There are lots of ways you could start playing the Yakuza (now Like a Dragon) series. You could begin with Yakuza Kiwami, the 2016 remake of the PS2 original, and play through them in the order they were made (with the exception of a HD remaster here and there). This method would, of course, be an authentic Yakuza newcomer experience, but you’d also be starting with a game in which Yakuza hadn’t quite found its footing yet.
Kiwami is arguably superior to Yakuza as it was first launched in 2005, but critics at the time had mixed feelings about its expanded story.
You could also start with the first game starring Ichiban Kasuga as the protagonist, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, or its sequel, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The first was designed as a jumping on point for newcomers, introducing an all new cast of characters, a new setting, a new story, and even a new real-time turn-based battle system. The second brings players to an even newer setting, Hawaii, but builds enough on the first alongside other past games that I wouldn’t recommend it as a starting point. If you don’t know your Kazumas from your Majimas, you’re best off starting elsewhere.
Hell, if you really wanted, you could start with the latest release, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii. It’s got Goro Majima, one of Yakuza’s most beloved characters, as its protagonist, and you’re a pirate. It probably won’t make a ton of sense, but it’s shorter (and therefore may be more approachable), and introduces you to the general vibe and humour to expect from Sega’s golden child.
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Yakuza 0 Is The GOAT Though
But the way I fell in love with Yakuza, and the way I still wholeheartedly recommend getting into the series to this day, is with Yakuza 0. Though the prequel came out in 2015, I came to it fairly late, playing it only a couple of years ago on the recommendation of a close friend. She’d been playing it while biding time between submitting her master’s thesis and officially graduating. She convinced me that yes, this long game would be worth my time, even if I doubted her. My life has never been the same since.
Yakuza 0 has all the hallmarks of what makes the series great. Its story is one of crime and intrigue, but it’s entirely heartfelt and earnest all the same. Its side stories make the world feel incredibly alive, and they’re what fosters the series’ signature absurd sense of humour.
Its open world is restricted to a single district, but it’s incredibly full of life. You can explore many of its stores, walk into a restaurant for a bowl of ramen, sing karaoke at a bar, toss a few bowling balls at the local alley. You could finish it within 30 hours, but you won’t want to – I spent an embarrassing amount of time just running my cabaret club, which is a thing you can also do. Even if Yakuza 0 was a standalone title, I’d recommend it.
You can also build tiny cars and spend hours of your precious time mastering Pocket Circuit.
But that isn’t what makes Yakuza 0 the best. Its duo of protagonists, Kiryu Kazuma and Goro Majima, are the focal points of the game, and watching them become the icons they eventually grow into is an absolute treat. There’s nothing like watching a protagonist come into their own, and you get to do it twice.
There’s No Yakuza Without Kiryu
Some might argue that this is no longer the best way to begin your Yakuza journey.. The newest games start freshly enough that you could jump in, relatively unburdened by the baggage of the previous five mainline entries. I’d argue that since Yakuza is such a long series with so many characters and so much background, you still kind of need that knowledge, or at least a vague understanding of what’s happened before.
But more importantly, I don’t think you can really understand Yakuza without understanding Kazuma Kiryu, his roots, and what his entire deal is. The developers certainly know this – in Infinite Wealth, a significant part of the game focuses on Kiryu and bidding him farewell as Ichiban Kasuga takes his place as the main protagonist. There’s some finality to his ending scenes, too. We don’t know if he’ll really come back or if he’s going to take a backseat from now on, but there’s no way to say a proper goodbye without first coming to understand and love him.
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Yakuza 0 is the perfect place to begin loving Kiryu Kazuma. Yes, it’s not technically the first game – the prequel was actually launched ten years after the first Yakuza game was released – but it is the beginning of his story, and of Goro Majima’s, too. It’s where the whole odyssey begins, where we understand why we should love these characters, where we build the most empathy with them because we see why they are the way they are. It’s valuable for that alone, but again, it’s also a damn good game on its own, one that functions perfectly well as a standalone.
Happy tenth birthday, Yakuza 0. Sorry I missed it by a day, I still love you all the same.
Action
Adventure
Beat ‘Em Up
- Released
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January 24, 2017
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio