#started playing Kiwami finally …

[taoyakozi]

Certified !

[lorillee]

WE GOT ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

[byanyan]

frothing at the mouth and downloading the next game as i learn (belatedly, as usual) that there's a live action series based on the yakuza games coming out soon—

[smol-tired-binch-blog]

Opals and Moonstones

AKA Smol Once Again Uses Birthstones And Birth Flowers To Do Character Analysis. This time we have a twofer, as we'll be looking at Nishiki AND Kiryu! (with a bonus Yumi!) (this is gonna be another long one so please do check out under the cut)

Let's start with Nishikiyama.

His birth date is October 8th, 1968, leaving him with the birthstones opal and tourmaline (originally specifically pink tourmaline but now includes all types).

Now, apparently, tourmaline is the modern birthstone for October, and was made so in 1952 with the approval of the American Gem Society and the National Retail Jewellers Council. I will expand on this stone in another post, because it's the opals I really want to focus on (although it's worth noting that both stones are apparently good for emotional stabilisation, grounding, and healing. :) )

You see, the reason they threw in pink tourmaline as new birthstone is apparently because "In October’s case, the opal was seen by many to be too feminine in appearance and there were questions about its durability". Opals are a very delicate stone, with a water content of 5-10%, which leaves them very vulnerable to cracking under very dry conditions or sudden changes in temperatures. It can even cause them to shrink or expand, so they need a bit more care and maintenance (although you can apparently improve them by wetting them with a lil bit of water, which, idk, I find that fun because fish live in water, 'nishiki' is a koi, you get me?)

We all saw how Nishiki handled suddenly having most of his family and support network ripped from him plus the added pressure of running a new family full of people who very openly disrespect him and see him as some useless weakling they're all obligated to deal with. I'm not the only one who sees the opal parallels, right?

So, opals are a soft, feminine, easily damaged stone, but they also represent love, passion, luck, and healing, and associated with channelling strong emotions. In Roman times it was called the Cupid Stone, and was well-sought after, so overall has a lot of positive meanings and connotations...until a random-ass novel accidentally lead to them being considered bad luck. How dandy.

Now, Kiryu. And by extension, Yumi.

Kiryu's birth date is June 17th, 1968, and Yumi's is June 30th, 1971. (I find it very amusing that Kiryu forgot about Yumi's birthday when it's only a couple of weeks after his lmao)

This means that these lucky ducks actually get three birthstones: alexandrite, pearl, and moonstone.

Alexandrite apparently brings luck, intellect, and prosperity, somewhat similar to tourmaline (it can even be a similar colour to it). Pearls on the other hand symbolise wisdom, especially wisdom gained through experience, as well as calmness, integrity, and loyalty.

I think this is very fitting for our favourite dragon, isn't it? A man whose experiences help him grow from a naive kid into a man who stands by his principles and does whatever he can to help and protect his loved ones althoughitcanbearguedhowmuchhelearnsbutthatsapostforanotherday

But again, there's a particular stone I want to look at, which is of course the moonstone.

It's another stone associated with good luck and fortune, apparently considered sacred in India. It's also a stone of new beginnings and inner growth and strength. Again, fitting for Kiryu's return to Kamurocho after 10 years in the joi- behind bars. However, the reason it interests me is its connections and similarities with opals.

See, at first thought/glance, the two stones are very similar. They're (usually) a white colour but reflect an entire rainbow. And yet, they do so differently; moonstones has what's called 'adularescence', a faint glow akin to the moon shining on the ocean's surface, whereas opals are, naturally, 'opalescent', which is more glittering specks of colour.

Both stones are associated, of course, with the moon and the ocean (as are pearls). Both are considered good-luck charms, are meant to ground emotions, and are associated with femininity. Like, look at this:

Doesn't this sum them up? They're similar but different; Kiryu's calmer, grounding presence combined with Nishiki's more emotional, passionate nature. No wonder the two of them make such a great team!!!

And then I saw this:

:)))))))

It's just....if we keep up with the birthstone imagery/parallels, this means that the two people Nishiki loves the most are 'spiritually' incompatible. That, and the fact that opals are "softer and more easily damaged compared to moonstone" (see how Kiryu handles adversity vs Nishiki handling his struggles). Yknow despite this long-ass post I really don't know quite how to articulate what I'm trying to say, but I'm hoping you see what I mean?

The two men need each other and are stronger together however this strength is so amplified that when the two are separated Nishiki looks so much weaker in comparison, at least in others eyes. He cries, he gets overwhelmed, he lashes out and yells when he's angry, he makes his emotions known. He cares so much about image and how he presents himself to the world, but he has the bad luck of being next to a man with freakish levels of raw brute strength and a naturally stoic outward appearance that he just isn't as impressive in comparison, even though he's NOT unimpressive or incapable! I'm pretty sure that of the two, Nishiki actually knows what the fuck he's doing!

And that's the thing, people think Nishiki is nothing without Kiryu, himself included, but what is Kiryu without Nishiki? The man loves his brother, and I think he's the only one who seems to have an inkling of Nishiki's worth. The two banter and he's like "oh, like you know so much" about being a yakuza and how one should act, but I do think Kiryu trust Nishiki. He goes along with what he says for the most part because he 'knows' that Nishiki knows what he's talking about. He looks up to Nishiki. He sacrificed his freedom to protect him. After those 10 years he wanted to see his brother again.

Unfortunately, a lot changed in those 10 years. The opal cracked under the pressure. Its power and influence grew but its sense of self and stability shrank, leaving it both far too big and far, far too small for its setting. All it needed was a bit maintenance, a bit of care. But it didn't receive that. And instead, the moonstone ended up alone.

[emptylotfiasco]

my yakuza games tier list

[sanpape]

I'm torn between finishing Kiwami 2 and starting re8.

