It's always important for a JRPG to have a great story since without them, the characters you play are just random nobodies doing a quest without any real motivation or background to themselves or the game world.
This was actually the case in very early Japanese RPGs that may have had significant backstory in their instruction books, but the actual in-game story was incredibly scarce, maybe due to cartridge space limitations.
Luckily, with expanding video game capabilities during the following decades, that would mostly change, with many JRPGs having narratives on par with those of movies and books, and this article will seek to explain those originating in Japan that are among the best.
20. Persona 4 Golden
PlayStation 2,4 | PlayStation Vita | Windows | Nintendo Switch | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
One can never say "Never More" to the enhanced rerelease of the fourth mainline entry of Atlus’ Persona series. After the protagonist moves into a countryside town in Japan with his maternal uncle and cousin, he joins his schoolmates in investigating mysterious murders involving the ethereal TV World with the assistance of the franchise's namesake entities. In the TV World, each character encounters its native enemies, Shadows, manifested from repressed emotions, with everyone needing to come to terms with their inner demons they rejected to awaken their true powers as they delve into the mysteries of the murders.
The TV World's mascot Teddie provides a "beary" large amount of help in getting the main character and his party between it and the real world, with the nationally-renowned Detective Prince Naoto Shirogane dropping into town to help solve the murder mysteries. Many twists, turns, and red herrings will occur throughout the narrative as the hero and his party try to connect the murders, culminating in the stunning finale and he bonds with his cousin and the various characters he encounters in the rural town. All this accounts for a truly "golden" experience that fans of Japanese RPGs absolutely won't want to miss.
19. Tales of Arise
PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One, Series X/S
The long-running Tales franchise arose in 2021 with Tales of Arise, starring the enigmatic protagonist termed Iron Mask in the medieval world of Dahna, who eventually remembers his name, Alphen, as his namesake persona gradually breaks. He meets Shionne from the world of Daymore, which is far more advanced, with the two making a complementing duo, given that she has a curse that hurts anyone who touches her, whereas Alphen cannot sense pain. They band with other characters like Law, who seeks to bring justice to the realm through the Dahnan resistance opposed to Renan occupation after his dad is sentenced to public execution.
After Cyslodia becomes free, the party goes to Elde Menancia, whose equivalent of Abraham Lincoln, Lord Dohalim il Qaras, abolished slavery, afterward encouraging harmony among Renans and Dahnans. Shionne ultimately reveals her ultimate goal in wanting to get all the Lords' Master Cores to create their ultra-powerful equivalent, Renas Alma, to rid herself of her curse. As Alphen's mask continues to crack, he reveals his full backstory, with he and his party restoring his old spaceship to travel to Rena's moon Lenegis to battle Vholran and the Great Spirit. An epilogue, Beyond the Dawn, rounds out the narrative of another Tale well-told.
18. Sea of Stars
Windows | Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4,5 | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Dive into the Sea of Stars with Valere and Zale, who utilize solar and lunar power to battle an evil alchemist known as the Fleshmancer. The game is set several millennia before Sabotage Studio's (nice name) previous game, The Messenger, with the heroes able to use Eclipse magic, the only kind capable of harming otherworldly fields called Dwellers. They join the warrior-cook Garl (who is actually a guy), the assassin Seraï, and the Solstice Warriors to battle the Dweller of Woe. However, the Solstice Warriors have their turncoats serving the Fleshmancer, and Valere and Zale are told to give continued chase to the Dweller and the Fleshmancer's cult.
The party visits the alchemist Resh'an, a rival to the Fleshmancer that helped him create the elixir of life, with parallel universes quickly playing part in the plot. Dwellers eventually grow into deadly beings called World Eaters, and it's up to the heroes to ensure they don't do what they do best, crossing between worlds and continuing to chase the Fleshmancer. Completing certain sidequests can unlock an alternate ending to the game, which overall proves a prime example of how independent game studios can weave stories well on par with those of big-name publishers.
17. FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster
PlayStation 3,4 | PlayStation Vita | Windows | Nintendo Switch | Xbox One
This is my story…well, Tidus', in what was the fabled Final Fantasy franchise's PlayStation 2 debut, remastered on numerous consoles a generation later. Blitzball player Tidus finds himself sucked into the world of Spira due to a mysterious entity known as Sin, banding with his mentor Auron and others to guide summoner Yuna on a quest and defeat it. From fellow Blitzballer Wakka to the deadpan-snarking Lulu and the strong-but-silent feline guardian Kimahri, Final Fantasy X brought its characters to life by being the first of the series with full voice acting during cutscenes that enrich a deep storyline with many emotional moments.
The remaster of the tenth Final Fantasy would be bundled with that of its polarizing direct sequel, Final Fantasy X-2, starring a gun-toting Yuna with thief Rikku and newcomer Paine, who stands in as resident deadpan snarker. The former summoner seeks her lost love and learns about an ancient weapon of mass destruction originally designed to combat Sin, with tons of great humor that is far from "disasteriffic" in contrast to its serious precursor. It definitely takes far more than a thousand words, musical or otherwise, to describe the experience in what is undoubtedly one of the funniest Japanese RPGs ever made, and a genuinely enjoyable continuation of the saga of Spira after the start of the Calm.
FINAL FANTASY X / X-2 HD Remaster Trailer (PS4)
16. Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
Windows
Sing aloud a Symphony of War with Dancing Dragon Games' strategy RPG where players create a male or female main character who graduates from an academy in the war-torn world of Tahnra. The protagonist can gather allies, bond with others, and lead their army to triumph over corrupt enemies to quell the unending cycle of war after the Veridian Succession left the Empire of Veridia scarred. While Empress Florina seemed to stop said cycle, a renegade general kidnaps her and builds up his own powerful military, with the following war deciding the world's fate.
The protagonist's fellow graduates from the Imperial War Academy are at first sent to quell a rebellion before getting themselves embroiled in said war by the rogue general. The player's character will meet friends, heroes, allies, and rivals from many different factions across the world, and can forge relationships with them to unlock a neverending variety of conversations and bonds. Those who invest their time into the game will experience an epic fantasy story full of malice, betrayal, and ambition as the precarious peace of Tahnra unravels, gripping players to the very end.
15. Persona 5
PlayStation 3,4,5 | Nintendo Switch | Windows | Xbox One, Series X/S
The Phantom Thieves are out to steal your hearts in the fifth entry of Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei spinoff series. After he stops an assault, the protagonist, codenamed Joker, is framed by the guy responsible, going on probation for a year and attending a school in Tokyo. Like the heroes of the third and fourth games, Joker is drawn to the Velvet Room, where the long-nosed Igor and his female servants tell him he must go to supernatural rehab during his probation, so his future isn't further mucked up. He bands with a few schoolmates like Ryuji, Ann, and the game's kitty mascot Morgana to form the Phantom Thieves, who steal the metaphorical "hearts" of various villains like the sexual predator Kamoshida to get them to confess their misdeeds.
The Phantom Thieves are eventually able to drive Morgana's vehicular form down Mementos to get public approval of their vigilantism, encountering countless speed bumps in their quest. Other criminals they seek to reform include fellow Phantom Thief Haru's father, a corporate control freak and crappy dad, and Japanese Prime Minister candidate Masayoshi Shido. The Phantom Thieves get the attention of the police, culminating in numerous plot revelations and a choice of endings. With a plotline that can run players well up to a hundred or more hours, Persona 5 is definitely an RPG that will captivate everyone's heart.
14. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
To Nahobino be the Glory, great things will he do in the post-doomsday setting of the enhanced rerelease of the fifth entry of Atlus' Shin Megami Tensei series. As the hero returns home from school in modern-day Tokyo one day with his friend Ichiro Dazai, both are pulled into the Da'at, an alternate version of the city destroyed in a war between the Angels that follow the Creator and the demons loyal to renegade angel Lucifer. An artificial Proto-Friend named Aogami merges with the protagonist to form the Nahobino, an androgynous demonic entity retaining the divine Knowledge the Creator stole from other gods during the battle between Him and Lucifer.
