Yakuza (Compared) · 6:45pm May 23rd, 2021
Premise: With the Yakuza series completed, I decided to take a second look at each of the games at their own merit. For example, some games excelled at the amount of mini-games contained while others had a better story. I also wanted to examine how each game modified a certain system, re-watch the important cutscenes, and listen more carefully to their music. Then, I would rate them accordingly to which did it better in the series. I've compiled three different categories: content, mini-games, and characters. There are many other different categories I could do, including the far-reaching battle mechanics in each game, but it doesn't really interest me at this moment. Content will cover the main points of the game, substories, and length of gameplay. Mini-games will cover fun activities that were carried over from one game to the next. Characters will list which had the best protagonists, antagonists, and supporting cast. The results at the top will include the number of games they ranked over.
What Should I Play? I recommend Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and then Yakuza 5. Yakuza 0 not only has the best introduction to the series during the disco era but also has the best care of their characters and story. Everything about Yakuza Kiwami is badly designed and destroys what is established in Yakuza 0 from their challenging bosses being able to heal, battle system and Pocket Racing being copied over, nearly every substory being a scam of some sort, to the ridiculous story that butchers the characters. Yakuza Kiwami 2 uses new graphics, new systems, and does everything better than Yakuza 6. It also reconnects the first game by extending their stories with the hostesses from the Cabaret Club, what happened to one of the main characters in a Majima epilogue, and provides you an opportunity to watch all the necessary cutscenes from Yakuza Kiwami. Yakuza 3 is a tangent to the main theme of the series by having Kiryu take care of an orphanage and is skippable. Yakuza 5 does everything Yakuza 4 tried to do but way better, even supplying some re-introductions for those who might have skipped it.
Content
|Y0: 51|Y1: 32|Y2: 46|Y3: 37|Y4: 36|Y5: 45|Y6: 31|
Summary: The reason why Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and Yakuza 5 excel over the others is because they all had time to build upon the previous games. The extended efforts for Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza 6 were not enough to make up for their lack in previously-installed material. Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4, on the other hand, simply did not have their experimental additions perform well to the already solid core of the series.
Music: Y0 (+Are You Kidding Funk, +Pocket Racing, Vincent Bar Jazz, +Karaoke, +Disco), Y5 (Rock, Hard Rock, Dance Pop, Karoake, Arcade Theme Songs), Y2 (+Majima Construction, Rock, Techno, Jazz Battle Music, Swing, Rap, +Hostess Singers), Y6 (Strings, Rock, Piano), Y3 (Goofy Music, Rock, DJ), Y1 (House, Experimental, +Rock, Vocals, Funk Battle Music), Y4 (Soft Rock, Rock, Piano, Pop, -Jazz, Karoake).
Secrets/Surprises (Best First): Y1 (+Purgatory, +Florist, Milennium Tower built, Explosion in tower, Date teaming up with Kiryu, -Reina dying, -Nishikiyama personality change, Majima crashing into building, Majima letting woman go, -Haruka holding a gun, -truth behind Yumi), Y2 (-Terada faking his death, Daigo's turn-around, Florist changing jobs, Majima being a civilian, Sayama's relationship to Ryuji Goda, bomb, Kazuki body double), Y5 (Majima reported dead, Kurosawa not a cop but yakuza, Saejima's group planned for his release, Park being shot, Morinaga & Aizawa true intentions, Aoyama being shot, Akiyama not stopping Kanai, Shinada's friends being yakuza, Park planning both teams to join forces, Madarame presence with Kiryu, Haruka being a successful idol, Takasugi's relationship with Shinada, Baba setting up rifle for Haruka), Y0 (+Makoto heir to lot, +Tetsu's relationship to Makoto, How the man in the alley died, Makoto's condition, Sera's Allegiance, Nishiki pulls gun on Kiryu, -Makoto's going solo), Y6 (Hirose's history, secret under the water, Haruto's mother, Haruto's father, Mama's history, Mama not being shot, Kiryu surviving, Joon-gi Han shot, Stardust changed, Yuta's father, Akiyama stuck under sewers), Y3 (Okinawa Vacation, Kazama's brother, Rikiya dying, Saki drawing, Orphanage being bulldozed, building with phone, Majima showing up with truck, Mine's offer, Daigo waking up), Y4 (Why Yasuko needed 100 million yen, -Yasuko killed people, -Hana losing weight, Goh getting evidence against the yakuza, what 10 billion was used for, -Saejima not murdering people, Rubber Bullet to Chief, Kido being a hardcore yakuza betrayer, Akiyama's background, Saejima relationship with Majima & Yasuko, Saejima & Goh escaping prison, Saejima refusing to kill in Coliseum, police officer pulling gun and end up killing himself, witness shot, police force charging in warehouse, Junji being yakuza, Arai being a cop).
