This video contains spoilers for many of the mainline games, with the games in question being listed before the associated character reveal. But if you want to be extra cautious, here are the titles that are discussed with the associated timestamps, sorted in release order: Yakuza 1/Kiwami and 2/Kiwami 2 - 1:07 - 5:22 Yakuza 2 and 3 - 9:00 - 11:06 Yakuza 3 - 5:22 - 6:57 Yakuza 4 - 6:57 - 9:00 , 15:12 - 17:32 Kurohyou - 12:52 - 15:12 , 20:38 - 23:54 Yakuza 5 - 11:06 - 12:52 , 17:32 - 20:38

Shinada would be very angry if he saw Ichiban hitting people with his golden baseball bat

The fact that Watase came back in 7 I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of these characters return one day.

Akiyama actually does have a folder in the character model files of Yakuza 7, there’s an unfinished model of him in the folder. I 100% believe that Nick Ogata was originally planned to be Akiyama.

As much as I love Shinada and believe he was the greatest thing to come out of RGG Studios since karaoke, I'm content with him not re-appearing, and being relegated to mere references. Even in Yakuza 5, his story was, by design, very self-contained and he achieved exactly what he wanted to by the time the credits rolled. Compared to someone like Tanimura who had a satisfying ending but could still be developed on more, Shinada is just a civilian who doesn't even live in Kamurocho, so it makes sense to keep him as a one-off yet beloved character.

Here’s hoping characters like Hayashi and Aizawa return in either Gaiden or LAD 8.

Hayashi waiting for kiryu to pick up the phone before fighting him ie one of my favorite moments in the series

It suck that both Shinataro Kazama VA have passed away. That probably explain why Kazama never return.

Never forgive RGG Studios for completely writing off Ryudo Family

Kaoru's profiles do get filled up on their own in Yakuza 3 Remastered. It's just that they are chapter dependent, meaning that at certain points of the story they will say stuff like "gaining weight because of her new american diet" but then in the next the line might disappear or get filled with something like "rejected advances from handsome american cop." Either way, Kaoru was done dirty by the writer in Yakuza 3. She and Kiryu both deserved a happy ending, or at least more of an exploration of their relationship and story. As for the rest of the list, I'd love to see Tanimura and Shinada back, or even Tatsuya being acknowledged in the main RGG Studio games in any way. People have said there should be Kurohyou Kiwamis and while I believe those would help raise awareness of those games, I also want the originals (as well as the PS2 games) to be released on modern platforms.

I really want Ukyo Tatsuya back into the Yakuza series considering the stuff he did in his series. Pretty sure Kiryu would like him honestly. But then again, he might be sick and tired of the amount of strong fighters with a dragon tattoo on their backs.

I'd take Takasugi over Aizawa any day. I'd even argue that if they decided to bring Shinada back, it would be a big shame to not include Takasugi alongside him, their dynamic was amazing

One character that is probably the most forgotten character, one that even you seemingly forgot is Junichi Sudo. A character who Im still to this day am unsure what the story behind was. He appears in four games, but only three appearances are relevant, one of which is just for one scene. Ive never really sensed anything special about this character, but similarly to Hayashi, he was used a few times in the first two games, but he did return in the future entries, but unlike Hayashi, Sudo's relevancy was always extemely minimal serving as Date's friend/rival figure, but their relationship was never properly explored and faded into obscurity very quickly. Kiryu didn't even have a face to face with Sudo in any of the games, despite him being seemingly important to the events going on, being an important investigator.

That Whole Dating Chapter with Kaoru Sayama in Kiwami 2 was soo cute and amazing they would ve been a great Couple in another Universe.

One thing that a lot of people misinterpret is that the controversy around Narimiya (Tanimura's original face model) happened in December 2016, some months after Yakuza 6's release, which meant that there was no excuse (leaving the whole actor hiring shtick aside) not to include his story in Yakuza 5 of 6, especially the latter.

I love Yakuza but I hate that every game feels like a reset. One of the reasons I appreciate Yakuza 2 is because it picks up and builds on 1. They drop so many characters for no reason and just introduce new ones. I think one reason I love Akiyama so much is because he was in 4 but also played a big part in 5 and 6. Wish they did that with more characters. Even if it's in substories or side activities.

