#should I have made it Kazama instead of Nishiki?

[deadsouls-is-canon]

“I love your daughter.”

“What do you have to offer her?”

“Nothing. Only this.”

[anotherdragonbird]

Why I think the common perception of “Kiryu keeps running away” is incorrect

In this thread (or essay I guess) I will go through most of the games one by one to talk about the examples I've seen brought up for Kiryu's tendency to ‘run away’. 

My thesis boils down to: there's two different kinds of “running”. One is Kiryu thinking he's taking responsibility for something he's blaming himself for. The other is him taking responsibility for Haruka and his own happiness and basically an act of emancipation from Kazama.

Yakuza 0

So far I have not actually seen people bring up examples for Y0 actually. But Kiryu is a very different character here. At this point - at least at the beginning - he's still believing in the Yakuza. He doesn't feel like he has something to repent for yet. This changes through the game, especially with Tachibana’s death. If I'm missing anything here, let me know and I will add it to the list.

Yakuza (Kiwami)

Heads up that I only played Kiwami and not the original Yakuza, but since the story and the main plot points are the same, this shouldn’t really matter.

Kiryu taking the fall for Nishiki 

Personally I don't see this as running away at all, but I've seen Kiryu blamed for the consequences (especially Nishiki’s downfall and even his death and Daigo joining the Tojo Clan because he's so shocked by Kiryu supposedly killing his father) and it being called ‘running away’, so here we go, especially because it’s the first time we see Kiryu “running”. 

This is a very good example of Kiryu taking the blame/taking responsibility, because he basically thinks he's responsible - here for Nishiki (who's his kyodai and can't leave his sister behind) and Yumi (blaming himself, because he should have been there to prevent all of this from happening and probably even thinking this happened because of Yumi's connection to him). 

And in a way this is also a way out for him. For me the beginning of the game (I played it after 0) feels extremely depressing. Because Kiryu feels completely disenchanted with the Yakuza. To me it felt like at this point he was living this life because of other people and their expectations. He's climbing the ranks because he feels like he owes that to Kazama and he can't leave Nishiki. He gives Yumi the ring because that's what Reina and Yumi seem to expect him to do. Taking the blame for Nishiki is him taking action for himself, therefore an act of freedom (it's even the opposite of what especially Kazama would want him to do) and the very first example of Kiryu's self sacrificial nature when it comes to taking responsibility for others and the clan, thinking it's the only solution. It’s a pattern we see with Kiryu again and again: he’s taking the blame, thinking the only and best way out is to sacrifice himself. It’s not always what’s actually best for him, the situation or the people around him, but it’s the opposite of running, it’s facing the responsibility he thinks he has head on.

Kiryu resigning as chairman, giving it to Terada instead 

And here we go with a great example of “running” as a form of emancipation. It's one of the few times where Kiryu is actually selfish and not taking responsibility for the Tojo, but something more important and more personal instead. And I honestly think it's the best choice he ever made. Because while he's not taking responsibility for the Tojo, he's got something more important now: Haruka. He's responsible for a child and he obviously does not want this child to grow up the way he did. He knows he can't be a good father if he’s chairman. 

So why is it also a little bit selfish: it's literally his only way out of the Yakuza without consequences. It's not an organization you can simply *leave*. The people who held him in the Yakuza and in Kamurocho (Yumi, Reina, Nishiki, Kazama) are gone. And the only thing that's worth staying alive for is Haruka who needs him and she needs him *out of the Yakuza*. And it's his only way to be free from the Yakuza without making the Clan an enemy by being exiled or banished. Because he's the boss. You can argue about Kiryu's choice (Terada), but who else was he to choose? Majima to him was an extremely powerful man, but Kiryu has no reason to believe at this point that he would be reliable enough to lead the Clan. We see him as someone who abuses his underlings (including Kiryu, it's literally their first scene together), kidnapped Haruka and has an obsession with violence and chaos. The fact that this is a mask does not change it, because Kiryu has no reason to assume it is and even if he can't expect Majima to not use the mask as chairman. And he has no reason to trust Majima at this point. As far as Kiryu knows Majima’s loyalties lie with Shimano and/or himself. The other option could be Kashiwagi, but it's pretty safe to assume he wasn't interested. And to a degree Kiryu has some reasons to distance himself from Kashiwagi at this point considering he was just as involved with failing Nishiki and probably knew that Kazama killed their parents. It's nothing Kiryu would say out loud I think but subconsciously it's there. (And no, I don't think he magically owed it to Daigo to stay, but I already made a thread about Daigo's and Kiryu's relationship). And there’s also the very simple reason that Kiryu has no leadership experience, has been out of the Clan for 10 years and has to deal with a ton of survivor’s guilt, while he just learned that his father figure killed his parents. So that’s honestly not running at all. 

Yakuza (Kiwami) 2

Heads up again, I only played Kiwami 2 and not the original.

The only thing I can personally think of and I’ve seen brought up, is Kiryu being willing to die on the roof. And wonky writing aside, I think him being willing to die up there is a culmination of his survivor’s guilt mixed with the guilt he feels towards Kaoru, feeling responsible for her family’s death (even though he was a child himself) and also blaming himself for leaving the clan to Terada. It’s his first big “atonement by complete self sacrifice”. He’s not running, he thinks he’s solving the problem by taking himself out of the equation.

(Side note: it’s one of my least favorite scenes of the series because it feels extremely OOC. I think the writers/devs were going for some Hollywood action movie ending with Kiryu and Kaoru making out on the roof, etc, but do you really want me to believe he wouldn’t try to make Kaoru leave and get to safety and be totally fine with Haruka watching him die? Like, for real. It’s ridiculous).

If you squint, you could possibly count him not becoming chairman again, but my point from above still stands. That’s not running. It’s emancipation.

Yakuza 3

I think Kiryu leaving for Okinawa is one of the three times I see brought up the most as examples (the first being him running away from being chairman). And just like the first time I think it can count as running away, BUT just like the first time he actually does it for his own happiness and wellbeing and Haruka. It's him taking responsibility for his family. He's “running” from the Tojo and Kamurocho, but again: he doesn't owe it to anyone to lead a life of crime being unhappy, when he can have a happy life while his daughter has an actual happy life and childhood. Furthermore he assures that Daigo has people around him who have actual leadership experience (Majima, Kashiwagi, Yayoi), he has no reason to stay and sacrifice his and Haruka's happiness, especially considering Kiryu has no leadership experience and staying could also be seen as him challenging Daigo's power. So it’s not running, it’s once again emancipation.

