Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Boycott

Rock Paper Shotgun has a story about the contents of Yakuza Kiwami 3: Dark Ties that is frankly disgusting.

"Kanda, upon discovering he doesn’t have enough cash to buy time with a sex worker, grabs an unsuspecting woman in the street and drags her off to an alley. Mine finds him gripping the terrified woman by the wrists. As part of Kanda and Mine’s arrangement, the former tasks you with leading a PR campaign to boost his reputation in the community, via a minigame dubbed "Kanda Damage Control"."

I was going to delay buying Yakuza 3 Kiwami and play it ten years down the road for Dark Ties. But, I can't even stomach this. Not just as a woman who experienced sexual assault herself, but as a decent human being. 

This is more than tone deaf considering the controversy surrounding Teruyuki Kagawa. He sexually assaulted at least two hostesses. He admitted to the first and was caught on camera for the second. There has been a boycott for this game since Kagawa was announced to be playing Goh Hamazaki in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Dies and Ryu Ga Gotoku and Sega have not handled it well. They have been limiting, filtering, and removing posts protesting the recasting, supporting the hostesses, and carrying the #REMOVEKAGAWA hashtag on social media.

There is a petition on change.org to replace Kagawa, but in light of the blood-curdling sick minigame it is just not enough.

I don't know why anyone would think this is OK. If this game goes out without any real backlash, I'm going to quit playing Ryu Ga Gotoku games altogether. I'm sure everyone here knows how big a fan of the series I am, but this is just beyond creepy and misogynistic - it makes me sick, metaphorically and literally. I'm sitting here with a pit in my stomach just typing this.

I Will Only Purchase Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Used and Won't Review Them for 10 Years or Until Teruyuki Kagawa Is Replaced

Teruyuki Kagawa, the new actor for Goh Hamazaki in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Dies sexually assaulted two hostesses. The first hostess to be known to the public was sexually assaulted by Kagawa in July 2019. He released two apologies for this, the second after he was criticized for the first. He lost roles and sponsorships but his career has bounced back. The hostess, who understandably hasn't released her real name to the public for her own safety, now has post-traumatic stress disorder.

Unfortunately, I know all about sexual assault firsthand and the trauma never goes away. It has been nearly four decades for me now, and I still have to take medication at night to avoid night terrors. 

The second hostess came forward on December 27, 2022 with incriminating photographic evidence of her sexual assault by Kagawa. Despite the photographic proof, not only did he not apologize, but he also sent her a notice stating that she was taking advantage of the report of assault of the first hostess and was overstating the severity of the situation. He also had the gall to state the sexual assault was "past the statute of limitations anyway".

The deeply troubling part of the replacement of George Takahashi with Kagawa as the actor for Goh Hamazaki is that Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have been limiting, filtering, and removing posts protesting the recasting, supporting the hostesses, and carrying the #REMOVEKAGAWA hashtag on social media.

As a big fan of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and the Like a Dragon series, I am especially saddened by this. Japan has always had a misogynistic view towards women, but the studio is usually quite progressive when it comes to portraying hostesses in a good light and showing those who sexually assault these women as sex pests. This apparently doesn't extend into the real world. 

It's doubly galling due to the fact that Pierre Taki was quickly replaced by Miou Tanaka as the actor portraying Kyohei Hamura in Judge Eyes, the Japanese version of Judgment, due to alleged cocaine use. However, Kagawa admitted to sexual assaulting one hostess and was caught on camera sexually abusing another, but the studio and its parent company have remained silent.

As I stated in my other protest posts, I founded WE Computers Museum, which is all about the preservation of all computer software, so it will definitely have the game at some point. However, I have decided to only buy it for the museum used at Goodwill so no profits on my purchase go directly to Sega. 

As I've been linking the museum and this blog together on game pages, I will likely review it at some point as well. However, I have decided to impose a ten-year period after they release before I review it, unless Kagawa is replaced. I'm doing this to limit any impact this site may have, as little as it would be, on the sales of the games.

Please support the women who work in Japan's nightlife industries. It is dangerous work and they deserve to be treated with dignity. Join the #REMOVEKAGAWA movement on social media and sign the petition to replace Kagawa on Change.org.

Open World Action RPG Review: Yakuza

Update November 18, 2025: I originally posted this review as a clone of the review for the remake, Yakuza Kiwami. For the past few days I have been playing the wonderful Yakuza Restored patch by Sylwahan for the original PlayStation 2 version of Yakuza. This patch replaces the unfitting English voiceovers with the Japanese ones, removes the curse words that don't match what was originally said in the Japanese subtitles, replaces the weird name changes that were in the original translation to the Japanese names that are used throughout the series, uses the Yakuza font for character introductions, and much more. Because of this excellent version, which I highly recommend using if you want to play the PlayStation 2 version of Yakuza, I have decided to completely rewrite this review. If you want to see the original review, it is available word-for-word in the Yakuza Kiwami review, minus the Kiwami-specific sections.

Yakuza, known as Ryu Ga Gotoku or Like a Dragon in Japan, is the first game in the popular franchise of the same name. It laid the groundwork for the later entries in the series, and contained a great mystery of a storyline that sets itself apart from the rest.

The story starts in 1995 in Kamurocho, a fictionalized version of the real-life Kabukichō red-light district of Tokyo. It centers on Kazuma Kiryu, a yakuza in the Dojima family of the Tojo Clan who is known as the Dragon of Dojima. He is about to become the patriarch of his own family, but is instead expelled from the organization when he takes the blame for the murder of Sohei Dojima, a crime he did not commit.

Kiryu is released from prison ten years later, in 2005. Returning to a Kamurocho that is different from that he remembers, he has to contend with members of the Tojo Clan who seek revenge for Patriarch Dojima's murder. He soon meets a little girl named Haruka Sawamura. She is a target for the Tojo Clan, leaving Kiryu to have to protect her while discovering what makes the yakuza so interested in an eight-year-old girl. This begins a tale of mystery and betrayal, which is engaging from start to finish.