Locations: Y5 (Nagasugai, Tsukimino, Sotenbori, Prison, Winter Village, Kineicho, Kamurocho), Y0 & Y2 (Kamurocho, Sotenbori), Y3 (Kamurocho, Okinawa, Orphanage), Y6 (Kamurocho, Onomichi), Y4 (Kamurocho, Kamurocho rooftops, Kamurocho parking lots, Prison), Y1 (Karmurocho).
Main Plot Point: Y0 (What's so important about this empty lot?), Y1 (Why is a little girl worth 10 billion yen?), Y2 (Who is preventing a peaceful pact between the yakuza?), Y6 (What happened with Haruka?), Y4 (Who is in control of the city?), Y3 (Why must the Orphanage be torn down?), Y5 (Whose dreams or paths will be fulfilled?).
Estimated Hours of Playtime (Hours in Main Story, With Extras, 100% Completion): Y0 (31, 64, 138), Y5 (37, 66, 123), Y4 (21, 41, 98), Y3 (17, 31, 108), Y1 (18, 33, 82), Y2 (18, 35, 74), Y6 (18, 32, 52)
Amount Actually Played: Y5 (54%, 90 Hours), Y0 (67%, 80 hours), Y4 (46%, 50 Hours), Y2 (52%, 49 Hours), Y3 (46%, 46 Hours), Y6 (66%, 45 Hours), Y1 (53%, 30 Hours).
Best Substories: Y6 (Hey It's Me, Haruka's Biggest Fan, Runaway Robot, Hiji, Follow that Drone, Favor from an Old Friend, +Pocket Fighter Returns, +Ono Michi), Y1 (Yakuza's Wife, Little Match Girl, Prodigal Son, +The Cellphone Plan, Behind the Assassin, +In Pursuit of Pleasure), Y3 (The Seven Mysteries, Mikio's Munchathon, +Silver Screen Dragon, +Date's Pride, +The Loving Family), Y4 (+Dragon Palace Bouncer, Brother and Sister, Homeless Man and the Cats, Floirography), Y2 (Legendary Dragon, Cabaret Killer, Yakuza Sunset), Y5 (Fast Food, Watami vs Watami-chi), Y0 (Arakure Quest, Heir to the Family).
Worst Substories: (Most Horrible Last): Y4 (The Fate of the 30 Million, Nice Catch, A Dangerous Game), Y3 (Early Honeymoon, Yu-Jin Fever, Suicidal Debt, Comforting Yakuza, Your Fortunes Told Here), Y6 (Like Comment Subscribe, Fools Who Dream, Sins of a Father, The Girl Who Lept Through Time, A Freaky Situation), Y5 (Another Haruka, Cyberterriorism, Slip and Slide, Snow Festival Map, Autograph Session, Gourmet Reporter, Haggle Wars, A Quirky Idol, Want to Party, Get it Sorted, Get Out the Vote, Shinada the Store Clerk, Daddy Pappa), Y2 (Rooftop Revenge, Be My Baby, Rising From the Shadows, Obatarian Strikes Again, In the Name of Art, Professional Voice Actor), Y1 (Price of an F Cup, My Baby's a Showgirl, Man on the Ledge, Molestation Accusation, Palm Reader, Con-tacts, Yakuza Apprentice, Truth About Beauty, The Rumored Party), Y0 (How to Train your Dominatrix, Underneath it All, Mr. Libido, Rise of the Dragon, Be My Boyfriend, Disciple of the New Order, Toilet Talk, The Shrink-Wrapped Dream, The Obatarian Strikes).
