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Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 21:20
by Bhaalspawn Jr
Maybe I'm exaggerating, but the latest instalment is getting review bombed:
And their last game (Pirate Yakuza) was straight up trash.
This has been my favourite franchise since I discovered it in 2018. I've played them all, but the quality of recent titles has dropped significantly since Toshihiro Nagoshi left the studio in 2021.
Then there's also the constant controversial retconning since Like a Dragon (bringing characters who are decidedly dead back from the grave for no reason whatsoever).
Stranger Than Heaven is the studio's last chance or they will fade into irrelevancy.
Edit:
While the above still stands, the series has a rich history of incredible games that are worth talking about, so I've changed this thread to be a general space for discussing all things Yakuza (yeah, I prefer the classic Western title for the series).
The Death of Ryu Ga Gotoku
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 21:26
by Val the Moofia Boss
It is odd that Nagoshi wound up leaving. If he didn't want to get promoted up the chain of command out of game development, then why should SEGA force one of their best game directors to do so?
The Death of Ryu Ga Gotoku
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 21:39
by Bhaalspawn Jr
Val the Moofia Boss wrote: ↑
February 12th, 2026, 21:26
It is odd that Nagoshi wound up leaving. If he didn't want to get promoted up the chain of command out of game development, then why should SEGA force one of their best game directors to do so?
There had to be drama behind the scenes. He probably came to an agreement with Sega and made his statement to prevent a feud that would divide fans. Now he's off making essentially another Yakuza with Gang of Dragon and it looks sick. If it ends up being superior to Stranger Than Heaven then what a kick in the nuts that will be to Sega and his former colleagues.
The Death of Ryu Ga Gotoku
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 21:41
by Oyster Sauce
Series needs more unsolicited plotlines where the protagonist declares that ***** rights are human rights and that refugees are welcome
The Death of Ryu Ga Gotoku
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 21:43
by methoxetamine
Stop it man, please, I beg of you, I am already depressed
The Death of Ryu Ga Gotoku
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 21:44
by Val the Moofia Boss
Bhaalspawn Jr wrote: ↑
February 12th, 2026, 21:39
Val the Moofia Boss wrote: ↑
February 12th, 2026, 21:26
It is odd that Nagoshi wound up leaving. If he didn't want to get promoted up the chain of command out of game development, then why should SEGA force one of their best game directors to do so?
There had to be drama behind the scenes. He probably came to an agreement with Sega and made his statement to prevent a feud that would divide fans. Now he's off making essentially another Yakuza with Gang of Dragon and it looks sick. If it ends up being superior to Stranger Than Heaven then what a kick in the nuts that will be to Sega and his former colleagues.
It boggles my mind that brain drain and the quality collapse that ensues continues to be such a huge issue in the videogame industry. Blizzard, Square, and Konami are the most notorious cases of it, with Kojima's ousting being very high profile. You would think that the higher ups would be concerned about this, but apparently not. You don't hear this happening with Nintendo.
The Death of Ryu Ga Gotoku
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 21:50
by Bhaalspawn Jr
God no....
But I seem to remember they did that already...
There was a ***** side character who owned a bar that showed up throughout the series. And Like a Dragon had pro-immigration stances iirc. (Been a while).
The Death of Ryu Ga Gotoku
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 22:05
by methoxetamine
Bhaalspawn Jr wrote: ↑
February 12th, 2026, 21:50
God no....
But I seem to remember they did that already...
There was a ***** side character who owned a bar that showed up throughout the series. And Like a Dragon had pro-immigration stances iirc. (Been a while).
