Sega Just Can’t Let Kazuma Kiryu Go
Sega’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the development team that handles the Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku titles, made a big deal out of Yakuza 6 being the last hurrah for Kazuma Kiryu. They appeared to have been serious based on the game’s ending, which made it tough for him to return in future installments.
This was further evinced through Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Ryu Ga Gotoku 7 in Japan), which starred new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, and changed its battle system to a turn-based one so Kasuga’s friends could join in on the action. The game will take place largely in Yokohama, switching the main city out from all-too-familiar series mainstay Kamurocho. This was to be a new chapter in the franchise, which the western title further implied compared to the Japanese one.
The game wasn’t going as far as being a soft reboot, however. Korean mafia leader Joon-gi Han is returning from the previous game despite apparently dying, but I’m sure they’ll have a good explanation for his return. (He’s known as “Korean Vergil” among fan circles, thanks to his resemblance to that Devil May Cry character.) It’s clear characters from the previous Yakuza games exist in this world.
As it turns out, Sega just couldn’t let good-old Kazuma rest, as the new trailer (which runs for more than ten minutes) shows him at the end. There’s no clarification regarding how involved he’ll be in the story; he could only be a bonus fight in an underground hide out, fanservice for fans who will miss him. But it’s going to be wild if the Yakuza team has gone back on their previous commitment and has legitimately included him in the story, proving that they just can’t let the man go.
Though given how some fan reactions have been to Like a Dragon fully embracing the Japanese RPG genre by going turn-based, perhaps it’s better that he’ll be involved. To them, seeing Kazuma is like reuniting with a good friend. They’ll want to check in on how he’s doing after a while, regardless of whether they’ll like the new gameplay format, since it’s been three years since Yakuza 6 released. It would have been nice if the new characters had the complete spotlight on them, but this will be fine as long as Kazuma’s appearance doesn’t usurp theirs. Sega, presumably, knows what they’re doing here.
I wish they could have saved this for a surprise in the main game instead of highlighting it in a trailer. But let’s be honest: You know at least one overenthusiastic fan would have spoiled it by shouting about it upon first discovering it.
Sega should say more about Kazuma’s appearance between now and the Japanese release date, which isn’t far off. Yakuza: Like a Dragon will release for PlayStation 4 in Japan on January 16, and will subsequently arrive in western territories sometime later in 2020. Japanese fans have a chance to see whether they’ll like the new style as you read this, since a demo just released on the Japanese PlayStation Store.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