Imagine Tatsuya in his absolute prime as an Amon like optional boss in RGG 8. I mean he was already a beast back when he was 19 ( 2012), one could only imagine how powerful he would be by the time of RGG 8 (2022/2023)

I also wonder what's up with Katsuya from Y5. If they had no intention of bringing him back, why not let him die from his near-fatal bullet wound? Nobody even mentions him later, even though he was pretty close with Watase. They also never specify who the Omi chairman is during the dissolution. Can't be the old guy since he betrayed everyone and was also dying. Hayashi-wise, I like to think Dead Souls did happen, the people of Kamurocho just collectively decided "we shall never mention the Zombie Incident again". Which would also mean Ryuji is alive and well, making takoyaki somewhere.

YOU ACTUALLY JINXED YUYA, KAZUKI AND AKIYAMA COMING BACK IN INFINITE WEALTH LOL

This made me imagine a timeline where Kido and Baba joined up with the Saejima Family...

A character I barely see any people talk about is Naoki Katsuya , he could’ve easily been brought back in 7 but wasn’t, the point about kido could easily be said about him as well but I haven’t seen any controversies with his actor or anything, and he was a pretty important character in 5 and in the omi which is why I question why wasn’t he brought back in 7 which was mostly about the omi?

Agreed on entire list, I'd also like to add Nakahara/Kiryu second kyodai to the list You should do a list on 'characters that should return from the dead' just for fun lol

I just want Shinada back hdhshjxjsjajmzmsms he's literally me fr fr

I believe Shinada is living happily in Nagoya despite his enclunter with his neighbour. Even then, at that point he still believed that they weren't capable of evil, which was correct and thanks to his kind nature survived the encounter. I just wish we got a mention of him doing well in Nagoya, out of poverty, etc.

It is implied in a scene in Judgment that Tanimura was "suicided" (=found hanged, officially seen as suicide but believed to be a murder). See Judgment ch.12 dialogue between Ayabe and Yagami, needless to say need to have seen the ending of Y4 to catch the reference ("Tojo clan go-between" = Y4 final boss; "snitch" = Tanimura). They don't name any names though so, I guess RGG could easily return him if they wanted to. Edit: Don't look for that scene if you haven't finished Judgment though 'cause...some heavy spoilers in there.

You forgot BABACHAN

Oh wow you STARTED with the one who I would put at the top of this list. Just a reminder about my long-running fanon: Yayoi Dojima and Kaoru Sayama have been traveling America in a van for the last several years solving mysteries in small towns. I'm talking to the streaming people about a series. And I'm of the personal opinion that Shinada's story is complete as is.

I was really waiting for Nakahara/Mikio, especially in Yakuza 5 lol if even just a passing reference. Something like Kiryu saying "I have Mikio helping watch the kids back at the Orphanage". I always liked those two, but hated how they completely disappear after 3. Even just mentioning them in 4 or 5 would've been good enough lol.

Tatsuya is an amazing character and DESERVES to come back. At least a third entry to finish the tale of the Mad Dragon. He HAS potential, he STILL needs a ending to hos story and we NEED the games officially ported here to the West. I'm serious, if not a third entry, if we could ger a KIWAMI remake of them, it would be awesome ^^ Kurohyou is my favorite RGG franchise and Tatsuya is my favorite protag. This dude and the the cast from both the games need to return (Principally Saki and Tenma. Tenma is a ride or die friend and Saki feels left out from Kuro 2, she deserves to comeback on a third entry Also, it's kinda funny when we think Tatsuya gave up on pro boxing because of "philosophy", but he explained further that it didn't felt he deserved it. That those people sponsoring him were just looking to make cash of him and treated him as a golden goose, if I remember correctly. If he would turn pro, he wanted to achieve with his own fists. In MY little headcanon, I think Kuki continues Dragon Head but now as organization that sponsor fighters and stuff, having Dragon Heat as another business on the side. Hell, I feel Kuki WOULD help Tatsuya become a pro boxer and let him achieve it the way he wants. I feel like Kuki and Tatsuya's trust on one another could lead to that. As a ending for Tatsuya, I could see him owning a gym and aiding and training other fighter, even helping them figure it out their own philosophies. Of course, still fighting on Dragon Heat once of twice to keep in shape and maintain contact with a place that is very important to him. Would seem fitting for him, in my eyes

I love Yayoi so much

Tatsuya having the most content made with him and not having a sequel after Kurohyou 2 is kinda sad.

