JRPG 3.0: How Katsura Hashino Wants To Reinvent Persona, Metaphor And The Future Of Japanese RPGs

27 November 2025
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13 min.
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JRPG 3.0: How Katsura Hashino Wants To Reinvent Persona, Metaphor And The Future Of Japanese RPGs

Summary:

Katsura Hashino, the creative mind behind modern Persona and Metaphor ReFantazio, has started talking about something he calls JRPG 3.0. It is his way of describing a new stage for Japanese role playing games, one that does more than simply bump up visuals or polish battle systems. In recent talks he has split the genre into stages: JRPG 1.0 as the classic roots with series like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, JRPG 2.0 as today’s more responsive and polished form, and JRPG 3.0 as the next big leap that changes how these games are built and how they feel to play. He wants future projects to alter structure and presentation at a fundamental level, adding a larger emotional dimension rather than just stacking on more systems. Metaphor ReFantazio already hints at this goal with its bold fantasy setting, layered social systems and striking interface. Bringing that idea fully to life will be difficult, but if Atlus can pull it off, JRPG 3.0 could reshape how players think about the entire genre.

JRPG 3.0 as Katsura Hashino’s next big step for the genre

JRPG 3.0 is not a catchy marketing line that someone in a boardroom cooked up. It comes straight from Katsura Hashino himself, shared during talks and interviews where he explained how he sees the future of Japanese role playing games. At events like G-Star 2025 he outlined a vision where JRPGs move into a new stage that goes beyond simply being longer, flashier or more cinematic. He described JRPG 3.0 as a phase that should “change the genre’s structure and presentation at a fundamental level,” signaling that systems, storytelling and even moment to moment flow will need to be rethought from the ground up.

Hashino is not pretending he already has a full blueprint ready. He admits that he does not yet know exactly what JRPG 3.0 will look like, but he clearly wants his future projects to serve as early examples. Metaphor ReFantazio is already framed as a step toward that goal rather than just another turn based fantasy game. He talks about wanting JRPGs that leave deeper, longer lasting impressions, where experience turns into memory through careful use of structure, theme and art direction. Instead of chasing every possible trend, he seems more interested in asking what makes players remember a game years after the credits roll and using that as the starting point.

How JRPG 1.0 defined the classic roots of the genre

To explain JRPG 3.0, Hashino first looks back. He labels the earliest stage JRPG 1.0 and ties it to what many players think of as the “true classics.” This stage covers those early years when Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy gave players simple but powerful loops built around turn based battles, leveling and world maps. On the surface they were straightforward: talk to NPCs, explore the map, fight monsters, move the story along. Yet for many fans that simplicity is exactly what made these games special. Rules were easy to grasp, the pacing was clear, and each new spell or weapon felt like a small discovery that belonged to you.

JRPG 1.0 also set foundations that still matter today. It showed that long form storytelling, recurring party members and serialized worlds could hook players for dozens of hours at a time. Even with limited hardware, developers used music, text and small pixel gestures to build emotional bonds. Think of the way a simple chiptune melody still instantly recalls a certain village or airship, even decades later. These early titles taught creators how to balance grinding with progress, tension with comfort and challenge with fantasy. When Hashino talks about JRPG 1.0, he is acknowledging that every new experiment, including his own, sits on top of these roots.

JRPG 2.0 and the rise of modern responsive design

After those early years, the genre gradually shifted into what Hashino calls JRPG 2.0. This stage captures the modern form most people recognize today: games with voice acting, dynamic camera work, slick user interfaces and battle systems that answer the player’s inputs with speed and flash. Turn based commands became quicker and more flexible, active elements were added, and presentation caught up with broader expectations for console games. When Hashino refers to JRPG 2.0 as “its current style, which feels higher quality due to how much more responsive they are to the player,” he is pointing at this combination of technical polish and immediate feedback.

Persona 3, 4 and 5 are strong examples of JRPG 2.0 in action. They take classic turn based combat and surround it with modern interfaces, stylish transitions, voice performances and social systems that respond closely to the player’s choices and schedule. Metaphor ReFantazio joins that family with its own fantasy spin, using high resolution art, complex menus and layered systems that still feel intuitive once you settle into the rhythm. Across the wider genre, we see similar moves in series like Dragon Quest XI, modern Final Fantasy entries and many smaller projects that embrace everything from action combat to hybrid styles while still tracing their roots back to those early 1.0 frameworks.

