#Saejima's such a nice guy

[majimasleftasscheek]

HOO BOY you mentioning y0 kiryu calling y6 maji daddy got my brain goin 2000 miles an hour, its such a good thought

for me it's the only thought on my mind :)

[majimaisms]

i think my biggest problem with the pirate game is majima's absolutely unhinged emotional sheltering being presented as like. a good and healthy and normal thing. which. like. i SUPPOSE the only acceptable situation to do that in is with a child youre responsible for. but its still not acknowledged at all that its unhealthy..? but then again this is how kiryu saga has been for years too. youre just supposed to look at it and know better. they dont really spell it out. at least they didnt until infinite wealth

[todayisafridaynight]

THEYRE FINALLY MAKING FIGURES THAT ARE ICHI MAJIMA AND KIRYU. We are winning. Maybe one day daigo will get one ❤️

if rgg were REAL players theyd finally make idol haruka merch

[designernishiki]

it’s just sorta hitting me that we know like almost nothing about what the fuck majima was doing in 5 when he was supposed to be dead??? like???? he was in on katsuya/mirei’s plan and caught onto what was going on really early and whatnot but. what the hell was he DOING for all that time. he just shows up at kurosawa’s at some point with zero explanation how or under what pretext or anything. how did he fake his death in the first place? how did he get it announced on the radio and put in the news despite there being no body or anything to prove that he died?? I have so many questions about his side of the story it’s insane how much was brushed off bdhffdjdjdjsjdnd

[kulemiwrites]

VARIOUS | Drinking Headcanons

Characters: Masato Aizawa, Akira Nishikiyama(x2), Reina, Osamu Kashiwagi, Kaoru Sayama, Kazuma Kiryu, Goro Majima, Taiga Saejima, Shun Akiyama, Hana Prompt: What are their favorite drinks, tolerance levels and behaviors?

Note: Please accept this post as proof that I'm good for more than just writing smut 🥺 Feel free to disagree, though. I'm not entirely going by canon (bear in mind i stopped at y6). I'm just having fun, thanks!

MASATO AIZAWA

Drink of Choice: Cachaça, preferably neat but on occasion, he’ll make himself a cocktail with it too! His cocktail of choice would be a caipirinha. However, if he’s not feeling in the cachaça mood, he’ll opt for a caipisake- trading the cachaça for his nihonshu of choice instead or perhaps just umeshu on the rocks. 

Tolerance: Very high, and that can be pretty frustrating because on the off chance he’s aiming to drink himself into oblivion, he has to throw back a loooot– almost enough to make a normal person sick at best or black out at worst… Which can get expensive.

Behavior: It’s rare for him to get wasted, though. He generally only drinks what he’s got a taste for and then, that’s the end of it. His drunken behavior, if we can even call it that, is truly dependent on what he’s had to drink. His drink of choice typically only gives him a nice, cozy buzz. It relaxes him and makes him limber. However, if he’s tossing it back and then has something else behind it, like a whiskey for example, it casts a spotlight on whatever emotion he’s feeling at that time. Never get him drunk when he’s already angry because there’s a 75% chance that he’ll start a brawl. 

AKIRA NISHIKIYAMA (0)

Drink of Choice: Whisky. Sometimes neat. Most times on the rocks. It’s much better if it’s the top shelf shit, too. Bonus points, if he can have a bottle of it on keep. Around this point, the look of being the guy that orders a shot of that, takes precedence over the taste. 

Tolerance: Low. He has to reeeaaally pace himself because he gets drunk kind of fast, which sucks because he enjoys drinking… Like, alot. So long as he takes his time, he could truly drink all night!

Behavior: Much like the man above, his behavior is heavily dependent on what he’s got going on before he gets drunk. If he’s angry, there’s no hiding it. If he’s frustrated, there’s no hiding it. If he’s in a good mood, he gets in a really good mood– we’re talking a ‘paying for the entire bar to celebrate’ kind of mood. He doesn’t necessarily drink to get drunk but he’s not mad if he ends up that way! He has a preference for not drinking alone because doing so feels sort of lonely. If he can’t drink with a friend or with a date, he’s marching along to one of his regular bars and chatting up the bartender!

AKIRA NISHIKIYAMA (K)

Drink of Choice: He still prefers whiskey but age (and enough hangovers) have matured him enough to make choices that are driven more so by taste preference, rather than a price tag. He’s still not going to buy a bottle of garbage though, he can’t really stomach it– or so he says. He’s also developed an appreciation for a nice, smooth nihonshu.

Tolerance: Better. His tolerance has strengthened so much that he can hardly believe that he was ever such a lightweight. It takes him a great deal more alcohol to actually feel it, dramatically so. 

Behavior: Aside from losing some of the rigidness he’s been carrying himself with, he’s not drastically different from his sober self which is great because he still drinks a lot. When he was younger, he drank 75% for the fun of it and the remaining 25% was either for liquid courage and whatever else he had going on. This version of him drinks 75% to keep trudging along and the remaining 25% to forget. 

REINA HATTORI

Drink of Choice: Gin, but always in a cocktail. Her go-to cocktails are a nice martini or a negroni. She’s very particular about how her cocktails are made though. She has a bad habit of grading other bartenders when she’s the one being served. She may not say anything but she’s certainly taking mental notes.

Tolerance: Truthfully, she doesn’t drink all that much. Her tolerance is probably fine but she can’t recall a time when she’s ever really been drunk. Tipsy, maybe but never drunk. 

Behavior: On the immensely rare occasion that she’s allowed herself to have one too many, she’s more likely to ‘share an inside thought’ and laughs a little louder. She quite literally lets her hair down and lets herself have fun because it’s not often that she allows her drinking to get this far. The only way she gets to this point though is if she has a day off and is home alone or is around people that she trusts without a shadow of doubt because her work at Serena has made her very cautious.

OSAMU KASHIWAGI

Drink of Choice: Shōchū, and he takes it with water. While he does enjoy a finely crafted cocktail, so much so that he, like Reina, rates and judges a bartender's mixology skills against his own, he prefers the simplicity of good shōchū. Just like his treasured noodle broth, his drink of choice offers him memories of a life he’s far from ever living again.

Tolerance: Balanced, and perhaps this could be either natural or intentional. It’s been a long, long time since he was last drunk. Honestly, the older he’s gotten, the less appealing the feeling of actual drunkenness is. A buzz is great but being drunk leads to hangovers and some mornings already feel like hangovers despite him being fully sober previously. 