[kamuro-junrenka]

(❗️Spoilers for like all yakuza games especially in the tags❗️)

Tbh the one thing i genuinely hate about yakuza is that when you play enough games you realize the same exact thing happens to every villain and it gets sooo fucking boring and annoying (at least for me obviously i cant speak for everyone) because its like. Kiryu fights the bad guy, the bad guy loses, and something happens that makes the bad guy either die or dissappear forever and im so tired because now every time i play a yakuza game and theres a villain or just someone who has different ideologies from kiryu WILL die or dissappear so i just. Dont get hyped at all :(

[yyxandere]

Hello! I have a small idea about the attitude of several yanderes from the Tojo clan towards their darling (this will be drastic and inexperienced, be careful 🤺):

Daigo, during his idle period, may take you for granted, neglecting you, but after Kiryu knocked some sense into him and became chairman, he began to greatly regret his behavior in the past. Therefore, he tries in every possible way to make amends to you like a beaten puppy. Mine tries to help him with this, looking for all the information about you and keeping an eye on you, reporting all the details to his master. If Daigo finds out that some men are too close to you, he will "convince" you to behave more decently (if they are lucky enough to survive).

Nishikiyama is not shy about showing his affection for you by giving you gifts or taking you on dates to expensive restaurants. Such an obvious braggart for you both before the events of Kiwami and after. He rarely takes his eyes off you, so I don’t rely on myself for a particularly long time.

Kiryu is so awkward when it comes to expressing his feelings, but he really tries! Oh, how he loves it when you spend time with the children! The way you take care of them even including Haruka just makes his heart swell with respect and love for you. In addition, Kamurocho is rich in all sorts of places for entertainment such as bowling alleys, game clubs and especially vending machines with plush toys. So you two are definitely not bored.

Kashiwagi may seem callous and cold at first glance, especially in Yakuza 0, but this is only at first glance. He expresses his concern when no one is looking. Did you leave after preparing food for him? He devoured it in a short period of time like a man possessed. Were you offended by some idiot? Don't worry, he's already kicked his ass. Do you want something? Everything is settled, the desired item is already on your coffee table! But over time, he becomes more open about his feelings towards you, becoming softer and more relaxed. Imagine his indescribable gratitude and happiness when you still agreed to be with him even after he left the Tojo clan. He is completely yours, your honor!

-ˋˏSINCERELY YOURS. . . ->

Anon. I will kiss you on your sweet, delectable lips right now. CAUSE THIS ASK IS HEAVEN SENT.

It’s been so long since I played Yakuza, so if the characters are OOC then please forgive me cuz it’s really been a long time (ノωヽ)

YOU ARE SO RIGHT ON DAIGO'S PART IT'S AMAZING!!!!!

Daigo in his early day would definitely be an asshole to you, he won't lay a finger on them but he would definitely ignore his you. Daigo loves them all right, but after what happened (Him and Ryuji), his pride is shattered and because of that he acted more of an asshole and of yes, in that period of time he really took you for granted, but when Kiryu saw or heard of what was happening (maybe you and Daigo still in a relationship, no kidnapping yet) Kiryu would absolutely slam him and like what you said knock some sense into him, he will give Daigo an ear of how to treat you properly.

After he became chairman, Daigo grew into a much more level-headed person, he thought more logically and more of a decent person rather than a brute. It wasn't easy for him, but he finally managed to learn better ways to approach you. However, you were always very cautious around him since he has been so cruel in the past, he knows. So he started to pay attention and he is trying to get closer to you. And he is making progress by spending time with you even if it's a fraction of time. Let's say even if he tries to spend time with you it doesn't work because you can't really seem to love him anymore because of his past. Then he got that part covered, you are now dating one of the strongest Yakuza clan in Kamurucho, hell even if you leave the city, the Tojo clan's reputation and influence is everywhere, so no matter where you are you're always going to be found, plus is it not for the better if you stay with him rather then leave? If you leave Daigo you won't have any protections against other Yakuza rivals, plus he is a whole new man mostly for you.

And since he is the new head of the Tojo clan he will have many men on his side, and one of the most loyal of them all is Mine. he is absolutely devoted to Daigo and will do anything to keep him happy, so if Daigo requested him to set up cameras, Mine would obey his command without hesitation. Daigo need information about the friend you were hanging out with? Bam, he has all of their records, their family, their last hospital check, their messages, whatever Daigo needs is there. Daigo's schedule may be full but if he does manage to make time, be prepared to be snuggled with love and riches. You've been eyeing that bag for a while now? He will come inside the store with you grab it and give it to you THEN pay for it and whoever decides to even harm you both on your outing, their ass be prepared for an ass whooping of a night and after that maybe if they are still conscience he will call one of his men to deal with the random thug. Most of all, Daigo now as a chairman will be more soft and loving towards you, like you said anon, like a puppy.

UGH MY FAVORITE KOI TATTOOED MAN NISHKIII :(((( (i just really wanna hug him bro)

Now Nishki was never afraid to show his love, it was like he was always in that honeymoon phase in the relationship, always bringing you flowers, you and him going out on walks or him giving them chocolates, you kept on telling him many times that he shouldn't do all of this, but he disagrees. St first you thought that it was only a phase in the relationship, but nope, many months in and he still does it, and slowly it's getting quite overbearing, even if you ask Nishki to give you some space, Niski is going to look at you with eyes like a beaten puppy and so ever since you have not said anything, worrying that you might hurt Nishki's feelings. Nishki is a huge romantic, he would always hold your bags and all and he would always pester you about living in the same apartment as him, you told him that it was too quick, Nishki at first would give you some space, but that wouldn't stop him from asking over and over again.

