/vr/ - Retro Games

Huh? Most CRPGs featured ripped protagonists. The androgynous teenage protagonist thing didn't really get full blown until the 16-bit console era, probably fueled by manga culture where the physically weak teenage MCs served as self inserts for their target readers. Even to this day, western RPGs tend to lean towards older, manlier protagonists.

Don't know why they'd even bring up Mario. That originated from an era where weird, comical characters were the norm for arcade games. Completely unrelated to RPGs which started out more "serious" and then became more manga-like over time.