Yakuza 5

The third big example I keep seeing brought up is Kiryu leaving the orphanage and start a new depressed life in Nagasugai. This, in my opinion, is another great example of him leaving = thinking he's taking responsibility and doing what's best for the people he loves, in this case Haruka and the other Morning Glory kids. And it's not that he's doing it because he wants to, but because Mirei Park successfully made him believe that the kids are better off without him, playing into a fear he very clearly already had before and that sticks with him for the rest of the games. I'm not saying Kiryu is doing the right thing here. In my opinion what he should have done was telling Park to fuck off and stay away from Haruka, but it is very Kiryu. Right until IW he feels like he has to repent for all the Tojo Clan ever did even though he hasn't been a part of it for a long time and they fucked up his life and keep dragging him back in. I think it's very smart of Park to get him out of the picture and completely isolating Haruka, so she can swoop in and manipulate her in this very fucked up Idol industry, making her think this was Haruka's dream. (Do you ever realize that if Kiryu told Park to fuck off a lot of sad stuff wouldn't have happened? Well). (Side note: I don't hate Park, she's a great and compelling character. But she's just like Arakawa: an abusive, manipulative parent grooming a kid for their own selfish reasons).

So: Kiryu's not running away. He's thinking he's doing the right thing by once again taking responsibility, taking all the blame and being self sacrificial. It's the wrong choice. But it doesn't mean he's running away.

Yakuza 6

Kiryu leaving for prison

in my opinion, another great case of him making a decision to take responsibility and atone for his Yakuza life, born basically out of what Park told him in Y5, that his past will ruin the kids’ future. I think none of the kids would agree, especially not Haruka and I'm not thinking it's the right decision, but it's very easy to see where he's coming from. And when Haruka leaves for Hiroshima (and then leaves Hiroshima when she learns she's pregnant) she's doing something very similar. I often saw “she's running away like she learned to run away from Kiryu”. No. She takes responsibility for others and her kid's safety the way she learned from Kiryu. Was it the right decision? Maybe not, but she is still very young and I will honestly fight for her right to make decisions that aren't perfect. And you can see where she's coming from, when she leaves Morning Glory. It's so much like Kiryu leaving in Y5 because he was convinced his past will ruin the kids' lives. It’s once again the opposite of running.

Kiryu faking his death

The top example of him taking responsibility and trying to repent for his life by condemning himself to loneliness, giving up everything he loves because he's convinced that's the only way to keep the kids safe, because they will never be safe as long as he's around. Mixed with his tendency to be self sacrificial and thinking he doesn't deserve to have happiness because of the people who died while he stayed alive, while he keeps endangering his loved ones. (I'm not touching the weird letter to Daigo here, because I already did that in a different thread).

Gaiden

I saw him not staying with the Jimas near the end brought up as an example of him running away, which in my opinion is just not working. He was basically forced out of hiding to help with the dissolution. That was a deal with the Daidoji. Why would he stay and endanger the orphanage when he just earlier saw that acting up could endanger the kids? I do think he cares about Majima and Daigo (and has respect for Saejima), but their feelings aren't worth risking the kids' lives for.

Infinite Wealth 

Kiryu not staying in the Jima-self-pity-shack

To say it bluntly: why would he? Coming there was already a huge risk. He's currently working on solving the mess the Jimas left behind, even though it should be none of his business. I see a lot of Kiryu hate for this scene, while I mostly was angry at Daigo, Majima and Saejima. Because time and time again Kiryu is dragged away from his civilian life to solve the mess of the Tojo Clan, that usually has nothing to do with him. At all. It's often started by Daigo being a weak chairman. (And no, I don't think Daigo is Kiryu's responsibility. Daigo at the point of becoming chairman has Yayoi, Majima and Kashiwagi with him. Why did Kiryu apparently fail Daigo, but they didn't?) But back to IW’s infamous 3Jima confrontation. Kiryu has every reason to be as pissed as he is. He had to help the dissolution during Gaiden, being basically sold by the Daidoji to the Yakuza cause. All of it wasn't his idea. Then the heads of the dissolution didn't see it through, flee into a fisher hut and it's once again Kiryu who suddenly has to solve the mess they left behind while being terminally ill. And then they have the audacity to ask him to abandon the cause and stay with them. Kiryu leaving with the Ichigang isn't only taking responsibility, it's also the right thing to do. And it's definitely not running away. 

Running from treatment instead of fighting 

Kiryu's lack of will to fight against the cancer is the culmination of his self sacrificial nature. It's on point. Because in the end he thinks that's what he deserves for his life and being alone with so many loved ones dead and people being added to the pile (like Rikiya, to his knowledge Kashiwagi, etc). He's just going full circle. He's alone and at this point he sees dying as being able to repent, join his loved ones and to a degree freedom from loneliness and the Daidoji leash. And in his mind the people who are still alive are better off without him, because as long as he's alive, he's a risk to their safety. With him gone, the Daidoji have no reason to threaten the kids anymore. It's very Kiryu. It's him on the roof in YK2 all over again. Finding his will to live again and fight is basically like him refusing to be chairman and leaving for Okinawa: because he's finally doing this for himself and his own happiness and not for the Tojo. And it makes so much sense that it happens through people who aren't Yakuza, but Date fighting for him, showing him all the people who love him and Ichigang as well, not the Tojo people.

But why the misconception?

Well, I feel like it's something that manifested as a belief in the fandom that a lot of people just stick to without actually questioning it. And a lot of times, it seems to be to make Kiryu responsible while taking responsibility from other characters (especially Daigo, Majima and Kashiwagi). In solidarity with one character another character gets the blame and that's - funny enough - usually Kiryu. He's magically ruined Daigo's life (I made another thread about why I think Kiryu's not as responsible for Daigo as some make it out to be) and responsible for basically every death in the series. If you read some takes, you could believe Kiryu's the true villain of the story. This is especially interesting because all those characters do similar things, but somehow that’s fine. Kashiwagi fakes his death and starts a new life. Majima drops Tojo responsibilities in Y2 to have a construction company (it’s not a civilian life though), he runs away from his (extremely young) wife, he leaves Kamorucho behind during the 3K-plan, he leaves the Yakuza grunts to hide in a fishing hut and he fakes his death in Y5. Daigo leaves the Tojo to drink his brains away with his nepo baby money, he basically vanishes in Y5 leaving the clan in disarray, he leaves during the 3K-plan and leaves with Majima once again when the dissolution isn’t easy. All of those characters have reasons for their behavior, Kiryu’s not more or less of an asshole for doing similar things. 

That’s my essay. It got far too long. Thank you, if you read all of this. 

I’m open to discussing my points. I’m not open to Kiryu being called an asshole just because a popular account says he is. 

[atanx]

So I just finished Yakuza Kiwami and. Ugh. I did not like the ending. It's not really about the events or anything but rather about the focus the game places on them.