Now if we go the Nishki who is a different man than before, it's now like talking to a different person, Nishki before was a romantic wherever you went, he would always give you kisses and whatnot, but our blood-stained Nishki doesn't, don't get him wrong he loves you dearly but now it is a WHOLE different level. Remember you don't want to live in the same house as him? Too bad, he doesn't even ask the question, your'e already at his house with high security, so make sure that you will never leave. Nishki had been through hell and back, losing his brother, being compared to him, swallowing his own pride in front of his men, and the cherry on top, the passing of his dead sister. Nishki grew more paranoid, he became selfish he is like a feral dog protecting a bone or such, he is fuming and ready to blow someone's head off if they EVEN think to take you away from him, his keeping you captive is like a defense mechanism after all the things he went through, screaming and yelling won't do anything, it is much better to be quiet and do whatever he wants rather then be starved or slapped by him.

Can't make a post without mentioning my GOAT!!!!

Ah, Kiryu. The Dragon of Dojima is such an honorable and respectable person, the art that was placed on his back signifies the power and strength he holds, everyone knows his name in the city of Kamurucho or the dark underground, he is what a man wants to be, strong, respected and cold- wait is that him with a person holding their hands?! And in a closer look, HE IS BLUSHING?!!!

Jokes aside, our main man, Kiryu is an absolute oddball, he's a strong and composed man and can manage to have a clear line of thinking even in a dire situation, but whenever you near, or even hold his hands, inside of him, he is FLUSTRED, let us just hope that you're oblivious to that or else this man will go in a blushing state, good thing that Kiryu doesn't show to many expressions and just shows a stoic one. Like you said noonie, he really tries to show that he really loves you, Kiryu knows that he can be kind of bad when it comes to FULLY expressing what he wants to express, so he does a lot of acts of service, he regularly listens to your problem he even tries to learn how to cooks so you won't ever eat anything unhealthy.

Now if this is the time when Kiryu has Haruka, that's when things start getting interesting. Kiryu desires a normal life, especially a domestic one, he doesn't care who wheres the apron not, and he doesn't care at least you're happy, heck he would be content if he is a stay-at-home husband, and while you work, every time you went back home after a long day you would smell newly cooked food and steamed rice ready, while Haruka helps Kiryu with preparings the plates, but of course if you want to take a bath first, the tub is already filled with warm water its really your choice. Kiryu trusts you, that you won't go away or leave cause of Haruka, You heard what happened to Haruka and Kiryu knows your kind heart and in that moment knew that you won't ever leave Haruka or him, such thoughts could make you feel guilt for the rest of your life., you'll be another parental figure to Haruka no matter what.

Still, on the idea of domestic Kiryu, I would imagine all three of you go to a family outing or some such, maybe a weekend when you guys are in the park eating picnics or even the nearby arcades, both Haruka and Kiryu are gaming nerds. If ever Haruka wins a plushie from a vending machine, she will give it to you and the scene always makes Kiryu's heart flutter since Kiryu is a family man, if there was someone who would be foolish enough to hurt his family (even if you guys aren't married yet) he will show them that living in the Yakuza for many years showed him many different punching techniques…

Now…for my favorite old man……

Devotion. That's one word to describe Kashiwagi when it comes to your love.

You know how much he cares because even after all of those years with you he never lost the way his heart beats faster or his cheeks burn red, because of you, because of what you did and made of him, it is hard to imagine the day where he doesn't feel your presence, your heartbeat in his ears. When you first met him he was cold, and his piercing gaze was frightening, but with some kind of miracle both of you decided to see each other, he became softer, of course, but is still cold and stern when it comes to the Yakuza business, but at home or whenever yall meet, hell ease up his worries. I highly doubt that anyone would even dare stand where ever you are when beside you is a menacing man, who they do NOT wanna fuck with. He is very overprotective of you especially when he is a high-ranked officer, so there are going to be many enemies just waiting to strike against you.

And oh lord, whenever you do such domestic things like, make him coffee, give him his bento, or even kiss him after a long day doing shady business, he will just become putty on your hands, your hands are like magic to him and I feel like his men know about you, so whenever you visit Kashiwagi whenever he's in a bad mood he will immediately lighten up keep his voice to a minimum to not scare you.

After he left the Yakuza, he would do more acts that he had to restrain because he was in the Yakuza, most of the time he would kiss you (on the cheek only) when there were few people around. You also bet your ass that yall are gonna get married, he always dreamt of marrying you when you both became a thing muttering your name with his last name or better yet both of you having kids of your own. So when both of you were married he was crying his eyes out man, seeing you in a white shiromuku (traditional Japanese wedding dress) just comforts something in him and the ring on your finger signifies the love you both have for each other. If you ever have a kid (biologically or adopted) he would give them all the love there is, he might be a stern father but he has his sweet and soft moments with them (I find him having a girl). Like Kiryu, he is a family man, and whoever touches his small family must know that this man was in the Yakuza and knows his way to pummel people to the ground.

UGH YAKUZA MEN ARE THE DEATH OF ME, I GOT A BIT CARRIED AWAY SORRY FOR THAT ANON, BUT YOUR ASK WAS SO FUN TO WRITE TBH!!!! SO PLEASE DON'T BE SHY AND SEND MORE IF YOU WANT TO!!!!

[cassanova-star]

✨️Majima Everywhere!✨️

I've been playing ALOT of the Yakuza game series recently. I finally finished Yakuza Kiwami (remaster of the original first release) and just started Yakuza Kiwami 2! 💖

Some of my absolute favorite cutscenes are between Goro Majima and Kazama Kiryu. They are just so fun! Plus, Majima is easily my favorite character in the series thus far 🤣✨️✨️

I couldn't help making a cute chibi sketch of the two based on the "Majima Everywhere" plot from the first game ✨️ Maybe I'll turn it into a full colored piece in the future 🤷🏼‍♀️

[fabiansociety]

yakuza 0 is a good place to start the series, but it maybe makes more thematic sense coming between yakuza 5 and 6, since it continues 5's downbeat themes better than it leads into 1's plot, and majima's relationship and eventual separation from makoto prefigures kiryu's final abandonment of haruka and the morning glory orphans in 6 pretty strongly.

