#already beat kiwami so no worrys there

[burnadicarwoz]

Goddamn you yakuza 0, you and 2 are both leaving ps plus by the 18th of next month, I've been playing you for 4 days to 2 weeks, 30 hours in, and NOW you have a big activity to lose time in that isn't even the sidestories or leveling up stuff like I love you but man STOP BEING SO GOOD THAT I FEEL GUILTY WHEN I WANT TO PLAY THE MAIN STORY AND BEAT IT SO I CAN PLAY 2 FUCK-

[overdevelopedglasses]

So, I've been thinking about the Yakuza series for a long time now.

I've also just passed the 2nd anniversary of me beating Yakuza 0. So, I think it'd be appropriate, both time wise and as my first Tumblr rambling, to share a headcanon I now carry for the series.

spoilers for the Yakuza series, up to Kiwami 2/a teeny bit of 3 (mainly, Kiryu's whereabouts after K2)

After Kiryu and Makoto meet in 0, they strike up a friendship. In canon, nothing happens after that.

HOWEVER, heres where my headcanon comes in

After the events of 0, Makoto ends up visiting Kiryu at the same time she gets her watch back. They have a fun conversation, which leads to them exchanging addresses.

And then...

They start writing letters to each other.

They begin as short letters but soon evolve into pages upon pages of the two of them getting to know each other and talking about anything and everything.

Even after Kiryu is arrested, the police Date allow him to corrospond with Makoto via letter (Date would inspect them at the beginning, but eventually stopped due to trusting Kiryu)

They would talk about everything and bonded over many things, including mutual loss (Nishiki/Yumi and Tachibana), and they'd tell each other about their lives.

Eventually, Makoto would ask Kiryu about the man who saved her back in the 80s. Kiryu would identify him as Majima, the Mad Dog of the Shimano family. They'd talk ad-nauseum about him and compare stories on the intricate and complicated man.

But there's one thing.

Kiryu never described what Majima looked like, and Makoto never went looking for him, since he is yakuza. That'd be super dangerous, you know.

Kiryu never told Majima that he was in contact with Makoto, as he feared the worst. But then again, Majima was already obsessed with fighting him.

This continues, until after Majima Saga in Kiwami 2.

After giving Majima his massage, in her next letter to Kiryu, Makoto talks about the man she massaged that was oddly silent ("He seemed very intimidating, I was worried I was doing something wrong!")

In his letter back, Kiryu wrote that the silent man was Majima.

Now, Makoto is smart. However, she doesn't quite believe Kiryu at first. After receiving the new strap for her watch, she puts it all together.

The man who gave her the watch strap, the silent man who visited the massage place, the kind man who helped her all those years ago, and the person that her and Kiryu wrote about regularly, it was all Goro Majima.

Once she's settled in America, Makoto sends a package to Kiryu's orphanage in Okinawa. The majority of the shipment is gently used clothing + supplies for Morning Glory, but on the top of the package are 2 letters. One is addressed to Kiryu as normal.

The other is addressed to one Goro Majima.

Anyway, in Yakuza 3, Majima has received the letter from Kiryu, and while he hadn't gotten the guts to write back, he keeps the letter in the inside pocket of his jacket, right over his heart.

[cryingcow]

Rikiya, Kiryu, & Haruka - Rikiya’s Lonely Struggle [RGGO]

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 .

This month’s RGG Online dice event features Rikiya! I was in a Y3 mood lately so I went and did this first :D

Apparently they’re called Sugoroku events. This one is 6 chapters long, including the prologue and epilogue, so I’ll be splitting it into 3 parts. Enjoy the sight of Rikiya in the Dragon Engine now since Yakuza Kiwami 3 might not be coming for a long time :’(

This story feels like a subtle way to attract tourists to Okinawa, what with the food specialties, the lessons in Okinawan slang (that I skipped over in here), and this banner:

Just look at that winning Dad smile! Don’t you wish you were in Okinawa right now?

Click on for the Prologue, Chapter 1 + Rikiya’s Side Comments!

.

Rikiya’s Side Comments

During the course of rolling around the board, Rikiya comments on various stuff and people.

Rikiya’s comments on objects:

Habu (Pit Viper) – “The venom of habus isn’t that strong, but they fight without fear of what kind of opponent they’re up against. How cool is that?”

Ryukyu City – “Isn’t it such a lively city? All the people here are nice. That’s why it’s my job to protect it.”

Jewel? [in-game item] – “Is this a jewel that I thought I saw fall? Haa~, it’s color is like that of the sea. It’s a waste to sell it off.”

Great dice [in-game item] – “Hey this is amazing! The same number of eyes appear no matter how many times you shake it. Hehe, let’s trick Mikio with this.”

Rikiya’s comments on people:

Patriarch Nakahara – “He’s stubborn, old-fashioned, and strange. But when he makes up his mind to do something, he does it. That’s my boss.”

Mikio – “I want to keep them smiling. I’m going to protect this group with him, so I’m going to be firm.”

Young Lady (Saki) – “She’s not good at speaking, but well, I’m not good at studying, it’s the same thing. Everyone knows how good the young lady is.”

Kiryu-no-aniki – “To think there’s a person out there like my patriarch . . . the world really is big!”

Haruka-chan – “She’s a small but firm child. There’s a lot of things going on. I want to help you keep them away.”

Ayako – “She’s a smart girl, so I don’t have to worry about her. Do you want company in your running practice?”

Koji – “He’s bright, gentle, and he exercises. Isn’t he popular in school? That’s good . . .”

Taichi – “Jeez, just because you like professional wrestling doesn’t mean I’m a lariat! I thought I was going to die . . .”

Mitsuo – “The one who knows pain can understand the pain of others. You’re already a good man.”

Riona – “Hehe, getting along with Mitsuo? It seems that Mitsuo will be laid out on his butt in another 10 years. That hurts! Don’t hit me!”

Shiro – “A great guy who can study with me. All you need is a handful of courage. Please support Morning Glory.”

Izumi – “I really like Mame. Take care of yourself when going on walks. Don’t forget to do your homework properly~?”

Eri – “I want to say that the house looks great, but that’s an adult’s excuse. One day, you’ll realize yourself.”

.

----

.

PROLOGUE

.

[Morning Glory Orphanage]

Haruka: “So you’ve never tried eating it yet, Ojiisan?”

Kiryu: “Yeah. I see it in the supermarket often, but I usually just pick up a familiar fish.”

Rikiya: “Nice to see you! Aniki and Haruka-chan!”

Kiryu: “Oh, Rikiya.”

Rikiya: “What were you two talking about?”

Haruka: “Rikiya-san, have you ever eaten a fish called ‘Gurukun’?”

Rikiya: “Of course I have! Gurukun is a fish that represents Okinawa! It’s also called ‘Takasago’ in the mainland, right?”

Kiryu: “That’s correct, but it’s not that famous in the mainland. I’ve never tried it out yet.”

Rikiya: “You’re kidding?! You can’t live in Okinawa without eating gurukun! Alright, how about the three of us head to the public market right now! There’s lots of fresh fish there!”

Kiryu: “We’re going to the market now?”

Rikiya: “Yes! I’ll be your guide!”

Kiryu: “I’m sorry. Haruka and I have something to do after this . . .”

Rikiya: “Something to do . . . then I’ll go run down to the market myself and buy you that gurukun!”

Kiryu: “Would that be alright? Sorry.”

Rikiya: “We can go to the market together next time when you have the time. More than the fish, I want Aniki to experience the kindness of the people in the market.”

Kiryu: “The kindness of the people in the market?”

Rikiya: “Yeah. Do the people at the market look scary at first glance?”

Kiryu: “Apart from the shops for tourists, there certainly is a cold atmosphere at first glance. Especially towards strangers like me.”

Rikiya: “They’re just workers who are bad at meeting new people. But actually everyone is kind, be they mainland people or Okinawa people!”

Kiryu: “Is that so. In that case, I’ll be looking forward to going to the market with you as my guide.”

Rikiya: “Well then, I’m going to run now!”

----

[Public Market]

Fish Seller A: “Hey, welcome~!”

Rikiya: “Hey!”

Fish Seller A: “Oh, Rikiya. What is it?”

Rikiya: “Do you have gurukun? I want a very fresh one.”

Fish Seller A: “Oh, we have just the right one! But it’s unusual for you to be cooking.”

Rikiya: “It’s not for me. I want to feed everyone at Morning Glory.”

Fish Seller A: “Morning Glory . . . ?”

Rikiya: “It’s an orphanage by the beach. My Aniki Kiryu-san is the caretaker.”

Fish Seller A: “Kiryu . . .”

Rikiya: “Give me all that gurukun you have. How much will it be?”

Fish Seller A: “Oh, uh, I just remembered that these gurukun have been reserved for another customer! Go hit up the other stalls!”

Rikiya: “What . . . Jeez. Whatever, I’ll try another store!”

----

Rikiya: “Oh! How are you doing?”

Fish Seller B: “Oh, Riki-chan.”

Rikiya: “Oh, you have gurukun. It’s not reserved for anyone, is it?”

Fish Seller B: “Yeah, they’re all for sale.”

Rikiya: “Alright! Now I can feed Kiryu-no-aniki!”

Fish Seller B: “Kiryu-no-aniki . . . ?!”

Rikiya: “Oh, do you know him? Kiryu Kazuma. He’s my Aniki!”

Fish Seller B: “Go home!”

Rikiya: “Eh?”

Fish Seller B: “The store is closed today! Go away!”

Rikiya: “Wh-What the hell . . . ?! Just like with the previous store, his attitude completely changed when I mentioned Kiryu-no-aniki’s name . . . ??”

Woman Passing By: “Just now, did you just say Kiryu . . . ?”

Rikiya: “Yeah. Do you know him Ma’am?”

Woman Passing By: “I overheard from someone in the market . . . that Kiryu Kazuma is trying to take over the place . . .”

Rikiya: “Aniki taking over the market?? What does that even mean??”

Woman Passing By: “I don’t know all the details, but that’s the rumor everyone’s been gossiping about. Look . . .”

{The woman points at two vendors talking.}

Meat Vendor: “Isn’t the Ryudo Family the enforcers of the market? Even if Kiryu attacks, the Ryudo Family will protect us, right?”

Greengrocer: “Idiot, the Ryudo Family can’t beat Kiryu. There’s a Tsukiji Market in Tokyo, and rumor has it Kiryu took over Tsukiji overnight.”

Meat Vendor: “Really! Then a small market like ours . . .”

Greengrocer: “Yeah, we’ll be taken over in one hour, tops. By Kiryu alone.”

Meat Vendor: “If that happens, I’ll stab Kiryu! When I see him next time, I’ll use this butcher knife, no questions asked . . . !”

Greengrocer: “Lay off. The guy who opposed Kiryu at Tsukiji was rumored to have been sold as cheap minced meat.”

Meat Vendor: “What a horrible bastard . . . ! The mainlanders are truly dreadful!”

Woman Passing By: “For the past week, the market’s been plagued by this rumor.”

Rikiya: “My Aniki taking over the public market?? Who’s been spreading these rumors?!”

Woman Passing By: “Well, there’s no smoke without fire.”

Rikiya: “Eh? What do you mean?”

Woman Passing By: “No, it’s nothing. Please excuse me . . .”

Rikiya: “What? That woman . . . ?”

{Rikiya’s phone rings. He answers.}

Rikiya: “Ah, Aniki! What is it?”

Kiryu: “My errand with Haruka ended earlier than expected. I’m heading to the market right now.”

Rikiya: “Ah, no, no! Don’t come here Aniki!”

Kiryu: “Why?”

Rikiya: “Well, the . . . the gurukan is sold out!”

Kiryu: “Is that so. Well we can walk around the market. I want to see this kindness of the people with you as my guide.”

Rikiya: “Sorry! I’ve left the market, I’m on my way back home to Morning Glory! Let’s just go to the market together some other day!”

Kiryu: “I see. I guess we’ll save the fun for next time . . . be careful in going home.”