The entirety of the game, we get flashbacks of Nishiki, building up to him losing his shit and becoming the person he is in the present time. And then he just gets completely ignored??? Like Yumi and Kiryu be having a heart to heart while Nishiki is JUST LYING ON THE GROUND like ONE METRE away from them?? And then Nishiki detonates the bomb and again, everything is about Yumi. The only way Kiryu ever addresses that he died is by saying that Nishiki, Yumi and Kazama are all gone now. And that's it.

Like sorry, do you expect me to really believe that they were close? That they were brothers? When Kiryu apparently doesn't give a fuck about him? Kiryu should at LEAST have a lot of complicated feelings and having those means not completely ignoring Nishiki.

I think only adding a cutscene where Kiryu silently stands in front of Nishiki's grave or whatever or just looks at a picture from better days would have made the ending so much better. It would have added a bittersweet note instead of just brushing nishiki under the rug.

Admittedly, Nishiki's looks and crybaby behaviour from Yakuza 0 have bewitched me (and his EYES THEYRE SO SOFT) so I focused a lot on Nishiki. So I might be biased when I say that to me, the game felt like the tragedy of Nishiki. And with the ending focused on a character we don't have real incentive to care about because she maybe has 8min of screentime, it feels like the game lacks closure. An admittance, however subtle, that Kiryu still cared for Nishiki in some way and is sad he's gone in addition to the one line that exists would have gone a long way to complete the arc.

Honestly Yumi seems like a pretty cool character. She has potential at least. But in my opinion, she wasn't set up well enough to focus the entire ending on her. I won't even start getting into the stupid ass love bullshit (mainly Nishiki-Yumi, I can just barely tolerate Kiryu-Yumi) in this post but I Did Not Like It™.

Anyway, the ending should have been as Nishiki-centric as the entire game because now it feels (to me) like the end of his story was extremely half-assed.

[bi-naesala]

Little secret

Fandom: Yakuza

Rating: E

Warnings: /

Relationships: Nishikiyama Akira/Nishitani Homare Characters: Nishikiyama Akira, Nishitani Homare 

Additional Tags: Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Sugar Daddy Nishitani, Blow Jobs 

Summary:

There are some secrets that are worth keeping, Nishiki thinks. After all, how could he even begin to explain that he’s got an Omi guy so obsessed with him that he’s willing to spoil and buy him anything he wants?

(Also on AO3)

(Fic under read more)

There are some secrets that are worth keeping, Nishiki thinks, even if this mean having to lie to Kiryu of all people.

How could he even begin to explain that he’s got an Omi guy so obsessed with him that he’s willing to spoil and buy him anything he wants? Yeah, that would be a disastrous conversation for sure, he knows that already.

It’s not even that he’s afraid of being judged, because Kiryu wouldn’t do that to anyone, but it’s just that he’s not sure that he wouldn’t tell anyone. Not that he’s a snitch, but he could try something out of worry, which would involve spilling the beans to Kashiwagi or worse, Kazama, and then things would truly be bad.

So, next time Kiryu asks him if he wants to go out with him for a drink, he lies and says that he already has a date for the night, which isn’t the true lie, but when Kiryu asks him who he’s taking out, he says that it’s a new hostess that has taken a shine on him, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Kiryu looks convinced at least - it helps that he’s pretty gullible - and leaves the subject alone, content to make Nishiki promise that, next time, they’ll be the ones hanging out together.

  In a very weird way, Nishiki doesn’t find Sotenbori that dissimilar to Kamurocho: both are pretty shitty places with pretty shitty people.

The only difference is that here people tend to try to fuck with him more, since he doesn’t have the protection a Tojo clan pin can grant him - if he wore it here, it would do him more harm than good, so he never does - but that’s nothing that Nishiki can’t handle. Actually, it feels good to throw down once in a while, even though he’s never come to enjoy it as much as Kiryu does.

 Right when he’s done throwing the last one of the ruffians who thought it would be a good idea to mess with him, he hears a low whistle behind him. He turns around immediately, raising his fists already to keep his head protected, when he notices the person leaning against the wall, watching him with a hungry gaze.

“Well, well, well, Akira-kun… So that’s what you’ve been doing. I thought you were standing me up…”

Standing him up? What does he mean?

A quick check on his expensive watch - a gift from Nishitani - is enough to make him understand: he’s late, and not just by a few minutes! Ops, this fight has taken longer than he thought it would.

“I’m so sorry, Nishitani-san!” he apologizes immediately, bowing his head. It’s the first time something like this happens, but this doesn’t make Nishiki feel better, especially considering that he might lose his support, which he has grown accustomed too. Sure, he could leave without Nishitani’s money, but he would be sad about it. He thinks about the brand new car Nishitani has promised him if he’s good; what if he doesn’t buy it to him anymore?

Luckily for him, though, Nishitani doesn’t look mad as he approaches him and gets his arm around Nishiki’s waist.

“Aw, don’t be,” he says, leaning close to Nishiki’s neck, who shivers as he feels his breath ghosting against his skin. “Besides, I’ve got to watch a veeery good fight.”

A small chuckle escapes Nishiki’s lips. “Is that so?” he asks, exposing his neck further for Nishitani.

He gasps when Nishitani wastes no time biting down, leaving what he knows is a visible mark - he’s always been fond of marking his territory - but he doesn’t oppose any resistance, though when Nishitani pushes him against the wall, he can’t help but to roll his eyes, although he has to fight to suppress a smile.

“Here? Really?” he asks, trying to sound as done as he can.

“Why not?” Nishitani asks, pressing his hips against Nishiki’s. God, he’s hard already. “Ya’ve got me all fired up, babe.”

Nishiki knows this is a bad idea: what if the thugs he’s just knocked out come to their senses? What if somebody else walks in?

Despite his better judgement, however, Nishiki doesn’t find himself that against the idea as he should be. Nishitani’s rubbing off of him.

 He remembers Nishitani telling him that, deep down, they’re not that dissimilar, only that Nishiki still hasn’t realized it yet.

“It’s all in those eyes of yours. I can see what’s beyond them,” he said once, though Nishiki still doesn’t understand what he meant by that. He never thought he was hiding anything, though it is true that maybe he ain’t that good of a person, at least not like Kiryu is. Sweet Kiryu that has no problems beating up thugs, but then feels bad about scamming civilians, while Nishiki doesn’t. Maybe that’s just because someone like Kiryu shouldn’t be involved with the yakuza in the first place.

 Nishitani can barely contain his excitement as Nishiki drops to his knees, that much is evident. Nishiki just hopes it’ll be worth it, and that he isn’t getting his pants dirty - how would he explain getting stains only on his knees?

“Yes, good boy,” he drawls, cupping Nishiki’s cheek with a hand as the other works on his belt, then he moves it to Nishiki’s hair, caressing it. “Ever told ya how much I love yer hair?”

Nishiki does a cheeky grin, slowly pulling down the zipper. “You have, but I don’t mind hearing it again.”

