Summary

• Worldwide launches are common now, but many video game series took several years to reach the West.
• While series like Ace Attorney only took a few years to get localized, other series, including Fire Emblem, took over a decade.

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 for Nintendo and other Japan-based companies to appro꧟ve 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 co𒊎untry. 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.

8 Ace Attorney 𒁃

It Took Four Years To Reach The West

Given 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ace Attorney's popularity 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 with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:excellent 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.

7 🌺 🧜 Front 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.

Sinceܫ then, many Front Mission titles have never received an official translation. However, the first two i﷽nstallments finally debuted internationally as remakes in 2022 and 2023, respectively.

6 🍰 Sin & 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 peacekౠeeping 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.

5 Atelier

It Took Eight Years To Reach The West

Koei Tecmo's Atelier series 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 t🉐he 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.

4 ꦅ Fire 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 to 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Fire Emblem through Super Smash Bros. Melee, but the series dates all the way back to t💎he 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 titles 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:have yet to be localized, most🍬 entries have seen international launches since then.

3 🤡 Super Robo𓄧t 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 is 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Super 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.

2 ♑ ꦦ Shin Megami Tensei

It Took 17 Years To Reach The West

Before inspiring the Persona series, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Shin Megami Tensei debut♋ed 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, a♑ll numbered entries have launched internationally, garnering worldwide success.

1 Famicom Detective C♍lub

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 now 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:enjoy these spooky adventures for the first time.