That's true, even if it was mostly a rip-off of the first game.
But Golden Axe Warrior was the first game you play as an anonymous warrior, which in my eyes is close to playing as a customized character but without the customization.
Weren't Dragon Quest I, III, and IV hero/heroine predate him?
We could even choose the gender, male or female.
For I & III sometimes he/she's called with his/her title (Erdrick) since he/she's Erdrick's descendant.
so DQ IV (released in 1990, GA Warriors released in 1991) hero/heroine probably the one that's more comparable since he/she's also an anonymous warrior, :