“It’s so soft and pretty, I wanna pull it so much…”

He doesn’t even wait for Nishiki to say something before following on his words, forcing Nishiki to look up at him. It’s almost overwhelming to look at the adoration in Nishitani’s eyes, but Nishiki has gone so long without affection from the people he wanted it from that he’s drawn to it like a moth to a light; it’s what made him decide in favor of doing this whole thing in the first place.

“Yer so beautiful… I swear I’ll eat ya up someday.”

Despite his best effort not to - because it’ll make him appear easy and that’s not the impression Nishiki wants to give - he groans at those words, but before he can embarrass himself further, he gets to work.

 From the way he moans, Nishitani must be most pleased with how fast Nishiki pulls his cock out of his briefs, and especially on how fast he begins peppering it with kisses, travelling from base to tip, swirling then his tongue around it, eyes going up again to meet his gaze.

Nishitani’s so into it already, which makes Nishiki smirk. He can’t help it, he loves feeling this needed, this appreciated.

“Pretty boy…”

Knowing that Nishitani isn’t going to last long - he never does, but damn somehow he manages to always get it back up almost immediately - Nishiki decides to stop teasing, parting his lips and beginning to take his cock in his mouth.

He barely goes halfway that Nishitani, impatient already, thrusts his hips all the way, making Nishiki almost gag, but he manages to hold back, grabbing onto Nishitani thighs as he begins to fuck his mouth, relaxing his throat as much as he can to make things easier for himself.

 It’s always like this with Nishitani, and yet Nishiki would lie if he said that he’s not all for it. As much as he likes the attention and being wanted, there’s something else inside him that gets him all hot at the thought of being used, just like Nishitani is doing.

In a way, they are using each other: Nishitani is using him for sex, while Nishiki is using him for his money, although things have evolved past that point. Nishiki can safely say that what he feels for Nishitani is a deep affection, and there’s no way he could mistake the adoration Nishitani feels for him for anything else. It feels quite weird having gotten to this point, but it also feels good, so neither of them worries much about it.

 Nishitani’s close, Nishiki can hear it from the way his breathing is getting ragged, and by the way he begins praising Nishiki and how good he is - he always gets talkative when he’s about to come.

“So good, baby, so good… I should steal ya away and keep ya all to myself… My own pretty cocksucker…”

The more Nishitani keeps going, the more Nishiki feels himself getting hard in his pants, but he knows better than to try and do something about it. Not that Nishitani would be against him touching himself but, as he said once, he wants to be able to enjoy the show, but given their position he wouldn’t be able to do that well, so Nishiki tries his best to focus only on Nishitani’s pleasure and not his, knowing that, in the end, it’ll be worth it.

 When Nishitani comes, Nishiki swallows everything; he’s always been greedy.

He pulls away from the other’s spent cock, finally catching his breath but still making no move to get up, licking his lips instead, observing Nishitani and his reaction; that simple gesture is enough to get him fired up again, but if they go for round two here, they’ll surely attract some unwanted attention. Besides, they have something very important to be.

Nishitani cups Nishiki’s chin, catching the remainder of saliva at the corner of his mouth. “Such a good boy for me, Akira-kun~ You deserve a reward.”

At those words, Nishiki’s lips perk up in a smile. Yes, he has been good, hasn’t he? He certainly deserves a reward!

He doesn’t bother hiding how excited he is at the news as he gets up and begins asking: “What is it?”

Nishitani chuckles, finding Nishiki’s whole change of demeanor endearing.

“Why don’t ya walk with me a bit?” he asks, after tucking his now flaccid dick back in his pants. When Nishiki nods, he turns around, signaling Nishiki with his head to follow him. What he wants to show him isn’t that far from where they are; actually, they just have to get back to the main road before…

 A gasp leaves Nishiki’s lips as soon as he sees it.

“N… Nishitani-san!”

Nishitani laughs as Nishiki steps towards the car that has been parked right in front of where they are and not only that, but he also goes circles around it, examining it in every detail.

He did mention to Nishitani that he wanted a new car, something better than the one he has now, old and shitty - but Nishiki still loves his baby nonetheless - and Nishitani had told him that, if he was good, he’d get him one, something that would make everybody else envious, sure, but Nishiki didn’t think he would give it to him already!

Wait, what if he’s jumping to conclusions? For all he knows, this is Nishitani’s new car, not a gift for him.

He turns to Nishitani. “Is this truly mine?”

“It sure is!” Nishitani exclaims, throwing the keys at Nishiki. “How about taking it for a drive, huh?”

Nishiki almost lets the keys fall for the excitement, but they’re still secured in his hands as he nods. “Yes, please! Thank you so much!”

He doesn’t even wait for Nishitani to follow as he gets in the driver seat, though he doesn’t turn the car on until Nishitani’s inside as well.

“Where to?” he asks.

“Wherever you want!” Nishitani replies, ready to enjoy a nice ride.

At those words, Nishiki’s smile grows larger. He has a new baby, and he can take her to whenever he wants to? Oh, this is truly the best!

 He turns on the car and begins to drive around Sotenbori.

Oh, this car is so much better than his old one, much easier to drive around the way he wants to. The seats are also very comfy, which he can’t say about his old baby.

He turns to Nishitani, then figuring that it’s a bad idea, he goes back to look at the road - the last thing he needs now is to run over someone because he wasn’t paying attention. Still, the fact that he can’t see him doesn’t mean that he can’t talk to him.

“Nishitani-san, thank you. I mean it.”

He feels a hand creeping up his thigh, squeezing it - and thankfully doesn’t do anything more. He can’t see him, but he knows that Nishitani’s grinning ear to ear - he’s seen that expression on him countless times.

 Eventually he’ll have to get back to Kamurocho, but the knowledge that he’ll do it with his new shiny car fills him with a sense of smugness that he’s been feeling more and more since meeting Nishitani.

He’ll have to find a plausible explanation as to how he’s gotten a new car so suddenly, but that’ll be a problem for future Nishiki, because now he only wants to enjoy the ride with Nishitani, and that’s exactly what he’ll do, screw everything else.

[itsybitsylemonsqueezy]

For the character post thingy Nishikiyama

Frienddddd! *hugs* Excellent choice

character: hate them | don’t really care | like them | LOVE them | THEY ARE MY PRECIOUS

I expected Nishiki to be much more of a Loki figure but, and I honestly mean this as a compliment, he’s not that smart. And that’s fascinating! Like, Nishiki is a coward and TERRIBLE at decision-making. Especially under pressure. Nishiki was never meant to be a leader, he sucks at it and he cracks like glass under pressure. Kiryu was always better at this stuff and Nishiki did ride his coattails and Nishiki knows it. 

