I love ichiban so much, its so nice seeing an adult main character so animated and happy and unabashedly himself

1 hour of yakuza like a dragon from you is insane, so pumped for this

It’s so funny how in 2020, we got a Final Fantasy game that played like Yakuza, and a Yakuza game that played like Final Fantasy.

I do really appreciate Kasuga as a protagonist, so many modern Male Heroes are incredibly bland action heroes, but Kasuga is someone who is just unapologetically positive and it really does help make him someone I want to see succeed and he's just so easy to root for.

Very excited to see such a massive video on The Best Game

I appreciate that you took a moment to comment on Ichiban's age and the way it plays into his story. Being a gamer who is in Ichiban's age range, that part early on when he and Nanba resolve to turn their lives around and make a fresh start hit me pretty deeply.

You make a comment early on about the non-interactable buildings, and I found myself going "But that's just just like real life!" I walk past dozens of restaurants, shops, and businesses daily that I've never even considered going into. They may as well not even have doors, yet there's something about having that option to enter in reality that makes virtual environments feel so constrained. Seeing Japan portrayed in fiction so frequently made it feel like this far-off place that I'd never really see or wouldn't be how I'd imagined it, but having come to Japan it's been magical how spot-on games like Persona 5 and Yakuza are. I can't help but wonder if people who live in these places have that same experience of realized fiction or if it's a completely different experience for them.

Okay disclaimer I love Kiryu as a main character. But I love Ichiban so much more due to just how expressive and funny he is on his own rather than just the situations he gets into. Like Kiryu is goofy in the side stories but Ichiban is goofy in the main story and it still works

Ichiban's "hair cut" looks like something from Akira Toriyama (DBZ) who does the character designs for Dragon Quest. It's spiked look can also be attributed to spikey hair of shonen protagonists in-general. Obvious Cloud relation. The final boss in the original Dragon Quest is a blue dragon. Final boss in this game (the one that actually puts up a fight) has a blue dragon tattoo. Nanba learned how to run from Cid Highwind. The reason why you have to go back to Hello Work each-time to change jobs is from DQ3 and other titles in which you would have to travel to the abbey to change "vocations" Honk. Honks = Puff Puffs. An enemy screwing up a hammer attack where they fall over backwards is straight out of any Dragon Quest game with Hammerhoods. Ichiban's resurrection hero skill that has a 50% chance of working is basically Zing. Enemies in safes are Mimic's. Enemies have puns for names. Red eyes on enemies is directly from DQIX. Ichibans first hero weapon is a wooden bat. Like wooden swords as a starter weapon from.... I forgot what series.

Eurothug4000's filmography: Oops all Bangers

i love whenever a new eurothug vid hits cuz then i can immediately add it to my watch later, saving it for later knowing this is an event unlike any other. a proper dinner or drink is needed for optimal viewing!!!

I completed it 3 months ago and I've been thinking about it since then on a daily basis. I can't help it. Didn't play anything else since then neither, knowing for sure none other game on the market will blown my mind and deeply mark me out like it did. It was my very first Yakuza btw. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to pay adoration to it. It's really a remarkable game, in my top 5 (and I play for 35 years now).

This game dealing with people hitting rock bottom like it does is very motivational given the last year the entire planet went through.

36:41 I will always love that line, "You can't force people to be like you". Yakuza Game Franchise will always be a Action, Drama, and Comedy genre for me.

What an absolutely beautiful tribute to Yakuza: Like A Dragon. I love how you not only celebrate its brilliance and the joy that the game gives, but also appropriately hold it to task on its shortcomings. Still, one of the best games of 2020 and this is easily one of the finest videos on it. Excellent job, Maria. 10/10.

After this video about Yakuza I might start thinking about some of my favourite video game series from the perspective of mythological creatures too

Great Video as always!! That part about never being too old to make a new start hits really close to home and is exactly what I needed to hear

i think one of the things that hindered Eri's implementation into the main story proper is that her name and likeness are a fictionalized version of the actress portraying her. The real Eri Kamataki was a contest winner who, along with the other romance options aside from Saeko, all won a contest to be featured in the game. That makes it harder to establish a bigger character when the actor playing them is in all likelihood not going to appear in future entries. Does that mean her lack of presence isn't felt? Of course not, she's been a mainstay in my party and it frustrates me that we don't see more of her in cutscenes, but I get why they couldn't do more with her.

You concluded exactly how I felt finishing this for the first time. I wasn't sad because of the plot end of the game, I was sad because through the entire story I was gripped and held into it, through the drama and intrigue and chaos, and then it told me that it was all over. I have high hopes for Yakuza 8 and the continued story of Ichiban and I can only wish that the story will continue to have that effect on me.