Behavior: His stoicism is a cover for a level of shyness that’s always been there, whether he would like to admit that or not. When that buzz hits him juuust right, the man’s a few rants away from a full blown chatterbox. Uninhibited, a drink with Kashiwagi means a treat to a rare sight and sound: a smile, with teeth and maybe even an audible laugh… Who knows~!

KAORU SAYAMA

Drink of Choice: Beer. It’s been her go-to ever since she could buy her own alcohol, whiiich coincides with her starting at Osaka Prefectural. Go figure! A perfectly chilled case of beer got her through many a shitty shift. However, she’s unlikely to order beer in a bar unless she’s just got a taste for something in particular. The way she sees it, she could drink beer anytime– and it’d likely be cheaper too. When she’s got a tab to pay, she’s more likely to go for a whiskey highball… or three.

Tolerance: HIGH. It always has been and there are pros and cons for that. She’s gone undercover and played the ‘helpless drunk girl at the bar’ many times to catch a perp. So, being able to discreetly drink and work has been a fun little secret perk from time to time. The bad thing is, she’s often left questioning whether or not she’s wasting her money. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel a buzz, though.

Behavior: Her accent becomes a lot stronger, which matters none if she’s home because she didn’t realize this was an issue until she went for drinks out in Tokyo. Not that she cared, but it was something of note. She takes on a reddish glow across her face but mostly on her nose and ears, which she finds herself getting defensive about. It’s nothing serious thanks to the buzz making her a little more receptive to playfulness but she’ll threaten to put someone in a headlock if they take it too far (and probably would).

KAZUMA KIRYU

Drink of Choice: Tea, if he’s buying, and a nice, smooth whiskey when someone else is picking up the tap– kidding. He does enjoy whiskey though. He’ll drink it neat, on the rocks, with water or even a highball. As far as he’s concerned, a good whiskey is good no matter how it’s served. 

Tolerance: Decent. His tolerance has wavered a ton over the years. If he tosses them back quickly, best believe there’ll be some staggering and bumping into sandwich boards on the way home.

Behavior: He’s always been told that he can’t hold his alcohol due to how sleepy he gets, but he thinks he does just fine! The first drink always goes down easy but by the second and third, much like Kashiwagi, he begins to loosen up. So long as he’s not tossing them back left and right, he remains pretty mild tempered. He may even become uncharacteristically playful. He just might need someone to give him a call on the train ride home so that he doesn’t sleep through his stop again.

GORO MAJIMA

Drink of Choice: Nihonshu or a cold, foamy beer, if he gets anything other than that it’s likely because he’s celebrating or treating other people. He’s a simple man who enjoys not having hangovers. He’s spent enough of his time feeling miserable, he’s no longer interested in paying to get misery from the Next-Day Express.

Tolerance: Moderate, but it’s probably because he’s slowed down on his drinking a while ago. There was a point in time where all he did was indulge in various vices. He’s been in a better place, all the things considered. So, when he does have a drink, he’s doing it for the fun or taste of it and not to numb himself.

Behavior: There’s never really any telling what comes out of a drunk Majima. Either he’s exactly the same but louder or he’s challenging people to fight who might be looking at him. Sometimes he’s just giggly as all hell and no one will have any clue as to why. It truly depends. Funnily enough, the latter takes him back to the old, old days when he was barely even old enough to be drinking. Those days, he spent his nights drinking til dawn with a friend or two and they would laugh so much that they would eventually forget what the hell they were even laughing about.

TAIGA SAEJIMA

Drink of Choice: Good ol’ fashioned nihonshu. He prefers to keep his drink simple. Uncomplicated. He doesn’t care for cocktails all that much simply because the way he sees it, you’re paying for juice and a sip of liquor.

Tolerance: Alarmingly high. He could probably drink his weight and still appear sober to the untrained eye. There have been times when he’d finish an entire bottle alone in a single sitting leaving people to wonder if he truly drank it by himself or poured it out somewhere. 

Behavior: While he may not act differently when he’s had a great deal to drink, he certainly feels it and it absolutely shows in his face. He likes to get niiiice and relaxed in his seat, preferably somewhere with a view of everything in the room or the bar. He’ll sit there with his arms folded over his belly and he’ll have a small smile on his face. He won't say much, he’s not even sure what he’s smiling about but that smile will be just as apparent as the reddish glow spread across his face.

SHUN AKIYAMA

Drink of Choice: When he’s living in a world where beer, umeshu, whiskey, gin, shochu, nihonshu, rum and soooo many other things exist, why should he have to choose just one? Akiyama’s drink of choice is whatever wets his whistle first, then second and so on and so forth!

Tolerance: Disturbingly high. He could probably drink enough to give a person alcohol poisoning and still turn out just fine the next day albeit with a mild headache, which he of course could cure with a shot if he so chose. He used to have an excuse for drinking as much as he does but these days, it’s as natural to him as having soda or a drink of water. He doesn’t see the issue.

Behavior: So, he might be a functional alcoholic because he isn't very different from how he is when sober, no matter how much he drinks. His temper is pretty much the same. He is no more charismatic with, than he is without. If anything, certain alcohol does make him feel a little frisky but it’s nothing that would disrupt the flow of things. Drinking does make him sleepy, but he’s always sleepy. So, really what’s the difference?

HANA 

Drink of Choice: Wine, and lots of it! Kidding. She does enjoy wine though, and she had a preference for reds until she discovered how much the tannins could stain her teeth. She’s slowed down on it in favor of a nice white. Riesling, usually.

Tolerance: So, so low– the poor thing. Just a single glass of her favorite wine is enough to do her in. She doesn’t mind it, though. She prefers to pace herself. She’s not really drinking to get drunk but she won’t lie and say that when she first pops open that bottle she’s not doing it to take the edge off… It’s probably work’s fault (it is).

Behavior: She finally just relaaaaaxes. Her shoulders finally droop, her breathing feels slightly less clipped, the furrows in her brows iron out– she considers, writing an apologetic resignation. A drunken Hana means a carefree Hana. For a brief period in the night, she feels as if she no longer carries the weight of the world on her shoulders… She just has to hide her phone from herself so that she doesn’t curse out her boss when he calls at an ungodly hour asking for help!

Woo! Did I write all of this to drink vicariously through fictional characters? I'll never tell 😉 though, I'd kill for a bottle of bubbly right now, ugh!

Thank you for reading! 🤍

[deadsouls-is-canon]

Chapter 7 of "Kiryu Everywhere" is up!

