Yakuza's Most Overlooked Flaw
Summary
TLDRThe 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.
Outlines
🎮 Criticism of Yakuza's Direction Since Yakuza 7
The author expresses dissatisfaction with the direction the Yakuza series has taken since Yakuza 7, emphasizing that the issues aren't gameplay-related. They criticize the use of characters who only have plot relevance in one game but still appear in future installments. The repetitive jokes and reliance on overly tragic backstories also frustrate the author. Additionally, they believe the series has begun disrespectfully relying on nostalgia, particularly with references to Yakuza 1 and Gaiden, which alienate long-time fans. The departure of Toshihiro Nagoshi, Yakuza's creator, raises concerns about the series' future.
🤔 Missed Opportunities with Yumi in Yakuza 0
The author discusses the missed potential for Yumi, a key character, in Yakuza 0. They highlight that while other characters get development and subplots, Yumi's role is barely mentioned, despite being pivotal in Yakuza 1. This lack of focus feels like a missed opportunity to explore her character in relation to Kiryu and Nishiki. The author suggests that her importance could have been reinforced with more screen time or context, rather than being reduced to two brief mentions.
🎭 Underdeveloped Yumi in Kiwami and Kiwami 2
In Yakuza Kiwami, the author notes that Yumi remains underdeveloped, despite being central to the plot. While the remake offered a chance to expand on her character, it left her story mostly unchanged. The author criticizes the writers for prioritizing Nishiki's backstory over Yumi's, feeling that it detracted from her significance. Kiwami 2 missed another opportunity to explore Kiryu's evolving feelings toward Yumi, focusing instead on side stories that felt irrelevant to the emotional depth of the main plot.
💔 Yumi's Absence in Infinite Wealth and Soul Friends Scene
The author is particularly upset about Yumi's absence from the 'Soul Friends' scene in Yakuza: Infinite Wealth. They express frustration that the dog and other characters are considered 'soul friends' while Yumi, Kiryu's supposed great love, is left out. This exclusion seems emblematic of the broader problem of how Yumi has been treated in the series, further downplaying her importance in Kiryu's life and the narrative.
📺 Concluding Thoughts and Future Content
The video wraps up with the author thanking viewers and discussing future content plans. They mention ongoing series like 'Month of Movie' and 'The Last Good Sonic Game,' encouraging viewers to check them out. The author hints at more offshoot videos on topics like games and movies, and thanks viewers once again for their support, promising more passionate content in the future.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Yakuza Games
💡Ichiban Saga
💡Nostalgia Bait
💡Toshihiro Nagoshi
💡Kiwami
💡Yumi Sawamura
💡Character Regression
💡Fan Service
💡Plot Repetition
💡Character Development
Highlights
The user criticizes the direction of the Yakuza series after Yakuza 7, expressing concern over a downward trend in non-gameplay aspects.
The user doesn't dislike the shift to JRPG mechanics but is more concerned about character writing and repetitive jokes.
They express frustration over characters who exist for one game but are carried over to the next without proper development.
Repetition of the same jokes from previous games is cited as a major issue, where humor relies on 'wacky' scenarios with little innovation.
The user critiques the over-reliance on tragic backstories instead of building deeper character traits.
Puppeting previously beloved characters for nostalgia pandering without progressing their arcs is another source of discontent.
They specifically mention the Judgment series as exacerbating many of the same problems found in Yakuza.
The constant referencing of past games, particularly Yakuza 1, is viewed as lazy and disrespectful to the series' legacy.
The departure of key developer Toshihiro Nagoshi is viewed as a turning point, with concerns about how his absence may affect the quality of future games.
The lack of development for Yumi, an important character in Kiryu's life, is pointed out as a missed opportunity in Yakuza 0 and Kiwami.
The decision to include Yumi briefly in Yakuza 0 without elaborating on her significance is seen as a major storytelling flaw.
In Kiwami, the user feels Yumi’s character is underdeveloped, despite having potential for a more meaningful narrative.
The failure to develop Kiryu’s internal struggles, particularly his feelings about Yumi, is highlighted as a missed narrative thread in Yakuza Kiwami 2 and subsequent titles.
The user criticizes Infinite Wealth’s handling of Kiryu’s character regression and his lack of meaningful introspection.