The original release of Yakuza came hot on the heels of Grand Theft Auto III and its follow-ups Vice City and San Andreas, which were a huge success in the West. Because of this, Sega of America localized Ryu Ga Gotoku into something it was not, adding excessive swearing to the script and changing the names of characters in an attempt to better appeal to Western audiences. Kiryu was known by his first name of Kazuma, and Shintaro Kazama became Shintaro Fuma to atempt to avoid confusion over the similar name. The weirdest change is that the Florist of Sai became Kage. This name was not used in any other game, and it negated the meaning of the Florist codename, which is explained by a non-playable character in the game.

Because of the overuse of swearing and awkward line reads, the English version is pretty bad. It's not at the level of the woodenness of Sega's earlier attempts at English voice acting such as Shenmue, but it is bad enough that the original Japanese voices were used in the sequels rather than attempting English dubs again. It's a shame that its voice cast was squandered, as it included such Hollywood greats such as Stat Wars star Mark Hamill as Goro Majima and Bill Farmer as Makoto Date.

The minigames in the PlayStation 2 release include the UFO catcher crane game at Club Sega, baccarat, blackjack, and roulette in the casino, flirting with six hostesses at various cabaret clubs, a batting center where Kiryu can hit baseballs at various levels of difficulty, and pachinko slot machines at Volcano.

The original PlayStation 2 version of Yakuza plays like early 3D games in that it shifts camera direction at load points, with the camera appearing behind or above Kiryu at any given shot. This makes it much different than later games in the series, but, barring a rare errant turn in direction due to the confusing camera changes, the awkwardness is mostly forgotten as the game goes on.

The side stories which became a well known aspect of the series started at the beginning with Yakuza. They are more somber than the off-the-wall humor that would come in substories in later games, but there are some moments of levity. It also contains substories that are not present in the Kiwami remake such as those involving a purse snatcher, an artist near the homeless encampment, and an additional story about a pick pocket. This game also started a series staple, the difficult final boss that is part of an Amon assassin family, which is available after every substory is completed.

Yakuza is a fantastic start to one of Sega's best series. The original English translation is not great, but with Sylwahan's Yakuza Restored patch, the excellent Japanese voiceovers are available to English PlayStation 2 players. The original PlayStation 2 version contained many of the regular minigames in the series, including gambling, baseball, and cabaret hostess flirting. It also started the Club Sega appearances, with the series staple UFO Catcher crane game. The side stories also began here, which were relatively serious here but would become wackier as the series went on. The best part about this game is the story, which allows it to remain as one of the best games in the series.

Final verdict:

4 out of 5

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise Review

Yakuza Kiwami Review

Open World Action RPG Review: Yakuza Kiwami

Before the release of Yakuza 0, Yakuza was the beginning of Kazuma Kiryu's story. Yakuza 0 proved to be one of the best games in the whole series. With the release of Yakuza Kiwami, which brought the game up to modern standards yet kept the core story intact, the original Yakuza actually holds up quite well.

The game begins in 1995, seven years after the events in Yakuza 0. Kazuma Kiryu, a twenty-seven-year-old member of the Dojima family within the Tojo Clan, has climbed the ranks within the clan. He is just about to become the patriarch of his own family when he takes the blame for the murder of Patriarch Shimano, although he was not the one that killed him.

Ten years later, Kiryu is paroled and he is released from prison. He now has to deal with members of the Tojo clan that want him dead, as well as the usual violent thugs that wander around Tokyo's Kamurocho district. A decade in prison has made his skills rusty, so he has to gain experience so that he can regain his former strength.

In the Kiwami remake of the game, Goro Majima, the Mad Dog of Shimano, vows to help him restore his strength so that he can battle him properly. This is called "Majima Everywhere", and the name is apt since the battles take place all around the city. This is simultaneously both the funniest and the most frustrating part of the remake since Majima will pop up from just about anywhere at any time. The best way to handle this is to keep leveling up, especially health and beast style moves. Defeating Majima will add moves to Kiryu's dragon style. and other than learning moves from Master Komaki, is the only way to do so. Like Yakuza 0, Kiryu can use the aforementioned beast and dragon style move set. Kiryu can also use moves in his brawler and rush styles. Each of these styles can be accessed by pressing a direction on the directional pad.

Kiryu's story picks up steam when he comes across a young girl, Haruka, that is somehow tied to the one billion yen that has been stolen from the Tojo clan. The Kiryu saga of the Yakuza franchise has always been about family, and that is true here as well. Yakuza 0 had Kiryu protecting his adopted father, Shintaro Kazama, and his sworn brother, Akira Nishiyama. Yakuza picks up that trend, as Kiryu does everything he can to protect Haruka, the little girl that ended up in his custody.

In Yakuza Kiwami, the Japanese voices are left in the western versions, but in the original western release of Yakuza for PlayStation 2, the English voices were dubbed by famous voice actors. It pains me to recommend the Japanese voices, as the English cast was amazing. Among others, it included Mark Hamill giving Joker vibes as Majima and Bill Farmer doing his best Sam the Canine Shamus as Detective Date. The English voices are actually really good. It's just the janky script that let them down. Not only is the dialog in the original English PlayStation 2 version clunky. but names of places and people have been shortened or even changed for little reason. To this day, no one but the translator knows why the Florist of Sai was given the name of Kage in English. He certainly never received a given name in the original Japanese version. Thankfully, Yakuza Kiwami has a much less awkward translation with the original names intact.

In the original Yakuza, the minigames were regulated to the UFO catcher, visiting with cabaret club hostesses, hitting baseballs at the batting center, blackjack, pachinko slot, and roulette. Yakuza Kiwami keeps the UFO catcher, batting center, blackjack, and roulette and removes the pachinko slots as well as four of the six hostesses. However, it adds minigames from Yakuza 0, including billiards, bowling. cee-lo, cho-han, darts, a karaoke button-based rhythm game, koi-koi, mahjong, oicho-kabu, Pocket Circuit slot car racing, poker, roulette, and shogi. The Sega game centers in Yakuza Kiwami also contain Battle Bug Beauties: MesuKing,  based on the Catfight Arena from Yakuza 0.

