Yakuza

Platforms

About

Yakuza is an action-adventure beat 'em up developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios and released for PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game follows Kazuma, a former high-ranking member of the Japanese underworld who served time in prison after covering up a murder. Upon his release, he is pulled back into organized crime when ten billion yen disappears from the yakuza's treasury. The mystery deepens around a young girl whose connection to the theft may hold the key to unraveling the conspiracy, provided Kazuma can protect her long enough to find out. Blending hand-to-hand brawling with RPG progression and a crime drama narrative, the game places considerable emphasis on the hierarchies, codes, and violence that define yakuza culture in a contemporary urban Japanese setting.

Storyline

The game follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu (Darryl Kurylo/Takaya Kuroda), a yakuza whose life changes when his boss, Sohei Dojima, attempts to rape Kiryu's childhood friend, Yumi Sawamura (Eliza Dushku/Miyako Uesaka)). When Dojima is murdered by Kiryu's best friend and fellow yakuza, Akira Nishikiyama (Michael Rosenbaum/Kazuhiro Nakaya), Kiryu accepts blame for the murder, and is imprisoned for ten years. During his incarceration, Kiryu is expelled from his organization, the Tojo Clan, and Yumi goes missing. After his release, he learns that ten billion yen has been stolen from the Tojo Clan's private bank, and that the entire Japanese underworld is now searching for the lost wealth.