Sega's long-running Yakuza franchise has become one of the company's flagship titles. With the newest release, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, coming to the current generation of consoles worldwide on November 10th and next-gen in March of 2021, fans of the series won't have to wait much longer to see the next chapter in the franchise. With the drastic departure from the series' traditional setting and protagonist, it may seem strange for Yakuza to take such a turn, but fans of the franchise may be aware of other turns the series has taken.
Through the course of the Yakuza series' history, the story has often advanced in a progressing timeline through each installment, and the latest installment is no different in that regard. However, there have been a few titles that deviated from the main story.
Titles such as the Japanese-only Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! and Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! serve chronologically as the first games in the Yakuza timeline. The former title is set in 1605 during the Edo period, while the latter advances to the Bakumatsu period of Japanese history. Yakuza: Dead Souls acts as a spin-off title that is set in 2011, but it is a non-canon game to the progressive timeline of the series. Similarly, the Japanese-only titles Kurohyo: Ryu ga Gotoku, Kurohyo 2 and Ryu ga Gotoku Online are all spin-offs meant to take place in 2010, 2012, and 2018 respectively. The events of these titles do not affect the main series, but fans of the franchise can find plenty to enjoy in exploring other perspectives in the franchise's history. The start of the series timeline properly begins with the prequel, released in 2015.
Yakuza 0
Released in 2015 and bringing the series to the PlayStation 4, Yakuza 0 serves as the first chronological title in the franchise, taking its place as a prequel to the series which, at the time, was celebrating ten years of release. Set in December of 1988 into January 1989, this game gives players an early look at the life of Kazuma Kiryu as he finds himself framed for the murder of a man from whom he collected money, putting his standing in the Dojima Family of the Tojo Clan in jeopardy. This title also marks the first time Goro Majima, a long-recurring character of the series, would be playable, only returning to playable status in Kiwami 2.
Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami
The events of the first game released in the franchise begin in 1995, six years after the events of Yakuza 0, as Kazuma Kiryu rises through the ranks of the Dojima Family under the Tojo Clan. After the murder of the Dojima Family head at the hands of Kazuma's sworn brother, he takes the fall for the murder, resulting in a ten year prison sentence, bringing the series to 2005. The first game of the entire franchise, it would later be remade as Yakuza Kiwami in 2016.
Yakuza 2/Yakuza Kiwami 2
Yakuza 2 advances the series one year, into December of 2006, as Kazuma is tasked to stop an all-out gang war from breaking out in Kamurocho. With the first game of the series under its belt, Sega made numerous adjustments to the second title, bringing the game closer to what we know of the series today.
Refinements to its gameplay and acting direction (along with the removal of an English Dub until Like a Dragon) would especially set the tone for the Yakuza franchise going forward. Remade as Yakuza Kiwami 2, the newer version features another storyline where fans play Goro Majima, following the newly-introduced story from Yakuza 0.
Yakuza 3
The series's first step onto the PlayStation 3, Yakuza 3 starts mere months after the events of the previous game, taking players to the Morning Glory Orphanage that Kazuma runs alongside his adopted daughter Haruka. Through the events surrounding the orphanage, the game advances through to 2009 when the deed is stolen. Taking cues from the advancing technology at the time, Sega would use facial capture technology in an effort to bring its characters to life.
Yakuza 4
One year later into 2010, Yakuza 4's story takes fans of the series through the story of three newcomers to the franchise, with each character receiving their own share of the story before a convergence toward the end of the game for its final chapter. The ability to play as multiple characters for the first time in the series served as a unique departure from the Yakuza's norm as Kazuma would only become playable toward the end of the game's story mode.
Yakuza 5
The largest game to date in the franchise, Yakuza 5 takes place two years after the events of Yakuza 4. Following with the number trope in its title, the game itself featured five different locales along with five playable characters. With the game viewed internally almost as a "reboot" and given a longer development window, the game's story comes to a dramatic conclusion that sets in motion the events of the next installment.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
In what appears to be the final game in the story of Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza 6 takes place in 2016 after Kazuma recuperates from the finale of Yakuza 5 before being served a three year prison sentence. This sentence sets up Kamurocho's criminal world for what would become Kazuma's final chapter in the Yakuza franchise. For this, the game returns to its roots as Kazuma is the lone playable character as a final send-off to the franchise's main protagonist. appropriately ushering in a new generation as the first title to use the Dragon Engine.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
The latest game in the series set to launch on both current and next-gen platforms, Like a Dragon follows Ichiban Kasuga as he takes the fall for a crime he didn't commit in 2001. Set free in 2019, his journey sends him looking for the true reason he was asked to take the fall and why he wasn't met with the hero's welcome that he had expected. For the first time since Yakuza's original release, Like a Dragon will have an English dub to go along with its original Japanese track.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon also marks a dramatic departure from the gameplay that had come to represent the main series of games, with a turn-based system replacing the brawling, beat 'em up style that the franchise had become known for. While the series has primarily taken place within the fictional city of Kamurocho, Yakuza: Like a Dragon looks to move the series away from its familiar surroundings by taking players to Yokohama's fictional Isezaki Ijincho. With a new protagonist, new gameplay, and new setting, Yakuza: Like a Dragon will bring fans of the franchise and new players alike a set of new experiences to bring the Yakuza series to the next generation.