Summary: It's Valentines Day! Saejima gives Majima some career advice and the pair run into Kiryu and Nishiki. There's a shopping montage followed by a fancy shindig. Auctions are won, brawls happen, shrimp are eaten. Later, Kiryu and Majima face facts. In the end, Majima gets a rude awakening.

# # #

“Hey, so glad you two are having fun,” Nishiki wheezed. “But what the actual fuck?”

“We’re betting on a sword,” Kiryu answered evenly, as Majima raised his paddle again.

“I can see that,” Nishiki replied with exasperation. As if on cue, Saejima strolled back up to the group.

“Why is everyone staring at you guys?”

“Betting on a sword,” Kiryu repeated, as Nishiki threw up his hands.

“Nice,” Saejima said conversationally.

“It belongs in a museum,” Kiryu said, like that was his intention all along.

“Oh, how very Indiana Jones of you, Kiryu-chan,” Majima cooed. “You could totally pull off the fedora, leather coat, whip thing he’s got going on.”

“You think?” Kiryu answered, like this was a totally normal conversation to have while hemorrhaging more money than most people spent buying houses.

“Absolutely not, he doesn’t have the right head shape for hats,” Nishiki moaned emphatically into his hands.

[akickinthedick]

I was kind of thinking, when Majima was in his twenties, everyone just kinda knew he was a nice guy.

Thinking about how in Y0, Shimano apparently knew Majima enough to know he wouldn’t have it in him to kill an innocent girl like Makoto. How he instead would go out of his way to protect her and keep her safe because she didn’t deserve to be pulled into all of this.

Going back even farther to when they had hoards of men to keep Majima away from Saejima the day of the hit because they suspected he wouldn’t have wanted to abandon Saejima no matter what.

Did Majima start speaking in a Kansai dialect because he wanted to seem more intimidating than he actually was? Is Yakuza 0 just a game where Majima realizes that any kindness he shows will just be taken advantage of by others? So he decides to try to stamp it out completely? And when he meets Kiryu, he’s so enamoured with him because he’s finally met someone who’s strong enough to freely and unwaveringly show kindness no matter how people try to take advantage of it.

[agoraphobic-artist]

Kiwami/Yakuza/Like a Dragon

Items that have arrived but have yet to make it onto display shelves... Gonna have to box up my Witcher Display to try and make room 😢

First up are a bunch of oversized badges, including two from the current Majima event (Love that they have glitter accents):

I picked up a couple more of the bag straps: Red Suit Goro Majima and Saejima/Majima mid heat action.

On the topic of Red Suited Majima, I also picked up the collectable card of the look to add to my collection.

I bought two of these film reel keychains; The pirate Majima one arrived as a free gift with another purchase. which was a nice bonus!

I also picked up some new enamel pins:

DragonKart - bought from a UK supplier

Pirate Majima - Originally a bonus from AmazonJPN

Go-Ryu Clan Crest

Not sure if these will end up in the display but also bought the two "Best of Karaoke Collection" music cds.

(Added pictures of the back for anyone who is interested)

Some of the remixes on Majima's are wild!

After playing the substory with the Sega girl in Yakuza 0, you best believe I was ordering a pink bun-chan!

Also adopted a calico kitty plush in his lil' Hawaiian getup.🌴

Saw this Multipouch with a Goromi design and was expecting pencil case size... but you could probably fit a switch in this bad-boy (...girl?)

A Majima keychain from the legendary vending machines that have been all over my social media.

Also this magazine. Really liked the cool new art on the back which is why I bought it. Plus, it has a silly faux interview section with the characters inside.

Was hoping there would be more art inside but it was pre-ordered so I didn't really know what to expect.

Next is this standard sized photo print, which was part of a Japanese event called the "Cool and Sexy Selection".

Please ignore the damaged frame and fingerprints! -We bought a frame and it came like this, so its acting as protection until I can source a nicer one.

And lastly, these teeny plush based on "Majima Everywhere"

I adore these guys! So Cute. So Detailed.

Also because she has more detail than the others I have included a pic of Goromi's back and also guys!!!... they gave her blush and very light purple eyeshadow!!!

[kulemireloaded]

RGG | Crustiest Lips Ranking

For legal reasons, this is a JOKE. No one is trying to come for your faves. Promise. Anyway, so we’re mainly talking about the FEEL of their lips based on what we believe their self-care regimen entails, NOT just the look of them because most of these mfs have goooorgeous lips!

Here’s my ranking of crustiest to most supple lips of the folks on my masterlist (plus Shimano- thanks Kimi):

15.) Kazuma Kiryu (Y5)- Coming in HOT at number 15 is Yakuza 5 Kiryu. Our guy is so miserable. He’s barely drinking water or having a decent meal, let alone making sure his face (and lips) are properly moisturized!

14. Masato Aizawa- He generally takes pretty good care of himself. He showers often. He makes sure he dresses well. He makes sure he smells nice. But this mf does NOT moisturize. He wouldn’t moisturize if someone paid him and HATES hating shit on his face. So, yeah, if he's slacking on hydration, he’s crusty </3

13. Futoshi Shimano- I have reason to believe that he does a pretty decent job at taking care of himself. HOWEVER, he gives such crusty vibes… I don’t see him intentionally keeping his lips nice and moisturized. He looks like a lip licker (aka saliva as lip gloss kinda fella). 

12.) Makoto Date- Originally, he was at 13, but then Shimano was added to the list and that bumped him up a bit… Brother can barely run a comb through his hair. I don’t see him being on top of his personal grooming like that fr and i feel like he drinks whiskey to quench his thirst. 

11.) Goro Majima- He could carry chapstick in his pocket, and STILL forget to wear it until his lips start peeling… If only our brother could remember his lip chap :/ He’s probably washed a couple tubes by accident.

10.) Akira Nishikiyama (K)- He’s not quite on top of his self maintenance as he used to be. He really only cares to moisturize his lips if they’re in need of it, but it’s not a habit.

9.) Masaharu Kaito- Only when he catches himself picking or biting at the crust on his lips does he remember that he probably should do something about it.

8.) Saejima Taiga- Yet another lip licker, but he stays pretty hydrated! So, it's really not that bad.

7.) Shun Akiyama- His mouth gets really dry due to his piss on the poor diet, especially fresh after a nap. He used to be a lip licker, but Hana tossed a tube of chapstick at him and yelled at him to use it because she got tired of seeing that ring around his mouth everyday.