All of the minigames are fun diversions, but the best part of any Yakuza game outside of the main story is the side missions. There are many sidequests, and Yakuza Kiwami thankfully doesn't remove any sidequests from the original. Kiwami also adds a few new ones to tie the game back to Yakuza 0. Like any Yakuza game, some of them can be quite off-the-wall hilarious. There's nothing like the adult baby gangsters seen in later games, but the wackiness the series is known for definitely started here. As with any Yakuza game, the last side mission is an extremely hard fight with a member of the Amon family.

Yakuza is a great game regardless of which game you are playing, even if it is the PlayStation 2 version or the Japan-only Wii U and PlayStation 3 high-definition versions. However, the best way to play is definitely the Kiwami remake. It does remove 2 out of 6 hostesses and the pachislot games, however, it adds 12 minigames, adds three fighting styles, and brings the presentation up to modern standards. In doing so, it restored the original game's status as one of the best games in the series.

Final verdict:

4 out of 5

Yakuza Review

Streets of Kamurocho Review

Open World Action RPG Review: Like a Dragon - Ishin!

Like a Dragon: Ishin! was originally released only in Japan for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in 2014. The original release was never released outside of Japan, however fans with the usernames MajDima, toyotasupra2, and jurxd created an English translation patch for the PlayStation 3 version on February 2, 2025.

The story takes place right before the Restoration period of Japan, hence the Ishin in the title, as Ishin means Restoration in Japanese. The story follows a samurai named Ryōma Sakamoto who takes on the identity of Hajime Saitō and infiltrates the special army for the Shogunate, the Shinsengumi, to discover who murdered his foster father, Tōyō Yoshida.

Ryōma Sakamoto, Hajime Saitō, and Tōyō Yoshida are all historical samurai who had an influence on Japan, but in real life, Ryōma Sakamoto and Hajime Saitō were separate people. The story mixes the lives of both men, as it begins with the life of Ryōma Sakamoto, with his friend Takechi Hanpeita, the head of the Tosa Loyalist Party. It twists things a bit, with Tōyō Yoshida being Ryōma Sakamoto's foster father in the game. This is where it diverges with the life of Hajime Saitō as it details his joining of the Shinsengumi, although in the game it is to find the person who killed Tōyō.

It's a very dramatic story filled with betrayals and bittersweet triumphs mixed in with craziness, especially in the side stories. In other words, it is very much a Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio game.

The characters are portrayed by Like a Dragon series staples, as well as those characters who are lesser known. The likeness of Kazuma Kiryu, complete with the marvelous deep voice of Takaya Kuroda, plays Hajime Saitō, aka Ryōma Sakamoto. The likeness of the wonderfully crazy Goro Majima portrays Soji Okita. You'll be glad to know Hidenari Ugaki plays Okita with all of the passion of Majima, complete with taunts of Hajime-chan! Many of the likenesses and voice actors of other characters that were playable in previous games also appear here as historical and fictional characters including Haruka Sawamura, Shun Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, and Ryuji Goda. Other series characters are also represented in supporting roles.

In the original version, there are several characters that were replaced in the Kiwami remake from games released after the original release of Ishin!, such as Koichi Adachi from Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Keiji Shibusawa from Yakuza 0. They replaced characters that had no counterparts as they were originally characters exclusive to Ishin!

Other characters that were in the original Ishin! but not included in the remake include Hiroshi Hayashi from Yakuza and Yakuza 2, Goh Hamazaki from Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4, and Minoru Aoyama, Kan Ogita Yahata, Hiroshi Kugihara, and Shigeki Baba from Yakuza 5.

Ishin! is an action RPG, as were most games in the series before it switched to turn-based RPG style combat beginning in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. However, it does represent a change from the usual fare as swords and guns are available to use in addition to the usual fists and kicks.

As usual, side stories are plentiful, and many are just as crazy as you'd expect. The creators also had fun with the time period with some side stories, as there are some here that just wouldn't work in modern Japan. 

Happily, minigames made it into the game despite the pre-Restoration era setting of Japan. The usual Japanese gambling games are present, as is the Western gambling game of Texas hold 'em poker. The latter does make sense within the context of the game, as the era is set when the "black ships" from Britain came to Japan. As expected from a Like a Dragon series game, there are also odd yet fun minigames included such as chicken racing. You can also fish, farm, cook, and then sell the results of your hard work with help from Haruka. 

Interestingly, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise resembles Like a Dragon: Ishin! As the former was released before the latter, it is obvious where Ryu Ga Gotaku Studio got the inspiration to delve into the post-apocalyptic world of Fist of the North Star. As I was playing Ishin!, I noticed the similarity right away due to the rustic feel of the in-game villages between the two games. However, once Haruka's villa was available, it became more apparent. Lin's expressions, comments, and movements are identical to Haruka's here. It works in both games, though, as it gives off a cute vibe that suits both characters.

Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a fantastic game, with all of the series staples that you would expect from the developers of the Like a Dragon series. The voice actors, as usual, have brought their A-game, delivering fantastic voice performances. The plot is interesting as well, weaving together the stories of two famous historical samurai in a story with both historical and fictional elements. If you are a fan of the Like a Dragon series, or just interested in historical Japan, this game is one that is well worth playing.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Like a Dragon: Ishin Kiwami review

Open World Action RPG Review: Yakuza Kiwami 2

The second Yakuza game was bigger than the first, with the addition of a new district, Shinseicho, based on the real-life Shinsekai, as well as including the usual Yakuza series hangout spot, Kamurocho, based on the real-life Kabukicho. In the Yakuza Kiwami 2 remake, the second district was replaced by Sotenbori from Yakuza 0, which is based on the real-life Dotenbori. In the case of both Yakuza 2 and the Yakuza Kiwami 2 remake, in many ways, bigger does indeed mean better.

