#someone come save kiryu

[skiel-infinity]

this man is fighting for his life he's being bullied by a child in the internet and he can only do so much

I am picturing Lucciano annoying the hell out of Kiryu with constant booping now thanks to our boop war LOL

kiryu gripping his mouse furiously awaiting his retaliating boop to go through because he lives in buttfuck nowhere cowboy town and the internet sucks ass. thank you for this mental image 😭

[designernishiki]

as much as a i understand and respect ace kiryu truthers, i really feel like kiryu is the type to really take the idea to heart that sex is something vulnerable and meaningful and thus reserved for someone completely trusted and special to him– someone who feels right. after years and years he’s still never legitimately voluntarily slept with someone, always tries to turn women away or is at least apathetic when they try to get physical with him, never feels that deep and specific bond with a woman– nothing compared to some of his bonds with other men throughout his life. and maybe, hopefully, one day it’ll hit him that there’s a pretty big, glaring reason why no women have ever felt “right” to him.

[loganelfreeces]

Umemiya's Savior, Shitara Yuki, and the Old Furin (Knowledge and Theories)

Now, if anyone paid attention during the Umemiya's Backstory chapters (93-97), I'm sure we all noticed two important players in it.

Shitara Yuki, Umemiya's foster care worker who looks after him.

And the Mysterious Furin 3rd Year Student who saved Umemiya's life.

I've done a little data collecting, analysing and theorising about what knowledge we do have about these two and what information they can tell us about the old Furin before Umemiya was even in middle school. And potentially where they are now and how they could return in the future.

Shitara Yuki (設楽 優希)

According to this Kanji translator, his name means:

設 means "establishment, provision, prepare" 楽 means "music, comfort, ease" (the tree radical in most Furin names is here, I think) 優 means "tenderness, excel, surpass, actor, superiority, gentleness" 希 means "hope, beg, request, pray"

Since we have more knowledge about Shitara, I'd say he's the easier puzzle to crack, so let's start with him.

We know he's a bit of a goofball who keeps a dorky, brave face for the kids to protect them from the violence surrounding Makochi at this time.

But he does deeply care about and is protective of the Furinen kids, scolding them when they worry him and kindly smiling when they need to talk some emotional stuff through.

What I'm most interested is what he says about Furin.

Notice how the other orphanage worker is talking about Furin and Shitara says "That stings", and she responds with "But I'm not talking about you?"

Then there's Mystery Student's comment about how "It's not like what happened during your generation".

Shitara Theories

From these comments we can all but confirm that Shitara was a Former Furin Student, likely while it was a delinquent school when the students were "a little more well-behaved" and didn't provoke the nearby teams. And Mystery Student could have known Shitara when he was a student, or heard second hand through Shitara about his time in the school.

Shitara could also be a glimpse into Umemiya's future; what happens after Umemiya gradutes? Does he stay involved in protecting the town? Or does he work in Furinen, being a good caretaker for kids like him? Or does he become a teacher in Furin, protecting the students?

But that's enough about Shitara. Now onto the main event:

Umemiya's Savior

We have comparatively less information about him, so I'm just analysing him to Hell and back.

What we can infer from the visual information is that he's a 3rd year student (so 17 or 18 when Umemiya is 9, making him 26 or 27 in canon time). He also wears a chain necklace with some kinda charm on the end. Less important, but he has lighter coloured short hair, but we all know hair is allowed to change in this world (Nirei, Kiryu, Umemiya).

I know a few people wondered if he could be Takiishi, but considering Takiishi is around the same age as Umemiya, it's unlikely.

First thing we can confirm is that he's strong. Specifically that he went to Furin because he wanted to get stronger "just like someone we both know", meaning himself and Shitara.

Second we can confirm that Savior was in Furinen for 6 months, 8 years before he met Umemiya (17 years ago in canon timeline). Savior would've been 9 or 10 years old at that time. Not only that, but Shitara kept an eye on this kid, the same way he's kept an eye on Umemiya since then. He also has a close enough relationship with Shitara to trust him to handle stuff he's ill equipped to manage.

Thirdly we can confirm that though Savior was one of the Furin Students wrecking the town, it comes from a place of wanting to protect it. He's trying to stop the teams and gangs from getting too big and becoming a problem for the local area.

So those are the concrete facts. Now for the

Savior Theories

Based on the information gathered, we can confirm that he's got either a role model or a peer he wanted to become stronger for, who Shitara also knew. This person was most likely also a Furinen orphan or a Furin student. And since Windbreaker does this pattern of Serious Guy & Silly Guy (Sakura & Nirei, Umemiya & Hiragi, Togame & Tomiyama, etc), I'm assuming the other student is the Silly to Savior's Serious. As of right now, we can't really make any more guesses about this person.

It's also highly likely that Savior has gone through something traumatic, in order to give him this outlook on Umemiya's situation. It likely influiences why he didn't try to talk Umemiya down from his suicidal thoughts until after Umemiya attempted it himself. He could well have been putting on an act of indifference though to, in a way, give Umemiya permission to make up his own mind about the situation without someone who "cared" about him getting in the way.

Based on the way that Shitara calls out Savior on the mess of the town and the idea that strength shouldn't be used in this way, and how Savior is trying to protect the town by taking down the smaller teams, part of why Savior could've wanted to be stronger is so he could physically defend the town and have what it takes to overcome life's difficulties.

Where Savior is now?

This is more thumbtacks and string zones, but I think he could be one of Suo's martial arts brothers, based on a connection @101suouexpressions pointed out in this fantastic meta here.

Or if I can be much more cracky with my headcanons, I think Savior could have trained Sakura or is the Weather contact in his phone, based on their Big Damn Heroes entrances when saving a weakling in an alleyway.

One thing I'm certain of is Savior is highly unlikely to be in Noroshi or one of the random towns folk. The character design and the significance to Umemiya's backstory even without a name reveal proves that this guy is too important to remain a shadow in Umemiya's past forever.

He, Shitara and the "Silly to Savior's Serious" character are most likely gonna turn up in an arc closer to Umemiya's graduation, when the fate of Bofurin's status as Defenders Of Makochi is under threat with Umemiya soon being forced out of the role by the Japanese schooling system.

Savior may turn up in a gang of his own that have been opperating under their own banner trying to protect somewhere near Makochi, but not near enough that Umemiya would randomly run into him and learn his name. Then they could be paralleled with the Noroshi, who are the Furin drop outs who never graduated and became trouble makers, focusing on this other team as being graduates of Furin who stop trouble.

Or if I could be self indulgent, I'd say that Savior is gonna turn up in the Suo Yakuza arc I imagine happening in the future (I'll make a post about this later.)

Guess we'll just have to wait and see what comes next.

[honeysinpaii]

It's a popular cafe at a busy hour. There's been a steady line at the register since four o'clock hit. Your coworkers are bustling behind you, taking orders and pouring coffee while you try to say the same thing you've been saying for past five weeks.

"I don’t date Bofurin, got it?" You assert with a scowl, manicured hands gripping the sticky counter in frustration.

And of course, just like every time he's asked before now, your words fall on deaf, pierced ears.

"Okay, okay, not a date then," he says with a grin, green eyes glittering with mischief. "Let's go out...as friends."

"No thanks," you grab the hand towel resting underneath the counter and get back to cleaning spilled coffee.

His face falls into a pathetic little frown, overcome with disappointment as he grips the edge of the counter and swings back to crouch beneath the edge. "Pleeaaasssse go out with me? What's it gonna taaakke?" He begs, embarrassing himself to the entire coffeehouse, not that anyone takes notice.

Mitsuki Kiryu. College sophomore. Has dated every girl in his class, and probably the entire town, all save for you.

And it's not from a lack of trying.

While he sips his latte with faux tears in his eyes, your coworker pulls you over in the back fridge to whisper into your ear. "I don't get it, he's totally your type, is rejecting him some sort of sick turn on for you?"

Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, you had to admit to yourself that you found Kiryu incredibly enticing. You've always had a particular weakness for men with an array of piercings. His cotton candy hair held a particular charm for you, and what made it all worse was the way he looked at you with those viridescent eyes.

There was something soft in them. Something playful and mischievous too.

You force the memories of the time the two of you first met out of your head and elbow her in her side as you reach for the milk. "I'm not dating someone that's in Bofurin. Ever."

You replace the empty milk carton on the counter with a fresh gallon in the fridge hidden behind the counter. Cleaning up little messes wherever you go. "And besides," you continue, peeking up from your work to make sure Kiryu was too far to overhear, "He's only asking me so he can tell everyone how he's dated every girl in his class. Perfect score for a perfect loser."

"You don't know that," she defends, though when she looks up over your head to take a look at the pink-haired man, it's with a look of suspicion.

"C'mon, don't you remember the rumors about him in high school?" You continue on your little rant, sweeping up spills on the sticky floors. "He had a new girl every week. There's no way I'd let myself be someone's flavor of the week."

She nodded along beside you, no longer putting her doubts to voice.

Whatever fleeting fantasies you may have had about dating Mitsuki Kiryu died early on in high school. He may have saved you as a member of Bofurin, but you had let that memory go the moment you realized you'd only ever be a fleeting fling to him.