6.) Osamu Kashiwagi- His diet is pretty damn good and he stays really hydrated so he doesn’t really have to put any effort into moisturizing his lips… However, if he had to, he wouldn’t and that would drag our king lower down the list </3

5.) Kazuma Kiryu (Gen)- He spent many years as a crusty lip licker but he’s received advice here and there that he surprisingly took to heart! He’s been a moisturized lad ever since– just don’t catch him in the middle of some chaos, because he will revert back to his old ways.

4.) Takayuki Yagami- Would you believe that there’s a tube of chapstick in those tight ass blue jeans? Would you believe that he actually uses it often? Would you believe that he even uses it when he doesn’t need it simply because he’s lost in thought? YEAH, me neither! But here we are!!!

3.) Akira Nishikiyama (0)- He keeps medicated lip balm on his person at all times! No one wants to get up close and personal to a guy whose lips look like a road map, ya know?

2. Kaoru Sayama- She tries to do a good job of staying on top of her hydration, diet and exercise. She always wants to make sure she feels her best no matter how much shit she’s got to deal with, but when she’s in need of a little assistance, she has her tried and true tube handy!

1.) Reina Hattori- If she’s going to be smiling at people all day, she’s going to make sure she’s presentable, you know? She’s got a pretty solid skin care regimen that includes exfoliating her lips once a week at minimum and she gives herself a little lip cream before bed so that they’re primed for the next day's coat of lipstick!

Feel free to reblog or reply with YOUR ranking of crustiest to most supple lips :3 Let’s go laughing together 🫴🏾

[yakuzacanons]

valentine’s day coming up!!

what do they boys do to celebrate w their s/o?

Anon how did u read my brain to find out I have been cookin this post for the last few days lol. Happy Valentine's to all of you, my lovelies.

Mild NSFW below. Also this is a long one, sorry in advance.

Kazuma Kiryu

Simple but classy. As it stands, he can't really do anything big or fancy and the Daidoji sure as hell won't let him do many dinner dates if any at all but he makes the most of it. Probably gives you a bouquet of your favorite flowers and a heartfelt letter.

Majima Goro

A chocolate thief is on the loose in Sotenbori and his name is Majima Goro. If a giant heart-shaped red velvet size box appears on your doorstep, it's from him. He might even be in it. Open it and find out.

Saejima Taiga

A mix of getting you some gifts and making you something handmade. He's typically torn between two strategies: making you a handmade gift and taking you out to dinner or buying you a gift and making you dinner. Heads up, he will at some point make a handcarved wooden figurine or statue for you one of these years.

Akiyama Shun

You'd think it would be beyond human capabilities for this man to get any sappier than he is but somehow he does it every time. A class act with just the right amount of cheese. Dinner, flowers, the works. You can't tell if you're just that starry eyed over this man or if he actually just fucking sparkles.

Tanimura Masayoshi

Can't afford too much on his salary, but he'll make you an adorable custom basket of all your favorite snacks. Will totally pull some strings at Homeland to get the restaurant open to just you two.

Ryuji Goda

Can afford whatever the hell you want and has no reservations about doing so. However, he DOES have reservations at your favorite restaurant with a bottle of your favorite wine, alongside one of every single favorite item of yours on the planet. Always gets you a piece of customized jewelry.

Nishikiyama Akira

Always gets you a customized bouquet of flowers. Actually pretty into the arrangement and colors and is particular about getting yours just right. Might just even make one himself one of these days. Also gets one of those customizable chocolate boxes or a luxury bag.

Daigo Dojima

Are roses and candles cheesy? Yes. Cheesy is also Daigo's middle name when it comes to Valentine's Day. Man's straight out of a 90's romcom. Probably got the idea from a 90's romcom, actually. Will also be down to watch a 90's romcom with you. Seriously, he prefers a cozy night in anyways.

Mine Yoshitaka

Same vibe as Daigo but sluttier. Seriously. He's a champagne and bubble bath type of hoe, followed by what can only be described as mind blowing sex. Out of all the boys, he's the one who's most likely to have sex on Valentine's Day.

Tatsuo Shinada

He will try his hand at baking you some homemade goodies. Be warned, the first few attempts will be a little wonky. He's doing his best though! He can't afford much so he likes to do homemade things. Would also be down to bake or cook something with you if you're into that.

Ichiban Kasuga

He'd take you on a date that includes all of your favorite activites and your favorite places. As long as he's spending time with you, that's what counts. Will totally end the day by just blurting out something sappy and romantic but would he be Ichiban if he didn't?

Yu Nanba

Likes to do something relaxing, particularly if it takes you two away from the city. Nothing like the peace and quiet of the countryside so you two can be as close as possible. Probably would take a weekend to go to a hot spring with you.

Adachi Koichi

Will actually ask you to be his Valentine. Total cheesefest with this guy. Type of fella to hold a rose between his teeth and say something dumb like "Hey babe, come here often?". In terms of activites, he doesn't have much beyond a nice dinner planned but his personality just oozes goofy, silly love.

Tianyou Zhao

If you thought he'd be doing anything other than cooking you an overly extravagant dinner all by himself, then you'd be dead wrong. Man's out here cooking all your favorite foods, baking your favorite desserts, and making them unbelievably pretty and fancy. He's out here making roses out of the freakin' dumpling pastry, for cryin' out loud!

Joon-Gi Han (Y7)

Sweetie boy is doing his best. Gets a nice cake with a custom message on it, or takes you to an adorable cafe and eats a bunch of sweets with you. Also, yes he's dressing in matching outfits, duh!

Joon-Gi Han (Y6)

This boytoy is taking you to the biggest, fanciest club in town and ordering the biggest, fanciest bottle of champagne they have. Also one of the boys who is likely to get down and dirty on Valentine's Day.

Osamu Kashiwagi

Total class. Years have given him enough knowledge and expertise to pull off a classic Valentine's Day without a hitch. Thinks of everything, from the flowers and dinner all the way down to what color tie goes best with what color suit that would match best with your outfits. Lots of kisses on the back of your hand.