I rly hope characters like Nioka or Ryusho come back to the series, I find it really intresting to see just how many families are in the Tojo and how many of them butt heads with each other based on their personalities

to update on kaoru, she is brought back in infinite wealth as a substory to kiryu's awakening, called by date to just meet up and chat while kiryu continues to cover up his name

Shinada my beloved. Favorite protagonist, not just from RGG but all gaming. There's something mildly interesting about Kido and Arai. As we know RGG loves to reuse assets, yet their movesets weren't reused even a single time since release of 4. I'd like to see Kido as a playable protagonist, I think he have potential. I'd like to point out 2 amazing characters that I think deserves a honorable mentions. Junji Sugiuchi, the 'TRUE' final boss of Tanimura, personally favorite and very fun fight in 4. Also a man who entered the franchise with a Gigachad energy; Masaru Watase, I sincerely hope he will become final boss of RGG Gaiden to get a fight as good as he deserves, since he was ridiculously weak in 5.

Tanimura didn't return in 5 or 0 though even the voice actor controversy didn't happen until 2016. So It might have been sega not wanting to pay for his VA since his appearance was based on him

Aizawa is probably the main one I want to return, imagine how cool it would be if, after the requisite Amon fight, you get a message challenging you to the *true* final battle, returning to the decrepit Tojo Clan HQ to reveal him shrouded by the moon, and he hops down for a final battle where he has gotten much stronger. Would be pretty dope.

KUROHYOU ON TOP FRFR 🗣💨💨

“Shindo, get back in your casket.” Is a funny arse line.

They brought back Sayama as a poundmate in LaD 8

In my personal opinion, I think Akiyama will return in Like A Dragon 8 or we could just get a spinoff game centered around him during the events of Lost Judgment. As for Tanimura and Shinada, They are likely to appear in a substory of Gaiden where they meet up & Reunite with each other[I mean Kiryu, Tanimura and Shinada will reconcile with each other]. Speaking of Sayama and Aizawa, Sayama is likely to appear in a side quest where she comes back to Japan, exploring the streets of Yokohama. She suddenly notices Kiryu passing through and she was like ''Is that KIRYU!?'' ''WHY IS HE HERE!? ''Whatever, I've gotta meet up with him. After all, It's been more than a decade since we've seen each other'' Then, Sayama and Kiryu finally meet each other. Same goes with Aizawa, too. Well, I think we'd more or less likely see him in a Sub Story of Gaiden, Where he suddenly comes to Yokohama for some business and then, Aizawa and Kiryu Interact with each other, With Aizawa talking about the incidents he's been through after the events of Yakuza 5. And then Aizawa asks Kiryu a Question. Aizawa: Kiryu, It's been 6 years we've fought each other! When we're gonna fight again? Kiryu: Uh.... Ummm..... Aizawa: Didn't you say that You'd fight me again? Kiryu: Yes, I did said that but I'm not fighting you unless I've got any good reason, Aizawa. Aizawa: Wait, WHAT!? You know what, Kiryu? I've been always ready for the fight I'd have to fight you and you're saying that you won't fight ME!? You're just holding back. C'mon, stop holding back and FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN! Kiryu: Heh, Are you sure about it, Aizawa? Aizawa: Yeah, I'm DAMN SURE ABOUT IT! In fact, I'm not crying like a baby if I lost! So, you ready? Kiryu: Okay, Fine by me, then. I'm ready anytime! IF YOU WANNA DIE, COME AT ME! They both end up roundhouse kicking each other in the face and FIGHT STARTS! Music name: The battle for the dream 2.0 Conclusion: This is what I Imagine, folks! Akiyama Returns in Like A Dragon 8 or just in a spinoff game featuring Him as a Protagonist. Tanimura, Shinada, Sayama and Aizawa. Four of them will be returning in some side quests of Gaiden, with Tanimura, Sayama and Shinada reuniting with Kiryu and Kiryu giving Aizawa the rematch he said he'd give him. That is all I've got to say, My dear folks! See you guys later! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!

