Key Takeaways
- Google Maps has listed the Yakuza series’ Millennium Tower as a real location.
- The Millennium Tower in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series is based on Hotel Gracery in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
- Despite the fictional pictures and reviews being taken down, Google still lists the Millennium Tower Rooftop as a tourist spot.
One Yakuza fan recently discovered that Google Maps officially recognizes the Like a Dragon series’ iconic Millennium Tower landmark as a real-life location on its Tokyo map. Google Maps usually provides information about various locations in different parts of the world for travelers to check out, often including photos and reviews of certain places. It seems that one cheeky Yakuza fan managed to trick Google Maps into believing that the fictional Millennium Tower landmark from the series is a real-life tourist attraction in Japan’s capital city.
The Millennium Tower is an iconic location in the Like a Dragon series’ city of Kamurocho. The district of Kamurocho has appeared in nearly every single Like a Dragon/Yakuza game to date, with the events of each title usually taking place in this compact neighborhood. Its real-life equivalent would be the neighborhood of Kabukicho in Shinjuku, Tokyo, with the Millennium Tower being based on Hotel Gracery, the loftiest building in the area. The Millennium Tower holds the same distinction of being the tallest building in the Like a Dragon universe.
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One fan on the r/yakuzgames subreddit named waaasup recently posted about how the Millennium Tower Rooftop was recognized as an official location on Google Maps, including a photo of the rooftop as a “tourist” image. It’s a little unclear how the Millennium Tower Rooftop ended up on Google Maps, but some fans had some fun with it, with some apparent reviews describing certain stories found in the Yakuza games, such as how they saw money flying down from the rooftop and into the city or how four men in suits were walking towards it as if they were about to go fight in a major battle.
Google Maps Mistakenly Recognizes Yakuza’s Millennium Tower as a Real-Life Location
The reason why this fictitious location slipped through Google Maps was likely due to how authentic and realistic the recreations of various Japanese cities look in the Like a Dragon series. While it took a while for the vandalism to be recognized, Google did end up taking action, removing both the fictional pictures and reviews. However, it appears that Google Maps still has the Millennium Tower Rooftop listed as a tourist location to visit.
The Millennium Tower is home to many of the series’ most iconic moments, including numerous final battles, like Kiryu’s fights with Akira Nishikiyama and Kyohei Jingu. Yakuza: Like a Dragon would not only feature the Millennium Tower as the location for Ichiban Kasuga’s confrontation with the Omi Alliance, but it was also an endgame dungeon that led him to the Shin Amon boss fight, one of the staple superbosses of the Yakuza series.
Yakuza
Sega’s Yakuza franchise is a series of action-adventure and role-playing games that revolve around characters who are a part of or associated with dangerous criminal organizations.
The various games in the series tend to be led by gripping, emotional narratives but are supplemented by hilarious side stories and enjoyable mini-games that give players a welcome break from the drama.