In this game, Kiryu Kazuma is approached by the fifth chairman of the Tojo Clan, Yukio Terada, who wishes to broker an alliance between the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance. After Terada is murdered, Kiryu decides to take on this goal himself, as he was the one who appointed Terada as the fifth chairman. Thus, he places his adopted daughter, Haruka, in the care of the orphanage where they both grew up, and sets out on the dangerous task to broker peace between the two biggest yakuza organizations in Japan.

The story of Yakuza 2, which takes place a year after the events of Yakuza, is often praised as being among the best in the series and within the top two with Yakuza 0. That praise is well deserved, as it is an exciting murder mystery with a lot of twists and turns thrown in. On top of that, the female detective, Kaoru Sayama, whom Kiryu first meets in this game is written superbly. The writers are good at writing for interesting female characters, but they usually are relegated to the women at the cabaret clubs. It is fun to interact with these women, who range from ultra-feminine to tomboyish. However, they rarely have a tough, yet feminine woman who can hold their own in a fight. That's a shame because Yakuza 2 showed that they could do it well. It took over a half a decade, with the release of Yakuza 5, for another tough, feminine woman to appear in a Yakuza game, and over another half a decade for a playable strong, feminine female character to become playable with the release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

Another awesome character is the Kansai dragon, Ryuji Goda, who is one of the main villains of the game, as he wants to defeat Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, to stake the claim as the only dragon in the yakuza. He is written and performed so well that he became popular with the fans enough to become a playable character in Yakuza: Dead Souls.

As for gameplay, this game is the one that shows its Shenmue lineage the most. Yakuza showed it with quick-time events, fetch quests, and a puzzle near the beginning of the game where Kiryu had to infiltrate the funeral of the third chairman of the Tojo clan. Yakuza 2 has these as well, but it has an actual adventure puzzle near the middle of the game where Kiryu has to interpret clues to open a safe. The puzzle is done very well, and, as a fan of adventure games, I'm happy that it was kept intact in the Yakuza Kiwami 2 remake.

Speaking of the remake, compared to Yakuza Kiwami, the controls are still a bit stiff and there is only one fighting style for Kiryu. In addition, some locations with mini-games are no longer accessible in Yakuza Kiwami 2, such as bowling, pool, and the Club Adam host organization. In addition, with the replacement of Shinseicho for Sotenbori, the Shinseicho minigames have been moved to Kamurocho and Sotenbori or removed entirely. Making up for it, however, some mini-games have been added to the Kiwami remake, including the Majima Construction clan creator and cabaret club management. 

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an excellent game with multiple locations to visit, well-written and excellently voiced new and returning characters, and a superb plot. Any version is worth playing, from the PlayStation 2 original, the Japanese-only high-definition versions on PlayStation 3 and Wii U, or the Kiwami remake, although I wholeheartedly recommend playing the Yakuza Kiwami 2 remake. Yakuza 2, and by extension, Yakuza Kiwami 2, absolutely deserves its praise as one of the best games in the series, and the remake cements it there, even when compared to later games in the series.

Final verdict:

5 out of 5

Yakuza 2 (HD) Review

Yakuza Kiwami 2: Majima Saga review

Open World Action Role-Playing Game Review: Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is the second gaiden, or side story, game in the Like a Dragon series. The gaiden games have been using concepts new to the series and focusing on characters other than the curent main character in the series. This game focuses on the one character that fits into the romanticized version of pirates the most, Goro Majima.

Fans of the series have been hoping for a Majima-fronted Like a Dragon game for years. Western fans have also been clammoring for a game based in the United States. The previous game brought us the latter last year and Pirate Yakuza explores the Honolulu area from that game as well.

The game takes place six months after the events experienced by Kiryu, Kasuga, and company in Infinite Wealth. Majima becomes amnesiac and washes up on a small island where he is rescued be a young boy named Noah who gives him water. A group of pirates threatens Noah, and Majima fights them, surprised by his fighting abilities. He deduces that he is a yakuza from the tattoos on his body, but he has no idea who he is or how he came to be washed ashore.

He soon meets Noah's father, a former treasure hunter, and after some skirmishes Majima takes over a galleon complete with the first mate and the four take off in search of treasure and the elixir of life in hopes of curing Noah's asthma and related illnesses.

As an ancronistic pirate tale, I can't help but compare it to the Monkey Island.series. However, with its excited young pirate hopeful in Noah, it is clearly inspired by the former's inspiration, Treasure Island. It also takes inspiration from other pirate games such as the granddaddy of pirate games, Sid Meyer's Pirates with its ship battles. It's traversal methods are also reminiscent of the recent Rare pirate game, Sea of Thieves.

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio also takes some mechanics from its own games, with the classic Mad Dog Majima playing style from Yakuza 0, the grapple mechanics from Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and the sword and gun combo from Like a Dragon: Ishin! The latter two were given a pirate makeover. The grappling now comes from a hook which can be used to move up to higher areas in search of treasure as well as a weapon in battle to pull opponents toward Majima. The sword and pistol are part of the pirate style of fighting, which combines weapons with Mad Dog mechanics. 

There are also special moves that can be used when a hit meter is filled. The Mad Dog special is to release the crazy shadow clones of Majima from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The pirate special is playing one of four dark instruments, which attack all of the enemies by calling on various ocean gods. One of the instruments is found during the main story. The other three can be found from a side quest that has Majima attacking ships and finding treasure to defeat a series of strong pirate leaders.

The game is given the usual music treatment with a fantastic new pirate-themed score. It also has the now-requisite karaoke minigame. A fun new song that is played during regular game play and can also be played in karaoke is a sea shanty sung by the crew of Majima's ship, the Goromaru. The only downside to the karaoke this time is that, other than the afforementioned shanty, all of the music is sung exclusively by Majima. It's a shame that Majima's sworn brother, Taiga Saejima, isn't given a song to sing. There is a missed opportunity there, especially since the karaoke songs DLC contains the Saejima version of the perennial fan favorite Baka Mitai which can be played during gameplay or on jukeboxes, but the Majima Construction Anthem is the only DLC song that is actually performable in karoke.