{Kiryu hangs up.}

Rikiya: “My bad! This is dangerous . . . Aniki, looking forward to interacting with the people in the market . . . I was the one who made him expect it in the first place . . . I can’t say ‘the market is full of bad rumors about Aniki’. What do I do . . . ? Can I convince the people otherwise one by one? That’ll take a long time . . . But why did weird rumors pop up? I guess because my Aniki is a mainlander . . .”

Rikiya: “For the time being, I should head back to Morning Glory. My Aniki will be suspicious if I’m late . . .”

.

-END-

.

CHAPTER 1

.

[Morning Glory Orphanage]

Rikiya: (In the end, a week passed without me taking any measures against the rumors about Aniki spreading through the market . . . Well, it’s better to wait for the rumors to disappear on their own than panic. As the saying goes, ‘people’s rumors last 75 days’ . . . Hm? How many months is 75 days? That’s long . . .)

Haruka: “Rikiya-san, it’s a shame the gurukan was sold out last time.”

Rikiya: “Well, that’s how delicious the fish is!”

Haruka: “I’m looking forward to the day I can eat it! Now more than ever I’m interested in Okinawan food. Rikiya-san, do you know Soki?”

Rikiya: “Of course. It’s an Okinawan specialty made of stewed pork and bones. It’s delicious!”

Haruka: “The soki that Ojiisan ate a year ago was very delicious. I was going to buy Ojiisan’s soki today, but I wanted to go with you.”

Rikiya: “Oh, that’s good. Where’s this store? I want to know what soki Aniki is beating his drum for.”

Kiryu: “It’s in the market.”

Rikiya: “Ah, Aniki. I understand. It’s in the . . .”

Rikiya: “Th-The market?!”

Kiryu: “It would be nice to explore the market under your guidance. Interacting with the people in the market . . .”

Rikiya: “N-No! Two people shouldn’t go to the market together!”

Kiryu: “Why?”

Rikiya: “Why . . . that’s . . . ! It’s really hot out today! If a person from the mainland goes outside on a day like this, they’d get a heatstroke in seconds! So I’ll be the one to buy soki for the two of you, just wait! Hey Haruka-chan, lend me that shopping bag!”

{Rikiya takes the shopping bag out of Haruka’s hands and runs off.}

Kiryu: “What a strange guy . . .”

----

[Public Market]

Rikiya: “This is bad. It’s only a matter of time before Aniki and Haruka-chan come to the market . . . For now, let’s listen in to the conversations of the people of the market to see the current state of the rumors.”

{Rikiya casually eavesdrops on everyone.}

Rikiya: “Unexpectedly, the rumors seem to have died down . . .”

Greengrocer: “The story that Kiryu is taking over the market alone was just that. Apparently it wasn’t a real story.”

Meat Vendor: “That’s true. If you think about it with a calm head, it’s impossible, taking over the market alone.”

Greengrocer: “Right. Apparently Kiryu is taking over markets with his friends.”

Meat Vendor: “With friends . . . ?! Who?”

Greengrocer: “The young captain of the Ryudo Family . . . Rikiya.”

Meat Vendor: “Ah! Yeah, that guy’s always hanging out with Kiryu these days!”

Greengrocer: “Right? Rikiya’s been completely brainwashed by Kiryu.”

Meat Vendor: “Then that means Kiryu and Rikiya will strike soon?!”

Greengrocer: “Yeah, no mistake . . .”

Rikiya: “Oi! Knock it off!”

Greengrocer: “Ri-Rikiya! Are you making your attack already?!”

Rikiya: “You idiots. Aniki brainwashing me? Taking over the market? He’ll never do that! It’s all a hoax!”

Greengrocer: “But before, you loved Okinawa more than anyone else, and would never even think about wagging your tail for a mainlander! And calling Kiryu your aniki, that’s clearly brainwashing!”

Rikiya: “You’re wrong! I just fell in love with my Aniki’s honourable spirit! Kiryu-no-aniki is a real man among men!”

Greengrocer: “Look, Rikiya’s eyes . . . ! They’re the same as the eyes of my cousin who got pulled into a new religion!”

Meat Vendor: “This guy’s already been brainwashed . . . ! He’s going to attack with Kiryu soon!”

Greengrocer: “I’ll be out of business, and Kiryu will suck on my bones!”

Rikiya: “Don’t be scared, you guys. I know Kiryu-no-aniki has a fearsome appearance . . . “

Meat Vendor: “Hey! Look over there!”

Greengrocer: “Ki-Ki-Kiryu . . .”

Haruka: “The market is really lively, Ojiisan.”

Kiryu: “Yeah . . .”

Haruka: “But is it really that good?”

Kiryu: “You should look forward to it. You can even suck on all the bones . . .”

Rikiya: “Wait, Aniki! What are you doing here!”

Kiryu: “Because you came here all alone . . .”

{People are screaming around the market.}

Meat Vendor: “Hurry up and run away everyone! Or you’ll be killed!”

Haruka: “What’s going on? Why is everyone in the market running away somewhere?”

Kiryu: “Did something happen?”

Rikiya: “This is, uh . . . a disaster drill!”

Kiryu: “Disaster prevention training?”

Rikiya: “Yes. Practicing to avoid getting killed by disaster . . . that’s why you can’t shop today!”

Kiryu: “Well, that’s a shame. I wanted to eat the ‘cartilage soki’ I had eaten here before.”

Rikiya: “Cartilage soki . . .”

Kiryu: “It was stewed so well, you can even eat the bones. It was excellent.”

Rikiya: “Then when the drill is over, I’ll buy some and bring it home, so please go now Aniki.”

Kiryu: “Oh. I don’t want to get in the way of the drill. Let’s go home, Haruka.”

Haruka: “Yup. See you, Rikiya-san.”

{Kiryu and Haruka leaves.}

Rikiya: “Phew . . . that was dangerous . . .”

Greengrocer: “What? Is that bastard Kiryu leaving? Did he just come here for reconnaissance, only to come back at a later date . . .”

Rikiya: “So, now you know it’s a hoax.”

Greengrocer: “No, I heard it! Kiryu said he came to the market to ‘suck all the bones’!”

Rikiya: “No, Aniki was talking about soki . . .”

Greengrocer: “Don’t tell such a transparent lie!”

Hooligan A: “Oi, you, where’s Kiryu?”

Rikiya: “What? These bastards . . .”

Hooligan B: “We’re bouncers. We were hired to protect this market from Kiryu.”

Rikiya: “Hired by who?”

Hooligan A: “I don’t think that has anything to do with you. Is Kiryu coming or not? Where is he?”

Greengrocer: “He just left the market.”

Hooligan A: “Alright, I’ll chase after him!”

Rikiya: “Wait, my Aniki isn’t taking over the market!”

Hooligan A: “Hey I remember, you’re Rikiya, the one who’s been brainwashed by Kiryu! I don’t believe a word you’re saying! Get out of here!”

Rikiya: “If you’re really going to chase after Aniki, you can do so only if you beat me.”

Hooligan B: “Hmph, this kid is crazy! But this is Kiryu’s friend! Do it!”

{Rikiya kicks the crap out of the hooligans.}

Rikiya: “Tell me before I hit you again, where and when were you hired as bouncers?”

Hooligan A: “The market’s . . . Youth Club . . .”

Rikiya: “Youth Club?”

Greengrocer: “It’s a union of young people working together in the market. Although they’re rough, they’re more enthusiastic about the market than anyone.”

Meat Vendor: “Yes, yes. The Youth Club members knew about Kiryu’s invasion before anyone else.”

Rikiya: “Wait, so the source of the rumor is that Youth Club?”

Meat Vendor: “Well, I don’t remember much, but I don’t think the Youth Club started it . . .”

Rikiya: (If the Youth Club is spreading rumors, what for . . . ? Do I want to get in now and find the truth? No. First I have to buy cartilage soki for my Aniki and go home. If I linger too much, he’ll come back to the market again . . .)

.

-END-

.

As an addition:

Look at the new Kiryu card, living his best life in Okinawa with his orphans T^T

.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 Masterlist

[centerofreality]

What if kiyru and majima found their male S/O playing yakuza 0 and they were absolutely loving it.(Shhhhh ignore the lack of logic and reason) P.S I love your headcannons.

Ohh, this is a good idea! And thank you so much! ♡ I hope you like it! This might be more angsty than you requested so I’m sorry about that!

(This headcanon is set right after the events of Yakuza Kiwami)

Kiryu and Majima seeing Male S/O play Yakuza 0 HCs

Kiryu: 

Like Majima, Kiryu is also incredibly confused, but he wouldn’t think about it for a long time. Strange things kept happening to him, he wouldn’t be surprised about a strange game...Okay, maybe a little.

He would stare at the controller. That looks so... complex... What do you mean it’s touch-screen?? He knows about the NES and the Playstation but he doesn’t know anything about... this. Not like, he’s played any virtual games in his childhood. He only played tag and other physical activities back at Sunflower.

Seeing the parts of Majima before he became a Mad Dog made Kiryu respect him a lot more. Majima was strange but a good man and Kiryu knew that.

“Who knew that Majima-san was close with Makoto-san..”

When Oda and Tachibana showed up, It made him remember how much he’s been helped by them and how it could have been better had the situation’s been different. It should be time that he visits their graves again.

“I’ll forever be grateful for what they did. I wouldn’t have been alive now without them.”

Sign him up for some Karaoke! You do all the work because he’s not really good at games. He can sing and cheer if you want?

You asked him to play one time and you didn’t think teaching someone how to play was so stressful.

*You two proceed to spend hours trying to learn*

But seeing Kiryu succeed in completing Bakamitai for the first time could be your biggest achievement yet. It was all worth it.

“I...I did it!” He’ll stare at the screen with wide eyes.

“You did!!” You’ll beam as you give him a high-five which he accepted.

Kiryu mainly plays the Fishing, Karaoke, and the Disco minigames and watches you fight. How the tables turn. Kiryu couldn’t play as well as he fights in real life.

“I caught a Great White!! Yes!!!” You’ll cheer as you smirk at Kiryu who looked disgruntled. “Why don’t you try?”

You’ll only be surprised when he caught an Oarfish larger than yours.

“It seems I win.”

“No fair!”

You two would also spend time playing the two-player mode in the Disco Minigame! You’ll only laugh because Kiryu quietly curses underneath his breath when he misses.

As he watches you do the Five Billionaires Quests, he wondered what could have happened if he experienced it as well, seeing all the money pile in easily.

Seeing all the other sidequests he was meant to be in, he wasn’t sure if he should be happy or not. He could remember some but not all.

All the other songs but Judgement have scores. Kiryu says it’s because Nishiki would beat his ass for not having a high score but you know better.

Whenever Nishiki pops up, Kiryu gets quiet but gives a small smile when he sees the interactions of Ingame him and Ingame Nishiki. Those were good times that he could never forget.

If you do the Pocket Circuit Quests, Kiryu takes his opportunity as the expert. He knows all the parts you would need for each race. He might actually ask to play it himself, it wouldn’t be the same but the thrill’s still there nonetheless.

“Y/N... Can you open the game?”

“Huh? Why?”

“...Well, I was wondering if I can play Pocket Circuit..”

His love for Pocket Circuit never diminishes. He ain’t Kamurocho’s Fastest for nothing.

Haruka also occasionally joins in with playing, grinning when she sees the familiar white suit and a red shirt that Kiryu wears during Adventure Mode. She’d also be the one to play the Cabaret Club minigames, giving her own comments when she watches or plays with the both of you. It gives her joy that she could have bonding time with her Uncle Kaz and Uncle Y/N.

“I wasn’t born at that time, right, Uncle Kaz, Uncle Y/N?”

Kiryu nodded, “Mhm. I can’t believe it’s been that long.”

Majima:

Majima would be so confused. How does this game that you found somewhere to have the events that happened 17 years ago? But he doesn’t think about it much, thinking of different possibilities as he watches you play. The more you progress, the more he gave up and gave commentary.

“Shit hurts my head, you know.”

