is Ys an RPG? The old Dragonslayer games? Hydlide (it predates Zelda despite having a later US release date). What about Landstalker and Alundra? It's isometric Zelda with a heavier emphasis on puzzles. But you still talk to people, but stuff, visit towns and all those other goodies associated with games like Final Fantasy. The only main differences are finding stat increasing items instead of exp levels and the battles being real time.

I know you aren't supposed to say Zelda is an RPG. But to me it's not much different from similar games that are categorized as action RPGs. There just isn't enough difference to warrant it being "lol wrong" to say Zelda can't be considered an ARPG.

Correct. Zelda II: Adventure of Link is a RPG.

Honestly, it's not that much different than Faxanadu.
 
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I play a role in most video games. I have very rarely played a game where me, I, myself in the IRL am the lead character.
 
Legend of Zelda is Japanese, so at least 1/4th of that question is already not up for debate
LoZ is also a game so it's actually 2/4th of that question is answered. Now then, is Legend of Zelda a "role-playing" game? Obviously not. Case closed. So, LoZ is not a JRPG. It is a JG.
 
nah, proper RPGs have some sort of character customization related to combat such as skill points etc.. merely playing as a character that isn't you isn't enough, that's literally every video game with a protagonist character lol

Next question: is Dark Souls a JRPG?
 
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