Most Interesting Substories: Y0 (Show Must Go On, Miracle on Tenkaichi Street, Yanki, Undercover, Password Protected, The Entertainer's Throne, From the Heart, Man with a Stranger's Face, Crossed Words, 10 Million Drug Test, Errands on the Run, The Doll Girl, Sugar Daddy), Y2 (Embracing True Self, Smart Futures, Kamurocho Forestry Association, Rags to Riches, A Whirlwind Dirt Tour, Secret Stash, Welcome to the Modern Age, We're All In This Together, Granny in Peril, Soupy Sidekick, Stolen, Crazy For Cathy, Elusive Model), Y3 (Fast Food for the Heart, Morning Glory Hide-And-Seek, Under the Table, Let's Learn English, New Dog Tricks, Instant Ramen Takes Time, Ghosts from the Past, Water Purifiers, Hometown Girl, Tuna Fund, Murder at Cafe Alps, Stardust), Y4 (Layoff Already, Art of Scouting, Pimp My Otaku, How To Spend Money, Counterfeit Bills, Tricks of the Trade, Beware of Imposters, Running Woman, Old Yakuza & New Tricks, Green Shadow, Be My Boyfriend, The Mixer, The Witness, Car Thieves), Y5 (Taxi SOS, Dragon Mask Redux, Kiryu the Actor, Santa Hunters, Little Match Girl, The Announcer School, Find the Paparazzi), Y1 (A Doctor's Duty, Pay It Forward, Memories of the Bubble), Y6 (Baring their Fangs, Curse of Onimichi).
Auxiliary Games: Y2 (Cabaret Club Czar, Clan Creator, Bouncer Missions, Street Bosses, Coliseum, Small Casinos), Y0 (Coliseum, Casino, Weapon Crafts, Real Estate, Cabaret Club Czar), Y5 (Taxi Driver, Hunter, Dance Battles, Locked Coliseum, Casino), Y4 (Coliseum, Fighter Maker, Police Scanner, Gang Encounters, Casino), Y3 (Hostess Maker, Hitman Missions, Coliseum, Casino), Y1 (Majima Everywhere, Coliseum, Casino), Y6 (Clan Creator, Bar Chat, Troublr).
Mini-games
|Y0: 28|Y1: 30|Y2: 29|Y3: 30|Y4: 33|Y5: 50|Y6: 26|
Summary: Each game has their fair share of changes to minigames for the better or worse. Some, especially in the case of Yakuza 6, are sadly missing some of the more fundamental activities that made the series great. On the plus side, Yakuza 5 excels overall by including the extraordinary sidesystem, bonus substories, and a variety of other minigames on top of the basics.
Batting Cage: Y5 (AIM, -Multi-Target, +Character SubSystem), Y6 (+Reticle Box, Character SubSystem), Y2 (+Reticle Box, +"Serene" Bat), Y1 & Y3 (AIM, Colored-Target), Y4 (AIM, -Multi-Target), Y0 (Aim, -No Pitcher, -3 Strikes).
Karaoke: Y2 (8 Songs, +Music Videos, +Side Characters), Y4 (11 Songs, +Character SubSystem, +Side Characters, +Duets, Hostess Girls, -Hostess Maker, -Stage), Y5 (9 Songs, +Music Videos, +Character SubSystem), Y0 (6 Songs, +Character SubSystem, +Hostess Girls, +Music Videos, -Telephone Girls), Y1 (6 Songs, +Music Videos, +Haruka), Y6 (6 Songs, +Music Videos, -Kiryu must sing with girl), Y3 (6 Songs, -Stage, -Kiryu must sing with girl).