I think a Shinada substory would be the best option, since although he's my favorite character in the series it's hard for RGG to write him into games with how much of a nobody he is in the context of the rest of the series.

Shintaro is just can‘t come back because his/Joji’s va was dead

Hayashi the type of mf to find out Joryu's secret identity just to try and beat his ass again then disappear for 10 more games

Kurohyou 3 PLEASE AAAAAAAAA

I feel like Shinada and Ichiban would first fight because of Ichiban's use of baseball bats, then get talking after the fight and become best buds.

Tatsuya character arc was basically like Musashi Miyamoto from Vagabond. In "Kurohyou: Ryu ga Gotoku Shinsho", Tatsuya Ukyo starts as a rebellious street punk. He gets involved in the world of the yakuza when he accidentally kills a member of the Tojo Clan in a fight. Tatsuya is then forced to participate in an underground fight club to pay off his debt and gradually gets dragged deeper into the yakuza's conflicts. Despite his rough exterior, Tatsuya is inherently good-hearted and fiercely loyal to his friends. His character arc in this game revolves around him struggling to navigate the dangerous yakuza world while trying to protect those he cares about. In the sequel, "Kurohyou 2: Ryu ga Gotoku Ashura-hen", Tatsuya is trying to lead a normal life and stay out of trouble. However, circumstances pull him back into the underworld. This time, he gets involved in a power struggle between various yakuza factions. Tatsuya's character arc in this game is about dealing with his past actions, accepting responsibility, and deciding what kind of person he wants to be in the future. Throughout both games, Tatsuya grows from a reckless street punk into a more responsible and mature individual who understands the consequences of his actions.

ALSO, thank you so much for shining that light on Hayashi. Having played through the whole series now, spin-offs included, he has become my favorite minor character by far because of his convictions, his tenacity, and his completely pure respect for Kiryu's strength. He's the kind of villain that may not be a good person at heart, but can at least recognize when someone is stronger than him and not hate them for it. Had I the choice to bring any minor character back, it would be either Hayashi, Hasabe from Yakuza 3, or Minami from Yakuza 4. Minami especially had such strong characterization and an absolute banger boss theme, to simply throw those away is an absolute shame. Plus, with Majima getting older and seemingly aware of that, having Minami take up the reigns in the Majima family and providing the series another boss with an actually good capoeira fighting style would be a complete win on all fronts.

I find it interesting with one of these he might actually of returned, though with a different name and everything though won't get into it too much though it is believed and heavily hinted at at that Kiryu handler is Aizawa after the events of Y5 that he got picked up and trained by the daidoji much like the two main villians of Gaiden were at the end of the game. Since the handler knows of Kiryu fake name he used as a taxi driver, which is also now Kiryu legal name

There is a mention of Tanimura in Yakuza 7 in the Police Handbook item possibly being his revelation item.

I'm still puzzled how the florist wasn't even mntioned in 6. Kiryu wanting to know where Haruka is, decides to go after Akiyama because he was with her 3 years prior instead of going after the city's biggest information broker with cameras everywhere. If they wanted to write him off, just have someone say he left or something.

Although i dont think shinada would have fit into the plot of yakuza 6, he still should have been there in the opening, and should have had a cameo appearance in the baseball side story so we could see how his rebooted baseball career worked out

Surprised no one is mentioning baba here. Dude was supposed swear an oath with saejima as brothers but doesn't show up again? Imo it would've been really cool to have him in that big omi alliance battle in 7

My one entry that I'd include as not so much a 'I wish they'd found a spot for her somewhere' but a 'I wish they'd included her very specifically in one spot' is Kaoru Sayama. Because as much as I love Akiyama, it did always feel weird to me that he was in Yakuza 5. When did he meet Haruka? What connection does he have to Osaka? I get why they brought him in - the story needed a detective and despite allegedly being a money lender he's a pure film noir detective character - so unless there was a pre-existing character who had clear ties to Haruka and Osaka, I guess he was the best choice. ;) I just can't but help feel like Kaoru would have made more sense as Haruka's offsider in that chapter. Plus, it would have meant we'd have gotten the hilarity of Kiryu's awkward reintroduction to his ex.

