File: 1655119650593.jpg (613.42 KB, 1001x1400, __majima_gorou_kiryuu_kazuma_n…)
No. 213883
File: 1655121287097.jpg (230.58 KB, 1198x1000, tumblr_ecb524d07f87afc03287f6d…)
I want Nishiki back. If they could bring Kashiwagi back then they should do the same with Nishiki (or Ryuji or whoever).
>inb4 "but Ichiban!"
RGGS could explain keeping Ryuji and others dead or out of the picture by claiming the voice actors were not availiable (apparently this is why Akiyama was not in 7), with Nishiki they don't even have that excuse because Nishiki's voice actor is right there! He can play both characters, unless SEGA are too stingy to pay him extra. Just imagine Nishiki and Ichiban meeting and talking to each other! Bonus if Kiryu is also there and hears them. I believe Kazuhiro Nakaya can pull off voicing two completely distinct characters talking to each other and still making them convincingly sound like two separate people.
No. 213888
File: 1655125067682.jpeg (39.75 KB, 385x216, 325-1640828835-374986903.jpeg)
Makoto and her brother live rent-free in my head.
No. 213889
File: 1655126545081.jpg (52.25 KB, 1200x675, ExBTEPwW8AI8g5X.jpg)
I miss him so much nonnies…
No. 214021
File: 1655155365461.jpg (89.28 KB, 800x1030, PS2 Kiryu.jpg)
This is the ideal Kiryu face. You may not like it, but this is what peak handsomeness looks like.
No. 214034
File: 1655157670674.jpg (56.95 KB, 1280x720, maxresdefault (7).jpg)
PS2 Majima is NOT ugly!
PS2 Majima is NOT ugly
PS2 Majima is NOT ugly!
PS2 Majima is NOT ugly!
No. 214048
File: 1655163637894.png (213.82 KB, 231x622, Daigo (1).png)
2006 Daigo Dojima looks like he could be a member of Tokio Hotel
No. 215154
File: 1655484059407.jpeg (221.36 KB, 1280x720, 5F7C1E86-EED4-4A07-9FE5-39E92B…)
Made this in a minute thanks to a nonnie posting the png to the husbando threads lol The only time I post on my socials is to show how much of a husbandofag I am and then go back to being a recluse. How are you other nonnies celebrating 6/17? If not, which rgg character are you waiting to celebrate for or already did?
No. 215487
>>215154>>215479I took my parents out for both 14.05 and 17.06, I had them say (no, not sing kek, just say in a normal tone) happy birthday to Majima respectively Kiryu when the waiter brought the dessert. I also invited them for 06.06 (actually 05.06 evening because 6 was a Monday) for Revolver Ocelot and I also had them say RIP.
That being said I wish more characters had confirmed birthdays. According to the Yakuza wiki Akiyama, Saejima and Tanimura also have those but they're not exactly official.
No. 215656
File: 1655683445214.png (1.01 MB, 1400x1000, e9wmvzpbyip71.png)
I cherish her so much
No. 216084
File: 1655844220056.png (Spoiler Image,851.82 KB, 877x871, Jo Amon being haram af.png)
Kiryu in the shower in 0 literally feels less naked than an Amon without his shades.
No. 216091
File: 1655845318733.png (Spoiler Image,744.04 KB, 877x871, Jo Amon being haram af but in …)
>>216084here is his Y4 model looking just as naked without his shades. The inconsistent eye shape frankly
triggers my autism. picrel in the post I replied to is his YK2 model btw.
No. 217449
File: 1656361378525.png (975.18 KB, 973x917, Yayoi conceiving Daigo.png)
The Daigo paternity fan theory to end all Daigo paternity fan theories
No. 217469
File: 1656366159648.jpg (84.58 KB, 1024x681, man_at_police_station_making_a…)
>replay yakuza 7
>have Saeko as Hostess in Haruka's outfit
>get to Kiryu battle
>make Saeko do the Sexy Pose
>it FUCKING SUCCEEDS
>HE IS LEFT CHARMED
No. 219225
File: 1656967819444.png (356.27 KB, 600x600, myth of consensual judgment pc…)
i made this in 15 minutes please laugh
No. 219230
File: 1656969664949.jpg (24.72 KB, 700x466, will-you-press-the-button.jpg)
>>219225Both Judgment AND Lost Judgment get proper PC ports on steam and also more sequels also starring Takayuki Yagami also available on PC on steam on day one
BUT
PC version of Yagami will wear a full murqa (man burqa) at ALL times. ALL of his alternate outfits are also burqas but different colors. This is extremely hard if not impossible to mod out because the game engine is hardcoded not to allow model swapping for PC Yagami. Kimura's voice also stays the same with all the same voice lines
Will YOU press the button?
No. 220103
File: 1657287012568.png (1.39 MB, 1334x750, chikin omelette.png)
Naming a chicken Omelette is like naming a human baby Abortion. What was Eri thinking?
No. 220104
File: 1657287071442.png (1.36 MB, 1200x675, chikin nugget.png)
I think Hannibal Lecter would name his baby Nugget.
No. 223322
File: 1658310551535.jpg (59.68 KB, 640x400, yakuza 8 maybe.jpg)
Supposed screenshot from the supposedly upcoming RGG8, or whatever it's going to be called in the West. Ichiban seems to join the slicked back straight hair gang. Why do so many guys in these games have slicked back hair? Which Japanese hair gel company is sponsoring SEGA for product placement?
No. 224670
Finally played and finished yakuza 0 and nonnas I’m obsessed…
>>214034 I completely agree, his charm is immeasurable no matter the game
No. 226568
File: 1659555846488.png (103.2 KB, 198x502, IchibanKasuga.png)
is it true that his face model was hafu and the character himself was originally intended to be hafu but the developers pussied out?
No. 226570
File: 1659556070054.jpg (25.16 KB, 736x414, ponytail straight out of jail.…)
>>226569Except that's a perm and his natural hair is straighter than Kourtney Kardashian.
No. 233173
>>232456 Totally! The way kashiwagi treated Nishiki whilst Kazama went cold and withheld his affection after Kiryu took the fall for him is very golden child vs scapegoat vibes (kashiwagi is the mother figure, obviously).
Did Kazama have any part for Nishiki to play in his gambit during Yakuza 0? Besides staying out of it?
I really dislike Kazama in general. He manipulates events and people by leveraging the things he's done for them, but the pawns see it as repaying his kindness. He's a lot like Dumbledore in that way. Kuze was right when he called it some brainwashing shit.
No. 233547
>>233173Kazama is not that much better then Dojima Sr, he's just a much better manipulator and easier on the eyes.
By the way, speaking of Dojima, honestly a better argument for the "Daigo is not a true and honest Dojima" theory is not Daigo's looks but rather how Sohei didn't really give a shit about Daigo and also how Yayoi just enabled Sohei in his depravity, probably to make up for her own past infidelity. Yayoi also gave birth to Daigo at about 19, we do not know how old Sohei was supposed to be, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was some grooming going on. Maybe the remaining members of the bunch (Kiryu, Daigo, Kashiwagi, maybe Yayoi?) could use some group therapy. Maybe some wacky plot twist reveals that Nishiki didn't actually die either and he gets his well-deserved apologies.
No. 238993
>>238871I'm so fucking excited about this. But I want it on PC.
>>238987Wasn't that game made before Dragon Engine?
No. 238994
File: 1663139995354.jpg (105.32 KB, 899x943, judgment pc.jpg)
>>238993>But I want it on PC.I think/hope it will be on PC too, but let's see after the Twitch stream.
>Wasn't that game made before Dragon Engine?yes, but so was Yakuza 2, yet Kiwami 2 does indeed use Dragon Engine. I'm pretty sure they used the 5/0/Kiwami engine for Ishin too, which is still closer to Dragon than to Unreal.
oh and by the way, looks like this is not the only thing we'll be getting.
No. 239282
File: 1663192677922.jpg (504.06 KB, 900x900, FbpdVS7WIAE0aKW.jpg)
I like the new pillows a lot. Wish the hoodie was black!
No. 239647
File: 1663278394123.jpg (59.25 KB, 900x581, 20220915_234730.jpg)
Looking forward to see Mirei.
No. 244317
File: 1664742525593.jpg (279.02 KB, 800x839, Noa_Amon.jpg)
How old is Noa Amon even supposed to be? Likely not that much older than Haruka at most. Is the older or younger than Shin and Juzo? However Jo is about Kiryu's age and he's actually Noa's brother, not father or uncle, which would mean quite the age difference between siblings so Jo and Noa are more likely to be actually half-siblings? Also I'd like to think that by the 2020s Noa got over her internalized misogyny and is a based and pinkpilled terf now because why not.
No. 245312
File: 1665091181797.png (Spoiler Image,373.6 KB, 930x523, Tiseba Walkthroughs - Katsuya …)
SEGA GET MITSURU FUKIKOSHI AND PLEASE BRING KATSUYA BACK IN 8 I NEED TO SEE THAT TOOSHIE IN DRAGON ENGINE
No. 247711
File: 1665859034091.png (138.03 KB, 679x458, FfBdxTHWAAIGftZ.png)
I know nothing about yakuza, but I saw this and thought of this thread
(link for anyone interested)
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=GOODS-04286535 No. 248504
File: 1666139762716.jpg (73.02 KB, 782x610, 6pho8k3f7rr71.jpg)
Is the creator of the Yakuza Like a Dragon franchise a BDD ana-kun? He looks more and more botched and underweight with the passing of time.
No. 248506
File: 1666140907490.png (1.09 MB, 196x412, 78525404_p1.png)
>>248504Found a more current photo of him from 2022, he look a lot more healthy
No. 257832
File: 1669390787363.png (Spoiler Image,354.88 KB, 1106x788, kiryunibblez.png)
I just found that the nipples are actually part of the meshes in most of the Dragon Engine shirtless models.
No. 257836
File: 1669390970232.png (Spoiler Image,326.63 KB, 945x788, ryujinibblez.png)
>>257832Not only that, but there is not one nipple shape, Ryuji's look fatter. Watase and Tendo also use this fat nipple shape, while most of the others have Kiryu-like nipples.
No. 257837
File: 1669391010574.png (Spoiler Image,234.87 KB, 994x736, majimamissingnibblez.png)
>>257832>>257836And then there's Majima (and Shimano) who for some goddamned forsaken reason have no nipples at all.
No. 260638
File: 1670180686245.jpg (122.33 KB, 500x623, tumblr_m4put6Dvds1rsl35ao1_500…)
Concept art for the first game, yes that's supposed to be a rejected Kiryu design on the bottom left, before it got sort of recycled for the Amons. Looking very Deusuekusu ga gotoku I must say.