Video Arcade Games: Y6 (Fantasy Zone, Out Run, Puyo Puyo, Space Harrier, Super Hang-On, Virtua Fighter 5, +Difficult Settings), Y0 (Fantasy Zone, Out Run, Space Harrier, Super Hang-On, -Unlock), Y5 (Virtua Fighter 2, +Gunrhein, +Taiko Drum Master), Y2 (Virtua Fighter 2, +Virtual-On), Y4 (Boxcelios, Boxcelios 2, -Unlock), Y3 (Boxcelios), Y1 (NOTHING).
Fishing: Y6 (Spear), Y5 (River, Sea, -nonplastic bait), Y0 (Cast to Blobs), Y3 (Sea), Y4 (Sea, -Longer Cast), Y1 & Y2 (NOTHING)
UFO Catcher: Y5 (+Character SubSystem, +boxes, +figurines), Y4 (plushies, +multiple levels), Y0 & Y1 &Y3 (plushies), Y2 (plushies, -sensitive tips), Y6 (NOTHING).
Lockers: Y5 (+brief walk-up, +key locator, +Character SubSystem), Y2 (only on ground, +key locator), Y4 (key locator, -Confusing Character SubSystem), Y3 (-no key locator), Y1 (SubStory, -no key locator), Y6 (Safe SubSystem), Y0 (-Telephone Cards, key locator).
Other: Y5 (Bowling, Custom Darts, Driving Range, Mahjong, Pool, Print Circle, Shogi), Y4 & Y3 (Bowling, Darts, Outside Golf, Mahjong, Pool, Shogi), Y1 (Bowling, Darts, Mahjong, Photo Booth, Pool, Shogi), Y0 (Bowling, Darts, Mahjong, Pool, Shogi), Y2 (Adjusted Darts, Enclosed Golf Center, Mahjong, Shogi), Y6 (Adjusted Darts, Mahjong).
Unique: Y0 (+Disco, +Pocket Circuit), Y1 (+Pocket Circuit), Y5 (+Character SubSystem), Y6 (Cat Cafe, RIZAP), Y2 (Haruka's Requests), Y3 & Y4 (NOTHING).
Risque (Least Cringy First): Y1 (MesuKing), Y5 (Air Hockey), Y3 (Aroma Massage), Y4 (Aroma Massage, Table Tennis), Y0 (Telephone Club, Cat Fight), Y2 (Toylet Games, Gravure Photo Shoot), Y6 (Live Chat).
Premium Adventure Only: Y3 (Items, Outfits, Weapons, Battle, Survival Tag, Tournament), Y5 (Haruka's Whims, Outfits, Items), Y4 (Haruka's Trust, Items), Y1 (Haruka's Whims, Outfits), Y2 (Extra Weapons, Outfits), Y6 (Outfits, UFO Finder), Y0 (Outfits).
Characters
|Y0: 53|Y1: 41|Y2:43|Y3:37|Y4:36|Y5:45|Y6:22|
Summary: When writers choose to put forth the effort in introducing and caring about what happens to their characters, you get some of the best performances as seen in Yakuza 0. Sadly, Yakuza 6, being Kazama Kiryu's last game, suffers from not only a shorter story but characters lacking any sort of consistent personality as events unfold. The rest of the series is known for trying too hard to shock the audience by finding the craziest ways they can kill off, bring back to life, or surprise some of their characters.
Playable Characters: Y5 (Kiryu, Saejima, Haruka, Akiyama, Shinada), Y4 (Akiyama, Saejima, Tanimura, Kiryu), Y0 (Kiryu & Majima), Y1 & Y2 & Y3 & Y6 (Kiryu).