Nirei was wrong about taking chances. Kiryu wasn’t even sure why he listened to him when he told him to lay it all out on the open. He should’ve known his friend would be wrong the moment he said he couldn’t imagine any girl telling him no.

Plenty of girls have turned down Mitsuki Kiryu for a date. He was only some guy after all, and what’s worse, he had received more rejections in his life than acceptances because of his rebellious appearance. He wasn’t the kind of guy a modest girl would take home to her family. And while his reputation at Bofurin had gained him some ground, he still knew that the rumors about him would only make dating harder.

He didn’t care to refute them at first. High school doesn’t last forever, and the girls he saved more than made up for any rumors that might come of being seen together. But now he was two years into college, and while it was easy enough for him to dive into the façade he had built for a summer of one night stands, that summer had quickly gone stale.

What’s worse, you’re a student at the same college he goes to. You’re the only person he’s never been able to get out of his head since meeting.

Not that you ever gave him the time of day anymore though.

There was a brief moment in time after the two of you met that he finally felt he was truly alive. Not living just trying to get by, existing just to see another day, but wholly invested in what the future might bring. Sunsets were brighter, songs were deeper, and he felt his whole life was aglow.

And now it seems like you can’t even stand to be in the same room as him.

Kiryu crumpled up the empty coffee cup in his hand as he leaned outside the building. Tossing it into the receptacle not too far from him. Laying everything out in the open was getting him nowhere.

It’s time to fight dirty.

[rnn11203]

something i was thinking abt lately is Nishikis rise in the tojo clan. what we know abt him already is that hes a hard worker, he earns his own family, hes chastized about it though, being called an ass kisser and dismissing it as “favortisim”. but he GETS that 30 million for his sister in a futile attempt to save her life. i think its obvious to see that Kazama and Nishiki aren’t close, if he ever held affection for the younger man im unsure of it. I really dont think nishiki ever really saw him as a father figure anyways. its clear that kashiwagi is rather lienient with Nishiki, for nishikis sake im unsure of, it seems to be more for kazama than anything.

but i wonder how they felt, kazama and kashiwagi, as the nishikiyama family grew. Did he succeed their expectations? Did it worry them? Kazama was ashamed of his murders, he didnt want to be remembered as that sort of man, did he worry for nishiki? “There was nothing i could do” does that mean he tried to do something? Did they think he’d never get that far?

I like thinking about Kazama and Nishikis relationship alot, its so deeply important to the narrative considering that alot of nishikis ambitions come from a place of inadequacy, resentment, and rejection. yet its…. neglected. hardly even featured in the games. they obviously dont share the same father/son relationship kiryu and kazama do, i think kazama misguidedly thinks they do though. i really hate when people say kazama rasied the orphans like how kiryu does, its stated time and time again that he had other people there raising the children. i think awano even says its for taxes or whatever. (side note i saw someone say that kazama did everything he could to discourage people from swearing up but… did he? selfishly, he would visit those kids, wanting to play father, did he not think theyd feel indebted to him? that he would inspire them?

I wonder how strategic nishiki would be, he was beaten when he stepped on the kazama family’s turf, but did he push it again and succeed? I do sorta think kazama was rather fond of little nishiki. that he let his little hands dig into his pockets for candies, that he could swindle him out of his watches and maybe even cash, that he consoled him when nishiki would cry over yuko. but nishikis not crying anymore, hes a man now.

in the end, nishiki was more like kazama then kiryu ever was.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Round 2, Match 54: Shōta Aizawa vs. Doctor Carmilla

Submitted kids:

Shōta Aizawa: Class 1-A, minus Mineta, plus Shinsou Hitoshi (total of 20 kids). Mainly Eri, Shinsou, and Midoriya

Doctor Carmilla: Jonny d'Ville, Nastya Rasputina, The Toy Soldier, The Starship Aurora, Ashes O'Reilly, Drumbot Brian, Gunpowder Tim, Ivy Alexandria, Raphaella la Cognizi * Marius von Raum

Propaganda under the cut!

Shōta Aizawa:

1. “This grumpy teacher pretends not to care about his students, sleeps during his own classes and why talk when you can also make annoying children silent by (harmless) force? Yet he loves them and they love him while he doesn't show it all that often.”

2. “He didn't mean to adopt them yet he did and he is grumpy about it. If he goes "those are my kids, damn it" it's not to someone else, it's to himself, with the damn it being a "fuck, why". Yet he is so 100% willing to risk his life for them. Because they *are* his kids now.”

3. “Idk the man is so tired what can I say. Harsh as australias wildlife but bc he doesn’t want them to actually die in the field so he’s trying to make them give up on signing up to risk your lives every day. I just submitted kiryu and I think that kiryu, bruce, and aizawa are soul sisters. They are all very special to me”

4. “Oh he tries so hard to stay scary and detached, keeps threatening to expel students, keeps saying he hates kids, and look at him now. Missing several pieces and risked death multiple times to protect them, at least 3 classes of ~20 students each lowkey adoring him, and literally canonically (not said out loud but it's basically official come on, they live together) adopted a little girl that was found by the protagonist and saved from the mafia. Also personally took the matter in his own hands when another department's student (so not one of his) showed a desire to change course, so much that even if this kid has living and loving parents he's often Aizawa's adopted family in fanfiction.”

Doctor Carmilla:

“Morally ambiguous mother who adopts her kids and makes them immortal both to have a family and a band. What can I say. This family is incredibly dysfunctional and so very fun.”

[verdantcrimson]

Heaven and Earth - Prologue

(Unproofread)

Chapter list | Next

[The first year of the establishment of ES. Mid-February. In an ES Meeting room.]

Keito: Now then, I will be returning your answer sheets.

Keito: Here are the results of the flash history test that we of AKATSUKI conducted the other day to test our knowledge of Japanese and World History.

Keito: Allow me to roughly summarize the results. Firstly, I, Keito Hasumi, have managed to score reasonably high in both Japanese and World History.

Keito: Kanzaki scored even higher than me in Japanese History, but his World History grade is abysmal.

Souma: Hehe. My parents have been instructing me in Japanese History since I was a child. I took a liking to it and often researched it out of interest.

Keito: Yes. Your diligence is commendable. However, I would like you to try a little harder in your studies of World History, if you can.

Souma: I am not too fond of World History due to all of the horizontal writing¹.

Keito: Your studies shouldn’t be at the mercy of your personal preferences. Well, more on that later, but for now…

Keito: The problem here is you, Kiryu.

Kuro: ……

Keito: Oi. I’m talking to you, don’t look somewhere else.

Keito: The lecture you’re going to get only increases in length for every second you spend looking away from me.

Kuro: But danna…

Keito: Don’t ‘but danna’ me. No excuses. I’m very disappointed in you.

Keito: Do you remember anything from when we studied to appear on a history related quiz show together? We studied so hard that the textbook was about to fall apart.²

Kuro: ……

Keito: But you’ve just forgotten everything you learned from then. Actually, because you studied so half-heartedly, you might have even gotten worse.

Keito: If I were to critique each and every one of your test answers, we’d be here all day, but allow me to read out a typical one of your unique answers just to give you a sense.

Keito: When I first saw it, I doubted my eyes, my sanity and even my glasses.

Souma: It is difficult to imagine Hasumi-dono ever doubting his glasses.

Keito: Don’t make light of the situation. See here, this is an elementary school level question. “Who was the second shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate?”

Keito: Kiryu’s answer was ‘Ishida Mitsunari’.

Souma: How could that have come to occur…?

Keito: I think he may have gotten it mixed up in his head, since Ishida Mitsunari is often brought up alongside Tokugawa Ieyasu when discussing The Battle of Sekigahara.³

Keito: I’ve told him about the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Keito: How did their opponents magically overtake the government? It’s quite interesting to imagine what might have led to that outcome. I don’t mean this as a compliment, by the way.

Kuro: W-well, it’s not like I mentioned someone completely random, so I’d at least like to be appreciated for that much.

Keito: Yes. Admittedly, you tried.

Kuro: I did, right? I thought about it real hard before answerin’! I dunno why I’m bein’ forced to take a test like this in the first place!

Keito: About that, originally I was planning to properly announce this after seeing the test results—

Keito: But as you can tell, I hadn’t anticipated Kiryu’s brain being such a trainwreck.

Keito: Actually, the announcement was concerning sort of a large job offer for us, but now I’m debating whether to take it or not.

Souma: Were his answers truly that terrible?

Keito: Yes. In fact, some of them are so strange, I’m starting to wonder if he’s being dense on purpose.

Keito: Take this one, for instance. “Name the three people responsible for saving Edo from wartime, otherwise known as the ‘Sanfune of Edo’.” ⁴

Souma: This question was a little troublesome for me as well.

Souma: I was able to recall 'Katsu Kaishu'⁵ fairly quickly, but found difficulty naming the other two. I fear I may have gotten them mixed up with the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration⁶.

Keito: Kiryu’s answer to this is ‘Ishida Mitsunari’.

Souma: Kiryu-dono, are you not perhaps excessively fond of Ishida Mitsunari?

