#I still consider Y8 game of the year but THIS would have made it peak beyond belief 😭💔let me pet the boy!! 🥺💛

[spicyliumang]

Still slightly disappointed you can't pet Zhao on Dondoko Farm when he's a Sujimon teammate 😔

[alinktoana]

thoughts on playable faves getting older, the people who make them and the people who play them

because comfy tracksuit slider dad kiryu is peak character design

spoilers for ps2 Y1/K1, Y5, assumptions about Y6 + Y7 + Y8 + Yakuza Gaiden

why is RGG so afraid of Kiryu getting older? I havent played Y6 yet but I have a feeling RGG is ok with Kiryu being middle aged. They did show some uncomfortable feelings about him being single in his 40s on Y5, but him behaving as a more mature individual is there, same as the rest of the cast (yes, even Majima, lmao).

And i wouldnt go into this tangent if they hadnt dropped that Y8 footage

(correct me if im wrong, lmao) but it’s not often that people get to play franchises that span through decades of people’s lives, like (you guessed it) Yakuza. I love that. I had been avoiding the newest RGG trailers, and I still havent fully watched The Summit™️, but I watch highlights a couple weeks ago, and it took me some more time to work on this puzzle. Most Japanese people (and other ethinicities, as far as i know) look youthful well into their 50s, when compared to white people (I’m Brazilian, so I see the ethnic mix and match everyday (on my own body lol) and how that affects people’s looks). Of course there’s levels of overall self-care, sun exposure, yadda yadda. I’m fairly certain Kiryu doesnt have a skin care routine other than washing his face everyday lmao but he takes care of himself, he exercises constantly (lol), so that helps. His face is fine, awesome beautiful skin (even though i much prefer the Y5 style, compared to dragon engine botching everyone*, but he looks great). If everything is fine and dandy. Why is that a thing?

Not only are they still bringing him for 8, and we dont fully know what that will be like, but 7 was already a cameo, so giving him more screentime on 8 doesnt make sense at all but go off, i guess. We will never fully understand why RGG has been saying goodbye to Kiryu for 6 games already and not fully letting him go. I say 6 games bc I’m considering the last 6 mainline games (6, 0, K1, K2, I’d say Y7, and apparently 8?). Gaiden and Ishin are fine, and I’m so happy about those decisions. I honestly think it’s a much better decision to keep them in spin offs if they still want bank on his brand, and give space to new characters and adventures in the mainline games (and judgement!). But then I look at that grey haired mess and im so puzzled.

And we’ve joked about him looking like a boyband member, whatever that is. *We still dont know if that’s a disguise or a midlife crisis. And if it is a midlife crisis, and they actually take that angle of him struggling with age, i’d give them all the kudos. That would actually be a bold, beautiful move.

Is milking Kiryu just a marketing tactic, or is it something deeper within RGG? Again, correct me if I’m wrong, I’ve speculated about this before, about them being uncomfortable with their character’s age. But are they also uncomfortable with handing the story over to new characters? Do they feel trapped with Kiryu being the (middle aged, totally not elder) face of the franchise?* Or maybe theyre afraid the franchise is not gonna be relevant anymore because it isnt full of lolis and shotas? When that’s never been their goal in the first place? Yakuza has always been about having fun well into your 40s, because life isnt over once you turn 30. And japanese people fully know that. The west is very anxious about the teenage dream, the live fast die young mentality. Majima has that underlying feeling, he has talked about it here and there. And I would love if they went in on that. It’s not like Y7 wasnt successful, it was the introduction to so many people to the franchise. We know it made bank. We know people love Ichiban + the new crew. We know RGG is moving on. The bat has exchanged hands already. So Kiryu being on Y8, looking like that, on promotional material? It’s such a step back…

As of 2022, Kiryu is 54 years old. Majima is 58. There’s only so much flashbacking RGG can do so they can hide their anxiety about their mascot almost being an elder. Are they afraid of growing old themselves? NPCs have been calling Kiryu an old men since yakuza 1, and that did bother me bc *I was just playing as this baby on Y0, how dare you call him old? he’s 30 D: And I’m almost 30, so I understand my own qualms, so I can only imagine what goes on on the majority of the 50 yo department heads on RGG. And for gods sake, we know they can model awesome older characters.

The most beautiful model Kashiwagi has ever had is his Y7 one* (Sources are kinda confusing because apparently he was born in 1948? So he’d be 71 in 2019? I mean, good for him if true!! lol) (also yes, this is the asterisc. As far as I’ve looked, Kashiwagi is by far the character who’s aged the most beautifully. I cant do anything but clap lmao) Kazama is also very handsome, and he was born in 1945, so he is 60 in Y1/K1. A more apt comparison would be Sera, who was in his 30s in Y0 and 49 on Y1. He has some streaks, you know. And then there’s Kiryu, botoxed to the gods at 51 on Y8.

We know they can do this. Majima talks about being an old man in Y5, and he was 40 then. If you wanna tell me Majima dyes his hair black because he doesnt wanna see his reflection greying, I’m 100% ok with that. But it’s about time. We’ve been playing those characters for almost 20 years, we have seen almost 40 years of their lives. These are conversations we* could be having at this point, even if it’s substories. But not all hope is lost though!

I dont know if it’s the lighting, but his model on Gaiden does have some some grayish bits. And that’s 2018 (before Y8 even but we can let that slide bc technology, lol they can retroactively grey him). And given that Gaiden seems to be a lot more personal and small, maybe we could have that age talk then. I can only hope. TLDR: RGG. Buddy (lol). We are still gonna love Kiryu even if he’s no longer young (he is still beautiful). Please recognize the fact that we are all aging up, our bodies and our skin. And so are the characters we play with. Kiryu isnt gonna stop being a good avatar because he’s older. And also, let go. Ichiban is the new avatar. And people love him. Move on. We all have. If you (as people who make the company) are uncomfortable about getting older, use that opportunity to talk about that aging anxiety. We (the fans) will need that when we get to that point (whether we’re pushing 20, 30, 40, 70, 80). Because that white haired monstrosity needs to mean something, you couldve gone without it. Pls. Dont let that be a hair disaster like Y4 Saejima. You had the ps3 excuse then, you dont have that now, you know how to do hair lmao. Pls lmao

TLDR2: All I’m saying is. That white hair on the Y8 raises way too many unnecessary questions but then again Gaiden looks fine? I’m lost&confused pls help lol PS: I've rewatched Our Flag Means Death 4 times now (lol) and gray hair as a topic was never something I really thought about in entertainment, but when we think about ageless character on animation/games, I dont know, it seems like a relevant topic. Because, again, we've known Kiryu + Majima + the gang for almost 20 years. We've seen 4 decades of their lives. This is a longer timespan than... I dont know, british soap operas that go on for ages lol.

edit: Anyway yeah lol thanks for reading this long ramble! let me know what you think bc yeah, loads to think about