Main Characters: Y0 (+Nishikiyama, +Makoto, +Tetsu, +Wen Hai Lee), Y3 (Orphans, +Rikiya Shimabukuro, Mikio Aragaki, Saki, The Florist, Daigo Dojima, +Shigeru Nakahara), Y1 (+The Florist, Haruka, Majima, Yumi), Y2 (+Kaoru Sayama, Jiro Kawara, Daigo Dojima, Haruka, The Florist, Majima, Kashiwagi), Y5 (Daigo Dojima, Masaru Watase, Naoki Katsuya, Seiji Kosaka, Himura, Hiehachiro Oshima, Mirei Park, Tadashi Madarame, Koiche Takasugi, Uno, The Florist, Date), Y6 (Yuta Usami, Haruto, Tsuyoshi Nagumo, Toru Hirose, Takaaki Matsunaga, Naoto Tagashira, Kiyomi Kasahara, Akiyama), Y4 (Yasuko Saejima, +Hana).
Supporting Characters: Y1 (Reina, Sera, +Yuya, +Kazuki, +Date, Kazama), Y5 (Yotaro Nakajima, Hirakawa, Mayumi Madarame, Daizo Kitakata, Hiroshi Horie, Meiko Toriyama, Christina, Mai Sanada, Azusa Osawa), Y2 (Date, Yayoi Dojima, Jin Goda, Yuya, Kazuki, Junichi Sudo), Y6 (Haruka, Date, Daigo Dojima, Majima, Saejima, Kazuaki Ino, Minato), Y0 (+Reina, Sera, Kazama, Homare Nishitani), Y4 (The Florist, Date, Goh Hamazaki, Haruka, Majima, Zhao, Mei Hua, Satoshi Hisai), Y3 (Majima, Kazama, Date, Kashiwagi).
Villains: Y0 (Dojima, Lao Gui, Kuze, Awano, Sagawa, Shimano), Y5 (Tsubasa Kurosawa, Masato Aizawa, Kamon Kanai, Shigeki Baba, Yu Morinaga, Minoru Aoyama, Hiroshi Kugihara), Y4 (Seishiro Munakata, Daigo Dojima, Isao Katsuragi, Hiroaki Arai, Daisaku Minami, Saito), Y3 (Mine, Goh Hamazaki, Tsuyoshi Kanda, Tetsuo Tamashiro), Y2 (Ryuji Goda, Yukio Terada, Toranosuke Sengoku, Ryo Takashima), Y1 (Nishikiyama, Jingu, Lau Ka Long, Kazuto Arase, Shimano), Y6 (Tsuneo Iwami, Takeru Kurusu, Katsumi Sugai, Minoru Daidoji, Kanji Koshimizu, Big Lo, Jimmy Lo, Ed, Takumi Someya, Joon-gi Han, Koji Mazuzoe, Shu Tatsukawa).
Trainers: Y5 (Minamida, Sosuke Komaki, Sotaro Komaki, Tendo, Daijiro Saigo, Leo Ayanokoji, Yoko, Tatsuya Kawagoe, Okudera), Y4 (Daijiro Saigo, The Master, Nair, Minamida, Sotaro Komaki), Y0 (Bacchus, Kamoji, Miss Tatsu, Sotaro Komaki, Fei Hu, Areshi), Y3 (Sotaro Komaki, Shoji Yonashiro, Minamida, Mack Shinozuka), Y1 (Sotaro Komaki), Y2 & Y6 (NOTHING).
Hostesses: Y2 (+Yuki, +Koyuki, +Kana Momonogi, Aika, +Shoko Takahashi, Yua Mikami, -Kirara Asuka), Y0 (+Yuki, +Ai, Chika, Mana, +Saki, +Hibiki) Y6 (+Sora, Saki Akai, Riona Ichijo, +Erina Sakurai, Hikaru Shiota), Y4 (Rio, -Himeka Kawasaki, Shizuka Saito, Noa Mizutani, -Erena Aihara, Chihiro Ikki, -Maja Mori), Y3 (Saya Unten, -Nao Kaneshiro, -Mika Tsuchiya, -Yui Hatano, -Rin Sasaba, Kana Momonogi, Ranko Yazuki, Reimi Hanayama), Y5 (Riku, -Kaguya, Honoka, -Shion, Hinata Osaki), Y1 (-Yui, -Rina).