[majimaisms]

HI apologies for using your askbox as a proxy for screaming into the void but. I need to share this with someone. 'leading man' by sløtface is giving me Big feelings about y0 majima. that's all ps I love your blog & analyses <3

HI. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SCREAM AT ME ABOUT MAJIMA ALWAYS .

oh my god i was already like. insane about this (EVEN KEEP YOUR SOUL?????? BALD HEADED VILLAIN????????) and then i got to this part

YOU HAVE NOOOOO IDEA HOW INSANE I AM ABOUT MAJIMA AND HIS MOM........ GOD. PERFECT MAJIMA SONG WHAT THE HELL........ to me this isnt even a y0 majima song so much as. literally the anthem for his whole entire life

"a recurring role" is also so interesting because. he does have a recurring role. its the one in his own life. and he hates it. this is why i think he microdoses being Someone Else for the people in his life, because his life is just. miserable. its such a nice escape from how bleak it all is

the recurring role is like. patriarch, saejima's brother, shimano's son, his parents' son, criminal, antagonist. and none of these identities are "honorable" ones. also we literally do see him playing the boy next door (sunglasses guy in y0) and the love interest (makoto and mirei). and he finally, finally gets to be the leading man in pirates.......... HE GETS TO SHOW OFF HIS SOFT SIIIIDE

btw these two lines are more saejima and kiryu than majima to me. because they are literally. plagued by this exact problem. and i think this song applies to them on a broader level as well -- this is why kiryu wanted to run an orphanage in okinawa, why he is basically the antagonist, the final boss, to every yakuza he meets. its a hell of a curse to bear

god. thanks for sending me this song i am. not normal about it. AND THANK YOU FOR THE KIND WORDS!!

[styrmwb]

I Beat Yakuza 4 Remastered

I gotta say. It's fantastic. Say that again?

With a MUCH MUCH smaller gap than the last two, I have added another Yakuza game to the pile of completion. Rather than the 3ish years between Kiwami 2 and 3, it's only been around half a year; so the memories are a lot fresher this time around, which leads to more accurate comparison and growth. In the case of 4 here, I think that it's both a blessing and a curse that 3 is still in my mind. Yakuza 4 (at least the remastered versions) feels like 3 Deluxe, in a way. It's a VERY similar game, which leads to some burnout, but also seeing the bits where they improved on some of 3's flaws was nice. Lemme dive deeper into everything, as I do.

Part 1: White Tiger's Gameplay 第1部：白虎のゲームプレイ

To start, the best thing about this game is the 4. I'm 5 games in now, but timeline wise you got 3 straight Kiryu only games, all featuring Kamurocho. 4 doing the twist of have 3 additional characters gives this game the twist it needed to feel interesting, to avoid maximum burnout; cause Yakuza is a very samey game as you play it. It's both the strength and the weakness. All 4 characters have their own movesets, their own stories, and even their own side distractions. This basically gives you 4 mini Yakuza games to play, which I loved.

Akiyama's my guy. His moveset is fast, spammable kicks; but his side content is some of my least favorite. Talk to people to make them your ally which gives a buff if you're nearby, and that damned Hostess Maker minigame makes a return from 3 (it's still not interesting or fun).

Saejima is a powerhouse; he feels stilted at first, but once you get him leveled up, nothing can stop you from sending out a huge charged punch or throwing guys. He had some of my favorite heat actions in the game. I didn't really put much time into his Fighter Maker for reasons I'll go into later, so his side stuff just didn't really do it for me. I do like how the presence of cops makes him navigate the map differently though. Not super fun, but very creative.

Tanimura was a slow burn. Very strange moveset at first, but as time went on, I REALLY liked played as him. The heat actions baked into the combos, the really fun grapples; he's a weird character, but a joy. His side stuff being random police encounters felt non intrusive, but just enough for you to plan your travels differently.

Kiryu is a classic. The dude felt like a reward after 3 new guys; you get the long-running lead, with a lot more power baked into his learnset from the get go. He felt like his city was the most wide open, but not much in the line of unique side stuff. It's just differently flavored encounters.

I mention side stuff; and I think that's the weakest point of the game. Purely because, a lot of it is repeats from 3. Minigames are just full of the same things, and there didn't feel like a twist. The real kicker here is there WAS Pachinko but it got taken away in this release so I don't even get that. I mean, the minigames aren't bad. But when you have a game like Yakuza, you get a little burnt out of playing a bunch of pool when you basically did the exact same thing last game. The Hostess stuff just. Isn't my favorite. It's a lot of button mashing, money wasting, and time consuming. The coolest thing they did with it though is have the ones you train as Akiyama be available for Tanimura and Kiryu. I did think that was neat. If it wasn't for the split between characters, I don't think I would have been nearly as motivated to play as I was. That really was the sauce the game needed.

Shoutouts to 4 being my first real dive into Mahjong, as well. I was lucky enough to catch CyricZ, the guy who writes all the GameFaqs guides, do a panel at this year's MAGFest about teaching how to play Riichi Mahjong (more for the usage of LaD and FFXIV), so I finally used that knowledge. Mahjong is an abusive relationship that hates you and makes you lose for no reason, but there is something really satisfying about it. I'm not opposed to playing it more. I'm somewhat opposed.

In regards to carry over from 3; the enemy AI felt a lot better this time. I felt like I could actually play the game properly, do heat actions, do grabs, and use the options given to me (and those options are FUN). Semi-connected to that, the Coliseum being completely unlocked from the get go (at least for Kiryu, I didn't mess with it much with Saejima) just kinda feels like "yeah we know you did this already. Do it again but we'll make it easier on you."

Finally, I liked the leveling here def more than 3. The selection of upgrades with soul orbs felt like I was getting moves more often than not, like I felt with 3.

Part 2: Vermilion Bird's Story 第2部：朱雀の物語

Something about Yakuza writing just feels like it started improving way more after 1 and 2 (counting 0 where it belongs I.E. after 5). While I don't think the story this time tops 3 for me, it's still really good. Again, the biggest strength of the game is the characters. The main 4 (the Yakuza 4) are all just really enjoyable, and they make the story worth going through, even if the actual plot lines might fall flat. There's a lot to go through here. AHEM:

Akiyama was the perfect character to start off with. Nice and charismatic, interesting concept of a stupid rich moneylender that just aims to help; I felt like I was just kinda waiting for the shoe to drop on him, but other than him debatably being a little bit of a scumbag (who isn't in Kamurocho), he's just a really nice guy who I wanna see succeed.

Saejima was one of the best depictions of trauma I've seen in this series so far. That scene of him recounting his pain in the Coliseum was incredibly powerful; only to be followed by him reuniting with his old boss. Emotionally amazing. I wish he was present a little longer, but I'm really excited to see where his story goes in the future.

Like his gameplay, Tanimura was a slow burn. Something about the dude I just liked more and more as time went on. A cop who doesn't give a shit about the rules, is kinda an asshole, but still has that heart of gold. I liked his bit of being in the foreign community, that was neat. I'm glad he got the final fight. It makes me sad knowing that he still hasn't come back in the modern day. I miss him already.

