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.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 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.

05:01

🤔 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.

10:01

🎭 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.

15:02

💔 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.

Keywords

💡Yakuza Games

This refers to the popular video game series developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, known for its deep storytelling, action-oriented gameplay, and focus on the Japanese criminal underworld. The video criticizes the direction of the most recent Yakuza games, particularly post-Yakuza 7, highlighting a shift in writing and character development that the creator finds problematic.

💡Ichiban Saga

The Ichiban Saga refers to the storyline introduced in Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Yakuza 7) which features a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga. The video creator is critical of this saga, not because of the JRPG gameplay, but due to issues with character writing and forced narrative elements that fail to resonate with the legacy of the series.

💡Nostalgia Bait

Nostalgia bait refers to the practice of evoking past memories or elements to elicit an emotional response from fans. The video creator accuses the recent Yakuza games of heavily relying on nostalgia to appeal to longtime fans, especially through the overuse of callbacks to the original Yakuza games, particularly Yakuza 1.

💡Toshihiro Nagoshi

Toshihiro Nagoshi is the original creator of the Yakuza series. His departure from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio in 2021 is seen by the video creator as a turning point, potentially leading to a decline in the quality and integrity of the series. Nagoshi's absence is cited as a reason for some of the recent games' perceived shortcomings.

💡Kiwami

Kiwami refers to the remake versions of the first two Yakuza games. While these games sought to update the visuals and gameplay, the video criticizes Kiwami for failing to improve certain narrative elements, especially regarding the character Yumi, who remains underdeveloped despite being central to the plot.

💡Yumi Sawamura

Yumi Sawamura is a pivotal character in the original Yakuza games, particularly Yakuza 1, as Kiryu's love interest. The video critiques how her character is underdeveloped despite her central role in the storyline, lamenting the missed opportunities to explore her in more depth, especially in remakes like Kiwami.

💡Character Regression

Character regression refers to the reversal or deterioration of a character's development. The video accuses the recent Yakuza games, especially the Ichiban Saga and Infinite Wealth, of regressing Kiryu's character by reintroducing unresolved emotional conflicts that were already addressed in earlier games.

💡Fan Service

Fan service is the inclusion of content meant to please long-time fans of a series, often through references or callbacks to previous entries. The creator argues that the recent Yakuza games have overused fan service in ways that feel shallow and detract from meaningful storytelling, particularly in how they reference Yakuza 1.

💡Plot Repetition

Plot repetition in the video refers to the recycling of similar jokes, scenarios, and character arcs across multiple games in the series. The creator criticizes the Yakuza series for reusing comedic and dramatic elements without adding anything new or substantial, leading to predictable and less impactful narratives.

💡Character Development

Character development is a key theme in the critique, as the creator feels that many of the new characters in the Yakuza series are poorly developed or are only introduced to serve the plot of one game. In contrast, older characters like Kiryu are often mishandled, with missed opportunities to explore their growth or emotions.

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]