#dad!rikiya

[thotsforvillainrights]

absolutely scrambling to get a request in im so hyped!!

can i request something with Redestro where his step-child (reader or nondescript) comes home from college for the holidays? and perhaps their college is out of the country so they dont visit often?

happy holidays to you and the baby!! 💕

(Happy holidays!!!! Dude you got it in just in time! I was shocked to see the box filled up to like 30 asks in the span of 2 days lmao. I'm thankful for it because now I get to write more about my favorite big bads!)

~Dad!Rikiya Kid Home for the Holidays~

*I love him and his big ass noggin uggggghhh*

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up

-There are lots of things in this world that can make him happy, and a pretty good amount that can make him jump for joy. There is a very small amount that will make him drop whatever he's doing in sheer excitement. You would think he heard that they outlawed quirk discrimination by the way he dropped his book and smiled widely. However, what he was told instead was that his child would be coming home for the holidays from college. It's hard to understand why he'd gotten so happy from this. Did he think you were just going to stay overseas and not see him at all? It was your second semester/year in college and you told him you were coming home. I suppose he just couldn't contain his excitement regardless of knowing it was going to happen anyhow.

-Suddenly anything else didn't matter. Unfortunately his poor assistant would have to take the grunt of the work considering he was already halfway out the door of his office for the day. He immediately went straight to shopping and picking up a few things he thought you would need/want in the coming week while you were home. Even though you were an adult now, he still got the same snacks you liked since you were 5. He also picked up a few more presents for you despite having several beneath the tree already. He'd informed the others of your return and planned a massive Christmas dinner. Obviously they'd mostly proclaimed themselves as being your unofficial uncles and aunts (except Skeptic who opted for acquaintance, and Geten who would technically be like a brother to you considering he'd been taken in by ReDestro at a young age).

-No matter how relaxed and low-key you'd prefer your return to be it didn't matter in the least bit. You still returned to find tons of confetti, decorations, food cooked, and a very happy dad waiting with open arms. You can only roll your eyes and laugh at the thought of how much effort he put into this as though you'd been gone for several years. You thanked the kind Detnerat employees that took the time to bring you home from the airport and even invited them in to eat with you since let's be honest...there was no way you'd be able to put a dent into the feast he'd prepared for your arrival.

-The two of you spent the better half of the night discussing all the things you'd learned and achieved since being away for college. You fessed up to failing a class of two but he assured you things would be fine so long as you retook them and redeemed yourself. He was so proud of you and it showed in the way he stared at you as you talked about your experience. He was awed by the new friends you made (not particularly too fond of any love interest you may have found), excited to hear what your plans were for the next year, and already planning your graduation ceremony despite it being far off into the future for now. He eventually let you settle down and rest but not before bringing you a rather large box.

-Opening one gift early on Christmas eve was a tradition of sorts around your home.

-The next day you got to spend some time catching up with the other MLA members as well. You got a little help for your computer and I.T class by sitting and listening to Skeptic (even though he offered to hack the school and set your grades to A+ instead). Of course Trumpet and Curious only added to your already large set of gifts to open. You had to remind them these likely needed to be shipped back overseas to you. It was also very nice to have a minute to catch up to you official/non-official little brother Geten and see what he had going on for the moment. Of course you asked him if he wanted to join you at some point since he'd only opted last year to pursue his G.E.D essentially. He denied your offer but you could only hope he'd change his mind eventually. You had high hopes for him and knew he could achieve anything he put his mind to.

-Everyone sat down for a nice dinner together after you finished opening far too many presents to count at this point. There were a few holiday games played, and a couple of small tears shed (mostly by Rikiya at the thought of you having to go back in a few days). It was a nice reminder that you were quite loved by the people in your circle. How lovely to have a family like this!

[shih-coulda-had-it]

that dfohiko verse AU with toshinori and rikiya as test tube twins

//

WC: ~1000. Fun detail that I didn't actually incorporate in the snippet but I feel compelled to tell you anyway: All for One named Rikiya ("power" + "to be"; riki + ya), and Sorahiko named Toshinori ("genius" + "law"; toshi + nori). This absolutely positively does not give the twins issues about which parent loves them more (big lie).

//

(age seven)

“Who’s older?” Rikiya demanded, because he was canny enough to know that there was something to be held over his brother’s head if he could secure the status. 

“What does that matter?” their dad asked, levelly.

Toshinori had other concerns. Dinner, mostly, because their dad had cooked. He usually did when their father was out on business. “I told you they don’t know,” he told Rikiya, digging into his omurice with barely restrained glee. “We got dropped off by a big white bird, so they can’t tell.”

“That’s not what happened,” Rikiya said. “Garaki-hakase said--”

Their dad’s head tilted. “Said what?”

It was not like the doctor had told Rikiya to keep what he had said secret. And, anyway, Rikiya was pretty confident that everyone had to follow what his dad told them to. If not his dad, then definitely his father.

“He said that you and otou-sama ‘knew us from the beginning,’ and that he ‘was there to scream our lungs out for the first time,’” he recited. “But even Garaki-hakase wouldn’t tell me who was older! All he said was that you’d know.”

Their dad made a noise in the back of his throat, like a scoff. 

“I guess I could call you Riki-nii,” said Toshinori dubiously. “But Toshi-nii sounds just as good!”

Rikiya looked first at Toshinori’s guileless face, then at the spoon clutched tight in his hand. Before he could throw the spoon, their dad reached over and curled his fingers over Rikiya’s fist. Firm enough to prevent further movement, but not enough to hurt. It was warm.

“What does it matter?” their dad asked again.

“I wanna be older than Toshinori.”

“Because?”

He frowned down into his bowl. Saying what he really wanted out loud would alert Toshinori to what he was missing, and the last thing Rikiya could win at was a competition with his brother to get what he wanted. Toshinori always got what he asked for; Rikiya needed to take it.

“Because I want a younger brother,” he said.

“Can we have a younger brother?!” Toshinori interjected, and at his words, their dad twitched back. Rikiya’s hand felt cold without the restraint.

“No.”