Like, that’s what’s so heartbreaking about Nishiki. He was set up for failure. He’s not clever and he’s not strong, he has ambition in a way Kiryu never has, but he’s not smart enough to really pull it off. And his ambition stems from an inherent lack of self-worth. If people just told him good job once in awhile, he’d be happy. If people quit comparing him to Kiryu, or worse, EXPECTING him to be Kiryu, he’d be fine. But no, instead he was expected to be Kiryu, given absolutely no support or understanding while he was drowning, and under all that pressure, he snapped. 

And the terrible thing, the truly awful thing, is he knows the whole time that Kiryu is better than him, that Kiryu wouldn’t do this, that Kiryu would have made it work. But he’s not Kiryu. And he can’t. He truly believes he is less than Kiryu and... if that doesn’t fuck you up, just a little, I don’t know what to tell you. And I genuinely love that he’s allowed to be less than, he’s allowed to be wrong, to make mistakes and bad decisions, to not suffer as some saint and martyr to a path no one expected or wanted him to succeed at. Fuck yeah little buddy, you murder your way through because it’s all you’ve got. Your blood is on all our hands and I’m so sorry.

ship with: Woof, uhhh... therapy? Higher self-esteem? I actually think he and Reine would have been cute, if Nishiki hadn’t devolved into a pathological nightmare. Because she never compared him to Kiryu, she was never looking at him and trying to make him measure up or decide he was “good enough.” But, well. That didn’t pan out. 

brotp: The obvious answer here is Kiryu, I mean, Nishiki loves him, absolutely adores him, and Kiryu would do anything for him. But they’re bad for each other. 

There were many many failures with Nishiki down the line, on all sides. Kazama didn’t instruct him, Kashiwagi didn’t support him, and Kiryu, Kiryu didn’t let him grow. Kiryu was so worried about his brother’s weakness, instead of letting him take responsibility for his actions and go to jail, Kiryu took the consequences for him, denying Nishiki any real opportunity of growing into something beyond Kiryu. And that came from a place of love! Kiryu only wanted to protect him. But it was the final nail in the coffin of Nishiki’s doomed potential. Nishiki never learned what he could be outside of a placeholder for Kiryu. Everything that he achieves while Kiryu’s in jail is in his debt, because he knows the whole time that the only reason he’s out here, walking free, is because his brother took the fall for him. And so he can never truly say that his achievements are his. And from that space, his love, his envy, his fucking hero-worship of Kiryu turned to resentment and even hatred. 

Nishiki is this great example of Greek tragedy. I love that there were so many chances to avert what he would become, and at every stage, we dropped the ball. No one told Nishiki to stop, no one asked if he was alright, no one was there for him. If just one person had helped him, he wouldn’t have become this. There’s so much regret bottled up in Nishiki, the first big mistake of Kiryu’s trajectory, closely followed by the second Big Mistake. And I think it’s a really bold writing choice to make Nishiki this tragic, to saddle Kiryu early on with something he can never recover from, much less fix. It’s so fascinating that they just... let Nishiki run into the fucking ground and we have no one to blame but ourselves. It wasn’t that Nsihiki wanted too much or was just natively evil, he was trying so hard and he broke. That’s just great writing. 

But that does not answer the question. I don’t know if I’ve got a bro for Nishiki. I’d like him to have a friend he could trust. Not someone who’s going to save him, mind, just someone who he can be himself with. Kiryu has too many feelings of responsibility to be a good friend to Nishiki. It would have to be someone else. I can’t think of anyone who could have helped Nishiki that way, by actually being a friend. Sad answer :c

general opinions: For all that, I’m not particularly drawn to Nishiki. I think he’s a fantastic writing choice and I’m REALLY mad that canon doesn’t properly deal with the ramifications of his death. Like, game 2, Kiryu should still be Mad Fucked Up about it. And there’s A LOT of upsetting parallels in game 3 that never get fucking talked about. I’m really mad about that, because Nishiki’s death and the feelings of guilt and the fucking TRAUMA of watching it happen are a major turning point in Kiryu’s character. And the games should deal with that, his PTSD and that he can never apologize to a dead man. Just... I wish we talked about it more. I wish we dealt with it. It’s a Big Deal and it’s such a shame it isn’t given the weight it deserves. 

But as for Nishiki himself, his arc is complete. There was no saving him by the end. He did the only thing he could think of to redeem himself: die. Saving him there wouldn’t make him better, you would have had to have caught him much earlier than that, during his rapid spiral out of control, ideally, because once he snapped, he was gone for good. He made his choice to become something else, to survive, and he doesn’t... know how to be anything different. He’s scared and convinced he’s worthless. If you saved him at the end, it would take years of therapy to bring him back to a stable place where he was capable of feeling love for himself or others. He wanted to die, he wanted it to be over, it was the only thing he could think of, it was the only thing he’d been shown how to do. When things get shitty and it’s your fault, leave, that’s exactly what Kazama taught him. It would take monstrous work to undo that and I don’t think it needs doing. 

I think in terms of the plot and Kiryu’s character, his death is an important consequences to all the non-action and negligence that came before it. It should have been a major lesson in not leaving people alone and not keeping your feelings to yourself. The expectation that people will just weather whatever you throw at them is poisonous. The expectation that you should keep your problems to yourself and not ask for help is poisonous. Nishiki was right to break when and how he did. Absolutely justified. No one should be put in that position and the games repeat that (whether they meant to or not). I wouldn’t change that. I would change how his death is treated though. That boy didn’t die so you could forget about him. 

</essay on Nishikiyama Akira>

[cloneslugs]

rgg [001] + nishiki and majima [003] :] 💖💖💖

Favorite character:

nishiki... makoto.. kiryu.. i love everyone tho they all mean so much to me

Least Favorite character:

Oda / Sagawa / Kazama(?)

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):

kiryu × majima, tachibana × kiryu, akiyama × hana, ai × yuki, yuya × kazuki, saejima × women

Character I find most attractive:

majima *beats myself up* (i think mostly fashion wise/his chosen appearance)

kiryu & saejima have better bodies/natural.. attractiveness tho (saejima is on thin fucking ice) 😳

Character I would marry:

Kiryu ;_____;

Character I would be best friends with:

haruka ! or hana or makoto, i like all the girls a lot

A random thought:

i miss tanimura ):

also maybe im just autistic but these games have meant so much to me and like. i am writing again and emoting again you taught me what love is rgg0 sorry rgg0 is my fav and i wont ever ever shut up about it

An unpopular opinion:

sagawa is not sexy tachibana and oda is shitty and unhealthy majima is a homo and so is kiryu people need to stop headcanoning majima as nonbinary purely bc of [redacted] nishitani was not that interesting or cool kiryu is actually really interesting just bc he doesnt act out or do bad things doesnt make him a boring character I swear I swear there is so much to him hes like the best character and the perfect man