Why Hashino believes JRPG structure needs a shake up

If JRPG 2.0 already feels slick and refined, why push for JRPG 3.0 at all? From Hashino’s comments, the answer seems to sit in structure. He talks about wanting a “greater dimension” to these games, one that does not just rely on adding more features or bigger maps. In his G-Star talk he framed JRPG 3.0 as a response to the limits of current design habits: predictable story beats, familiar dungeon progressions and social systems that, while fun, can start to feel like checklists. The genre has reached a point where small tweaks are no longer enough to surprise players who have grown up with JRPGs their whole lives.

Changing structure means asking different questions at the start of a project. Instead of beginning with “What kind of battle system should we use?” or “How many hours should this adventure last?”, the team might start by defining what kind of emotional journey they want the player to go through. Structure then becomes a tool for shaping that feeling. Maybe that means seasonal calendars used in unexpected ways, political decision making that truly alters story routes, or exploration that is less about clearing icons and more about discovering social dynamics. Hashino seems interested in frameworks that make each player’s path feel personal rather than simply long.

Metaphor ReFantazio as a bridge toward JRPG 3.0

Metaphor ReFantazio is not labelled as JRPG 3.0, yet many of its ideas clearly move in that direction. The game already experiments with structure by blending a royal election, travel across a divided kingdom and a broad cast of party members who represent different social groups and ideals. Instead of a simple “save the world” script, the story leans into themes like anxiety, political participation and the struggle to imagine a better future, all wrapped inside a fantasy world that mirrors real life tensions. This is the kind of added dimension Hashino keeps pointing to when he describes what he wants from the next stage of JRPGs.

On a more practical level, Metaphor’s systems also hint at new directions. Its job and archetype mechanics allow for unusual party builds that reflect how the protagonist understands and connects with other characters. Its world structure mixes field exploration with dense hubs rather than sticking only to town-dungeon-town loops. Even the way quests and allegiances tie into the election gives the feeling that your growth is wrapped around a clear social context, not just experience points. For many players, Metaphor already feels like a testbed, a place where Atlus can see which experiments resonate before pushing even further in future projects that might wear the JRPG 3.0 label more openly.

How Persona’s legacy shapes the next generation of JRPGs

Hashino cannot talk about JRPG 3.0 without carrying the weight of Persona’s legacy on his shoulders. Persona 3, 4 and 5 helped redefine what a JRPG could look like to a global audience, blending everyday life with dungeon crawling and giving social interactions just as much importance as combat. Those projects showed that players are hungry for games where character relationships, themes and style are tightly woven together. At the same time, their success risks becoming a trap. If every future project simply follows the same school-calendar formula, Atlus runs the risk of turning a once daring idea into something predictable.

That tension helps explain why Metaphor ReFantazio stepped away from modern Japan and into a fully built fantasy world. Hashino has mentioned that the team did not want to distance itself from Persona out of rejection, but because they felt it was time to apply their experience to a new setting with new expectations. JRPG 3.0 can be seen as the next part of that process: taking lessons from Persona’s structure and asking how they can be rearranged, stretched or broken to fit stories and systems that do not feel tied to one formula. Long term, that could benefit not just Metaphor and any new IP, but also Persona itself if future entries draw on JRPG 3.0 thinking.

Structural shifts players might see in future JRPG 3.0 games

What might JRPG 3.0 actually look like when you hold a controller? While Hashino is careful not to lock in specific promises, his language suggests several possibilities. One is greater freedom in how players tackle main goals. Instead of linear arcs with short branches, JRPG 3.0 could lean toward flexible structures where alliances, beliefs and failures reshape the route in a more visible way. Another likely shift is tighter integration between exploration, story decisions and growth systems, so that no part of the experience feels like a side mode. If politics, social roles and inner anxieties are core themes, then dungeons, battles and even menus can reflect that directly instead of sitting apart.