majima learns in 0 what kiryu doesn't learn until 6:

that attempting to live in both worlds harms the people from the straight world you want to protect, and that in order to keep them safe, you have to abandon them despite the love between you and resign yourself to be a dog without agency for abusive and powerful men who will use you and discard you without a second thought

it's a garbage lesson, to be sure, and you can see how much harm it does to both of them, but the thematic throughline is clear from 5-0-6; kiwami 1 and 2 in particular are active rejections of that idea, so the resonance of the games is a little muddled when played in internal chronology order, or at least it makes majima's role as protagonist less clear, since he doesn't recur with anywhere near the same tragic nobility in the rest of the series. he's not a foil for yakuza 0 kiryu, but he is a foil for the kiryu of 5 and 6, someone who suffered, who was out, and who saw his connections actively weaponized against the people he cared about. it would have been nice to have some of that conveyed in dialogue between the two of them — and it would have been EXTREMELY NICE AND CORRECT to give haruka the same narrative presence and agency in 6 as makoto got in 0; makoto at least got to end the relationship on her own terms in a way that haruka just didn't (and i'm still mad about) — but the game possibly functions better as a flashback than it does as an introduction as a result.

[cowboymantis]

I am having so so so many feelings about Infinite Wealth and I've just been spamming my friend with essays about my overanalyzing brain that obsesses over every single detail in media I am obsessed with,, BUT THIS GAME IS JUST SO FULL OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR IT AAAAA!!!

I just wanna note some longer thoughts down, because I need somewhere to collect some of them,,,,

So yeah, uh, obviously:

LIKE A DRAGON INFINITE WEALTH SPOILERS

(any Yakuza game really, but this is the most recent one, so more likely that people haven't played that yet)

Number 1:

So first of all, Kiryu's parts are, because of the bucket list stuff, very focused on the past. He's trying to tie up loose ends, in his own way and how much he is actually able to do with the Daidoji restrictions.

So I think it was really fitting that he was the one fighting Ebina. In a way it felt like him fighting his past and trying to turn it around.

Now what do I mean by that? Let's start from an earlier point.

Basically, the game is a bit like a mirror to Kiwami in some ways.

Lani is like Haruka, hunted down by several groups of people and they even talk about this similarity being Kiryu's leading factor of motivation in helping her. I mean, there's also different mafias and a whole government conspiracy. But I mean, nothing new in a Yakuza game, but just one more thing added on top of it all.

Where it really starts to show and made me think "Ohhh...wait a second" is when Ebina held his speech about his past. Ebina and Ichiban, even though they didn't grow up together like them, are so similar to Kiryu and Nishiki. One being the Yakuza boss Arakawa's "favourite child", who also idolizes him, and the other one grows to hate him.

And I think this is also the moment where Kiryu realizes "Oh no...history is repeating itself again, isn't it..."

So at the end of the fight, when he actually breaks out in tears and begs for no one to die, it feels like all those deaths he couldn't prevent over all those years, good or bad people, just make him completely break down and he just wants this endless cycle to finally end.

Before the game came out, RGG and actors, in some occasions pointed out how this was a happier game. It makes you feel like looking up instead of being sad.

And while I was playing, I often just felt "Bruh, they lied to us. This game is so sad???", but after I then finished the game, I just sat there and felt such a big relief, the ending just was honestly perfect (well, I mean the cliff hanger was awful jddhd). But then later, it also made me think yeah, this is kind of like a positive version of Kiwami, isn't it? It just feels like it's in a way Kiryu's tying up loose ends with Kiwami's happenings. Fighting his past, finally getting over it in a way.

I thought more about this when I listened to Ebinas boss theme again, because one part has those bells(?) And they sound so much like in For Whose Sake. And then I thought back to the ending more and realized that the whole buildup of it was so much like Kiwami too!

In the finale, first you fight [Villain], who is also the main culprit behind a big government conspiracy. He has helpers with him, and attacks with a gun/guns.

At first you only fight the helpers, then him together with those helpers.

The music is intense and dreadful, everything feels really epic.

Then, after that fight, it goes to the REAL final boss fight. Inside a room, high up on the Millennium Tower, you fight him. Both Nishiki and Ebina are so similar already in their own ways. And the fight is more personal, with emotion behind it. Just that it ends with Nishiki killing himself, but Ebina, while he basically begs for Kiryu to kill him, survives.

The music during the fight has it's ups and downs (intensity-wise) and manages to feel both melancholic and relaxing, as much as they hype you up.

So yeah, it's all such a direct mirror up to the point how it ends. And Kiryu was trying his hardest to prevent things from happening again.

There are often similar themes and plots throughout Yakuza, makes sense, such a long running series, but I think in this particular case it's just so very fitting and it's just SO similar and fits the reflection and fix-it theme of Kiryu's part of the story so well. Especially with how Kiryu's tragic story all started with Yakuza 1 (going by release), still haunting him through every game with constant flashbacks, and now it ends with a story so similar.

Or well, let's hope so, I just want Kiryu to finally rest bruh 😭��

Number 2:

"Rupture". The name of Hanawa's theme in Gaiden.

Just blatantly taking dictionary definitions here, but there are two ways the word "Rupture" works:

1) (especially of a pipe or container, or bodily part such as an organ or membrane) break or burst suddenly.

"If the main artery ruptures, he could die"

2) breach or disturb (a harmonious feeling or situation).

"Once trust and confidence have been ruptured, it can be difficult to regain"

Keeping that in mind, moving on.

Maybe listen to Hanawa's battle theme for this one, to really visualize it.

Now, whenever I put on the good ol' Gaiden All Boss Battle Themes video, whenever Hanawa's theme came on, I thought wow, this song is really completely different, huh.

But the nature of the song felt quite fitting for a character like Hanawa.

