Yakuza series

I don't think Majima really cared about Shimano too much. Actually I don't remember if he even said anything about Shimano in the first game.

He briefly mentions Shimano at the funeral after you fight him.

Speaking of, I finished the first three chapters of Kiwami, and I question the wisdom of Kiryu taking the blame for killing Dojima. It seems like it just made everything worse, even for Nishikiyama.

It kinda is in hindsight.

If Nishiki died in prison, who cares?

Kiryu meanwhile was an up and coming yakuza and was all but destined to run his own family. He was going to have lots of power, and instead he threw it away to protect his brother.

Kiryu's very loyal to whoever he considers to be his family.

Well yes. There's no way Kiryu wasn't going to walk out of that room without somehow protecting Nishiki and Yumi from what happened.

But if Kiryu had just Yumi he may have been able to do something for Nishiki form the outside. At least he could argue to the cops that Nishiki was protecting Yumi.

It doesn't matter why Nishiki did it, the fact is he killed the one person he was supposed to swear unwavering loyalty to. If Nishiki went to jail he would have been murdered within a week.

I know that sounds fucked up, and it is, because they're all career criminals.

Criminal loyalty is an ironclad thing.

Only for Kiryu, Sera and Kazama.

There's a lot of Retcon and background in the Yakuza games (duh).

1. Majima/Shimano: Shimano tortured Majima for a year, is the guy who took his eye, and basically manipulated him into falling in love with Motoko. He then makes Majima The Dragon for his family. He's retroactively one of the most important figures in Majima's life—and he ends up dying in a fight that has nothing to do with Majima. I actually agree with the fact that creating the construction company is because Majima really has nothing left to keep him in the Yakuza.

2. Kiryu was retconned in Yakuza 0 basically as someone who never fit in well with the Yakuza and was actively loathing everyone in it but Nishiki, Kazama, and maybe a handful of others. So his sacrifice takes on a different sort of tone in Yakuza 1. Having already been willing to let Nishiki kill him in the woods, Kiryu doesn't really give a shit whether he lives or dies. This has a big impact on Yakuza 1 because much of that game is how everyone expects Kiryu to be a huge Authority Equals Asskicking up and comer. Yakuza 0 more or less makes it clear that Kiryu would be a TERRIBLE Yakuza boss and later games confirm he objectively ruined the clan as 4th Chairman and also in his example to the Sixth Chairman.

3. I'm actually fairly sure Nishiki would have survived prison just fine and returned stronger than ever. Part of the issue is that Nishiki has severe co-dependent issues and wants to Dare to Be Badass. Once he actually gets his Then Let Me Be Evil moment, he's a significantly better Tojo Clan leader than just about anyone else. His men are scum but that's the point. He seems aware what so many other Yakuza struggle with that they're bad people and need to let go of the delusion otherwise. It's why Shimano is so successful and why Dojima was to until his Fall From Grace.

4. Part of the theme of the games is that the Yakuza Noble Demon pretensions are more or less lies. Shimano spells it out in the original game by pointing out that Kiryu killing Dojima is supposed to be the ultimate sin. However, the Yakuza don't actually care about honor for the most part except for a handful of people. Kiryu murdering his boss makes him look badass.

5. Even though he is a badass, Kiryu actually would have been killed in prison if they'd been really trying. They weren't, however, because Kazama was exerting his protection through his Puppet King. Sera was always just Kazama's agent and Kazama was pretty much the real head of the Tojo. Kazama clearly favored Kiryu over Nishiki because, well, Nishiki is the Kylo Ren of Yakuza. He's really fucking dangerous but simultaneously a loser. At least before Kiryu's prison term. Still, Kazama would have probably protected his other adopted son just like Kiryu. Also, as big a loser as Nishiki is, he's still about 80% as badass as Kiryu even at his worst.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jun 13th 2020 at 1:27:27 AM

The way you described it makes it sound closer to Revision than Retcon.

True.