We might also see experiments with pacing. Traditional JRPGs often follow a regular rhythm: slow town scenes, dungeon buildup, boss, repeat. A JRPG 3.0 mindset could swap that predictable cycle for arcs that speed up, slow down or loop in response to your choices rather than a fixed script. Time could become more elastic, with key days or events replaying from different viewpoints, or with player driven schedules that genuinely alter the shape of the journey. None of this means abandoning turn based combat or classic exploration, but it does imply a willingness to treat them as flexible pieces instead of unchangeable pillars.

Presentation changes in UI, art direction and audio

Structure is only half of Hashino’s equation. He repeatedly links JRPG 3.0 to changes in presentation as well, arguing that how a game looks, sounds and moves can shape the way players remember it long after they finish playing. Metaphor already provides a strong clue here. Its interface builds on lessons from Persona but pushes toward something even more elaborate and emotionally charged, with menus and battle screens that feel like part of the world rather than simple overlays. The UI team has spoken about wanting each transition, flourish and layout choice to amplify what the player is feeling in the moment, turning menus into emotional accelerators instead of neutral tools.

Audio follows a similar logic. Modern Atlus projects treat music and sound as living parts of the environment, not just background decoration. In Metaphor, everything from overworld themes to battle tracks carries a strong thematic role, with composers like Shoji Meguro talking about relearning musical approaches in order to match the scale and emotion of the story. JRPG 3.0 will likely continue that trend, asking players to feel structure through sound and visual feedback, so that a shift in system or story beat is instantly readable, even without a line of text spelling it out. When presentation is treated with that level of care, it becomes another lever for shaping memory and emotion.

Player emotion, memory and agency in JRPG 3.0

At the heart of JRPG 3.0 is a simple question: what do players carry with them when they put the controller down? Hashino’s talks and interviews keep returning to the idea of experience turning into memory, where the design goal is not just to entertain for a weekend but to leave thoughts and feelings that linger. That focus naturally leads to systems that respect player agency in meaningful ways. When your decisions about who to support, which ideals to follow or how to face anxiety genuinely alter outcomes, memory has something real to hold on to. It is easier to recall a scene where you made a tough choice than a cutscene that played the same way for everyone.

This does not mean every JRPG 3.0 project will suddenly become a sprawling simulation. Instead, the emphasis is on aligning structure, theme and interaction so that the emotional throughline feels clear and personal. A party member’s arc might echo a fear the game has already asked you to confront, while a mechanic could push you to act on that fear inside the world. By closing the gap between story and system, JRPG 3.0 aims to create journeys that feel less like routes you travel on rails and more like paths you actively shape, even if the overall map is still carefully authored behind the scenes.

What JRPG 3.0 could mean for long running series

Big shifts like JRPG 3.0 always raise one immediate question for fans: what does this mean for the series they already love? For long running names like Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy and Persona, the challenge is balancing recognisable core ideas with willingness to change. Rotating battle systems, reimagined worlds and new mechanics are nothing new for these franchises, but JRPG 3.0 suggests deeper changes than simple iteration. It hints at story and system frameworks that might feel less predictable, with themes and structures shaped around contemporary worries like anxiety, social pressure and political uncertainty rather than purely traditional hero stories.

For Persona specifically, JRPG 3.0 could result in an entry that lifts the iconic social calendar and dungeon loop into a new frame. Maybe the setting moves further away from school life, or maybe time management shifts from clock based routines to something more closely tied to social roles and civic responsibilities. Dragon Quest might explore more flexible quest structures while still preserving its warm, comedic tone, while Final Fantasy could push even harder into experimental presentation that matches its often bold narrative swings. In each case, the core identity can remain while the surrounding structure evolves in ways that align with Hashino’s broader vision.

Challenges Atlus faces while chasing JRPG 3.0

Dreaming about JRPG 3.0 is exciting, but building it will not be easy. Atlus and Studio Zero have to juggle several pressures at once. Fans expect certain traits from their games: satisfying turn based combat, stylish interfaces, memorable characters and soundtracks that stay in your head for years. Platform holders and publishers, meanwhile, expect projects that fit budgets and schedules. Experimenting with structure and presentation carries risk, because early prototypes might confuse players or demand longer development cycles. Even something as simple as trying a different world structure can mean rebuilding tools, pipelines and testing approaches from scratch.