There's 1 substory that's undeniable friendly towards ****** and it's in Y3, which is funny since they cut the substories in the remake from like 110 to ~35 or something in Kiwami 3, so ******** and ******* are seething that they removed that substory. Every other reference to ******** in the series is making them the butt of the joke, like the bar owner you mentioned and the Pleasure King
The Death of Ryu Ga Gotoku
Posted: February 12th, 2026, 23:45
by Bhaalspawn Jr
I feel your pain, bro. It had a good run. 0 - Gaiden is Kiryu's complete journey for me. His last fight
► Show Spoiler
with his bros
at the end of Gaiden was peak and an amazing swansong.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 22nd, 2026, 21:06
by Bhaalspawn Jr
One of the defining features of the series that I haven't seen talked about much are the epic scores:
The Wicked
It's pretty cool how the music evolves over the course of each game. It might start with a blend of moody jazz, hard rock, and techno, but they usually evolve into these amazing orchestral pieces to really amp up the drama and action.
The final boss theme for Lost Judgment had me on the edge of my seat, the hairs on my arms raised, and my heart racing like a jackhammer. I'd go as far to say it might be the best final boss theme I've ever heard. I'd share the track, but you'd really need to experience it for yourselves by playing the game to get the full effect.
Fans generally call the 4th instalment the weakest entry (until Pirate Yakuza came along that is), but I love it. It's got a mad story (that gun massacre scene... if you know, you know), but it keeps the Yakuza flavour we all know and love. It's got a great theme song with different variations that reflect each of the main characters' personalities and motivations.
Yakuza 4 - Intro
These soundtracks are what I mainly listen to when doing the daily chores, or the wee jog every now and then. Really hypes you up to get the job done.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 22nd, 2026, 21:13
by methoxetamine
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 22nd, 2026, 21:22
by Valter
Speed Star? Is that related to Trouble Shooting Star? This one stands out to me 'cause it's barely ever used considering how good it is.
Yakuza 0 OST - 10 Trouble Shooting Star
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 22nd, 2026, 21:27
by methoxetamine
Nah because Speed Star is Akiyama's theme and he's not in Y0, that song is indeed another banger though. They love making crazy songs for inconsequential **** that you never hear again. This song plays for a random fight against mooks in Serena that lasts like 15 seconds and you don't even hear past the intro if you're playing normally
Yakuza Kiwami OST - 08 Ideal For Violence
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 22nd, 2026, 21:38
by Bhaalspawn Jr
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 23rd, 2026, 09:02
by ZeElessarTelcontar
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 23rd, 2026, 14:06
by Bhaalspawn Jr
Yeah, I made a thread about it:
viewtopic.php?t=5402-netease-cuts-fundi ... yakuza-dev
It's too bad, but it is what it is.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 23rd, 2026, 16:50
by Bhaalspawn Jr
After being in the dark for a while, Stranger Than Heaven is finally being showcased again at an Xbox (RIP) event this week:
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/new ... this-week/
@Finarfin Do you think you'll cover this event, bro?
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 23rd, 2026, 17:10
by Finarfin
Since it is an Xbox Partner event I will yeah.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 26th, 2026, 19:01
by Bhaalspawn Jr
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | Five Eras Reveal Trailer
Looks awesome. There's a lot riding on this game's success.
We initially believed that the game would be set across three eras, but it has now been revealed that there are five. The Kamurocho red gate appears in 1965 (the last era) meaning this game is most definitely set in the Yakuza universe despite RGG in the past claiming it was not.
Combat looks different from previous entries. More grappling options and weapon-based attacks. Hopefully it feels good like earlier titles.
Not a fan of the overpowering drums in the trailer. Kind of distracting, but I'm just nitpicking.
Don't know why a random ****** shows up as a boss in 1915 Japan, but there it is.
Still no official release date. My guess is first quarter 2027 like most releases in the series.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 26th, 2026, 20:39
by methoxetamine
Bhaalspawn Jr wrote: ↑
March 26th, 2026, 19:01
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | Five Eras Reveal Trailer
Looks awesome. There's a lot riding on this game's success.
We initially believed that the game would be set across three eras, but it has now been revealed that there are five. The Kamurocho red gate appears in 1965 (the last era) meaning this game is most definitely set in the Yakuza universe despite RGG in the past claiming it was not.
Combat looks different from previous entries. More grappling options and weapon-based attacks. Hopefully it feels good like earlier titles.
Not a fan of the overpowering drums in the trailer. Kind of distracting, but I'm just nitpicking.