No. 261205
File: 1670312341201.jpg (156.6 KB, 1080x1080, 7bv1akgbej031.jpg)
>>261201>>261182I am partial for 5 but he looks smoochable in all of them in my opinion.
No. 261747
>>245312I just realized the curtains were open in that scene… fucking slut.
>>261429biutiful aiz indeed.
No. 263878
File: 1671150785313.png (371.81 KB, 581x475, fashion icon even allegedly po…)
Left - Ryū ga Gotoku 2 (SEGA, 2006)
Right - Chanel Fall 2010 Ready-to-Wear
often imitated, never duplicated. a true icon.
No. 264003
File: 1671202355082.png (7.88 KB, 2117x67, lmao.png)
Thoughts on this gem from cc?
No. 264682
File: 1671452645659.jpg (200.75 KB, 700x700, __kiryuu_kazuma_ryuu_ga_gotoku…)
you hear someone at your door ringing the doorbell and/or knocking the door and you answer and it's just a package box and you bring it inside and open it and you find him wyd
No. 266071
File: 1672595015264.png (2.28 MB, 1920x1080, i65o22bkk5v61.png)
For a series of games about the Yakuza, fundoshi are criminally (kek) underused. Also why didn't Saejima too get a slutty outfit?
No. 266072
File: 1672595222542.png (379.64 KB, 407x541, card_c04572be.png)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ICHIBAN btw
No. 272517
File: 1675173710053.jpg (117.63 KB, 834x869, 20230131_145716.jpg)
Western nonnas, is that true? Admittedly never looked at the eng fandom past fanartists and yumejos.
No. 287135
File: 1680461443744.webm (748.96 KB, 1920x934, rapidsave.com_ichiban_and_nish…)
>>213883Now what we need is an IchiNishiki BL CD.
No. 293683
File: 1683043628699.png (36.08 KB, 444x690, 52vyqkk6y5771.png)
Somehow I highly doubt Masayoshi Yokoyama can answer this correctly.
No. 294156
>>232456>>233173>>233547I find it… interesting that Daigo sees Kiryu as a
father figure rather than an older brother despite the age difference of only 8 years. Sounds like Kiryu was parentified because Dojima-oyaji was too busy being a disgusting slut tbh.
No. 295781
File: 1683836648147.jpg (321.83 KB, 1300x1501, 近江連合５ ７(32992033).jpg)
If these three had collaborated in canon would there have been a real Tojo-Omi war? Could Watase have been to Ryuji like Kiryu is to Daigo?
No. 302421
File: 1686837416920.png (315.98 KB, 1099x824, hits blunt.png)
what the shit is he talking about
No. 303511
File: 1687273297931.png (538.08 KB, 748x679, gog.png)
Entire Kiryu Saga 0-6 is now DRM-free on GOG.com for only 34€
https://www.gog.com/en/game/yakuza_complete_series No. 314292
File: 1691848383488.jpg (49.52 KB, 736x463, dejected Majima.jpg)
is Majima a BPD-kun? Discuss.
No. 339961
File: 1701774706586.gif (4.38 MB, 480x270, main-qimg-c88f059f10f16deed66f…)
do Yakuza characters demonstrate tard strength?
btw anyone here played Gaiden
No. 354743
File: 1707506071552.gif (3.7 MB, 498x280, Majima reverse.gif)
So did anyone start playing Infinite Wealth already? If you haven't, pls ignore my post, as for others, wanna know your opinions.
I spoiled it for myself after I read all the fan comments freaking out about how the old main cast gets treated by the creators, ie everyone is fucking depressed, lonely, miserable or dying. That made me realize that rgg has gotten westernized to the point of no return now, because they do what all western media does now: we'll stomp your heroes into dirt and basically make you filter yourself out of our new loyal fanbase so we can sell these games to twitter retards now.
At least that's what it feels like, judging by all the "violence bad, censorship good" bs Yokoyama says in recent interviews. I've been a fan for almost a decade at this point and it's sad to see the franchise in this state. I really like the new characters, but i just want the old cast to get their happy ending instead of whatever the fuck devs are attempting to do with them now. Great idea to kill Kiryu off with cancer instead of letting him happily retire and maybe enjoy his life some, reunite with friends, family, get the closure he deserves and leave him be.
Pisses me off so much. Fuck you, rgg studios, I won't buy any more games from you. End of rant.
No. 354771
File: 1707520578472.jpg (465.79 KB, 1920x1080, 2975674057_preview_20200217114…)
I've been trying to beat the dance challenge against Isobe in 0 on hard but I had to go down to normal difficulty kek. I do really love this minigame though and now I've got the song stuck in my head
No. 355101
>>354743It does seem to be like that at first, but as you get to the end it turns out this is not exactly the case. Kiryu does not die in this game and he does start chemo to try to stay alive as much as he can and retires at last. The Jimas too eventually decide to stop hiding, so I think they are getting a happier ending as well. I hope we get to see them again as untroubled civilians, even if it's just in cameos/substories. Though I don't understand where the fuck did Watase go, but his absence does show how Gaiden was written after the main story of 8. I guess they couldn't get his actor back for the main game but only for Gaiden later. Furthermore, we still do not know who even was the 8th Omi chairman that was not Watase, or even why Watase never got to become the Omi chairman after the events of 5. It also seems that Yokoyama is giddily implying that Ryuji and even Mine are still alive, though those might just as well be baiting on his part. I also hope they have Hanawa somehow survive as well, or at least that we at some point get a side story prequel exploring the implications about his character that we got at the end of Gaiden. I also like Shishido and Tsuruno a lot and I hope they return in some future game, I hope Shishido too gets his happy ending.I think we're heading towards further Judgment integration at this point because there is not much else to do with a "Yakuza" game without yakuza, Kaito and Higashi appearing in that Gaiden substory, as well as Sugiura too at the Arena, are pretty strong hints towards it imo. No wonder they changed the English name of the series to Like a Dragon, which is also a more accurate translation from the Japanese name.They also said they're now aiming for yearly releases which I'm at least a little apprehensive about. Maybe it's just yearly Gaiden-length games with one big 8-sized release every 5 years or so because otherwise it would be downright insane. Nevertheless I can't help but be wary of potential decrease in quality and/or increase in crunch. No. 355193
>>355101Cannot disagree with what you said, just really can't get over this cancer situation, it's so cruel to Kiryu, goddamn guy never gets a break. I wouldn't complain if there wasn't something so severe, this just hurts for some reason. And all those comments online saying "god when will he die already", smh. As for Jimas, maybe I'm missing something but I don't really understand what happened in between their security company establishment and this present day setting and why the business didn't really work. Partially due to the fact I didn't spoil absolutely everything for myself and I haven't played Gaiden yet tbh.
I kinda hate the idea of reviving characters like Ryuji (even though I really like him), because it just ruins the previous narrative and also that funny warp impact of Dead Souls. And if you wanna revive someone, then come on, give Rikiya back!
Judgment integration sounds like a hell of a crossover and I think this is truly fun, so that's something to look forward to. All in all, the direction rgg are taking now is not the worst but they're sort of trying to estrange themselves from their own origins and it simply feels off to me. Yearly releases is literally quantity over quality. Videogames aren't TV series and this is a poor approach imo. If it's DLCs like The Kaito Files, it's probably not bad since there are LOTS of gaps in the main story that are yet to be covered. Fans have been waiting for a side game with Majima shenanigans for ages, for example, so it would be cool to get something like that. But not a big game every year, that would be a disaster. No. 355206
>>355193Oh I do agree on the cancer being unnecessarily cruel to Kiryu, I guess they're adding it to further the tragic woobie angle but it's too much. At least he still survives the end of 8 and starts taking care of himself, but he had to get so obviously weakened. From a narrative karmic standpoint it's just so unfair that he gets the same fate as the scumbag that was Kurosawa for example. I wish he just stayed healthy and got to live a simple normie life at last. The comments about waiting for him to actually die also bother me as well, I get being tired of "this one really is Kiryu's last game we swear!!" shtick that RGG keep pulling and maybe I'm a big softie since it's all just a game and he's not real but I think it's downright mean to wish death on a character like Kiryu. I shamelessly and happily whiteknight Kiryu over any real moid idc. I wish 7 and 8 had been marketed as spin-offs rather than main series games so there was less fuss about "passing the torch".
Yes, they do explain in 8 why the security company failed. I think I inadvertently spoiled you because I assumed you already played Gaiden, my bad.
As much as I love Rikiya I think he's one of the least likely characters to be revived simply because his voice actor is now the voice and face of the still very much alive Yuta (apparently they're now married and I lowkey hope he takes Haruka's name and becomes Yuta Sawamura). If they get Tatsuya Fujiwara working with them again, he will be more likely playing Yuta, in the same way that Nishiki is definitely not coming back because of Ichiban. I have this silly headcanon that Haruka used to have a little crush on Rikiya and Yuta is (in her subconscious) some sort of spiritual successor to him.
I'm still not sure what is going to happen with Judgment, I have not been keeping up since the PC releases, but did they finally settle with Johnny's, or is Yagami no longer going to be in future games at all? The Kaito Files seemed to be them experimenting with Kaito as the new Judgment protagonist, but that DLC was initially released before the PC ports so things could have changed since then. I think they could have the plot of the next Judgment games involving Yagami mysteriously vanishing and the other guys investigating it, that way they could still keep Yagami as a central character with minimal Kimura involvement if Johnny's are still reluctant.
I do get what you mean by feeling "off" and the fear of quantity being prioritized over quality and the series becoming oversaturated. For what it's worth Gaiden is about as long as the Kaito Files, so yeah that kind of release every year and maybe one big game every 5-ish years should not be that bad, maybe. Hopefully. I did really enjoy Gaiden myself and I hope newly introduced characters return. If Ken Yasuda returned for Nanba in 8 I think there is still hope for other faceclaimed characters not to be stuck in plot limbo. No. 355408
>>355218I will probably destroy something in pure rage if that happens kek. Kiryu and his found family both really suffered more than enough. Yes, I'm a sucker for happy endings, what will you do about that, RGG?>>355206Wholeheartedly agree with your points. Though I think "passing the torch" thing is okay if you do it with all due respect, but they kinda don't, why many of us have an issue with that.
Also it's okay when it comes to spoilers, it won't stop me from playing anyways.
>Rikiya
Yeah, I was joking anyways, because with Yuta in the picture it's clear he's not coming back. The spiritual successor trope is curious in cases when characters share a voice actor. Think Ichi really came to replace Nishiki for good, and honestly, there could be no better character for that. Love your headcanon btw!
Don't know anything about further Judgement development but games finally were released on PC and so far I'd say there weren't many malicious things done to the game files. Who knows if Johnny's will give in so Kimura could return to the role. It would be lovely, this series has a lot of potential.
