Summary
Any Western video game fan knows the agonizing suspense of waiting for a Japanese series to get an international launch. Before worldwide debuts were common, it could take years forNintendoand other Japan-based companies to approve an English localization. Even to this day, some titles have never received an official translation.
On the bright side, nothing is more satisfying than the relief when your favorite Japanese game finally reaches your country. Thanks to the end of region locking, everyone from North America to Europe and beyond can now enjoy video games from anywhere in the world. But which series took the longest to reach the West?
We’ve ranked these series based on how long it took them to get localized.
8Ace Attorney
It Took Four Years To Reach The West
GivenAce Attorney’spopularity in the West, it’s easy to forget that an English localization was once uncertain. The first Phoenix Wright title debuted on Game Boy Advance in 2001, with two sequels quickly following. North America and Europe had to wait an entire console generation to receive the trilogy via DS remakes.
Despite the series' loyal Western following, many Ace Attorney titles still have a delayed worldwide launch. For instance, The Great Ace Attorney took six years to get an official English translation. Nonetheless, all mainline entries and most spin-offs have since been localized, many withexcellent dubs.
As an Ace Attorney fan, I can attest to the agony of not knowing if the next game will leave Japan. Fortunately, we’ve been mostly lucky so far.
7Front Mission
It Took Five Years To Reach The West
Poor Front Mission often gets overshadowed by Square Enix’s bigger properties. Still, it has made a relatively big splash in the West. It’s a tactical RPG series in which you control an army of giant mechs resembling walking tanks. The series didn’t leave Japan until the third mainline entry, which launched for PlayStation 1 in 2000.
Since then, many Front Mission titles have never received an official translation. However, the first two installments finally debuted internationally as remakes in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
6Sin & Punishment
It Took Seven Years To Reach The West
Developed by Nintendo and Treasure, Sin & Punishment was a Japanese-exclusive rail shooter for N64. The plot follows a war between the genetically-engineered Ruffians, an oppressive peacekeeping organization called Armed Volunteers, and a rebel group bent on restoring justice.
The first entry launched in 2000 and eventually reached the West seven years later via the Wii’s Virtual Console. Thankfully, the sequel came to North America and Europe in 2010, just one year after its Japanese debut.
5Atelier
It Took Eight Years To Reach The West
Koei Tecmo’sAtelierseries has long been a staple of the RPG genre in North America, Europe, and Australia. However, that wasn’t always the case. The first five games were Japan exclusives, and only one of them has since been translated into English.
The series made its Western debut with Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana in 2005, eight years after the first game launched in Japan. Most mainline titles since then have come to the West, but many handheld installments and remakes have not been localized.
4Fire Emblem
It Took 13 Years To Reach The West
It’s surprising to think that one of Nintendo’s most successful series was exclusive to Japan for many years. Western fans were introduced toFire Emblemthrough Super Smash Bros. Melee, but the series dates all the way back to the NES.
The seventh entry, The Blazing Blade, was the first Fire Emblem game with an official English translation. The series made its North American debut in 2003 and reached Europe and Australia one year later. While four of the first six titleshave yet to be localized, most entries have seen international launches since then.
3Super Robot Wars
It Took 15 Years To Reach The West
The mech genre has always been more popular in Japan than in the West. A key example isSuper Robot Wars, a tactical RPG series that reached North America and PAL regions on its 18th entry. The first installment debuted on the Game Boy in 1991, but it took until 2006 for the series to get its first English localization.
While dozens of entries have launched in Japan, only four have ever made it to Western countries, starting with Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation for Game Boy Advance. You’ll need to learn Japanese to enjoy some of the best titles in the series.
2Shin Megami Tensei
It Took 17 Years To Reach The West
Before inspiring the Persona series,Shin Megami Tenseidebuted in 1987 as Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. Sadly, the West missed out on the first four entries, which have yet to be localized outside one now-delisted iOS port.
Western JRPG fans had to wait nearly two decades for the series to leave Japan. Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne was the first to get an English translation, hitting the PlayStation 2 in 2003. Since then, all numbered entries have launched internationally, garnering worldwide success.
1Famicom Detective Club
It Took 33 Years To Reach The West
Famicom Detective Club was Nintendo’s venture into the visual novel genre. The series follows a teenage crime solver tasked with unraveling murder mysteries, some involving paranormal elements.
The first two installments, The Missing Heir and The Girl Who Stands Behind, launched on the Famicom Disk System in 1988 and 1989, respectively. After that, the series was mostly dormant for over three decades until remakes of both titles launched worldwide in 2021. Western Nintendo Switch owners can nowenjoy these spooky adventuresfor the first time.