Really sad Shinada didn't come back in 6 as Baseball game cameo and be Diamond card like Yuki

7:00 uhm, you forgot that they made THE KIDO FILES smh... he was balls out with Saejima and now balls deep in Mikiko smh Anyway I miss Tonny Moore and Shinada too :(

they couldve easily brought back tanimura for yakuza 6, he couldve helped instead of date, its literally all about little asia, wouldnt he be FURIOUS about the saio triad taking over what he considered his own family? also justice for shinada, bsebllplyrs4lyfe

3:29 he was in dead souls

I personally don't think that Tatsuo should return, but I definetely love chemistry between Shinada and Takasugi. It was very touching and the scene when Takasugi found case with money in Shinada's apartment literally broke me into tears (despite I've NEVER ever cried about any scene in videogames)

I was hoping to see Hana in the video since when it comes to the main games she was only 4 and 5 it was just her voice and she is also in more spinoffs with her being her canon self in dead souls, having a ishin counterpart, and being in the first panther game

Great video Gokudoni! I really hope to see Ichiban meet Shinada, there’s so much character potential with 8 on the horizon. Maybe we'll see Sayama again one day 😫😫

RGG adding new characters and making you relate and care to them: 💪 RGG when when there's fan favorite old characters:

I love when they just ignore Kiryu’s literal oath brother but bring back the man who says roof funny in y8

Tatsuo shinada i loved that character.

i had an idea some time ago for a "yakuza stories" game, basically short little microcosms of yakuza games like the majima storyline in kiwami 2, or the ones from 4, 5, etc., but completely self-contained. would mainly exist to flesh out and give some insight to some lesser-explored characters and empty patches in the timeline.

Given the teaser for Infinite Wealth, maaaaaaaybe we'll see Joji again? We appear to maybe be in America...

I think Shinada can join to bodyguard business witch was another anonced by Daigo in Yakuza 7

i totally agree with your opinions on hayashi and aizawa i really want those guys back as they are some of my fave RGG characters

It sucks that kazama’s va is dead I feel like that’s why we haven’t seen kazama since

Tatsuya really needs to return. He'd be in his prime now and I'd love to see how he'd measure up to Kiryu and everyone else.

an akiyama spin-off is what i need

If i remember correctly Shinada became trainer for baseball team with Daigo help.

I wonder what happened to Katsuya after Y5. I like to think Katsuya ended up becoming the 8th chairman for the Omi Alliance. The dissolution as far as we know was planned by Daigo and Watase. Yet the unknown 8th chairman seemed to agree 100% with it. I know Katsuya himself said Watase should be the 8th chairman but he also took a bullet for Watase so in gratitude Katsuya could have become the 8th chairman. I guess it makes since the dissolution would have required close collaboration between the Tojo and Omi chairmen, Watase and Arakawa. The best man for that imo is Katsuya since they all worked together in Y5.

tatsuya and tanimura return to the rgg series in the new yakuza 14

Called it with akiyama

Goat video 💯

Shinada Tatsuo is the ONLY Reason Why Yakuza 5 is able to Rival Yakuza 0. Without him Yakuza 5 would just be another Yakuza Game. I absolutely Love his Story and Backstory and i think his Fighting Style inspired Majima s Baseball Bat Style in Zero.

It seems that going to the US is slang for being sent to the shadow realm in the Yakuza universe, lol Pd: Bring Kaoru back