When it comes to the main game, I already miss Eri and hope she returns in newer games at least once. It's not fair when they introduce good characters (and hell of a fighters) like her and sort of discard them later. I know she was a last minute addition to the game, but she's awesome. Crossing my fingers about the future of franchise because I love it to death. Nonna, you really are a dedicated fan yourself, I admire you. No. 355440
File: 1707769219531.jpg (186.43 KB, 728x1600, s-l1600.jpg)
>Daigo February
>Mine March
>Watase April
I feel so validated seeing this. If they officially confirm these with the same dates I headcanon as well I'm gonna shit my pants. If it weren't for the 8 logo I would have chosen Ryuji for August. Also hope Shishido is a Leo kek
No. 355446
File: 1707772235430.jpg (358.92 KB, 1440x1081, 387164799_632620635713326_8403…)
>>355408Posting yet again (yes,
>>355440 is also me), this image set is actually entirely very fitting for all of the characters. Seeing it before release and theorizing about it and then seeing it again after is vindicating even.
Though I do NOT like the implication of Kiryu as Jacob the Great. At all. Reminds me of middle school when I was a Dan Brown books sperg and also playing Judas by Lady Gaga on repeat kek
No. 356992
>>356917Needs a Han Joon-Gi version, hands down.
Well, I present a thread ost.
No. 357299
File: 1708430485729.jpg (Spoiler Image,44.86 KB, 1280x720, maxresdefault-1.jpg)
The way his character was handled makes me seethe so fucking hard not going to lie
No. 359659
>>355440No official acknowledgement for Daigo February…
I headcanon February 29th for Daigo and also March 1st for Mine and April 1st for Watase… Watch RGG not acknowledge Mine March or Watase April either… Also if it weren't for the 8 logo I would have picked Ryuji for August, I think it fits him.
No. 363255
>>357475From what I understand the game was literally finished all the way back in 2022 and since then it was undergoing localization. And they finished the entire new game (Gaiden) during the localization of 8. Remember how they also took forever to release a dub for Gaiden post-release? The dates being already set and localization being slow as fuck probably prevented them from adding more things to acknowledge Gaiden.
At least this means Gaiden is more indicative of their future writing than 8 is. But inconsistency is probably just because of their tendency to completely fuck up the writing in their massive games.
No. 363351
>>363255Fingers crossed for gratuitous Hanawa revival AND Shishido redemption arc. Actually also an "everyone is now going to therapy" arc tbh, it only makes sense considering that Gaiden and 8 lean a lot more into deconstructing the "honourable yakuza" tropes from the previous games. >At least this means Gaiden is more indicative of their future writing than 8 is>their tendency to completely fuck up the writing in their massive gamesThis makes me think of Yokoyama's claims that they're aiming for yearly releases from now on. It would make a lot of sense to shift from huge games every 5-ish years to smaller games (let's say Kaito Files or The Man Who Erased His Name length) every year, not just to constantly keep themselves on the radar but also because smaller games are a lot easier to manage. Also note how 8's English name is "Infinite Wealth", as if like they're intentionally implying it to be the last large scale Yakuza game, because it's not like you can go any higher from infinity. Also note how the second Judgment game is called Lost Judgment rather than Judgment 2, maybe they're ditching the numbers for good to allow for more flexibility in sequels?
Tsuyoshi Furuta (lead writer of the Judgment games and 6) also has writing credits on both Gaiden and 8. I assume that Nagoshi's departure and Yokoyama taking over the leadership of RGG Studio means Furuta has been and will be getting more writing duty from now on, which I can't help but find good news for the series narrative. Yokoyama is such a fucking autist and it shows in his writing kek
No. 366923
File: 1711963551702.png (142.34 KB, 996x1032, RGGI!_-_Character_Render_-_Sak…)
Why is Kiryu the only one in the Shinsegumi who does not wear socks? Is there a Kiryu footfag at RGG Studio? I noticed multiple Kiryu footfag shots in the series
No. 385981
>>232456>>233173Speaking of I personally believe Ryuji was Jin's scapegoat and Jin was actually an
abusive father behind closed doors and Ryuji was gaslighted to hell and back about it so that's why Ryuji ended up like that.
No. 417756
>>416948My sister told me about this trailer so I rushed straight to YouTube to watch it and I fucking cackled when I saw the thumbnail, they made him so ridiculously sexy like they know Majima's audience perfectly kekkk I'm glad he gets the weird dumb non-canon spin-offs, it's such a fun idea (it
is non-canon, right?)
Of course moids gonna moid and insert some coomershit in there as well but I hope it's easily ignorable.
>>354771This minigame was pure hell but I was able to beat it on a shitty generic controller I had at the time. It's surprisingly challenging, after some years of not playing this game I completely forgot how to play it properly and now I suck at it kek, I don't know how the hell I did it back then. You gotta retry A LOT until you get it right.
>>366923Funnily enough I've seen Kiryu footfag fanart posted here or on CC. Was it you
nonny? I mean, who else would notice that?
No. 417772
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>>417758I don't. Apparently the actors are even contractually forbidden from playing the games because the producers want to "put their own spin on it"
>>417756>it is non-canon, right?I have no idea honestly, I guess that we'll have to find out when it comes out. Though at this point RGG no longer have any "le serious crime drama" pretense so it might as well be indeed canon. And what happened to the Impregnable Triangle! I hope he gets reunited with Taiga and Daigo at the end…
>Of course moids gonna moid and insert some coomershit in there as well but I hope it's easily ignorablethey're bringing back that retarded FMV cabaret club shit from Gaiden, which is not only cringe as fuck but also a waste of drive space. Only those cutscenes are over 20GB, it's absurd. I'm counting that shit as bloatware. Good thing I found a mod to replace them with a static image of a bullfrog kek, I hope a similar one comes out for this one as well.
The combat looks ridiculously fun and fitting for Majima and I really like that they brought back the dress up aspect from Gaiden. Though I can't help but feel they're now overcompensating for all the years they neglected their overseas market at first because of outdated misconceptions that "westerners wouldn't care for it anyway so why bother"
No. 417782
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>>417772>producers want to "put their own spin on it"Well there's any sliver of hope I had for the series gone. The sheer arrogance. Make your own Japanese crime drama, don't take a squat on my goofy soapy games to justify yourself. I'm getting heated but this really pisses me off.
No. 417784
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>>417771>Kiryu looks way too young.My thoughts exactly. Although personally, I believe the casting choice for Majima is spot-on.
>>417772God he's so fucking hot hnnnngh>Apparently the actors are even contractually forbidden from playing the games because the producers want to "put their own spin on it"That's what I had read before watching the trailer, so I already had low expectations beforehand. It does make me worried.
>Good thing I found a mod to replace them with a static image of a bullfrog kekHoly shit I gotta install this when I get that game kek. It's very telling that a lot of players, including male players, find that minigame cringe as well (whether because it's creepy/uncanny or because it takes as much space as a full game).
No. 417786
Here's what they showed of the Prime Video show last week, it starts at 1:08:17
At 1:10:53 the trailer starts
The guy that plays Kiryu really looks like a boy lol he's cute but not nearly manly enough to be Kiryu.
>>417785Thank you!
No. 417787
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>>417784>I believe the casting choice for Majima is spot-onI looked the actor up and he's in new pirate game. Not playing Majima though. Pretty random.
No. 417789
File: 1727102024525.png (1.39 MB, 1079x1593, is that a Taiga.png)
>little cat (?)
>VA: ???
Nonas what do they mean by this
No. 418769
Regarding everything you guys said about the game being or not being canon: it 100% will be. Pirates are gonna be a schizophrenic hallucination like those imaginary super fights Ichi has. Like, they're somehow going to explain that transition to good ol classic pirate ships and land some painful twist into the plot
I've seen people speculating that in this game we'll see the end of Kiryu's story.
>>417789There has to be something special about that tiger for sure. I hope it's related to Taiga but it might be another bait like when they said First Summer Uika is coming back to voice a "secret" character, and they'll slap some celebrity on here. It was funny as hell when they gave dropped clue to "Ryuji" and "Akiyama" only for it to turn out to be one whole comedian - Ryuji Akiyama. He's awesome though, hope they use his personality well.
>>418298For me it's probably 0 because 80s nostalgia is too strong, music is great and there are some of my favorite mini games here, 5 for many reasons, Kiwami 2 and Judgment (for everything and wacky ass physics).
No. 418770
Regarding everything you guys said about the game being or not being canon: it 100% will be. Pirates are gonna be a schizophrenic hallucination like those imaginary super fights Ichi has. Like, they're somehow going to explain that transition to good ol classic pirate ships and land some painful twist into the plot
I've seen people speculating that in this game we'll see the end of Kiryu's story.
>>417789There has to be something special about that tiger for sure. I hope it's related to Taiga but it might be another bait like when they said First Summer Uika is coming back to voice a "secret" character, and they'll slap some celebrity on here. It was funny as hell when they gave dropped clue to "Ryuji" and "Akiyama" only for it to turn out to be one whole comedian - Ryuji Akiyama. He's awesome though, hope they use his personality well.
>>418298For me it's probably 0 because 80s nostalgia is too strong, music is great and there are some of my favorite mini games here, 5 for many reasons, Kiwami 2 and Judgment (for everything and wacky ass physics).
No. 418771
Regarding everything you guys said about the game being or not being canon: it 100% will be. Pirates are gonna be a schizophrenic hallucination like those imaginary super fights Ichi has. Like, they're somehow going to explain that transition to good ol classic pirate ships and land some painful twist into the plot
I've seen people speculating that in this game we'll see the end of Kiryu's story.
>>417789There has to be something special about that tiger for sure. I hope it's related to Taiga but it might be another bait like when they said First Summer Uika is coming back to voice a "secret" character, and they'll slap some celebrity on here. It was funny as hell when they gave dropped clue to "Ryuji" and "Akiyama" only for it to turn out to be one whole comedian - Ryuji Akiyama. He's awesome though, hope they use his personality well.
>>418298For me it's probably 0 because 80s nostalgia is too strong, music is great and there are some of my favorite mini games here, 5 for many reasons, Kiwami 2 and Judgment (for everything and wacky ass physics).
No. 418772
Regarding everything you guys said about the game being or not being canon: it 100% will be. Pirates are gonna be a schizophrenic hallucination like those imaginary super fights Ichi has. Like, they're somehow going to explain that transition to good ol classic pirate ships and land some painful twist into the plot
I've seen people speculating that in this game we'll see the end of Kiryu's story.
>>417789There has to be something special about that tiger for sure. I hope it's related to Taiga but it might be another bait like when they said First Summer Uika is coming back to voice a "secret" character, and they'll slap some celebrity on here. It was funny as hell when they gave dropped clue to "Ryuji" and "Akiyama" only for it to turn out to be one whole comedian - Ryuji Akiyama. He's awesome though, hope they use his personality well.
