Although it took a little longer to make its way west than some of the other big JRPG series, The Legend of Heroes has built up quite the following in Europe and North America over the past few decades. As well as its captivating stories, the series is perhaps best known for its huge variety of playable characters; often putting other series to shame with its excellent selection.
Unlike other JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy, almost every one of the Legend of Heroes games features at least ten playable characters, with some of them having considerably more. It certainly helps that many of the games are sequels rather than standalone titles as this allows some characters to show up in multiple entries rather than just a single game.
14 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky (8)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is the first game in the Trails in the Sky trilogy and centers around a young girl named Estelle and her adopted brother Joshua as they set out on a quest to join the illustrious Bracer Guild. The pair are joined by six other playable characters at various points throughout their journey, many of whom are Bracers themselves. This may seem like a fairly standard number for a JRPG, although it marked an all time low for the Legend of Heroes series.
13 Dragon Slayer: The Legend Of Heroes II (10)
Despite the second Legend of Heroes game featuring a smaller cast of characters than its predecessor, it does bring about the return of both Logan and Mica. Rather than Logan reprising his role as the main protagonist though, it is instead his son, Atlas, that players are expected to control. The young prince is joined by a small yet interesting cast of playable characters including a large man named Cindy and the incompetent magician Rando.
12 Dragon Slayer: The Legend Of Heroes (12)
The Legend of Heroes originally began life as part of the Dragon Slayer series before eventually spinning off into its own franchise. The very first game bearing the name tells the story of Prince Logan as he sets out to reclaim his rightful place on the throne after it is usurped by the villainous Baron Drax. Along the way, Logan teams up with 11 other playable characters, one of whom is his eventual wife and queen, Mica.
11 The Legend Of Heroes III: Prophecy Of The Moonlight Witch (12)
Sometimes referred to as The Legend of Heroes II in the west, Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch is the first game in the Gagharv trilogy and tells the story of a young boy named Jurio and his childhood friend Christina as they travel around Tirasweel to become fully-fledged adults.
The pair are joined by ten additional playable characters, although, of the twelve protagonists, only Michel and Thomas would go on to feature in subsequent Legend of Heroes games. Some of the other characters are referenced here and there though, even if they don't actually make another appearance.
10 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky SC (13)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC picks up immediately after the end of the first Trails in the Sky game and continues Estelle's quest to protect her adopted brother Joshua. The pair are two of thirteen characters that the player is able to control throughout the game, most of whom are also returning from the previous installment.
9 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Zero (13)
Releasing for the PSP in 2010, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Zero serves as a direct sequel to Trails in the Sky the 3rd. Like several of the series' other installments though, it never released outside of Japan, meaning that many western fans never got a chance to play it. The story takes place a few months after the destruction of Phantasma and features a total of 13 playable characters. The most notable of these is Lloyd, who serves as the game's main protagonist and goes on to feature in numerous other Legend of Heroes games.
8 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Azure (16)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Azure is the fifth entry in the Trails series and was first released for the PSP in 2011. Sadly, however, the game never officially made its way to western shores despite a PS Vita version being released in Japan some three years later. Lloyd Bannings returns as the main protagonist and is joined by many of the original members of the Special Support Section. There are some interesting additions to the roster as well, including the Divine Blade of Wind, Arios.
7 The Legend Of Heroes III: Song Of The Ocean (16)
The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean takes place some seven years on from the events of A Tear of Vermillion and features cameo appearances from some of its predecessor's main cast. Avin is among them, as too is his close friend Mile. This time around, however, it is a new protagonist named Forte who leads the party and he is joined by ten other playable characters.
6 The Legend Of Heroes: A Tear Of Vermillion (19)
The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion is the second game in the Gagharv trilogy and was one of the first Legend of Heroes titles to be made available in the West. Originally released in Japan on the NEC PC-9801, the game was later ported to PC and PlayStation before finally making its way to the PSP in 2005. The game's main protagonist is Avin, who makes up one of 19 characters that players are able to control throughout the game.
5 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel (22)
Unlike many of the other Legend of Heroes sub-series which start out with a relatively small cast of characters, Trails of Cold Steel begins with a bit of a bang. As well as the games' main protagonist Rean, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel introduces 21 additional playable characters including fan favorites like Alisa and Laura. Erebonia is clearly not short of heroes, which perhaps bodes well considering some of the powerful antagonists that also reside there.
4 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails In The Sky The 3rd (23)
The third and final entry in the Trails in the Sky series features more playable characters than the previous two games combined. In fact, at the time of the game's release, it featured more protagonists than any other Legend of Heroes game, period.
Kevin returns from the previous title, although this time serves as the main protagonist rather than just a secondary character. He's joined by his childhood friend Ries as well as plenty of other interesting characters.
3 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel II (23)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II takes place one month on from the events of the previous game's climax and once again centers around Rean Schwarzer. He's one of 23 playable characters in the game, although five of these are generally considered to be guest characters rather than traditional main party members. Even so, that's one more than the previous Trails of Cold Steel title and, at the time of its release, marked a joint high for the Legend of Heroes franchise.
2 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel III (27)
Releasing in the states in late 2019, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III introduces a handful of new playable characters which takes the total number from 23 to 27. Tio, Randy and Tita are amongst those who return while Rean gets a promotion of sorts; having now been appointed as the new instructor of Thors Millitary Academy's Class VII.
1 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel IV (39)
With a total of 39, the fourth and final installment in the Erebonia arc features more playable characters than any of the Legend of Heroes games that preceded it. Rean once again leads the way and is joined by many of the characters from earlier Trails of Cold Steel titles as well as plenty of new ones. Quite a few of them only show up for short sections of the game, although together they provide more than enough variety to accommodate almost every play-style imaginable.