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii also has the other requisites for a Like a Dragon game. It has the often silly substories and fun minigames such as gambling games such as poker. Two popular minigames return, although they have modified forms. The batting center now has exploding barrels to hit until a lock is revealed that can then be hit. This one is a lot of fun, and reminds me of the cannon ball slicing from Ishin! but with more explosions. The golf driving range also returns. Bingo and closest to the hole are there as usual, but the latter difficulties have an interesting twist. There are now obstacles in the way in the form ofcardboard cutouts of various objects, such as stars and cows. 

The classic Sega games are also here. It contains the Master System games from previous Like a Dragon games and Lost Judgment. However, it has three new games. Two of them, Poseidon Wars 3-D and Space Harrier 3-D, are Master System games. The third game, Star Jacker, is a Sega SG-1000 game that joins Flicky in being the only SG-1000 games officially available in the Americas.

For arcade fans, the Model 3 games Fighting Vipers 2 and The Ocean Hunter return. Best of all, for those of you wanting the original versions, Virtua Fighter 3 joins Virtua Fighter 3tb and the Daytona 2 rebrand Sega Racing Classic 2: Battle on the Edge joins Sega Racing Classic 2: Power Edition. UFO Catcher 8 Second is also once again available for crane machine stans.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is another fun action role-playing sidestory from away from the usual turn-based RPG mechanics that are now the standard for the main games in the series. The pirate mechanics fit surprisingly well into the game world of the series and, after playing this, it is clear that Goro Majima is born to be a pirate. The only downside is the lack of songs in the karaoke minigame, but that's just a tiny tick off of a very fun game.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review

Open World Turn-Based Role-Playing Game Review: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth brings Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu together as protagonists for the first time. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has also brought in multiple move sets and the occasional freedom of motion for Kiryu from his action role playing games. It blended them into the turn-based RPG style of Ichiban Kasuga's games. Ryu Ga Gotoku  Studio manages to pull this off, despite the odds.

Infinite Wealth has dual storylines that merge into each other, in a similar fashion of other multi-protagonist games in the series. Ichiban Kasuga discovers his birth mother lives in Hawaii and travels there to meet her. While there, he gets swindled and ends up naked on the beaches of Honolulu. Meanwhile, Kiryu is still trying to be incognito as a spy while he is in Hawaii on a mission for the Daidoji, a faction that was explored in Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name.

This is the first game in the series that retains all of the playable characters from the previous game, save for Eri as she was modeled and named after the actor who protrayed the character as a result of a contest. The returning characters are split between the two leads. Kasuga's team has Koichi Adachi the former detective and Tianyou Zhao, the chef and former head of a criminal organization named the Yokohama Liumang. Kiryu's team has Saeko Mukoda, the owner of a cabaret club, Joon-gi Han, the man who had surgery to look like the former leader of the Liumang, and Yu Namba the former nurse.

Both teams also contain characters that are new to the series or playable for the first time. Kasuga's team has Eric Tomizawa the taxi driver and Chitose Fujinomiya the housekeeper. Kiryu's team has Seonhee, the leader of the Geomijul and Yokohama Liumang. She is a character who had a minor role in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The total number of playable characters is eight, the number of the game in Japan (Ryu Ga Gotoku 8). It is also the number which is reflected by the infinity sign, which resembles the number 8. This lines up with other games in the series as Yakuza 4 had four playable characters, Yakuza 5 had five, and Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Ryu Ga Gotoku 7) had seven.

Infinite Wealth continues the theme of Kasuga imagining enemies to be characters in an RPG, and this quirk is also now given to Kiryu in his chapters of the game. The game sets up a plausible reason for Kiryu to experience these hallucinations, and continues showcasing Kasuga's naivety and childishness which explains his.

The role-playing mechanics continue to be enjoyable. One new feature of the game improves the mechanics so much that I greatly missed them when I started replaying Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The playable characters now can move freely within the circle around them and can also now pick up items such as bicycles to use as weapons. The latter occurred in the previous game automatically only when the character was right next to an object. Kiryu also gets two playing styles, his Dragon of Dojima and beast styles from previous games. This does a lot to better connect these games to its action-RPG predecessors.

Kasuga and Kiryu also gain a bar which allows them to pull off a special move that deals heavy damage on an enemy. Kasuga uses his entire team to land a hard hit against every enemy, while Kiryu gets a limited-time ability to be free moving where he can land hits just like he would in an action-RPG game.

The music is fantastic, as usual. This game is also chock full of karaoke songs, including returning songs from Like a Dragon as well as new songs sung by both Kiryu and Kasuga as well as their teammates. The amazing thing is just how many Kiryu songs we get here, with tunes from games all across Kiryu's appearances, from Yakuza 0 to Yakuza 6: The Song of Life.

The game also includes compact discs that can be purchased or won from many of the locations and minigames. These can be played in bar jukeboxes, as usual. However, this game also includes a music player which can be sorted into a playlist in bars and on the smartphone menu. They then can be played at any time by activating them with the play button. It is great to hear Yakuza 0 songs playing while running across Honolulu or Ijincho, at least until they are cut off by substories or street fights. Thankfully, after these events end, the music player starts up right where it stopped. 

Sega arcade games return, including the UFO Catcher 8 Second crane machine, Virtua Fighter 3tb, and Get Bass: Sega Bass Fishing. It also includes games developed by Sega AM11, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's first form. The first is Virtua Fighter 3tb. The second, and final, Sega AM11 game is SpikeOut: Final Edition. This marks the first time it was released on a platform other than the original arcade release.

The substories are as bonkers as ever, especially two involving parodies of popular Nintendo games. Sugimon, which is an index of enemies encountered in whacked-out forms as supposedly imagined by the protagonists, is expanded from the last game into a full turn-based fighting game. The second is the most ambitious minigame Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has ever created, Dondoko Island. It is a full-fledged Animal Crossing style game, complete upgradable houses and places for the visitors to sleep. The objects that can be placed around the island contain the usual tables and chairs as well as, surprisingly, buildings from Kamurocho and other locations across the world of the series. 

