War of the Roses

White Rose is a mystic princess who was forced to live with other young women in the Charm Lord’s chateau. Although mystics face discrimination, White Rose has no ill will for other races and she keeps an open mind when it comes to love. While most mystics are loners who keep to themselves, White Rose is friendly and outgoing. She’s easily the kindest princess in the chateau, and she even puts herself at risk in order to help a human girl escape from her spiteful lord. White Rose’s compassion stands in contrast to an otherwise gloomy setting, and she’s one of the most heroic and sympathetic character in SaGa Frontier. Even though she only makes it through one of the game’s scenarios, her grace and elegance are apparent to all. She would have been rated higher on this list if she had a larger role in the game.

Captain Rose isn’t especially popular or well-known, but that’s because Zack & Wiki never got the attention it deserved. As the leader of the Rose Rock Pirates, Captain Rose is quick to anger and spoiled to the core. She has a sophisticated airship at her disposal and a crew of seven goons at her command, but she’s forced to compete with other pirates. Although Rose has disdain for her rivals, she reluctantly joins forces with the Sea Rabbits in order to fight a giant squid. Before it’s said and done, she becomes an ally to the very pirates she once opposed. Captain Rose is selfish and narcissistic – her trademark lipstick costs a million dollars zenny for a single a tube, after all – but she’s not as heartless as she pretends to be. I’d love to know what the future holds for her, but Zack & Wiki 2 ain’t happening.

Professor Teresa Rose was a renowned engineer in the country of Edelweiss. She helped her country achieve tremendous growth amidst a mechanical revolution, but she went into a self-imposed exile after taking the blame for an apparent accident at a research lab. Without warning, the professor re-emerged with five guardians and a legion of mechanical soldiers. Her goal was to make the world beautiful by turning its surface into a rose garden. In order to achieve this, she would first have to destroy the “filthy land” and its people. Her methods are extreme and her logic is flawed, but nobody embraces the spirit of this list quite like Teresa Rose. Her five guardians are all named Rose, her armies attack with weaponized roses, and she wants to cover the entire world with roses too. I think she’d be happy that this list exists.

Evil Rose is a masked wrestler with superhuman strength who derives pleasure from torturing her opponents. Although her ring attire leaves most of her body exposed, her past is shrouded in mystery. She’s known for her rough tactics, but the so-called “Beast from the Underground” only fights because she was conditioned to do so. Incidentally, Evil Rose wasn’t always evil. She was once a woman named Fujiko Hinomoto, but extensive mental and physical reconditioning at the hands of an insufferable bitch named Anesthesia turned her into an animal. Thankfully, aspects of her former self emerged when the need to protect her younger sister arose. After breaking her conditioning, she became a thorn of justice. Whether she’s acting as a puppet or fighting for divine retribution, she makes the squared circle a lot more interesting.

Rose is the leader of a traveling merchant guild. This sounds like a perfectly respectable job, but the true nature of her work involves the recruitment of assassins under the banner of the Scattered Bones. Rose is a natural leader with a strong sense of justice, and she’s able to make difficult decisions without letting her personal feelings get in the way. That said, she believes in second chances and evaluates her marked victims before deciding whether or not to kill them. She often has to make decisions based on instinct alone, but she has more empathy than her blunt personality and sharp knives would suggest. Rose is a woman who commands respect, and it’s hard not to respect how forthright she is. Her true name is Wilkis Wilk, which translates to “Rose is Rose.” It’s hard to argue with that logic.

Amy Rose is hopelessly devoted to Sonic the Hedgehog. She flirts with him, she plans to marry him, and she can’t get it through her head that he only likes her as a friend. Amy Rose is delusional and a little bit creepy, but she’s also energetic, optimistic, and resilient. Although she occasionally finds herself in need of rescue, she wields her trademark Piko Piko hammer with surprising efficiency and can hold her own against Eggman’s robots. Don’t be fooled by her sweet facade. Amy Rose has quite the temper, and her own friends often find themselves on the receiving end of it. Amy Rose was a typical damsel in distress during her first appearance in Sonic CD, but she has evolved into a reliable sidekick who can take care of herself. There aren’t many things in the Sonic series that have gotten better over time.

The .hack series takes place within an MMORPG called The World, and BlackRose is an online avatar within the game. A character in the “Heavy Blade” class, her high strength stat is ideal for physical attacks. She’s new to The World and inexperienced in battle, but she tries to pass herself off as a seasoned warrior anyway. Although she’s sassy, confrontational, and hard-headed, she’s surprisingly compassionate underneath it all. BlackRose keeps her motives hidden at first, but her ultimate goal is to find a cure for a data bug that put her brother in a coma. After meeting others with similar motives, she becomes a loyal friend and dependable ally. Despite her aggressive personality, BlackRose plays well with others and is diplomatic enough to arrange meetings with other players in the name of the greater good.

Rose is a voluptuous fortune-teller with an appreciation of wine, bubble baths, and the finer things of life. (She obviously appreciates Lisa Lisa from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure too, but that’s another story.) After sensing that doomsday was approaching, Rose felt compelled to leave her home in Genoa in search of a great evil. When she found what she was looking for in a would-be dictator named M. Bison, she used her mysterious Soul Power to outmatch him in the ensuing battle. Bison managed to survive the encounter, but it was later revealed that he and Rose shared the same soul. This ultimately allowed Bison to take control of her body and use it as a host until he could find a more suitable replacement. I’m sure it’s not the first time Rose had someone inside of her, if you know what I mean.

Marie Rose has been a walking contradiction ever since she was introduced in Dead or Alive 5: Last Round. She didn’t look like a fighter (or an adult for that matter), and her tiny frame made her stand out from everyone else in the series. She’d be the first to tell you that bigger isn’t always better, however. Against all odds, a flat-chested woman somehow became one of the most popular characters in a series famed for its boobs. If she was any more out of place, she’d be Danica Patrick in Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed. Outside of Dead or Alive, Marie Rose was playable in Warriors All-Stars and Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash, and her outfit and hairstyles were featured in Phantasy Star Online 2. I know she’s a polarizing character, but it looks like she’s here to stay.

Dragoons are ordinary humans who are bestowed with new abilities after acquiring the spirit of a dragon. They have powerful attacks and stunning magic at their disposal, but Dragoons are most easily defined by spectacular wings that allow them to take to the skies. The Legend of Dragoon was overlooked by many, but the transformation dynamic helped it stand out from other RPGs of its era. Rose wields the power of the Dark Dragon – which is appropriate for a woman defined by darkness. The wandering warrior is a hero of a devastating conflict that took place thousands of years earlier, but she’s also revealed to be a legendary monster who has slaughtered untold numbers since then. That’s probably not what she had in mind when she became a Dragoon. She who fights monsters should take care as to not herself become a monster.