It starts of dark, mysterious, there's a sadness to it. Just like Kiryu now, he has been a man who once "died" and has since then been forced to live in the shadows, his every move being controlled by others. He's like a bird trapped inside a cage.

Then, the song picks up, becomes more intense.

Hanawa's internal struggle and his fight with Kiryu.

When you fight him, the whole scene around it honestly, is like the bird trying to escape this cage. And while nothing that happened was really "real", as in, no fatalaties would've happened because it was all a test, it did feel real for Hanawa and Kiryu. Now looking at the second definition for rupture, it's just like here, on a way more emotional level. And all so sudden. And this is the beginning of him being more and more risky when it comes to the Daidoji, and he keeps on helping Kiryu more than he should, its like his rebellion.

In Infinite Wealth, during the raid on the safe house, it was also all so sudden. It all happened so fast.

The music is picking up. It's nearing the end of the song, and everything becomes so loud and overwhelming - Hanawa suddenly gets shot and dies - then immediately after the wild and short final buildup, silence again. It's a slow, quiet somber tune, like at the beginning of the song, but now fading out... And Hanawa is declared dead.

The sudden rupture lead to immediate casualty, physical this time.

I'm sorry, I DON'T KNOW WHY I MAKE MYSELF SO MUCH SADDER OVER THIS SCENE. But come on, it's just... so perfect, right? 😭😭😭😭

I miss Hanawa so much man. I was really pissed that this is the way they let him go, but just now, after listening to his theme again for the first time since I even started Infinite Wealth, it felt like it just all made sense now. It just clicked. His theme is like a visualisation of his whole story throughout the games.

And it's honestly, sadly perfect. The composers for the Yakuza games are honestly such geniuses. Bringing out some of the best songs ever constantly and making them just feel so fitting for everything.

But yeah. Regardless of if this was meant to be interpreted similiary or not, it just kind of adds to it all for me personally. Especially since you could now maybe see his theme in Gaiden as a bit of secret foreshadowing?

I'd like to see it that way. And maybe, seeing a bit more importance in it all is what helps me to cope with his godawful death scene, RGG what were you thinking man 🥲🥲🥲

Number 3:

Eiji.

Oh boy. Uh, I don't really know yet what the general opinion on this pathetic wet cat (affectionate) is, but I really loved this character. In both a "you're such a damn loser" and "my poor little meow meow :(" way :'D

But most importantly, what I wanna focus on to follow the (over)analyzing theme: Eiji is like a mirror of Masato.

Now, Kiryu has his Kiwami mirror in his finale and Ichiban also has one. But I think this one is way more obvious and also very ironic.

Eiji starts off with trying to earn Ichibans trust and well- it immediately works, of course, it's Ichiban! But the tactic he uses for it, faking being disabled and needing a wheelchair. It was the perfect way to make Ichiban pay attention to him first, because it would remind him of Masato. I think Ichiban immediately just started to get attached to Eiji, and now I'm thinking that Eiji was probably a bit conflicted before he turned his back on him. But his deep rooted hatred was too strong for one nice interaction with a Yakuza, something he demonized, to stop him.

I think it was kind of funny how he was basically like "You're so evil, you Yakuza will NEVER be good people!!! See how good I am while I throw down this child tied to a wheelchair, down those stairs while holding a bomb!!! That'll sure show you evil Yakuza!!!"

Ah. He's so stupid 😭

And yet, whatever happened, Ichiban just constantly called him "Ei-chan", like he's still his bestie and everything is fine. Constantly protesting against it, Eiji probably felt more and more conflicted, because Ichiban is just such a big (and naive) sweetheart. (((Side note: What's not to love about him fr 😭😭)))

So by the finale, and after Eiji had time to say how much he HATED the Yakuza and also, y'know. The whole Bleach Japan thing. Kinda like someone else, hm? Someone else Ichiban constantly insisted on treating like a friend.

But Ichiban convinced him to just turn himself him, turn his life around. Just like he eventually managed to convinced Masato through blood and tears.

And the ending scene is literally an exact mirror to Yakuza 7. Ichiban carrying someone away...

Just in Yakuza 7, it is Masato, dying in his arms, and in Infinite Wealth, it is Eiji, and he's trying his hardest so he will get out of this completely unharmed, throwing himself in front of every danger facing them, getting beat up until he passes out by the end.

You could say this too, is like a good version of another game's ending, with a character mirroring a brother-like person to the main character.

Quite ironic how Eiji started off "imitating" Masato, only to end up like him. Just that one died and one lived.

And just like Kiryu did with Ebina, Ichiban tried his hardest to stop history from repeating itself. Stop more people dying again and again.

The logo having an Infinity symbol seems oddly fitting now, you could say each circle of the symbol is Kiryu and Ichiban, and their stories are intervined in certain ways. Just that their stopped the "infinite" circle from repeating once again.

Or...something like that. I'm trying to sound smart at 5 am, I need sleep I think 😭

[yakuzacanons]

Happy one year, folks

I was informed today is the one year birthday basheroo of this here blog. Yowza. I cannot believe that, time flies. I started this as a way to write for fun (I write for work too, so I guess that's all I do?) but I never expected any traction. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

To celebrate, I have some announcements. First of all, Judgement asks are FINALLY open. No asks for Lost Judgement though, I have yet to play that one.

Second, I figured it's time for a mini introduction. I know y'all but y'all don't know me much. Don't worry, it'll be Yakuza centric cuz that's what we're about here. Thanks again for sticking with me. Love y'all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Favorite RGG Character: Majima (that should be painfully obvious by the Majima Construction header)

Favorite Judgement Character: Yagami

Favorite Ichigang Character: Zhao (shoutout to the anon that coined this term btw)

Favorite Non-Yakuza Character (i.e. not affiliated/part of a Yakuza organization in the game): Akiyama

Favorite New Character: Yamai

Favorite RGG Games (top 3): 0, Kiwami 2, and Ishin!