They express disappointment with the way Yumi was left out of key moments, such as Kiryu's 'Soul Friends' list, emphasizing how this reflects poor writing choices.
Transcripts
I don't like the direction the most
recent Yakuza games have been taking
disregarding the name change which I
don't actually mind all that much since
it's only a change for the West I think
that the games since Yakuza 7 have been
following a severe downward Trend that I
don't see stopping for the foreseeable
future there's a lot of reasons for that
and most of them aren't gameplay focused
I'm sure someone out there is just
expecting me to be the type of guy that
hates jrpgs hearing that someone doesn't
like the most recent like a dragon games
I don't I'm not that kind of guy
what I do hate is their habit of writing
characters that only exist to have plot
relevance for one game but still exist
in the next installment because it'd be
weird if they were absent I hate when
the only joke the writers seem to come
up with is wow isn't this a wacky
scenario this is a wacky scenario and
we're aware of that and you're also
aware of that and we're laughing with
you at our own joke because we're so
good at writing it doubly so when said
joke is just the same joke from the last
game but louder I hate when writers make
it blatantly obvious characters are
supposed to be instantly iconic I hate
when every character worth a damn has a
secret tragic backstory instead of
actual character traits I hate puppeting
the corpse of a once incredible
character for the sake of keeping fair
weather fans who would only care about
the next game if they heard that it had
the sequel to Dam D in it and has the d
d guy in it not all of these problems
are specific to the Ichibon Saga in fact
I'd say that most of them are a lot
worse in the Judgment games but they're
a lot worse here than they were before
Yakuza 6
however one of the most apparent
problems that I don't see many people
talking about is the ridiculous extent
to which rgg has been referencing and
calling back to Yakuza one in guiding an
infinite wealth mostly I think it's just
disrespectful none of the call backs do
anything substantial besides Nostalgia
baate all of the people who are only
playing these games because they won't
let kiru bow out of the series in a
remotely dignified manner plus all of
this happening right after neosi leaves
the studio for greater Ventures really
rubs me the wrong way makes me worry
that they were trying to do this kind of
pandering before but he wouldn't let
them if you don't know who that is uh in
very short toshihiro neoi is the guy who
basically invented Yakuza obviously
several others were involved in the
production of the first game and then
even more were on the development team
but the conception of ryugoku was pretty
much him alone he left the studio in
2021 with lost judgment being the last
game he directly worked on and I really
hope his absence isn't something that's
going to become more and more obvious as
the years pass because I'm really
feeling it right now anyway even without
considering his absence the references
and callbacks I was talking about are
doing more than disrespecting him and
the series Legacy they're also putting a
massive Spotlight on one of the series
most blatant problems in such a way that
magnifies it to an even bigger scale
than it ever was before what was once a
slightly bothersome issue turned into a
moment of severe Miss potential which
then turned into some of the worst
writing I've ever seen in any game that
I've played
picture this you're playing yaku a zero
because everyone who's watching this
definitely started with zero chapter 2
rolls around Tachi banaana sits down to
dinner and gives a minutes long
roundabout nothing Burger over reveal
that he in fact knows Kaza shocker he
Nam drops him the sunflower orphanage
and Nishi but he also drops another name
Yumi saura ring any bells you know
haruka's Mom kiru's one love the girl he
did everything for and Yakuza won and
then tragically lost which literally
changed the course of his life forever
and now nearly 20 years later they've
decided that he hasn't gotten over the
death of yeah that you me she comes up
one more time in the game to any
meaningful degree anyway later on in a
scene with Nishi and Raina and Serena
they mentioned that she's currently in
high school and that Raina ought to hire
her as a Hostess since she's such a
charmer hu protest Nishi changes his
mind Raina calls him an old man everyone
has fun the scene ends on that note
and then Yumi disappears from the plot
of yaku zura this is a horrible decision
on several levels to bring her up in
this game and not elaborate on anything
meaningful about her is downright
bizarre especially when she's introduced
as someone on the same level of
importance as Kuma and Nishi numerous
characters with lasting impacts on the
series get dedicated sub stories
throughout the game with some showing up
multiple times to reinforce how
important they are Yumi gets no such
treatment as I said she's barely
mentioned outside of these two instances
if at all you'd think that maybe someone
would have realized that with a story
that puts kiru and nishi's doomed
Brotherhood under a microscope that
maybe including the other super
important character to both of them
would have been a good idea if not for
that then couldn't they have at least