Gonna be putting down thoughts for what I understood. 10: so she could return but mostly as a side character, maybe as Tojo Clan Advisor? How about some side quests throughout the games? 9: I'm excited from your ideas already, in 4 he could be a late boss for the multi gang side story, in 5 he has a voice acted side quest just to give examples. 8: good points all around, not sure if I can add anything other than how happy the idea makes me 7: to still be in the story onwards he could be a patriarch of the family since his aniki's in jail and his boss is dead so the reigns are his, and as told by Akiyama (paraphrasing) 'Someone needs to keep the beast that is Kamurocho under control' so to fulfill that need as a pseudo promise to Akiyama, Kanemura Enterprises could finally sort of tame Kamurocho. 6: why not have her go with Kiryu to Morning Glory? You've already stated her character growth, and don't forget the promotion was a bribe to silence the Officers & Detective's involved, and she finally got her answers for better or for worse so she has no reason (as far as I'm aware) to be in the force anymore since it was a sort of means to an end (or at least it turned out like that.) Slight tinge "has left for the United States to pursue her dream." Her dream was to find out about her past whaddya mean??? 5: fair enough, hope to see him as a leader eventually. I don't really have anything else. 4: again fair point, she absolutely should've been a part of Kurohyo 2 at least for the Dragon Heat's medical healer 3: this might be ambitious but why not a character downfall? Being angry at the Little Asia and who knows how many died or survived but got deported, he lost everything the minute the Saio Triad took over and maybe for better or for worse he could be the new killer cop and eventual boss fight in 6 &/or 7 2: slight conflict since when Takasugi relayed what Milky said with the pretext of wanting things back normal, he cried at the news and I don't think it was out of frustration. From there it'll devolve into opinionated arguments so I'll leave it here for provoking thoughts since other than that i agree he amd Ichiban would absolutely hit it off. 1: He should absolutely return, 100% agree. Though you also bring up good questions that I can't think of answers to yet. All in all, I agree. Fantastic list with excellent points and factors to back it up with only slight grievances, still nice job 👍🏼

can't wait for the substory in like a dragon 15 where ichiban takes aizawa to see kiryu in the retirement home

i think shinada could be an amazing pqrty member in yakuza 8 being one of the broke jobless main characters

For me the biggest issue with the series is that so much of the senior Tojo leadership gets wiped out each game (particularly in 2, and we see how few direct patriarchs are left sitting in Yakuza 3 as a result), and yet we have new senior Tojo guys like Shibata spring up in 4 and flashbacks show that he's been around since before Saejima even first went to prison. Or Arakawa in Yakuza 7 being a trusted advisor to Daigo, and flashbacks in that game showing he's been around since before Yakuza 1. It works up to Yakuza 3 where we see the effective drain in Tojo leadership to the point where we're dealing with a small handful of families with guys like Kanda inheriting the Nishikiyama family and backstory that he'd been in prison for the previous games, newcomers like Mine and small-fry like Hamazaki able to earn a seat at the table because of how depleted the clan is of top officers. But after that game we start conjuring families and Tojo veterans out of thin air, as if they'd always been there. I think they missed a trick with some of the remakes not threading more characters through or at least retconning their absence a little. 0 gave us fanservice with Ryuji, Daigo and Shinji but for Daigo specifically that became a huge boon for painting the mentor/father type relationship Kiryu had with him from a young age, something they made a big deal of in 6. It would benefit the series a lot (and they had the freedom to do so with the Kiwamis) if antagonists and allies didnt just spring up for a single game and then disappear.

If they don’t do any story stuff with Aizawa, I think he could work as a great secret boss in Gaiden

Shinadas story was resolved, yes. BUT WHY didn't he have at least a place in the Baseball substory in Y6? Like, come on. Even if it would've just been a phone call from Kiryu asking for advice with Shinada now being a successful baseball coach or something.

Goddamn i am Still blow away by the graphical difference between Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5.

My boy Tatsuya number one! Hell yeah! RGG got no plans for him or the series and they milked it for a manga and two live-action dramas, so I feel like they just have no idea what else to do with Kurohyou and its characters in terms of business decisions. Since fans are doing the translation, I figure they have no reason to spend money on it at the moment. They even said something along the lines of not needing to go to the past or looking to the past when it came to Kurohyou. Plus, it seems like it might've been a Nagoshi pet project too, so I figure they have no real reason to split the money with Syn Sophia over it especially with Nagoshi gone. Here's hoping, though. I'd even settle for him running a gym that we build stats at, but seeing him at all in the new games would be great, especially with how many characters from the main game he's interacted with, like Akiyama, Hana, and the Florist of Sai. My dream is Tatsuya, Tanimura, Shinada, and Sayama as party members in 8 though. Maybe Mine, because if Kashiwagi can survive a goddamn attack chopper, Mine can survive suplexing a man off a building.