However, when Lee, Nishitani, and Makoto were mentioned, now he was suspicious. How did this game know about those people? He has to reassure himself that what was done was done and it was just a game, so you tell him that he doesn’t have to watch you play.

“I know that these people are important to you. I can stop playing the game if you want?” You look at Majima who shakes his head after thinking deeply.

“Nah. It’s fine. If you’re the only one that has that game then I don’t mind you seeing it. It’s just the other people I’m worried about.”

Eventually, he moves on after seeing that you’re the only owner of the unknown game and even tells you about the events.

In order to lighten his mood, you’ll talk to him about his previous appearance.

“I wonder what you’ll look like with long hair but with the same clothes now. I should rent a tuxedo too.” You’ll grin at him as he rolls his eyes.

“I’ll look so hot that you won’t be able to keep your eyes off me. You gotta take the safety measures first.”

When you’re in Kiryu’s story, he’d look so excited, wanting to see what the man had in store.

“Beat him up, beat him up!!” He shouts as Ingame Kiryu fights with Kuze.

“Majima, he can’t hear you.”

He would absolutely enjoy all the heat moves, he’d tell you to fight enemies 24/7.

He’d also cackle at the sidequests. He’d poke fun at both Kiryu and his own sidequests.

“Kiryu-chan gets into all sorts of shit, doesn’t he?”

Majima would talk about the game with you almost every time the both of you are together in private.

“It’s kinda weird though. It’s like a weird, psychic game.” “Do you think that another version of me would exist somewhere?” He would ask.

Seeing Tachibana and Makoto’s story made Majima feel like shit. He’ll actually offer to play the following fight scenes despite not knowing how to really play it. He thinks he could have done better.

“Even if it’s already over with, I still feel like I’ve accomplished something.”

“I’m sure Makoto’s brother would be grateful.” You’ll tell him with a gentle smile and he’ll look at you and slowly smile back.

“I hope so.”

Majima’s moved on but he still hopes that Makoto’s safe. It was the least he could do.

If you get too tired, Majima will offer to play for you. He’ll make sure you sleep well before he stares at the headset and the controller.

“Now..How do I play this thing?”

Majima would be so into playing the Cabaret Club Minigame. He’d play it more than you. And he’d be so happy seeing the faces of the familiar girls he’s worked with before he left. He’ll openly admit to you that he misses them.

He would look like a kid sneaking off to hide something from their parents as he stares at you, holding your controller, with the intention of ranking his ladies to the max level.

“What is that you’re holding?”

“...A knife.”

You’ll gape as you see that in Adventure Mode, Majima can be styled.

“Look! It’s your new look!” You’ll point and indeed, Ingame Majima had the Mad Dog outfit.

Majima’s eyes would narrow in suspicion, “Wait, don’t tell me there’s a game about-”

“About what?” 

“Nothing. Nevermind.”

Majima would spend so much time buying so many items that you wouldn’t even need. Mainly weapons that he can beat people up with.

“Majima, how did we just lose a billion yen?”

[zevzevarainai]

Hey! You ever end up doing essay on the kazumaji gifs? (I'm highly interested because it's always majima o' clock where I live)

it’s always majima o’clock here too; maybe we live in the same area... but lmao i didnt write the essay on my kazumaji gifs because i didnt think anyone would want to hear it so i meant it more as a per request kind of deal. and you’re requesting. I want you to know you did this to yourself, my friend

below the read more for everyone’s well being. welcome to my first official majima analysis essay

ok so in those tags i said something like majima is softest with kiryu because it is absolutely the truth (unless you count makoto, which i love them too, but majima has moved on or at least is making an effort to. and that was pre-tacky snake skin jacket and pre-mad dog persona.) 

the prompt for the gifset was “maybe something about majima being stupid and unhinged but like, in a sweet way” and the whole point of this rambling is that kiryu is really the only one we see who causes the mad-dog persona to slip. kiryu says he can never get a read on majima but just because he is unpredictable doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand that he isn’t just batshit crazy. he trusts majima, and finds comfort in his lack of predictability, keeping kiryu’s life exciting and providing distraction from the insane amount of tragic shit that happens to kiryu. and majima has a similar experience of idolizing the yakuza lifestyle as teens/young adults only to have the yakuza drag them through hell. But this is supposed to be about Majima.

ANYWAY what GETS ME is again that mad-dog vibe slipping around kiryu. the only time we really only see it again is with Saejima when he comes back from jail. i’m gonna talk about that later too. LET’s GET TO THE GIFS i’m going in chronological order not the order i put them in

1)

Ok so as an audience, we don’t really know what happened between Kiryu and Majima between Yakuza Zero and Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami. Yes, we get that tiny ending scene of Majima going KIRYU-CHAN for the first time and Kiryu smiling at him. But we are given nothing as to how they met or why Majima started calling him Kiryu-chan. It is left completely to the audience’s interpretation. Because then it goes straight to the first scene with Majima in Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami after Kiryu gets out of jail. It implies that they already knew each other, and arguably that they were somewhat close -- close enough for Majima to “miss him.” (What was majima doing for those 10 years, i don’t know, but he clearly wasn’t in a great place, missing both kiryu, makoto, and saejima, we ignore y5 lore in this household or make up shit to fill in the giant gaps) You could argue that Majima missing Kiryu is just Majima being “crazy haha woah” but his character is so much deeper than that, and it’s proven in this gif’s scene. Yes he is fighting Kiryu with all his men. But if you are reading this you understand that them fighting physically all the time is a secret love language. They never intend to severely hurt each other. Fighting is how they know that they have an equal, someone else who was modeled into a weapon because of the Tojo Clan.

And yes, “He belongs to me!” is an extremely gay thing to say. He doesn’t even need to say that, though. One of his men didn’t understand that he doesn’t actually want to hurt Kiryu. The guy picked up Majima’s knife and tried to actually hurt Kiryu. Majima willingly gets stabbed so Kiryu doesn’t get hurt. That’s a handful of gay subtext right there. Majima’s first scene in y1 is about how the world is a horrible, shitty place that will chew you up and spit you out if you care. Then he goes and gets stabbed. Self-sacrificially. He cares about Kiryu, even if it hurts. 

2)

This one isn’t as deep. It stems of the same concept of them fighting each other as equals. Majima explicitly says more than once that strength is the most admirable trait, Goromi says that it only matters that a man is strong. Kiryu is the only person who presents a challenge to him. He admires him. 

3)

(As a disclaimer, I know a lot of people are uncomfortable with Goromi. I’ve also seen a lot of non-binary, gender-fluid, etc. people project on Goromi and Majima, and I feel like that can only be a good thing. Obviously they deserve more and more quality representation. I think the people who dislike Goromi are valid as well, but for the sake of this argument we are going to see Goromi as the people who project on her do and I’m going to use she/her pronouns when talking about Goromi.)

Regardless on your stance on this whole little side quest, the player has the choice to go along with Goromi which creates actually a lot of subtle connecting between the two of them. Even in just talking to her, we see the mad-dog mask slip. She talks about how much she cared about the girls at Club Shine and wonders how they’re doing. Literally says “all part of my tragic-ass backstory.” And Kiryu sympathizes with it. Says he sees through the “i hated it” bullshit and sees Majima/Goromi’s true self, which is that the cabaret job was hard for Majima because he cared about the women and didn’t like using them as a source of income and knew it would be his fault if they got hurt. 

Also, Goromi says that "When I’m with a guy, it’s all about if I’m having enough fun. That’s why he’s gotta be strong.” Sound like someone we know? Someone who we are talking about in the last gif with i-just-got-the-shit-beat-out-of-me-and-it-was-awesome bliss on his face?

Anyway, the scene in the gif is near the end of the session. Kiryu is talking about how he’s been in prison for 10 years, and Goromi says that now that he’s out he should try to relax and and a little fun. Arguably, “since you’re so lonely right now, I’m gonna give ya a hand!” is most of Majima’s role in YK1. Kiryu gets out of prison. Majima wants to fight him all the time and says it’s because he’s gone soft and needs to train. Majima Everywhere presents excitement in his life when everything else is hard and shitty and traumatizing. Yes, Majima kidnapped Haruka. But there isn’t a lot of info on that. Majima says he did it so they could fight but it very likely could have been an order from the Tojo Clan or even Nishiki. Until he develops a bond with Haruka, Majima is, in a way, all he has. Nishiki is mean now. Yumi is ???. Kazama is i don’t even remember but he certainly isn’t any emotional support. He’s lonely. Majima is the only person he has from before prison, and quite possibly the only person who understands what he is going through. 

4)

YK2, Kiryu has yeeted out of Majima’s life as Kiryu does, but he’s trying to protect haruka so I’ll let it slide. And what does Majima do now that Kiryu’s not there? Leaves the Tojo Clan. Yes it’s because he doesn’t like the 5th chairman’s style and to make up for Kawamura, but the point is he’s bored. The use of “MY Kiryu-chan” is obviously written there because “haha majima he’s crazyyy” but come on. Majima left the Tojo Clan after Kiryu stepped down as the 4th chairman. Because he was bored. Because he couldn’t trust his own men. The only person he considered an equal just wasn’t there anymore and he found it difficult to adjust. (That’s YEARNING, fellas)

So yes, HIS Kiryu-chan came home, but what is home in this context? It clearly isn’t the tojo clan, so I guess it could be Kamurocho in general. But if the clan doesn’t make it home, what does make it home? Perhaps a certain triangle shaped man??

5)

Oh boy silly Majima wants to fight Kiryu again hahaha weeeeeeeee NO listen, LISTEN, he does want to fight kiryu again, because 1) the man has been bored for a year 2) FIGHTING IS THEIR LOVE LANGUAGE 3) Majima is once again surprising Kiryu in a world where nothing surprises him anymore, where kiryu expects people to be vile and only want him for gain. Every single goddamn game it’s “Kiryu plz save the Tojo Clan plz” and Kiryu NEVER gets anything in return unless you count, i don’t know, Daigo and Haruka’s safety? But Majima doesn’t give a shit about any of that. Majima is one of the only people who consistently does things for Kiryu (even if they’re presented in an abnormal way). Majima is really the only one who makes sacrifices for Kiryu. But this fight, it kicks off YK2 of “hey, i missed you but i won’t admit it because we’re manly yakuza, please let me try to make you smile.”

6)

THE kazumaji scene. Going off of Majima being the only one to make sacrifices for Kiryu, here’s a perfect example. Majima first aids the Tojo Clan which he swore to leave literally only because Kiryu asked him to. Then, here, he get beaten within an inch of his life because he promised Kiryu he would protect Kamurocho from Ryuji. Majima does not give a shit about the Tojo Clan at this point. Yes, Majima LOVEEESSSS beating people up, but he’s fatally wounded. This is not a Majima who would die for the Tojo Clan. This is a Majima willing to die for Kiryu. After warning Kiryu about being to trusting, too.

And of course, we get the Majima collapsing on the pavement and Kiryu rushing in to CRADLE him in his arms like a damn fanfic. You’ve even got the “I did it for you” which everyone knows is basically an “I love you.” Look at Majima’s face in the gif. Bless the Kiwami 2 graphics, first of all. He’s looking at Kiryu like he wants him to be the last thing he sees, like he wants him to know that he’s going out for Kiryu, that despite the fact that he’s about to cough up blood he needs Kiryu to have the information he needs to save the clan and Kamurocho. He’s telling Kiryu all this with labored breath because he promised. Kiryu “One-Expression” Kazuma is viably worried as hell, the little nod in the gif kills me because Kiryu needs him to know he’s touched and he’s so grateful. The only reason Kiryu left him was because there was danger elsewhere and he trusts Kaoru enough to take care of him. (Side note: I love Kaoru Sayama, but I still feel like she’s good enough a character on her own and doesn’t need to be a romantic interest for Kiryu. Like it was like oh... she’s Girl so she needs to fall for the Big Strong Male Protag.... If Majima was a cis girl they would have made out in this game, maybe even y1.) 