My Canon OTP:

does akiyama × hana count

Non-canon OTP:

k..kiryu and majima T.T

Most badass character:

kiryu purely for his morals

Pairing I am not a fan of:

Sa🤢🤢 saga🤢🤢 🤢sagama🤢🤢 i cant even say it 🤮🤮🤮

also vomit worthy: nishiki×kiryu, yumi×kiryu/nishiki, sayama×kiryu

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):

oh me and you complain so much but my mind is blank but uhh nishiki + saejima + yasuko for having like depth but was pushed aside for shitty romance reasons and also lack of addressing certain issues/traits that i thought really made them shine in place of like. focusing on other things if that makes sense

oda + mine for attempted sympathy points

Favourite friendship:

nishiki/kiryu, kiryu/yuya, kiryu/fighter, makoto/majima, kiryu/tachibana, lee/majima/makoto, majima/club sunshine every relationship makes me emo

Nishiki

How I feel about this character: 

my star my love my darling man you are loved you are loved you are loved i swear if i think about nishiki too long i start crying i love him so so so much i am tearing up just thinking about him

All the people I ship romantically with this character: 

😶 i will sound crazy if i pull out crack ships so. but nishiki is bisexual and maybe prefers girls that is all

My non-romantic OTP for this character: 

Kiryu !!!!!!!!

My unpopular opinion about this character: 

not really about him but putting the blame of k1 on nishiki unreciprocated love from yumi is dumb they should have looked at kazama unreciprocated (familiar) love instead or literally anything else even like focusing on losing yuko or just being. fucking alone and being fucked over by literally everyone why does everyone say like "uhhh its bc they both loved yumi" shut up, also people infantalize nishiki really weirdly but hes asian so., also nishiki×kiryu is gross and only freaks like it

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

Nishiki living and getting redemption, nishiki addressing his shitty dad/kazama actually interacting with nishiki for once in his life, nishiki hugging kiryu, theres so much emotion to nishiki and again i just feel like it was brushed over hes like the only antagonist who gives me feelings and garners any sympathy from me hes a really good character and i just wish he was given more of a chance and that the importance + depth of his relationship with kiryu was addressed more following k1

My OTP:

i dont. really have one

My OT3:

(nonromantic) yumi/kiryu/nishiki

Majima !

How I feel about this character: 

:smirk: i have so much to say about him and he means so much to me and i love him with all my heart and i think hes so wonderfully complex i love it it gives me so much to write out + think about and i love mask symbolism and i just *weeps* i want him to be happy and i want him to be fulfilled and i want him to be comfortable and i want him to let himself be surrounded by people who cherish him

All the people I ship romantically with this character: 

Kiryu. my mind is blank

My non-romantic OTP for this character: 

Makoto / cabaret girls / nishida / ig saejima on a technicality

My unpopular opinion about this character: 

stop calling him feral stop being weird about his gender i want to draw majima in dresses and project things but everyone here has ruined that i hate you all also hes not just completely bonkers crazy and hes also not like completely hiding everything/this is ALL an act sad like there is nuance and complexity hes not like either one side of a coin or the other im sorry im so nitpicky but some of you are so weird and im saying this as someone who is edgy and emo, also hes gay and trans and maybe does not have top surgery i have lots of opinions on him but that would take up so much space rgg fandom freaks wants what i have

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:

More time addressing his relation with Yasuko, i wish we saw more of the impact sotenbori had on him outside of makoto like i understand shes really important but there was so much that happened there and i feel it was a little skipped out on, let me punch sagawa, ik so much of his character is inferred and has to be read into to get like the actual truth which i love but addressing his obsession with kiryu/his need for power/control/how much he lies and hides things im sorry I'm obsessed with character analysis nvm i can do it myself, address his eyepatch/missing an eye more the same way they address makoto being blind or saki being mute or even tachibana missing an arm i understand he's like badass unstoppable whatever whatever but it feels lame sometimes and it could have been like. more

My OTP:

😔 kiryu.

My OT3:

Tachibana × Kiryu × Majima bc you gave me homo brain worms

(nonromatic) lee/makoto/majima

[inactivenotinuseetc]

what are your fav yakuza games ranked??!

so i’ve only played 0-4 (and half of 5) and seen mooost of 7 (i don’t have it, but my friend has been playing it and streaming it to me), so i guess i don’t really have a rating on 5 or 6 but tl:dr: 0, k2/5 so far, and 4/k1/3 are kind of on the same level for me though 4 might be higher only because saejima ... but elaboration below because (: we live in my world (definite spoilers)

0 - my absolute favorite so far, and, like, as much fun as i have in the other games, nothing comes close. i went into it relatively, if not totally, blind and so that made it MUCH more enjoyable. i like the darker tone too and i am like... so biased towards everyone in this game i immediately love them more than anyone else (except nishitani. hate that bitch. whatever). two of my big favorites are from this game alone (kiryu and majima, and like yeah they’re in other games but their characterizations here... well... i’m in love. also hi the other one is saejima you didn’t ask but you shall receive). i’m really happy i played it before k1 because i think i kind of would’ve fucking hated nishiki and majima (also, hi, i really really love nishiki in this game and i was like, trying to look up a ref for him while playing and saw that he died and WELL. turns out that’s just k1).

it just hits so hard. all of it. it made me scared makoto was just going to not even make it to the end. tachibana’s death was so ): ))))::::. both the car scene and the end of shibusawa’s fight with nishiki and kiryu are stellar. i love majima’s absolute catharsis moment at the end up until the epilogue (also i just.. in general love cathartic moments for characters. sexy.). i went from being like wow oda is kind of fucking scum to wait this guy is kind of chill to oh my god what. it was just a really fun experience to not know what was going to happen or who was going to make it or not.

doing side content now, all the hostesses are my besties now. we’re all friends. i love love yuki and ai. also i’m like. so good at disco. not really but kind of. disco should be in more games.

k2 - okay so this is mainly so high because i find it so fucking pretty. i’m in love with the way it looks. i love being able to walk in places with no loading screen. sotenbori is so gorgeous and so is kamurocho. it’s so... <3

kiryu and sayama’s romance was like laughable and the fact that the end was that was ... so fucking funny to me. i don’t really care about sayama at all at all but the end with her and ryuji was sweet to me (and made me like him a bit since a lot of the time i just... don’t have opinions on characters). i really like daigo in this too. the majima saga was fun to me because i’m weak willed and well... i really love love makoto. 