It's good writing because while it's highly unlikely Kiryu defeated the entire Tojo Clan by himself 15 years before Yakuza 1, very little actually CONTRADICTS the story as established.

It just provides different context for all of the decisions made by characters.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jun 13th 2020 at 1:28:15 AM

But I'm playing chronologically and it just plain looks like Majima loses his eye twice. To Shimano and the Shibata family.

Edited by MightyKombat on Jun 13th 2020 at 12:56:50 PM

It wasn’t the Tojo Clan he beat, only the Dojima clan. He never fought a single member of another clan in 0. He effectively beat the clan into submission and Dojima essentially became an ineffective figurehead after Sera got the Empty Lot. Kazama was still Captain and basically the actual boss running things politically, the three Lt went to jail or died and the new blood all had respect for Kiryu and the old blood knew what he could do.

Everything was set up rather perfectly for Kiryu to officially start a family with those new Dojima members that were following him, such as Shinji.

Playing Yakuza 4 and according to my research, you don't have to max out the hostess affection meters with everyone to get substory completion to fight Amon! Just visit them once for a mostly related substory and boom, basically smooth sailing! Plus the lack of golf means Yakuza 4 is currently tied with Zero for my absolute favourite in the series, maybe edging it out because the smooth as silk Akiyama makes a good first replacement for Kiryu. Thank you, Sega.

Yes I'm ranking Y4 high just because it doesn't make me deal with Hostess Bullshit as extensively as previous games.

Edited by MightyKombat on Jun 13th 2020 at 7:29:15 PM

Point taken on the Dojima Clan.

But the ending still is Kiryu hating being a Yakuza. The world would have been a better place for him if he'd just stayed as a real estate magnate.

Whatever happened to the real estate business he was heading anyway?

Also, tried a hostess bar at Yakuza 4. Interestingly Club Shine ran me through three of the girls before Akiyama settled on Rio but given Id on't need ot max them this time, I'm fine.

He left it in the capable toes of Nugget. Of course, a year later, he became a sandwich, so it was likely given over to the original villains until the economic troubles set in and everyone was out of work.

Awww. But at least Nugget sired a child or two, if Yakuza 7 is any indication.

Anyway I also found the Dragon's Path webcomics. Giving them a quick skim over in between playing Yakuza 4.

The what now?

Sega did some comics summarising the Yakuza games from 0 to 5 in the run up to 6's release. Each issue was told from a different viewpoint character. Mostly Kiryu but we got Majima, Haruka and Daigo getting in on the narration too.

I am always amazed at how ineffective bullets are in this game, even in cutscenes.

well, unless you look at Rikiya.

Sounds neat. Where's that at?

Maybe they're all rubber.

Edited by Larkmarn on Jun 16th 2020 at 12:01:47 PM

Right here. Apparently there's hidden clan creator codes for Yakuza 6 hidden in them too.

Also, managed to get to Saejima's part of Yakuza 4 and the prison escape is the first time I Game Over'd since I'm on Hard (not Legend tho.) I feel like the super armour on his Finishers is way too finicky and selective which makes crowd control an arsepain for him. And fucking hell any onehanded weapon with him is useless since Saejima takes these needlessly huge slow swings. i'm talking huge, telegraphed mega cartoon swings with a wooden stick he's convinced is a solid steal zweihander. Taiga, you're swinging a light weapon meant to injure, its made of plywood and you barely need to put effort in to swing with how huge you are, you're not fucking morris dancing. Tehsnakerer basically said it best:

• Tehsnakerer: What fucking aeroplane are you waving in?

Look I know someone wants to compare this Taiga to the other Taiga that swings wooden shit around and I know she's a Rie Kugimiya role but look, she never stormed a noodle shop with intent to kill a shitton of guys, and she's one of the bad Kugimiya roles of that archetype I'm plain done with. Saejima's an adorably overdramatic motherfucker, possibly even an arrogant mo, ther, fuck, er if I may.

Edited by MightyKombat on Jun 16th 2020 at 6:01:39 PM