Dondoko Island also includes famous green and red Japanese mascots, Gachapin and Mukku, as the mascots for the resort on the island. They are included in the game for the fiftieth anniversary of their initial appearance. The were initially characters on the 1973 children's television series which aired for 20 years, Hirake! Ponkikki, or Begin! Ponkikki as a literal translation into English. These characters appeared in later Fuji TV television series and radio programs, making them instantly recognizable to Japanese audiences. However, even though I knew nothing about them before the release of this game, I found that they worked as characters in the usually weird substories. Their announcements over the loudspeaker were not translated and their repetition became tiresome after a while. Thankfully, these announcements can be muted.

The above parodies are among the best minigames the series creators have ever produced, and can easily provide hours of play when not experiencing the stories of the main game and substories.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is arguably the best game in the entire series, although some of its story beats don't hit as hard if you haven't played Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Some of Kiryu's substories also are better experienced if you played the games from the Kiryu Saga, which runs from Yakuza 0 to Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. However, even if you haven't played these games, it could still be enjoyable. The story is engaging, and if veering off from the main game, enjoyment can be had in the Nintendo parody substories alone.

Final Verdict:

5 out of 5

Like a Dragon series

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Review

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's Like a Dragon ouevre

Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files Review

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review

Open World Action-Adventure Review: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Update April 3, 2025: I mentioned that Gaiden included Flicky as the first release of a Sega-1000 game in North America. However, I neglected to note the inclusion of a game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's first form, Sega AM11, which was an off-shoot from Sega AM2.  This game was Daytona USA 2: Power Edition. which was renamed Sega Racing Classic 2 to match the name of 2009 remake of Daytona USA. It is also notable as it's the first time the game was ever released on a platform other than the original arcade release.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is an experimental spin-off of the Like a Dragon series. It brings back former protagonist Kazuma Kiryu as the playable character as well as the action role-playing game play for which the series was known prior to  . However, it also blends in new game play features while delivering a condensed, yet still enjoyable, game play experience.

The conception for the Gaiden games apparently came from The Kaito Files, the sidestory that was downloadable content for Lost Judgment. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is roughly the same size as The Kaito Files. Like the latter, it focuses on a character other than the current main protagonist of the series. It feels weird to refer to the former series protagonist Kiryu in such a manner, but he was relegated to cameo status in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the game in which this game acts as a side story.

The game takes place after the end of Yakuza 6 and continues into the story of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. As the title suggests, Kiryu has erased his name and now acts as a secret agent of sorts for the mysterious Daidoji faction. They are a powerful organization that has its tendrils in both the legitimate political world as well as the illicit yakuza underground.

Kiryu tries to stay hidden as the secret agent Joryu, while being sent on missions for the Daidoji. He was given training for his new role, as he now has a secret agent fighting style in addition to his usual Dragon of Dojima fighting style. With these new abilities come an interesting spy gadget that brings changes in the way the game is played.

Joryu is given a thin line that he can use to pull enemies to him as well as to collect hard to reach items in the game world. This spider web-style gadget takes cues from the Insomiac Spider-Man games, allowing Joryu to have the quick Batman: Arkham style combat and surprise web attacks from the aforementioned Spider-Man titles. He is also given more gadgets, such as drones that can attack enemies in addition to his street-level fighting.

The game introduces a system that gives Joryu points based on missions he completed that were given to him by a mysterious woman that serves as a champion for the homeless. These points can be used to purchase new abilities, as well as to expand the stock available in the store.

Joryu is soon given an object that serves as an invitation to a secret, hidden city. Here, he can compete in the arena alone or with team members that he can recruit with cash earned from the fights or through various favors requested from potential recruits. Through downloadable content, some of Kiryu's most trusted companions can also fight for Joryu in the arena, including Goro Majima, Taiga Saejima, and Daigo Dojima, the sixth chairman of the Tojo Clan. As any fighter can also act as the leader, these characters are also optionally controllable, making it the first time in the series that Daigo has ever been a playable character.

The game length is extended through the usual often humorous side quests, as well as mini-games such as gambling and playable classic Sega games. This includes Sega arcade games, as well as the Sega Master System games from Lost Judgment. It also includes the Sega SG-1000 version of Flicky, which marks the first time that a game from that system has ever officially been released in North America. Pocket Circuit slot car racing also returns from Yakuza 0, however it is expanded here with harder courses that can be unlocked by completing competitions and winning one-on-one races with players from all around both Sotenbori and the secret city.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a successful experiment for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. While it is a bit of a shame that the Judgment games appear to have been superseded by the Like a Dragon Gaiden games, it's still a lot of fun to explore new and familiar areas with action RPG combat. While I love the turn-based combat of the Kasuga-fronted games, the beat 'em up brawls of the original games will always remain satisfying. With an immersive story, fun new play mechanics with the spy tools, and the usual fantastic voice acting and music, the first Like a Dragon Gaiden game is a grand old return to style for the series.

Final verdict:

4 out of 5

Like a Dragon series

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Review

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's Like a Dragon ouevre

Judgment (Remastered) Review

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review

Open World Action-Adventure Review: Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life was the conclusion of the Kiryu saga, and the last time the series used the Yakuza name in the West without using its Japanese name, Like a Dragon.  It is also the last mainline game in the series to be an action role-playing game, with the series switching to turn-based role-playing game mechanics  in succeeding entries. As a send off to both the character of Kazuma Kiryu and the game play of which the series has become known, it had large shoes to fill. It managed to do so, for the most part.

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio released Yakuza 6 with only one protagonist. With Yakuza 4 containing four playable characters, Yakuza 5 including five, and even Yakuza 7 containing seven, it seemed odd that Yakuza 6 would only include Kiryu. However, the staff wanted to focus solely on Kiryu to give his current story some closure. Even with the lack of playable versions of the fan favorite characters that were playable in previous games such as Goro Majima, Taigo Saejima, and Shun Akiyama, the game still gave its lone protagonist a lot to do.