Stated so plainly, flatly, forcefully--it was clear that their dad wasn’t even up to entertaining the idea of a third child, which Rikiya was fine with. But Toshinori didn’t get the message, because he only made an idle humming noise and then said, like it was a cunning loophole, “What about a younger sister?”

“No,” their dad repeated. “The two of you are enough. For us and for yourselves. You don’t need another sibling.”

“Okay,” said Rikiya, “but otou-sama talks about his younger brother all the time.”

“That’s his own deal.”

“Do we have to fight for it? Like, whoever wins is the older one?” It was surprising to hear the question not come out of his mouth, but his brother’s. That was a concern. Toshinori was getting the gist of what was going unspoken. Well, Rikiya thought blackly, it was only a matter of time.

“If I catch either of you starting a fight about who’s older,” their dad intoned, “I’ll end it. The two of you are twins. You’re equals.”

There wasn’t really anything to say back to that. Rikiya sulked into his dinner, and so did Toshinori, but it was definitely for different reasons.

(age eleven)

Toshinori knew Rikiya was glaring at the wall, picturing Toshinori’s neck, and he refused to quail. He got dared, so of course he would follow through. It was just… It was just a little daunting, to have the question put to him, to put to their dad, who wasn’t exactly the greatest at emoting soft feelings.

Still. Toshinori got dared, and so he would dare.

“Tou-san,” he says carefully. He is sprawled on his belly in bed, covers drawn up to his shoulders, sleeping cap wrestled over the ruffled mess of his hair. Half of Toshinori’s face is squished into his pillow, but even half is good enough to peer anxiously up to their dad’s face.

“Yeah?”

“You wanted the both of us, right?”

A strange expression crosses the usually grim countenance. Neither Toshinori nor Rikiya got the eyes of their parents. Toshinori sometimes wishes he looked a little more like Rikiya, who had the curve of their dad’s nose. Their father liked to tease Rikiya by tracing its bend and delighting in its prominent trait, and Rikiya pretended to hate the attention, but Rikiya once told Toshinori that it was definitely preferable to, you know, not having any defined features of their parents.

Probably the worst thing Rikiya’s ever called Toshinori was ‘donor-child’, but considering Toshinori came out of that fight on top, teeth bared and knuckles bruised, Toshinori’s inclined to leave the incident behind them. His father had been weirdly pleased, hauling him off his brother.

“You’re my child,” his father had said, before picking up Rikiya too. “And you are too, Riki. The things we pass on aren’t purely about appearances or meta abilities.”

Backlit by the hallway light, dressed down in casual clothes--their dad wasn’t a househusband the way their father teased him, but Toshinori noticed him wearing the trappings of normalcy for once, and some part of him had thought vulnerability. 

“... Yeah,” their dad says, gruffly. “The both of you.”

Toshinori quails first. He lets his eyes slide away, burning in shame, and clears his throat to say a quiet goodnight. Their dad inclines his head, the dusty gray of his hair catching yellow glares, and then he leaves, closing the door shut behind him. They wait in the dark for a long, long minute.

And, quietly, Rikiya says, “He hesitated.”

“He still said it,” says Toshinori, staring at that closed door. Something had gone through their dad’s face, and Rikiya had definitely had his back to them, so it’s up to Toshinori to decipher it. He doesn’t think it was a bad expression. Their dad loves quietly, that’s all. Toshinori shouldn’t have pushed the matter so clumsily into the open.

“He had to. He probably thinks we’ll run to otou-sama and get him in trouble.”

“Stop talking about the worst case scenario like it’s gonna happen,” Toshinori mutters, and he digs his nails into the pillow.

“It’s because you won’t that I have to,” Rikiya sniffs, and there’s a creak of the bedsprings. He’s curling tighter in his blankets, Toshinori would bet anything, because he’s doing the same thing.

[absolute-decay]

MHA AU IDEA: Lieutenant Bakugou "Scorch" Katsuki, of the Meta Liberation Army.

Ok! I've seen many many many many Vilain Bakugou AU's, we all have. But, they're all in te League! And I love the League, but they aren't the only villains! So, here's my completely random idea of putting Karsuki into the MLA!

So, first thing's first: How the heck does Katsuki even learn of, much less join the MLA? Simple: kidnapping Adoption!

But, seriously, the MLA is almost a political cult, and we do know that Geten was found by Re-Destro when he was pretty young, so, taking in an abandoned child one of them happened to find isn't too outragous.

But, Katsuki is far from abandoned or neglected. So, of course, my idea for how this all starts is a simple tragedy- Bakugou Mitsuki and Bakugou Masaru are both sadly killed in a horrific villain attack along with many other victims when Katsuki is only 6 years old, and happens when he's attending school.

Of course, young Katsuki does NOT take this well, and goes into full denial. No, his mom is stronger than that, his dad would never leave him behind, look harder for them, those can't be theit bodies because his parents can't be dead, just look harder for them god damnit!

He absolutely refused to be taken in by anyone or taken to any place to take care of him until they can figure out what to do with him, and with the help of his quirk, is able to run away and searh for his parents himself.

This obviously doesn't go well, and in two or three days, he's hungry, smelly, thirsty, and all alone. Still, he refuses to give up looking, but... a roof to sleep under wouldn't hurt.

Enter one Kizuki Chitose: Simply wondering around the area for a breath of fresh air and a potential scoop. Of course, she's absolutely not one to ignore a sad, abandoned looking child.

After talking to him, she quickly decides to bring him to her residence to clean him up and give him a good meal, which isn't terribly hard to convice Katsuki to allow. Now, she was going to report this missing child to the police, but, she couldn't help but want to know exactly what happened to this poor child.

And, after hearing his story, seeing how passionate about his quirk he was, his determination and grit at such a young age, she couldn't not become attached. And from there, it was a slippery slope.

At first, it was taking care of him for just a little bit longer, he deserved it, right? Then, it was being a little too open around the child and, well, it couldn't hurt to tell him a little about the Grand Commander's ideals, right? One thing turns into another, and suddenly, she's deciding to introduce the other Member's of the board to the newest "Liberation Warrior" and Geten his new baby brother. (What, he looked like he was getting lonely.)

Now, some people are less happy than others, (Skeptic had to hold himself back from verbally murdering her in front of a child) but in the end, Rikiya is happy to allow it.

