The world of organised crime is filled with numerous cunning and ruthless individuals, who have little to no qualms with murdering innocents and even their comrades to make a profit or rise to the top. If you want to survive, you have to keep your wits about you, never be careless, consider every move you make thoroughly, and know which battles to pick.
Clearly, these guys didn't get the memo.
Beware of unmarked spoilers.
General
- Roaming the streets of Kamurocho (or really, any city) are numerous thugs, typically looking to harass or kick the crap out of someone, or make a few extra yen by mugging or conning some unlucky sap.
You'd Expect: That they'd avoid doing so with the towering, muscled Yakuza-looking dude with a perpetual Death Glare who looks like he kills people for a living.
And For That Matter: Also avoid doing the same to an the agile loan shark, the even larger guy who can rip signposts out of the ground, the trained police officer, the tall and well-built weapons expert, the deranged-looking eye-patched man with a knife, the seven man group led by a similarly built man carrying a barbed-wired bat, or the private deductive who clearly knows Kung-Fu.
Instead: They immediately pick a fight or try mugging them.
As A Result: Cue the bizarrely brutal beatdown. - Oftentimes, there will be a scenario where the main characters deal with a man armed with a gun, but will ultimately come out on top.
You'd Expect: That after defeating them, they or one of their allies would immediately either grab the gun for safekeeping, dispose of it, empty out the bullets so it can't be used.
Or At Least: Restrain it's owner or anyone they think might try using it.
Instead: They just leave it and the gunman laying on the ground unattended.
As A Result: The crook grabs the gun upon recovering and attempts to shoot someone, leading to easily avoidable deaths, sometimes from someone Taking the Bullet. Fortunately, Judgment onwards displays the characters as much more competent in regards to firearms, unloading them once the bad guys are disarmed and sometimes even before the fight starts.
Main Series
Yakuza 4
- During the Ueno Seiwa Massacre, Saejima has just attacked and left, not knowing that he was actually using rubber bullets and that all the people he "killed" were still alive. With Saejima gone, Katsuragi gets to work making the massacre look like it really happened.
You'd Expect: That Katsuragi would try and shoot where the rubber bullets hit each member to cover up their use, or at least aim the shots inconsistently as to not arouse suspicions and cover up the rubber bullet wounds some other way.
Instead: He shoots all of them with clean, perfect headshots and makes no attempts to cover up the rubber bullet wounds.
As A Result: Munakata, the Deputy Commissioner of the Police, quickly realizes that the whole thing was a Frame-Up due to the presence of the rubber bullet wounds, which only the police have access to, and the fact that Saejima would need Improbable Aiming Skills to get consistent headshots going against a entire group of Yakuza, ambush or not. He then proceeds to Blackmail Katsuragi into being his pawn.
Even Worse: If Munakata wasn't a Dirty Cop it probably would have gone worse for Katsuragi, since he'd not only lose his inside man on the force but his entire plan would have fallen apart, as Saejima would get off on attempted murder charges while Katsuragi would be exposed, likely kicked out of the Ueno Seiwa Clan for the murder of his fellow members, and more than likely go to jail and be targeted by his former clan. - Akiyama's money. He does make a good case for not putting it in a bank due to not trusting them, and he has so much he doesn't need to invest it in anything.
You'd Expect: He would hide it in hard-to-breach combination safes, preferably stowed in separate locations with different combinations.
Instead: He has all ¥100 Billion hidden in a single safe behind a bookshelf in his unlocked office. The safe is only opened by pressing a button hidden behind a book on the bookshelf.
As A Result: Kido stumbles upon it since Akiyama keeps his front door unlocked, allowing him to report it to Arai, and it all gets stolen by Katsuragi. - Tanimura's "Bridge" substory chain has one of the biggest human traffickers in Asia hiding as Yuji Katsuura, a philanthropist and champion of women's rights, has killed anyone who got too close to him and has sent hitmen after Tanimura and Saki-chan. During the "Successor" substory, Tanimura lures a group of hitmen into Pink Alley to beat them down before having them call it into their boss that he's dead. This allows their boss to make a public appearance at Millennium Tower.
You'd Expect: The boss would be smart enough to smash his phone the moment the hitman called it in and get a new one since he's that rich so that when Tanimura uses the hitman's number, it just says that line has been disconnected.
Instead: He keeps the same phone that has the hitman's number on it, allowing Tanimura to prove it's him.
As A Result: Tanimura beats down his goons, has a Chase Battle with him and brings down his sex trafficking empire, as well as avenge his biological father.
Yakuza 5
- At the end of the game, Haruka's regrets with becoming an idol had piled on very high, and she had gone through much stress and another yakuza incident. By the time of her debut concert, she could no longer endure being away from her family.
You'd Expect: Haruka to quietly retire before or after the concert.
Or: Haruka to make a quick announcement that she's retiring during the concert before running off.
Instead: Haruka makes a long confession during the concert, in which she reveals being raised by a former yakuza, despite being warned by Park about the damage it could cause.
Result: While her mid-concert retirement saves Kiryu's life, her reputation goes up in flames. Eventually, the press find where she lives and backlash becomes directed to the orphanage as well.
Worse: Kiryu was arrested and willingly accepted being sentenced for his involvement in the game's events, leaving Haruka with no trusted adults around when the fallout becomes worse, leading to her running away to spare her siblings from the media. This causes her to end up in Hiroshima and get in more trouble later on, setting off many of the next game's events.
Yakuza 6
- In Chapter 5, Nagumo and Kiryu enter a sauna wearing balaclavas. This, combined with their full-body clothing, makes them both quite heated and Nagumo wants to cool off.
You'd Expect: Nagumo to head to a more secluded area to remove his mask.
Or: Bear with the heat like Kiryu until they are in a better position.
Instead: Nagumo immediately rips his mask off in the middle of the room, which causes Masuzoe to recognize him, compromising their stealthy approach and letting their involvement be known to both the Tojo and the Yomei.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
- At the start of the game Ichiban attempts to conceal the fact that he let an unpaid debt slide by putting the money Masato gave him in its place.
You'd Expect: That he'd remember to remove the band from the cash, which marks it as something gotten from Masato's bank.
Instead: It slips his mind, which pisses off Sawashiro and nearly gets Ichi's finger cut off if it wasn't for Arakawa showing up.
Judgment Series
Judgment
- While Yagami is visiting Genda Law Offices, Shintani comes in and confronts Yagami over him investigating Hamura's link to The Mole Murders. After an argument, Yagami is about to leave when Shintani calls out after him, loudly proclaiming how The Mole is much bigger than some Yakuza turf war.
You'd Expect: That everyone in the office would find this suspicious and question him on it.
Instead: Yagami is somehow the only one to pick up on what he said and the rest pay him no mind, with Genda even reprimanding Yagami for getting into a fight with him.
As A Result: Their inability to act on Shintani's suspicious claims leads to him getting killed. - Shintani was always jealous of Yagami for his talent back during his lawyering days and for being one of the few to score a victory in court, a resentment that remains even after Yagami was disgraced and forced out of the courtroom. During a drinking session with Hamura after his acquittal, he learns some details about The Mole, how he and Hamura are partners, and their collaboration with the ADDC.
You'd Expect: That he'd steer well clear of that shit.
Or At Least: If he is gonna investigate them to get one over on Yagami, he'd attempt to do so in a subtle manner that doesn't draw any immediate attention, such as getting Hamura drunk again and needling him for details.
Instead: He calls the ADDC directly to demand a meeting, giving away that he knows more about The Conspiracy that they would like.
As A Result: He's killed and used to make Ayabe The Scapegoat for the Mole killings.
