Final Fantasy 16is a truly exceptional game for a lot of reasons, but perhaps the biggest is its phenomenal protagonist, Clive Rosfield. He is a stoic, brave, and nuanced character that carries the complex, politics-ridden, and ever-mysterious plot to the very end, delivering iconic line after line and proving to be a genuinely fun character to fight as. Of course, much of the brilliance ofFinal Fantasy 16’sClive is the voice behind him who delivers all of those iconic lines, screams, grunts, and occasional quips: Ben Starr.
Ben Starr is becoming a bit of a household name in the world of voice acting thanks to his roles in bothFinal Fantasy 16and the recentClair Obscur: Expedition 33, as well as his occasional stint as Jimbo the clown fromBalatro. However, while many may regard Clive as thebestFinal Fantasyprotagonist, potentially in large part thanks to Starr,it is bizarrely his biggest gaming crush that is of interest today, especially as it is an unconventional pickthat I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing with.
Ben Starr’s Gaming Crush Is Like A Dragon’s Protagonist
Ichiban Kasuga Has Stolen Ben Starr’s Heart
In a red carpet interview withGamesRadar, Ben Starr was asked whether he has a crush on any video game character. Naturally, Ben Starr, being the gaming aficionado that he is, replied that he believes he has “crushes on most video game characters” before singling out a handful of specific characters from JRPGs. One would assume that he’d pick the fan favorites like Tifa and Aerith, as they stole the hearts of many both in 1997 and today with the remakes; however,after mentioning Rinoa fromFF8, he casually drops Ichiban Kasuga’s name.
For those not in the know,Ichiban Kasuga is the incredible protagonist of theLike a Dragongames, which have spun off from theYakuzafranchise. He’s the frizzy-haired, JRPG-loving, bumbling, and ever-affable hero that offers quite a contrast toYakuza’sKiryu. Ichiban is one ofgaming’s best protagonists, so it is no surprise that Ben Starr fell head over heels for him. It also helps that Ichiban’s quite good-looking, largely thanks to his goofy expressions.
Starr went on to describe Ichiban as a “tender lover” and the “perfect partner”, and it isn’t hard to see why. While Kiryu would likely be the pick for many who love this series - Majima would be my choice personally - especially thanks to his great singing voice,it is nice to see Ichiban getting recognition for once. He’s a wonderful character and one of the reasons why it is easy to stomach the turn-based combat change and new cast of characters betweenYakuzaandLike a Dragon.
Ben Starr’s A Huge Fan Of Video Games
From JRPGs To Everything In Between
It isn’t surprising that Ben Starr picked Ichiban as one of his many video game crushes, and not just because of his dreamy eyes.Ben Starr’s taste in gamesis legendary at this point, with him constantly shouting out a slew of great titles, especially JRPGs. In fact, he’s got such good taste that he even did a humorousvideo for Square Enixrecommending what people should play next.Like a Dragonisn’t exactly an obscure series, but it is perhaps a bit of a deep cut, especially for those who haven’t completely immersed themselves in the complexYakuzalore.
It is also refreshing to see newer protagonists singled out - not just as crushes, mind - as nostalgia can often discredit them and their incredible achievements. Ben Starr has lent his exceptionally talented voice to a number of amazing protagonists that definitely deserve more credit, especially when they turn an otherwiseperfunctory JRPG likeFFXVIinto a masterpiece. One can hope that Starr eventually does disclose his list of gaming crushes, if only so we can hear about even more great JRPGs likeFinal Fantasy 16that are worth adding to our ever-expanding backlogs.