7) Speaking of sacrifices, Yakuza 3, the game where Majima literally joined the Tojo Clan again because Kiryu wanted him to protect Daigo. That’s a huge lifestyle change, Majima.

Yes, this scene is funny because Majima is riding in a Barbie-ass truck like a 15 year old driving on a learner’s permit in a downpour (yet proves he can drive stick seconds later) and thinks he hit Kiryu while he purposely hit everyone else. Look, Majima needs this ok y3 he looks like he’s been crying since kiryu left no one No One is going to hurt Kiryu now

That truck is likely stolen, he’s driving erratically as fast as he can because Kiryu is in danger, how did he even know that Kiryu was in danger is it like some kind of 6th sense... If you didn’t already know, I would take a bullet for Majima’s voice actor; his delivery of “Kiryu-chan! Where are you?!” could have just been like haha oops kiryu did i hit you ;3 but instead it’s this raw cry of genuine panic, like did his actions get kiryu hurt, Majima could not live with himself if he was the reason Kiryu got fatally hurt

8) Ok I’ve hinted at the fact that I have beef with the Hot Mess that is yakuza 5, wasn’t huge on Y4 and Y6 was fine but it was heavily based on the events of Y5. In my head I’ve got an entire fix-it fanfic in which Majima yeets out to Okinawa with Kiryu after Y3 I could write that upon request too ANYWAY here’s another sacrificial majima...

Despite not caring for Y5, THIS SCENE is RAW. Maybe he’s not super “unhinged” in this scene but it’s just so much. Majima, who Kiryu brokedown in his taxi bc he thought he got killed (because Kiryu made him stay in the tojo clan haha we’re out here crying), chooses Kiryu over Saejima. Saejima, Majima’s oath brother, Saejima. We love Saejima, Majima loves Saejima, but 25 years is a long ass time. Majima changed. Saejima changed. For awhile he had Makoto, but then Kiryu was all Majima had for a good chunk of Saejima’s time in prison. This is the man Majima got his eye stabbed out for defending. But the BaD GuYs that arent memorable enough for me to even look up the names of are like look, we want to watch the world burn because we are Bad Guys, so either you are going to fight your brother to the death or we are going to snipe Kiryu’s daughter in the fucking head. Obviously he doesn’t know that Baba is going to betray them, so he has to pick between Saejima and Haruka. He chooses to potentially kill Saejima for Kiryu’s happiness. I’m sure if things didn’t change, Majima would have held back and let Saejima kill him. Majima would rather die than see Kiryu in pain. Majima would rather kill Saejima/let Saejima kill him than let Haruka die. If that’s not a giant declaration of unconditional love and devotion, I don’t know what else to tell you.

Anyway, thanks so much for indulging me and listening to my yakuza opinions if you made it this far you the mvp :’’’’)

[mjm56-a]

FUCK IT, IM TALKING ABOUT THE TAKOYAKI SCENE.     been unsure if i wanted to talk about it for a while considering how short the actual scene is but it makes me feel so much and impacted majima to such a degree that if i didnt talk about it, id feel like a straight up fraud. this post also kinda expands on maji’s feelings towards makoto to a certain extent.

the takoyaki scene. where i do i even BEGIN, especially knowing how makoto and majima end up in the end. the instrumental piano in the background, the actual warmness of the atmosphere, and the genuine gratefulness and visible love makoto felt for majima just tears at my heart. the circumstances around their current situation and the overall softness and adoration for each other juxapose in such a way that it really did take me a moment my first playthrough of the game to take in what had just happened. yes, it was obvious from the beginning of makotos introduction that she would be playing the love interest trope this entire game, and to be honest, i wish there was more to her character more than just being the character with a tragic backstory that needs constant protection and to serve as the romantic interest of one of the main characters. but even then, given with how reluctant majima is this entire scene and how much mutual tension there is between them, it still impacted me AND majima incredibly.

majima truly thinks that he’s a horrible man. of course he would, given all that he’s done and what he knows he will do in the future. he isn’t a keeper, nor a gentleman, it’s all part of the role he was forced to play by his imprisonment, a persona he knew he would drop once his debts were paid. his quick utterance of “yeah, right” and a shift of the eyes away from the woman almost did make him feel like a deer in the headlights. it’s almost as if he’s afraid of admitting how much he really DID care about makoto. he’s been so vulnerable already emotionally, especially in regards to her, and to think that he’d want to show this at all would be like shooting himself in the foot. he’d already been entangled in the tojo clan’s mess and makoto was already a target for her ownership of the vacant lot. it would of been stupid of him to show interest in her, but he already was aware at this point that his entire involvement was all a part of shimano’s manipulation, part of his play to keep makoto alive and to use majima as some kind of proxy through emotional attachment. talking about shimano almost makes me want to write a whole-ass novel about how much of a piece of shit he was for not only what he did to majima, but also what he did to nishikiyama in kiwami, but not today. maybe one day though.

its obvious that majimas efforts aren’t worth it, given how he pretty much ‘snaps’ into that mad dog-esque rage at first with the three punks that beat him up, and then at tojo hq. he really does care for makoto, so much so that he let her go to pursue her own happiness without him for the sake of her safety (i know i’ve talked about this before, but he knows well enough that wanting to pursue anything romantic or close with her would be incredibly selfish of him; it would bite him in the ass and makoto would be a casualty of that. the last thing he wants to do is hurt her and this is evident through his entire escapade with makoto). he isn’t a keeper, nor a gentleman. and he doesn’t deserve to be seen as such, as shown by his quick defense of just begging the woman cooking their food, “less talk, more cookin’, lady!” with a worried expression.

but boy, makoto’s interjection of “he’s a keeper.” and the surprise, no, shock that majima shows. with their previous interaction on the rooftop, i would of been surprised as well.

“he’s been through terrible things for my sake, yet he’s still trying to help me. if not for him, i’d never have made it this far.”

it’s true: the amount that majima had done to keep her safe, risking his own life on multiple occassions for her sake is astronomical. as fuzzy as this morality is in the later games once he takes on his persona, majima can be quite reckless when it comes to protecting those he cares about. well, yeah, at first he felt like protecting her was out of obligation; her murder would of just been an act in selfishness of the corruption of the yakzua, in his eye. she wouldn’t of deserved what had happened to her, nor does she deserve the current hardships that she’s been forcibly put through by mere circumstance. the only way sagawa knew that majima would take the job instead of slaving away once more at the cabaret grand would be to make up some story about makoto being the leader of a trafficking ring in order to butter majima up into feeling better about killing her. her entire predicament is tragic and majima is well aware of this, but even if she wasn’t already a victim, he would of still felt obligated to keep her safe and not do any harm to her. he doesn’t believe in the slaughter of innocents; he’s made it very clear that he’d only murder those who are truly evil or deserved it, e.g. lao gui and dojima sohei, and he would of murdered them if it weren’t for sera to step in and bring majima down from his violent high.

it isn’t just the premise of this scene that makes me go absolutely batshit. he’s so soft and gentle for her. it really does hammer in home the bittersweet ending they got both in y0 and in kiwami 2 when they parted ways permanently, makoto still not knowing majima’s name after all of these years. never has majima cared for a person to this extent, excluding saejima, which i DO plan on writing something about them in the future. i could go into depth about why i dislike majima’s k2 karaoke song “shiawase nara ii ya” to an extent, as i don’t feel like the song was for majima (because if it was, saejima would of been included somewhere in those cutscenes; it wouldn’t make sense for him not to be) and more as a fanservice-callback to y0 without any real reason other than to hammer in makotos reappearance, but i won’t.

anyways, there’s just something about this scene that makes me both awestruck and emotional, knowing how majima ends up. makotos final words regarding majima in y0, “his eye was so sad”. yeah. it was.

[thesteadydietofeverything]

Video Game Year in Review: The Top 10

As with any year-end list, this one probably isn’t complete. Last year, I fell in love with Nioh over winter break after I had already made my top 10, and just a few days ago, I started playing Hollow Knight. As I made clear in my previous lists, Metroidvanias can be hit or miss for me. I can get fed up with wandering around without a clear destination, and Hollow Knight has a bit of that so far, but it also has one of the most atmospherically welcoming settings for a video game in recent memory, and so far I’ve been pretty damn enraptured by it. I’m not too worried about it making the list at this point; it didn’t even technically come out this year anyway, but its Switch release earlier this year gave it somewhat of a second debut, for all the earned attention it finally got. At least I got a little shout-out here before publishing.

Anyway, here’s ten games I loved the shit out of in 2018. This was one year with a handful of games that I absolutely adored, none of which necessarily immediately jumped out to me as hands down the best one of the bunch, and honestly, that’s the way I’d prefer it, but it did make ranking them a bit tough. Really, from number five onward, the ranking gets pretty interchangeable. I didn’t plan on the game in my number one spot being the one that it is until I actually wrote out my feelings for it and decided that out of all them it was the easiest for me to just gush about. Alright, no further ado:

10. Donut County - Overall, it’s probably a good thing that Donut County isn’t longer than it is, but for as mechanically simple as sucking objects into an ever-expanding void is, it’s something that I felt I would’ve been perfectly entertained doing for a lot longer than the game lasted. Donut County has a wildly inspired and novel central gameplay hook, a relatably goofy sense of humor that might border on obnoxious if it weren’t so sincerely delivered, and an anti-gentrification, anti-capitalist message that mostly works without beating you over the head too hard with it. Ben Esposito and his team have created one of the most charming and original games I’ve played in years here.

9. Paratopic - “Cinematic” is a grossly overused and frequently inappropriate word to use in games criticism, but this game often had me coming back to the word, observing how many ways it feels like it authentically takes inspiration from creative methods seen more often in film, particularly art films, than in games, much more so than say, Red Dead Redemption 2, which typically embarrassingly pales in comparison to any movies it’s obviously aping from. There’s its willingness to not explain to you what’s going on, letting you pick up on clues from scenery and incidental dialogue. Its multiple switching perspectives, laced together to draw meaningful narrative connections. Its tendency to sit in the atmosphere of a scene. Its ability to tell a succinct story intended to be experienced in one sitting. And most of all, those jump cuts. I know Paratopic isn’t the first game to employ this technique, but as far as I can remember, it’s the first that I’ve played to utilize them for purposeful artistic effect, and every time it happened, it was oddly thrilling. I loved when I’d switch from walking to suddenly driving, and had a moment of panic, as if I suddenly just woke up at the wheel. The cliffhangers scenes would occasionally end on made me desperate to get back to that thread. Hell, even just the fact that there clearly were scenes, that lasted a few minutes at a time, then moved on to the next one, felt weirdly refreshing at a time when AAA design is becoming so absurdly bloated. Paratopic excited me, not in its desire to emulate a separate art medium, but in its casual realization of how many underutilized narrative techniques work genuinely effectively in this medium.

8. Dusk - I really can’t imagine a game that more perfectly matches my Platonic ideal of “video game comfort food” than Dusk, aside from, maybe, the game in the number one spot of this list. I was raised on 90’s PC FPS games like Doom and, as is much more relevant to this game, Quake. Yeah, for the most part, it’s nice that games have moved on, both in depth of gameplay and artistry, but goddamn does a back-to-basics twitchy shooter with inspired level design and creepy atmosphere just feel good sometimes. The grainy, chunky polygons of this game encapsulate everything I love about the rudimentary but remarkably evocative minimalism of early 3D graphics. The movement feels absurdly fast by modern standards, and the effect is thrilling - every projectile is dodgeable, as long as your reflexes are sharp enough. Undoubtedly the most impressive thing about this game is its ambitious level design, so much of which rivals even John Romero’s. The longer this game goes on, the more sprawling and labyrinthine it becomes. The map shapes become increasingly wacky. The gothic architecture becomes more foreboding and awe-inspiring. Dusk does a lot with a little, and in the process, makes so much more than a tribute to game design and aesthetics of the past - for me, it stands right alongside its obvious inspirations as one of the very best of its ilk.