To be fair the meaning of money is nailed both in Y0 and Y7. Y0 takes place in the bubble Economy with ridiculous amounts of money. Probably even has a lot to do with Inflation. The other Yakuza game that captured poverty like Y7 was Y5 when you played as Shinada a washed out Ex Baseball player who had many debts but was able to get by with his Nightlife journalism.

Your End + Outro section really hit it's mark with me, because I felt the same way but didn't know how to articulate it as well as you did. Really great and earnest video

It’s honestly slow after chapter 8 but when chapter 12 hits, it literally *h i ts*

HOLY SHIT SOMEONE MADE A YAKUZA 7 VIDEO LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I’m really glad the games getting so much love this is a really great vid!!!

You can just feel her passion for the game

I'm so glad to be playing through the Yakuza series, but at the same time it's upsetting because I won't be able to watch this, let's be honest, probably amazing video until I'm done with them. I swear I'll come back when I'm done, Euro. 5/2/24 I'm back~ Took **looks at watch** almost three years, but I did it. And yes, you were right. The game _is_ peak.

as someone who loves to turn off the HUD in games to look around- the little "L1" button always being on screen breaks my heart

I can’t remember the last time I felt this much love for a protagonist in a game I haven’t played. Ichiban is too precious for this world!!

i never really played a yakuza game before, this was my first one aswell. the credits are rolling on the second monitor and im absolutely baffled and speechless. this game was beyond amazing, i loved every bit of it. now im going to play the other games and just handle it all like im watching a prequel to a movie :D i totally understand what you mean with this video.

Just wow, this was a great video and a great breakdown on Like a Dragona and Yakuza as a whole, Saturday evening well spent :) I look forward to your next video.

Such high quality, you deserve atleast 10x your current subs

eurothug4000 : The movie

I've been looking for a good video on this since I beat it. Thank you so much for giving such a good reflection piece. It def helped highlight the themes this story tells and strengthen my love for this game even more.

This video came up in my YT feed just after I had played through my first PS5 playthrough (my PS4 save files didn’t transfer over). Ichiban’s story really sticks with me now since I just went through a life shakeup in my later 30s including a move and relying on friends to restart my life. Glad to see such a dedicated analysis of this great game.

Now that's too quality content ❣️

Having just turned 30 yesterday, thank you

This was an outstanding documentary of one of the best games I have played in recent memory. I love this game! You hit everything, and more, of why this game resonated so much. This was my first Yakuza game, and I was very intrigued by the turn-based RPG. I too left Japan awhile back, and started initially playing this to just reminisce, but was hooked with a deep story and much deeper characters populating this story. I love the details that you pointed out that many folks who never been in Japan may have miss (such as the perfect recreation of a konbini). Just great excellent work here! Thank you (as Kasuga-san would say if you heal him in battle)!

This is the video that got me into the series, Thank you ❤

Your videos are always amazing keep up the good work

Just got to finish a game and have so many feelings for few days now. Like want some closure, and this video certainly did. It's such an experience to be able to play this game. You totally have an exact feeling as mine and I'm glad to know that!

The portion of your video where you talk about the environments really speaks to me, as a good friend of mine has always said that you get to be a virtual tourist of these games. I too have to admit that I've gone in first person mode and checked out the products in the convenience stores! Such a fun way to experience the game!

Eri is my wife and I wish that they included her in more of the cutscenes T^T

absolutely incredible video for sure the best hour of my day thank ya maria keep on being your wonderful self

Not enough KZfaq videos like this (about Like A Dragon) Thanks for making this appreciate appreciate

28:52. Hot damn, it hasn't even been 10 seconds. I love the wildly exaggerated homage to pulling the Master Sword from the pedestal and how perfectly references to other games fit into the game to excentuate Ichiban's love for games, while working so perfectly as a cheeky wink to those in the audience who play the same sorts of games as Ichiban.

Very good synopsis of the ways i felt about yakuza 7 myself. Great video!

Many of the empty buildings in Kamurocho were used for a lot of side content and sub stories in Judgment, and having them there with no explicit purpose makes Kamurocho feel like those stories are going on without Ichiban's involvement, making the city feel more real. I know that the real reason is probably just asset re use, but having Kamurocho be mostly relegated to the beginning and end of the game makes it feel like there were things going on while the player wasnt around

the real mvp here is Jiro Kasuga, he raise ichiban as his own son

Ichi has the brightest soul

When I finished I thought about just going back and playing the whole series again from the beginning. Had to force myself not to, got s**t to do! xD