[yakuzabrainrotlive]

Now that I'm done with Y6 and seem to have reached the end of an era, I think it's time to do a TOP 3 of... everything, I guess? No particular order to the categories (besides top 3 games being last), so have fun browsing🫡

Thanks for all the cool and kind comments and tags this far!! 🫶🏻 This fandom has been so welcoming and I feel right at home 🥺❤️

If you wanna tell me my taste is terrible/incredible, drop a comment or ask or anything! I love discussing this stuff :>

For now, see y'all in Like a Dragon (Y7). I wanna at least get through Gaiden before real life gets hectic af; I'm starting my 4-month long clinical practice period in January and graduating afterwards. So I wanna be done with Gaiden before Christmas, pretty much. No idea how long either of these games are, so... 🤷🏼‍♀️ we'll see it I get there.

OKAY NO MORE RAMBLING. Sorry lol.

TOP 3 KARAOKE SONGS

1) Machine Gun Kiss

2) 24 Hour Cinderella

3) Pure Love in Kamurocho

TOP 3 DYNAMIC INTROS

1) VS Majima in the Coliseum (Kiwami 2)

2) VS Kuze in the sewers (very generic choice but it IS excellent)

3) VS Daigo (Yakuza 4)

TOP 3 MINIGAMES

1) Karaoke

2) Kiryu feeding stray cats (Y6) OR Taiko no Tatsujin if that one doesn't count

3) Darts

TOP 3 LEAST FAVOURITE MINIGAMES

1) Out Run (Y0)

2) Fishing

3) Aromatherapy Massage

a (dis)Honorable mention to Shogi and Majong. I don't hate them, but I have NO idea how to play them and haven't even tried ever since I got humiliated when I first attempted them.

TOP 3 SUBSTORIES

1) Another Haruka (Y5)

2) Haruka's Biggest Fan (Y6)

3) The Doll Girl (Y0)

TOP 3 RESTAURANTS

1) Smile Burger (cheap AND effective healing and a decent exp point yield in K2 and Y6?? incredible)

2) Kanrai

3) Kyushu #1 Star

TOP 3 CHARACTERS (Besides Kiryu and Majima)

1) Akiyama

2) Shinada

3) Nishiki

TOP 3 FINAL/ENDGAME BOSS BATTLES:

1) The entire final section including Millennium Tower and everything after in Yakuza 6.

TOP 3 TATTOOS:

2) Shibusawa

3) Ryuji

1) Kiryu

2) Tsuneo Iwami

3) Aizawa

TOP 3 FIGHTING STYLES (All playable characters)

1) Akiyama

2) Slugger Style

3) Dragon of Dojima (Y5 specifically)

TOP 3 RANDOM NPCs:

1) The based af Red Brick Hotel receptionist in Y3 🫶🏻

2) The Kamurocho takoyaki stand owner in Y0 who gave us some incredible Majima/Makoto crumbs

3) Kotobuki Drugs owners (thanks for all the Staminan Royales ✌🏻❤️)

TOP 3 WEAPONS:

1) Bicycles (iconic, legendary, crowd control MVPs, will never be matched by anything 💅🏻 )

2) Traffic cones (any size)

3) Shotguns

TOP 3 HEAT ACTIONS:

1) Komaki Firearm Flip

2) Essence of Sadism (the one with the crop you get from the dominatrix) 😳

3) Essence of Weaponry (pistol, the one where you straight up shoot the enemy and whack them over the head with the gun)

TOP 3 NON-HEAT ACTION TECHNIQUES:

1) Komaki knockback

2) Tiger Drop (come on. it's fun when you learn to pull it off. Let's be fr here.)

3) Tanimura's parry

TOP 3 WRONGEST PREDICTIONS I HAVE MADE (on or off the blog):

1) Kiryu and Majima will end up clashing in Y0 and something tragic happens. As a result Majima would become his insane Kiwami 1 version (I had seen a few short clips before Y0).

2) "Kiryu will be happy one day. He's just gonna work towards it in the games."

3) Kiryu and Haruka will live together at the start of Y6 and they'll be happy 🙃

AND FINALLY

TOP 3 GAMES (Y0-Y6)

1) Yakuza 0

2) Yakuza 6

3) Yakuza Kiwami

[finalbossanalysis]

Final Boss Analysis #1:

Akira Nishikiyama

Yakuza 1/Kiwami

SPOILER WARNING! I’m assuming you know the events of both Kiwami and 0!

Akira Nishikiyama is the main antagonist and final boss of the first yakuza game, and he plays the part well, with a boss fight that is as epic as it is sorrowful.

0: The Place Of Oath

Late 1988

Kazuma kiryu and Akira Nishikiyama, both sworn brothers from sunflower orphanage, are low ranking yakuza grunts trying to make a name for themselves in the yakuza underworld.

Throughout the events of 0 we see Nishiki’s loyalty to Kiryu, and the Tojo Clan, get tested again and again. However, he ultimately stays loyal to his brother.

The Culmination Of 0

After the defeat of Keiji Shibusawa, Kiryu finds himself in a state of absolute rage. He thinks of everyone who has suffered, and lost their lives in the battle for The Empty Lot. Enraged, Kiryu prepares to deliver the final and fatal blow to a beaten Shibusawa.

However, Nishiki stops him before it connects. He tells Kiryu that he can’t cross that line yet, no matter what. He resolves that if Kiryu and him have to cross the line one day, they’ll do it together, as brothers.

He did not know of the fate that would befall on him 7 years later.

Kiwami: To Live Is To Not Run Away

In 1995, Kiryu and Nishiki, along with their barkeep friend Reina, and fellow sunflower orphan Yumi, are living a relatively peaceful life, 7 years after the events of 0. Kiryu has finally made a name for himself as the Dragon Of Dojima, and Nishiki is hyping Kiryu up at the prospect of starting his own yakuza family. Things seem great, until…

Patricide

After Tojo Captain Sohei Dojima attempts to rape Yumi, Nishiki shoots and kills him, traumatizing Yumi. Kiryu arrives, and convinced Nishiki to let him take the blame, knowing Nishiki is some of the only family he has left. Nishiki take Yumi, and runs. This is the catalyst for the fallout between the brothers.

