Like a Dragon / Yakuza Video Game Series

An unusually elaborate element of the series Yakuza is its story layer: it's full of expressive characters, interlocking plot threads and unexpected twists. The themes explored include friendship, a sense of loyalty and a desire for revenge, issues closely related to mafia themes. In most installments, we play Kazuma Kiryu - an ex-member of one of the yakuza clans. The protagonist tries to break with his criminal past, but in vain. Until the sixth installment of the series, the main setting was Kamurocho - a red-light district modeled after the real Tokyo Kabukicho; this changed with the release of the series' reboot. Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which moved the action to Isezaki Ijincho (modeled after the real Isezakicho district in Yokohama) and introduced a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga.

The series is extremely popular, especially among gamers from the Land of the Cherry Blossom. The brand has also lived to see two screen adaptations (Like a Dragon, 2007; Like a Dragon: Prologue, 2006), book adaptations and even radio plays.

The series had its beginning in 2006, when the first game under the banner of Yakuza. We play as Kazuma Kiryu - a young, promising member of the Tojo criminal clan. When a prominent member of the clan is shot dead, Kazuma takes the blame for the murder in order to protect the loved ones involved. After spending 10 years in prison, the protagonist is released and finds the criminal underworld on the brink of chaos: an astronomical sum of money disappears from the Tojo clan's account, another important figure is murdered, and mafia families are preparing for a bloody crackdown. Worst of all, Kazuma's best friend gives no sign of life. The protagonist becomes entangled in an intricate web of intrigue.

W Yakuza 2 (2008) we learn the further fate of Kazuma Kiryu. The protagonist decided to break with the life of a gangster and devote himself to raising Haruka - the girl he met in the first part. However, the Tojo clan is not doing too well without Kazuma: the organization is threatened by war with the powerful Omi clan. After the assassination of the head of the Tojo clan, Kazuma travels to Osaka to meet with the leader of the Omi clan and find a peaceful solution to the situation. The protagonist is accompanied by the son of the man he was accused of killing in the first game.

Spin-off Yakuza: Kenzan!, released on PS3 in 2008, takes players back to the 1600s, where we meet the medieval counterparts of characters from the main series. The main character is the samurai Miyamoto Musashi (a historical figure, a famous warrior), who operates under the alias Kazumanosuke Kiryu (and very much resembles the protagonist of previous installments). One day the protagonist is approached by a girl named Haruka and asked to kill another person known as Miyamoto Musashi. The game places a heavy emphasis on sword fighting.

In the game intended for PS3 Yakuza 3 (2009) we once again take on the role of Kazuma Kiryu. The ex-yakuza has left the affairs of the Tojo clan to his appointed mafiosi and left for Okinawa, where he is busy running an orphanage. His peaceful existence is disrupted by unexpected eviction orders. It turns out that the land on which the orphanage stands belongs to a local criminal family. The head of the family wants to sell the land as part of a lucrative contract. Kazuma must secure the future of the facility and deal with the personal problems of the alumni.

W Yakuza 4 (2010) we learn about the adventures of four different protagonists. Kazuma Kiryu is joined by: Shun Akiyama - the owner of a peculiar loan agency, Taiga Saejima - a multiple murderer sentenced to death, and Masayoshi Tanimura - a detective. Each character offers his own plot thread and unique fighting style. As you progress through the chapters, the stories of each protagonist become increasingly intertwined.

Kurohyo: Ryu ga Gotoku Shinsho (Translation: Black Panther: Like a Dragon New Chapter) is a spin-off released only in Japan on the PSP in 2010. In it we play a street thug - Tatsuya Ukyo who, pretending to be a representative of the Tojo clan yakuza, tries to extort money from the Chinese mafia. The venture does not end successfully, however, and during his escape the main character kills a real yakuza member. However, he is quickly caught and in exchange for his freedom he must win 10 fights in a row in Dragon Heat - an underground circle of street duels. The game places a heavy emphasis on 1-on-1 skirmishes, which sets it apart from the rest of the series. In turn, we get to know the plot itself not through cut-scenes, as was the case in most parts of the series, but through a moving comic book.

Yakuza: Dead Souls (2011, PlayStation 3) is a spin-off set in the reality of a zombie invasion. Kamurocho, iconic for the series, is on fire and hordes of bloodthirsty undead are marching through the streets. To make matters worse, an unknown gangster has kidnapped Kazuma's daughter and is imprisoning her in the midst of the apocalypse. W Dead Souls we learn the fates of four protagonists: Kazuma Kiryu, Shun Akiyama (from Yakuza 4), Ryuji Goda (the antagonist from Y2) and Goro Majima (a fierce rival and friend of Kiryu, who has been recurring since the beginning of the series). Unlike other parts of the series, in Dead Souls the first fiddle is played by firearms, not white weapons.

Kurohyo 2: Ryu ga Gotoku Ashura Hen (Translation: Black Panther 2: Like a Dragon Ashura Chapter) is the sequel to Tatsuya Ukyo's adventures, released in 2012. Like its predecessor, the sequel was also released on PSP and never left the borders of the Land of the Cherry Blossom. Two years have passed since the events of the previous installment, the main character has devoted this time to perfecting his skills and has remained closely involved with Dragon Heat. Unfortunately, Ashura - a new circle of illegal duelists who want to challenge Dragon Heat - has appeared in the arena of underground street fighting. Tatsuya, along with other fighters, is forced to accept the gauntlet and stand up to fight.