I can't stop thinking about Yakuza 7, even after several months since I finished the game. I know why. Because I was 41, almost 42 when I played it, and it's a game about men and women in their 40s and 50s who have lost everything, but found hope and meaning in their brand new friendship. I didn't lose everything, but I quit a long-time job and used the little money I had saved to start my own small business: a candy store, not that different to Eri Kamataki's store, Ichiban Confections, which our Hero helps save from bankruptcy. It was scary, quitting a job like that. But also exciting. Almost a year later, I can say for certain it was the right decision for me to make. The downside is I'm eating more candy than I should! It felt weird to quit a job when I was about to turn 41, to force myself to start over. But when I played this game a few months after I started the confectionery, I understood that your age doesn't determine how you should act, where you should be in life. It taught me to not be ashamed of my previous failure (if you can consider being unable to stand capitalism's working conditions any more a failure) but proud.

This video was so good, your analysis is spot on!! As i was playing this i imagined how would a newcomer take this game, it's such a distinct story from the others, it's great to see a thought out essay from someone whose first major exposure was through 7. I love the story in this game, ichiban is so emotional and genuine and he drives the tone somewhere completely different than kiryu usually would. They're both good characters, but ichiban is instantly more relatable and outspoken about his values, while kiryu's most personable moments have been in optional substories, and in the main games has a huge lone wolf complex. Also I loved your observation about his friends boosting him up into ryo's bus so much. fun fact about eri kamataki is that she's played by... eri kamataki. She's a real person that won an audition to be in the game, which i guess is why she has such a limited place in the game and is omitted from the main story? But it would be great to have a 2nd female party member that was actually involved in the plot (seong hui would be amazing) The series was always amiss with major female characters imo (sayama in y2 starts strong but her arc gradually drifts down), and while i don't think the series will ever stop being about masculinity, the tone of this game makes me think the ichiban saga has potential wrt the female cast. being able to fight as a woman that had main stakes in the plot for the first time was great, and i hope we get to play other kinds of female MCs (again sega. let me be badass mob boss lady)

goddamn, brb in an hour whewww I’m fuckin pumped

I adore this game and love your analysis. Literally teared up when the outro music played again (and on seeing some scenes again), which goes to show how much you get invested in these characters and the world as you play. As a side note: I will say, even though i hadn’t played previous Yakuza games, they really hyped up returning characters to the point where I just knew they had to have been in old games.

I love that game so much. Characters are perfect. And the end destroyed me. I have a stone heart, but the end is moving, I cried all the night after finishing the game.

I just finished the game. Beautiful from start to finish. Love how you’re alone and boom you have life long friends. Ichiban is a hell of a character 🙏🏼

I've finished Like a Dragon after playing the previous entries and I loved hearing your thoughts about Like a Dragon! Ichiban definitely stands tall as his own character and they nailed making a new protagonist that feels fresh and is also very endearing. Beginning to play this series almost 2 years ago was definitely the best decision

1 hour eurothug video ? Now today is a good day.

If Yakuza Like a Dragon is your favorite game this year. This in-depth video about Yakuza Like a Dragon is by far my favorite Yakuza video that came out this year as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and enthusiasm regarding the game. Hoping to see more of these kind of videos for other Yakuza titles in the future!

The point about the districts not existing for Ichiban's (or Kiryu's) story is brilliant. That's exactly it - they feel like their own real, *independent* places in which these stories just happen to take place. This is crucial, and it really nails down an essential aspect of the je ne sais quoi that these games have. Surely the fact that they are hyper-realistic yet fully mundane settings is a huge component of this. These are not bespoke playgrounds like Hyrule or puzzles like Shadow Moses, they're just there, you're there, and things happen.

I used to live in Japan for 3 beautiful years. I do understand what you say about it, it is immersive and it is like going back to those real places. To me, Yakuza 5 is my favourite game in the series, and one of the reasons is I was living in Nagoya, 5 minutes walk from the stadium, where part of the game takes place. Sega put so much details in those games...it is and always will be my favourite series and my personal treasure. I'm glad you feel the same way.

You can just feel the love and dedication that placed on this game. It's been a while since, at least myself, had played a game with such a positive vibe and wholesome as Kasuga is, and yet being such a complex individual. I hope we can get some more of Kasuga and the gang in the future