There is also the problem of communication. JRPG 3.0 is an idea that makes sense when Hashino explains the stages of the genre and how he wants to move forward, but those nuances need to survive marketing campaigns and quick trailers. Atlus will have to show, not just tell, why these new projects feel different, and do it in ways that make both long time fans and curious newcomers want to jump in. If they can strike that balance, JRPG 3.0 could become a helpful shorthand for a genuinely fresh wave of role playing experiences rather than a phrase that fades away after a few news cycles.

What players should watch for as JRPG 3.0 develops

For players, the best approach is to treat JRPG 3.0 as an open invitation rather than a finished label. Metaphor ReFantazio already offers a chance to see how Atlus experiments with structure, political themes and presentation without abandoning the charm and depth people expect from their work. Future projects, whether they are new IP or fresh entries in existing series, will likely push those ideas further. Watching how calendars, social systems, dungeons and menus evolve from here can give early hints about where JRPG 3.0 is headed and which studios are eager to join that push.

Most of all, it is worth staying curious. JRPGs have always changed over time, from simple pixel adventures on old hardware to the stylish, layered experiences we have today. Hashino’s framing of JRPG 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 simply gives language to that ongoing evolution. If creators stay bold and players remain open to surprise, JRPG 3.0 might eventually feel less like a distant concept and more like a natural way to describe the games sitting in our libraries, the ones we cannot stop thinking about long after the final battle is over.

Conclusion

JRPG 3.0 is still more promise than finished framework, but it captures something real about where the genre could go next. By naming distinct stages and openly talking about the need for a new one, Katsura Hashino has invited players and fellow creators to think carefully about what they want from future Japanese role playing games. Rather than leaning only on bigger budgets or flashier cutscenes, he is pointing toward structural shifts, richer presentation and stronger emotional throughlines that link every part of the experience together. Metaphor ReFantazio stands as an early example of that mindset in motion and a testing ground for ideas that may shape the next Persona or entirely new IP. There will be missteps along the way, but if Atlus and others can hold on to the courage to experiment while respecting the roots of JRPG 1.0 and the polish of JRPG 2.0, JRPG 3.0 has a real chance to become more than a slogan and to leave us with journeys that feel genuinely new, personal and memorable.

FAQs
  • What does Katsura Hashino mean by JRPG 3.0?
    • JRPG 3.0 is Hashino’s term for a new stage in Japanese role playing games where structure and presentation change at a fundamental level instead of just receiving small tweaks. He splits the genre into JRPG 1.0 as the classic roots, JRPG 2.0 as the polished modern form and JRPG 3.0 as a future phase that uses new frameworks and expressive tools to deliver stronger emotional impact.
  • How does Metaphor ReFantazio connect to JRPG 3.0?
    • Metaphor ReFantazio functions as a bridge toward JRPG 3.0 by experimenting with political themes, election driven structure and an elaborate interface that ties closely to emotion and theme. While it is still grounded in familiar turn based systems, its focus on anxiety, social roles and a divided kingdom hints at the greater dimension Hashino wants in future projects.
  • What is the difference between JRPG 1.0 and JRPG 2.0?
    • JRPG 1.0 refers to the early classics like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy that defined the core template with simple turn based battles, overworld exploration and straightforward storytelling. JRPG 2.0 describes the modern form where those foundations gained voice acting, stylish interfaces, faster feedback and more complex systems, resulting in games that feel smoother, more responsive and technically polished.
  • Will Persona be affected by the move toward JRPG 3.0?
    • Persona is likely to feel the impact of JRPG 3.0 because Hashino’s ideas grew directly from the success and limitations of Persona 3, 4 and 5. Future entries could keep their focus on relationships and daily life while testing new structures, themes and presentation styles, giving players fresh ways to experience the same emotional core that drew them to the series in the first place.
  • What should players look for in future JRPG 3.0 projects?
    • Players curious about JRPG 3.0 should watch for games that tighten the bond between story, systems and presentation instead of treating them as separate layers. Signs include flexible narrative routes, mechanics tied directly to social or political themes, interfaces that feel like part of the world and soundtracks that clearly reflect the emotional stakes of each moment rather than simply filling silence.
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