Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is rich with fantastic characters, from its charismatic and memorable cast of playable characters to its plethora of engaging, compelling, nefarious, and most importantly phenomenal side characters. Throughout its incredibly lengthy main story, you’ll meet all sorts of people.

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From scheming villains, misunderstood legends, helpful allies, and adorable fathers, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to interact with some of the most genuinely interesting side characters in a JRPG. While there are possibly hundreds of side characters in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, there is a handful that absolutely stand out above the rest.

10 Jin

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a mid shot of Jin facing the frame with one hand on the hilt his sheathed sword that's on his back

Jin is one of Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s central antagonists, and you’ll come toe to toe with him on multiple occasions. He’s a calm and collected character which makes him all the more disconcerting when he effortlessly defeats you.

However, what makes Jin so unique is his backstory which comes into play during the latter half of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and is the focus of its DLC, Torna The Golden Country. He’s an incredibly nuanced and multi-faceted character who serves as both a captivating villain and a heartfelt hero.

9 Yew & Zuo

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a split image of Yew holding a spear (on the left) and Zuo looking into the distance (on the right)

Yew and Zuo are minor characters that appear when you first arrive in Garfront Village in the Kingdom of Uraya. They’re the assistants to the beloved character Vandham, and serve as mini-boss fights on multiple occasions.

What makes them so unique is your interactions with them before and after Vandham’s death. They serve as a way of showing Vandham’s life outside of you and your adventures and praise his good deeds. Beyond that, they’re just a great duo of characters that help expand on the world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in a genuinely interesting way.

8 Bana

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a mid shot of the Nopon Bana and his robot companion Lila stood in a factory looking towards the frame

Bana is the conniving Nopon who you meet at the very beginning of the game. He’s all kinds of evil and is happy to send you off with a clearly nefarious group of villains whose leader is quite literally called Malos (sounds an awful lot like Malice, perhaps that’s his sister.)

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Bana pops up every so often to commit more heinous acts such as funding a terrorist organization, attempting to assassinate a child emperor, and building an army of maid robots to steal Pyra. Just your ordinary, every day super villain type stuff. Bana truly is the main super villain of Xenoblade Chronicles 2, the Lex Luthor or perhaps more aptly Condiment King of the game.

7 Jac

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a wide shot of Jac (on the right) and his blade (on the left) in Torigoth surrounded by other people

Jac is an interesting side character, though it is quite easy to miss him. While you’ll see him in a cutscene quite early on as a young man trying to activate a blade, you’ll only truly get to know him if you find him as a soldier in Alba Cavanich.

His side quest, We Meet Again, is a genuinely great questline full of intrigue, mystery, betrayal, and a lot of catching up. It ties together events from the beginning into your own adventure and lets you catch up with a seemingly insignificant character. Jac simultaneously makes the fantastical fictional world of Alrest feel intimate and familiar, yet vast and full of possibilities. As a result, Jac becomes an incredibly memorable side character.

6 Tatazo

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a mid shot of the Nopon Tatazo stood with his back facing a metal wall

Tatazo is Tora’s adorable father who is kidnapped by Bana and forced to create an army of robot slaves. He also happens to be the original creator of the first artificial blade, Lila. Tatazo is a great character simply for being a lovable father figure.

His goofy mustache in combination with the cute aesthetic of the Nopon makes him a complete contradiction, simultaneously combining Puss in Boots with Ron Swanson. While he isn’t in the game for long, Tatazo certainly makes a memorable impression.

5 Cole/Minoth

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a mid shot of the characters Cole (on the right) and Iona (on the left) in Fonsa Myma with carts in the background

Cole, or as he was formerly known, Minoth, like Jin, isn’t expanded upon enough in Xenoblade Chronicles 2. He’s the player’s first introduction to Flesh Eaters, a combination of both humans and blades, which become incredibly important at a later date.

In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Cole serves as an emotional plot point and a connection to Vandham. In the DLC, he has a much larger role as his backstory and role as a blade are gone into quite considerably. He is, nevertheless, a great side character and has multiple heartfelt moments in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

4 Amalthus

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a mid shot of the character Amalthus in his ceremonial robes looking out into the distance

Amalthus appears every now and then throughout your adventure in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, in both present-day cutscenes and flashbacks. He is the original driver of both Malos and Minoth. While he is always a fairly significant character, he eventually becomes an incredibly important one that influences the events of your journey in a big way.

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Once again, Amalthus gets expanded upon in the DLC, but his nuanced character does get a decent amount of screen time in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and serves as the driving force for a lot of the events that occur. Suffice to say, Amalthus is one of the most integral characters to the game’s narrative.

3 Gramps

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Locations a mid shot of the titan Azurda looking out into the distance while Rex and his house rest on his back

It would be impossible not to put the stern titan turned adorable baby titan Azurda (aka Gramps) on this list. Gramps plays a huge role in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 as both a cheerleader and a literal saviour of the main protagonists.

He acts as a father figure to Rex, and has a close bond with him throughout the entire game. He shouts words of encouragement from the sidelines and counsels the rest of the group when they need it. Gramps feels like a combination of all the elderly figures in Studio Ghibli’s plethora of incredible work and makes Xenoblade Chronicles 2 all the better for it.

2 Mikhail

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a mid shot of the villain Mikhail stood in a warehouse looking suspicious

Mikhail is one of the multiple antagonists in the game and works for the organization Torna, of which Jin and Malos are a part. He’s the comic relief within the villains, bumbling about and flirting his way through each encounter. He’s charming, roguish, and a bit of a fool for the majority of the experience, but is later redeemed in a genuinely affecting scene.

Mikhail may not be the most intimidating of villains, but he does offer an alternative perspective to the antagonists of the game and makes them seem far more human and nuanced. He is expanded upon in the DLC, which makes him all the more compelling in the base game.

1 Malos

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Side Characters a close up of Malos looking angrily towards the frame with his mouth open

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 wouldn’t be the same without the maleficent, malevolent, malicious Malos. He is the embodiment of pure evil, hating the world as his original driver Amalthus did, and as a result, is a genuinely intimidating force.

His evil presence throughout Xenoblade Chronicles 2 helps motivate the main cast to continue on their adventures and spurs Rex to have an incredibly important revelation later in the game. While he is fairly villainous for the majority of the game, there are moments of vulnerability shown to ensure he remains mostly nuanced. Either way, Malos should undoubtedly be considered as one of the best antagonists in a JRPG.

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