Keito: It is very interesting to imagine how Ishida Mitsunari must have felt after magically conquering his enemy’s forces and then time-traveling to the future to bring about a peaceful conclusion to the Edo Era. That’s not all, by the way.

Keito: Here are the other two names that Kiryu provided as answers.

Keito: ‘Tokugawa Ieyasu’.

Souma: Tokugawa Ieyasu⁷ has now come back to life after being enshrined!?

Keito: And lastly, ‘Ishida Ieyasu’.

Souma: Whoever might that fellow be!?

Keito: No clue. You should ask him. Kiryu, who is this guy?

Souma: Kiryu-dono, could it be that the only Japanese historical figures you remember the names of are Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu…? A-at the very least, you would do well to remember someone like 'Katsu Kaishu'!

Kuro: Shut up already… History doesn’t matter to us in the present day anyways.

Keito: Actually, it does. You see, we’ve been asked to host the ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ show.

Souma: What? Hasumi-dono, could you possibly be referring to that ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ show!?

Kuro: What’s that supposed to mean…… I’m not as studious as you guys, so I’ve got no clue what that even is.

Souma: To put it simply, it is a long-running educational program. I myself have watched it many a time.

Keito: Yes. While most educational shows are aimed at children, this one stands out as a more intense, catered to experts, covering far more intellectual subjects.

Keito: This long-running history-based educational program aims to explore history both broadly and in-depth.

Keito: It’s an excellent show for any fan of History, and it frequently surfaces in discussions of history… You’ve really never heard of it, Kiryu?

Kuro: That a bad thing? I haven’t had much reason to casually ‘discuss history’ in my whole life.

Souma: Ah- Um, regarding the show? Would it truly be possible for us to appear on ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’?

Keito: I wish I could just accept the offer officially. Naturally, such an opportunity is an honor.

Keito: It matches well with our image. However, the hosts of the show must be well-versed in their knowledge of history.

Keito: Hence this test, which was to ascertain our level of knowledge in the field.

Keito: I’m not naming names, but someone performed far worse than I could imagine, and so I fear it may not be possible for us to serve as hosts— Unfortunately.

Kuro: Argh, I’m sorry that that someone was just fucking stupid!?

Souma: I- It’s quite alright, Kiryu-dono. You are by no means a fool. You simply had naught an opportunity nor desire to learn. Right, Hasumi-dono?

Keito: Exactly. That’s why, over the course of the next week, Kiryu is going to learn all about history.

Keito: If he’s still living in a world where Ishida Mitsunari ruled the Tokugawa Shogunate by the end of this— Well, I’ll just pretend we never got any offer at all, and forget about it entirely.

Keito: I love this show, and I would have loved to host it if possible… However, if we’re unsuited for the job, then it can’t be helped.

Kuro: ……

Chapter List | Next

Translation notes (Apologies in advance for the History lesson)

Souma is being very literal here. Most Japanese text is traditionally written vertically.

This is a reference to a previous Idol story.

The Battle of Sekigahara was a clash between the forces of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari. Historically, it was Mitsunari's loss, hence Keito's incredulity later. You can read more about it here.

The 'Sanfune of Edo' (幕末の三舟) are three people credited to preventing war from occurring with their diplomatic skill during the transfer of power from the Feudal Tokugawa Shogunate to the more modern Japanese Empire during the beginnings of the Meiji Restoration in an event known as the Fall of Edo.

Katsu Kaishū was one of the aforementioned Sanfune.

The Three Great Nobles of the Restoration were notable figures during the beginning of the Meji Restoration. Their existence and involvement with the Sanfune during the same time period is why Souma could've had difficulty discerning them.

Souma actually refers to him as Tōshō Daigongen (東照大權現), a name used to refer to him after his death, as he was enshrined as a deity posthumously, on his own wishes, to oversee the next generation.

[imustbenuts]

sits down and thinks

Infinite wealth spoilers and half baked analysis and thoughts

Infinite wealth

Ig this comes across easier in Asian culture context but the wealth in infinite wealth doesn't mean money. It means bonds. (EDIT: by which i mean JP and Chinese.)

The short of it, the words used to describe relationships, karma, luck and fate all are rooted in the idea of threads. These words when written in kanji all have the thread 糸 radical in it. 縁 en is the common kanji word here.

And since luck is deeply tied to money, the idea of Infinite Wealth here is absolutely not (strictly) money. Given how the rgg series and their writers or even Japan has been disillusioned with the bubble boom, and ichiban will turn his back on money over bonds, this tracks for me.

And this is constantly reflected in the stories and substories. The "wealth" of a person is reflected in the bonds between people. It's not a coincidence the game throws old characters from previous games and substories along Kiryu's way. That's the wealth he's accumulated, the wealth that actually matters once he's at the end of his life where money can't save him from what sounds like terminal cancer. It's Haruka and Haruto and the orphanage and Four Shine and all the people he's helped who's more than happy to carry him if he asks.

The "payoff" is constantly in the reciprocating of a person's virtues in terms of kindness, compassion and patience.

Fuck it's getting to me again fuckfuckfuck--

Ending scene

Ebina and ichiban not meeting but being set up to mirror Nishiki and Kiryu's brother relationship...

And kiryu going from recognizing the pattern to outright understanding a repeat of something similar and just shutting it down, chefs kiss.

Plus plus the entire ending scene is dripping with symbolism. I'm about to fucking vomit

So, sosososo-

I noticed by late game before the monologue, Ebina is being a hell warden karmic entity by essentially setting up an underground pain prison for a whole group of people deemed trash by society. And then he reveals his irezumi and oooh

I see I see. That's an oni and a pissed off snake. Nele island, the paradise/heaven of the palekanas getting turned into the karmic hell/jigoku is. Holy shit. Who wrote this?? I will kiss them??!

Someone on Reddit also did a more in depth write up on this and wow delicious . check out the top comment which is even more spot on

I also dk if this made it past the tonal barrier but jp kiryu literally begging ebina to let the yakuzas have a second chance is... Ough. as goofy as that scene was with kiryu planking on top of ebina, he was effectively on his hands and knees begging and I'm. Ow. Owowowowowow wow. OW.

Kiryu in that scene seems to be embodying a dragon. Whimsical, powerful fucks who appear whenever they feel like and according to myths are benevolent too. So when kiryu planks above it's signifying a dragon pleading with the hell warden to let a bunch of people go, almost with its last breath... Crying even that his tears falls on ebina's face, and ebina having this look realizing that the dragon is human. It got me. I finished rgg8 days ago and it's still getting me

WAUGH. IT GOT ME GOOD

Then kiryu collapses on top of ebina, almost as if all the weight and regret he's been carrying on his back comes literally crashing into ebina's reality, and ebina is probably so shocked he doesn't do anything for the rest of the ending.

WAUGH!! x2

GOOFY SCENE BUT I UNDERSTOOD THAT, AAAAA

FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK

Shout-out to Daigo for being the one with the most 'oh shit' expression and legging it to kiryu first. And Majima for legging it 2nd in the background. Man.

In spite of what kiryu says and believes I don't think he could have changed the Yakuza world that much though. One way or another there's just too many factors at play. Hes absolutely right in his speech about walking the grayest road there is.

Ough.

Ichigang

Love them.

Yu Nanba takes the cake for me here for being the most respectful and compassionate about knowing how to handle kiryu as a person with terminal cancer/disability. Ichiban echoes this too, but the way they are all playing support rather than forcing kiryu to do things makes it 11/10 for me

Older folks who lead rough lives and are fiercely independent like kiryu can be ANNOYING reconciling with their health. Bc of a mix of pride and their own lived era/environment, being seen as weak and disabled is deeply shameful psychologically (idk if this is the same in US/UK but I'm speaking from an Asia specific mentality here). In essence many resign themself to death and refuse treatment, medication, or even walking canes. Like they'd rather die than be burdens.

And kiryu def has echoes of this. I wanted to slap him so many times in his bucket list substory. Lmao

Chitose Fujinomiya

Interesting character. She seems to have gone through a "setting-up" arc in this game for future writing if it makes sense.

Her Fujinomiya name sounds like a shout-out to the Fujiwaras, a clan who had total political control of Japan all the way until 1868. These days their descendants have taken on different family names, branched off, and now control some zaibatsu in some of them.

And her family does indeed sound like a zaibatsu. More than likely with what I know above, she will have some political weight as the chairwoman now.

Chitose will be an incredibly valuable key character for future installments of RGG, especially with the political Daidoji faction running about. I'm stoked. The future installments can def go international if they want to. Current geopolitics in Asia has potential as a rgg backdrop especially when it comes to money and gangs.

We have Thailand with localized gangs calling the shots controlling the tourism there. Ie Thailand Tourist Mafias (Also human trafficking and sex tourism. Siam dius/Thai discos are very similar to cabaret clubs too.)

There's also background money laundering going on, where countries and their bank happily take less than clean money for their economy under tax haven schemes. (COUGH SINGAPORE COUGH). There are also lots of trafficking of people looking for jobs into other asian countries and forcing them to work in scam centers...

Basically lots of potential avenues if they wanted to write about these things. So. LETS GO. LETS GO CHITOSE WOOO

ICHIBAN

So much more to say but I'll end with this one. ICHIBAN.

