Okay, no. Just simply "playing the role" of a character does not make it an RPG. By that standard, every Sim game on the market is an RPG. In SimCity you play as the mayor of your budding new city and can develop said city in any way you wish. SimCity is not a friggin' RPG.

The three rules I listed are the three core traits that any traditional RPG uses. Like I said, and RPG only has to have one of the three rules.

I don't agree with that in the slightest. How is playing the role of a predetermined character like Cloud from FF7 any different than playing the role of a predetermined character like Link? There's no difference. To define an RPG, you must look at the gameplay, and the three gameplay rules I listed are the foundation of any traditional RPG. Adventure games focus on exploration and puzzle solving, RPGs focus on stat-building, combat strategy and party management.