7. Into the Breach - An absolute masterclass of game design. Into the Breach leaves nothing about its mechanics obscured, making sure you understand how every move is going to go down just as well as it does, and the fact that the result is still compellingly challenging is a sure sign we’re in the hands of remarkably skilled and intelligent developers. The narrative in this game is sparse - you assume the role of time-looping soldiers attempting over and over again to save your world from alien invasion (think Edge of Tomorrow), and that’s pretty much all you get for the plot, aside from some effective but minimal character beats and dialogue one-liners. And yet, every battlefield, a small grid with its own arrangement of sprites (giant creepy-crawlies, various creative mech classes, structures full of terrified denizens given a modicum of hope at the arrival of their ragged potential saviors) offers a playground for drama to unfold, as gripping and epic as any great mecha anime battle. As I mentioned in my previous list with Dead Cells, I have trouble sticking with run-based games, and this game wasn’t quite an exception - honestly, if it had something resembling a more traditional narrative campaign, I could see it potentially filling my number one spot. But that a game of its style nevertheless stuck with me as well as it did proves what a tremendous achievement I found it to be.

6. Astro Bot Rescue Mission - This was both the first game I’ve played fully in VR and the first game I’ve ever platinumed. I guess that might say something about how thoroughly I fell for it. For some reason, one of the questions that my brain kept posing while playing this game is, “would you like this game as much if it weren’t in VR?” I would like to pose that first off, if this wasn’t a VR game, it would be quite a different game, but yes, probably a perfectly delightful 3D platformer in its own right. But most of all, this game helped me realize what a bullshit question that is in the first place. By virtue of its VR nature, this game is just fundamentally different, just as the jump from 2D to 3D resulted in games that were just fundamentally different. The perspective you’re given watching over your little robot playable character allows to look in 360 degrees, and often you need to, if you’re seeking out every level’s secrets, and yet, while it moves forward, it doesn’t follow you vertically, so sometimes you’re looking up or down as well. It’s difficult to describe exactly how this perspective is so much more than a gimmick or something, outside of the cliched exaggeration of “it feels like you’re really there, man,” but honestly, this statement isn’t wrong. I truly did feel immersed in these levels in a way that I wouldn’t have if this weren’t a VR game, and while it’s not exactly a feeling I now desire from every game, it does stand out as one of the singular gaming experiences I had in 2018 as a result.

5. Thonebreaker: The Witcher Tales - I gushed plenty about this game in my review. How its approach to Gwent-based combat is both welcoming to newcomers and remarkably varied, offering new ways to approach and think about the game with nearly every encounter. How its sizable story is filled with fascinating characters and genuinely distressing choices, forcing you to grapple with the inherent injustices of your position. How its vivid art style and wonderfully moody Marcin Przybyłowicz score sell The Witcher feel of this game, despite how differently it plays from the mainline entries of the game. And maybe most of all, how criminally overlooked this game has been. So I’ll make the same claim I did before - if The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt did something for you, it’s likely this game will too. Don’t worry about the card game - I did too, and trust me, it’s fun. It’s the new Witcher game; that really ought to be all you need to know.

4. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life - There’s...a lot about the Yakuza games that I’ve come to adore, but one of the biggest ones that kept sticking out to me while playing The Song of Life is how they build a sense of place. After playing Yakuza 0, set in 1988, and Yakuza Kiwami, set in 2005, I played this one, set in 2016. Each time, same Kiryu, but older, same Kamurocho, but era appropriate. Setting every Yakuza game in the same map has to be one of the quietly boldest experiments in video games, forgoing fresh new vistas to explore in favor of the same familiar boulevards, alleys, and parks of the iconic red-light district, painting an exquisitely detailed and loving portrait of a neighborhood changing with the decades. While Kiryu’s exasperation at once again walking into the all-too-familiar crowded streets of Kamurocho, brighter and louder than ever, hardly matched my eagerness to see how it had changed, it felt appropriate. Though he’s still the hottest dad (grandpa?) in town, he is kinda old now, and he’s certainly earned the right to just be over it a little. Even the silliest of the era-relevant sub stories (one of which delightfully features Kiryu putting a selfie-stick wielding, obnoxious-stunt pulling, wanna-be influencer shithead in his place) serve to underscore how out of place he now is in his old stomping grounds.

By contrast, the other setting of Yakuza 6, the quaint seaside town of Onomichi, very quickly begins to feel like an idyllic retirement destination. The introduction to this part of the game has to be my favorite video game moment of 2018 - Kiryu trying to calm a hungry baby, while walking the deserted streets after dark in search of one store that still happens to be open. The faint sound of ocean in the distance effectively evokes the freshness, the bitterness, of the air. The emptiness and darkness of the space is almost shocking, compared to the sensory overload of Kamurocho. And there’s Haruto. Kiryu took Haruka in when she was 9, so he’s never had to deal with a baby before. He’s out of his element, but hardly unwilling. The help he gets from Kiyomi and his other new friends is the kind of comfort Kiryu needs at this point in his life. Likewise, the events in Onomichi play out like a retirement fantasy - building an amateur baseball team out of local talent, building relationships with the denizens of a bar in an incredible Japanese version of Cheers, hanging out with the town’s Yakuza, who are so small potatoes they seem to barely fit the definitions of organized or crime. It all works beautifully as a touching send-off to my favorite video game character.

3. Tetris Effect - There was a long time where I was contemplating putting this as my number one game. I went through some strange conflicts in the consideration - next to all these original, thoughtful games, am I really going to say that fucking Tetris is best one of them? Is that even fair? Is this game really anything more than just regular-ass Tetris but with some pretty lights and sounds and a 90’s rave kinda vibe? The answer to all of these, is, of course, yes, but also no. I’d defend my choice any day, though. This is the first game to actually get me into Tetris. I always appreciated it; it’s a classic, but it was never a game I had actually put much time or thought into before. This game not only sold me on Tetris, but got me obsessed with it, to the point where the name feels remarkably appropriate: ever since I began playing, I’ve been seeing tetriminos falling - in my sleep, in daydreams, any time I see any type of blocky shape in real life I’m fitting them together in my mind. The idea that all Tetris pieces, despite their differences, need each other and complement each other and can all fit together in perfect harmony, and that this is a metaphor for humanity, has to be some of the cheesiest bullshit I’ve ever heard, and yet, the game fully sold me on it from the first damn level. It’s all connected. We’re all together in this life. Don’t you forget it.

2. Celeste - This is a damn near perfect game, both as refreshing and demanding as a climb up a beautiful but treacherous mountain ought to be. I died many, many times (2424, to be exact), but the game explicitly encouraged me to be proud of that, acting as a friendly little cheerleader in between deaths, assuring me that I could do it. It’s both a welcome break from the smug, sneering attitude so many “difficult” games tend to traffic in, and absolutely central to its themes involving mental health. As the shockingly good plot starts making it increasingly clear that it’s about Madeline’s quest to conquer (or, at least, understand) her inner demons, the gameplay itself offers a simple but effective metaphor for struggling with mental illness - yes, it’s hard, and yes, you’re going to suffer and struggle, but you can make it, and you will make it, because you’re so much better than you think you are. Oh, and also, it’s not all bad, because at least you get to listen to some absolutely rippin’ tunes while you do it.

1. Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom - (Another one I reviewed!) This is my ideal JRPG. In my mind it stands next to childhood treasures like Final Fantasy IX. Unlike some recent Square projects that specifically try to clone their late 90’s output, this game hardly feels beholden to the game design of the past, and yet, feels of a piece with that era in a respectably non-cloying way. It has a bright, colorful, inviting world full of charming characters, an all-time great soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi, and an exciting, deep combat system with an emphasis on action. Building my kingdom of Evermore was remarkably satisfying, down to all the little dumb tasks my citizens would ask of me, none of which my very good boy King Evan was too busy or too proud to refuse. There’s very little grinding. It’s a long game by most standards, but at 40-something hours, it feels lean by JRPG standards. And for as much of a storybook fantasy as the plot is, as much as it reduces woefully complicated socio-political issues into neat, resolvable tasks for Evan to solve, it always came across as perfectly genuine, and sometimes surprisingly affecting. It’s the game that I’ve wanted to play since the PS1 Final Fantasy games stole my heart as a kid. That’s hardly what I expected it to be as I started into it, and what a joy it was to discover that it was.

[cominyern]

i had every Yakuza game installed like a checklist. i beat 6 and uninstalled. beat the climax battles in 5 and 4 (also started a 4 playthrough but that one absolutely needs more time so i dropped that quickly) and uninstalled. battles done in kiwami, leaving just my current save, and battles will NOT be done in 0. they had no restraint making those. i will not do the battles in 3 and i began a playthrough of kiwami 2 actually DURING my 5 playthrough but ditched that once again. this was right before i started kiwami.

i do worry when i drop playthroughs. my fear is that i will see the early parts of the game too much and be too bored of that section to ever play it again. but rationally if i give it enough time i am 100% positive that will not happen. ive forgotten what happens in the beginning sections of 4 and 2 already so im good. i have not oversaturated them and when im finally gonna go for another chronological playthrough in at LEAST 2 years im gonna have them fresh again.

and i will space it out more i cant keep exhausting myself from games i love. its all because i lack patience. for now after i beat my 2 currents i will go on an absolute complete Yakuza blackout. just no more engaging with yakuza in any capacity and that will help me clear out my system, so i can go at it again later with no pieces of my fabric stuck on a nail.

[yagami1211]

Spoilers for Majima’s story in Kiwami 2.

.Chapter 2 :

Following the death of Patriarch Uematsu, an emergency meeting is called for Majima to have a chance to explain himself. Iibuchi asks for explainations. Majima repeats himself, he entered the room and Uematsu was already dead. A bullet hole in the forehead. Iibuchi isn’t conviced. Uematsu was Majima biggest rival to the position of Clan Captain. A very angry Kashiwagi gets off from his steat and order Iibuchi to stop poiting fingers randomly. There’s no evidence pointing to Majima as the guilty party. Iibuchi agrees, but it’s a matter of time before evidences do appears. The meeting is called off by Terada and Majima is resolved to find who killed Uematsu.

On the way to the Tojo HQ exit , he’s ambushed by Uematsu members who blames him for their boss’ death. After getting rid of them, Majima asks why did they try again after failing last time ... but to no avail. The Uematsu goons don’t even know what he’s talking about.

Then he meets with Kashiwagi who asks him what his plan is. Majima confirms his plan to butcher the guy who framed him and to catch the true killer. Kashiwagi gives Majima the adress of The Florist ( Or Kage as he was called in the older games. ). A legendary information dealer. He might be able to help Majima. The adress points to Millenium Tower. 

With no other lead, Majima goes to Millenium Tower.

Once at Millenium Tower, Majima takes the elevator to The Florist’s HQ ... who expected his visit. Majima tells he wants to know who killed Uematsu but The Florist has a price. He wants Majima to take care of the Purgatory in his place. Majima accepts without much protesting and the deal is sealed.

The Florist brings up a bunch of screens and shows a video feed that recorded the entrence of the Uematsu family HQ. Unsurprisingly, we see Majima coming in and getting out of the place. The Florist rewings the recording, only to see ...  Kawamura Ryota, the newest member of the Majima family getting out of the building ... in a very panicked stated.

Majima can’t believe his eyes, the murderer seems to be Kawamura. Majima runs towards the exit ... only to be interrupted by The Florist. Where are you going ? he says. To the family office, explains Majima. Waste of time says The Florist, Kawamura isn’t in Kamurocho anymore. He’s in Sotenbori. To Majima’s surprise.

The Florist says that Majima should get answers in Sotenbori. Majima arrives in Sotenbori ... with an face that says “What am I even doing here ?”

First, finding Kawamura. For that he needs to go to the place a lot of people assembles, The Grand.

Majima enters The Grand and he’s gretted by an host who asks him if it’s his first time coming here, to which Majima answers “As a client ? Yeah, first time.” Majima asks for the N°1 one girl, she’s the most likely to have seen Kawamura. And after a few questions to two hostesses, the lead goes nowhere. He was seen a year ago, nobody saw him in The Grand since them.