Ichiban has made more progress in terms of emotional and social development, and turning that into proper positive actions, than kiryu has done at that age.

I don't mean this as a diss either but where kiryu was incredibly flawed in his lone wolf ways and unable to leverage his connections with his circumstances, Ichiban keeps pulling through with it. And kiryu to be fair could not have been able to do the same where the Yakuza environment and politics were as fucked as it is in his time.

Both approaches have their pros and cons though, bc Ichigang is now in a position to get sniped if the environment around them turns for the worse.

Idk if it's going there but. Huhu! :3c

I want more but I'm happy and satisfied for now but also if anyone touches me I fear I'm gonna to explode. Waughghhhhhhggr.

Screams

[skysquid22]

In Mine’s backstory in the RRGO story he doesn’t take Daigo’s warnings or authority seriously until Daigo reveals he shares the same sentiment that life is more valuable than money and saves him from his own actions. And……. Augh the little parallels between that scene at the docks and the end of Yakuza 3…….

What defines Mine's motivation is that he's struggling between two different ideals--believing that he can find someone to put his trust in vs believing that everyone is a liar who's only after their own gain. Mostly, he's acting on the latter with his actions and thinking. Seeking power in monetary gain with how he rises in the Tojo Clan ranks in his RRGO backstory and all of his actions during Yakuza 3. Kiryu calls him out on this method and Mine refuses it since he wants to believe in that other ideal. It is very, very apparent that Mine is desperate for someone he can trust for once in his life. He's searching for that answer in his backstory and he's at the point where joining organized crime is a good idea AND he nearly puts his faith in fucking Kanda. [All these excerpts are from the translation I linked above.]

But later, Kanda abandons him using the excuse that the younger brother sacrifices himself for the older brother to live which pretty much seals the idea that the bonds of the yakuza aren’t true trust between others. Factor in Mine saying his belief that their lives are more valuable than money and Kanda immediately valuing the money and the time/effort it took to make than money over Mine… it’s a complete and utter rug pull. One that he knew not to put much value in but did anyway because he wanted to believe in someone more than believe that people only care about power. Who is Mine but two wolves trying to kill each other and the winner dictates his mental and emotional state.

Wolf B won this round and Mine (implied?) doesn’t fight back and just outright asks the second acting Nishkiyama patriarch to kill him faster.

And the same process more or less happens at the end of Y3. He’s losing his reason to live only it’s worse now since he committed himself more to Daigo than he ever did to Kanda. He’s not going to try again and look for an ineffable bond because he had that with Daigo and it’s gone—the thing he’s been searching for all his life and joined the yakuza to seek becomes completely nonexistent to him. All that's left of his beliefs is the one he's been leaning on since he was a kid, that life doesn’t have value over money and everyone lies.

But just like at the docks, Daigo comes back and proves him wrong.

At the docks, Daigo proves to him that there is such thing as a bond you can fully believe in. And on the roof, Daigo wakes up, which completely upends the entire reason Mine fully adopted his nihilistic thinking and killed the optimist inside him. Kiryu was able to get Mine to understand that his thinking was completely wrong, leaving him lost and like his world had collapsed because it did practically. Both core tenements of himself were burned to ashes. With Daigo waking up, Mine realizes that he can still believe in another person.

Before he was ready to die thinking he was ‘right’. At the end, he knows he’s wrong, but he doesn’t believe he’s deserving of that bond anymore. Instead of rediscovering his reason to live, he just found a reason to die. It hurts… I imagine that if Mine was successfully talked down the vibes probably would’ve been similar to this scene in RGGO: Recognition of mistakes from both parties, Mine’s apology (which he does on the roof), Daigo offering a solution, Mine affirming his kinder core belief, and Daigo believing in Mine (ALSO happens on the roof).

Last point on Mine’s state of thinking and the parallels between his origin story and the events of Y3—Daigo straight up tells Mine that his thinking that people only lie to each other and care about power will get him killed. I love foreshadowing when writing a prequel. ALSO crazier to me is after Mine meets Daigo for the first time he’s disappointed in him because “He’s the same as me. Or how I once was…” which says so fucking much about his emotional state at that time AND his relationship to Daigo. The quote is specifically referring to the family bonds within the yakuza and how those outweigh the pursuit of power through monetary gains. Mine constantly assumes that the world is shit, thus acts accordingly to protect himself, but is clinging desperately to the idea that he can come to trust someone. A belief he’s so desperate for he joins the yakuza and nearly forces his answer as Kanda. Mine finally finds it with Daigo, I wonder if he would still consider them the same as one another. (I suppose this kinda supports the idea that Daigo could be Mine, but chose to live life with faith 'forward' rather than assume the worst of people.)

Daigo quite literally brings out the best in Mine. He’s not only Mine’s reason to live... Daigo is Mine’s proof that putting faith in trust is the right answer.

To recap:

[fanfic-lover-girl]

The Real Yugioh Best Friend Characters

Like how Seto Kaiba was the rival prototype, Joey or Jonouchi was the best friend prototype character.

I have seen debates in yugioh gx and yugioh zexal spaces about who is the true rival character (Chazz vs Ryo and Kaito vs Shark). But you don't really see the same debates for the best friend characters. So I want to give my opinion.

First, what are my main characteristics of a BF character?

The protag's soulmate. Someone who shares a deep emotional and/or spiritual connection with the protag. Their stories intertwine.

Someone who is always on the front lines with the protag. Whether in the form of tag duelling, giving tough love encouragement or being a hope to the protag in low points. Brothers in arms.

Someone who is very protective of the protag and vice versa. A friendship where both are willing to die for each other.

Simple enough I hope.

Yugioh DM - Joey Wheeler / Jonouchi Katsuya

No explanation here. No one even comes close to Joey in OG Yugioh.

Yugioh GX - Jesse Anderson / Johan Andersen

Syrus / Sho is meant to be the best friend character to Judai. But he fails on many levels. He is more of a cheerleader type than a true best friend. Syrus hardly helps Judai in anything - in fact, Syrus abandoned Judai in his lowest moment in season 3 (don't care if he was influenced by the curse, the curse only exaggerated existing feelings). It becomes even more laughable when he and that dino guy fight over Judai in season 2. Judai can't count on Syrus when his back is against the wall and if Syrus was more like Joey, Judai would not feel so overwhelmed with everyone depending on him 100%. The exchange students were better friends to Judai in season 3 than Syrus.

Unlike Johan. Judai and Johan are soulmates from day 1. They are equals and they both have a lot of similarities and Johan inspires Judai. When Johan goes missing, Judai's world crumbles and Judai is a madman trying to save him. Not to mention the battle royal with Fujiwara was epic. I did not fully watch GX so I don't know all the Johan and Judai moments but I understand why people ship these two together.

Johan is Judai's true BF, not Syrus.

Yugioh 5Ds - Bruno

I have not fully watched 5Ds but I know the general plotlines. I don't have much of an opinion here. Crow Hogan is supposed to be the best friend and Jack the rival. But I am not impressed much by the Crow and Yusei friendship. Maybe it's because of Crow's late introduction in season 1 and how it felt like Crow and Yusei parted ways before the season began. When I think of Crow, I mainly think of his domestic spats with Jack.

Yusei and Bruno had an instant connection and it was so cute how Yusei was able to geek out with someone. Bruno's death scene still makes me cry on the inside man. Seeing Yusei cry at the end is gut-wrenching :'(

I wish Yusei had a BF like Joey. My main issue with 5Ds is that Yusei is always the one giving - like with Aki and Kiryu. And Yusei's season 1 friends were completely forgotten in favour of the Signers. Yusei deserved better.

Yugioh Zexal - Reginald Kastle / Ryoga Kamishiro

Bronk is supposed to be the BF character. However, like Syrus, Bronk fails to live up to the role for similar reasons. His connection with Yuma lacks any deep impact.

But Shark...Shark is the best. Can I just pause and gush about how much I adore Shark? This dude is one of the best characters in Zexal. Shark is both rival and best friend and I love it! He's like Joey in that he starts off as a bully but Yuma saves him through friendship and camaraderie. Like Yuma did not chase after anyone the way he chased after Shark :'). And my boy Shark is so protective of Yuma. He lost his soul against Kaito, trying to protect Yuma's key. He protected Yuma in the Faker and Mizael fight, getting seriously injured. Shark has Yuma's back people. And the way how Yuma and Shark give each other hope in their lowest moments...oh I love these two so much! And then when Shark is revealed to be Nasch, a Barian, the emotional rollercoaster these two go on. Shark was there at Yuma's side to face Don Thousand and being Yuma's last antagonist was so beautiful. Shark and Yuma are soulmates and Bronk can't even compete.

Shark is Yuma's true BF, not Bronk. And I would argue that Shark is Yuma's true rival, not Kaito. But let's not get into that.

Ultimately, Joey and Shark are my favourite best friend characters. Every guy needs a bro like Joey or Shark in their life. And Bruno actually died for Yusei. The friendships in Yugioh are amazing, so good.