Don't know why a random ****** shows up as a boss in 1915 Japan, but there it is.
Still no official release date. My guess is first quarter 2027 like most releases in the series.
Looks pretty weird but after skipping K3 I'm dying for an RGG game to play so I will be there the moment it launches
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 26th, 2026, 20:58
by Bhaalspawn Jr
methoxetamine wrote: ↑
March 26th, 2026, 20:39
Bhaalspawn Jr wrote: ↑
March 26th, 2026, 19:01
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | Five Eras Reveal Trailer
Looks awesome. There's a lot riding on this game's success.
We initially believed that the game would be set across three eras, but it has now been revealed that there are five. The Kamurocho red gate appears in 1965 (the last era) meaning this game is most definitely set in the Yakuza universe despite RGG in the past claiming it was not.
Combat looks different from previous entries. More grappling options and weapon-based attacks. Hopefully it feels good like earlier titles.
Not a fan of the overpowering drums in the trailer. Kind of distracting, but I'm just nitpicking.
Don't know why a random ****** shows up as a boss in 1915 Japan, but there it is.
Still no official release date. My guess is first quarter 2027 like most releases in the series.
Looks pretty weird but after skipping K3 I'm dying for an RGG game to play so I will be there the moment it launches
Same. The last true fully fledged brawler from RGG was Lost Judgment back in 2021 (Gaiden and Pirate Yakuza were shorter spin-offs) and I think they finally nailed the gameplay/combat with Yakuza 6's 'dragon engine' in that game, so I expect STH to be really great (at least gameplay-wise, we'll see what they do with the story).
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 26th, 2026, 21:33
by J-12
0 was the only actually good game in the series, everything else just Bollywood-grade garbage.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 26th, 2026, 23:47
by Bhaalspawn Jr
0 is, without question, the best game in the series, but quite a few instalments come very close to it (like Kiwami 1 + 2 and Lost Judgment) imo. I think I know why you're comparing them to Bollywood though:
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii - Ending Musical: Let Me See You Dancin\u0027
That **** had me questioning my life choices.
l14v0kw581hd1.gif
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 27th, 2026, 01:37
by J-12
Kiwami 1 was the most Bollywood one out of all that i played. There's something about the way cutscenes were "directed", the original looked organic while these just didn't.
Surprisingly the quality of new cutscenes that were not in original and show us Nishki's torments looked overall higher quality, almost like someone with actual artistic vision made them and it was not just some guy redoing old cutscenes in newer engine with new models.
Overall this game is just 0 but worse in every way besides few improvements for combat.
Kiwami 2 was just ok, not much to say about it. It definitely is a videogame that somebody can play, the engine improvements and quirks are largely not that big of a deal, though i do remember being amazed for a moment once when one of the generic goons got tossed into one of the store's window and then jump-kicked out from another one, the way light reflected from all of the flying glass shards looked awesome.
Third one i decided to skip because of all the memes about it being the worst.
4-th was somewhat interesting up to the part where we get to play as Saejima and let me tell you something - i could not be ****** to get past that prison section of rooftops with snipers, maybe if i had more patience to get over it i'd like the game more but i just got bored and the same can be said for me with the rest of this series overall.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 27th, 2026, 06:18
by Bhaalspawn Jr
J-12 wrote: ↑
March 27th, 2026, 01:37
Kiwami 1 was the most Bollywood one out of all that i played. There's something about the way cutscenes were "directed", the original looked organic while these just didn't.
Surprisingly the quality of new cutscenes that were not in original and show us Nishki's torments looked overall higher quality, almost like someone with actual artistic vision made them and it was not just some guy redoing old cutscenes in newer engine with new models.
Overall this game is just 0 but worse in every way besides few improvements for combat.
Kiwami 2 was just ok, not much to say about it. It definitely is a videogame that somebody can play, the engine improvements and quirks are largely not that big of a deal, though i do remember being amazed for a moment once when one of the generic goons got tossed into one of the store's window and then jump-kicked out from another one, the way light reflected from all of the flying glass shards looked awesome.
