Yakuza (series)

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Yakuza franchise
The official logo of the series
Developer(s)	Amusement Vision
Publisher(s)	Sega
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3
First release	Yakuza 2005
Official website	ryu-ga-gotoku.com

Yakuza (龍が如く Ryū ga Gotoku, lit. "Like a Dragon") is an action-adventure video game franchise created by Amusement Vision and owned and published by Sega.

The series has sold at least 3.2 million copies as of March 2009^[1]. Strong sales of the games in its original Japanese market has led to the franchise's expansion to other mediums, including film adaptations.

[edit] Story

The Yakuza series storytelling is inspired by yakuza films, one of the most popular cinema genre in Japan, and was written by crime drama novelist Hase Seishu, it was ported on the screen by director Takashi Miike.

The main story is presented in successive chapters much like as in Kinji Fukasaku's classic yakuza movie Sympathy for the Underdog^[2] and is completed with a hundred sub-scenarios per game which leads to a large amount of main, secondary and recurring minor characters.

Maitan's Lightning series figure of Yakuza 2 "Kazuma Kiryu 4th Chairman of Tojo Clan Dragon of Dojima".

During the 1970s three children, Kazuma Kiryu, Akira Nishikiyama (a.k.a. Nishiki) and his younger sister, Yuko Nishikiyama, are raised in Shintaro Kazama (a.k.a. Fuma)'s Sunflower Orphanage. In summer 1980, Yumi Sawamura, a young girl who had her parents incidentally shot during a gangs shootout joins them. Following a yakuza tradition, the honourable Kazama secretly raises orphans he has directly or indirectly killed the parents. In return, these children look at him at their father and he eventually introduces the teenagers in the Dojima Family, a Tojo Clan affiliate.

Years later the promising Kazuma Kiryu quickly rises the yakuza hierarchy and earns the nickname "the Dragon of the Dojima Family" for the Dragon irezumi tattoo on his back (hence the original title "Like a Dragon", ryu ga gotoku). His childhood friend Nishikiyama his torn between loyalty for his kyodai (yakuza "brother") and jealousy against the one who has always been Kazama's protégé. Another subject of rivalry between the two friends is their secret love for Yumi who looks at them as her older brothers. 1990, in order to remain close to both of them, she left the orphanage and moved to Tokyo's red-light district Kamurocho, where they found her a job as hostess at Reina's Serena bar.

October 1, 1995, Kazuma Kiryu announces his friends he is ready to create his own yakuza Family, only lacks the Chairman of the Dojima Family Sohei Dojima's go ahead. Later that night the latter kidnapps Yumi from Serena, Nishikiyama tries to interfere but Dojima's men hold him. When Nishikiyama eventually reaches Dojima's office, he finds his boss raping Yumi and shots him dead. Kazuma who was at a meeting with Kazama had been called by Reina and comes shortly after only to find Dojima on the ground, Nishikiyama and Yumi in shock. Then Kazuma takes the responsibility in order to protect Yuko who needs her brother Nishikiyama as she is about to get a last chance operation. Kazuma orders the pair to leave before the police arrives.

This section requires expansion with: December 2009.

December 15, 2005, Kazuma Kiryu is paroled and released from prison for the first time. He returns to find his friend Yumi Sawamura is missing and the Tojo Clan he was once a part of has had ten billion yen (at $1=100yen, approx. USD$100 million) stolen from them, which the entire Japanese underworld is now searching for. Also his best friend Nishikiyama has changed and founded his own yakuza family with support from Terada and the Osaka-based Omi Family.

This section requires expansion with: December 2009.

December 16, 2006, the 5th Chairman of the Tojo Clan Yukio Terada of the Omi Family is assassinated in a graveyard in front of Kazuma Kiryu and Haruka Sawamura.

This section requires expansion with: December 2009.

March 2009, Kazuma Kiryu left Kamurocho and now runs the Morning glory Orphanage in Okinawa where he raises nine children including Haruka Sawamura.

