Dark Souls is a JRPG.
It has none of those.
Dark Souls is an action WRPG made in Japan. The argument is that the "J" and "W" do not denote a country of origin. Rather, it denotes different interpretations of that RPG genre that took root in a specific region of the world, but have since become geographically decoupled. It's similar to how you can cook French cuisine in the US, but it's still called French cuisine.
On The Rainslick Precipe of Darkness 3 has way, way more in common with Final Fantasy than it does Skyrim.
"JRPG" is a misnomer. RPG is short for Role Playing Game. But in the majority of games usually classified as JRPGs, little to no actual role playing takes place. The "JRPG" sub-genre would be better described as adventure games with a stat-driven back end.
I think RPG casts a pretty broad net. Yes, while it grew from its roots in tabletop role playing, it eventually branched out to encompass concepts that did not involve direct role playing of a character ala D&D. This is true of both RPG's that originated in the west and in from Japan.
Character growth and development is what defines the broad net. It's the "RGP Element" that so many developers have injected into other genres. Where JRPG and WRPG differ is largely in how the player explores the role of "character".
Many early Western RPG's lacked significant role playing qualities as well. They were more like combat simulators with a stat-driven back end.
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