Nishiki’s downfall, The Koi’s upstream journey

After Kiryu goes to prison for patricide, Nishiki slowly changes over the course of 10 years. Subjected to Yumi’s disappearance, constant comparisons to his brother, and the death of his sister, Nishiki becomes a cold, and calculating man of ambition, only thinking of rising to the top, and ultimately besting his brother, taking control of his fate at last.

Confrontation

After everything, Kiryu and Yumi unexpectedly meet Nishiki in Yumi’s bar after the defeat of Jingu. Kiryu and Yumi attempt to talk him down, which sets off an inkling of doubt in Nishiki’s mind, until Yumi once again compares Kiryu to Nishiki.

At that point, there was no other way, the two brothers had to settle it, one way or another, which finally leads us to

The Fight: For Who’s Sake

Theres a lot going down here, so lets analyze this piece by piece, starting with…

The Music

Nishiki’s theme, For Who’s Sake, is a melancholic and masterful theme that represents the sorrowful fight between brothers, and the downfall of Akira Nishikiyama. There are 2 versions of this song, so I’ll analyze both.

For Who’s sake

The original and first final boss theme in the Yakuza series, this track represents both Nishiki’s determination to rise to the top, and Kiryu’s determination to take him down, and settle the score with his brother. Unlike the rock elements of the other songs in 1, For Who’s Sake has an acoustic guitar up front and center, creating a melancholic feeling throughout the song. There are electronic elements scattered throughout that emphasize the growing coldness of Nishiki towards his brother.

For Whos Sake: Kiwami

The extreme remix of the original song, this track shows the downfall of Nishiki, along with the reprise of some elements of the original song. The acoustic guitar takes a backseat for some melodic bells. The track starts off determined, and fierce, but corrupts throughout, showcasing Nishiki’s fall to ambition, and jealousy.

Nishiki’s Fighting Style: Koi At The Dragon Gate

He retains his fighting style from 0, with some additions. He gains some moves from Kashiwagi, and Joji Kazama’s moveset. His style is reminiscent of street fighting, creating a pseudo mirror of Kiryu’s Dragon Style. He’s also among the only bosses to use heat actions against you, further emphasizing this. He’s a tough foe, but can easily be overwhelmed by a skilled player.

Heat aura

Nishiki has the same heat aura from 0, albeit paler, showing his descent from so long ago.

QTES

The QTES here are mostly one sided, consisting of Kiryu pummeling Nishiki throughout the bar. They have unique flashback segments, showing Kiryu reflecting on their relationship, and what lead to this.

Summarizing

What makes Nishiki a good final boss?

Nishiki may not be the hardest boss from a gameplay standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint, especially after 0, every blow you land against Nishiki genuinely hurts. A stark contrast from the other final bosses in the series, this is not a battle of honor, but one of sorrow.

Welp, this is the first post, finished. I don’t expect it to be good or blow up by any means, but I hope I improve at this more and more.

If you have a suggestion on a final boss to analyze, don’t be afraid to leave a note or comment!

[blazehedgehog]

A Eulogy for my Playstation 4 Pro

So since I was a brain genius who decided to transfer all my fundraiser money to my bank account on a weekend, let's have a little eulogy for my poor Playstation 4 Pro.

I bought it in 2017 after a hellish move from Colorado to Nevada. We'd lived in Colorado for 26 years, and rented the same house for 24 of those years. I literally grew up in that house. Then our landlords got greedy (as all landlords eventually do), almost tripled our rent, and we had to move.

One of the last things I did before I packed up my computer was release The Definitive Way to Play Sonic Adventure on Youtube. That video was a modest success, but it had a secondary effect where a no-commentary gameplay video I'd uploaded for the fangame Sonic Utopia got picked up by the algorithm as a result, and that video suddenly took off like wildfire. I found myself sitting on a pair of videos that were about to pull in close to a combined 3 million views. It was the most I'd had a video blow up in a very long time.

I was now flush with a few thousand dollars of cash that I could do whatever I wanted with. That was great, as I got to help cover some moving expenses. I gave my Mom some money, I paid one of the deposits on our new apartment, paid to fix some stuff that got broken in the move, I bought myself a new desk, new computer chair, some storage shelves, a new bed frame, and still had about $700 left to spare. So I bought a PS4 Pro and a small handful of games (The Nathan Drake Collection, Yakuza Kiwami, The Last of Us Remastered, and Parappa the Rapper Remastered, I think). It was the first true next-generation console I'd bought in 11 years -- I'd had a Wii U, but that doesn't count.

Within that first year, I'd already run into my first problem with that Playstation 4. Back in the Xbox 360 era, I had a moment in my life where I was a psychopath that was running a media server off my PC. Every morning I'd wake up, download everything my Youtube subs had posted the day before, along with whatever GiantBomb had uploaded that day, and threw it up on the media server. The 360 could see the server, and those downloads would basically become my background noise for the day. I watched the entire GiantBomb Persona 4 Endurance Run that way: on the 360, through my media server. For context, these were the days before there was any way to watch Youtube on a television. There was no app. Youtube was just a website. So the Media Server was what I had to do to see Youtube on another screen.

In the move out to Nevada, I'd bought a cheap 32GB USB thumbdrive from the back-to-school section at Wal-mart and filled it full of movies and videos and stuff. With the PS4 set up, I plugged that thumbdrive in and tried out the PS4's media player capabilities, hoping it worked like the Xbox 360.