Dumbest Credit Cliffhanger (Worst Listed Last): Y0 & Y1 & Y4 (NOTHING), Y2 (Bomb Counts Down but doesn't explode), Y3 (Kiryu gets stabbed in broad daylight), Y5 (Kiryu bleeds out from Masato Aizawa fight), Y6 (Kiryu faked his death).
Dumbest Death (Worst Listed Last): Y5 (Morinaga shoots Aoyama, Mirei Park shot), Y2 (Jiro stops a bullet from hitting Sayama), Y4 (Junji Sugiuchi gets shot, Yasuko Saejima gets shot, Satoshi Hisai kills himself, Junji kills Yutaka Mishima in front of the entire police force), Y6 (Takumi Someya killed himself, Joon-gi Han shot, Koji Masuzoe shot, Katsumi Sugai shoots himself, Toru Hirose shot by Heizo Iwami), Y3 (Rikiya blocks a bullet from Tamashiro), Y0 (Tetsu succumbs to torture, Shibusawa shoots Jun Oda, Nishitani gets shot by police in prison), Y1 (Nishikiyama blows himself up, Yumi Sawamura in an explosion, Shinji Tanaka shot, Reina killed by Kazuto Arase, Kazama dies from a grenade explosion).
Dumbest Survival Story (Worst Listed Last): Y1 (NOTHING), Y3 (Mikio Aragaki head crushed while defending doghouse, Shigeru Nakahara on operating table), Y2 (Yuko Terada faked his death), Y0 (Sera shot in the back), Y5 (Yahata surviving a blast inside the building, Hiroshi Horie falls from a couple stories and lives, Majima reported dead, Tsubasa Kurosawa practically shoots everyone), Y6 (Kiyomi Kasahara was shot with a blank, Kiryu faked his death), Y4 (Goh Hamazaki survives after shot three times and falls into the ocean, Saejima's bullets were rubber, Chief was shot with a rubber bullet, Akiyama cash stops a bullet).
Unusually Absent (Worst Listed Last): Y0 (Shintaro Kazama in prison), Y2 (Jin Goda kidnapped), Y1 (Sera managing things), Y5 (Orphans), Y3 (Goh Hamazaki is abandoned), Y4 (Daigo just shows up at the end with money issues, Majima is arrested), Y6 (Daigo arrested, Majima detained, Saejima detained).
Greatest Character Introduction: Y0 (Kiryu involved in beating, +Tetsu waving his hand, +Majima calming down a customer, Majima bumping into Makoto), Y1 (Yuya stopping Kiryu at the club, The Florist awaiting Kiryu in Purgatory), Y3 (Majima comes to answer Kiryu's phone call), Y4 (+Akiyama sleeping on the couch when Hana calls,Takeshi Kido friendly chat with his family, Yasuko Saejima asking for 300 million yen, Daisaku Minami singing on stage Majima-like, +Saejima's legendary take-down, The Florist testing Saejima, -Haruka's odd encounter with Saejima, -Masayoshi Tanimura listening to horse racing on his radio), Y5 (+Kiryu as the Taxi Driver, Mayumi Madarame meeting Kiryu, Mirei Park hiring Haruka, Kamon Kanai versus Akiyama, Shinada's baseball career), Y2 (Yayoi Dojima reading her husband's will, Kaoru Sayama arresting someone, Toranosuke Sengoku flaunting his fan at a meeting, Ruiji keeping his men in check at the club), Y6 (Haruto being fed milk, Akiyama in the sewers, Joon-gi Han owner of Stardust).