>>418298For me it's probably 0 because 80s nostalgia is too strong, music is great and there are some of my favorite mini games here, 5 for many reasons, Kiwami 2 and Judgment (for everything and wacky ass physics).
No. 418783
>>418769>>418770>>418771>>418772Is the multipleposting glitch returning?
>SPOILERKEK that's what they've been saying for the past… 4 games? lololol let the poor guy chill already
>tigeralso consider that the tiger's name is Goro… maybe Saejima and Daigo too got shipwrecked (remember they've been pretty much inseparable since 6) and just got drifted apart in the waves and got stranded on some other side of the island. Maybe Goro the Tiger really was named by Taiga missing his friend but gave him up for some reason… What if the schizo hallucinations Majima has also include Goro the Tiger talking but with Saejima's voice, and Majima just knows that voice but can't remember where from. inb4 PiH turns out to be one big SaeMaji amnesia fic
complete with Saejima ending up kissing Majima because if that doesn't make him remember his kyodai then what else (ignore this, I'm just being retarded)
>another bait like when they said First Summer Uika is coming back to voice a "secret" characterdon't forget Shunsuke Daito coming back only to voice some random white guy instead of Shigeki Baba. at least Akame as a character is pretty much inherently tied to Sotenbori but Baba? The last we saw or even heard of him was 2012 and at the end of the game he was alive. Who knows where he went? Could have just as well erased his name and fled Japan to become a pirate in Hawaii because why the fuck not.
Did they intentionally want to avoid another Morinaga/Hanawa situation? Are there just too many newfags who don't know who Morinaga or Baba are? Shame. Or maybe RGG are just super cutting edge with representation and Mortimer is actually a stunning and brave transwhite reverse Oli London kek
also
>Ryuji Akiyama>RYUAKI REAL? No. 419151
>>418783Holy shit, and I was thinking why my post never appeared, only for it to send FOUR times somehow, thank you very much>One big SaeMaji amnesia fic Lmao, Nonna, first of all, taste, second of all it would be so weird but so? Real and normal idk. Would make KazuMaji fans roar and cry
me included tbh, that would be fun to see.
Also no Baba is a catastrophe but if there might be Saejima maybe there's Baba around here somewhere
SaeBaba fever dreams when.
And RyuAki is realer than we think.
No. 419171
>>419151>Would make KazuMaji fans roar and cry Honestly, not me, but I've always been a multishipper at my core. KazuMaji, SaeMaji, MajiMako, MajiMirei, SaeBaba, KazuSaeji idc whatever depends more on the execution to me.
I'm even a yume as well hehe. I always saw shipping in a more hypothetical way and more of an additional layer of exploration of character dynamics so I much as I love certain dynamics more than others (honestly love both KazuMaji and SaeMaji and it's hard for me to pick between the two) I personally don't really mind if they don't become canon, in fact I'm more annoyed when ships I like become canon but in a way I don't like kek. Sometimes I go a bit cracky, I've been thinking of WataMaji lately, idk it just seems funny to me, these two would be a hoot together. Kinda disappointed we don't really see them interact one on one even though they already did share a mutual friend (wherever the fuck Katsuya is now, poor guy is stuck in faceclaimed character plot limbo without even as much as a mention in Gaiden) and after the events of 5 they share even more mutual friends/allies in Saejima, Kiryu and Daigo.
Though I guess that's the caveat of video game narratives having to be centered around the player character, if a player character was not there to witness an event so that us players would see it through their eyes, did that really happen? On the other hand, it also makes it more fun for fans to speculate about things that might happen off-screen. For a similar reason, while I do often find RGG writing disappointing and downright frustrating with its many actually good ideas that often are just very clumsily executed, it's actually this aspect that really keeps me sperging so hard about it. I just feel the need to use my autism superpower, not only to fill in RGG's plot holes, but also to go even crazier and even stupider than the games already are.
I've also been brainstorming headcanons trying to explain to myself whatever the deal is with Morinaga -> Hanawa and why Aizawa was there really and what happened between the two of them. Yes, I've also been thinking of MoriAi because why the fuck not. No. 419363
>>419171I really appreciate how deep you dive into this, I'm serious.
I too have multiple ships I really like, but I've been especially stuck on KazuMaji since I got into rgg for some reason. Something about their dynamic maybe.
>annoyed when ships I like become canon but in a way I don't likeUgh this. This is the reason fanfiction exists, we can only fix some bs through the power of writing whatever the hell we want. And honestly, it's probably the only real fuel, because canon doesn't give us anything except for more questions.
>if a player character was not there, did that really happen?I've also been trying to justify the disappearance of some characters or lack of interaction between some of them this way, but to be frank it's probably a pointless shiny cameo. Why many faceclaim characters disappear - because they weren't meant to stick to the story for more than one game, or because the budget doesn't allow to hire certain actors anymore, or whatever bs with agencies like Johnny's cockblocking Judgment's further development constantly. So many possible reasons, but sometimes it makes me also think that rgg studios have a collective amnesia themselves, they add a character and forget about them. As you rightfully mentioned, with so many plot holes no wonder we're missing so much stuff.
No. 419551
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>>419363>pointless shiny cameoThe worst part is that many of these characters really do play an important role in the lore, not just in the plot of the particular game they're in but impacting the overall overarching plot. I will argue that Naoki Katsuya is actually the most underrated and underutilized character so far in the entire series considering his role as basically the third man in the Omi Alliance (at the time at least), mutual friend of Majima, Mirei (RIP) and Watase, and a link between the yakuza and the Japanese entertainment industry (an aspect I wish we would have seen explored deeper tbh especially considering Haruka and Mirei). Making such an impactful and connected character a faceclaim that gets discarded with not even as much of a mention in any of the following games is an absolute waste and makes for glaring plot holes.
>they add a character and forget about themHowever, I am absolutely certain they did not downright forget about Katsuya in particular, quite the opposite, and it shows with Tsuruno's entire character in Gaiden. Who of course is also a faceclaim character, so who knows if we'll ever see him again. Yamaguchi and Motomiya seem relatively close with RGG, so I guess there still is hope for Tsuruno and Shishido to return. But so is Shunsuke Daito, so not even that is a guarantee. I'm sure this is also why there is surprisingly little canon attention given to Watase considering his initial fan popularity and role in the plot. Dude ranked eighth most popular character in a 2013 Japanese fan poll right after the release of 5, easily outshining both the new player character and the final boss, iirc Baba was also top 10 in the same poll. Watase may not be a faceclaim character, but RGG keep surrounding him with them, Kurosawa, Katsuya, Tsuruno, Shishido, Nishitani 3 are
all faceclaim characters. His proximity to the Jimas is actually not that deep and can only give him so much screentime, resulting in yet another underutilized character with a lot of potential.
Spoilers for 8 I guess, I dread
Ebina will end up similarly to Katsuya, though I guess he has the advantage of being in a more recently released game that had worldwide cross-platform release from the very start. I hope we won't see everyone conveniently forgetting about Ichiban's half-brother and the Second Great Dissolution etc. But then again, they do mention the nuclear pollution in Nele Island enabled through Ebina's plan in the PiH trailer, and Sawashiro did return for 8 from 7 despite being a faceclaim character as well so… this is just too unpredictable, it's really annoying. btw remember Ichiban's kyodai Mitsu? Neither does Ichiban kek and he's not even a faceclaim character. Though I guess he just might be a more realistic example of friends drifting apart because of unforeseen circumstances. And then there's also RGG trying to attract new fans by introducing new characters and discarding/minimizing the role of established ones because of all the newfags complaining that they have to play too many games to understand what's going on and who is everyone… In a way I get it, but still there should be a way to keep relevant characters from previous games and integrate them in the story in a way that is not too alienating to new players. To be honest, I was already dreading that if Shunsuke Daito were to come back to RGG he would not be voicing Baba again but someone else entirely.
>inb4 Mortimer ends up dying so Baba returns in a later game because afawk he's still aliveRemember they did bring back Rikiya's, Ibuchi's and even Nishiki's seiyuus for entirely new characters since the respective old characters were already dead in the first place. Also the whole
Morinaga/Hanawa thing which at this point I wouldn't be surprised if they try it again but with Ryuji, they do keep dropping hints that he survived lol. Maybe they let him be Korean this time.
No. 419570
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>>419551self replying but NUMBER 6!!!! wtf RGG imagine not holding on to him with your dear lives. big kek at Baba and Watase mogging Shinada and even bigger kek at Aizawa not even reaching top 20 while Mine and Ryuji are still top 10. you can also notice the 2013 pre-0-ness with Nishiki only being number 20 and the PS2 Ryuji render.
>Haruka #11>Kashiwagi #12>Shinada #13>Rikiya #14>Date #15>Arai #16 (another one for the Where Is He Now files)>Minami #17 (and another, wtf even happened to the Majima family)>Leo Ayanokoji #18 (kek even I forgot about this one but tbh Shinada's arc was quite forgettable)>Katsuya #19>Nishikiyama #20 No. 419779
>>419570This reminded me of Shinada and his, maybe only, justified disappearance. Dude is absolutely unrelated to yakuza in any way, after events of 5 he probably just went on with his life, good for him, but he's never mentioned anywhere now and it's kind of a bummer. He's such a weird addition to the cast but he worked, I enjoyed his part of the story quite a bit (and his fighting style isn't the worst either).
Lmao at Ayanokoji making it to the list but Takasugi not? He was pretty damn awesome if you ask me. And of course, another faceclaim.
>>419551All I can probably conclude out of the story of all discarded characters is that the studio themselves aren't autistic enough to hold the memory of them all in their heads. They'll do whatever to attract new fans, true, but they forget about their oldfags and I suppose it's a sad tendency of everything, every new piece of media. With how they treat their main cast lately, maybe it's for good that they forgot about the rest of the characters…
No. 419824
>>419779I don't really care for a full Shinada comeback either, I just wanted to know if Daigo and him still keep in touch. I'd like to think Tatsuo was happy to hear about the dissolution and that Daigo was no longer a yakuza and pursuing a more legal ethical path in life…
until the whole Tatara thing I guess.>Takasugibased. Like I said I don't remember too much from the Shinada arc but I loved his tsundere antics
>is absolutely unrelated to yakuza in any way>He's such a weird addition to the cast but he workedI think that was the point more or less, that They Live In A Society and the yakuza got fingers in every pie and everyone is interconnected etc etc. Thus what happens in the yakuza doesn't stay in the yakuza and it can and does affect regular people who aren't knowingly and directly involved with organized crime, also got that from Haruka's arc with the entertainment scene also being linked with the yakuza much like the professional sports scene. I guess that was also the reasoning behind making Shinada and Daigo high school classmates, that yakuza are everywhere in Japan and even turbonormies like Shinada are acquainted with at least one of them, with or without knowing it.