This section requires expansion with: December 2009.

March 1st 2010, that night an incident happens in Kamurocho involving Kazuma Kiryu one more time.

[edit] Games

As of 2009^[update], the Yakuza series includes a main trilogy of games; the games were released in chronological order, with each new installment following the events of the previous title. The spin-off being the exception since it relates Kazuma Kiryu's supposed ancestor, historic figure Miyamoto Musashi (a.k.a. Kazumanosuke Kiryu) from the 16th and 17th centuries. One new episode, Ryu Ga Gotoku 4 (a.k.a. Yakuza 4), is in development for the PlayStation 3.

[edit] Main episodes

[edit] Spin-off

The success of the main Yakuza series has spurred the creation of a spin-off, Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!, which was released in Japan and Asia on March 6, 2008.^[3].

[edit] Production

[edit] Legacy

The franchise's mixed gameplay is inherired from past Sega games that series producer Toshihiro Nagoshi worked on including, the Shenmue series, the Virtua Fighter series, the Dynamite Deka series (ダイナマイト刑事 a.k.a. Dynamite Cop), the SpikeOut series and the Jet Set Radio series. Explicit tribute is paid to these games through product placement of Virtua Fighter 4, Virtua Fighter 5, SpikeOut and Dynamite Deka EX arcade cabinets in Yakuza Club Sega game centers (the latters were first introduced in Shenmue) and cameo appearances (like Goji Rokkaku from Jet Grind Radio).

The Yakuza gameplay resembles the one introduced in Shenmue in many respects including Event Mode, Adventure Mode, Battle Mode, minigames and QTE.

[edit] Marketing

The series is known for its expanding video game tie-in and product placement marketing policy. Such strategy allows to support the game's costly production and in the same gives a realistic aspect to the environments which are based on real locations in Tokyo, Osaka and Naha.

[edit] Cast

A Yakuza 3 Event Mode minor character's face is being modeled in 3D through Softimage XSI 6.5. During 3D scan the actor worn a swim cap because his character wears a police peaked cap.^[4]

The game's original voice actors are Japanese celebrities which can be seiyū, singers, tarento, film or TV series actors, radio or television celebrities. Cabaret girls and alike characters have Japanese porno actresses as their voice actresses. Since the 2008 spin-off, the game series' main characters have their face modeled in 3D after their voice actors. As in the Virtua Fighter series, western main and minor characters don't speak (and curse) in Japanese but in English language.

The PlayStation 3 installments realistic character design is based on Cyberware 3D scanner, Softimage XSI 6.5 3D models^[4] and Sega's Magical V-Engine.

[edit] Western localization changes

When the series was internationalized and localized to fit the western market several changes occurred. These include game title replacement (Like a Dragon 龍が如く, ryū ga gotoku became Yakuza), several characters name change (Shintaro Kazama is Shintaro Fuma, Akira Nishikiyama is Akira Nishiki, Futoshi Shimano is Futo Shimano, Sai no Hanaya is Kage).

[edit] Music

The three Yakuza original soundtrack albums are composed by Hidenori Shoji, Hideki Sakamoto et alii and are published by Wave Master. Additional soundtrack features songs from Japanese artists Crazy Ken Band, Zeebra, Ketsumeishi and Eikichi Yazawa.

[edit] Adaptations

10,000pcs limited PlayStation 3 80GB Ceramic White model "Yakuza 3 Rising Dragon Pack" edition.

The Yakuza franchise includes various types of merchandise and adaptations outside of the video games. Currently, this includes a direct-to-video movie, a feature film, original soundtracks, official guides, Kamutai Magazines (pre-order campaign limited book) and other licensed products such as Cropped Heads long tee shirts and parkas based on main characters tattoos^[5], limited edition PlayStation 3 console packs^[6][7], Kubrick toys^[8] and action figures manufactured by Maitan^[9].

