Yakuza's Most Overlooked Flaw

Summary

The speaker expresses disappointment with the direction of recent Yakuza games, specifically since Yakuza 7. They criticize the repetitive humor, poorly developed characters, over-reliance on nostalgia, and lack of meaningful storytelling, particularly regarding the underdeveloped character of Yumi. The speaker highlights the series' misuse of callbacks and missed opportunities to deepen relationships and character arcs, particularly Kiryu’s. They also express concern over the absence of series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi, fearing his departure led to these issues. The video concludes with a hope for future improvements or spinoffs focusing on underused characters like Yumi.

Takeaways

• 😕 The user dislikes the direction of recent Yakuza games, particularly after Yakuza 7, despite not minding the Western name change.
• 😠 Frustration stems more from writing issues than gameplay, especially regarding characters existing without proper development or purpose.
• 😂 The overuse of wacky humor and recycling jokes in the series feels lazy and repetitive, with characters being forced into comedic scenarios.
• 💔 The over-reliance on tragic backstories for every major character, instead of meaningful character development, detracts from the narrative.
• 😡 Nostalgic callbacks to older Yakuza games (particularly Yakuza 1) feel disrespectful, serving only as fan service rather than enriching the story.
• 👎 The absence of series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi is deeply felt, and the user suspects the pandering trends in recent games might have been limited under his guidance.
• 💡 Yakuza Zero missed an opportunity to develop Yumi’s character, who plays a crucial role in later games but is mostly underdeveloped in the series.
• 🤔 Kiwami 1 and 2 also failed to expand on Yumi's importance, leaving her character largely unexplored and neglecting the potential for deeper narrative.
• 🧐 Kiryu's emotional regression in Infinite Wealth feels unnecessary and forced, especially after his character had seemingly moved on from past trauma.
• 🤷 The user expresses disappointment that the relationship between Kiryu and Yumi was never given the attention or emotional depth it deserved, despite its significance in the series.

Q & A

What aspect of the recent Yakuza games does the speaker criticize the most?

The speaker criticizes the Yakuza games for focusing too much on callbacks to previous titles and relying on repetitive jokes and poorly developed characters, rather than meaningful story or character progression.

Why does the speaker believe the recent Yakuza games are following a downward trend?

The speaker believes the games are declining because of weak character writing, overuse of nostalgic callbacks, repetitive humor, and an overemphasis on fan service rather than deepening the storyline.

What does the speaker dislike about the recurring joke in the Yakuza games?

The speaker dislikes how the recurring joke in the games revolves around self-aware 'wacky' scenarios, which feel repetitive and uninspired, especially when the same joke is reused from previous games but louder.

How does the speaker feel about characters being reused in later games?

The speaker dislikes how some characters are brought back in later games even though their relevance is only tied to a previous plot. This feels forced and artificial to the speaker, especially when their presence serves little purpose.

Why does the speaker feel the references to Yakuza 1 in recent games are disrespectful?

The speaker feels the references to Yakuza 1 are disrespectful because they do not contribute meaningfully to the plot and are used only to bait nostalgia, undermining the original story’s legacy.

What does the speaker say about Toshihiro Nagoshi’s departure from the series?

The speaker mentions that Toshihiro Nagoshi, the original creator of Yakuza, left the studio in 2021. They worry that his absence is being felt more in recent games, suspecting that some of the current issues might have been prevented if he were still involved.

What is the speaker's main issue with how Yumi is treated in Yakuza 0?

The speaker criticizes how Yumi is introduced in Yakuza 0 but then almost entirely forgotten, with very little focus on her despite her importance to the overarching story, which feels like a missed opportunity to develop her character.

What potential does the speaker see in Yumi's character that was left unexplored?

The speaker believes Yumi’s story—how she was relocated, met Jingu, opened a bar, and dealt with losing Haruka—had great potential to expand Kiryu’s backstory but was squandered due to poor writing choices.

How does the speaker view Kiryu’s character development in the recent games?

The speaker feels Kiryu’s character development regressed in recent games. They believe that his unresolved grief over Yumi is forced, considering his character had already moved past these emotions by Yakuza 3.

What is the speaker’s hope for Yumi's character in future projects?

The speaker hopes that future projects, including the upcoming Yakuza TV show or potential new games, will finally give Yumi’s character the development she deserves, moving beyond the shallow treatment she’s received so far.