[yakuzacanons]

hello once again prefacing with saying i love ur blog and ur headcanons :3 tbh amongst all the relationship hcs this one feels almost odd to ask but idk this is what i care about: what kind of cake flavours do u think the fellas like? if u were gonna treat em to something or get them a birthday cake, u gotta know what theyd like, right?

Last one for tonight, also anon how did you know I've literally been musing on this idea ever since I first started this blog? Same braincell fr fr. Your mind is huge and wrinkly and powerful. Long one since this now includes characters all through Yakuza 7. Enjoy!

Also, INBOX IS OPEN AGAIN. I finally have less than 10 asks so I feel comfortable taking more on. Hit me with em.

Kazuma Kiryu

Most people think he doesn't like sweets, but in reality he's just kind of neutral on them. Grew more accustomed to them when Haruka was younger as she really liked them. More than anything he's just baffled and really touched that you'd want to treat him to cake of any kind.

He likes simple cakes, preferably without frosting or a lot of decorations. Things like bundt cake or castella cake are great choices for Kiryu.

Majima Goro

Also kind of shocked that you'd want to treat him to cake but also at the same time is very excited at the prospect at being treated to cake. If you surprise him with some, he'll give you a big hug and a very enthusiastic thank you.

Tends to lean towards richer, darker flavors. Chocolate cake with a simple dark chocolate frosting is great for him. Also enjoys Black Forest cake, if you can find it.

Saejima Taiga

The poor gentle giant cannot remember the last time he had cake. It's not really something they serve in prison. Genuinely treasures the gesture and really savors it.

Honestly hasn't got a favorite. Likes cakes with some texture to them, like carrot cake. Does get easily wowed by fancy decorations or toppings.

Akiyama Shun

Out of all the boys, the most likely to return the favor of treating you to cake immediately the next time he sees you. The others would save it for an occassion but Akiyama would immediately pay you back by treating you to your favorite cake.

He's a sucker for Devil's Food cake or Red Velvet cake. Likes cream cheese frosting as it provides a nice tart contrast to the sweet intensity of the cake itself.

Tanimura Masayoshi

People rarely treat him to much of anything so he's giddy as all hell to be treated by you. Would totally love to treat you to your favorite meal on your next date as a thank you. He'd treat you to cake himself but he doesn't really know where to get good dessert. He's better with savory foods.

Likes fruity flavors, especially if they're leaning towards citrus. Pineapple upside down cake or a lemon cake would be good.

Ryuji Goda

His position means he's been treated to a fair share of desserts but it means a lot coming from someone that he personally and emotionally cares about deeply. If you make him a homemade cake, he would be speechless.

Likes cakes with some creaminess of some kind, like Boston Cream Pie (which is in fact a cake despite the name) or any kind of cheesecake.

Nishikiyama Akira

Says something like "Ah, for me? You shouldn't have!" but inside he's like "Oh wow, they got me cake? I don't know if anyone's ever done that!" and he's really happy.

Impressed by cakes with fancy layers inside, like opera cake or battenburg cake. Crepe cakes are also a good idea. Cakes with fillings are also nice. He's more about what's inside the cake than outside.

Daigo Dojima

Similar to Ryuji, his position has shown him a fair share of desserts or birthday celebrations. However, someone treating him personally is a little new. If you make him something homemade, he might actually cry a little.

Partial to coffee flavored things. Although it's not a cake in the most traditional sense, he does like tiramisu. However, a regular coffee cake is also greatly appreciated.

Mine Yoshitaka

Probably the only boy that is kind of opposed to cake. He appreciates the gesture but he just doesn't have a sweet tooth. However, as long it's milder in flavor and not intense in sweetness, he will eat it.

If he had to pick a favorite cake, he'd go with Baumkuchen as it's pretty popular in Japan and easy to get. The sweetness is pretty mild and he likes the vanilla taste as it's not super saturated.

Shinada Tatsuo

Has the strongest sweettooth out of all the boys, even more than Ichiban. Just happy to be having cake with you, honestly. You don't have to be fancy with him either. In fact, fancier cakes are kind of lost on him so don't go getting him something complex like you might do for Nishikiyama.

He's a little embarassed to say it as he thinks it sounds girlie for some reason but he likes strawberry shortcake. Victoria sponge cake is also good, as it's basically the same flavor profile but built slightly differently.

Kasuga Ichiban

Second most fond of sweets of all the boys. Type of guy to share cake with all of his friends. He's more about enjoying it all together than eating the whole cake by himself, if that makes sense.

Genuinely has no preference over what kind of cake you get. Ichiban's got a pretty open mind when it comes to food. He likes the texture of chiffon cake the most as it's super light and fluffy. When it comes to flavor, he likes the caramel taste of flan cakes a lot.

Joon-Gi Han

A sucker for a pretty and aesthetic dessert. Likes his cake almost too pretty to eat. Similar to Nishikiyama in that he will hide how excited he is to be having cake with you.

Likes chocolate cake the most in any form. As long as it's chocolate flavored in some aspect, whether it's the cake itself or just the frosting, he likes it. Dobos cake or Sachetorte are great if you really want to impress him.

Tianyou Zhao

Prefers Eastern style cakes to Western style cakes but will eat both. Actually likes more bite size desserts like cupcakes or moon cakes.

For flavors, he likes coconut or mango cake. A box of really nice moon cakes will also do but it must be at the appropriate time during the year or else he's going to wonder why on Earth you're giving those to him. Also fond of those pineapple cakes from Taiwan.

[yakuzabrainrotlive]

Finished Y4 today!! Just said "fuck it" and played for like... 10 hours??? This is part 1, no way I can fit everything in one post.

A bit of a Kiryu rant/monologue at the bottom.

Akiyama... my beloved, my king..... you kept your money in your office?? In cash??? And the safe itself didn't even have a proper safety system like a passcode?? 😭 Oh my god....

I find it so funny how Kiryu takes like... 10 seconds to consider when Katsuragi tells him he'll have to take on an entire clan's worth of people alone. He really said "aight, bet" LMAO

OKAYYY saw this coming, kind of. Yasuko was really the mvp, taking Katsuragi's ass out like that. Incredible. Rest in peace, queen🫡

This conversation made me UNWELL emotionally. I know Kiryu isn't someone who's shaken up lightly, but this one hit deep for me. What I wouldn't do to see what was going on in Kiryu's head at this moment...

CAN SOMEONE END THIS MAN FR-

-oh. Thank you, Arai! Very cool. I was so happy when I saw this.

I honestly find this man so FASCINATING. He truly feels like his loyalty remains with the Greater Good™ instead of a particular person. He has principles and isn't afraid to enforce them. Love it.

FINALLY. Now, I don't have any issues with Kiryu's thing where wants to live in peace and leave the whole Yakuza life (mostly) behind. BUT.

Since Kiwami 2 I've kind of felt like he's been... indecisive? Nah. I feel like he hasn't been able to stick to that decision. Probably because he has important people in the clan and he feels a sense of responsibility for the clan, idk.

It's almost felt like he's been in.. denial(??) about how much he wants the Tojo clan to remain standing. He's constantly been in a weird sort of limbo where he is neither Yakuza NOR a civilian. And my issue isn't even there, it's with how he's been coming through like a whirlwind, deconstructing the foundations of the Yakuza circles and then just... leaving Daigo and, in a way, Majima to do the complicated clean up and rebuilding. Now, Daigo and co. ARE grown adults and they could ask for help, but... It's always felt weird to me. I know Haruka and the other kids are his uncontested #1 priority and I fully support that, but I also don't think Kiryu realizes just how much shit Daigo especially has been saddled with. Now, I don't know how much Kiryu COULD have done, but... I don't know. It's always felt off to me.

I don't think Kiryu should make a full return to the Yakuza life or anything like that, but I hope he's starting to acknowledge his own feelings and role in all this. Maybe he could be like an advisor or consultant Daigo could call upon when shit is starting to hit the proverbial fan?

At times it's felt like Kiryu has been actively self-sabotaging his own wish to be away from this life. He says he wants to remain at a distance, but he also takes up the mantle of crisis handler quite quickly when he hears there's a storm brewing in Kamurocho. Again, it's probably got to do with his resolve to save people and avoid unnecessary bloodshed, and he HAS resolved the crises effectively AND in a way that's saved many lives, don't get me wrong, but... he has actively made life more difficult for himself this whole time by keeping up this weird inner struggle.

Now, I do acknowledge that trouble does come to find him as well. Ryuji probably would have hauled Kiryu's ass to a duel no matter what he did, and in Y3 Kiryu's sworn brother DID get shot so it was understandable he'd wanna know the truth behind the case. But I feel he has also taken bigger, more active roles than he would have had to.

I do hope Kiryu sticks to this decision and stops running from all this. Stops denying the role he keeps assigning to himself. It's tragic that he keeps being dragged into things because of his decision to join the Yakuza when he was still quite young, but it's time to deal with the hand he's been dealt because of that decision.

Gahhhh, I ADORE how complex Kiryu is. I might sound whiny or like I dislike this guy, but that's not it at all! Kiryu is still solidly in my TOP 3 and I love him.