>the studio themselves aren't autistic enough to hold the memory of them all in their headswhich is why I keep sperging about them. Someone just has to do something about all that wasted potential and untied loose ends that only multiply with each new game released. I'm just some autistic internet fangirl and I don't care about making a profit or attracting an audience from this so I can keep focusing on literal whos from a decade old game. Though I'm sure these characters would have had more lasting power if only they gave a shit about their foreign audience from the very start, 5 for example was first released worldwide 3 whole years after the initial Japanese release. For over a decade they just believed westerners wouldn't care enough for these games so they just never bothered until 0 more or less accidentally blew up, and now they're trying really hard to catch up with other AAA franchises. Sometimes I wonder what would the western fandom have been like if the first game most people played was the very first PS2 one, and then got to play the following games right as they were released.
>me logging in my youtube channel MajimaIsTehSmex to upload Majima tribute #72745 made in Windows Movie Maker full of uncredited fan art from deviantart and pixiv to the tune of Bad Boy by Cascada No. 420796
>>419824>>419824>yakuza got fingers in every pieCouldn't find a better way to describe it. They're in everyone's business even if it seems they're not, scary to think. And how they're connected to entertainment industry irl.
Remember when Nagumo's faceclaim, comedian Miyasako Hiroyuki, got cancelled for "ties" with yakuza? If no, it was a massive scandal, since he performed at a yakuza party and accepted money for it. All that sort of coincidentally happening about a year after the game was released btw.Talking about the game not being released in the West for a while I think it kinda had something to do with Nagoshi being the boss. I read somewhere: "We make those games for Japanese, not for Western audience", it was his stance on "offensive" things in games that weren't welcomed by certain "gamers". Maybe they used to refuse to cut out the stuff that they now have had to cut out for the remastered releases? Honestly, I'm not particularly happy about the franchise gaining a lot of popularity because it's usually all going downhill from there.
That Amazon series being one of the few bells ringing really loudlyI've seen people asking for a Kenzan remaster fe, but there's NO WAY they'd be able to "fix" it so Western players they want to pander to could find it acceptable.
>green textLmao
No. 420994
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>>420796Honestly, I'm not sure it was as simple as merely of matter of "offensive" material, if anything it seems certain gamers really like playing up the "le westoid woke ess jay dubyas reeeing over le based grorious nippon" angle to push their own agendas as well. I think it's because overall the series has been seen as "too Japanese" while also "not anime enough" for westerners. Think about other popular Japanese video game franchises, such as Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Metal Gear, Silent Hill etc. that feature western settings and protagonists, on the other hand there are series like Ace Attorney or Pokemon whose Japanese elements, particularly names and other proper nouns, often get localized into more westernized names. Then again, "anime style" games even without this kind of full on localization already get an audience in anime fans that generally might not be too interested in the more realistic settings and graphics of RGG. Probably also why they initially tried to market it as some kind of "Japanese GTA", especially with the Western name of "Yakuza" compared to the Japanese name "Ryū ga gotoku" that literally translates as "Like a Dragon", they were trying to fit it in the marketing niche of 2000s crime games but with a Japanese flavour. If anything the closest thing to this series is what many people call its spiritual predecessor, Shenmue.
Remember the original PS2 game dub that also changed a lot of the names, I assume to make them easier for westerners to remember or understand, for example Shintaro Kazama being renamed into Shintaro Fuma which I'm sure was done to avoid the Kazuma (Kiryu) / (Shintaro) Kazama confusion. Even now a glaring amount of western fans can't tell the characters' family names from their given names, though I'm sure the Eastern vs Western name order, plus the tendency to refer to the majority but still not all of the adult male characters by their family names sure made it even more confusing. Check out this review I saw for the steam release of Judgment kek
My biggest gripe with RGG localization is the dubbing, apparently 8 was already almost done by 2022, but it was the localization that took so long, remember not even Gaiden had dub on release. And for what? My probably unpopular opinion is that RGG games literally do not need dubs. The Yong Yea drama is so funny to me because while he does really suck from what I heard so far, playing dubs is already an L in itself kek. Seems the Chinese dub is even worse, while the actors seem to be better (Chinese Kiryu really nailed it tbh), the localization is basically non-existent and the Chinese script is probably just machine translated. Even the actors pronounce the characters' names using the Chinese readings, you'll hear Kiryu being called Tóngshēng out loud kek.
>Amazon Prime seriesI actually would have been interested in a RGG
2D animated series, particularly to overcome the caveat of video game narratives being inherently player-centered and focus on things "behind the scenes" of the main plot, so to speak. I think the 2D animation format would have been a lot better suited to ~give a fresh spin on the game series~ while still capturing the original tone and feeling. This Amazon series however just seems like normiebait that was not made for existing fans, but to attract a whole new audience. I even heard rumours of a Kiryu/Yumi/Nishiki
love triangle! No thanks, I'll pass.
>KenzanIIRC they also said that they didn't think of bringing back Ishin until they saw the success of Ghost of Tsushima. With Kenzan it might be even trickier also because that game is also old as balls, it came out before 3, the Ishin remake was probably easier to do not just because of being a more recent game that managed to get more attention, but also because of the newer engine. The Ishin remake was made in Unreal reusing as many assets as possible, to the point that people wondered if RGG were planning to switch to Unreal for future games. The answer was a clear no, the Ishin remake was more an opportunity to experiment with a different engine to see what features can be adapted to Dragon Engine, but they will always prefer to use their own in-house engine, Gaiden and 8 are also DE, but you can see some Unreal influences especially in the lighting. For a game as old as Kenzan they'd have to do a more thorough remake, and they already seem quite reluctant when it comes to making Kiwami 3-4-5, let alone some old PS3-only Japan-only spin-off.
lol I just let out yet another wall of text ITT. might as well write a full dissertation on these games one day.
No. 421052
>>420994Oh yes, I remember the renaming thing and all this adaptation. I honestly didn't know some westerners are that retarded they can't remember names of characters if they're not English. And then these same people will preach about racism or other social injustice, much irony.
>dub Dubs of Asian media, particularly Japanese, in general just fucking hurt my ears. In
anime and games it's glaringly obvious how different the dubbed version will be and that the original is superior in 99% of cases. Japanese version of RGG is the only version that should exist, because you can't really match, not just voices or expressionism of characters' speech, but all the speech patterns and intonations that are completely different from English, hence why they're so hard to adapt. Besides, they have brilliant voice actors to do this job, they've given their all to these characters, it's a treasure we should cherish. English only ruins the immersion, constantly yanking you back out of the deep dive into the sea of another culture.
>seriesAs much as I appreciate Nishikiryu or any other pairing… Just stop it, Kiryu just doesn't have time to fuck around.>KenzanRemake won't only require a lot of rework and adaption to newer engines, it will have to get cut severely, might as well just not touch it at all. The only bummer is Kenzan isn't translated but I was autistic enough to play through at least a half of it with the guide in hand (until I got really distracted by Judgment). Players who appreciate the game as much are definitely able to do the same. So be it.
and please keep writing the essays, I read them No. 421949
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>>417789hmmmmm. hmmmmmmmmmmm. ngl I was hoping it would be Rikiya Koyama or even Takaya Kuroda, but I'm very curious to see how this will unfold.
No. 425802
>>420994>>421052I'm very new to the series
and have only played 0… I swear to you I'm just waiting for a big bundle sale but I fully agree. RGG should not be dubbed into English, having English text is enough. I don't know what you guys think, but the English translation for 0 was amazing. The localization, namely the attempts to replicate in English the casual and vulgar use of the Japanese language, and the dialects, in the original script, worked beautifully, since I feel like I was able to grasp the seriousness or silliness of the dialogue and the personality of the characters (although I also have some knowledge of Japanese, which did help understand the nuances a little better). But it's thanks to the Japanese voice acting being there that it didn't feel overly westernized. It was like watching a movie with subs. If you dub a setting like RGG, which is very culturally specific, it stops making sense in context, since nobody is speaking Japanese anymore, and thus a lot of meaning is lost, and you can't even be aware of it. I'm sure the English voice acting was the best it could be, but it'll never be good enough.
No. 425841
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Hot take: Daigo haters are retarded and hypocritical and Kiryu would have been just as "bad" of a chairman had he not abdicated the next day because of how the yakuza in itself as an institution is structured! Another hot take, the yakuza was always a pile of steaming rancid shit at its core and did need to be dissolved. Not only that, but dissolution was ultimately inevitable also because of the way the "natural yakuza order" was constantly disrupted by Kiryu's actions. Kiryu was just following the "yakuza honor and loyalty" mantra to a T, but this whole "honorable and loyal old school yakuza" was never meant to be anything other than a meme to recruit younger guys from disadvantaged backgrounds and manipulate them into becoming and staying foot soldiers for their superiors, whom of course this "honorable and loyal" meme was never supposed to apply to.
No. 426732
>>426212>>426408Honestly super sad. Daigo did nothing wrong, he's got to deal with a steaming pile of trash all of a sudden, totally unprepared, but somehow still managed to handle it and not get the entire clan killed. If that's not admirable I don't know what is.
Also I'm still, to this day, shocked that so many western men can play this game when it doesn't even cater to their interests. Naked men, quite homoerotic tension between characters, honorary mention of karaoke, cabaret mini games and idol simulator. How do these losers even survive it?
No. 426843
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>>426732>How do these losers even survive it?Ironic weebs are such a blight, and they're also fucking retards who cannot even appreciate the series for what it really is. The best part of the series is how earnest it is in both its ridiculousness and its seriousness, while still keeping a hopeful optimistic tone with its darker elements.
No wonder the western fanbase has such braindead takes when so many of them are ironic weebs who see the series as "big Japanese guys punch each other and randumb shit happens! it's just brainless fun! nothing deep here!! lololol just like jojo amirite!! now give me le 568548547 updoots". Also no wonder why the amazon prime show is being stripped of the silly parts (also painfully wrong), so many retards see them and conclude the whole series is just one big meme that no one is supposed to actually take seriously at any point. And then the same tards will make fun of you and call you a "fake fan" for playing on easy as if that has ever been the point of these games.
I wouldn't even say it's just the moids because on the other hand you have the nlof aidens who cannot just not be obnoxious and insufferable about "zomg old man yaoiz!!!" "this is actually totes camp so it's gay culture y'all!!" just be a normal fujo I beg of you. And stop trooning out Majima ffs, or anyone else for that matter.