In Yakuza 6, Kiryu and his adopted daughter Haruka deal with the fallout caused by their actions in Yakuza 5. Kiryu discovers that Haruka was left injured and comotose by an unknown driver in a hit-and-run incident. On top of that, he discovers that Haruka had been protecting an infant during the attack. The infant was unharmed, so Kiryu acts as a grandfather as he protects the child and discovers who attacked his daughter by traveling to the last known location of Haruka before she returned to Kamurocho, Onomichi Jingaicho in Hiroshima Prefecture.

During his search in Hiroshima, Kiryu befriends the members of a small yakuza family known led by Toru Hirose. The new characters shine as they are all memorable, especially Hirose himself, who is portrayed fantastically by Takeshi Kitano, the star of the highly influential game show, Takeshi's Castle. The success of Takeshi's Castle led to shows such as Sasuke, also known as Ninja Warrior, and American shows such as Wipeout. Takeshi played a comedic role in his eponymous series, and while Hirose had many comedic moments, the dramatic moments are where his character really shined.

In addition to the main story, it still includes the often hilarious subquests for which the series has become known. It includes all of the expected minigames, from the playable classic Sega arcade games, to Japanese and Western gambling games.

When I was reviewing the Yakuza series, I deliberately skipped over this game because Kiryu had already returned in Yakuza: Like a Dragon at that point, so it was clear his story wasn't over after all. I wanted to wait and see if this game still worked within the series without it being Kiryu's swansong. Now that Kiryu has returned to the series proper in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the question of whether the story of this game still works in the overall series arc can finally be answered.

Surprisingly, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name actually made a very strong case for Kiryu's return while actually giving the ending to Yakuza 6 some contextualization while humanizing its protagonist. Kazuma Kiryu has always been depicted as stoic, often to superhuman levels. Pop culture's most popular stoic normal human displaying superhuman strength, Batman. doesn't even hold a candle to Kiryu.

However, Gaiden humanized Kiryu to a level the series had never shown before, and retroactively humanizes Kiryu in the ending of Yakuza 6, actually showing that Kiryu is not an infallible superhuman. This makes the growth of Kiryu from Yakuza 0 to Yakuza 6 work so much better. The ending of Yakuza 6 was controversial when it first released, and Kiryu's return is not universally welcomed, but the story of Yakuza 6 definitely now makes a lot more sense from a story perspective.

Yakuza 6 is a fantastic game, and is a fitting farewell to the classic Yakuza series. It has all of the hallmarks of the series, and the Japanese-only voice over work once again shines. The music is also fantastic, from the game's soundtrack to the always-enjoyable karaoke songs. It isn't perfect, as the reduction of playable characters compared to the most recent games in the series can definitely be felt. However, it is still well worth playing for any Yakuza fan, especially those who enjoyed any of the games in the series before its restructuring as Like a Dragon.

Final verdict:

4 out of 5

Like a Dragon series

Yakuza 5 (Remastered) Review

Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name Review

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's Like a Dragon ouevre

Yakuza 5 (Remastered) Review

Judgment (Remastered) Review

Turn-Based RPG Review: Yakuza - Like a Dragon

Yakuza: Like a Dragon was a turning point for Sega's Yakuza series. It was the first to feature the new series protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, the first to be a turn-based role-playing game as opposed to an action RPG, as well as the first game to use the Japanese series title, Like a Dragon.

Ichiban Kasuga is a man who was raised in a Japanese soapland, an establishment where women wash men's bodies and usually allow prostitution. He became a punk on the streets of Kamurocho fighting other young men until he used the name of a yakuza patriarch to try to scare some yakuza. That backfires as the yakuza were rivals of the yakuza named and tried to use Ichiban to shame their rival. 

Expecting to be killed after it was revealed he wasn't a yakuza, the patriarch instead claimed Ichiban was one of his men and took responsibility for his actions. After this, Ichiban felt indebted and kept coming around the office of the yakuza patriarch until he let him join his family for real. In 1999, when the patriarch's son commits murder, Ichiban is told to take the blame for his crime. He is finally released twenty years later, in 2019. However, his yakuza family isn't waiting for him.

With a criminal record and no one to help him, he is moneyless in the Yokohama district of Isezaki Ijincho, which is based on the real-life Isezakichō district. Unlike the previous series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, who was a stoic man of few words, Ichiban is a passionate man who makes both allies and enemies quickly. 

After the sixth main series game broke from tradition by only having a single protagonist to focus on what was then meant to be the end of Kiryu's story, Yakuza: Like a Dragon once again featured the same amount of playable characters as the number of the game in relation to the series. As Yakuza: Like a Dragon was the seventh main series game, it featured seven playable characters. Six were added to Ichiban's party during the main story, while the seventh is an optional ally that can be added through a side story.

The main six playable characters include a homeless man named Yu Yanada, a former detective named Koichi Adachi, a hostess bar mama named Saeko Mukoda, a man named Joon-gi Han who is second-in-command of the Korean-Japanese criminal organization known as the Geomijil, and a man named Tianyou Zhao who is the leader of the Chinese-Japanese criminal organization known as the Yokohama Liomang. The optional playable character is a woman named Eri Kamataki who is the heir to a sweets-making company known as Ichiban Confections.

Each of the characters has unique skills that can be used during a battle that are common in turn-based roleplaying games such as combat, healing, and projectile use. These can be changed through jobs, which give the characters unique outfits as well as new skills to use. Weapons and armor can be purchased, many of which can only be used by people with a specified job set.

Ichiban is said to be a fan of the popular Square Enix RPG series Dragon Quest. He has a vivid imagination, which allows the game to go to even crazier places than usual. The enemies encountered are probably the weirdest ever encountered in a Like a Dragon series game, and that's saying something. This craziness also extends, naturally, to the side quests. These are always the craziest part of all of the games in the series, and they are equally crazy here. The main game has some really funny moments, but the zaniest still comes from the side missions.