Kiryu is Kiryu. We love Kiryu. I wish he would stop falling into this damned city's nonsense. Something I really liked about his part of the story is how it felt very celebrational for the series. All of his substories referenced the past in some way, which was really cool.

Yasuko was great, especially once her connection to Saejima was revealed. I'm a sucker for sibling relationships in media, as I think I've said before. Her death felt a little goofy, but in the same way I felt really invested in it, and it was like "I've been living my life dead already. Might as well keep going a little bit for my brother."

Hana!!!!!! The team of Akiyama and Hana was amazing, especially for opening the game up with. I do think there was just a TAD too much focus on her eating, but still, beyond that. Having a plus-sized character, ESPECIALLY a woman, be more than just a walking joke, is amazing. She still felt like a person. I can't wait to hopefully see more of her. I hope.

Hamazaki???? He's. I don't know how I feel about him. On one hand, I'm glad his last minute resurrection was used well. A really good turn of character from a villain to a man who's learned to trust and love. I do really like him in that end. On the other end; why doesn't he die. Like, he died. He dies. A lot. He died in 3. He died in the start of the game. He died in Kiryu's chapter. This is like FFIV with the amount of fake death.

Majima didn't get as much appearance as I would have liked, especially for the game that shows his sworn brother, but he's always a joy for a reason. I liked how he felt more down to earth, more sorrowful here. Little more like how he was in 0; I'm starting to really see the full connection of the dude here.

Kido felt like he was gonna be Rikiya 2, in a way, but I'm glad he wasn't a 1-to-1. I didn't really understand his heel turn for the most part, but I think I picked it up at the end. He was going balls out. He was gonna take the opportunity to go big. Cool guy, not S tier.

I do like Daigo, generally. Here, I understood his motivations, but I feel like he was shoehorned in to give Kiryu a final battle. I dunno. Poor guy is just getting the shaft compared to other mainstay characters.

Katsuragi was a neat villain. He doesn't have anything that stands out to me, but he served his purpose very well, I think.

Sugiuchi on the other hand, I liked AND he had a little sauce to him. Initially I thought he was gonna be the rough man yet still an ally, but they instead went the villain route. The reveal of being yakuza undercover as a cop, yet still finding some kind of meaning IN fighting crime; it was neat.

To continue in the police, I'll always find catharsis with taking down a corrupt official, which is what I got with Munakata. I think he was introduced at a good point to not feel like a last minute "man behind the man" big bad, and he felt satisfying to take down.

Finally; Arai. I. I don't think I like Arai. I didn't understand him, his motives, what his role was. Out of everyone who ended up being a final force, he was my least favorite, and I wouldn't be upset not seeing him ever again. He wishes he was Mine good.

The villains of this game were weak, in my opinion. Probably the weakest of the series so far. But the allied cast in this game was strong enough to balance them out. There were a couple people I didn't mention but to quickly put them down: Fuck Saito. Hate him. Haruka is daughter. Love her. I got to see the kids again. Yay. Date got more appearance and a little bit more story which I loved. Shibata is there.

To move away from my usual character break down, I do like how this game still feels more put together than the first two in the series. I saw a lot of complaints about rubber bullets online, ridiculing them, but like; while ridiculous, that plot point didn't bother me that much? Something about Yakuza reminds me of Professor Layton. You get a lot of mysteries that all (ideally) get tied together at the end, and it's really satisfying. The mystery of what happened 25 years ago, everyone's personal arcs, the Ueno Seiwa, the Tojo, the Police all intersecting for power, and the people heading this; it's fun.

Also, the substories in this game???? Dude. I loved them. Where 3 was filled with a lot of heart, 4 gives a lot of important feeling character expanding on our main cast. Sure, there's a couple silly ones; but when you get 3 new guys, you gotta get them up to par with Kiryu, and they succeeded with that. Akiyama gets a lot of viewing into his business, Saejima visits his past through the lens of protecting a kid, and Tanimura learns about his father and solves a big crime ring. I loved that they had these big stories that you could follow over several substories. Probably my favorite part of the game, there.

Part 3: Black Tortoise's Music 第3部：黒亀の音楽

I gotta say. Yakuza music is good, but doesn't always stick with me, beyond like, karaoke. I'm a big nerd who downloads video game music to listen to in the car, and before this, I really only had Outlaw's Lullaby from Kiwami 2 on the listen list (again, excluding karaoke). Yakuza has a lot of good intense techno, but 4 here. Dude. Music DRASTIC go up. A lot of big band, unique instruments, cool melodies; it caught my ears far more than in the past. Loved the wind sounds of Akiyama's battle theme, the intense and creepy moments like Whiskey & Rhapsody, the substory battles sometimes being met with the spicy brass squad song called Spicy Brass Squad, the absolute banger that is Tanimura's battle theme, as well as the Sugiuchi battle??? Similar to the story, only the final battles really unimpressed me with how GOOD the rest of the game is full of. Probably my favorite soundtrack in the series so far, I HAD to make this one of my sections that I limited to 4 just for the bit (I'm admitting it here)

Editor's note AKA Styrm going back through his thoughts to make sure they're coherent: HOW DID I NOT MENTION MAJIMA'S BATTLE THEME??? RECIEVE AND BITE YOU GOES INSANE WITH THAT OPENING

Part 4: Azure Dragon's Finale 第4部：紺碧の竜のフィナーレ

Yakuza 4 is a good game. I don't think I'd like it nearly as much without its main gimmick of 4 main characters. Luckily, it has that gimmick, and it does it well. You can only have so much solo Kiryu in the series before you hit burnout. I'm still craving a little more innovation, mainly in the side content, but I think this direction is exactly what the series needed. Luckily, I do have the benefit of "being in the future" and knowing where the series is going, so I'm looking forward to Most of it (I'm iffy on what I know about 6).

If I had a game with the story quality of 3 and the good feeling gameplay + multiple characters of 4, it'd be amazing (wait isn't this what I remember 0 being (it's been like 5 years I might have rose-colored glasses I need to replay it)). Still; like I said. Yakuza 4 is the right direction for the series. Just needs a little more to not feel like the same stuff that I just did last game.

7/10. Wonderful concept of a multi main character cast, but maybe just a little too similar to the game before it to excite me. Half the character writing is amazing, and the other half is the villains.