had her physically present for one scene
making her only two textual references
in the game one being an explanation of
why she's important and the other being
an explanation of why she's not here
despite her importance seriously
downplays how important she's going to
be in the very next game of the
series to those who would say that the
story of zero is already too cluttered
with side characters and subplot setting
up future events I agree with you some
calling would need to be done in order
to facilitate yumi's relevance in an
ideal plot personally I would just get
rid of Sarah from the entire game he's
nothing but a Deus X makina that causes
complications for his appearance in
kiwami but this isn't a story surgery
video this is a me complaining about how
horribly the games have mishandled a
crucial part of kiru's character video
that said let's move on to kiwami we all
know how it goes a love triangle
forcefully ripped apart and left
unchecked for 10 years while one person
remain the same the other two changed on
a fundamental level one problem that's
been around since the beginning of the
series is how underdeveloped Yumi is for
someone around whom the entire plot
revolves she's not only offc screen for
most of it she's completely unexplored
as a character and as a love interest
her false life gets more development
than the actual Yumi does we know next
to nothing about about her besides her
questionable taste in men when she lost
her memory she's clearly a person of
strong moral convictions but was she
like that before dojima murder or was
she a naive young woman destined to be
used by the Yakuza because of her best
friend's pths in life we'll never know
because not only did she die on screen
which means they can't bring her back
please they couldn't bring her back
anyway without nullifying a massive
emotional crutch that giden and infinite
wealth lean on kiwami had the perfect
chance to rectify this as a remake of
the first game it could have reframed
the story to allow much more onscreen
time for Yumi to both develop her
character and represent how she plays
into the greater narrative but then they
left the story completely unchanged
because they didn't have the time or
budget to reanimate the cut scenes or
alter the script but even with that they
were willing to spend the time writing
and animating a new back story for Nishi
despite zero pretty much perfectly
showing a lot of the potential reasons
for why he and kiru would have drifted
apart with time especially when kiru
wasn't there to keep his Ambitions in
check after all the things kiru put him
through in zero it makes perfect sense
why they would have drifted apart so why
waste those cutcenes on Nishi when it
would have been so much more worthwhile
to show us the circumstances behind
yumi's disappearance I want to see how
Kuma relocated her how she met and
formed a relationship with jingu because
believe me I really need that explained
to believe it for even a second I want
to see how she managed to open a bar in
the highest spot in karoo how she coped
with losing Hara how she stole the 10
billion yen there's an incredible story
there and instead of telling it they
told the story of how Nishi isn't
actually a bad guy he was just told by
everyone in the world that he cares
about that he'll never amount to
anything so he killed someone and now
his heart is corrupted by Darkness they
continued to squander those
opportunities with kiwami 2 skipping
over six because I feel like for the
most part the ways that it calls back to
and references one mean something in
terms of the story especially because
that was actually supposed to be kiru's
last game plus they reference more than
the first game but I'm getting ahead of
myself kiwami 2 they could have expanded
on kiru's internal trouble with his
blossoming feelings for K but instead of
that they made a substory where he voice
acts and yahoi and another one where he
sniffs panties it's like watching the
perfect fast ball sore right past the
batter three times in a row and then
they stand there waiting for the fourth
one so that they can take the walk
despite the fact that they've already
struck out because they did stand there
and wait for the fourth one they waited
over 5 years between kiwami 2 and gaen
regardless of when giden actually began
development because that is a whole can
of worms I don't want to get into to
release a game that would finally do
some work in developing the relationship
between kiru and Yumi not what I wanted
at all especially right now when kiru
should have been gone but sure let's get
some introspection on how he's doing all
these years later we don't don't get
that we get kiru wallowing in a misery
that hasn't existed since the second
game and was pretty much gotten over by
the third game and don't act like this
is just a random relapse or something
prompted by a revelation that his life
is coming to an end his life already
came to an end they had a whole game
about that he can't stop himself from
talking about how over his life is
within the story he has no reason to
suddenly regress as a character as a
person which he isn't but I'll entertain
the notion he's got no reason to
suddenly be sad about Yumi again when
the origin of his depression seems to
mostly come from the idea that his
children will grow up fine without him
again so much potential there make him
selfish make him dependent on his