Out of lead, Majima sets his goal to the second biggest Cabaret of Sotenbori “Odyssey”. But no Oddysey anymore. He walks in front of the Four Shine ... Where Koyuki explains Yuki she just saw a scary man with an eyepatch ... A familiar description for Yuki. Majima meets the former manager of Odyssey, Yamagata, by chance. As it turns out he knows Kawamura by face. They used to go play Majhong together. The Majhong place was just upstairs the Hogushi Kaikan, Sotenbori’s massage parlor. And as it turns out, The Hogushi Kaikan has been recently rebuilted after being burned to the ground around 20 years ago. ( When Lee’s car exploded in front of the place, in Yakuza 0 )

Majima sets his eyes on the Majhong place, but Yamagata mentions the Hogushi Kaikan bought the rooms used for playing Majhong so it doesn’t exist anymore. 

With no other lead, Majima goes to the Hogushi Kaikan. 

Majima ; Can’t believe they rebuilt the place. It’s almost identic as it was before.

He’s greeted by an unfamilar face. The reception lady is someone Majima doesn’t know. Majima shows the photo of Kawamura, who is immediatly identified, with a name. He came last year, talking about money problems because he’s addicted to gambling. He was very worried of his money problems and had a lot of debts. Then he came right after that saying all his debts are solved and was never seen after that.

Majima wonders if this information will be relevant in the long run, thanks the lady and turns his back to get out. But the reception lady asks which massage course Majima wants. Out of gratitude, Majima accepts the shortest course. 30 mn. The reception lady tells Majima someone named Tateyama will be in charge of him. Their best element, or so she says.

Majima goes to the massage table ... and the previously mentioned Tateyama comes. Majima’s heart skip a beat, it’s Makoto. Introducing herself as Tateyama Makoto.

End of Chapter 2.

[mariogman25]

Akira Kurusu, The Yakuza Prince of Kamurocho - Part One: Kiwami Family

December 11, 2005

It was getting to be Christmas time again and the temperature seemed to agree, even with winter temperatures slowly rising, Majima always being bothered by global warming ever since before losing his eye and his blood brother. But he didn’t have time to worry. Kazuma Kiryu is finally back in town and has already fought him on more than one occasion. ‘MAN he’s really out of shape. Guess having to be a good boy in prison will do that to a man.’ Majima thought to himself. He’s been wandering all over town looking for Kazzy. Though things are a bit different tonight. Everyone in his Family was busy on a job tonight so he hand to bring Kazuma with him. He decided it was kind of an awkward idea to name his son after Kazzy now that they’re both going to be in the same area. He’ll just keep calling Kiryu Kazzy or just Kiryu and his son Kazuma to keep things simple in his head.

Kazuma Majima seemed like an ordinary child, but having a father that’s also a high ranking and rather crazy yakuza has all it’s benefits and drawbacks. Today he was dragged all over town by his dad so he can fight Kiryu. From what his father has told him, Kiryu got into a fight with him before being arrested so Majima swore a sort of revenge on him. Though only being around 4, he didn’t really understand that much other than maybe Kiryu made fun of his dad. Whenever Majima saw him, and he wasn’t exactly hard to miss either. The guy wears all white with a red-pink undershirt in a sea of black and grey clothes. Kazuma thought he looked funny. He was no newbie to his father’s fighting tendencies, watching him fight plenty of people on the street, growing his admiration of his father: Goro Majima.

Kazuma didn’t know but his father held back a lot whenever he fought around him. It was more or less unavoidable considering himself. He didn’t want his son being sprayed with blood or teeth whenever he got into a street fight, I mean what self respecting parent would? In his recent fights against Kiryu, he decided to keep Kazuma a secret so Kiryu wouldn’t hold back in front of children either. At most he usually just kept him off to the side, or maybe even be a lookout for him whenever he hid in something. Though he guesses it looks a little strange for a 4 year old to be hanging out around giant traffic cones, manhole covers, and the like. 

To make sure his son had a good time, he made sure to go to fun places as well. Just recently he brought him to a place full of remote control car races, an arcade, and the bowling alley. Though it seems Kazuma is strangely good at blending with people, even in a city like Kamurocho. Goro nearly has a heart attack whenever he doesn’t see Kazuma in a crowd and then his son just sneaks up behind him and almost scares his coat off with a simple hi.

There was a little girl with Kazzy sometimes. Goro found it sort of odd but thought nothing of it. Though it did give him a new idea to use later without Kazuma being around, strictly a him and his Family operation. No place for kids minus the one Kazzy was with. What Majima didn’t know was that Kazuma seemed to of struck up a friendship with the older girl. She said Kazzy was her dad*, and Kazuma said that Goro was his dad. Her name was Haruka. 

Once enough fights happened though, they started placing bets. Unfortunately, Goro was on a losing streak tonight and Kazuma lost ¥500^ at the end of the night.

“Hey Kazuma.” Majima asked his son, “Dad?” Kazuma replied “You think this counts as an early Christmas gift? Traveling about the town and all that noise?” “Hmmm…” His son thought for a few seconds… “Nah.” Majima couldn’t help but give off a goofy laugh. He sort of expected that answer, but would honor it just the same. Kazuma yawned. Goro looked at his phone and saw it was getting pretty late and he hadn’t seen Kazzy anywhere. “Guess it’s time to go home, kid.” Goro told him. Kazuma nodded and they headed in for the night. They made their way to a cab and headed off to Majima’s apartment.

Unfortunately, Kazuma decided to start racing Majima without telling him right when they entered their building** and ran off. Goro, surprised by Kazuma suddenly running off, is stunned in silence for a couple seconds, before he runs after him.“Get back here!” He shouted a tad to angrily. Though the anger was more at himself than anything, for not realizing what was going on. Commence a chase sequence for a weirdly fast 4 year old and an oddly flexible 41 year old. Goro sees Kazuma up the corridor and running up the stairs, giggling all the way. Goro shakes his head and chases after the smaller Majima. Once up the stairs, he sees another pair of tenants carrying a couch through the hallway. Thinking Kazuma is stopped, Goro slows down a bit and jogs, but something happens that nearly makes his eye bug out of his head. He sees Kazuma somehow jump on one of the guy’s shoulders and ROLLS OVER THE 2 GUYS AND THEIR COUCH, and he continues running still!

After a brief moment of everyone processing what just happened, Majima continues running and slides between both guy’s legs like a pro baseball player. After running up some more stairs, Majima sees Kazuma enter their apartment and he dashes in after. When he closes the door, he can’t seem to find Kazuma anywhere. “Kazuma, get out here! Don’t run away from me like that!” He hears some small child laughter from in the bathroom and Majima enters it, and Kazuma dashes past him and starts climbing a nearby shelf. “GET DOWN FROM THERE YOU LITTLE DAMNED DEMON!” Kazuma stares back at him in shock and climbs back down and sits on the floor. Staring away from Majima. Majima can see him start crying. “Oh… oh Kaz I didn’t mean it!” Majima walks over to the sobbing Kazuma. He doesn’t exactly know what to do, since the kid has been pretty quiet ever since he was 2 and stopped all the regular baby crying.

Having a similar thought process flashing back to when he first found Kazuma, which boils down to ‘Do something’. He just straight up blurts out, “He Kaz, you wanna see something really special to me and my Family?” Kazuma looks at Majima with tears in his eyes, nodding after a few seconds. Majima really didn’t want his kid to know about the whole back tattoo thing, since he was still young and it might freak him out, but now he’s said too much and he really doesn’t want to show him the knife that gave him the eye patch... And image flashes in his head back to that fateful moment...

Putting that image out of his head, Majima slowly turns around and dramatically throws off his snakeskin coat to reveal his Hannya Mask + White Snake back tattoo. Kazuma flinches but stares at his father’s tattoo. “See, I’m a demon too.” Majima said with a grin as he turned his head to look at Kazuma. After a taking a little bit to process it, Kazuma responds “It’s… really… cool…” through sniffs and tiny sobs. After a few more seconds, Kazuma starts laughing and Majima turns around and kneels back down next to him. He chuckles, “See? Being a demon isn’t so bad, eh?” “Does that make me Little Demon and you Big Demon?” Kazuma responds. Majima thinks for a moment then laughs once the joke gets to him... 

And so whenever the 2 visit the family HQ, the family calls them The Mad Dog and Mad Pup of Shimano behind their backs…

A couple days later…

Goro Majima, following Kazzy Kiryu as usual, though this time Kazuma Majima is at school, so Goro Majima is alone for his usual stalking. He hopes Kazuma is doing good in school... Majima puts that out of his mind for now though. He sees something suspicious. A lot of goons seem to be following Kiryu around. Not wanting for Kazzy to die before he’s reached his full potential, he decides to text him and warn him about what’s going down and to take a cab. Majima himself also gets in a nearby cab and tells the driver to get to the pier.

He tells Kiryu what’s going down and right as he finishes up explaining, the goons that were following Kiryu around were formerly part of the Dojima family before Kiryu killed their boss. Majima doesn’t care too much and just wants these guys out of the picture so Kiryu can survive until his full potential. After their brawl, Majima finishes up kicking the other guy’s asses. After beating the hell out of the last guy, who took a lot of punishment before going down, another guy woke up for a few seconds and somehow got lucky enough to shoot Majima in the side. He wasn’t prepared for the shot and he stumbles back… ‘why isn’t there any ground?’ He wonders to himself, but now, it’s too late. 

He’s falling and his back isn’t hitting anything solid. Majima crashes into the water with a hard splash. He sinks into the water, blood flowing out of the wound in his side, pain overwhelming his senses, water entering his lungs. He can’t focus enough to start swimming. Is this the end for him? His eye starts blacking out. ‘Wonder if… Kazzy will save me…’ moments pass and nothing happens, as Majima continues to sink further into the ocean. ‘Damn…’ He’s getting too waterlogged and losing too much blood to properly swim anymore… His eye is blacking out more… ‘Sorry… Kazuma… Makoto… Saejima... I fuck up…’ Something flashes blue in his mind before fully falling unconscious...

...To Be Continued?

* She’s just keeping up the illusion that Kazzy is her dad so nobody gets suspicious.

** Yes I’m having Majima live in a dingy apartment. He just doesn’t seem to care enough to live anywhere fancier.

^ $5 in American money. They’re children, it’s not like they’d have fucking stacks of cash on them.

[supreme-burrito]

I beat Yakuza 3 in the course of 2.5 days and you know I cried.

It’s not the strongest game in the series by any means game mechanic wise. The karaoke songs are not good, it’s nearly impossible to tell when enemies are going to lynch you, and completing the restaurants are harder than ever because the interface doesn’t tell you what you already ate at each shop. Oh and there is no hunger meter, eating just replenishes health. And why do I need to chase Will Smith? With how much America got involved into the plot I was expecting Barrack Obama to show up at some point because he would have been president during the time period that the game takes place.

The leveling system takes from Kiwami and Kiwami 2 with using EXP points, but there isn’t many options with leveling up. In Kiwami you had the circle from Zero which gave you options on the four trees alongside the Majima missions and Kiwami 2 gave you 5 different subcategories of EXP you had to earn to level up in four or five different categories which still gave you options on where to put your points. But Yakuza 3 does not give you that option. Once you put experience into a bar, it takes literally forever to get enough EXP to level up again.

I was also not a fan that a lot of the side content like the Coliseum and all the other mini games were thrown to the wayside and the game said ‘oh it’s there but we got more important shit to worry about right now’. The only major thing that I wanted to sink my time into was the substories which were actually easier to track down because they were marked on the map unless the past three entries. I didn’t come across any of the Haruka trust missions at all.

As for weapons, guns are OP.

But the story is perfect and puts a nice bow onto the Kiryu saga.

I started 4 which is a nice shake up from Kiwami 2 and 3 so far.

Kiwami 2 is still the superior game for me so far followed by Zero.

Why? Because they both made me bawl my eyes out and their karaoke songs are bangers.