At this point, an emotionally distraught Bakugou has come to the conclusion that yes, his parents are likely dead. He still doesn't wanna go to any big scary facility, but, shouldn't police at least know where he is? Chitose says they do, and have come to an agreement to let her take care of him, but only until they figure out what to do with him. Ah, she was always a great liar.

After a while, Chitose successfully indoctrinates Katsuki into just accepting this new life without any real question, so, success!

Now comes the part where he is stuffed absolutely full of propaganda the insightful and powerful message of Destro and Meta-Human Liberation.

Being so young, and so proud of his powerful quirk, he is very succeptible to it. So, over the years, Katsuki's pride and ego are encouraged, he's constantly praised for his quirk, and taught that might makes right. This leads to a Bakugou pretty similar to the start of canon, just, even worse, somehow.

Now, basically being the son of Chitose and brother to Geten, he kind of gets an in on the MLA (Skeptic also wanted to kill her for that), But! Only after many years, when he's reached an acceptable and trustworthy age! And by that she means on his 10th birthday.

So now, they have a young, extremely dedicated member of their organization, closely tied to multiple Lieutenits, and who is also very vocal about wanting to be a hero and go to U.A. (Although, he wouldn't need to go to U.A. to be a real hero in his ideal world, but, oh well), and who has an extremely powerful quirk with great potential. So, She has a great idea involving Katsuki, that for once isn't show down immediately by Skeptic.

"Why not send him to U.A. as a sort of, marketing piece? Having him be open about his beliefs in Liberation, as well as being the top of his class from the most famous and well respected schools in all of Japan, is sure to help us, yes?"

And thus, Kizuki Katsuki is enrolled in U.A., Blasting the good word of Liberation into the faces of those worthless extras he calls classmates! (Not too hard though, don't want to be seen as an extremist, just a passionate teenager).

I could go on with more ideas for how it changes the story, but, that's the gist of it, for now! Please, tell me what you think!

[rggdriptournament]

ROUND #101: WHY IS YOUR DAD LETTING YOU DO THIS

[great-kung-lao]

KazuKaoru headcanons for timeline where she stayed after Yakuza 2

Kaoru didn't made many friends throughout her career. Kazuma really wanted to expand her circle of close people, so eventually Kaoru made best friends with Hana and Nair, both introduced through Akiyama and Tanimura respectively. She really needed some women presence in her otherwise mostly male dominated surroundings.

There wasn't many things that Kazuma and Kaoru didn't do together. They were always there to back each other up, so Kaoru prevented Rikiya's death. She was there in time. Considering both of their life experiences, death is something that they never treat lightly and if possible, they always find a way to resolve major yakuza problems without killing.

Obviously and naturally Kazuma and Kaoru became dad and mom of Sunflower Orphanage.

Kaoru transferred to Okinawa's police division and lives with Kazuma and kids.

Living that close to the beach made fishing their favorite shared activity. Kaoru eventually got better at it than Kiryu.

One day Kaoru came back to Sunflower Orphanage after work with Kazuma nowhere in sight. Kids cautiously directed her to the beach, where she saw a giant question written with wet sand "Will you marry me?" and Kazuma already standing on his knee right behind her. Kaoru never said "Yes" quicker than on that fateful day.

[ecargmura]

Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise From The Shadows- Episode 3 Review - Return To The S-Rank Dungeon

It feels like Jinwoo is on a side quest mission after finishing up the Red Gate incident…or was the Red Gate incident the side quest and that the S-Rank Dungeon is the main story? Sometimes, it’s hard to tell what is the main story as this story is not a linear one. Why I think it’s the former is because it feels as if there’s plot building up for a major arc as Jinwoo’s father Il-hwan is found alive. The things Jinwoo do in this episode feel really fast-paced like he first goes raid dungeon crawling with Jinho and afterwards, he returns to the S-rank dungeon and camps there for a week, but only progresses like 75% of the way in.

The difference from his first visit to his current one is so drastic. Last time, back in Episode 7 of Season 1, he ventured in alone and had a hard time defeating the Cerberus. In his second visit, he now has his shadow army who helps him with the tougher enemies, which is super nice—it’s nice that he finally got some allies in battle. I also noticed that Cerberus does not respawn upon Jinwoo’s return. I assume the same applies for all the monsters he defeated when he returns in the future. I wonder how long it’ll take for him to reach his goal of creating that Elixir.

Though, it was nice seeing Jinho again after a while. He is conflicted about his role and that he doesn’t want to be deemed useless. He does look up to Jinwoo and wished he was his older brother as he doesn’t get along with his own biological one. It was nice seeing Jinwoo feel more human in this episode and not be some emotionless power-fantasy MC. You know this story is Korean when you see two people bonding over K-BBQ and alcohol—that’s a very Korean thing to do. Another thing with Jinho is that his goal is to be a guild master and to be worth something to his family, hence why the additional scene of him dining with his father is present because it’s to show that Jinho is slowly getting his father’s respect, but also to warn him that the White Tiger Guild is also looking to recruit him.

Jinwoo’s father Sung Il-hwan makes his debut and he seems to be an extremely formidable opponent who knocks out Hwang Dongsoo like he’s some scrub. I honestly can’t wait to see what daddy’s deal is because why was he stuck in a gate for ten years and why couldn’t he get out? What was he doing? Will he ever see his family again? Speaking of which, if you’re watching the Japanese dub, he’s voiced by Rikiya Koyama, which is a crazy casting choice. If you’re not familiar with him, he voiced several anime dads like Shinigami from Soul Eater and Ging Freecs from Hunter x Hunter.

This episode feels like a buildup of future story arcs with the Sung Il-hwan thing, a third visit to the S-rank dungeon and now the stuff with winged ants as shown in the Cha Hae-in segment. I honestly wonder what’s next. Where will the story go after this episode?

[suchusoid]

The terrific herpeton

after sharing my idea of a vigilante centered rewrite of mha, I've decided to celebrate the traction the idea has gained by making a bio of it's main character herpeton. So without further ado here it is!

