History VideoGame / Yakuza0

* HeroOfAnotherStory: While Kiryu and Majima do ultimately work towards the same goal of protecting Makoto, they never directly encounter one another [[spoiler:until TheStinger]].

* ThemeSongPowerUp: [[spoiler:Majima's one-man assault on the Dojima compound in the end is set to the game's theme song "Reign"]].

* Kazuma Kiryu, the series protagonist, is shown as a fresh-faced recruit in the Tojo Clan, sponsored by his father figure Shintaro Kazama. Working for the Dojima family, Kiryu is sent one evening to perform a regular duty for fledgling yakuza: shaking down a man in debt to a loan shark in the Tojo's employ. When the debtor turns up dead on the vacant lot afterwards, Kiryu becomes the prime suspect. With Kazama now in prison and the family head Souhei Dojima promising a promotion to whomever can secure him the vacant lot, Kiryu sets out to clear his name.

* TheCameo: One of Majima's sidequests has him deal with a young Ryuji Goda. As in, back when he was a grade schooler.

* PinataEnemy: All the enemies literally ''bleed'' money when they get hit, meaning that you'll be earning money like crazy. Of course, considering that money also doubles as XP in this game, you'll also be spending a lot of it on upgrades. The Mr. Shakedown enemies in particular have massive payouts for every hit landed, but are bigger and tougher and will take ''all'' your cash if they beat you.

* StanceSystem: Kiryu and Majima have three styles each [[spoiler:plus one hidden "Legend" style, based on their fighting styles in later games of the series]].

* StanceSystem: Kiryu and Majima have three styles each [[spoiler:plus one hidden style, based on their fighting styles in later games of the series]].
** Kiryu's fighting styles include "Brawler", a balanced fighting style with a counter attack; "Beast", a power-based style that allows Kiryu to tank damage and seamlessly pick up and use environmental objects as weapons; and "Rush", a fast-paced style that lets Kiryu duck and weave past attacks and counter with a flurry of punches. [[spoiler:His hidden style is "Legend", which is based on his Komeki martial arts style in later games of the series.]]
** Majima's styles are "Thug", a balanced style with a variety of grab attacks and pragmatic flair; "Slugger", a power-based style where Majima uses a baseball bat with deadly creativity; and "Breaker", a break-dancing style that lets Majima attack opponents with spinning kicks while striking poses to build up heat. [[spoiler:His hidden style is "Mad Dog of Shimano", a fast-paced fighting style that favors Majima's use of a knife.]]

** Kiryu's fighting styles include "Brawler", a balanced fighting style with a counter attack; "Beast", a power-based style that allows Kiryu to tank damage and seamlessly pick up and use environmental objects as weapons; and "Rush", a fast-paced style that lets Kiryu duck and weave past attacks and counter with a flurry of punches. [[spoiler:His hidden style is "Dragon of Dojima", which is based on his Komeki martial arts style in later games of the series.]]

* MiniBoss: Mr. Shakedowns, who are gigantic guys walking around the streets who can be challenged. They have considerably more health, deal ridiculous amounts of damage and take all your money upon defeat, but will also give ridiculous amounts of money if defeated.

* ThemeSongPowerUp: [[spoiler:Majima's one-man assault on the Dojima compound in the end is set to the game's theme song "Reign"]].

* PinataEnemy: All the enemies literally ''bleed'' money when they get hit, meaning that you'll be earning money like crazy. Of course, considering that money also doubles as XP in this game, you'll also be spending a lot of it on upgrades. The Extortionist enemies in particular have massive payouts for beating them, but are bigger and tougher and will take ''all'' your cash if they beat you.

'''''Yakuza 0''''', known in Japan as ''Ryū ga Gotoku 0: Land of the Oath'', is a prequel to the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' video game series. It was released in Japan on the {{Playstation 3}} and {{Playstation 4}} in March 2015, and will be released in North America and Europe as a [=PS4=] exclusive in January 2017.

* MoneySpider: Enemies literally ''bleed'' money when they get hit, meaning that you'll be earning money like crazy. Of course, considering that money also doubles as XP in this game, you'll also be spending a lot of it on upgrades. The Extortionist enemies in particular have massive payouts for beating them, but are bigger and tougher and will take ''all'' your cash if they beat you.

** Majima's styles are "Thug", a balanced style with a variety of grab attacks and pragmatic flair; "Slugger", a power-based style where Majima uses a baseball bat with deadly creativity; and "Breaker", a break-dancing style that lets Majima attack opponents with spinning kicks while striking poses to build up heat. [[spoiler:His hidden style is "Mad Dog of Shimano", a fast-paced fighting style that favors Majima's use of a knife.]]

* AnEntrepreneurIsYou: Kiryu can run a real estate/loanshark business as a way to generate money while Majima has his cabaret club.

The game takes place in the December 1988, at the height of the "Bubble Economy" era of Japanese history, a period of economic prosperity. The various factions of the Japanese underworld are jockeying for control over a prime piece of real estate: a vacant lot that it planned to be the site of construction for the highly-anticipated Millennium Tower. Control over this lot will tip the balance of power in the world of yakuza in the favor of whoever claims it.

'''''Yakuza 0''''', known in Japan as ''Ryū ga Gotoku 0: Land of the Oath'', is a prequel to the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' video game series. It was released in Japan on the {{Playstation 3}} and {{Playstation 4}} in March 2015, and will be released in North America and Europe as a [=PS4=] exclusive in January 2014.

* Kazuma Kiryu, the series protagonist, is shown as a fresh-faced recruit in the Dojima Clan, sponsored by his father figure Shintaro Kazama. Kiryu is sent one evening to perform a regular duty for fledgling yakuza: shaking down a man in debt to a loan shark in the Tojo's employ. When the debtor turns up dead on the vacant lot afterwards, Kiryu becomes the prime suspect. With Kazama now in prison and the family head Souhei Dojima promising a promotion to whomever can secure him the vacant lot, Kiryu sets out to clear his name.

'''''Yakuza 5''''', known in Japan as ''Ryū ga Gotoku 5: Land of the Oath'', is a prequel to the ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' video game series. It was released in Japan on the {{Playstation 3}} and {{Playstation 4}} in March 2015, and will be released in North America and Europe as a [=PS4=] exclusive in January 2014.

* DatingMinigame: In addition to Majima's managing a cabaret club, where training hostesses plays out similar to dating them in previous games, players can also hit up telephone clubs to chat up beautiful women. If the player keeps up the conversation for long enough, they can even ask the girl on the line out on a date in the city.

* DoomedByCanon: Many of the characters who appear in this game don't live to see the beginning of ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza 1}}''.