And obviously the first time I played this song it had me in tears

[cryingcow]

Sera, Jingu, & Kazama - The Tojo Clan Secret [RGGO] - Ch. 4-5

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 .

A bit late because of emergency schoolwork, but here we go!

Previously: Jingu asked Sera if he is “ride or die” with him, which Sera answers with an enthusiastic yes (a declaration that he probably really regrets 17 years later). He then probably knocks on every Chinese restaurant in Yokohama, chases a boat with a helicopter, and wakes Lau Ka Long from his beauty sleep.

Warnings: Major Yakuza Kiwami/1 spoilers coming up. Also some super minor Y3 spoilers, where Kazama may or may not be vaguely referring to Joji

.

CHAPTER 4

.

[Tokyo Bay – Snake Flower Triad ship]

Sera: “If it isn’t Lau Ka Long . . . General of the Snake Flower Triad’s Japanese Branch.”

Lau: “Are you a regular yakuza? You seem to have quite the organizational strength.”

Sera: “Well, you’re close.”

Lau: “That’s right, that face . . . I remember now. The Tojo Clan’s Third Chairman.”

Sera: “I’m taking back the 10 billion.”

Lau: “Fu . . . I don’t appreciate you getting the drop on my men.”

Sera: “That’s on you. The one at the top should be the one who makes the best tactical decisions.”

Lau: “Wrong . . . The one at the top should be the strongest.”

Sera: “I can be that too. Don’t let your guard down.”

{Boss fight against Lau Ka Long happens. Sera defeats him.}

Sera: “It’s unlikely you could ever win against the entire Nikkyo Consortium.”

Lau: “Fu . . . you are a bad opponent.”

Sera: “I’d say the ones at the top are the ones with an edge. Unlike you, distracted by the game.”

{A Snake Flower member bloodied and bruised runs in.}

Snake Flower member: “Boss! It’s in their ship! They took the 10 billion!”

Lau: “What’s that?!”

Sera: “Thank you for buying us time by fighting with me. See you.”

Lau: “Tch! I’ll never forget this!”

----

|Next day.|

[Tojo HQ - Meeting Room]

Jingu: “Sera! You did well!”

Sera: “So . . . is that 10 billion to be managed by the Tojo?”

Jingu: “Oh, of course! If you manage the money, then I wouldn’t have a hand in it.”

Sera: “That’s true . . . but it’s still 10 billion. It’ll take some time to clean it.”

Jingu: “I don’t mind. It gives me time to deal with the police executives.”

 ----

|After that, Sera undertook the dirty work of Jingu, while Jingu secretly backed Sera.|

|A few years pass . . .| (It doesn’t say the year, but presumably it’s 1995/1996 now)

[Tojo HQ - Meeting Room]

Jingu: “. . . Sera. Thank you once again for your help.”

Sera: “As always. Come straight to me whenever you are in trouble.”

?: “Sera? Are you here talking with Jingu?”

{Kazama comes in with Yumi following right behind him.}

Sera: “Kazama-san. And also Yumi . . .”

Jingu: “Hello Kazama-san. Yumi-san.”

Yumi: “Jingu-san . . . “

Kazama: “Jingu. Don’t drag Sera into too much trouble. You may be an old friend, but he’s the Third Chairman.”

Jingu: “I already . . . I know that very well. By the way, Kazama-san, I actually promised Yumi-san I would drive her around today. I would like to ask permission from you as her guardian . . .”

Kazama: “What? Is that why you wanted to come to Tojo Headquarters with me?”

Yumi: “. . . yes. I’ll be out until dark.”

Kazama: “. . . is that so. Alright.”

Jingu: “Well then . . . let’s go, Yumi-san.”

{Jingu and Yumi leave.}

Sera: “Jingu seems to be getting along with Yumi lately.”

Kazama: “That seems to be the case . . . Yumi has changed a lot. I’ve been busy since she lost her memories about Dojima-san a few months ago.”

Sera: “Kazama-san, Yumi still hasn’t remembered?”

Kazama: “Her memory is still gone. She can’t remember anything about the incident . . . or Kiryu. She just needs time. By the way, what kind of man is that Jingu?”

Sera: “He is a man burning with ideals. He doesn’t shy away from power and he sticks to his aspirations. . . . he has many enemies because of that. In order for him to realize his dreams in the front world, I want to help him from the shadows.”

Kazama: “If that’s what you buy . . . then I guess I can’t say any more on the matter. But Sera, I’m worried about you, too.”

Sera: “Why’s that?”

Kazama: “Because a relationship between a government official and a yakuza always ends in tragedy.”

Sera: “Don’t worry. We’ve been inseparable since we were students.”

Kazama: “Is that so . . . in that case, good.”

Sera: (We worked together to crush the police’s scheme with that 10 billion. There is nothing to worry about . . . )

 .

-END-

.

CHAPTER 5

.

[Tea Room]

Sera: “. . . Jingu. What do you need help with this time?”

Jingu: “It’s a little troublesome.”

Sera: “Heh. It’s always been, so far.”

Jingu: “No, it’s a lot more so this time. I’m being shaken down by a civilian.”

Sera: “A civilian? Jingu, what did you do?”

Jingu: “A few years back, I faced a tough opposition. In a head-on battle, I didn’t gain much traction. The people I met at the time . . . I made a request . . . for them to obstruct the elections . . .”

Sera: “Election obstruction? You’d do that . . . ?”

Jingu: “I had no choice . . . There was no other way.”

Sera: “Who are you in trouble with?”

Jingu: “The owner of a building company. A former yakuza, though not associated with the Tojo Clan. He has a memo with my orders and is threatening me with it. They were rough guys; the election obstruction was done more than necessary . . . some people got seriously injured.”

Sera: “Assault on top of election obstruction?”

Jingu: “Sera! It’ll be bad if the public finds that out! My image would definitely be tarnished!! I’ve already solidified my position in parliament. The secretary-general has been hinting at it . . . “

Sera: “. . . what would you have me do?”

Jingu: “I want you to get back that memo. And I want you to take care of the man, make sure he never makes trouble again.”

Sera: “ ‘Take care’ . . . no way, are you asking me to kill him?”

Jingu: “N-no. If you can hurt him and threaten him into not doing it again, that’s fine. . . . but if he won’t listen . . .”

Sera: “. . . alright. Let’s do this.”

Jingu: “I’m sorry for pressing such a thing . . . !”

Sera: “I’ve dirtied my hands with far worse back in the day. But . . .”

Jingu: “What?”

Sera: (Kazama-san’s warning . . . a tragedy is created by establishing a connection between the government and the yakuza . . . I believe in Jingu. That feeling hasn’t changed. But . . .)

Sera: “Jingu. What about you and Yumi?”

Jingu: “What? That came out of nowhere.”

Sera: “You two are dating, right?”

Jingu: “. . . ah. Well, that’s correct. However, I’m thinking of breaking up with her. She’s all alone. I don’t think she has anyone she’s close to, and no relatives.”

Sera: “. . . ? What’s wrong with that?”

Jingu: “Sera. For politicians, engagement is a political strategy. Yumi has no relatives, and thus no connections. Kazama-san, who can be said to be her only family, is a yakuza. It’s a juicy story for those who want to burn me. I think he’s a good person. But . . . this could be a stumbling block to the realization of my aspirations.”

Sera: “Your girlfriend Yumi is Kazama-san’s family. Don’t play her.”

Jingu: “I know. I will break it off in good faith.”

----

[Builder’s Office]

{Sera and his men storm in, fight with the builder Imaeda and his lackeys, and defeat them. Imaeda is tied up and interrogated.}

Sera’s subordinate: “Didn’t you hear me? That memo. Take it out.”

Sera: “Answer the question. Where is the memo?”

Imaeda: “. . . I don’t know what you’re talking about . . .”

Sera: “He won’t talk. Torture him.”

Sera’s subordinate: “Understood.”

{Sera’s subordinate beats up the builder.}

Imaeda: “I’m used to . . . bastards like you . . .”

{Imaeda passes out.}

Sera’s subordinate: “Chairman, he’s completely out. He won’t wake up for a while.”

Sera: “Look around for a memo in the room. Then tie him up and put him in the trunk of the car.”

Sera’s subordinate: “What are you going to do?”

Sera: “It’s not enough to just hurt this guy. We need to end him.”

----

[The forest where people go to murder people, aka where Nishiki tried to shoot Kiryu. I’ll call it Murder Forest from now on.]

Imaeda: “. . . hnn. What? Where am I?”

Sera: “You’re finally awake.”

Imaeda: “My feet hurt. Is this- is this concrete? Damn it! What are you going to do to me?”

Sera: “The bottom of the lake is full of aquatic plants. When corpses get tangled up, they don’t seem to float up. It’s unlikely you’ll ever be found with concrete attached to you as you sink. Drowning sounds like a painful way to go. By the way, we’ve recovered the memo. But I don’t suppose there’s a copy?”

Imaeda: “Okay, just let me go and-“

Sera: “Oh well. It’s not like a copy would matter when you’re submerged in the lake.”

Imaeda: “W-wait!”

Sera: “Do it.”

Sera’s subordinate: “Yes sir.”

{Imaeda is dragged towards the edge of the lake. The sound of splashing water can be heard.}

Imaeda: “Wait! I no longer have a copy of the memo, and I swear I won’t get involved with Jingu ever again! Please spare me!”

Sera: “Is that true?”

Imaeda: “It is! I have a 5 year old son, I just want to live . . . !”

Sera: “Children can grow up without parents.”

{More splashing is heard.}

Imaeda: “Please!!! I’m begging you!! I’ll do whatever you want!!!”

Sera: “. . . alright stop. Help him out.”

{Sera’s subordinate drags Imaeda back onto dry land.}

Imaeda: “Ah . . . thank you! Thank you!”

Sera: “But . . . don’t forget the words you mentioned earlier. If you break your promise – no matter where you are in the world, I’ll hunt you down and make you sink. This time with your son. That would be sad. Oh, we forgot your wife. I’ll do the same to her.”

Imaeda: “Y-you devil . . . !”

----

[Car]

Sera: *on the phone* Hello. I’ve recovered the memo.”

Jingu’s voice: “That guy . . . did you kill him?”

Sera: “There was no need to kill. You’ll never face his bared teeth again.”

Jingu’s voice: “Is it really okay? I don’t want a scandal right now!”

Sera: “It should be fine, nothing to worry about.”

Sera: (Jingu . . . he’s impatient. That’s because he’s always been in the political world. I wonder what he’s willing to lose at bigger stakes?)

----

|A few weeks later . . .|

[Tojo HQ - Chairman’s Office]

Sera: “Yumi is . . . pregnant?”

Kazama: “Yes. It’s been 3 months.”

Sera: “That is . . . congratulations. And the father . . . ?”

Kazama: “It’s Jingu. Didn’t he tell you anything?”

Sera: “N-no . . .”

Kazama: “It seems we will not be able to make anything official until Jingu has settled his affairs. So for now it’s a common-law marriage. Yumi . . . I hope her eyes are set on the future.”

Sera: (Jingu, what are you going to do . . .?!)

 .

-END-

.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

[hobgobbin]

makoto-makimura replied to your post “@makoto-makimura replied to your post “unpopular opinion but i hate...”

Yeah like?? How do developers think we're supposed to honestly believe two people that barely know each other, BONUS POINTS because one of them tried to kill the other but backed down, suddenly strike romance because of minimal interaction? It'd be more believable if that line was cut entirely and hints of romantic feelings were touched upon at the end of the game when they already spent so much time as friends. But, again, the relationship is already strong enough as friends, if not better

And someone mentioned the relationship he has that was touched upon in y5, don't even get me STARTED on how slimy giving Majima a romance in y0 is knowing the dynamics he presented in that game's story. It's really OOC and only exists to remove credibility from his slightly more dramatic character for just more dark fodder

Majima didn’t stab her like he was suppose to so OBVIOUSLY that means he loves her !!! And yeah saving the possible romance idea until the end scene (which still could have been read as them being really good friends tbh) would have made so much more sense. 