Legal name: Hachurui Waniguchi

Alias: Herpeton

Epiphet: Creeping Crawler

Birthday: June 17th

age: 15(pre mva arc), 18(current)

Gender: male

height: 200 cm(bipedal) 70 cm(quadropedal)

Weight: 600 lbs

hair color: N/A

eye color: varies

blood type:green blood

quirk: herpetile

status: alive

family: kyoryu waniguchi, ogama waniguchi, icarus pipistrello

occupation: ua student, villain(vigilantes are legally classified as villains in my rewrite.)

affiliation: ua high school, detenerat, the reformers

teams: anti maestro strike force

fighting style: melee combat, long range combat, psychological combat

Ideal voice actor: Sean astin

Birthplace: Fukuoka perfecture

quote: "scared? Well you really shouldn't be."

appearance: herpeton appears as a huge reptilian creature with a long tail 3 times his body length, a crocodile like head, telescopic eyes, a third eye, an inflatable dewlap, retractable teeth coated in iron, a green forked tongue. As a civilian he walks on two legs and has his tail retracted. He also has a brown and yellow color pattern similar to a nile monitor lizard. His vigilante appearance is quadrupedal with his tail out and has his baseline color pattern is green with purple stripes. His costume his a set of skin-tight, polychromatic trousers.

personality: Despite his monsterous appearance, rui is a very understanding and approachable person. He tries to help people even out of costume by trying to get through to those with problems in their lives. That being said, he does know when to put his foot down when the situation calls for it. He is also quite a quippy person, often spouting dad jokes during fights to to throw off opponents and ease tension. Overall his personality combines the comedic sass of spider man with the dorky boyscout energy of superman.

Abilities: I mentioned these in my first post about herpeton so I suggedt you go check that out to get the gist of his abilities.

Support gear: thermo regulators: these are in herpetons trousers and help prevent ice and/or cold attacks from slowing him down.

relations( includes other creator ocs, i will credit said creators andput down where to find them so you can check out their amazing creations, consider these aus of their charcaters.)

Friends

Mezo Shoji/tentacole: ruis best friend and the first person to figure out herpetons identity.

Hitoshi shinso: formerly an enemy of herpeton, the two are on much better terms nowadays.

Tamashi karito/reaper:(oc made by Hypno_Mha, search that name on instragram and you should them, I'm not really good a posting links on mobile devices, sorry) a fellow vigilante that is in support class at ua who works with herpeton evey now and then.

Yuri merei/duppy: (made by pathosketch, search that name on instagram or reddit and you'll find them)a foreign student from britain who is in class 1 a. Orginally they butted heads with their idealogies, but after getting to know each other better, they eventually got into a relationship after the my villain academia arc.

izuku midoriya/dekiru: the second student to learn ruis secret. They have fought side by side against various villains like professor wolfram, iron will, and the maestro.

kaoruko awata/bubble girl: ruis homeroom teacher who he gets along well with.

anon kurose/thirteen: ruis sciemce teacher as well as his personal favorite teacher.

Principal nezu: uas principal and a benefactor of herpeton.

Rikiya yotsubashi: ceo of dternerat and supplies hereton with his support gear in hopes that herpeton will help spread his message that quirks should be integrated into society in more ways than just heroics.

Shinjiro hohoemi/mr smiley: a grafitti artist who paints art condemning the misdeeds of pro heroes, herpeton acted as a bodyguard for him at one point.

Daruma ujiko/umon: this universe equivalent to the usj nomu. A petty crook who was mutated by dr garaki into a multi quirked monstrosity that was created to destroy herpeton. He ultimately went rogue and teamed up with herpeton before seeking refuge at ua.

Eri hassaikai: a little girl who was rescued from the hassaikai group by herpeton, she now lives a quiet and happy life with ruis surrigate dad, icarus pipistrello.

Louise reginald/ghoulian: a villain who could merge and remold any house she came in contact with. She became a villain to feed her and her homeless brothers. She was discovered by herpeton and was taken in with brother by ua, where she currently lives.

The malefactor: a group of villains recruited by the meastro to take revange against herpeton, they hwoever eventually turned on the maestro and helped herpeton defeat him in the mva arc, before turning their lives around for the better.

Kugo sakamata: a pro hero who apporves of herpeotns work and knows about the hpsc's misdeeds through his enhanced hearing.

Enemies

The maestro: a psychic gorilla with a serious power trip, the maestro once took advantage of herpeton and tried to to frame him. The two have been bitter enemies ever since.

Kirai jujigun/dreadknight: the leader of an anti mutant cult that killed ruis parents, he and his cronies were caught and defeated by herpeton.

Emiko hantan/anonymous: a villain who can shapeshift into any heteromorph shes seen before. She tried to frame herpeton but accidentally oversteppednher time limit when fighting him and is now stuck looking like herpeton permenantly.

lonnie roman/iron will: a quirkless inventor who created a mech suit that mimicked the 7 quirks of one for all in hopes of coercing dekiru into handing it over to him. Was intercepted by herpeton.

Mirai sasaki/sir nighteye: president of the hpsc. He has tried to assasinate herpeton more times that I can count. Was exposed and sent to prison after the mva arc.

Kyudai garaki: the hpscs leading scientist who created the nomu. Was exposed and arrested by umon and nezu.

Keigo takami/hawks: last number one hero before the ranking are removed. Has sent to kill herpeton multiple times, but was eventually exposed and arrested by gang orca.

Rumi usagiyama/mirko: a pro hero that herpeton cant stand due to her jackass atitude and violent tendencies

Takashi merei/phantom:(created by pathosketch) britains number 1 hero and father of yuri. Herpeton was appalled by how his "training" gace yuri a myriad of scars and generally was uneased by him raising her to only think about being a pro hero( dont believe me? Pathosketch has had art where we see said scars, and in another post it was said that she barely has any real hobbies. Thats... depply concerning, you've got some explaining to do phantom.) Oh and also phantom tends to act as a judge jury and executioner with villains which grinds hepretons biliverdin laced gear to no end.

Enji todoroki/endeavor: do i even need to say anything at this point? This is fucking endeavor we're talking about.

Trivia

Rui, as an adult,owns a bar known as the dragons den which has real reptiles and amphibians form across the world in that are unable to be released into the wild.