The Nahobino will frequently cross paths with the rogue Shohei Yakumo and his demon companion Nüwa, who represent neutrality, akin to how Ichiro represents "law" and Yuzuru Atsuta, an agent of the divine Bethel Organization, represents "chaos." The Vengeance rerelease splits the central narrative into two branches: the "Canon of Creation," the original's plot, and the "Canon of Vengeance," which leads the Nahobino in a new direction. Regardless of which Canon the player chooses to fire, Shin Megami Tensei V is sure to provide them one hell (or heaven) of a time in Atlus' definitive version of the game.
13. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE INTERGRADE
PlayStation 5 | Windows
Square-Enix unleashed quite the Avalanche with its long-awaited remake of Final Fantasy VII, focusing on Cloud Strife, a former SOLDIER working for the corrupt Shinra Electric Power Company. Disillusioned with the electric corporation, Cloud, at the behest of his childhood friend Tifa Lockhart, joins the ecoterrorist organization named—you guessed it—Avalanche, taking mercenary jobs. The group believes that the company's excessive harvesting of the planet's spiritual force, Mako, will ultimately lead to its ruin. The ex-SOLDIER, who is hardly on Cloud Nine, is tormented by thoughts of his fellow former member of the elite warriors, Sephiroth.
Cloud eventually meets flower girl Aerith Gainsborough, the last descendant of the ancient Cetra race, and the catlike Red XIII (What happened to I-XII?), all of them helping him along his quest. The first part ends with Cloud and company fleeing the Shinra Tower via the Midgar Expressway, with the Intergrade rerelease showing them traveling to the calm village of Kalm. Intergrade also gives ninja Yuffie Kisaragi the chance to prove that if you want Materia, you have to "steel" it, adding scenes with SOLDIER Zack Fair seeking Aerith in Midgar as well. Whenever Square-Enix finally gets around to completing the remake trilogy, players are sure to have a blast with the expanded narrative of said three-parter.
12. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
PlayStation 4, 5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Smaug from The Hobbit isn't the only dragon who can give you "infinite wealth," as the sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon easily proves. Players control Ichiban Kasuga (no relation to the lipstick for men), Kazuma Kiryu, and their companions as they go on an adventure across their native Japan and even drop by Honolulu, Hawaii. Kasuga is seeking his biological mother he thought had died years before, while Kiryu seeks said mother as well per the Daidoji syndicate's orders. Many of Kasuga's allies from Yakuza: Like a Dragon return like Yu Nanba and Koichi Adachi, while he gets new companions like Seonhee, leader of the Geomijul syndicate, and Hawaiian taxi driver Eric Tomizawa.
Other characters include the wheelchair-bound Eiji Mitamura and Hawaiian Barracudas gang leader Dwight Méndez, who highly resembles actor Danny Trejo (and is, incidentally, voiced by Trejo himself in the English dub). The narrative overall is resemblant of The Godfather, albeit with Japanese gangsters, with countless revelations about the various characters and their backgrounds, with health problems on part of certain characters also playing significant roles. All this culminates in a fiery conclusion at the Millennium Tower in Kamurocho, Tokyo, with the fates of the multitude of dramatis personae settled in the end, accounting for another great continuation of the overarching narrative in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series.
11. NieR:Automata™
PlayStation 4 | Windows | Xbox One | Nintendo Switch
YoRHa sure to get an enjoyable experience with developer PlatinumGames and publisher Square Enix's NieR: Automata, set millennia after the first game, with humans being totally absent. Android 2B and her trusty scanner sidekick 9S fight an invading armada of alien-built Machines, proving as well that yes, robots can love, too. Automata necessitates multiple playthroughs to get the most out of the plot, with the first beginning through 2B's perspective and the second through 9S's. Both clear threats by the Machines against Anemone's Resistance forces, with the two finding that the aliens are trying to recreate human civilization.
2B and 9S ally with a pacifist machine group headed by Pascal, combating physical incarnations of the Machine Network named Adam and Eve, who reveal that their creators are long deceased. The third playthrough begins with the YoRHa commencing a full-scale invasion, with a logic virus corrupting every unit but 2B and 9S. A rogue YoRHa, A2, plays part in the tertiary playthrough, with a plot branch allowing players to choose between her or 9S. Characters returning from the first game like Emil, Devola, and Popola have their own story arcs, accounting overall for a superb narrative sure to please fans of science-fiction RPGs.