[mind-me-n0t]

Thoughts on Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

I finished Pirate Yakuza over a week ago and have some thoughts. No deep analysis or anything, just little titbits I need to commit to writing so that they can leave my head.

First of all, playing dress-up. As fun as this feature is, I didn't want to play around with it too much in fear of Majima looking super goofy during a big narrative moment. But in playing it safe I invented a whole new gameplay mechanic.

See, I made the two styles completely similar, expect that in the Sea Dog style Majima is shirtless. Which means I basically keybinded down on the D-pad to make Majima rip his shirt off. I feel this is an innovative gameplay feature that RGG should include in all games going forward.

For good measure, here's a picture of my Goromaru. I settled on this design early on in the game and basically never changed it.

Secondly, the narrative framing device. I fucking loved the revelation that this game is taking place inside a TV-show. It leaves nice wiggle room for making the crazier parts non-canon if need be further down the line. I already expected something like this, as Majima lends himself to be a very unreliable narrator and the game is overall more silly than the franchise has ever been. I wish we had more of these bits, perhaps at the end of each chapter, but I can see how that could have fucked with the pacing and immersion too severely.

As for the two musical numbers: I adore the first one, but the dance number at the very end made me cringe so hard I had a cramp.

Very briefly on the topic of Noah: he's a cute little guy that one a scale from Lani to Haruka ranks a solid above average. I really liked having him around and an easy way to make a sidekick much more tolerable is having them point out treasures for the player. Great touch. The fact that Majima is wearing Noah's necklace in the framing, gives Noah big "2 weeks until retirement" energy, as streamer PatStaresAt put it. Makes it harder to dislike a kid if you think he won't make it to the end.

Now there is one thing above all else that I longed for and I'm sad we didn't get to see. And it's from that fucking 4chan leak. Back in May 2024, someone posted a summary of the next RGG game to which everyone said "Fuck you, that's stupid". How young and innocent we were back then.

Two of the points included in this leak were:

"Yakuza tattoos are the key to recovering his memory" "Certain events from the series will be revisited through Majima's point of view"

Something we now know didn't happen. Either it was cut or never real to begin with. But everything else seemed legit and appeared in trailers, so I was waiting for these bits too. And in the prologue we do get a taste of it, but that is all, and the game doesn't do anything like that again. Rather, the key to recovering his memories was just to look a giant squid tenderly in its eye. That fell so flat for me, it hurts.

I was so ready for this happy-go-stupid pirate adventure to be cut short by repeated emotional gut punches. To see this man realise what a terrible life he had managed to forget, only for it to come flooding back at the climax of the story. Instead, Majima was almost able to keep his recovery hidden and only a small slip up made Saejima wise his memories returning.

I'm sorry, I just want to see these big burly men explode in even bigger emotions they can't control. Is that too much to ask?

The epilogue though? *chef's kiss* That was great. Loved that. Keep chasing that legend, Majima...

[kulemiwrites]

VARIOUS | Waking Up to Them

Characters: Masato Aizawa, Akira Nishikiyama, Reina, Kazuma Kiryu, Goro Majima, Taiga Saejima

Prompt: What it's like to wake up next to them!

Falling asleep with MASATO AIZAWA is almost guaranteed to result in you waking up in his arms. Hopefully you’re not too sensitive to heat because he doesn’t care what temperature the room is, he’s not going to be able to shut his eyes until he’s got you in his arms. He’s a living, breathing space heater. So, either he’ll be keeping you warm or he’ll be the reason you wake up drenched in sweat. He sleeps in nothing but a pair of trunks and a single sock– the second sock almost always manages to slip away at some point in the night. He’s a big fan of skin to skin contact. So he encourages you to come to bed dressed as scantily as possible. He’s already a heavy guy but he transforms into a boulder once he’s asleep, making it sort of difficult to pry his arm off. He understands that you have things to do and places to be, but that won’t stop him from snaking his dominant arm around you and guiding you back into bed if he manages to wake up when you’re trying to sneak away. His eyes would barely be open as he’s pressing sleepy kisses against your skin and mumbling, “Mm, no… Not yet. Just a bit longer.” And “a bit” could mean anywhere from 5 minutes to an entire hour, if you’re not careful. You’d have to be firm with him, otherwise you’re not getting up til he’s ready to part with you or until he’s gotten his fill of kissing you– whichever comes first. Morning breath be damned.

If you think AKIRA NISHIKIYAMA is handsome after he’s gussied himself up for the day, you must have lost your mind the first morning you woke up next to him. He often wakes with his head resting above his pillow of folded arms, his actual pillow somewhere behind him. Some of the hair that he’s pushed out of his face, falls across his cheekbones, sways with the steady breath he pushes through his nose and tickles his forearms. He peeks at you through heavy slits, blinking until his vision is clear enough to notice you staring at him. His lips are puffy when he first wakes. It’s like he’s pouting at you. It’s not often that he sleeps well but he realizes that the nights he has is when he’s often sleeping next to you. If he’s gotten decent sleep, he wakes in a slightly playful mood, placing his chilly fingers over your eyes as he teases you for staring. He’s a light sleeper though, so if you toss and turn, so will he. Even so, no matter how tired he is, he won’t waste too long in bed after grumbling, “Ugh, what time is it?” Doesn’t matter what time you say, if he sees sunlight peeking through the curtains, he’ll stretch and roll out of bed– not without stealing a few kisses of course. If you’re creative (read: handsy) enough, he can be convinced to stay under the covers with you a little longer.

It took being loved by you for REINA HATTORI to realize that it was perfectly okay to rise and fall as she is. When she was growing up, her mother taught her to wake before her partner so that they’d “have something nice to look at” first thing in the morning. In the beginning, she did that with you. She woke up before the sun to freshen up, make her face and fix her hair then slink back into bed with you until you were ready to wake up. It took a lot of convincing for her to rid herself of that habit but now, she sleeps until she’s well rested and wakes with nothing but a layer of her favorite night cream on her face and the straps of her cute little night slip sliding off her slender shoulders. Her dark hair is often pulled back into a loose, low bun but by the time she’s awake, lots of it has freed itself and is strewn about her pillow. She’s immensely affectionate first thing in the morning and so one habit that hasn’t died is her slipping out of bed to at least brush her teeth. Once she’s done that, she’s cuddling you, pressing peeks against your cheek and whispering about the day ahead, and more. “Well, good morning, you. Sleep well? Ahh, this is nice, isn’t it?” The woman is needy as all hell in the morning. The best prescription for that ailment is your affection.

