Summary
This article contains SPOILERS for Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a DragonThe producer behind theLike a Dragonseries, Hiroyuki Sakamoto, explains why they decided to have Kazuma Kiryu return after the events ofYakuza 6: The Song of Life. Kiryu has always been the face of Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku’s long-running franchise, having maintained this role ever since the first game in 2005. However, this would change with the release ofYakuza 6, which was billed asthe final game in the Kazuma Kiryu Saga. It was seen as a bittersweet but understandable move, with the game giving a mostly graceful and heartfelt ending before passing on the torch to his successor, Kasuga Ichiban.
That said, despite Ichiban’s newfound role as protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu still managed to make an appearance in Ichiban’s debut game,Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Fans were okay with him showing up as a piece of fanservice and boss fight sinceKiryu didn’t overshadow Ichiban in the seventh game. What fans were a bit more split on was bringing back Kiryu twice, with him getting his own spin-off title along with being the secondary protagonist of the eighth game. Despite his return seeming almost too gratuitous in the eyes of some fans, the series' producer explains that the developers had always planned on bringing him back afterYakuza 6.
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In an IGN interview, Hiroyuki Sakamoto claims that Kiryu’s return has been in the works for a long time. He states that this plan goes back to even when they were developingYakuza 6, where they wanted to makeKiryu and Ichiban the protagonists ofLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This led to the hero becoming a supporting character in the seventh game, which then also gave way to theGaidenspin-off in order to introduce new players to Kiryu.
Like a Dragon Gaidenin particular was made as a bridging point betweenYakuza 6,Yakuza: Like a Dragon, andInfinite Wealth. It follows Kiryu after he faked his death at the end of the sixth game, where it delves into what he has been up to in the background of these titles. It also helps tie him into the story seen inInfinite Wealth, where he meets Ichiban who has somehow washed ashore to Hawaii.
The conclusion ofYakuza 6was seen as a heartfelt and bittersweet end toKiryu’s character arc, where his fake death was in order to protect his children back at the Morning Glory orphanage. With Kiryu getting more focus in theGaideninterquel, it will be interesting to see how his characterization is affected in both this upcoming spin-off andInfinite Wealth.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Namewill launch July 22, 2025, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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