Rui hosts a herpetology themed trivia game show at his new bar.

Date nights with yuri mostly consist of rui going on long autistic rambles about the unusual features of quirk that yuri likes listening to because of her fascination with quirks.

Rui is mildly autistic

Rui is asexual heteromantic, so nothing but hugs and adorkable wholesomeness with his relationship.

Rui talks to pidgeons when hes bored.

Rui has a fondness for sock puppets.

Rui was able to barely outrun boombox(evil present mic who was mind controlled by the maestro during the mva arc) sonic YEAAAAH by running at speeds of mach 1.1

Phew! Thatw as a long post, but it was worth it! Let me know what your opinions on this are and i recommend you check out the ocs of the artists I listed in the relations section. I wanted to include their ocs because i found them very interesting. And shoitout to bibibiddon for helping givebideas for this rewrite, thanks a bunch man!

[peemanne]

Yakuza 3 Review: Shining "Black Sheep"

Hey, it's Pee again. I actually finished writing the first draft of this AND my Yakuza 4 review months ago on my notebook, but I didn't get around to transcribing it digitally until now. Ended up rewriting a lot more than I was expecting haha

Also I still need to finish my 0 review but I'm a little caught up on making my 6 review first, since I'm kind of just dying to talk about it. Anyways, here's Yakuza 3. It's so cool.

This review contains MAJOR SPOILERS.

Reviewed on April 10, 2024. Last completed on March 5, 2023

Completed on PC (Remastered)

Rating: 8/10 (4 Stars)

Yakuza 3’s become something of a black sheep within the community. It might be because of the jump from Kiwami 2 or the lack of a proper port of the original 2, but a part of the community seems to be so adamant about bashing 3, usually because of the combat, the story, or some mix of both. That being said, I’ve noticed that we’re kind of backtracking from that, as more and more people come to praise and appreciate 3, some even calling it one of the best. Personally, I do find myself liking Yakuza 3 quite a bit, though there are definitely a few missteps that hold it back from really sitting there with the other greats in RGG’s catalogue. 

I just want to get one thing immediately out of the way as I get into the game’s combat: “Blockuza” is an overblown exaggeration. Kiryu has a lot of tools to get past something like that. With that being said though, Yakuza 3’s early game combat can feel a little miserable at times, especially with some egregiously bad boss fights like Tamashiro 1 and Rikiya. Once you grab the Komaki abilities though, it all really starts to open up for the player. Wall bounding with Kiryu’s moveset is fun, counterattacks like the Komaki Parry and Tiger Drop feel especially beefy in this entry, and 3’s engine allows for some neat off-the-ground tech if you know what you’re doing. While I don’t think it’s quite as satisfying as its predecessor Yakuza 2, Yakuza 3’s hits still feel hefty and impactful, with the aforementioned counterattacks being the big winners here. The sound design in the combat is still really solid, and I believe is something that usually goes underappreciated during discussions of this game’s combat (and in general, really). I also just wanna bring up the weird messed-up faces that appear after you use heat actions on the generic street goons. It’s very funny just how absolutely horrible they look after a fight, and it’s even funnier that this carries over to 4. One aspect that I do feel is a little lacking though is Kiryu’s damage in this entry. It’s weirdly lacking? And it’s not like bosses take too long, that’s not really my problem, but it makes heat actions feel oddly weightless despite the good animation work. Getting everything right for a heat action only for it to barely dent the poor soul you’re beating the snot out of just doesn’t feel the same. For comparison, Y4’s Kiryu feels like he does way more damage with his heat actions, and I think they feel better there because of it, which is interesting when you remember Y4 Kiryu is almost identical to his depiction in 3. Yakuza 3’s combat overall is pretty solid save for the early game. It’s far from the strongest this series has seen, but Kiryu’s moveset feels strong and is just pretty fun to mess around with. Props to Richardson for being the only actually enjoyable gun boss fight in the series. With that being said, please keep Lau Ka Long away from me. 

Yakuza 3’s story arguably has Kiryu at his best. He finally gets to breathe in between constant Tojo feuds with some dad slice-of-life stuff at the orphanage, and all of it is just so, so cute. It’s a little slow, sure, and that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I found myself so charmed by it all. My heart melts seeing Kiryu, who’s gone through so much, get to be happy with his little scamps. The characters really come through here, the stars of course being the Ryudo family. Rikiya’s the brightest one, a fun companion throughout who both contrasts and bounces off of Kiryu well. Then there’s Nakahara and Saki, a sweet encapsulation of the game’s themes of fatherhood. And there’s the kids themselves, all distinct and fun to simply watch run around with their Uncle Kaz. My favorite one is Taichi because he’s awesome. 

The rest of the plot though, I’m a little mixed on. There are some genuinely great stuff here: Mine’s an amazing antagonist despite his small amount of screentime, seeing the Tojo so broken down after Kiryu’s shenanigans in 1&2 was interesting (the Nishikiyama family having KANDA as its patriarch is my favorite example of this), Majima’s characterized shockingly well, this game marking the start of him being taken more seriously, and Joji’s honestly a cool ass character despite being an asspull and a half. Unfortunately, Yakuza 3 has a few egregious mistakes that impede it from being an all-timer story for this series. For one, 3 falls victim to a lot of early writing habits that this series eventually broke out of over time. A lot of characters unjustly die for no good reason, Mine and Kashiwagi being the biggest offenders. It also has the big ol’ “Kiryu forgets to disarm the bad guy and said bad guy kills a valued ally” schtick, and it’s as infuriating as ever. Then there’s the “giant exposition dump” chapter, with Yakuza 3 having by far the worst case of it ever with Chapter 9: The Plot, which is almost entirely dedicated to Kiryu and Date sitting down and listening to some politician explain what the hell is even going on. Despite all of this, Yakuza 3’s story is still very enjoyable, and I think it’s very much worth it to endure all of its little shortcomings to appreciate its amazing characters, both new and returning faces. 

