Breath of Fire Turns 30.

[Wolf Kanno]

So the question none of you are asking is: "What is Breath of Fire, WK?"

It's a quirky epic JRPG series Capcom made when the genre exploded in the 90s. The game was the brain child of a few interesting peeps. Mostly Yoshinori Kawano, who is better known for his works on Mega Man Legends, Mega Man Zero, and Dead Rising franchises. Tokuro Fujiwara, who is better known for his work with Ghosts in Goblins, Strider, the Disney Afternoon series, and every Capcom side-scroller that ever kicked your ass in the arcade. Finally, we have Makoto Ikehara, who ended up being the real daddy of the franchise since he was the main writer for almost every entry in the series, and eventually moved onto being its main director for III-V.

The interesting thing about BoF is that Capcom isn't known as a major RPG powerhouse like Square, Enix, Atlus, or Falcom. Up until 1993, Capcom was better known for their arcade scene with games like Mega Man, Fatal Fight, Strider, Bionic Commando, and of course, Street Fighter. So to say BoF gets unconventional is a bit of an understatement. But unlike, say, Earthbound/Mother where series creator Shigesato Itoi purposely subverts genre conventions, BoF feels like it's trying to be a genuine conventional JRPG, but one made by people who don't really play the genre. It creates something that is unique and stands out among the riffraff of the genre.

BoF falls into the schizo-tech side of the genre, along with Final Fantasy. Swords and Sorcery for sure, but robots, futuristic flying cities, teleporters and other Science Fiction conventions are just as common place. The series is not without its own unique tropes, though. Every game centers around a blue haired boy named Ryu, who has the power to transform into a dragon. He is always joined by a winged blond girl named Nina, and the games are set in a world full of anthropomorphic races. Ryu also likes to fish.

The series has six numbered titles, though counting spin-offs (all mobile) there are actually ten games in total for the franchise. The first three games make up the loosely connected Myria Trilogy, all featuring a similar setting and history. Starting with the fourth game (though some of the fanbase debate this to this day) the series begins to move into more one-shot settings that are vastly different from the established lore of the trilogy. The exception seems to be BoFVI, which, while unfinished, seemed like it was trying to be a real prequel to the Myria Trilogy, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

So let's talk about the recurring elements:

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Ryu

Ryu is the name of the blue-haired protagonist of the series. He is always a different character in each game. He is usually the protagonist, but this changed in the last numbered installment, where he's an important NPC instead. Ryu is usually considered a silent protagonist, but that only applies to half the series; he actually speaks a lot in the first, fifth, and sixth games in the series. Hell, he even gets some dialogue in the fourth entry as well. Ryu's primary character trait throughout the franchise that all incarnations embody is compassion. Ryu usually doesn't fight for his own sake, but rather starts his journey because someone else is in trouble. He's not always the bravest, and he's not always the leader of his group either. But the story does tend to eventually revolve around the fact the boy can turn into a dragon. Sometimes this power is a blessing (BoF1/6), sometimes it's a terrible curse for him (BoFIII/V), and sometimes it's a mystery for him (BoFII/IV). Of course, turning into a giant dragon has its perks in an RPG and likewise, Ryu is often your main offensive muscle for the team. The series usually gives everyone a special ability that can be used on the World Map or in dungeons. Ryu can usually swipe his sword to cut things, but most of the time, he has the power to fish.

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Nina

Nina is usually the main heroine of the series, and like Ryu, they're never the same person. In fact, only once in the series has two Ninas from different games met each other. Nina follows some traditional tropes of usually being a princess and a spell caster. Where she breaks some trends is that she's rarely the healer, only fulfilling the role once in the series on purpose. Usually she's your hard hitting Black Mage. Nina is usually related to the city of Wyndia, a city state created by the Wing Clan, which is basically a race of human like beings with bird wings. Occasionally, the race has the power to transform into a bird that acts as the series flying vehicle. Nina tends to be one of the first allies Ryu obtains, and in the games where he's a silent protagonist, she usually winds up speaking for him. Her dungeon map skill varies from game to game. In the first two, she's connected to the Great Bird that serves as the game's airship. In III, she can cast spells needed to hit targets from far away and works with magic based puzzles. And in IV, she can fly up to give you a better view of the map. In a twist on series tradition, Nina is the mute character in BoFV, though for twisted reasons.

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The Dark Dragons

Minor spoiler alert, but no matter which BoF you play, you're eventually going to encounter a Dark Dragon who serves as a foil to Ryu's Light Dragon persona. Some entries are very straightforward about it like BoF1 where the conflict deals with the Dark Dragon clan full force, or in BoFIV, where Fou-Lu serves as Ryu's darker counterpart. Other entries save it as a last minute plot twist like in BoFII and III. And some entries like BoFV try to do both. As mentioned before, these characters often serve as a foil to Ryu and help reinforce the main themes of the series and the particular entry. They often tend to be fan favorite characters as well. Expect them to usually be overpowered and great at ass kicking.