At the end of 2012, the full-fledged fifth installment of the series was released on PS3. Yakuza 5 continues the tradition of "four" and expands the number of playable characters to five. Kazuma Kiryu left an orphanage in Okinawa for the sake of his pupils and works in Fukuoka city as a simple cab driver. Kazuma's foster daughter Haruka Sawamura, who has been present since the first installment, is already trying to find work as a show-biz star as an adult. Businessman Shun Akiyama, familiar from the fourth, and criminal Taiga Saejima return. The fifth protagonist is Tatsuo Shinada, a former baseball player whose promising career was abruptly ended by a mysterious scandal.

Yakuza: Restoration (2014) takes the action back to the past, this time to the 19th century, i.e. just before the fall of the Shogunate. The player takes on the role of Ryoma Sakamoto, who is based on a historical figure and has the appearance and features of Kazuma Kiryu. Ryoma is one of the leaders of the revolution against the shogunate.

Released in 2015 Yakuza 0 is a prequel set in the 1980s. Here we learn about the young years of two key characters in the series: Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. Kazuma is just getting his teeth into the criminal craft, enforcing debts for a local usurer. He is accompanied in his adventures by Nishiki, his best friend and sworn brother, who played an important role in part one. Goro Majima, meanwhile, runs an upscale nightclub while trying to find a way to return to the yakuza at all costs.

In 2017, the game hit store shelves Yakuza Kiwami, which is a comprehensive remake of the first installment of the series. Compared to the original, the title stood out not only due to the thoroughly refreshed visuals, but also the dialogue issues recorded from scratch, as well as thanks to the presence of additional cutscenes.

W Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2018) Kazuma Kiryu is once again sent to prison. After serving three years, he is released and goes to an orphanage in Okinawa to meet his foster daughter Haruka. On the spot, it turns out that Haruka has disappeared. After the former music star admitted on stage to being related to Kazuma, the media began accusing her and the orphanage of having ties to the yakuza. The girl left the orphanage so that her bad reputation would not harm the children. After a brief investigation, Kazuma discovers that Haruka had an accident and is in a coma. What's more, her son, Haruto, has been born, which the protagonist must take care of.

Yakuza Online (2018) is a turn-based RPG released only in Japan, developed primarily for mobile devices. It is set after the events of the full-fledged part six and tells the story of Ichiban Kasuga, a 40-year-old gangster who has spent the last 17 years in prison. To the protagonist's disappointment, Kamurocho is now controlled by an alliance of police and the Osaka-based Omi criminal group. Ichiban decides to assemble a team and take control of the district. The essence of the gameplay is recruiting new characters (including old heroes of the series) and commanding them in turn-based battles.

In addition, 2018 saw the release of a full-fledged remake of the second part of the series, i.e. Yakuza Kiwami 2. As was the case with the first Yakuza Kiwami, the authors primarily leaned on the visuals. In addition, the title boasts new dubbing.

In 2019, the next spin-off of the series debuted Yakuza, which is the game Judgment. The main character of this production is Takayuki Yagami, that is, a former lawyer who abandoned his profession to open a detective agency. When a case of a mysterious series of murders comes across his desk, the protagonist decides to take it on, hoping that in this way he may be able to correct his past mistakes. Judgment, which drew handfuls from the output of the series Yakuza, launched a new brand. Nevertheless, players still had to wait for the second part of the subseries.

In 2019, the games saw the light of day Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered and Yakuza 5 Remastered, which are, as their titles suggest, refreshed versions of the third, fourth and fifth installments of Kazuma Kiryu's adventures.

The year 2020 brought the release of the game Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which is a reboot of the series. The game depicts the fate of Ichiban Kasuga, a yakuza member who, at the request of his superiors, takes the blame for a murder. After serving 18 years, Kasugi meets with his former employer, who tries to kill him and shoots him as a thank you. In addition to the protagonist's character, the game's main location has also changed. In Seven, we will spend most of our time exploring Isezaki Ijincho in Yokohama, rather than Kamurocho, as before. The reboot also brought changes in mechanics. The combat system was changed to turn-based, and our character is accompanied during skirmishes by a team of up to three people.

In 2021, the game appeared on store shelves Lost Judgment, which is a direct continuation of Takayuki Yagami's adventure released two years earlier. This time the protagonist finds himself in Yokohama, where he must solve the case of the mysterious death of a young man. Lost Judgment did not follow in the footsteps of Yakuza: Like a Dragon and continued to rely on the gameplay pattern developed by the first six installments of the main series.

In September 2022, SEGA announced that the series Yakuza is officially changing its name to Like a Dragon. The reason for this decision was the desire to bring the Western and Japanese titles of the series closer together.

In 2023, a remake was released of the game Yakuza: Restoration. So did thorough refreshes of the first two parts of the series, Like a Dragon: Ishin, for such was the name of this production, boasted, above all, a completely refreshed graphic design. Interestingly, this was the first production under the banner of Yakuzawhich did not use the proprietary technology of the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio team, but was based on Unreal Engine 4 technology.

The next project of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio was Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which is an action adventure game set between the events of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The title was a return to its roots not only in terms of mechanics, drawing handfuls from the adventures of Kazuma Kiryu, but also in terms of story, allowing players to take on the role of the iconic hero.

For the full-fledged eighth installment of the series, titled Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, fans had to wait until January 2024. At that time, the production hit personal computers and eighth- and ninth-generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles. In addition to Ichiban Kasuga, the main character of the series since its seventh installment, players could take on the role of the distinguished Kazuma Kiryu. The production was set in both Yokohama, Japan, and Honolulu, Hawaii, which is the largest and most diverse metropolis in the brand's history to date. The game was a success and became the highest-rated installment of the series.