children that once entirely depended on
him this plot thread has existed since
yaka of five with that Christmas gift
substory capitalize on it it's right
there sitting on the table you already
made it so do something with it and now
we're at infinite wealth where we get
some of the most insulting parts of this
entire
situation best example is probably the
prior mentioned bakam Tha 2 where we get
a list of kazuma's Soul friends we call
this smash ultimate cuz everyone's here
Nishi D Nishi majima Saima Nishi Daigo
Nishi and Mame I'm going to not lose my
[ __ ] about this list making no sense at
all mainly and why it isn't limited to
to dead friends to make more of an
impact or why Ria and akiyama aren't on
it I'm going to try very
hard instead let's Ponder why Yumi isn't
on the list because she was more than a
friend I would say that counts under
Soul friends but sure if you genuinely
think that all he considers Nishi and
Daigo to be our friends then sure even
soul friends doesn't describe the
brothership he shared with Nishi and he
straight up called Daigo the son he
never had in six but they're here and
Yumi isn't if it's so important that she
not get friendzoned then they should
have just changed the name of the list
she needs to be somewhere that matters
koki is as close to a glimpse into these
character Souls that we can get in this
series and they didn't think that maybe
kiru should acknowledge his late
apparently still beloved in a song it's
just stupid also he even knows Saima
Beyond seeing him sometimes in four and
five and don't say that he spent years
training him on how to run his family
because no he didn't Saima apparently
went right back to jail after four he
shouldn't be here why is the dog here
like Soul friends are you really going
to tell me that the dog is more of a
friend to kiru than
Ria I'm really upset that Ria is not on
the list anyway kiru brings up Yumi
later in the game as the one woman he
ever loved I remember when the trailer
with this moment dropped and people
thought he was talking about cowo you
remember that too I'm sure I remember
hoping this moment would fade into a
flashback of their relationship
officially dissolving sometime after she
moved to America in Yakuza 3 I remember
thinking that these people cared about
their characters then giden came out and
I stopped hoping then I got infinite
wealth and I stopped
caring yeah he's talking about Yumi and
the cowo moment in the game doesn't even
do anything to address or develop his
feelings about his relationship with her
they just acknowledged that it was a
thing that happened you remember how in
max pay 3 when Max said he quote hadn't
forgiven himself for the Mona business
that one line is ladened with more
thematic importance character
development and Intrigue than anything
done with kiru since Yakuza 6 certainly
more than been done with his
relationship with Yumi even counting the
first game and that's really the core of
it there's no heart to their
relationship it's partially because Yumi
isn't much of a character but it's also
in no small part due to how reluctant
they are to have K you say anything
about it that goes deeper than it
happened and now I'm sad they won't have
him reminisce on any of the moments that
Drew them together in the first place
they won't make him upset that she died
the way she did they won't give him any
lingering anger for jingu or Nishi or
Sarah or Kaza or any of the people
directly or indirectly involved with her
death
there's no complex emotions to be found
no emotions at all to be found if I'm
being honest just the fact plain and
simple that she was there and they
apparently loved each
other it was regrettable but acceptable
in one it was almost developed on in two
and it was dropped in three then it was
ignored in five which was a game about
kiru and hara's relationship so I
understood something else was taking
precedence there
but then it was ignored in Zero from
there it just kept getting worse and
worse then giden rolled around and acted
like it had something to fan service
when in reality it would have been the
first game to actually develop something
that it could then turn into fan service
and it didn't even do that and now
infinite wealth is come and gone and
we're no closer to Yumi being a
character than she was on her deathbed
it's easily one of the most tragic
failures of this series and I hope to
God
that the new show does something
interesting with her that or we could
get a game about her something anything
is infinitely better than
[Music]
nothing thank you for watching this
video about something I am incredibly
passionate about if you're a previous
viewer then you already know what else
I've got on this channel but if you're
new here I've got a couple things
planned out in the long term the first
one is a month of movie the most recent
episode of which you can watch here
below that is the most recent episode of
the last good Sonic game the best let's
play to come out in the last year
hopefully so maybe you'll consider
giving that one a watch but it's funny I
promise aside from those two things I
plan on making more offshoot videos like
these about whatever I'm interested in
at the moment expect games and movies uh
discussions reviews anything really
again thank you very much for watching
and I'll see you next time
[Music]
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