>Daigo did nothing wrongHe actually did do wrong, and so did Kiryu of course. They're not perfect people, it's fine to acknowledge their flaws while still seeing them as mostly good people who do fuck up sometimes, even if for frankly understandable reasons.
>>426408objectively powerscaling RGG characters will never make sense because of the fights existing in a narrative context, those characters fight in circumstances with motivations for reasons and those reasons and motivations and circumstances strongly influence how hard each character goes for each fight. Daigo didn't "get his ass kicked by Shinada of all people", he could have easily wiped the floor with Shinada
if he actually wanted to, but that was just not why Daigo was there so ofc he would go easy on him. While in prison, Ichiban single-handedly beat up a bunch of guys ganging up on him because they made fun of Arakawa, and he beat them so hard the wardens had to put him in solitary confinement. He just doesn't want to be like that anymore, prison was such a low point in his life. Pretty much every character's fighting style also reflects a lot about their personalities and motivations and powerscale attempts are just insultingly reductive of all this. Though what can you expect from a bunch of ironic weebs lbr.
P.S. I hope Majima gets to spit on or otherwise deface Shimano's grave at the end of PYIH, it would be such a cathartic moment. At least Kiryu got to graduate from Dragon of (Sohei) Dojima to Dragon of (Daigo) Dojima, while Shimano was but one singular pile of sentient filth. This is Majima's chance to free himself and his mind quite literally.
No. 427066
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>>426843I'm spoiling 8 because I need to point out that it actually is that deep and it actually goes even deeper, are RGGS literal whistleblowers? There is no way this was a coincidence. It also makes me question the narrative around Nagoshi and Sato's departure from RGG and the shift in the series' marketing tbh
No. 427133
>>426843>The best part of the series is how earnest it is in both its ridiculousness and its seriousnessThis because we get to see these characters at their highest and their lowest, we experience the simple joys of life with them, share their losses, and bond along the way. Even though yes, almost everyone in this game is an anti-hero and makes mistakes, sometimes criminal ones. This reminds me this anti-hero aspect is not discussed even nearly enough online.
>Amazon showNow this is where I'm totally retarded because I don't understand what they want to get out of it. Do they want to make a point about a serious crime drama again? Okay, why they can't make it the way Miike did it? What's stopping them? It won't manage to go longer than a season or two is my bet.
Re fan base: you can't escape retards as more and more of them flock towards the game now. RGG wasn't THAT popular when I just started the series almost a decade ago. Now it's probably experiencing one of the biggest highs and all sorts of people join. Not to gatekeep something that's super popular, in Japan at least, but goddamn.
The gay culture talk online makes me want to tear these people to shreds.
When they make a point that Goromi isn't just a fun (albeit a little gay) act it's plain retarded. There's a special place in hell for those who troon out characters that aren't supposed to be that.>DaigoTake what I'm saying with a bit of irony here, we're talking about characters belonging to a criminal organization after all. Of course they make mistakes, a ton of them, the problem is people don't even bother to dissect that, they'll just paint the character as "weak" or "boring" instead. RGGs wouldn't make as many games using all those characters if they didn't have something to say and lessons for us to learn.
>>427066Twf real life can give such great plot ideas you don't have to bother and think of your own while also managing to put a serious social problem in the spotlight. Brilliant.
No. 427275
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>>427133Takeshi Ebisawa was actually exposed and arrested a couple of weeks
just after the release of 8. There is no way RGGS were not already aware of what was happening, I'd say this counts as subtle whistle-blowing. IIRC Shinada's arc in 5 was also based on a real life scandal. This also makes me think of the initial reluctance to bring the franchise outside Japan, was it actually SEGA execs being too afraid of having Japan's dirty laundry aired internationally like that? At this point I can't help but be a little worried about the RGG crew's safety, I hope nothing bad happens to them.
>criminal organizationThe thing is and also what the series itself points out is that the yakuza does not exist in a vacuum, it's deepltle embedded in the fabrics of the Japanese society. In fact, Japanese society and culture
created and enabled the yakuza. Look how many times throughout the series we've seen cops and yakuza intermingling to the point that it's not easy to tell where the police ends and the yakuza begins, same for Bleach Japan, the Daidoji, the sports scene, the showbiz and the entire Japanese government actually. The yakuza is just a funhouse mirror of the so-called legal institutions of Japan, it wouldn't have existed the way it was without them being the way they are. That's the real reasoning behind Bleach Japan and "bleaching the grey zones" which is ultimately about maintaining the shallow image of a "Glorious Japan" and struggling to hide the ugly inconvenient truths instead of dealing with them from the root.
When you hear about Japan's "low crime rate" this is actually what it means. It's not just that the yakuza is wrong,
the whole damn system is wrong and the yakuza is but a grim reflection of how wrong the system truly is. It's not enough for the yakuza clans themselves to be dissolved, the whole society needs to be rebuilt from the ground up so nothing like that happens again. Not only that, but the now former yakuza members too need to dissolve the yakuza lingering in their own heads, to unlearn
toxic behaviours and thought patterns that they have acquired throughout all these years if not decades in the yakuza. However, not all of them can be redeemed like that, the yakuza do need to cull the worst among them, as Tsuruno also points out in Gaiden. Those are far from few and also actually the ones that tend to succeed the most, because that's how the yakuza was structured to begin with, and it's not even unlike how legal Japanese institutions work as well.
Back to Daigo's so-called "failure" as chairman of the Tojo, ultimately it's not Daigo who failed, but Daigo who was failed by everyone around him, intentionally or not. Kiryu was correct in acknowledging Daigo's capabilities as a natural fair and honorable leader, but he was disastrously wrong in believing that the Tojo clan needs a natural capable honorable leader, that the yakuza even ever suited a natural capable honorable leader like Daigo. What the yakuza actually needed to thrive was cruel, tyrannical bosses who have no qualms in walking all over their subordinates, enforcing blind obedience and constantly forcefully bringing uninvolved third parties into it, and
it was always so by its very design. Repeating myself from my post above, the "old school yakuza" is a myth, it's a meme that exists to recruit younger guys from disadvantaged backgrounds and keep them in line as foot soldiers for their cruel tyrants. Think about how much the "old school yakuza" values emphasize and encourage blind obedience, self sacrifice, low self worth, lack of personal identity or values outside the yakuza. The "old school"/"new breed" yakuza dichotomy is very, very false. It's
gaslighting plain and simple. Are the likes of Futoshi Shimano or Sohei Dojima or Tsubasa Kurosawa not old school yakuza in a very literal sense? The way Kiryu and his allies have clung to this ideal for so long shows how deeply gaslighted they all have been, and it's not at all easy to just unlearn such thinking. However, even worse and more insidious than the overt tyrants are the covert manipulators, such as Shintaro Kazama or Jin Goda, who project a righteous image that also upholds and perpetuates this myth of the "old school yakuza" that so many take to heart. Kuze was right to point out that Kiryu was brainwashed by Kazama, and so were Nishiki and Kashiwagi. One can only wonder what Kuze has been up to since the events of 0, or if he is still alive.
Western fans especially rag on Yokoyama all the time, while there is enough
valid criticism to have for his writing and handling the management of the series, it's obvious that most of his "critics" just have a hateboner for him for not being Nagoshi. His writing does at times come across as clumsy and tone-deaf and downright autistic, and he has approved some stupid decisions regarding localization and marketing, but you can see throughout the games that he and the whole remaining RGG team do have strong principles and a lot of things to say about the world around them, and a strong drive to say out loud all the things that Japanese society at large tries to whitewash. If you consider the games in the order they are made/released you can notice the growth both in the writing and in the underlying messages expressed. Western fans tend to forget or not even know that 0 actually came after 5 and it shows. They also tend to forget that Yokoyama has been involved with writing for pretty much all of the mainline games. There is so much scathing yet also heartfelt critique of Japanese institutions and culture all over the series, it's actually quite surprising how an AAA game managed to get away with all this. Maybe that also is the point of all the silliness, to be able to get all this deep social commentary past politicians and corporate executives. Notice how they progressively ramp up both the kookiness and the societal critique with every game, I don't believe this to be coincidental. Unfortunately, this is also a double edged sword because the message doesn't get past just the rich old men in frumpy suits ruling SEGA as well as the whole country, it also gets past a lot of the fandom, especially the Western fandom. This age of ironic weebs is very unfortunate.
It is also important to never forget that Horii was the one who insisted on adding all kinds of silly fun minigames to the series, including karaoke, fishing etc. At this point I have enough reasons to believe that it was Yokoyama and Horii who have been the real backbone and heart of the series all along, and it's Nagoshi who is the real sell-out. It's sad that it had to be like this.
>Amazon PrimeI think I kind of get where they're coming from with the Amazon Prime series and all the insistence on dubbing and localization, to spread the word to a wider global audience, but still I feel these attempts are quite misguided. The subbed games are already enough to express the message, if only more people actually bothered to think critically about the games they are playing outside the "lol wacky Japanese GTA!!" memes. I also can't help but see these memes and ironic weebism as a whole as another form of Orientalism as in "isn't Japan so WEIRD and QUIRKY hahaha"
I also have to note the decision to add the 0-7 games to the GOG.com catalog denuvo-free. I think this is quite important in the age of digital-only PC releases when Steam, Origin, Epic etc players do not actually pay for copies of the games to own but merely licenses to install and play them, that can be forfeited at any time for reasons that each respective platform deems fit. Games bought from GOG.com however can be downloaded and shared as the players deem fit since they lack DRM. I'm sure RGGS too are aware of this and I hope they also get to bring the Judgments, Gaiden, 8 and all future games from now on to GOG.com. If something happens to RGGs and the game series has to be taken down from the other digital storefronts, we should still be able to keep these games alive because they do send out very important, valuable and relevant messages.
No. 427508
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>>427275WAIT. WAIT. Now I see the point of the Amazon Prime series. It's Amazon itself trying to sink its teeth into this series and strip it of its underlying anti-establishment message. The localization and westernization of this series is actually a lot more insidious than it seems, and not in the retarded right-wing moid scaremongering of "forced wokeness" but actually the opposite. Nagoshi has left SEGA for Tencent to be a China shill, now Amazon and feds are trying to push RGG to be USA shills. It's already known that Call Of Duty games are and have always been literal US military propaganda, much like movies and shows, video games too have been following suite in becoming potential vehicles for propaganda.