10. DRAGON QUEST® XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age™ - Definitive Edition
PlayStation 4 | Windows | Nintendo Switch | Xbox One | Stadia
Someday, players will find the Rainbough connection in the eleventh entry of the legendary Japanese RPG franchise. The Dragon Quest series began as the brainchild of scenario writer Yuji Horii, the late character designer and mangaka Akira Toriyama, and his fellow traveler across the rainbow bridge, composer Koichi Sugiyama. Dragon Quest XI occurs in the world of Erdrea, with the kingdom of Dundrasil invaded by monsters, the hero, eventually termed the Luminary, found floating on a river in the village of Cobblestone by an elder named Chalky (nice name). Jailed by King Carnelian of Heliodor for allegedly being evil, the Luminary is busted out of prison by the thief Erik.
They are joined by the twin mages Serena and Veronica, the latter trapped in a child's body due to a curse, along with other endearing characters like the effeminate entertainer Sylvando, Heliodor's exiled princess Jade, and the elderly Rab, the former king of Dundrasil. The Luminary and his companions eventually battle an evil sorcerer named Mordegon, who plunges the world into an age of darkness, with one of King Carnelian's agents, Hendrik, joining the hero to battle the magician. The Tower of Lost Time will then play part in the narrative, although fortunately, the time that players will invest into the game will be far from wasted in one of the high points of the Dragon Quest series.
9. OCTOPATH TRAVELER II
Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Square-Enix and Acquire unleashed another eight-armed beast with the second entry of their Octopath Traveler series, focusing on another set of, true to its title, eight characters, each with their own purposes for traveling the game world. The playable cast includes the hunter and beastling Ochette, the amnesiac apothecary Castti, the Black Snake thief Throné (not the kind royalty sits in, mind you), the magical scholar Osvald, the merchant Partitio, the dancer Agnea, the church cleric and inquisitor Temenos, and the warrior prince Hikari. Each character has from four to five chapters to themselves alongside two special ones where they cross paths, appropriately named "Crossed Paths."
After the player completes all Travelers' plotlines, they sit around a campfire exchanging stories about their goals, only for things to go dark and night becoming eternal. This kicks off their journey to bring dawn back to the world, with the Travelers learning about the Moonshade Order that played part in their journeys. Revelations abound about the nonplayer characters as well, including Kazan and Claude, not to mention who truly caused Trousseu to go insane. All this culminates in a final confrontation with the dark god Vide and a conclusion where all the Travelers bid their adieus and go their separate ways, with Octopath Traveler II ultimately proving that eight is more than enough.
8. DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT
PlayStation 4,5 | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S | Windows | Stadia
Developer CyberConnect2 and publisher Bandai Namco hit the (dragon) ball with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, based on the late mangaka Akira Toriyama's long-running multimedia franchise. The game follows the main hero Goku (his birth name being Kakarot) and the Z-Fighters throughout the anime's events and includes many anime-original storyline moments. Kakarot is divided into four storylines, including the Saiyan, Frieza, Cell, and Buu Sagas, in line with the anime's plot arcs. Downloadable content adds arcs from Dragon Ball Super like Battle of Gods and Resurrection 'F', alongside an original storyline featuring Future Trunks squaring off against Babidi to prevent Majin Buu's awakening.
The Saiyan Saga focuses on Goku training in the afterlife after his former nemesis Piccolo kills him and his older brother Raditz, while Piccolo in turn trains Goku's son Gohan and the other Z Warriors do their own training. The Frieza Saga pits everyone against the Saiyan Vegeta's namesake overlord, the Cell Saga against the power-hungry Cell, and the Buu Saga versus the genocidal Majin Buu and his various forms. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot definitely provides a fun alternative means of experiencing the story of the admittedly-convoluted anime, along with the supplemental stories of its DLC.