I hate that RGG created such a great character in Shinada and then wrote him off completely. My favorite character in the whole of Yakuza 5 has to be Shinada.

So this is a great video but I think Nakahara and Mitsuo deserved spots with how much time Kiryu's been away from the orphanage since Yakuza 4, we can only assume they stepped up to take care of the kids in his absence, and yet we've gotten no mention of them after Y3 which is a huge shame.

Kido's the one that blows the mind the most on him not appearing again. They especially missed the window in 5 imo, the last game where Saejima was a major character and thus would have been pretty cool seeing his relationship grow with his own "final boss" from 4. Of course the actor thing is an obvious wrench so I totally get it. Still, its my own #1 on reflection. A lot of people gripe that of 4's final bosses, Kido feels a bit rushed. Its one of those rare cases where I think fleshing him out as a sort of sidekick or what have you to Saejima would actually add a lot retroactively to his fight, the same way that Nishiki's post Y1 appearances did for his character. Enough time has passed that we'll proooobably never see this but who knows... I mean look at the Y5 call-backs we just got in Gaiden!

Rgg Needs to localize the ishin sequel and rgg should Definitely do a remake of black panther the same way square Enix remade crisis core completely

*b e a u t i f u l e y e s*

RGG forgot Kiryu, like, who the hell is this Joryu guy in Like a Dragon Gaiden? It could have easily been Kiryu

I would have LOVED to see Kiryu and Tatsuya throw down with each other.

Sayama too? They wrote her out and she was a boss lady.

If this doesn't show that kurohyou 3 (and preferrably a kurohyou 1 and 2 remake) isn't a necessity idk what is

It's not even that these characters aren't in the newer games, it's that they just vanished from existence. No mentions of any of them, no substory to have them cameo, nothing. I know Like A Dragon games have a budget of a hoagie sandwich, but this is just disrespectful to the fans.

Forgotten by RGG Studio, but I hope we all don't forget them

What about the Florist

Number 1 is so true, common gokudoni W, also one i want to see come back is minami

Part of me wishes we’d see Kido again, to know that he at least is doing well. Maybe he jumped into the Saejima family after Yakuza 4 🤷‍♂️ sadly we’ll never know

Personally, I've never had too much of a problem with the way that Yakuza builds characters up and leaves them with a complete arc in one game, specifically because they have proven several times that they are absolutely terrible at writing consistent characters game-to-game when their name isn't Kazuma Kiryu. He is the only one who feels like his incarnation could become and act the way he does in the next game (arguably until 7, but even then obviously the brunt of the writing was directed toward fleshing out Ichiban, so that makes sense). Akiyama in Yakuza 5 feels almost nothing like he did in 4 because he only exists to spout the themes of the game and act silly, when in 4 I feel like he was capable of being one of the more grounded characters, or at least a no-nonsense one when the situation called for it. Saejima too feels completely different in 5, but in that case I have to assume that hard drugs contributed to the massacre of his character and relationship with Majima, and then both of them are nothing at all in 7. The best example of this is in Lost Judgment. Higashi, the whole Genda Law Firm, and even Sugiura to an extent all feel like their characters took a firm halt and stopped developing as soon as the first game ended. They're either acting the same way and contributing nothing unless it's convenient to the story, acting stupider for no reason at all, or just straight up in one or two scenes only. How many people even remember Mafuyu's name by the end of Lost Judgment? Sugiura is an especially weird case to me, because I couldn't tell how he felt about going by a fake name and basically living a completely different life despite coming out to all of his closest friends by the end of Judgment. Maybe I missed the part where he said he doesn't want to go by his real name anymore in the absolute mess that was Judgment's climax and conclusion (remember the part where there were suddenly actual, real ghosts out of nowhere that were never brought up again?), but considering the story clearly only cares about Yagami, Kaito, and the brand new cast added to Lost Judgment, I wouldn't be surprised if Sugiura's backstory will never come up again. All of this said, I don't want them to try bringing back Tanimura, Shinada, Kido, or anybody else from the older games specifically because they probably won't resemble their original incarnation whatsoever. RGG has brought back so many side and main characters characters, some irrelevant, some literally dead, and for the most part, none of them felt like they should have been there because their priorities clearly lie with Kiryu and whoever the new cast is.