I wasn't sure how I would feel about turn-based combat after being so used to the beat 'em-up style action of the other games in the series, but it actually works surprisingly well for the series. Fans can still get the usual action RPG gameplay through the Judgment series and Kiryu spin-offs, so I'm actually glad they changed things up in the main series. For as good as the games are, the gameplay is definitely repetitive from game to game. That's not the case here, since no series entry has used the turn-based style of combat, and the game is better for it.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a worthy successor to the Kazuma Kiryu saga. Ichiban Kasuga is a much different character than Kazuma Kiryu, but his quirkiness, friendliness, and earnestness endeared me to him very quickly. Ichiban's six companions, including the bonus character, are all very memorable with excellent backstories. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has finally managed to make all of the playable characters feel fleshed out and worthy of your time. It has also finally given two women characters, Saeko Mukoda and Eri Kamataki, fighting chops. These women are usually used as assistance characters, but they can still kick butt as well as anyone else. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is well worth playing, and is a harbinger for good things to come when the series returns to turn-based combat in Like a Dragon 8.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Like a Dragon series

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Review

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Review

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's Like a Dragon ouevre

Judgment (Remastered) Review

Lost Judgment Review

Open World Action RPG Review: Like a Dragon - Ishin! Kiwami

Like a Dragon: Ishin! was originally released only in Japan for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 in 2014. However, in February 2023, the game was finally released to worldwide audiences in a remake for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The remake is simply titled Like a Dragon: Ishin! in the West, but it is known as Like a Dragon: Ishin! Kiwami (Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! Kiwami) in Asia.

The Kiwami subtitle should tell you the treat we're in for, as Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio produced a remake similar to Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 where the content from the original release is there, albeit remixed a bit, but new content has been added as well.

The story takes place right before the Restoration period of Japan, hence the Ishin in the title, as Ishin means Restoration in Japanese. The story follows a samurai named Ryōma Sakamoto who takes on the identity of Hajime Saitō and infiltrates the special army for the Shogunate, the Shinsengumi, to discover who murdered his foster father, Tōyō Yoshida.

Ryōma Sakamoto, Hajime Saitō, and Tōyō Yoshida are all historical samurai who had an influence on Japan, but in real life, Ryōma Sakamoto and Hajime Saitō were separate people. The story mixes the lives of both men, as it begins with the life of Ryōma Sakamoto, with his friend Takechi Hanpeita, the head of the Tosa Loyalist Party. It twists things a bit, with Tōyō Yoshida being Ryōma Sakamoto's foster father in the game. This is where it diverges with the life of Hajime Saitō as it details his joining of the Shinsengumi, although in the game it is to find the person who killed Tōyō.

It's a very dramatic story filled with betrayals and bittersweet triumphs mixed in with craziness, especially in the side stories. In other words, it is very much a Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio game.

The characters are portrayed by Like a Dragon series staples, as well as those characters who are lesser known. The likeness of Kazuma Kiryu, complete with the marvelous deep voice of Takaya Kuroda, plays Hajime Saitō, aka Ryōma Sakamoto. The likeness of the wonderfully crazy Goro Majima portrays Soji Okita. You'll be glad to know Hidenari Ugaki plays Okita with all of the passion of Majima, complete with taunts of Hajime-chan! Many of the likenesses and voice actors of other characters that were playable in previous games also appear here as historical and fictional characters including Haruka Sawamura, Shun Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, Ryuji Goda, Koichi Adachi, and Tianyou Zhao. Other series characters are also represented in supporting roles.

In the change from Like a Dragon: Ishin! to the Kiwami remake, some of the characters from games released after the original release of Ishin!, such as Koichi Adachi and Tianyou Zhao from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, were used for characters that had no counterparts as well as those from games that were recently released at the time of the original release but aren't as well remembered now, such as Shigeki Baba from Yakuza 5.

It is an action RPG as opposed to the turn-based RPG style of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. However, it does represent a change from the usual fare as swords and guns are available with unlimited use as fighting styles. Like Yakuza 0, Ryōma can use four styles of combat. These include brawler which uses fists, swords, guns, and a combination of guns and swords. These styles can be leveled up and new moves can be learned from masters of the various styles. Master Komaki even serves as the master of the brawler style.

Happily, minigames made it into the game despite the pre-Restoration era setting of Japan. Karaoke is available, including a mix of "Baka Mitai (I've Been a Fool)" with a backing track of traditional Japanese instruments. The usual Japanese gambling games are present, as is the Western gambling game of Texas hold 'em poker. The latter does make sense within the context of the game, as the era is set when the "black ships" from Britain came to Japan. As expected from a Like a Dragon series game, there are also odd yet fun minigames included such as cannonball slicing and cannonball skeet shooting. You can also fish, farm, cook, and then sell the results of your hard work with help from Haruka. 

Side stories are also here, and many are just as crazy as you'd expect. The creators also had fun with the time period with some side stories, as there are some here that just wouldn't work in modern Japan. Speaking of the time period, Atlus has once again gone far and above in localizing the game into English, as there is a glossary of terms for players unfamiliar with the setting of the game.

Like a Dragon: Ishin! is finally in English, and it was worth the wait. This is a fantastic game, with all of the series staples that you would expect from a Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio game. The voice actors, as usual, have brought their A-game, delivering fantastic voice performances. The plot is interesting as well, weaving together the stories of two famous historical samurai in a story with both historical and fictional elements. If you are a fan of the Like a Dragon series, or just interested in historical Japan, this game is one that is well worth playing.

Addendum April 17, 2023: I meant to mention how much Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise resembles Like a Dragon: Ishin! As the former was released before the latter, it is obvious where Ryu Ga Gotaku Studio got the inspiration to delve into the post-apocalyptic world of Fist of the North Star. As I was playing the Kiwami remake of Ishin!, I noticed the similarity right away due to the rustic feel of the in-game villages between the two games. However, once Haruka's villa was available, it became more apparent. Lin's expressions, comments, and movements are identical to Haruka's here. It works in both games, though, as it gives off a cute vibe that suits both characters.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Like a Dragon: Ishin! Review

Yakuza 0 review