I honestly have no idea what goes down in y5 (or y6) so I can’t talk a lot about that but i know Majima had a wife who he was uh pretty terrible to her and I can see how this stuff w/ makoto is kinda like “no dont worry !! majima isnt TOTALLY terrible to women !! he beat his wife but hes so nice to this other girl so that doesnt matter !!”

I wanna see how things work out in kiwami 2 bc i know shes coming back but like... how are they gonna add her into the narrative... are they gonna get together... is it just gonna bring majima more ManPain™.. whats up

[ftwrthtx]

Kazuma Kiryu has been away from the Yakuza for a year, but can you ever really leave the Yakuza? Will he be able to stay away in Yakuza Kiwami 2? Is it worth your time and money to find out?

Read our review to find the answers to these burning questions.

  Sega’s Yakuza series has been around since 2005 and initially came to life in Japan, eventually making it across the Pacific to the shores of the U.S. and around the globe. The series is based on the lifestyle of fictional Yakuza members, and for those that are unfamiliar with the term, Yakuza is the Japanese Mafia. Think Don Vito Corleone and his family of the Godfather saga. The series has had continued global success due to its colorful story telling and fun, beat-em up action. Yakuza Kiwami 2 follows on the heals of last year’s release Yakuza Kiwami.

Both of these games follows our protagonist Kazuma Kiryu through his trials and tribulations as a Yakuza, who wants nothing more than to leave the Yakuza life behind and focus on raising an orphaned young girl. Yakuza Kiwami 2 opens as he and his young friend travel to the cemetery to pay their respects to those that have fell in the past, and in doing so, you the gamer are given the opportunity to look back on things that have transpired. For those new to the series, you can catch up on everything that has happened without having to play through last years release, but honestly, you should play through last years release, Yakuza Kiwami, just for the pure enjoyment of it. There are quite a few cut scenes available to watch here, but once you’ve passed the chapter, you can always go back and watch them from the menu, so if you skip them , no need to worry about missing out.

Kiryu-san was, at one time, the 4th Chairman of the Tojo Clan. In his quest to get out of that life, he “retired” and left the family in the hands of someone else. As with most criminal enterprises such as La Cosa Nostra, the Mafia, or even a local gang, getting out of that life is damn near impossible. Just ask Don Michael Corleone. That guy won an Oscar trying to get out of it in The Godfather II, but it kept pulling him back in, no matter how hard he tried. The saying goes “Blood in, Blood out” meaning you make your bones by taking a life to enter the family, and can only leave the family in a body bag. No matter how respectful Kiryu-san was in trying to leave, he could never fully leave the life behind as it reached out from the shadows and forced him back in.

The series is well known for doing a great job of storytelling, and this release follows that same path. The characters are all well developed, and you’ll find side stories with fully fleshed characters as well. It is almost impossible to run through the story, uninterrupted by some whining woman or wailing man that is in desperate need of your assistance. The game is open world, and the world is alive and breathing with folks everywhere just waiting for your interactions, some even begging for it. You would have to have an ice cold heart to just run past some of these folks, and with Kiryu-san always wanting to help, how can you NOT let him?

We are limited by going too far into the story, so nothing after chapter 4 is included in this review. All of the screenshots in the gallery below come from the game only up to that point, so this review should be spoiler free. Even though we only played through chapter 4 though, it still took us 4 or so hours to do so, and we could have spent longer but knew this review had a deadline. There is just so much to see and do in this game, as with other Yakuza titles, that it’s easy to get joyfully lost in the side missions, and have a hard time wanting to get back to the main storyline. If you have ADHD, this game will take you FOREVER to complete, but that’s not a bad thing as these side stories are unique and so much more than just a seek, find, and return mission.

Did we mention the mini-games yet? Yeah, there’s a bunch of them to find and spend even more time on. You can play darts, golf, Virtua Fighter at the arcade, or try your luck at the crane grabbers for toys and prizes. There’s even a side mission that unlocks a casino where you can gamble at black jack, poker, or a couple of other Japanese card games. You can hit the Mahjong rooms for some tile fun, as well, and there’s a side mission that will run you through those games. It’s way too easy to get side tracked in this game, but is that really a bad thing?

The graphics and gameplay are backed by the Dragon Engine and makes the game look and play incredibly well. Kiryu-san’s fighting motions are fluid while the player models look sharp and are well detailed. As you progress through the story and earn XP, you’ll unlock more and more fighting moves for Kiryu-san, and all of these moves are smooth as the silk of a Hostess dress. The progression system is also well detailed, and expect to have to play for quite some time to max Kiryu-san out.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a great addition to anyone’s PlayStation library, but if you want to really get the full experience, be sure to check out the earlier games as well, if you haven’t already.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a bunch of Yakuza thugs needing the crap beat out of them outside. And here Kiryu-san thought he was done. Ha!

9

Yakuza Kiwami 2 review code provided by publisher and reviewed on a PS4 Pro. For more information on scoring, please read: What our review scores really mean.

  Yakuza Kiwami 2 Review - Blood in, Blood Out @SEGA @yakuzagame #YakuzaKiwami2 Kazuma Kiryu has been away from the Yakuza for a year, but can you ever really leave the Yakuza?

[barbosaasouza]

Yakuza 0 Review: Birth of a Dragon

Every amazing story has to start somewhere, and in the case of the Yakuza series and the Dragon of Dojima, Kazuma Kiryu, that start comes in the form of Yakuza 0. Previously launched back in January 2017 on PlayStation 4, it's now made its way to PC to settled down with an even larger audience. It takes the sordid tale of Yakuza, Kiryu, and frenemy Goro Majima back to one of the greatest decades of all time: the '80s.

It's a match made in heaven, with the sentimentality and excess of the '80s meshing perfectly with the swagger and violence of one of gaming's most fearsome and surprisingly wholesome characters. It's a wholly entertaining trip back in time that paints the perfect backdrop for the six additional core Yakuza entries, and the best possible place to start if you're looking to get into the history of the world's coolest (and kindest) Yakuza member ever, Kazuma Kiryu.

Back in Time

Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the entirety of the Yakuza series. As such, there are only two characters you need to worry yourself with: Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, with narrative threads tying the two together and diverging at times throughout the game. Kiryu begins his tale in the bustling town of Kamurocho, with a plot centered around a small plot of land referred to as the Empty Lot. He who controls the Empty Lot controls an important project that various factions are in fact vying for. When a simple debt-collecting assignment goes south, Kiryu is framed for murder, and finds himself dragged into the conflict. As such, he's got to work outside of his clan, the Tojo clan, to figure out who's looking to take him out of the picture.

Meanwhile, the erratic and hilarious Goro Majima's story takes place in Sotenbori, Osaka. He's got his own laundry list of problems he's faced with, after having been essentially kicked out of the yakuza. As such, he runs his own cabaret club with some side gigs here and there. When he agrees to take on a hit for some unsavory folks, he ends up in some very hot water – as is usually the case when you get down with business like that. The origin stories of Kiryu and Majima are endlessly fascinating, even if you've never played another Yakuza game before, either setting the stage for the rest of the series or building upon an already strong foundation. Watching Kiryu transform into the fearsome Dragon of Dojima and Majima spiraling even further out of control than ever before is an absolute treat, and you'll be on the edge of your seat as it all plays out.

Lost in Kamurocho

But of course there's more to the game than simply watching narrative threads unfold. Most of your time is spent exploring the lengths of Kamurocho and Sotenbori as you please, usually left to your own devices to explore convenience stores, nightclubs, restaurants, and a wealth of other areas. Both cities are absolutely teeming with life and things to do.

You'll invariably get lost in the staggering amount of mini games and additional content available to you as well, including a disco dancing mini game, slot car racing, and building up Kiryu's burgeoning real-estate empire. There's so much to do that, at least one or two times, you'll find yourself having forgotten the main story thread and lose hours within the activities behind the scenes. It's highly possible, when you can scout women for Majima's cabaret club, chill out with old arcade games, and complete hilarious and occasionally heartwarming sub-missions.

Don't forget that throughout all this, you're still a member of the Yakuza though (even if there's just a tenuous connection for a bit due to both characters' transgressions, real and imagined). So you'll be faced with an absolute ton of different combat encounters, whether while you're walking through the city or completing a task for someone else. Street thugs, other yakuza members, and ne'er-do-wells all do their best to beat you down when they find you wandering about, and you'll have to open up a can of you-know-what to cut them down to size.

Luckily, combat is as intuitive as the later games in the series. Both Kiryu and Majima have three different fighting styles that you can swap between as you please. One allows for quick volleys of attack, one offers traditional brawling action, and the other is all about packing a real wallop. As you pull off deadly combos, you'll earn cash that you can invest in adding health boosts, new combos, and additions to your Heat gauge.

Your Heat gauge ensures that you can pull off some seriously devastating finishers. You might jam a thug's head into the wall, or in the case of Majima, do a spinning back kick with a flourish to finish off a fight. It's gleefully violent and decadent in its execution, to the point where even boss encounters feel more like fun excuses to see how much style you can infuse each round of combat with.

A Yakuza With A Heart of Gold

Beyond story mode's required brawls and the random encounters in the streets of Kamurocho and Sotenbori, however, you aren't going to be solving every problem with violence. Yakuza 0 is rife with a cavalcade of various side quests that range from dance-of at the disco to teaching an all-male music group better ways to interact with the public an cultivate their "tough guy" personas. Many of these quests require you to become the diplomatic and kind Kiryu who's just looking to be a good guy, helping folks solve their various problems, and watching it all play out gives you a well-deserved breather from the more dense combat-packed sections.

These missions are some of the most important parts of the game, infusing what others may interpret as a bloodthirsty game in which violence is the only way to reach a resolution with others. Exploring these quests reveals the beating heart of Kiryu and humanizes him as just a regular guy who's actually quite the decent person despite you know, being a member of the yakuza. It's this that helps set the series as a whole apart from other brawlers, and I highly recommend playing through all of these missions if at all possible, as their occasional silliness and earnestness goes a long way to make for an extremely memorable game. There are over 100 of them to discover, so you'll be in for a real treat if you decide to truly dig in.

Lookin' Good, Kiryu!

Having played the original Yakuza 0 when it launched on PlayStation 4, I was curious about how much would indeed be different with the PC version, or if it was even worth exploring in lieu of sticking to my PlayStation 4 Pro. I'm happy to report that Kamurocho and Sotenbori look absolutely excellent, and as well they should, with the PC version's 4K resolution.

In addition to glitzed-up graphics, I noted a significant decrease in loading times as well, which is certainly a good thing when it comes to Yakuza in general. Cutting down on the time I have to wait to load new areas is going to get me to the locales I want to see even quicker, and it was one of the parts of this slick PC port I appreciated the most. Otherwise, it's largely the same experience, with Steam achievements, full controller support, and all the other niceties you'd expect from any PC version of a big title like this one. If you were expecting any sort of English voiceover track, however, unfortunately that's not an option, nor is it in any of the new Yakuza releases. The good news is that the voice cast is damned excellent that you'll never miss any hasty English dubbing, and you'll learn to love Kiryu's badass growl. It's seriously awesome. 

The Dragon Awakens

No matter if you've played the rest of the Yakuza series and know it like the back of your hand, or you're just now getting started as a fledgling fan, Yakuza 0 is a must-play. Not only does it act as an entertaining and compelling back story for Yakuza's coolest characters, Kiryu and Majima, but it offers a wealth of variations in gameplay for even the pickiest players. Like the rest of the games, it has plenty to offer, but most importantly, you'll be watching the rise of a dragon. And trust me, with Yakuza Kiwami 2 on the horizon, you're going to want to get started proper before embarking on your journey with Kazuma Kiryu. 

This review is based on a download code provided by the publisher. Yakuza 0 is available now on PlayStation 4 and will be available on PC on August 1, 2018. The game is rated M for mature.

Yakuza 0 Review: Birth of a Dragon published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/