5 - i haven’t finished it but i find it really really fun. every part has been super fun to me and i’m on haruka’s right now. i know a bit about it which is... unfortunate (um. like probably anything regarding majima. as in he definitely isn’t dead if he’s in the next two and also, like, stuff with park)... i have many many thoughts and emotions about saejima between this and 4. park was also growing on me a lot but then um well. it seems she died so um. well that happened. i’m excited to see where it goes! all of the jobs have been pretty fun (hunting has been my least favorite so far because it kind of felt tedious and i keep getting attacked by bears, i finished off taxi while in the story, and i like. have to stop myself from doing all of haruka’s stuff because i totally love it, it’s my favorite. honestly kind of scared of shinada’s because i um. ..  don’t know how good i’m going to be at it since i think it’s baseball). it’s just pretty good!

4 - i wasn’t super invested in it. i loved saejima’s part and he really quickly became my favorite but my god, some of the stuff regarding him was fucking stupid. the rubber bullets? kinda stupid. yasuko dying for like... no reason... kinda stupid (mainly because i just.. i want ONE happy sibling reunion after ryuji/sayama and tachibana/makoto). akiyama and hana are fun, tanimura was nice and i still don’t know what the hell happened to him but bye i guess since he just seems to have vanished off the face of the earth. i can’t really remember anything kiryu did and i think he was just kind of a weaker protag, he’s much better again in 5. um... basically though... saejima... i like seeing a more genuine majima too again.

3 - i guess i wasn’t super invested in this either. some of the stuff was cute (like kiryu dad moments) but i just... didn’t really care... at all... about anything going on... the kazama look alike thing was like, um, ok. couldn’t really care about kashiwagi dying because i’m like,,, girl i know you’re in 7 (also i really like him in 7 he’s funny). majima kiryu bestie moments. i like all the kids except the certain riona part was so fucking uncomfortable (also idk why kiryu is telling them they’re all families and saying he saw everyone at sunflower as siblings then trying to put riona and mitsuo together. also weird). kind of don’t understand the mine hype because like he looks and sounds nice but ladies.. he bulldozed a fucking orphanage. how more typically evil can you get than that. literally hates orphans. it’s so... and i just didn’t really super care? he was interesting at the end i’ll give him that but then he just suicides so like... bye. also richardson’s voice is really funny to me. 

k1 - so i played this immediately after 0 and well... having really liked nishiki and majima in 0 made this .. um . it was almost comedically similar with the same boat fight and the same car chase, but, just, lame. it was kinda eh. i didn’t like it. i kind of feel like nishiki could’ve been done way better. majima is just suddenly.,.. he’s um doing things alright. it was just a biiiiiiiiiiiiig let down compared to 0. makes me bitter.

also i realize i didn’t rank 7 at all, but, um, kinda don’t understand what’s going on, and i’m REALLLY not invested. kiryu’s existence makes me livid. so fucking stupid. saejima and majima’s fight was fun because i like saejima just swinging majima around that is a fun concept also brother Momence which i <33 love seeing them together same in 4 and the start of his part in 5. all the party members are fun for the most part except nanba got really annoying. i didn’t see some of ch 3/4 either so. i don’t really have anywhere i’d place it. also i haven’t seen the end because my friend is just playing k1 instead  SO ... forever in chapter 15 purgatory.

[atanx]

Yo, I have IDEAS about Yuko. We learn like literally nothing about her except for the fact that she is ill, something to do with her heart, she once told Nishiki she had a boyfriend because she craved the normality of living without her illness, and she's been in and out of the hospital since she was young. Oh and she was presumably pretty friendly since she was the one who got Yumi to open up.

Whenever I see her in fancontent, which isn't that often, she is most of the time depicted like your typical demure, good morals feminine sorta woman.

which. She is a woman. I think Kazama killed their parents when Nishiki was five, so she could only be five years younger than Nishiki which would have made her at least 22-24 when she died. I personally like the thought of her being 2-3 years younger, which would make her 24-26 when she died.

Like- there's nothing wrong per say with that interpretation of her. I just think it's lame. Especially after 1996. I've seen some things that have her go like "this is not my brother anymore, he's become a monster" which first of all, I don't agree with that statement, and second of all, let women be morally grey. Instead of the same cookie cutter "feminine", demure and meek woman that's REALLY FUCKING FLAT (character - wise) how about we have some female characters that are people?

Let Yuko be bitter. She's had to spend most of her life getting various treatments, suffering from some bullshit illness, even getting hospitalised full-time. Her siblings apart from Nishiki have abandoned her - in Kiwami, she's always "Nishiki's sister" and people don't particularly seem to care that she has an important surgery coming up. Kiryu and Yumi don't go, "hey, maybe we should visit our sister, ask her herself how she is doing, check up on her, pay her some company, cheer her up". Granted, they could not be allowed to visit since they're legally not siblings I think. But they don't ask Nishiki to relay anything to her either.

Yuko has a lot of reasons to be bitter, petty and hateful at the world. Because she's been dealt such an unfair hand. Let her express that.

Also, let her be morally grey. Let her be a goblin who helps Akira achieve world domination. Let her be a little shit, let her be messy because she hasn't had to clean her place up for a long time, let her be obsessed with physical activity because she's afraid of her health becoming frail again, let her be selfish. She deserves it.

Like honestly, as someome who has a sibling, let her be loyal to Nishiki and help him all the while holding him back from completely losing it. Let them support each other.

Yuko can still have traditionally feminine qualities. She could fret about hers and people close to her's health because her experiences have made her paranoid. She could really like cooking because 1) she can do stuff on her own again and 2) the food she makes tastes so much better than hospital food. She can like dressing up femininely and stuff.

Just let her be her own, deep, fleshed out person. We don't have enough fancontent where Yuko survives QAQ.

[cryingcow]

Character Story - Nishikiyama [RGGO]

The way the RGGO cards work is that cards with the exact same character name, despite different rarities, will all connect to the same character story. That’s why we have “Kiryu” vs “Kiryu (JHS)”, which have totally separate stories. So the fact that I have 4 different Nishiki cards, 3 of them featuring Mean Nishiki, and yet they ALL connect to this one story taking place in the year 1990 is kinda upsetting (especially cuz wanting to see more of Nishiki was legit my reason for picking up RGGO :/ ).

Not to say there’s anything bad about 1990 Nishiki, it’s just that this card / story might be one of the very first ones on RGGO given how brief it is and the sprite’s anime-ish style (as opposed to the more detailed Mine or Tanimura cards, or the latest Dragon Engine-styled ones). So compared to those, the story here is pretty simple. BUT on the bright side, I recently acquired and finished the Nishiki JHS card, so i’ll do that next before the Daigo one :D

(And because the original card is Rare and looks kinda plain, i took the liberty of choosing the coolest-looking Mean Nishiki card there is:)

(Ya’ll remember that time when Nishiki was sexily crying and sexily contemplating seppuku before he sexily gutted Matsushige, right? Right?? ¬‿¬ )

Story: The Dojima family does not take Nishiki’s insubordination and Kiryu’s return well.

.