Third one i decided to skip because of all the memes about it being the worst.
4-th was somewhat interesting up to the part where we get to play as Saejima and let me tell you something - i could not be ****** to get past that prison section of rooftops with snipers, maybe if i had more patience to get over it i'd like the game more but i just got bored and the same can be said for me with the rest of this series overall.
I really enjoyed the third one. I played the remaster (not kiwami 3) and didn't have any issues with it. I know that players had a problem with the excessive blocking from enemies, but it wasn't bad enough to make me put the game down. That game has one of the best finales of the series and one of the best theme songs.
I get it with 4, but man, I still loved that ****. I didn't really bother with the side content in that one though. Just focused on the main story with a few substories here and there.
Have you tried the Judgment games? They're fantastic, especially Lost Judgment.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 27th, 2026, 06:32
by ZeElessarTelcontar
methoxetamine wrote: ↑
March 26th, 2026, 20:39
Bhaalspawn Jr wrote: ↑
March 26th, 2026, 19:01
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | Five Eras Reveal Trailer
Looks awesome. There's a lot riding on this game's success.
We initially believed that the game would be set across three eras, but it has now been revealed that there are five. The Kamurocho red gate appears in 1965 (the last era) meaning this game is most definitely set in the Yakuza universe despite RGG in the past claiming it was not.
Combat looks different from previous entries. More grappling options and weapon-based attacks. Hopefully it feels good like earlier titles.
Not a fan of the overpowering drums in the trailer. Kind of distracting, but I'm just nitpicking.
Don't know why a random ****** shows up as a boss in 1915 Japan, but there it is.
Still no official release date. My guess is first quarter 2027 like most releases in the series.
Looks pretty weird but after skipping K3 I'm dying for an RGG game to play so I will be there the moment it launches
Nah **** this **** idw see ******* snoop dogg in a japanese game. Of all people they get some mid *** black rapper in 20th century Japan teaching martial arts to an actual japanese dude? The **** is ts yasuke *** garbage.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: March 27th, 2026, 14:08
by Bhaalspawn Jr
ZeElessarTelcontar wrote: ↑
March 27th, 2026, 06:32
methoxetamine wrote: ↑
March 26th, 2026, 20:39
Bhaalspawn Jr wrote: ↑
March 26th, 2026, 19:01
STRANGER THAN HEAVEN | Five Eras Reveal Trailer
Looks awesome. There's a lot riding on this game's success.
We initially believed that the game would be set across three eras, but it has now been revealed that there are five. The Kamurocho red gate appears in 1965 (the last era) meaning this game is most definitely set in the Yakuza universe despite RGG in the past claiming it was not.
Combat looks different from previous entries. More grappling options and weapon-based attacks. Hopefully it feels good like earlier titles.
Not a fan of the overpowering drums in the trailer. Kind of distracting, but I'm just nitpicking.
Don't know why a random ****** shows up as a boss in 1915 Japan, but there it is.
Still no official release date. My guess is first quarter 2027 like most releases in the series.
Looks pretty weird but after skipping K3 I'm dying for an RGG game to play so I will be there the moment it launches
Nah **** this **** idw see ******* snoop dogg in a japanese game. Of all people they get some mid *** black rapper in 20th century Japan teaching martial arts to an actual japanese dude? The **** is ts yasuke *** garbage.
Oh ****, it really is Snoop Dogg. Wtf were they thinking? Is it to appeal to the kiddies? Do kids even know who that ****** is?
This has... really dampened my anticipation for this game. Since he's old and in the 1915 portion of the game, it will be a super minor role, but compromising is what led us to where we are today. ****, I might pirate it now.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: April 23rd, 2026, 20:09
by Val the Moofia Boss
Nagoshi Studio/Gang of the Dragon youtube channel has been deleted.
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: April 23rd, 2026, 20:13
by methoxetamine
Yakuza AKA Ryu Ga Gotoku Series
Posted: April 24th, 2026, 18:50
by Bhaalspawn Jr
Sad news. It's definitely been cancelled then. Nagoshi's out of work