[frickingnerd]

caught in the lies of our love

pairing: yoshiya "joshua" kiryu x gn!reader

summary: when some pushy creep won't accept no for an answer, joshua steps in to save you - by pretending to be your boyfriend!

"gee, come on, cutie! don't play so hard to get! i'm just asking for your number, you can at least gimme that much!"

for the last couple minutes this guy had been trying to get your number, not accepting your multiple attempts to turn him down. whenever you said no or tried to leave, he would just try harder and step in front of you, preventing you from leaving.

"i told you, it's not going to happen!"

you tried once more to walk past him, with the guy quickly stepping in front of you again and blocking your path.

"come on now! don't be so difficult, just give it to me! i swear, i'm a nice guy!"

your blood was already boiling at how shameless this guy was. he obviously wasn't a nice guy if he wouldn't even accept your no! you were already close to snapping and yelling at him, when someone unexpected came to your aid. 

"didn't they say no? you're not deaf, are you?"

you flinched as someone wrapped their arm around you and when you looked up, you saw none other than joshua grinning down at you.

"is this guy bothering you, baby? would you like me to get rid of him for you? you know i'd do anything for you, baby~"

while joshua addressed you, his eyes wandered towards the guy who's been bothering you. he knew you'd likely turn down his offer, but joshua wanted that guy to know that he wouldn't hesitate hurting him to protect his baby.

"oh shit, i didn't know you had a boyfriend… uhm, sorry dude, my bad!"

the guy had been so cocky before, but at the chance of him getting his ass kicked, he quickly backed away. joshua watched as he hurried off, chuckling amused, before pulling his arm away again and smiling at you.

"thank you… i don't know what i would've done without you, josh"

you sighed relieved, still a little flustered at how close joshua had been to you just moments prior. you had never noticed how much taller than you he was until he stood so close to you…

"don't mention it! he deserved to get scared a bit, hopefully that'll teach him a lesson! next time you're in need, just call for me, baby~!"

[unhappytimeleaper]

Hello, may I request Q, T, and Y with Kuro x reader? Thank you and have a wonderful day. 💟

requested by anonymous

Word Count: 3,150+

I love Kuro. It was a while ago on a chat, but I realized I kinda have a type for delinquents. Oops. This mainly doesn’t go too much into the actions that make him a yan, I do touch on it occasionally or try to slip some of it in there, but I didn’t want to get too off-topic from the letters which meant I had to leave a lot of it out. Also, I wrote half of this 7 months ago and the rest today, so I’m sorry if it’s a little disjointed.

Also, I finally gave in and watched up to part 5 of Jojo, and I have… feelings. My poor friends are being subjected to all of them,, and someone should come to save them. TLDR for those curious, but I did not care for part 3, parts 1 & 2 were decent, I love part 4, from the art style to the characters, and part 5 I adore the characters, but I’m weak to character deaths :(. Maybe with time, I’ll possibly add them to my list but no hopes. Anyway, Kuro.

Kuro Kiryu; Unedited. Gender Neutral Reader.

Warnings; yandere content, mentions of potential threats, alludes to minor manipulation, self-isolating, and simple fights. Nothing is in detail nor is there truly anything bad but as always it is yandere. 

This blog is 17+ please have your age in your bio or tagged; any ageless blog and below the age asked for will be blocked at the end of the week.

Quit: If their darling dies, leaves, or successfully escapes, would they ever be able to move on?

This would vary on if you leave or die rather than escape as he is also one where a lot of the relationship borders on unhealthy. It mainly is because Kiryu has some self-awareness to where things run too far but gets lost in the minor details. His delinquent past might affect some of his actions, but it's not as of he's one to ever use physical harm against you to get you to obey. He tends to focus more on voicing opinions. While he rarely might force you to not interact with others [generally completely strangers rather than friends or family unless he has proof they are bad news], there is a self-imposed guilt you feel when doing so, causing you to avoid others. Unlike others who force rules, and force isolation, Kiryu doesn't make it, so there ever is something you need to escape from. This would be unlike Eichi or Shu, for example. Even being yandere, it’s likely that with Kuro, the relationship develops naturally– or at least appears that way to an extreme extent that there never was some sort of reason to fear Kiryu in the form of genuine escape.

Leaving might be the most common reason or situation the two of you might face. Various reasons; thinking you need to experience life outside of a relationship, becoming tired of the relationship, dating an idol being too stressful, realizing you and Kiryu just don't connect past a honeymoon phase, etc. There are many reasons why you might want to break up, not wholly reliant on his yandere behaviors, but regardless of what it is related to, he often will have the same reaction.

No. Okay, maybe it comes off scarier than he intends when said like that, but Kiryu means, no, we can work this out. You know he's not attempting to come off as scary. He has never been in the relationship, and more so, his fear factor comes from how he traditionally is himself. Kiryu rarely even goes out of his way to threaten others to avoid you; the way he talks and carries himself does that for him unless he can find some valid excuse that even you can’t deny being a good option. Kuro also has never had a past of lying to you when he says he didn't threaten them or did something— it really was the others who picked to act that way post their conversation– although it’s hard to say for sure if there truly was never any violence or threats under his actions. However, no reason to doubt him is still no reason to use it in a breakup. It's not to say that he isn’t aware of his fear factor and thinks of it as a benefit in these situations, but honestly, he tries extremely hard not to do anything bad. He's changed from the delinquent days anyway when he would have quickly jumped to use violence to get them to stay away from you. Really, he doesn't want to do anything to tarnish his new reputation to you, nor have his actions come back and likely affect his sister or career. Leaving him becomes a lot more difficult because while he isn't necessarily the smartest at problem-solving or convincing you to stay as others might be, he tries. He tries so hard that it's impossible to stand your ground firmly. He works to make it so you can compromise [in his favor] to stay with him. Or a break up isn't really a break up— yeah, you've agreed to label it as a break, but this only if it's clear you don't want to date anyone else. Kiryu, even in this situation, hovers around more; not quite a relationship way that you feel you need to tell him to back off, but enough that it feels you're always on the brink of appearing still together. You can blame it on ES, for such a large building; it seems everyone is always wrapped up with each other in some way, although all of it is still profoundly intentional in Kiryu’s actions to stay near. If it is the route of still dating with compromises, these can vary but rarely will it alter or break aspects of his yandere traits as most of these result from his stoic, straightforward, and scary appearance. It's more working on adding things into the relationship to keep you more excited or understanding while a honeymoon phase is over; there are still think you can do together/have in common. Just cause one stage ends doesn't mean to give up; it means working to enjoy the next phase too. So ever really leaving is quite tricky because Kiryu's directness just results in a rebuff of finding reasons to stay, even if it gets to the point staying is just easier than leaving. There even is sometimes a sinking fear that you’d be throwing away the best partner you might ever get because of his personality over this. What if there really never would be anything better? Would you have to come crawling back to him begging for another chance– it’s entirely self-inflicted, but a tiny part of your mind would have to eat away at the possibility.

If you do manage to break up unless you are leaving the country as a whole, where it is hard to avoid Kiryu even if it's clear the relationship is over. Most of his actions feel like he's trying to win you back, such as cooking your meals or asking to spend time with you while he works on a sewing project. It's often weird, but his ability to be direct can make him easily be able to pass it off as being over you. These are just him, well, being him. Even in ways other idols can verify this is just his personality, even if he is being that awkwardly kind self. Under the surface, you know it's more than that… but there is no proof, the uneasiness no one else can understand. Though it's not misplaced, Kiryu's kindness might appear as just his standard attempt to make amends for his past as a delinquent, but everything he does is his goal of making you regret ending the relationship. That maybe you'll fall back in love with him, or you'll come crawling back, calling it a mistake. It’s undeniable that even with his jealousy and misplace tendencies he’s a wonderful partner, brother, and teammate. Kiryu deep down is still a good person fighting against his past and urges– and it’s hard to find someone who would likely treat you as good. Post breakup you’d likely fall back into seeing only happy couples too, it all sinking in just like you feared that even though you have so much life left to live you just tossed aside the best person you could have been with. Perhaps all that anxiety and weird feelings you were getting was from something else– your mind making all sorts of excuses to convince you to just text him those simple words. “Let’s get back together.”

Also all of this is his way of hovering to ensure no one else can pursue or harm you. Kiryu is well aware that even if he's changed from his past, others might hold grudges, and much like how he feared that might impact his sister, he knows that if it got out you were his ex, there is always a chance they might you use against him. Or there might be jealous fans— both upset you hurt him by breaking up or upset that you had the opportunity to date him. There is no telling what might happen, and he might not directly admit these reasons to you as it could become a bigger fight, thus harming the chance of ever getting back together.

Would he move on? If you're around, no. There is always a lingering chance, and if he is around just the same, you’ll unlikely be able to meet someone new. Okay, well, if you were gone completely… maybe. Just like how Kiryu has changed from his former delinquent lifestyle, he also knows there is a point in growing and changing in other ways. Not to say his yandere tendencies heal from this, but he knows it's unfair for him to forever pine after you when you are entirely gone living away from him. It doesn't happen quickly, he locked his heart away for years after this loss, and it's easy to tell even to others he becomes even more reserved [something most won't think was possible, but you proved them wrong]. He might become more snappy with subjects and reject many other forms of care, such as friendships. But in five years… ten years… things might change, and some of that ice might melt again, allowing him to try again. However, the second you show up once again he would be ready to start anew.