Unless you’re an equally early riser, waking up to KAZUMA KIRYU often means waking to a half empty bed, his side of the covers tucked haphazardly beside you to keep you warm in his place. He hardly ever waits for you to wake to get started on breakfast. If you don’t rise to the familiar aroma of your favorites swirling past your nose or his fruitless attempt to muffle his heavy footsteps throughout the house, then he’ll wake you personally just before breakfast gets cold. His big warm hand is cautious when he taps you, not wanting to startle you. His voice is even deeper in the silence of the morning when he says, “Breakfast is ready. You’re welcome to join me but I don’t mind if you need more sleep.” You can’t count on him to stay in bed and cuddle with you unless you practically hold the man hostage. After all, he wouldn't even stay in bed when he’s ill. He’s not gonna do it if he’s got no excuse to.

If you ever wanted to know when you could catch GORO MAJIMA in his most vulnerable state, look no further. Waking up next to him is a rare privilege that one shouldn’t take lightly. He’s lying there practically naked, nothing but a thin pair of briefs. He’s either just fallen asleep a few hours ago or he’s lying there with his one eye barely open as he takes you in, contemplating if it’s a good time to try to sneak out of bed. Sometimes, he’ll simply lie there, eye smiling at you as you sleepily reach to brush the stray strands of his bedhead from hanging over his scarred eye and the cute mole just below it. Although he’s annoyed by not getting much sleep, he’s pretty much grown used to it at this point. He sees getting to watch you get enough shut eye for the both of you as a perk. Any time he catches you stirring, he shushes you and tries to lull you back to sleep. When that doesn’t work, he’ll smile at you as he curls his pointer under your chin and whisper, “Stubborn, ain’tcha?” As if he’s one to talk.

Early to bed, early to rise– TAIGA SAEJIMA sees little pleasure in lounging around in bed in the mornings. In his mind, bed is either for sleep or a certain extra curricular activity. So, unless your fingers are slipping beneath the waistband of his pajama pants, expect him to roll out of bed shortly after he wakes. There is a benefit to this! As long as you’ve slept next to him, you never have to worry about oversleeping for anything. He’s got a natural, internal alarm clock that never fails. While he’s probably not going to lie in bed until you’re ready to wake, he does allow you to use his broad chest as a pillow all night if that’s what you want. He’s pretty versatile in that way. He can either hold you all night or sleep on opposite sides of the bed with your backs facing the other. After all, for him, just having you near him is more than enough. This is why he prefers to wait for you to get out of bed before he starts his morning tea. He likes to quietly share a cup with you before you go about your day.

[tarokro]

I finished watching the Yakuza Amazon Prime series. I'm really interested in hearing all of your thoughts now that the series is fully out.

for those curious, here is my review:

I wanted to like this series. I am a lover of a corny, well-intended but poorly-made media and clumsy adaptations. But I'm really not a fan. All the positive reviews citing negative reviews being from "angry gamers" fail to take into account the sheer number of people who aren't familiar with the games and still disliked this series, because it manages a feat which should be impossible for something of the yakuza genre: it is really, really fucking boring.

you have so many plot threads and characters introduced rapid-fire in a way that don't let you connect with anyone or anything in a series this short. Interesting moments aren't lingered on at all, with stiff, almost insultingly dull fight choreography and stilted, inauthentic one-on-one character moments. Boring plot threads like a road trip to find someone's sister and the Florist's backstory take up far, far too much screen time. The inclusion of the satanists is as entertaining as the violence in this series gets, and yet anyone familiar with the wider yakuza film genre that forms the foundation of this series' source material and serves as its inspiration just ends up bewildered as to why that's the main connecting thread throughout the whole thing. The camerawork and editing, especially in the final episode's giant brawl, is poor. Nothing is dynamic. Lighting and sound design could also be a lot better. Especially the sound design, the squelching stabs in the final episode are very funny. And I cannot stress enough how disappointed I am in the fight choreography in this show. For the yakuza genre it is breathtakingly boring.

Other minor details leave you baffled. They keep calling Kiryu oyagoroshi, which means patriarch killer, but never translate it or tell you what it means. You keep reading it in the subtitles and hearing it, but you're just meant to infer its meaning. The romantic conflict is just as shoehorned in as it is in the game. Kiryu and Miho's platonic interactions had more on-screen chemistry than anyone else shown. Saejima and his horrible wig are allowed to pop up for a few minutes before he dies-not-dies in a comically short gunfight. That the satanists are given more screen- and general punch-time than anyone else depicted is a baffling choice for a show like this and does nothing to generate interest in who the Satanists are beyond "why are they in this show?"

the invention of Aiko to serve as an older sister to Yumi and a mother to Haruka is baffling. A friend said it seems like she really was just created to load all the possible bad traits any of their group to have onto one person. I don't understand her purpose. To someone unfamiliar with the source material, she comes across as the friend group's load-bearing asshole.

Kento Kaku's performance as Nishiki, for what they've given him, is stellar. However convoluted the plot behind it was and how clumsily it was revealed, it was nice to see Nishiki's younger sister Miho given screen time and a personality so that you can experience some amount of connection to the grief felt by those she leaves behind.

I'm also really confused by the end. I assume that, if the second season they seem to be anticipating comes to fruition, they're going to drag the cult details forward. but my friends reminded me: if Nishiki has known about Kazama being the guy who killed their parents for this long and has been running around like a glorified El Tigre slashing and stabbing people for years, why is Kazama still alive? Surely he would have killed him?

I don't feel any need to be super positive about this series. as someone who's a fan of jank and clunky creativity, none of this series really comes across like it was made by someone having fun with it, and I think that's what makes me really disappointed in the whole thing.

@draayder I told myself I wouldn't check this blog again until I got the chance to watch the next batch of episodes, so sorry for my lack of reply! I hope you can forgive me. this sums up my thoughts.

[saberdramon]

crafting up my mild canondiverge for y4 where saejima did shoot 18 people and killed most of them sure. the plot relevant guy(s? was there more than the one) has like, armor or whatever with which he survives so he can do his goofy bullshit. the rubber bullet bullshit is made up after the fact to get saejima's sentence dismissed, we can have a bit of corruption for ourselves too, as a treat. im sure there are holes and problems in this bc it's been a while since i played 4 and the plot gets Silly sometimes, but my main one rn is whether saejima would Insist on getting the death sentence as him attoning for what he did or not. or if we could instead say the prison stay in y5 is that attonement instead. i feel like i can make this work but i don't have it quite laid out nicely yet