Side content is decently well-rounded for the most part in Y3. It introduced the series to Karaoke, for which we are all eternally grateful, of course. I really like the hostess songs in this entry, and it’s a shame that most of them don’t return for later games. 3 also has the hitman missions, which is a cool side-activity throughout. Additionally I hate Yakuza 3’s golf and everything it stands for Yakuza 3’s substories consist of a lot of filler substories where not much really happens, but the ones that stand out REALLY stand out. You have a really unique substory that spans from Chapter 9 until the finale in Murder at Cafe Alps, you have some silly gag substories like Kiryu having to cross the street with 2 massive ice-cream cones. You have substories that flesh out characters from the main story, like the amazing Dotting the Eye with Rikiya, and the sweet Date’s Pride substory. You can also have Kiryu say “H e y ,  s w e e t c h e e k s” in English, if you so please. I love it! 1-4 all have substories that occasionally use full-on cutscenes, and you can tell how much care they put into them. Yeah, it still has that annoying thing from other early games where you can flat-out fail a substory and lock you out of them, but still. Quality selection of substories. 

Lastly, 3’s soundtrack. I’m absolutely a sucker for this series’ soundtrack, so I’m not even going to pretend that I’m not biased. Yakuza 3’s music bridges the gap between the roughness and raw power of the original Yakuza 1 & 2’s almost grungelike style with the cleaner compositions of the later games, and I think it works out pretty well! You have your badass tracks like FM-Sound’s Storm, Bruise, and Hear this in the game. You have your intense, climactic songs like the fan-favorite Fly, the beautiful Lyricism Without Tears (which, as a bonus, gets one of the coolest track names this series has ever been graced with), and the underrated End Point. I find Yakuza 3’s OST isn’t really talked about all that much outside of the justified praise of Fly, which is a real shame, because there are some real quality tracks on display here. 

Yakuza 3 stands as a very solid game in its own right, even with a few annoyances bogging it down. I don’t think it deserved all of the unending slander it seems to receive. I love my dad Kiryu, I love seeing him hang out with his kids, and, despite all the bad, I still love this game. Also, Albert Wesker’s in it, and I think that’s pretty funny.

[roppongi-division]

Zakari's Thoughts on Toyama Division

Asato Rikiya

"Ugh, not hating this guy or anything, but I almost wish my mom hadn't found out about him, his farm, or his family's products. Ever since she read this article on the Internet about how 'fried foods can lead to heart disease and other body problems', she's been on a total crazy diet faze! Every night, there's always some sort of green vegetable on my plate when she cooks dinner! Now, don't hear that and assume I'm some bratty child that doesn't like to eat his vegetables or anything. I'm not big on them, but I'll still eat them, if I must. But there's gotta be something to counteract them, damn it! Like meat or something!"

*Sighs* "On the plus side, Asato-san's produce is pretty tasty. ...But man, I don't know how much longer this 'nothing but greens' diet I can take..."

Yano Ietsuna

"...I don't know the full story about what happened between this guy and my friend, Dice. Apparently, some words were said, things were done, you all know the story. Normally, that'd be reason enough for me to dislike this guy, but... well, dad did tell me how he made the cute ornament that mom has on her desk in her office at the nightclub. Plus, Lucy tells me that her boss, Sakura-san, really has a thing for this guy, which is a major shocker! I didn't think a tough, hardcore woman like her would go for a guy like him!"

"So... barring that, I guess I can give this guy a chance. But if I don't have anything to do with him, the most I'm doing is ignoring him whenever I'm in Toyama. ...At least until I find out the full story from him or Dice."

Kensaku Morimoto

"Ha! I really like Kensaku-san! I met him that day I went to get my physical done by my doctor. But he wasn't there, so Jakurai-sensei took over. I met Kensaku-san when I was just leaving. This guy is hilarious! He's not exactly on Sasara's level, but he's pretty close! Whenever I go to Toyama, I always head over to his office to hear his routine. Right now, he and I have a little side bet going on: whether he's funny enough to get Jakurai-sensei to laugh or not! Ha, this will probably be the easiest $100 I've ever won!"

ECO BooN

"This team, like my mom said, is pretty peculiar. Kensaku-san is alright, and I'm neutral when it comes to Asato-san. Yano, on the other hand... like I said, outside of the D.R.B., the least I'll do is ignore him. In the tournament though... well, don't blame me for anything I say to you, pal. Nothing personal!"

[toyama-division]

Kensaku’s Thoughts on Obihiro Division

Hisoka Tetsumasu

“So this was the guy just inhaling the painkillers I was delivering last year! It wasn’t uncommon for Ms. Rikiya to order different drugs to help whenever workers got injured, but to think most of last year's supplies went to helping this guy recover is pretty nice to know? Helps ease the worry that Asato-kun’s grandma might have been a huge drug addict haha. Still, it is nice to see everything the Rikiya family did get this guy back on his feet and pursue his passions. Let’s just hope his job helps him be more… Financially stable.”

Daiki Kamiyama

“We only got to meet him briefly, but this kid seems like fun! He's a giant for his age, but I guess that comes from his old man. Speaking of him, CEO of the Elysium Hotel? That's a crazy amount of power and money for one dad, much less a family! I only have to wonder why little Daiki-kun is adamant about breaking away from them. Being born into a family like that is something so many people dream of."

Jack Verrill

“Those eyes…They look…? S-Sorry, they're very uh, purple. Yeah. Still, a butler? Pfft, the title alone is hilarious. I'm guessing he's with Daiki-kun, keeping watch over the dear young master. It's admirable to stay so dedicated to serving one person. I don't think I could really give up my whole life to do that for a kid… Speaking of which, do you think he's a stickler about jokes? Maybe as a butler, he'd appreciate more clean jokes."

Veiled Vanguard

“It’s comforting that I’m not the only guy in his thirties competing when their team leader looks like he’s pushing forty already! I kid… But it’s nice to see a team that isn’t a group of killers or a team of well… Rude people putting it nicely. It’s refreshing! But it does feel dull after seeing so many exciting teams. Who knows though, they could be hiding some wild secrets. Aside from Daiki-kun’s cute little hero deal.”