Furthermore, if you were to pass away either while dating or post-break-up, where you are still around, the answer is no. Kiryu will have believed that he was lucky enough to have met his soulmate so young, and unfair it might be he doesn't deserve a third chance. His personality is the same as if you were to move away forever; colder, and that stoic nature becomes bitter and quick to tell others off. He doesn't need anyone else, not friends, not someone to love. His sister really would be the only one who would have close contact with his personal life and understand on a deeper level his feelings, usually being the voice of reason to others as to why he became the way he is now [assuming this is in the future and she is also growing up]. He'd care for a grave site weekly, and overall, it feels like a piece of him died along with you.

Tears: How do they feel about seeing their darling scream, cry, and/or isolate themselves?

There are more what feels like two layers, and it depends on the reason and reason you might be having a moment of out-lash at him.

Take, for example, isolating yourself because you’re upset with him or an action he took or an argument. In this sense, Kuro would probably think you’re being childish. This is the behavior his little sister would have if upset or pouting, not an adult in a relationship. He would likely become more closed off and stoic at the moment and find himself annoyed at the action you are taking rather than settling to deal with the problem at hand. Ironically, it’s just as contradictory that he closes himself off too and doesn’t work to resolve the problem, but if you want to act like a childish brat, why should he have to fix the case you started? Kuro isn’t really the type to make it so you’re fully locked away, unable to have any form of life, and thus resort to isolating yourself in disdain for him. If in a fight, you do resort to isolation to calm down or whatever, then it’s expected you should be able to talk for a short moment before coming to Kiryu to resolve the issue. The longer you wait to talk over the ‘tantrum’, the more frustrated Kuro will get and likely leave him in a grumpy, cold mood to you for longer, unable to express his emotions as he doesn’t want to take them out on you either. Like this, his fear factor only increases, and his hovering nature seems to double for the amount of time you hid progressively. Even if it wasn’t forced isolation or him actively trying to scare other people off, they are now wanting to avoid him and you, by extension, even more. In the end, it only seems to backfire creating a cycle of loneliness problems.

As for something like screaming or crying in a fight, Kuro gets quiet for a reason of self-reprimanding. Not that he feels too guilty over his actions but that his actions once again come back around to hurt someone he loves. Kuro is well aware that his jealousy isn’t normal, and that his actions have never been the healthy solution, but he’s trying. He so desperately wants to amend his past, to melt and burn and tear up the negative and harsh feelings of jealousy boiling in his mind and heart. That this could all be normal, you could love each other and not have to feel this way if he just had done something different. And while he’s quiet, appearing perhaps slightly disinterested or the scowl on his face making you only fear more, he does nothing. He doesn’t take a step; he doesn’t flinch his hands, it almost looks like he’s not breathing with how steady he goes, telling himself not to lash out like the delinquent side of him wants to. He’ll simply wait, running scenarios and words over and over in his head while you exhaust yourself. Honestly, he’s probably not even processing the majority of your comments, so fixated on his thoughts. And as your screams turn into whimpers and tears begin to dry along your cheeks— too exhausted to keep going, Kuro will finally make his move coming over to comfort you. He’ll wipe away the crusting tears with a personal handkerchief and wrap you in his arms slowly as you hiccup those feelings away. In the end, you don’t remember what you were even screaming and crying about; Kuro too distracted to fully reflect the cause either. The fights are usually too far and few in between, but they are draining, with nothing ever being resolved waiting for the next time it comes around.

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

Kuro takes a long time, at least compared to the majority of the other idols. And it stems from keeping his guard up— both because of his past haunting him and his natural exterior from being a delinquent, his personality, and his wish to change.

To start, Kuro knows his personality is… rough at least from an outsider’s perspective. He’s aware he’s intimidating, his a wall of a person, and his face doesn’t always convey the intentions in his heart. It’s no secret to anyone that even the softness he has is not easily exposed in his demeanor, nor that his ability to pick and throw grown men isn’t terrifying in itself. Even if you don’t come off as frightened by his rough exterior and bluntness to topics that come off as harsh or off-putting at times pre-relationship, there is a lingering doubt in his mind to rush into things. And this leads to the other point; Kuro wants to change. As mentioned, he’s deeply aware not only of his feeling of being over-driven to a not-so-standard degree but being a delinquent doesn’t come with an easy change. It’s not even the fights that are hard to shake off; it’s all of the mentality, the lessons, and skills that come from that life. He doesn’t want, you know, to see that person he once was. He might still be underneath everything because change is more complicated than people expect. Kuro wants the soul mate relationship he feels; he wants to be the knight, not the villain. He wants the fairy tale love from the stories and movies he watches with his little sister— more than giving in to his jealousy and unsavory thoughts. So he waits. Hoping that things can change, not progress.

And the other reason I touched on a little before. His guard has to be still and shaking when getting into a relationship is not easy. Kuro wants to relax, give in, and just let things happen. But being a delinquent means always being on guard, and his softness, while a strength can only be shown in small amounts, tries to keep himself safe. It falters around you more than others, even more as time goes on, but it takes a long time to chip away that shield. And the other guard is, like I said— Kuro knows delinquents make enemies. He has plenty, and while being a famous idol can protect him more so now others might seek revenge on his sister or you. It’s one of the key factors that both hinder and progresses his yandere tendencies because if his guard is up, you can’t love him back, and you won’t be a target. But you’re around him anyway… and it’s unlikely that delinquents care to verify a relationship’s true nature as long as it’s exploitable.

Between these contradicting factors, it takes months. This is beneficial for Kuro means everything can play out, and fall into a relationship like an average couple. One void is his tendencies fogging up the back of his mind, eating away at his heart. It genuinely starts off simple… progressing into seeing him while he sews— one of the few times he lets down his guard— and hanging out with him more and more. It turns into bringing you lunch and hands brushing over each other. It’s hard to suspect him of doing anything wrong, or thinking anything wrong. His rough exterior becomes a flustering teasing point that makes his ears burn, chin buried in his hand. And the bluntness is useful. Asking you out is direct. It’s effortless and more of a command, so you can only blush and agree when the time finally comes. Kuro doesn’t need to snap or to lure you into something. He’s one of the few that isn’t genuinely trapping you, but that doesn’t change the manipulation and fear dripping down his heart; one day, you’ll see past his facade to the delinquent locked away but never truly gone.

[lethesomething]

Yakuza and coping mechanisms

Yakuza has been my on and off hyperfocus for years now but also in particular the past month, so let's talk about it. And particularly, how many friggin coping mechanisms are in this game.

Disclaimer: I do literary analysis, not psycho analysis, don't come for me.

For all its silliness about fighting roomba's and disco minigames, the world that the Yakuza games is set in, is fucking brutal. They are, at their very core, crime drama's. People get murdered a lot, lives are ruined in various ways, a good third of protags spend large amounts of time in jail, usually for a crime they didn't commit. Most politicians and police are corrupt, racism is blatant and if you don't have a place in the very strict hierarchy of society, it's hard to get back on your feet (hence all the crime). I tend to read a lot of indictments of Japanese society in these games, partly because they are so clearly based on old school yakuza crime drama's.

This means that the characters go through some shit. And what's fascinating, is how they deal with this.

Spoiler warning for, uhh, almost all yakuza games except Song Of Life (since i never played that)

Pretending it's not real

Kasuga Ichiban

The direct reason I'm even making this blog post because he's the most blatant about it. Kasuga is Peak Himbo in that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he manages to take being beaten down Repeatedly and overcomes that with a sense of genuine good nature and optimism that is… honestly kind of hard to believe. The way he deals with any of this, is that he's a nerd who pretends to be in a video game. It's the whole premise of Yakuza Like a Dragon.

And to be fair, Kasuga suffers from an amount of mistreatment that makes me Very Angry in his stead. He has every right to be upset! He is literally homeless in the beginning of the game. If he requires the escapism of going around pretending to be in a jrpg to survive, more power to him. Especially since it works. Dude goes around helping people and making friends. Which is a good thing, because there's no way he'd make it out of Yokohama alive if he didn't have some back-up.

Side note: something similar happens to at the very least Majima, i think, in the admittedly non-canonical events of Yakuza Dead Souls. (yes i played it solely for Majima, no i do not recommend it, the game is garbage and you get more Majima in Zero anyway). In Dead Souls, Kamurocho is overrun by zombies. As a lover of all things Horror, Majima decides he may as well have a good time mowing them down like he's in an FPS while he trudges through the wreckage of society.

Self sacrifice

Mostly Kazuma Kiryu and  Saejima Taiga

If you hate yourself, at least try to be of use to someone. Let's be honest, a lot of the plot of Yakuza games is driven by self sacrifice or at least following some code of honor to its ludicrous ends.