Now that I think of it, the last games are already pushing subtle pro-USA messages that really do not belong or fit the overall tone of the narrative. Why the fuck was Hanawa praising the CIA as "freedom fighters"???? I actually had to laugh out loud when I heard him say that. Why the fuck was Richardson, a character whom nobody likes, brought back and suddenly redeemed with no explanation for 8 instead of the fan favourite that was Mine??? No, it's not because "hurr durr bringing Mine back would be too much fanservice they already brought back Kashiwagi", but I do think Kashiwagi was brought back for more or less genuine fanservice reasons. One can argue that Lau Ka Long was also brought back for similar reasons, he may be Triad but his name is also very
Cantonese. Makes me wonder where Zhao's family really is from, and it also makes me wonder about Tesso's full name and origins. I'm not even sure that K-SON's inclusion in the series was merely innocuous fanservice in letting a yumejoshi interact with her husbando. Before K-SON she was Coco Kiryu, who was cancelled for mentioning Taiwan, and Takaya Kuroda himself came to her defense. Might this incident have helped psy-op both K-SON and Kuroda into pro-Americanism?
I really hope RGG, both the dev studio and the cast, wake the fuck up and refuse to bend the knee to Amazon and US feds, or to the Chinese government for that matter. The American government is not our friend or ally, and neither is the Chinese government or the Japanese government or any such institution. It shouldn't be a matter of China vs USA just like it's not a matter of Tojo vs Omi, or yakuza vs police, or yakuza vs Bleach Japan etc. It's a matter of exploiter vs exploited, of people vs
abusive-by-design power structures. It's a very powerful message and this is why both China and the USA have tried and are actively trying to undermine it. Kasuga and Kiryu and other beloved characters in these games are written to be and should stay heroes
for the people. Even if they all are flawed, that's what makes them
human and relatable and understandable. Even if they have been psy-opped hard to defend and uphold the
abusive power structure that was the yakuza, they still can and should unlearn this psy-op and prioritize real pro-social and anti-establishment values and persuade others to do the same. There is hope for them, much like there is hope for all of us, but we have to think critically and consider our values and keep fighting for what we believe in.
Also interesting regarding the upcoming game is that Yokoyama himself said that the only way he could bring Majima back as a protagonist was to give him amnesia because he's been so used to putting up a persona in front of others. The message is clear: Majima has been so badly traumatized and manipulated to be the perfect yakuza weapon that the only way for him to deal with his trauma and unlearn the yakuza psy-op is to literally forget everything that happened to him and everything he did, and regaining his memories will hopefully put them and his entire self in a whole new perspective. I'm hoping for more Gaiden games that explore different characters, maybe we finally get the rumoured and debunked "Like an Asura" game?
I can't help but keep comparing and contrasting Majima and Watase, they have more things in common than most people seem to notice. Too many fans' analogies between characters are way too superficial, I've seen people compare Watase and Kuze, but I'd say Watase and Majima have way more in common with each other in the way they've both been psy-opped so hard by their superiors to become obedient human weapons, and both gradually start questioning it as the plot goes on. No wonder Katsuya was drawn to both. If any 5 character is a precursor to Kuze, I'd say it's Baba. They both see the problem, but are too cynical to fight it and instead actively participate in it because "that's just how the world is and everyone else does it anyway". They both scorn the "childish idealism" of the protagonists, and they both have to get some sense beaten into them, and they both end up more or less sympathizing with or at least understanding the protagonists' sentiments. In the same way I'd say Zhao is less Majima and more Daigo, "poor little rich boys" with a heart of gold who, while actually strong and capable and intelligent, are unfit to lead a criminal organization because of their natural compassion and empathy that they have tried but just cannot and should never repress.
I'm becoming more and more concerned for the future of the series and what will come out of it. At this point there are
three four possible outcomes:
>RGGS go indie, allowing them to keep their messages and morals consistent but their budget and thus quality of games will be significantly reduced>they stick with SEGA but also stick to their guns and end up pissing off the wrong people with game banning and/or assassinations occurring as a consequence>they stick with SEGA and bend the knee to Amazon and the US government and the series becomes a shallow husk that contradicts the very messages it was supposed to send>they all leave for Tencent to reunite with Nagoshi and bend the knee to the Chinese government, again the series becoming a shallow husk that contradicts the very messages it was supposed to sendThese games are actually
extremely woke, not in the bastardized by tumblr and memed by 4chan meaning of superficial neo-liberal tokenism and divisive identity politics, but in the original meaning of social awareness that actually questions the existing power structures and if earnestly and consistently applied can actually threaten them. It would be a stark disappointment, though unfortunately far from an impossibility in this socio-economic-political climate, to see the RGG games turn from the original meaning of "woke" to the current one. I actually want to learn Japanese to write to RGG myself to tell them about this without the risk of some translator at SEGA America censoring my message before passing it on to them.
Picrel are handmade plushies made by @oekaki_kEEP_oN on xitter btw, I love her stuff.
No. 427636
>>427508>wokeSomething I've always seen in these games but it never pissed me off or made me roll my eyes. It's amazing how RGG in its core is deeply socially aware without being annoying or overly preachy. I agree they should be very careful with what they're doing, because they've dodged a hundred bullets by now but as the messages get sharper they need to hold defense. As much as I respect both Yokoyama and Nagoshi, yes, one went on to be a sellout, while Yokoyama is just stepping onto that path. Nagoshi was the one who insisted that the series is made for Japanese audience and the rest should learn to understand it on their own. Yokoyama is trying to push the message to the whole world, but inevitably he starts to pander to Western ideals and their higher structures, as you said. So I feel like route three of four you described is approaching. Worst thing that can happen to the series is it gets western woke. You can officially bury it in the dirt this very moment.
It's quite interesting though, how the studio's priorities and beliefs shift and waver just like their country's politics.
>write to RGG to tell them about this Sadly, even if you do manage to translate and pass this message to them I doubt they wouldn't discard it as just another weird message or conspiracy. I feel like one needs to be
inside the organization for their word to have any weight, sadly. Nonna, you should get into gamedev or something like that.
>>427275You rightfully say that Japanese society as a whole should rebuild itself but it's getting more and more difficult. This is country full of old stubborn people, young people either flee, accept the reality or go full antisocial. Youth is also forming criminal gangs, goes tokuryu, so they've started rebuilding something from scratch and it's criminal circles. Something has to happen for a total change to take place, but it seems like a far away perspective.
No. 428392
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>>427636OK, I keep thinking of this and I'm just figuring all this out. The more I think of it, the more it makes sense. I have to send my apologies to Nagoshi, Yokoyama, everyone who left for NetEase and everyone who still stays at RGG. The real ruiner of this series is neither Nagoshi nor Yokoyama. Nope, it's SEGA execs. Of fucking course. It's so fucking insidious.
Think about it. When did Nagoshi leave SEGA and what was the explanation given? Remember the last RGG game released with Nagoshi still around. Remember its plot, its characters and its themes. Remember the final boss, and the ending. What IS Nagoshi doing at NetEase? Think about it.
The proof truly is in the pudding. This series is a lot better written than we give it credit for, it really is brilliant in ways we have yet to discover. Is anyone at RGGS a Frank Zappa fan? They nailed and perfected idea of "conceptual continuity" in a wonderful and meaningful way.
Conceptual continuity. Look it up and understand it and also look up Yokoyama describing the writing and worldbuilding of the Yakuza games and tell me it does not add up. Through understanding conceptual continuity and how it applies to RGG, you will understand these games a whole lot better. The Yakuza series is such a carefully intricate project built up over so many years that even when it seems it doesn't make sense, when you think deeper, it really does and the deeper you dig the more it blows your mind. It's obvious that they always keep revisit their previous games over and over with every new one. They do learn from mistakes, and they don't just learn from them, they also use them to their advantage. They are so deeply and painfully aware of their medium, their environment, their current context and the overarching real life context, and they use
everything to their advantage, including their limitations and their threats. RGG writing is
not dumb, people who think it is are. It's not that deep, it's
even deeper. And it's beautiful and downright revolutionary at its core.
It's also arguably the most misunderstood series in the history of gaming. SEGA execs are doing their best to keep it way because of how deeply revolutionary its message is. Think of the sudden porting of Kiwami to Switch of all things and only Kiwami. Think of the "Persona 5 but with adults" meme for the Ichiban games, it's also pushed through in-game references, and it's actually not at all innocuous shout-outs. What kind of game is Persona 5 compared to the Yakuza games? What kind of protagonist is Ichiban Kasuga compared to Ren Amamiya? How does the player interact with the protagonists, their parties, and their world in each game? Compare and contrast the Yakuza series as a
whole to the Persona series as
whole. Think about it. The Persona and specifically Persona 5 comparison is actively damaging the understanding of the Ichiban games and the series as a whole in the fandom. It's a very false equivalence that helps the perpetuation of false narratives and misinterpretations, especially in the western fandom. Compared to "Persona 5 but with adults", "Japanese GTA" is surprisingly a more apt even if still not fair comparison, and it's actually far less insidious and damaging.
>Nagoshi was the one who insisted that the series is made for Japanese audience and the rest should learn to understand it on their own>Yokoyama is trying to push the message to the whole worldYou know, they're actually
both right. These two ideas do
not have to contradict each other, and both Nagoshi and Yokoyama are aware of it, but for some reason not the Western fandom. And SEGA execs don't want the fandom to be aware of it, especially not the Western fandom. Think of the Japanese audience, the Japanese fandom, the
real Japanese fandom. When you see culture war seething over Yokoyama and how he's ruining the games after "based" Nagoshi's departure remember that it's complete and utter bullshit
because they fail to acknowledge the
real actual Japanese fandom that Nagoshi
and Yokoyama actually mean. Hint: Takaya Kuroda pointed it out himself. The games have taken the direction they're going through now
because of the
actual Japanese audience they ended up developing. It's not the one they originally aimed for with the first PS2 games, and the one they originally aimed for with the PS2 was not the one culture warriors think either, and it's not one that cares enough to engage with the conceptual continuity that is the Yakuza series at the level the actual current Japanese fandom does.
You know how anons here and not only talk about Japanese fandom circles being "drama-free"? They couldn't be more wrong, they just don't see it because of the language barrier. The "based Nagoshi" vs "cringe woke Yokoyama" is also very much a false dichotomy when you actually look into the Japanese fandom circles as a whole, not just the Yakuza fandom. There's always been seething over Nagoshi as well, for very similar reasons that westoids are now seething over Yokoyama. Yokoyama is the "anti violence pro censorship westernized woke sjw" boogeyman westerners love to seethe at, but he's essentially the scapegoat now that Nagoshi left. It's dishonest. It's manipulative. Nagoshi has always caused seething in a certain subset of Japanese netizens, and now Yokoyama is causing similar seething in their western counterparts. They both are very, very aware of it, and they're actively playing into it. Both Nagoshi and Yokoyama obviously see the "culture wars" as a false narrative on both sides. Don't buy into false narratives. Keep in mind the actual Japanese fandom, compare it to the western one and things will make more sense. Takaya Kuroda is aware as well.