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Deis

Another recurring figure in the franchise is the lazy but powerful sorceress Deis, known as Bleu in the SNES translations. Unlike Nina and Ryu, Deis is often the same character due to her status as a Goddess and her knack for sleeping for several millenia between entries. Though it is still up to debate if the one from BoFIV is the same as the one from the Myria Trilogy. She does still tend to have the same personality of being pretty arogant, a huge tease, and a total badass to boot. Her true form is unknown, but her favorite involves her medusa-esque serpent body form. She has appeared in all but one entry in the series, BoFVl Dragon Quarter being the lone exception, though staff interviews mentioned she was planned to make a cameo before it was cut due to the game's rushed production.

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The Clans

The title given for the various races that inhabit the setting. There are technically 25 Clans in the series, ranging from regular humans, Mole people, wolf people, and Fish people. There are only six clans that are worth talking about, since they tend to have important characters in them throughout the series instead of just one entry.

The Wing Clan

As already mentioned, the Wing Clan is basically a race of humans with bird wings. They are often associated with the Kingdom of Wyndia, and they tend to be a stuffy European style aristocracy that often cares more for how they are seen by others. Wyndia usually serves as a sort of Big Good in the political landscape of the series, but they also tend to raise rowdy princesses that don't like following the rules. Magic is their kingdom's forte. They are the only race from the first game that has managed to have a party member in every game, including the one they don't technically exist in. They have a very close history with the Dragon Clan for better and for worse.

The Woren Clan

Introduced in the second entry, and being a mainstay since. The Woren are basically a race of Tiger People. They are a strong warrior race who usually specializes in speed. Oddly enough, only one entry every gave them a national background. In IV, they are shown to have the qualities of indigenous tribal communities like the ones seen in North America, Mongolia, and feudal Japan. In the other entries, they are usually a rare race, with only a handful shown ever. It's even a plot point in the second game. While they can use magic, they are not especially good at it. The race is very loyal and tend to be one of the most steadfast companions.

The Grassrunner Clan

Also known as the Kemonomimi clan. Grassrunners are basically a race of humans with canine like features, including foxes. Of course, this rule only applies with female members, the males tend to be very much dog people. They were also introduced in the second entry and have been a prominent race in every entry since. In fact, they are one of the few clans to survive and see BoFV. They are also a pretty potent race with decent magical ability. Much like their animal sake, Grassrunners have never been shown to have their own society or national identity, often being heavily integrated into other tribe societies. They are sometimes mistaken for being members of the Forest Clan (Wolf People) but they are two distinct clans oddly enough. They tend to always be hunters who prefer long range weapons.

The Manillo Clan

This one is an oddity. While they have only once ever been a party member in the series, they are easily one of the most distinct races seen throughout the series and tend to stay prominent thanks to the fishing mini-game where they serve as special vendors you can sell fish to. They are a mercantile race that use their natural physical advantages and the oceans to build powerful capitalist merchant guilds. Greed does not even begin to describe this race and their love of money. With all that said, they are not a powerful race in combat, preferring to use coin to do their talking.

Faeries

Not a traditional clan, but a very prominent figure in the series starting with the third entry. Chances are, if you've glanced at artwork from the series, you'll see this race of mischievous nuisances. In a bit of a twist for the non-SMT JRPGs, the Faeries of BoF hold up closer to their European origins of being tricksters who look down on humans and cause problems. They even exist in their own world, which is where their purpose kicks in. While BoFII began the Village building mini-game, it's the Fairy Village most longtime players will remember most. Usually they are in dire straights for one reason or another, and it's up to Ryu and his crew to manage these pains in the ass to build a functioning town.

The Dragon Clan

Also referred to as the Brood. They are a powerful race of dragons who can take human form. Their power is enough to rival the series various deities, which makes them a threat to everyone and often the cause of a lot of conflict within the series. In the first game, the clan managed to split into two different clans, known as the unoriginal Dark and Light Dragon Clans. Despite only being a plot point in the first entry, Ryu always has a dark counterpart he ends up having to face in every entry. Interesting enough, Ryu tends to be an oddity among even his own clan due to his ability to change his elemental and physical properties of the type of Dragon he wants to be. The strongest Dragon within the clan is known as the Kaiser Dragon, and it's usually Ryu's ultimate form, with some exceptions. The Dragon Clan also has their own patron deity in the form of Ladon, the Dragon God, h serves as a save point in many of the entries but he is shown to actually commune with mortals. The Dragon Clan often resides in a city state called Dragonier, which is often not translated right in the series.

Finally...

Themes

Breath of Fire is a series that concerns itself with a few themes, such as free will, racism, and the relationship between people, religion, and god. But the most central theme of the entire series is the Nature of Power. Every entry deals in some ways with the problem our hero has to deal with due to the overwhelming power they possess. The series dwells on ideas such as "Is power necessary?", "Can Power be used for good or only evil?", "Why do people pursue power when it often only brings suffering?" and other philisophical trapings. I feel this is one of the elements that really separates BoF from other RPG series is that it really sticksa to this main theme throughout the series, giving it a unique identity in a sea of other anime inspired RPG series.