[edit] Books

With the original game in 2005, Sega created a pre-order campaign limited item called Kamutai Magazine (カムタイマガジン). This color book was a monography dedicated to the game with Mai, a sub-scenario female character, as the cover girl. This character's physical aspect was inspired by its voice actor, Mihiro, a Japanese adult video idol acting in porno films. Since then, each new game release coincides with a new Kamutai Magazine issue featuring a voice actress as cover girl. Hence this December 2005 issue was followed by a December 2006 issue (cover girl is Japanese porn star Nana Natsume), a March 2008 issue (cover girl is Taiwanese porn star Yinling of Joytoy) and a February 2009 isue (cover girls are Shizuka Mutou, Sayaka Araki & Rina Sakurai). The fifth issue will be bundled with Ryu Ga Gotoku 4 and released in March 2010.

[edit] Original video

Takeshi Miyasaka directed an Original Video during the promotion period for the western release of the game which depicted Kazuma, Nishiki and Yumi growing up at the Sunflower Orphanage and then leaving for Tokyo. This short film called Like a Dragon: Prologue (龍が如く 〜序章〜, ryu ga gotoku -joshou-) serve as a prequel and set up the events which take place in the game.

[edit] Feature film

A film adaptation was released in Japanese theaters in March 2, 2007, called Like a Dragon: movie version (龍が如く 劇場版, ryu ga gotoku: gekijoban). It was based on the first installment of the game and is directed by Takashi Miike. The movie was premiered in the USA in June 23, at IFC theater.^[10] American distributor Tokyo Shock will release a licensed DVD in March 2010 to coincide with the North American localization of Yakuza 3.^[11]

[edit] Radio dramas

Since September 2008, Japanese voice actors from the Yakuza series, including Takaya Kuroda (Kazuma Kiryu) and Hidenari Ugaki (Goro Majima), are running a radio drama which is known as Ryu Ga Gotoku Presents Kamuro-cho Radio Station (龍が如くPresents神室町RADIOSTATION). The second season Shin Kamuro-cho Radio Station (新・神室町RADIOSTATION), which covers 2009~2010, is currently ongoing with back number episodes available for download as podcasts^[12]. Past episodes from the 2008~2009 season, Kamuro-cho Radio Station (神室町RADIOSTATION), are also available as archived podcasts^[13].

[edit] Web TV

The Kamurocho Caba Jou TV (神室町キャバ嬢 T V) is a Japanese web television dedicated to the series's cabaret girls. Main contents are audition and girls profile but it can also be related to other aspect of the game series; for example volume 15 focuses on its soundtrack artists. All shows, called "volumes", are archived within the web tv's official website^[14].

[edit] Reception and critical response

The series sold 3,2 million games worldwide^[1], the best seller being the original episode who sold 1 million worldwide^[23] while the latest episode Yakuza 3 sold 500 000 copies in the Asian markets^[1].

The original game was heavily acclaimed in Japan for combining innovative game play with cinema like story telling and character development on the back of Japan's criminal underground^[24]. Weekly Famitsu gave high scores to the series, Yakuza scored 37/40 (92,5/100)^[25], Yakuza 2 scored 38/40 (95/100)^[26], Yakuza Kenzan! scored 37/40 (92,5/100)^[27] and Yakuza 3 scored 38/40 (95/100)^[28].

Each installment earned an excellence award at the Japan Game Awards and had a PlayStation the Best re-release in both Japanese, Asian and Korean markets^[29].

The western localized versions were released between one and two years after the originals and received generally favorable reviews^[30].

On December 8, 2009 Sega of America and Sega Europe issued a joint press release stating "Sega's decision to bring the game to its western territories was heavily influenced by the recognition of Yakuza's enthusiastic fan base throughout the U.S. and Europe. Yakuza 3 will be available exclusively on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in the spring of 2010".^[31]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Ryu Ga Gotoku series Portal Site
• Yakuza series Portal Site