CHAPTER 1

.

|One day in 1990 . . . |

Nishikiyama: “Phew~. I ate too much of the Extra Large Ramen Special . . .”

Nishikiyama: (Until recently, I was fighting for my life in this city . . . walking around like this feels weird.)

Nishikiyama: *looking at his pager* “Oh~ come on and answer . . .”

Nishikiyama: (Well now, I don’t even have Kiryu with me today. I should just go home and sleep . . .)

Thug A: “Oi, are you Nishikiyama?”

Nishikiyama: “Huh? And you are?”

Thug A: “Don’t make any wrong moves.”

Thug B: “Look at him. Let’s just do this quickly.”

Nishikiyama: “Huhhh? What are you talking about . . .”

Thug A: “No need for you to talk! You’re dying here right now!!”

{Nishiki defeats the thugs.}

Thug A: “Damn it . . .the stories were wrong . . . such strength . . .”

Nishikiyama: “Oi. Who told you about me?”

Thug A: “Ah? I-I don’t know . . .”

Nishikiyama: “I don’t know how much you’ve been told, but I’m a yakuza. I’ll do anything just to hear the truth . . . are you ready to spit it out after having a taste of my Yakuza-style listening technique?”

Thug A: “Yes, I-I get it! We were ordered to kill you . . . by the Dojima family. The family you’re with.”

.

-END-

.

CHAPTER 2

.

|To continue, on that day in 1990 . . .|

[Shichifuku Street]

Nishikiyama: (The ones trying to kill me are from the Dojima family . . . what could it mean . . .?!)

Nishikiyama: “No way, is Kiryu also a target . . . ?!”

Mysterious Man: “. . . It’s Nishikiyama.”

Nishikiyama: “! Another one, you too . . . ?!”

Mysterious Man: “I have no grudge against you, but you’re going to die . . . !”

Nishikiyama: “Tch. It seems you have a different motive from the thug earlier . . . !”

{Nishiki defeats the hitman.}

Nishikiyama: “Haa . . . haa . . . Oi, were you hired by the Dojima family too?”

Mysterious Man: “. . . no professional would spit out his employer’s name. Stupid.”

Nishikiyama: “Hm. Your answer’s enough. After all, I don’t think there’s any mistake. First a thug, then a killer. This isn’t going to stop until I die . . . !”

???: “It’s useless, Nishikiyama. You’re like a cockroach.”

Dojima family executive: “It can’t be helped, we’ll have to kill you ourselves.”

Nishikiyama: “Haaa. I guess this really is a hit . . . !”

.

-END-

.

CHAPTER 3

.

|To continue, on that day in 1990 . . .|

Dojima family executive: “Jeez . . . as much as possible I wanted you to die at the hands of an outsider that can’t be connected to me.”

Nishikiyama: “So is that why you started off with a thug and a hitman? Aniki. If you have any complaints against me, shouldn’t you have approached me directly instead of going in such a roundabout way?”

Dojima family executive: “Shut up. You and Kiryu turned against our patriarch during the ‘Empty Lot’ incident . . . but since Patriarch Dojima accepted Kiryu’s return, Nishikiyama, your rebellion was forgiven. Why the boss would forgive Kazama’s favorite, I don’t know. If any other yakuza walks out on his patriarch even once, he wouldn’t be free . . . !!”

Nishikiyama: “So because you didn’t like that, you plotted to kill me.  . . . I understand.”

Dojima family executive: “Huh?”

Nishikiyama: “No, it’s like what Kiryu said before. ‘Don’t run away, if you keep working hard then what remains is the way to go’. When I first heard that, I honestly couldn’t understand what he meant. But now I think I get it. That’s why I can’t run away either.  . . . you’re right, aniki.”

Dojima family executive: “. . . !”

Nishikiyama: “It doesn’t make sense to be allowed back in the Dojima family. But you have no choice but to accept it. However . . . Will you overlook Kiryu if I accept your punishment? Isn’t one person enough?”

Dojima family executive: “Heh, heheheh. It’s a special victory. Alright. Oi! Take this guy out!”

{Nishiki is dragged to a back alley and beaten.}

Nishikiyama: “Fuck . . . haa, haa . . . “

Dojima family executive: “Can’t believe you’re still alive like cancer. You really are a cockroach. Kiryu should be dead right about now, another executive is dealing with him. Now die already!”

Nishikiyama: “. . . ! You said Kiryu wouldn’t be . . . !”

Dojima family executive: “Idiot! I made that up! You and Kiryu, you’re both going to die!”

Nishikiyama: “. . . is that right. In that case, that’s a completely different story.”

Dojima family executive: “Wh-What the hell?”

Nishikiyama: “I’m sorry but I can’t let you get to him. I’m defeating you here and going over to help Kiryu!”

Dojima family executive: “Ha . . . ? Hahaha! What a joke! You think you can deal with these many people? You talk too much, die quickly!!”

{Nishiki defeats all the Dojima family members around him.}

Nishikiyama: “Oi . . . where is Kiryu . . .”

Dojima family executive: “Fuck . . .”

Nishikiyama: “Spit it out quickly . . . or I’ll make you . . . !”

Dojima family executive: “Hii! He-He’s at Children’s Park. But . . .”

Nishikiyama: “Damn that’s far . . .”

----

[Children’s Park]

Nishikiyama: “Haa . . . ! Haa . . . ! Kiryu!!”

Nishikiyama: “. . . that’s . . .!”

Dojima family members: “Guh . . . “

Nishikiyama: “This many people . . . he dealt with them all alone . . . ! Oi! get up! Is Kiryu safe?!”

Dojima family member A: “Ugh, N-Nishikiyama . . . ? They messed up over there too .  . . ?!”

Nishikiyama: “! So he’s safe!”

Dojima family member A: “Far from being safe . . . that bastard, at first he was taking the beating silently. ‘This is my burden’, he said . . . “

Nishikiyama: “!”

Dojima family member A: “However, Nishikiyama . . . he wanted you to be overlooked.”

Nishikiyama: “What . . . ?!”

Dojima family member A: “As soon as we told him we weren’t going to do that, he became . . . like a monster . . .”

Nishikiyama: “Man, that guy . . . he’s just like me . . . Oi.”

Dojima family member A: “Wh-What is it . . . ?!”

Nishikiyama: “Me and Kiryu, I think we’ve taken enough of your punishment. But if you still have any complaints against us . . . Come at me anytime. I’ll deal with you as I see fit.”

Dojima family member A: “. . . !!”

Nishikiyama: “Tell that to everyone. Now scram.”

----

Nishikiyama: *looking at his pager* “Come on, if my intuition is correct, it should come any moment now . . . Here it is. What did he say. . .? ‘1052167’ . . . ‘Where are you?’.”

Nishikiyama: “Heh, that Kiryu, he’s finally mastered the pager, hasn’t he?”

.

-END-

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