Sega’s Yakuza/Like a Dragon series has remade a lot of Japanese towns, but it could still go to a lot more places.
During its run, the Like a Dragon, or Yakuza, series has been to almost every part of Japan. It began in Tokyo’s Kamuroch, and in the second part, Osaka was added through Sotenbori. Yakuza 3 took place in Okinawa, but Yakuza 5 added Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Nagoya as new places to visit.
Even now, the series keeps finding new places to go, like the small town of Onomichi or the big city of Yokohama. With Like a Dragon 8 and Like a Dragon Gaiden coming up, the only thing left to decide is which new places the series should go to next.
Kyoto
The Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine and Kinkaku-ji Temple, also known as the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, are well-known historical and traditional sites in Kyoto, which used to be the capital of Japan. This is probably why the city has only been in the spin-offs Kenzan and Ishin so far.
Even the famous Kiyomizu-dera Temple was used as a stage for the second one.Still, it would be cool to see the new city show up. Since 2005, players have seen Kamuroch grow and change, so it might be interesting for them to see how Kyoto has changed since then. At the very least, if Kiryu and Ichiban went to the current Kiyomizu-dera, they could make jokes about what happened in Happy Wheels.
Edo
The past of Tokyo, on the other hand, is not a well-trodden path. Before Tokyo became the capital city of Japan, it was the unofficial capital city of the country. At the time, the emperor still lived in Kyoto, but the Tokugawa shogunate, which ran Japan, was based in Edo. The time from 1603 to 1868 was called the Edo Period because of this.
In Ishin, this is where Ryoma Sakamoto’s warrior school was.But unlike Kyoto, players can’t just walk around it. It would be interesting to look around an Edo neighbourhood. It wouldn’t be like a mediaeval Kamuroch’s either. Kabukich, which is what it is based on, didn’t really start until the modern age. If RGG Studio did make a red-light district for Edo, it would probably be based on Yoshiwara, which at the time made Yakuza 0’s Kamuroch’s look like a church meeting.
Kobe
At first glance, Kobe doesn’t seem all that different from Osaka, which is not far away. Both cities are in the Kansai area, and their people are known for being talkative, blunt, and honest. In other words, it seems like another place for RGG Studio to pull out characters like the Obatarian and for the translation team to pull out the Big Book of Redneck Slang. That can be charming in and of itself, since Kansai people are some of the most interesting.
Still, there are more ways to tell a story. The Genpei War between the Taira and Minamoto clans took place on its land. This war is the setting for a warrior game that comes before Kenzan and Ishin. While the Kobe Incident, which happened in 1868 when Japanese and Western soldiers fought, could be the basis for a straight sequel to Ishin. Kobe is a place where ideas can grow, whether they are about the present or the past.
Sendai
The Yakuza games have been all over Japan, from Hokkaido in the far north to the city of Fukuoka in the south, from the middle of the country to its edges. They haven’t been to the north of Honshu yet, though. It might be hard to get to because the Thoku region is now known for the big earthquake and the tsunami that followed, which filled Fukushima and hurt its nuclear power plant.
If RGG Studio didn’t want to talk about that, they could talk about Sendai, which is close by. It is the biggest city in the area and is known for its parks and history. Date Masamune, a famous person from the Sengoku era, moved there at the start of the Edo era. He gave Sendai its current name and planned how the castle grounds would be built. The roads in the city centre still follow his old plans. It could have led to a happy finish in the past or a thought-provoking one in the present.
Hiroshima
If Thoku is a problem for a place, Hiroshima might be even worse. It has grown into the biggest city in western Honshu and is now a busy hub. It has everything a modern Yakuza game needs, like red-light areas, game centres, and a river to throw bad guys into. But, in 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped there.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the Shukkei-en Garden of Peace. And the A-Bomb Dome are all places that remember the people who died there. Some people might feel disrespected if Kiryu or Ichiban threw bicycles or called chickens near them. So, Yakuza 6 chose Onomichi, the prefectural capital, instead. If Hiroshima does show up, it will probably be through a part of the city that is far from its more sombre sites.
Kagoshima
The Yakuza games also like to look into the culture of their setting to lighten the mood a bit. Yakuza 0 and 2 made Biliken the Missouri charm doll a famous sight in Osaka. And “basanai” is the real Okinawan word for “banana.” So, they might enjoy Kagoshima, which is in the south of Kyushu. It’s where Saigo Takamori, one of the leaders of modern Japan (along with Ishin’s Katsura Kogoro), was born and died during the Satsuma Rebellion. This could be the setting for a sequel to Ishin.
Geographically, the city is known as the “Naples of the East” because of its large bay and the nearby volcano Sakurajima. Whose ashy explosions could make for a very explosive ending. Then, Kagoshima’s speech is so different from other parts of Japan that people from other parts of Japan have trouble understanding it. Since the localizers used even more redneck terms for Fukuoka in Yakuza 5. Kagoshima would give them a chance to make everyone sound like Boomhauer from King of the Hill.
Seoul
It’s also tempting to wonder how RGG Studio would do in a setting that was outside of its comfort zone, like another country. Where would they go, though? American towns have been killed by games like Grand Theft Auto, Saints Row, InFamous, and many more. Cities in Europe, Africa, or South America would be more interesting. But it’s hard to imagine Yakuza still feeling like a dragon anywhere but East Asia. Outside of the vacation homes of the richest heads. Japanese crime families rarely have areas in Rome, Cape Town, or Rio.
So, why not go to Asia proper? The Koreans have been in the series, either as allies like Kim Won-soon or as enemies like the Jingweon group, or as both allies and enemies like Joon-gi Han. It hasn’t always been so nice, though. People who speak Korean say that the phonetic acts are also funny because they are so stiff. But there are figures like Tanimura from Yakuza 4 who are kind to them and other mainlanders. Seoul, Busan, or one of Korea’s other big towns could be a good setting for an interesting story if you know how to act.
Hong Kong
China is in the same situation. People who lived in Kamuroch’s Little Asia or Ijinch’s Chinatown were both friends and enemies of the country. Triads and yakuza have fought, and foreigners have helped and hurt Kiryu, Majima. And the rest of the group at different times.
Even though their portrayals haven’t been as dangerous as, say. The secret Korean sleeper spies in Yakuza 2, they could still be better. Even more so because the Japanese cast has the same problems with pronunciation in Chinese as they do in Korean. Still, taking Kiryu or Ichiban and his friends to a port city like Hong Kong or Shanghai could be interesting if care is taken. At this rate, it seems more likely than Shenmue 4. You can play Like a Dragon: Ishin! on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.