7. Yakuza 0
PlayStation 3,4 | Windows | Xbox One
Like a Dragon, Sega's Yakuza series strikes from nowhere with its prequel entry Yakuza 0, set in 1988 during Japan's bubble era, seventeen years before the first mainline entry. Players alternate between the storylines of series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and his eyepatch-wearing adversary Goro Majima as they get involved in various yakuza factions battling for control of the "Empty Lot." Mercifully, Yakuza 0 is far from "empty" of story, with a blind woman, Makoto Makimura, having inherited the Lot, with the main antagonists being the Dojima Family, whose godfather, Sohei Dojima, wants the Empty Lot for himself.
Kiryu tries throughout the game to clear his name after being framed for a murder in said Empty Lot and gets the help of real estate agent Tetsu Tachibana in trying to do so. In the meanwhile, Majima runs a cabaret club as penance for his involvement in an assassination, with Omi Alliance member Tsukasa Sagawa serving as his always-surveilling Big Brother. Kiryu and Majima occasionally tangle throughout the game, with Makoto constantly caught in the crossfire of the war over the Empty Lot. The prequel ends with Kiryu seeking his own path as a yakuza, and overall adds a great Godfather-like story to the Sega franchise.
6. Volcano Princess
Windows | Nintendo Switch | Xbox Series X/S
Developer Egg Hatcher hatched an eruptive egg worldwide in April 2023 with their social simulation RPG Volcano Princess, where chivalry, magic, and alchemy are the name of the game. A recently-widowed father takes care of his daughter, the eponymous Volcano Princess, with the two having a lot of daddy-daughter time as he manages her daily routine, enrolling her in various school courses and extracurricular activities. School subjects include music, painting, and fighting, with the other activities including working, adventuring, garden dancing, playing dice, capturing horses, and so on.
The Volcano Princess and her father will visibly age throughout the game, with the heroine starting as a preteen needing to learn how to communicate with others and have prim and proper etiquette. When she comes of age, she can pledge her allegiance to one of the three lords of the land, growing her stature with whomever she chooses. The Volcano Princess ultimately gets the chance to show her stuff at the laughably-named Birdie Festival and visits a dark canyon where the secrets of the land's ancestors await discovery. Given the potential neverending plot variations, Volcano Princess is sure to be a good romp for those in search of a good gaming bildungsroman (coming-of-age story, for those who don’t know the term).
5. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Sega's Yakuza series became Like a Dragon, true to its fatherland's original Japanese franchise name, with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, releasing worldwide in 2020. Marking a shift in the franchise and occurring three years after Yakuza 6: The Song of Life in 2019, Like a Dragon occurs in the Yokohama district of Isezaki Ijincho. The series protagonist shifts from Kazuma Kiryu to Ichiban Kasuga (although Kazuma is still a supporting character), a grunt in the Arakawa Family. He recruits several allies like the homeless ex-nurse Yu Nanba, the former police officer Koichi Adachi, and the barwoman Saeko Mukoda.
Eighteen years before the game's events, Kasuga confessed to a murder that his captain committed to protect his reputation, being released and crashing an Omi Alliance meeting. He and his party battle the Geomijul Mafia along with the Omi Alliance, which eventually goes under the hilarious guise of Bleach Japan. Kasuga and company eventually meet Tojo officer Goro Majima and the Clan's former chairman, Kazuma Kiryu. Kasuga will learn about his parentage, with he and his party giving chase to Ryo Aoki, whose fate is ultimately settled, rounding out another great Godfather-like storyline in the Sega series.
4. FINAL FANTASY IX
PlayStation | PlayStation 4 | Android | iOS | Windows | Nintendo Switch | Xbox One
Squaresoft's Final Fantasy IX had fans of the series nostalgic for a throwback experience singing sweet "Melodies of Life" when it was released on the original PlayStation back in 2000. The ninth mainline entry of the fabled franchise occurs in the world of Gaia, most of its population inhabiting the Mist Continent, home to the nations of Alexandria, Lindblum, Burmecia, and Cleyra. The protagonist is Zidane Tribal, a Genome (essentially, a human with a tail) and member of the bandit guild Tantalus pretending to be a theater troupe, tasked with kidnapping Princess Garnet of Alexandria, who takes inspiration from her kidnapper's weapons and goes by the alias Dagger.
