The Like A Dragon Series Needs to Understand Death Again

With Stranger Than Heaven getting a trailer recently and freaking Jack Black expressing interest in starring in a live-action Like a Dragon adaptation, it brought up something that has been bothering me since the release of Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties.

Spoilers ahead.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 used to be one of the most anticipated games for the Like a Dragon fanbase, mostly due to the original not having the greatest gameplay, earning the nickname of “Blockuza 3” (only present in the remaster). However, it soon became one of the most divisive games in the series, for reasons which included cutting out a majority of substories including some great ones like “Murder at Café Alps” and the pro-trans “Talking About Me?”, getting rid of Mack (and the Revelations mechanic) and Komaki, nerfing Heat (again), and casting new actors for fan favourite characters, one of which admitted to committing sexual assault. All of this… and you can't even get the original version of Yakuza 3 anymore.

Overall, the current reception of Ryu Ga Gotoku’s games is becoming less favourable as time goes on, exacerbated by a yearly release schedule that caused franchises like Call of Duty and Assassin’s Creed to stagnate. However, while all the other issues should not be downplayed and should be dealt with, I think the series’ biggest stumble in recent years is how it deals with death.

The Like a Dragon series has always been about life: how one lives their life, what they do with it, and what it’s worth. In the world of the yakuza, death is just part of the business, to show the power or ruthlessness needed to survive in this brutal profession. The Like a Dragon games do not shy away from showing that, despite the honourable people there might be in these organisations, ultimately, they’re still criminals willing to kill for what they want. Thugs and important characters die all the time throughout these games, and it’s never played for a joke. However, once you start reviving characters, that’s when death starts to lose meaning.

Okay, yeah, the Yakuza games have never been the most realistic depictions of crime. Discounting the golden castle hidden inside another castle in Yakuza 2, real Japanese gangsters would usually use their guns rather than their fists to settle scores. Also, these games tend to kill off tons of characters with great potential if they were to survive, such as Wong Tou from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. For the short time he’s on screen, he absolutely kills it. I kinda wish he were a party member… but unfortunately, the real big bad has him killed.

Oh no, please don’t give RGG ideas because of… ugh… The Daidoji faction. It’s this super-secret organisation that can allow people to erase their names in exchange for working for them. It works for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (god, that’s a mouthful) because not only does it represent Kiryu’s lowest point in his life, working for them is a self-inflicted hell that he personally asked for, and he’s suffering the consequences of it. However, the use of the faction to subvert death just feels like a cop out. It’s a convenient answer to anything, and I fear that it will be used much more.

The prime example of this is Yoshitaka Mine, the main antagonist of Yakuza 3. He was supposed to die in his debut game, but Dark Ties shows that… he doesn’t, thanks to a bush and the sudden appearance of a Daidoji agent. This is a mistake, as I believe Mine is better off dead. It plays into his tragedy as someone who turned to the underworld to make a worthwhile connection, and found only something in Daigo Dojima. Not only that, Mine’s money and influence could’ve saved Daigo so much trouble wherever the Tojo Clan was in trouble. Having him suddenly fake his death just feels bad, to be honest.

Oh, and his survival completely screws up Yakuza 4’s story since he stops Saejima’s escape buddy from going to prison, and thus, likely creates a whole new timeline. From the way I see it, it’s a perfect opportunity to play as Kiryu more… and to be honest, I’m sick of dragging him into the criminal underworld and having him suffer over and over again.

And then there’s just the completely handwaved, near nonsensical survivals. Like, this was all over the place in Yakuza: Like a Dragon with Lau Ka Long and Kashiwagi surviving getting shot in the head and being blasted with a Gatling gun, respectively. Andre Richardson also survives getting tossed off a building, too. Huh, now that I think about it, it does make a little sense in retrospect.

But I think the worst is in Yakuza 0 Director's Cut, where they just have Lee survive a goddamn car bomb… while in the car. There shouldn't even be pieces of him left! But he’s there, and although they say he won’t be around for long, it still cheapens what was a shocking scene in the original (which you also can’t get anymore).

Finally, I think the biggest problem is that… RGG can’t quite let go of Kiryu. With Kiwami 3, it’s great to see the Dragon of Dojima in his prime again, but at the same time, it just feels like it’s delaying the inevitable. They’ve already tried several times to conclude Kiryu’s story, and yet we still keep getting games about him.

Ichiban Kasuga was created to be his successor, but so far, he’s been more of a cameo than a main protagonist. You’re more likely to recognise him from pre-order bonuses and DLC than as a hero. I, and plenty of others, love Ichiban and want him to be in more games, but as the years go on, it feels like we’re getting less of a chance to see him in new entries. The series goes off real time, and Ichi isn’t getting any younger, considering in his debut game he’s over 40 years old. Ichiban is pushing 50 this year!

If you don't like turn-based RPG combat, there’s always the Judgment games, which feature the best writing and combat we’ve seen from the studio. I want more stories about Yagami and his crew, solving murders and mysteries, because they were so enthralling and dealt with some serious issues that plague the world today. I’m serious, ask a Lost Judgment fan about how they feel about Kuwana, and they will give you a freaking essay about his motives and actions, and the morality of it all. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been anything about the series right now, which is a shame.

With Stranger Than Heaven being Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s next big release, I really hope that the game knows how to deal with death. It should be an ending for some, but a new beginning for others. It’s an inevitable event everyone has to deal with someday. To play life and death only cheapens its meaning and impact, and I hope future entries in the Like a Dragon series remember what it truly means to live, to die, and to move forward.