It did... for about 45 minutes. In the middle of watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie the media player suddenly crashed and refused to see the USB thumbdrive anymore. I reached down to pull it out only to find it was almost too hot to touch. I might have actually dropped the thumbdrive because it shocked me just how hot it was. I have never felt a piece of electronics be that hot before.

For the rest of that day, that USB port was dead. Nothing you plugged into it would be recognized. Eventually, it finally started working with controllers, but it never accepted any other thumbdrives, ever.

After about three years, I started to notice recordings were starting to get a little weird. Clips I'd record of my Fortnite matches would have huge 2-3 second chunks go missing, or the encoding would corrupt and smear. But then it went away, so I figured maybe it was just a problem with the game and not the console. It'd come back every now and then, maybe once a year, but it only ever happened with Fortnite, and only occasionally.

About a year and a half ago, I started to notice something else weird. Unless there was a specific game I needed to play for work stuff (like Sonic Frontiers or whatever), my PS4 was mostly just a Fortnite machine, and mainly because the PC version of Fortnite is a disaster.

But for months I'd left a disc in my PS4's disc drive. I think it was probably Balan Wonderworld or something, and as I booted up Fortnite for my daily founder's mission rewards, I noticed a sound. I'd been hearing it on and off for a while, but now I was finally paying attention to it. I realized: the console was sitting there scanning the disc, over and over and over, like it couldn't read it. I'd hear the disc motor spin up, the soft click-click-click as the read head scanned for data. It'd spin down, spin up, click-click-click, whirrrrrr, click-click, spin down, spin up, etc. Over and over. It'd do this for a good 30-45 seconds, then finally settle down and identify the disc.

The first time I noticed this, I ejected the Balan disc and put in something else; I think it was Dreams. PS4 read the disc instantly. I shrugged, figured maybe the Balan disc was just cursed and didn't think anything of it.

About a week later, I caught it doing it with the disc for Dreams. And then Sonic Frontiers. Then Sonic Superstars. Pretty much any disc I'd put in there. As the months wore on, it started taking multiple minutes for it to identify the disc.

A few weeks before it died, I ended up taking the disc out and basically resigning myself to only putting a disc in if I was going to play it, and removing that disc the moment I was done, because that scanning process seemed like it was making the problem worse.

A few months before it died, I got a full hardware crash on the console. The error code it gave me pointed to a hardware failure, but a google revealed that it was a generic error code that could mean literally anything. Right around this time, the video corruption in my Fortnite recordings came back around. I had a feeling it was the HDD.

Thus began the saga of trying to replace my PS4's HDD. I knew it could take SSDs, so I did some research, saved up $100, and bought a 2TB SSD that was compatible with the console. Followed Sony's official instructions on replacing the HDD, and...

It didn't work.

I vowed to get my money back and order a different HDD, but prices went up and realizing the other mounting problems with this machine (including the fried USB port), and my general mood overall, I just kept the money and figured I'd ride or die until the machine breathed its last.

8 months later... it refused to boot up at all.

Rest in piece, king. The only other console I've ever had straight up die on me like this was my Xbox 360, and if I'm being honest, I kind of smothered that poor boy a little bit hoping to get a sturdier console back from the repair center.

(I did not, but that's a story for another day.)

[someguy517]

My top three Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku themes and why.

(SPOILERS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!)

• Oath of Enma

Any Yakuza fan has undoubtedly heard of Kuze, or at least the memes he's spawned, such as 'Kuze Everywhere. The reason being that he has five separate boss fights throughout the story of Yakuza 0.

However, Oath of Enma is only heard on his final boss fight. And good lord, what a boss fight it was. Unlike Kuze's other theme, Pledge of Demon, Oath of Enma is more melancholic yet just as hype. For me, it embodies the kind of guy Kuze is. Someone who will get back up, no matter how many times he gets knocked down. In the latter games, you can definitely see how the mentality has rubbed off on Kiryu.

"The Yakuza game, it's not like boxing. The man who gets beat down isn't the loser. The guy who can't tough it out to the end, he's the one who loses." - Daisaku Kuze.

• Two Dragons

As the final boss theme of Yakuza 0, it does not disappoint. If you ask me, this theme IS NOT Shibusawa's, but rather Kiryu's. The song is designed to change for each of the boss's three phases. In the first phase it's starts off as upbeat, with amazing guitar riffs.

When the second phase kicks in, Shibusawa switches to his own version of the beast fighting style, and the song changes to using heavey and almost intimidating guitar riffs.

But the final phase is where the song really shines. In this phase, Shibusawa switches to his own version of the Dragon of Dojima style, and the song becomes even more upbeat and even melodic (if that's the right word). To me, this part signifies that this is only the beginning of Kiryu's journey.

"I'll kill you, surpass Kazama, and become the Dragon of Dojima" - Keiji Shibusawa

• For Whose Sake? (Kiwami)

Unlike the other two, this one does not make me hype, but rather, it makes me cry.

Everyone who has played Yakuza 0 knows that Kiryu and Nishiki have a strong brotherly bond. Nishiki made an enemy of the Dojima family in order to stand by his sworn brother, Kiryu.

At the beginning of Yakuza 1/Kiwami, Kiryu takes the fall for a murder committed by Nishiki, condemning him to ten years in the joint. While Kiryu served his sentence, Nishiki faced one hardship after another. The death of his sister, the disappearance of Yumi, and above all, living in Kiryu's shadow. This caused Nishiki to change into a different man.

When we finally reach his bossfight, the final boss fights, and we hear his theme, 'For Whose Sake?'.

To me, this theme portrays the heartbreak that both characters feel, as well as giving away the knowledge that only one will walk away alive. It's beautiful yet devastating. When the fight was over, and Nishiki sacrificed himself, I was a teary eyed mess.

Rest in peace, Kyodai.

"The responsibility is mine. Let me do this"- Akira Nishikiyama's last words.

Sorry for the long post. What are your top three tracks? I'd love to know!