[todayisafridaynight]

God, Yakuza 3 is probably one of my favourite games in the series. I love Mine! I love Rikiya! I love Morning Glory! I love spending the first half of the game seeing Kiryu be a dad! Mack and the revelations mechanic gets introduced? Hell yeah! There's just so much I love about this game. And how could I forget, the Minedai brainrot

genuinely the only reason why Y3 gets bashed to hell and back is because of the gameplay, otherwise it's a pretty solid entry ????? <- biased

[thotsforvillainrights]

damn youre really breezing through requests!! hope youre doing well 💕

can i request Redestro with a daughter (or gn child, i dont mind!) who goes to UA as part of the support course because they want to not only live up to lead the MLA, but to lead Detrenat as well?

(Doing great I think for the most part, thank you!!!! I also hope your going good too! Gonna try to write a tiny bit this evening, let's hope I get charged up and make it far lol)

~Going off to School~

headcanon|scenario|imagine|match-up

Apprehensive green eyes scanned the packed bags by the open closet over and over again. His heart was in between a sort of bittersweet pain and worry mixed with pride at the events unfolding in front of him. Time flies is the truest statement especially now. And he couldn't help but to see his now teenager still as a small child even in pivotal moments as such. That same face now smaller, all the diaper changes and zoo/aquarium visits zipping through his mind. Each and every small school award, first steps, first word, small dimpled hands holding his much larger ones on walks now long gone...where did the time go?

"Dad, are you crying again? It's been 10 minutes since the last one." His kid chuckled at him. He smiles and quickly wipes the tears away that seem to keep pooling back up instantly. "Apologies, it's just that I'm...feeling quite a bit in this moment." He laughs sheepishly. His daughter/son/kid smiles softly and moves to give him a quick hug before zipping up the last bag. "Dad, I know you're probably really worried but I promise UA is a safe school and with my meta-ability, I know how to take care of myself haha!"

"Yes, but the dorms have me a bit worried. Are you sure you don't need me to just move there? Deika isn't too horribly far away for me to travel, for work. Besides, I can get a lot done remotely and-" His child laughed and shook their head. "Nah, this sounds a little bit more like bargaining haha. I'm not a kid anymore, and besides, I know even if I DO end up needing help that it won't be too far away. Especially not with uncle Tomoyasu's satellites trained on me." They wink before picking up some bags and beginning to lug them out to the car. Rikiya follows suit and grabs the remaining collection as he follows closely behind them. He watches with a twinge of sadness tugging at his heart as his kid finishes loading up and gets into the driver seat of the car. They smile sweetly and buckle the seatbelt. "Dad, I love you and I swear I'll call as soon as I finish settling in, okay?"

"I should hope so, or I will be up there within the hour if not."

(he wasn't joking, despite the smile)

The two bid their goodbye and as he watches his child pull out of the garage and head down the road, Rikiya can't help those familiar tears welling up in his eyes again for the millionth time today. Later that night he doesn't settle down for bed until he gets a call letting him know his child is okay. Even so, he still tossed and turned just a little bit beforehand. It'll take some time to adjust, but he's sure to get down to it eventually.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

FEBUWHUMP | "YOU LIED TO ME." | WC: 572

Several weeks after All for One’s arrest at Kamino Ward, Toshinori is extended an invitation to meet Yotsubashi Rikiya at a fancy upscale restaurant that, Rikiya’s secretary assures him, can cater its menu to suit whatever dietary needs Toshinori is subject to. Toshinori, peering down at the bowed white-furred head, decides not to be offended.

He also decides not to tell Gran Torino about the meeting, a decision he regrets when he is seated across from Rikiya’s coldly furious expression.

The waiters seem to sense the brewing hostility, because the one sacrificed to bring them a pitcher of iced water practically squeaks when Rikiya says, “We’ll need a few minutes to decide what to eat.”

“Okay!” the waiter says, and flees to safety in the kitchens.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Toshinori scolds. “He forgot to drop off the menus.”

Rikiya looks down his nose at Toshinori. “Then you decide his tip.”

“It’s going to be really generous.”

“Soft-hearted as ever, I see.” Rikiya folds his arms together. His twin has always been more angular in form (in part, Toshinori admitted to himself, because Toshinori loved sweets and All for One spoiled him with a new kind every chance he got), but they match now. It’s a strange mirror to have, after all these years. “... You lied to me.”

“Hello, pot, I’m kettle.”

“Detnerat’s secrets are nothing compared to what just happened with father. You told me--you swore to me that he died six years ago,” Rikiya hisses. He jerks his chin at Toshinori, giving him a vicious once-over of a glare. “And what’s with this? Did dad forget to feed you or something? This is my look. Get your own.”

“It didn’t happen all at once,” Toshinori protests. “And I was sure I killed him. His head was caved in, Rikiya. There was--there was so much blood.”

“Clearly not all of it was his.”

“... No. Not all.”

“Why didn’t you finish the job at Kamino Ward?” he pushes, and he ignores the incredulous look Toshinori feels crossing his face. “No one would have blamed you for it. Maybe a little shock, maybe a bit of distrust in the industry, but if you went to jail, I would’ve sprung you.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever told me,” Toshinori says, blinking.

“It would obviously have indebted you, stupid.”

“Oh.”

Rikiya rolls his eyes and kicks Toshinori’s leg under the table; if their dad was here, Toshinori thinks ruefully, then at least Toshinori could have used the old man’s cane to fight back. As it is, Toshinori kicks back. They have a scuffle hidden behind the white tablecloth, and an entire war waged with grimaces and furrowed brows.

Eventually, Toshinori admits, “You and dad think I should’ve killed him, but I couldn’t. Not… not in that situation. There are many children where I work now. If I had smashed his head open on camera, if I’d blown a hole through his stomach or lungs after he revealed my true state… Even you would have to admit that it would have been a mistake. Not just for publicity’s sake. For society’s.”

“It always comes back to that,” Rikiya says. “Oh, well, what do you know? Next time, just invite me to the fight, and I’ll do it. Third time’s the charm.”

“If you’re so insistent, go hire an assassin and murder All for One in his cell,” Toshinori snaps. 

“Like it’s that easy!”

[elfdragon12]

Can I ask which Tarantulas and Grimlock you’re referring to when you reference bad reinterpretations?? I’m assuming Tarantulas is either IDW or ES (since those are his other major appearances, but I haven’t seen either so I’m not sure how Tarantulas was done there lol) and since Grimlock is more common, I’m wondering what incarnation(s) you have in mind.