The RGG series needs to be firmly understood as a conceptual continuity, and so should real life! The proof really is in the pudding. Mirei Park and Naoki Katsuya's rivalry. Arakawa betraying the Tojo Clan for the Omi Alliance. Remember the real narratives. Notice patterns and symbols in the games and apply them to real life. Notice patterns and symbols in real life, as well as other media you consume and enjoy and apply them to the games. Both Nagoshi and Yokoyama and the entire RGG team actively want you to, and you can tell in the way they interact with the fandom. Always remember that it's not that deep, it's actually deeper. They want their fans, their
real actual fans to think critically and question everything, because RGGS really do care about them the same way they care about RGG and RGG know damn well their real audience is very capable of it because they have consistently shown themselves to be. They just need to be encouraged to dig even deeper. This is why everyone at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
and Nagoshi Studio
and the characters of the series need all the love and support they can get from the fandom. Honestly not even just from the fandom but fellow game developers, designers and writers as well. They need to connect with fellow visionaries and out of the box thinkers across the video game industry. They've dodged hundreds of bullets, and still keep carefully dodging countless more and they keep digging even deeper.
No. 428396
>>428392(splitting the post because I went off past the character limit and I hate that flood timer so fucking much reeeeeee)
Back to the Amazon Prime series, Yokoyama is actively involved with it and he actually knows damn well what he is doing. Maybe we really should watch it and compare it to the games and keep noticing the patterns and symbols and underlying messages. Just don't watch it the way Amazon wants you to and Yokoyama actually doesn't want you to. They put the 0-7 games on GOG.com for a reason. They're making the new Majima game what it is for a reason. Every single little detail and action counts. Everything is done with good reason, even the contracts forbidding the cast from playing the games. It relates to the way this series is deeply misunderstood to its core. And even those contracts won't be permanent or even long term, trust me. Yokoyama has used the term "transmedia" and stated he finds that highly preferable to crossovers with other franchises. Makes perfect sense if we firmly assert Yakuza to be a conceptual continuity, and we should, because SEGA execs don't want us to. Not recognizing RGG as a conceptual continuity strips it of its identity, meaning and purpouse.
Everything is done for a reason. Agent Gaiden being released before 8 despite being made after was done for a reason. Think of Hanawa and the way he is in Gaiden versus 8, and don't forget his presence in 5. Recognizing Morinaga and Hanawa as the same person means acknowledging the entire arc around him, the things we see and the things we do not see. Yes, Morinaga is Hanawa, it makes no sense otherwise. He confirmed it to a fan for a reason, he confirmed it to a particular fan for a reason. It matters, because it shows how much they do know and care about their real actual Japanese fanbase. They may have failed them in the past, but they have been actively working to do them better. People trying to claim it was a fake story because the fan tweeted it and not Yokoyama himself don't get it.
Characters in the series keep erasing their names or having their names erased, which is an important concept in Agent Gaiden, but there is one name that people forget and we can never let it be erased. Minoru Daidoji, the namesake of the Daidoji Faction. The Fixer. Keep his name and his role in mind, and also keep in mind that he also has a successor. Another fixer, that we've already seen. The Daidoji is not Kiryu's ally, or Hanawa's for that matter. Kiryu and Hanawa's only real allies in the Daidoji are each other, it's painfully obvious when you play Agent Gaiden. Not only that, but Watase and his allies are actually far more valuable and genuine allies to both Kiryu and by extension even Hanawa than the Daidoji faction. There's a lot of talk of dog collars and leashes. We still do not know who the Eighth Chairman is, only that he is not Watase. We still don't know where Katsuya is. Consider these points and the plot of 8 makes a lot more sense now. Keep your eyes open and don't let yourself fall for false narratives. They definitely do not forget about any of their characters in their deeply intricate conceptual continuity, nor do they want to replace any of the older characters with new ones. If a character is suddenly missing for no reason, or a character shows up out of nowhere, consider their role in the plot and relationship to other characters and never forget the existence and role of The Fixer. Everything is done with good reason. Keep questioning the game's narrative, not just individual games, but the entire conceptual continuity's narrative, that is the point all along. Not even just the games, but real life narratives as well. Don't let yourself be psy-opped like our beloved characters have been. And even if you unwittingly do, actively try to unlearn it. You can free your mind, just like the characters can. Learn to recognize your real allies and enemies, much like your favourite characters. Remember that developers and executives are not one and the same, and that they are very much not allies.
I cannot overstate how ground-breaking this conceptual continuity is, and it is so because of the actual Japanese fandom. The actual Japanese fandom both Nagoshi and Yokoyama acknowledge and deeply appreciate and keep trying to do better. We really need to recognize the actual Japanese fandom and support them and connect with them, because they actually have a lot in common with us. I'm also posting these walls of text on lolcow dot farm of all places for a reason.
I'm actually very excited for the upcoming game because considering these points I just know it will be not just a masterpiece, but also a highly polarizing masterpiece that will highlight the true fans of the Yakuza series, not just the Japanese ones, but the Western fans who do get it was well. Keep noticing patterns and symbols and try to fill in the holes all across the series that they intentionally leave for us to fill instead of spoon-feeding us everything because they know we're smart enough not to need that. Majima will be gradually regaining his memories and identity and this process will put them and himself in a whole new perspective. Keep in mind Majima's tattoo and its symbolism. Also keep in mind that Queen Michele is voiced by none other than Romi Park. Ryu Ga Gotoku are and are gradually becoming way more based and woke in a very earnest way than you would think at a first glance, and that's because of their true Japanese audience that loves and supports them.
Bringing up conceptual continuity again, maybe are they not (just) Zappa fans? Keeping the idea of "transmedia" in mind, maybe the closest thing to Ryu Ga Gotoku really is not a video game. Maybe future games should consider bringing the yakuza not to the USA or China, but to Germany. Chew it all up, turn it around, give the meaning a twist and spit it back out. What is Ryu Ga Gotoku if not Japanese engineering, astounding ingenuity in almost two decades of conceptual continuity? Impulsive, corrosive, enticing, confusing,
abusive, elusive, provoking and amusing. Completely inane, profoundly profane and it drives us insane. Ryu Ga Gotoku can't suck hard enough, and we'll have a little more because we just love that stuff.
No. 428419
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>There is no love in your violence
t. the root of the mad dog
No. 431314
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>>416948At this point, I'm sure this was an intentional leak, right on Majima's 60th birthday kek. Might RGGS be aware of other imageboards as well? Does Masayoshi Yokoyama lurk lolcow dot farm?
No. 431904
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>>427133>When they make a point that Goromi isn't just a fun (albeit a little gay) act it's plain retardedackshually it's an Ichi the Killer reference. and probably Majima being a self-hating bifag as well
No. 439717
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I just finished Kiwami, and the ending really put me off honestly. I wish they'd somehow reworked Nishiki's character because the Kiryu/Yumi/Nishiki love triangle really made no sense. At least Yumi could have been more than a passing mention in Y0, so there could be some sense as to why Kiryu and Nishiki felt so strongly about her to the point of it (partially) being the reason they fought each other, especially with how their brotherly relationship was built up so well in Y0… and Reina deserved a much better sendoff… Does the storytelling get better in the following games?
No. 440012
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>>439717Very unpopular opinion but I really don't think people should start with 0, 0 was made after 5, Kiwami was made after 0 as a remake of the first game from 2005 and these things really show. I think people should start with Kiwami and play 0 after 5, things will probably make slightly more sense this way.
I agree that Yumi should have been given more development in 0 along with Kiryu and Nishiki, even just to understand why both of them liked her so much in the first place. As a schizo tinfoiler and Kazama hater I think poor Yumi was also used as a pawn to force a rivalry between Kiryu and Nishiki, divide and conquer basically, the two of them would have been unstoppable together. Kiryu and Nishiki's dynamic is pretty much golden child and scapegoat, which must have caused resentment in Nishiki. Kuze was right to call Kazama's shit brainwashing, Kazama is very manipulative and good at making people feel like they owe him.
I'm also curious about Yumi's relationship with Jingu, as well as her friendship with Reina. Yumi claims that at some point Jingu used to be a good guy, did he really use to or had he been manipulating her all along from the start? I also think Reina more or less picked up on the dynamic between Kiryu, Nishiki and Yumi and felt bad for Niskiki always getting scapegoated.
I find it interesting how in later games Kiryu keeps fixating on Nishiki, Yumi and Kazama, even to the detriment of properly bonding with living people and making new close friends that he can lean on. Kiryu has developed this saviour complex and he insists on fixing everything and helping everyone, even when he seems initially reluctant about it he still does it, which earns him admiration, as well as resentment and also causes him a lot of stress. Back to my tinfoil, I feel Kiryu was socially engineered this way from his early childhood to be a perfect human weapon for the CIA (makes more sense when you get to 3, then 6 and The Man Who Erased His Name).
A lot of fans say it does not matter who Kiryu's, Nishiki's and Yumi's parents were and why Kazama had killed them. I think they couldn't be more wrong. This detail provides a crucial piece of the puzzle and I don't think Kiryu as a character should be let go until we find this out.
No. 440373
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>>440364Just mind the nosedive between Kiwami 2 (the 2017 remake of 2, which came out in 2006) and 3 (which came out in 2009 and was only remastered, not remade)!
Many people who start with 0 end up disappointed with other games, especially 3-5. I too started with 0, much like many other Western players, and I too initially felt 1-5 didn't hold up as well as 0. But then I remembered 0 came out after 5. As I later replayed the games in real-life release order (except for the Kiwamis lol), I could easier appreciate the progress and improvement RGG have accomplished over the years. They're not perfect, but they do try to learn from their mistakes, which is why I'm very much not a fan of the "just play 0 everything else sucks!!" meme.
IMO it makes more sense to play 0 after 5, also because 5 (which takes place in 2012) also heavily mentions this "old school/new breed yakuza" dichotomy and the "good old days of the yakuza" mantra… but right after you get to 0, which takes place in 1988, you can notice how the more things change, the more they actually stay the same. Yeah, there's the glitz and glamour of the bubble era, but behind that, the corruption, the manipulation and the scheming are still there… The so-called "new breed of yakuza" who lacks honour and humanity and only cares about personal gains with no qualms over putting innocent people in danger if it helps him achieve his goal existed back then as well. Majima was on a tight leash, Saejima was in prison. Kiryu and Nishiki were still friends, but they were actively being manipulated and pitted against each other. Were things really better back then?
From what I hear, might
>>440333 be a prequel establishing the origins of the first yakuza clans? Watase says for example in 7, which takes place in 2019, that "the Omi Alliance is a little over a hundred years old," which checks out with the setting of 1915.
A surprise month of Hellmas is now in effect. For the rest of the month of December, VPN posting will be banned.