Kiryu is the main example here. The game kinda glosses over this a lot, but he is, at least in Zero, a criminal. He goes around extorting money from businesses. He consistently solves problems through violence. It's kinda the point of the games. But he's also borderline a saint and 80% of the shit he gets into is because of his need to throw himself to the wolves for any person he cares about. He voluntarily does hard time for Nishikiyama, for one. He picks up a stray kid that he will now protect with his life. And it just goes on from there. See, Kiryu may be the famous Dragon of Dojima and the Fifth Chairman of the Tojo Clan and all that, but he would very much prefer not to be? Dude wants to live a quiet life and raise some kids, it's just that he's the protag of a game series about how hard it is to say goodbye to the yakuza life. So the plot keeps finding ways to bring him back, usually as a reluctant warrior to save the Tojo clan or Haruka  or whatever. If he was a little less honorable, he could still be chilling as a taxi driver with an unreasonably hot girlfriend, I'm just saying.

Saejima is very similar, but somehow even worse? Much as I love the guy, he's an idiot. He suffers from the same loyalty and selflessness as Kiryu, but he doesn't even get a cute daughter out of it. He spends Twenty Five years in prison for a crime he (we later find out) didn't commit. He escapes months before his parole to solve the convoluted plot of Y4. Then Goes Back to Jail to atone for (again) a crime he only thought he'd committed, only to escape (again) when he thinks Majima, his sworn brother, got murdered in Y5. As far as i can tell he goes back to jail one last time to finish his actual sentence, and to like, protect the name of the Tojo clan or some shit. My dude. My friend. Come on.

As a side note, acts of selflessness are kind of a big deal in the Yakuza games and one of the main ways to tell if someone is a good criminal or a villain. Kasuga and his crew are pretty big on the whole 'acts of selfless kindness' thing. It also seems to be one of the traits of Daigo Dojima, whose whole being screams 'I don't want to be here but who else is gonna fucking do it'. But in the case of Kiryu and Saejima it's very much verging on reckless self-endangerment.

Fabricated identities

Majima Goro, baby!

The Yakuza games really love this one, but I'll start with the big guy, everyone's favourite character: Majima. This dude has seen some shit. We see him throughout several flashbacks and the span of the games, but most tellingly we see him in Zero, at his rock bottom hero stage. And he's intriguingly unlike the other times he shows up. This is a Majima that's recovering from torture and backstabbing, and forced to do some dude's bidding for scraps. He's a chained dog (pun very much intended) and he's about to lose it.

What's fun about Majima is that he has So Many of the traits in this list. He has a lot of the reckless endangerment and self sacrifice that his buddies Kiryu and Saejima have. He gave himself up a few times for Haruka, he keeps trundling back to save Tojo and Dojima, but there's also a whole other layer of … Flamboyance to him.

And while Majima probably started out as comic relief, the games make clear that it's not all he is, and we get several glimpses of 'old Majima' throughout the series. He'll be in the middle of a self inflicted fight and drop some wisdom, for instance. He acts erratically, he is blunt, violent, exuberant in his dressing up. When given a task his first thought seems to be 'how can i make this Extra', but that doesn't mean the guy is unstable. You don't become a successful businessman with a building company, or a patriarch of your own family, without being smart and strategic. A lot of classic Majima behaviour, i feel, is a case of a mask he constructed to hide the severe depression, that became more of a second nature to him. Majima is one of the clearest examples of 'do what you need to do'. He's a survivor, through and through. Somewhere in there is a decent human being, but Majima will kill people to survive in a harsh world. It just seems like he constructed an extra layer to shield himself from all that.

Joon-gi Han (Like a Dragon): This is more a case of stolen (inherited??) identity, but again, if you don't want to be you, just be someone else. In this case someone he admires. Again: super tragic backstory, questionable life choices. As an aside, Joon-gi is fun because he is both a deadly assassin with someone else's name and face, but also  a Knight stereotype who would do everything for his queen and I think that's neat.

Zhao Tianyou (Like a Dragon): Somewhat more subtle, but Zhao is also a dude that was at one point confronted with a Situation, namely 'oh shit my dad died and now I'm in charge of a violent gang'. And to deal with that he decided to construct a persona that gives exactly zero fucks. He is very joking and very avoidant but we do learn that a fair amount of his laid back attitude is just veneer. Dude in fact gives several fucks. You don't decide to give up the throne and become a homeless sidekick to Himbo Supreme because you don't care. You do it to stop him from getting ultra-murdered by the parade of heavily armored gangsters he keeps storming into.

Akiyama Shun (Yakuza 4-5): I debated putting him here, because part of me believes Akiyama is just kind of a dick. A dick I love as a character, but still, ya know. At least some of the dickish persona is a front, though. Akiyama is another one that just saw his life's work destroyed at some point, and decided that emotional detachment was the way to go. Akiyama is different because he was never actually a proper criminal. He was homeless for a bit, and then came into some money (through Extremely Convoluted Plot Means) and now he's a moneylender. And like Zhao, he mostly pretends to be completely devoid of feelings, while having a fair amount of feelings. Enough to get into like… fist fights. With actual gangsters. Who have guns.

Vice

Sex, drugs and everything in between

The preferred way for noir drama's to show someone is Going Through It, is by giving them a classic addiction and Yakuza isn't any different. It's why several characters are shown mournfully smoking, in particular Kiryu and Majima. Yes I know it's because it looks cool and harks back to old crime movie atmosphere. That doesn't make it a healthy coping mechanism.

Another obvious one, considering the setting of the games in several red lights districts, is erotica. Both Adachi, the ex-cop from Like a Dragon and Shinada, the ex-baseball player from Y5 and also my least fave protag ever, are both in various stages of obsession about porn, sex work and the likes.

Tanimura, the cop from Y4 has a pretty severe gambling problem in the actual canon, though gambling games and casino's are a general mainstay of the Yakuza series. It's just that when Kiryu interrupts his busy day of solving the convoluted intrigue du jour to gamble in an illegal underground casino, it's not a character flaw.

Also: almost everyone drinks ludicrous amounts of heavy alcohol in these games. Both in canon and as part of the gameplay. 100% ing the games usually involves drinking tons of whiskey, but the whole Ichiban crew, sans I think Eri, is shown drowning their troubles at various times.

Violence: I mean, that's kind of the game, but an unhealthy amount of characters consider fist fights to be a good way to resolve conflict, bond with people and generally reinvigorate themselves. Particularly Majima is shown to get a real kick out of doing damage and being beaten up. There's just a lot of reckless behaviour, which is what makes the games good.

Karaoke: fake it till you make it, man.

Extra note:

You'll notice there's no women on this list, and that's because honestly the game is kinda sexist. So while there's already Very Few women in the game, the ones that are present don't exactly have super complex characters.

Mukoda Saeko, the hostess from Like a Dragon, drinks like a fish but that's about her main flaw.

Other notable female characters are Kiryu's kid Haruka, Kiryu's love interest Sawamura Yumi (Kiwami) and Kamataki Eri, the business lady from Like a Dragon. They're all stereotypical Good Girls who have no flaws apart from indecisiveness and an unhealthy tendency for selflessness.

Saejima Yasuko is ever so slightly more complex: her main trait is self sacrifice. The story promptly fridges her for it.

[rnn11203]

Gets me so antsy when people say daigo is a useless character bc like what… how many times has HE saved kiryu bc he shows up and kills the enemy (yakuza 3, yakuza 5) hell even in yakuza 4 daigo is in a lose lose scenario, selling out majima is quite literally his best option. He lost two of his largest and most profitable families (kashiwagi too) after y3. His aim is actually crazy too we’ve seen him shoot a gun out of someone’s hands three times (y3 +y5)!! Like wdym useless!! I fully believe daigos charisma is unmatched when compared to kiryu, yes kiryu inspires people but its only ever been people who are semi close to him, unlike daigo who amasses crowds around him (kiwami 2, y3, mentioned in y4 but yk, y5 and y6 + lad7 and gaiden too).

I really hate when people say kiryu wouldve been a better chairman bc… he was. He was literally chairman. And yk what? He instantly resigned. Sounds like a bad chairman to me idk!!! Don’t even get me started when ppl try to say daigo wasnt involved in the plan for dissolution bc arakawa says daigo allowed him to continue to leak info to aoki “at my request Arakawa played the part of a scheming callous traitor”!!!! , watase says that daigo sought him out to plan it!! Watase was in prison when this was happening like how could he alone come up w this!!! THEY LITERALLY SAY INGAME THAT IT COULDNT HAVE HAPPENED W OUT DAIGO!!!!

Like wdym daigo disappoints kiryu ITS LITERALLY THE OPPOSITE?!?! Kiryu SAYS this himself in y6. “I failed you” “i considered you a son but i never thought to actually stand by your side” “instead of cherishing our time together, i threw it all away. Rejected our bond.”

Literally listing his reasons to why he doesn’t believe his “death” deserves to be avenged.

I think kiryu is a great guy, at worst he’s misguided, under or overestimates others, but he was and would not be a good chairman. Kiryu wasn’t dedicating his life to the Tojo, he wanted to protect his family, but daigo? He says in y4 that hes too prideful to give up his title of chairman, but i think its love, he loves the Tojo clan and his men, in y4 he says he’d do whatever it takes to protect the clan. That’s what makes him such a great chairman!

Daigo dojima… that man that u are… I love u..