(Not hate, just genuine curiosity! Especially after the disaster that was Kingdom!Beast Megatron’s reinterpretation *shudders*)

I would use the word "boring" or "just like everyone else" more than "bad"... But that's kind of the same thing.

For Tarantulas, it's Earthspark. IDW1 is watered down, but still sticks to the general characterization of Tarantulas as originally written in Beast Wars. What makes ES Tarantulas an interesting or unique character? Really and truly? And, for me, it doesn't help knowing that the writer leans into the sad boy "he's a father! 🥺" woobification of IDW1 Tarantulas. I just don't think "sad scientist" Tarantulas is anywhere near as interesting or fun to watch as "mad scientist" Tarantulas. He's just like any other character. Oh he wants to leave the fighting behind! So do Optimus and Megatron, he's not special.

For Grimlock... It's more about the trend of making him "smarter" by going "look! He can speak with proper grammar! See! We made Grimlock smart!" It's also old hat by this point as Furman was writing that in the Marvel days. I do personally find Cyberverse Grimlock to be the worst of it. Him having this overly formal and hammy speech pattern puts me off so bad! And I love the choice of Keith David for Grimlock in Earthspark, but... What else is interesting about his character other than the trauma? He's simply another teacher/dad figure. (Also, Sunbow Grimlock is very sassy and not quite as stupid as people make him out to be, especially in the Call of the Primitives episode. I feel like we've lost this along the way.)

I will admit that a large part of the Grimlock thing for me is that there's a very specific character type that the instant I see it I'm in love. Huge, beefy, bestial figure of a man that loves the thrill of a fight, who doesn't really care what anyone thinks of them, gets bored or becomes disinterested in people who are weak-willed, and have a very particular kind of intelligence. Also toothy with wild hair. Grimlock is perfect for this! If folks weren't such cowards and leaned into how much fun characters can be if you get unconventional with them, it could be great! One of the best examples of the character type I mean is Rikiya Gaou from Eyeshield 21 (coincidentally, on a team called the Hakushuu Dinosaurs and receives lots of T-Rex imagery. Basically Grimlock if he were human).

He's not simply a brute. He's a smart brute. I love him. He's fun and single-minded. He's very talented and the main characters are appreciative of having his power on their side, but they find actually dealing with his personality difficult.

A more calm, measured, and "intelligent" Grimlock is the opposite of what I want! If I wanted a dramatic warrior poet dinosaur robot, I'd grab Dinobot (who is also a victim of being watered down). That but evil and I'd grab BW Megatron.

[rake-rake]

For Father's day we have!

BNHA!

Dalma and his grandpa attitude! (turned his grandson into a Nomu)

Rikiya and his fatherly vibes! (stress over 9000%)

Hagusa! (self explanatory)

FGO!

Our favorite Lord of the Furthest Reaches, genderfluid dad King Arthur! (got killed by his son)

Grand Caster Gilgamesh! Never had children (Enkidu Enkidu Enkidu) but the dad vibes with everyone are off the charts!

Absolutely really Ancient Fae King Oberon and no one else! All Fae are his children! (do not start)

JJK!

Intersexual icon Satoru adopting Megumi and Tsumiki! They're greedy and celebrate both Father and Mother's day! (the more sweets they get the better)

The one responsible adult still alive, Miguel! Aka Yuta's dad! Troubled children are going nowhere, he's adopting them all.

Naobito.

Noragami!

Yato picking up the first stray kid he sees! (wouldn't recommend but also no regrets)

Father. (Father)

Soulsborne!

Gehrman adopting and raising Maria as his own! (and then going crazy with grief after her death and selling his soul to an eldritch horror to bring her back)

Said Eldritch Horror, Oedon, the flora of the Moon! (Multiple kids. Do not ask.)

Fave King Gwyndolin! Raised his half-sister Yorshka like his own kid! (pain suffering pain)

TG!

And finally Haise, the unexpectedly reliable paternal figure for the Quinx! (nothing bad to say he was amazing)

[katsushika-division]

Rintaro's Thoughts on Toyama Division

Asato Rikiya

“Hold on...” Rintaro blinked. “There's deadass a farmer in the Divison Rap Battles. What is he gonna do rap about how I should eat my veggies?” Rintaro burst into laughter. “Chuohku really lets anyone join, don't they? I mean, look no further than us. I know looks can be deceiving, though, so let's see what this guy is about.” Rintaro looks at the photo of the farmer. “Although this guy looks like he wouldn't know an emotion even if it hit him straight in the face.” 

Yano Ietsuna

“Wait a minute … that's Crybaby Yano!” Rintaro barks out laughing. “Looks like he hasn't changed a bit. Back when I was in university I had to take an art class that I.. didn't do all too hot in. So, in order to get some extra credit, I had to do some work for an art studio. One of the options they gave me was Glassara Glass Studio, and I chose it mainly because of how glassblowing involves fire. It wasn't all that bad but goddamn this bitch was so annoying constantly crying over every little critic. I swear I wanted to shove him in the furnace to get him to shut up sometimes. I’m not joking either.” 

Kensaku Morimoto

“Hey, it's Dr. Mori. His company is the one we get all our medications from. Me? I get meds for these.” Rintaro lifted up his shirt to his entire torso covered in several horrifying burn scars. “When my bastard of a dad burned the house down, Akari and I were trapped inside, literally burning alive. We survived obviously, but we both suffered severe burns. Thankfully, I took most of the damage, but I was left with seventy percent of my body so badly burnt that the damage even reached my bones.” Rintaro sighs “I have lasting effects from that like my scars constantly flaring up in pain or that they're itching like crazy. Akari has the same problems with her scars and Dr. Mori’s medicine is one of the few things that really works for us. So, for that, he has my thanks.” 

ECO BooN

“A farmer, a glassblower, and a medical researcher? That sounds like the beginning of an unfunny joke. Dr. Mori knows a thing or two about those. Sorry to say it, but I'm not holding my breath on them going far in this tournament. There are far more interesting people in it. But what the fuck do I know? They might surprise me."