The black mage Vivi and royal knight Steiner join them and discover that Alexandira's ugly-as-sin Queen Brahne is manufacturing an army of soulless magicians that resemble Vivi. Kuja is Brahne's main arms dealer and has a power struggle with the hideous monarch that culminates in him taking over as the game's main antagonist. Zidane and company discover the origin of the universe, the Crystal World, where they battle Kuja and the game's ultimate baddie, Necron, the force of death. The ending has some surprise twists and the beautiful ending theme, "Melodies of Life," that round out what had been the Final Fantasy franchise's swan song on the Sony PlayStation, readily available via ports for modern gamers to enjoy.
3. Attack on Titan / A.O.T. Wings of Freedom
PlayStation 4 | Windows | Xbox One
Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan series would epitomize classical David-versus-Goliath storylines, with protagonist Eren Yeager vowing vengeance on the titular adversaries when they destroy his village and kill his mother. The video game adaptation highlights key moments from chapters 1 through 33 of the manga, also covered by the anime series' first season, making it a more interactable substitute to respectively reading and watching them. After this mother's death, Eren yearns to become a member of the Scout Regiment and joins the 104th Cadet Corps.
Five years afterward, the Colossal Titan that devoured Eren's mother reappears, and he gives a crack at fighting it alone, unsurprisingly failing. He tries again with some help from a squad, but again fails, getting his leg injured and many of his fellow soldiers killed. The Scout Regiment's main goal is to scout beyond the Walls defending humanity, each with some unusual names like Wall Maria and Wall Rose. Many of these Walls are in dire need of repair, although surprisingly, the "power of the Titans" can possibly restore them into working shape. Attack on Titan's video game adaptation is sure to provide a good giant-slaying experience for fans of the animanga.
Attack on Titan Size Comparison ► First person view
2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Windows
The Bright and shining martial artist Estelle and her foster brother, the amnesiac Joshua, embark on a quest to find their father gone AWOL. They train as Bracers, a nongovernmental international organization that seeks to keep the peace, while discovering a plot to overthrow the queen of Liberl. A secret criminal organization called Ouroboros is actually running things behind the scenes, with Joshua recovering his memories and splitting from Estelle. Beforehand, Joshua confesses his love for her and makes sure to drug her so that she has a hard time following him.
Estelle spends most of the lengthier second part of the Trails in the Sky trilogy seeking Joshua, dealing with Ouroboros along the way and continuing to "git gud" with the Bracer Guild. An ancient floating city, the Liber Ark, is raised, where the second part's final battles occur, after which come plot revelations ahoy. The third and final part changes gears and follows Septian Church agent Kevin Graham, who is banished to the otherworldly Phantasma, with previous characters in the trilogy spirited there as well, all seeking a way to escape. Given the superb lore and lengthy narrative, the Trails in the Sky games are sure to provide players an endearing experience.
1. Finding Paradise
Linux | macOS | Windows | Android | iOS | Nintendo Switch
Video gamers hoping to find paradise can look no further than Freebird Games' sequel to To the Moon and A Bird Story titled, well…Finding Paradise. Two doctors, Eva Rosalene and Neil Watts, seek to fulfill a wish for the bedridden old man Colin Reeds, whose memories they explore. The medical duo must interpret whatever information they find and experience his emotions and feelings to delve deeper into his memories to discover the truth about what he really wants. Eva and Neil will travel through all of Colin's memories, from childhood to present, and occasionally take breaks to explore his house for clues.
Eva and Neil work for Sigmund Corp., which uses a technology capable of creating artificial memories, which is only legal to use on comatose patients near death like Colin. The duo discovers "mementos" that allow them to travel backwards through his life, with Dr. Watts choosing to use a personally-modified memory machine instead of an official one from Sigmund. The doctors find that Colin, who was a loner in school, frequently communicated with a neighbor named Faye, who had a polar-opposite personality, but ultimately became a lover to Sofia. The emotional rollercoaster leading up to Colin's eventual death will be sure to touch even the coldest gamer's heart.
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