Yakuza LAD is a game that's left me conflicted after finishing it. While i do love the new combat, mainly because it leaves a lot of room for the devs create new things, makes the franchise go in a new and fresh direction and i love turn-based rpgs/jrpgs, it made me lose a lot of the hype of the fights and that feeling of wanting to fight others, especially the bosses, for me personally the final boss sequence was somewhat anticlimactic and left me wanting something more raw, something that would really make me want to punch the boss's face. Maybe the changes to the combat made me lose that feeling of emotion with every punch, maybe that emotional connection was not as strong as in the other games of the series, i dont't know. Regardless, i liked the combat a lot and there were some moments where that emotion and anger against the antagonists did appear. The story also suffers from tropes that are regular in the series, it never bothered me that much, except one in this game about a certain coin locker and a huge coincidence, it left me disappointed and, for a while, made me not enjoy the game as much. But every other aspect of this game is amazing, the substories, the minigames, the main cast, the music, the city, the job system and the older characters appearing was also amazing, with some scenes giving me chills. I also loved ichiban, to make the series go in a new direction and "restart" it needed someone different to Kiryu, this contrast is an aspect that i liked a lot. I'm sorry if what i said is confusing and contradictory in some parts, as i said i'm still conflicted with my thoughts about the game and i felt the need to comment to vent out some of those thoughts. I had a lot of fun with this game, it's my GOTY for 2020 and i cannot wait to see where the devs and my boy Nagoshi will take the series. Also, I loved the video and your content is amazing. PS: sorry for any misspelling or any other error, english isn't my first language.

This was a great first impression of your video style, love this game and the messages it convey.

The moment for me that made this one of my favorite games was calling an orbital strike on a mugger

Honestly never imagined buying these games but looking at this has really opened my eyes

That was beautiful. I'm honestly in a bad space right now, but hearing this hour long review of a game I haven't played yet was so soothing. I know bad times won't last and there's a world of possibilities, but this truly affirmed that. Thanks for this, eurothug.

And we didn’t get to eat the Peking duck that Zhao promised

It took a while to get going, but I loved this game. A great continuation of the series and a great reinvention of the series

great video, i come back to this one every few months. warranted a rewatch cause of infinite wealth. so, so sick

Thanks for making me love this game even more.

Thanks for making me tear up haha! Absolutely fantastic video and tribute. Honestly couldn’t agree with you more about all you shared! I goddamn love this game and best boy Ichiban so much!

Wow, this is so much work and really a way of really showing your feelings towards a game, kind of unique if you tell me, people often just tell why they liked the game not how the game made them like it

This is still the best thing I had felt in a while, and I'm glad so many people share this feeling as a viewer more than simply a follower.

Another banger of a video, keep up the amazing work your channel's gonna hit it big someday

Very nice. So glad to see the series really getting the respect it _deserves._ And from it's makers as well as it's marks.

Without a doubt one of the best games in recent years and of the series in general. I'm glad to see someone else out there thinks so as well! 😄🙌✨ Btw this is my first time catching your channel and i gotta say i love your content already! You have such a beautiful voice too, I could listen to you for even more hours 😊💖

Ichiban is just perfect man. I thought he was a good character but not Mani character vibe (maybe cause he was coming from Kiryu) but after the last chapter he completely became the main character and future of the games for me. His speech to Aoki at the end have me goosebumps

Yakuza changed my life. My love for games. I get emotional about this game lmao. Im glad to see im not the only one. I pray they continue to produce more and more in due time.

Thanks to this awesome video I go into shops and everything in first person 😂 I will look at everything on sale wishing I could but it all. Amazing video 👍🏻💜

Every video you make is better than the last, and you ALWAYS make my day much better 💓

Really liked this in-depth analysis and look into a game I just finished last weekend :D Keep up the good work!

Really well made video! You summed up my feelings and thoughts about this game very well and now I can find the words to express how much I love this game!!

I've never played a single yakuza game but I keep seeing my friends talk about the series with so much excitement, I loved watching this video and now I'll for sure be on the lookout for a yakuza game to buy. Great video as always eurothug!!! I also want to know what your other games of all times are other than yakuza now lol

I love how close it looks to real Japan, I lived there for almost 4 years and it’s was super beautiful. I love the over the top animations, this gave me the feeling I get from anime haha.

I've had this video in my watch later list for a long while, and after 100% completing the game, finally got to watching it. :) This was a captivating video and I agree with everything you mentioned. The atmosphere of the Yakuza games is what really kept me invested, being able to visit different restaurants, chill with friends and look at all the immense details most wouldn't think too much about. I hope that Eri receives a bigger presence and is included in the bond chats for the next entry. :D

One of my most favorite RPG's and games ever since i played and completed this game. I was a huge fan of the Yakuza series and played them all, but i had my doubts before and decided to give it a chance and it instantly became my favorite one.

I watched this video once before I played the game. Now nearly 2 years later, I can honestly say: "I get it!" It's honestly refreshing to go back to this after beating the game myself. And I couldn't agree more with your points.

I was sold on this game when I realized that Like a Dragon really meant Like a Dragon (Quest) and just ran with that concept. The other thing I greatly enjoy about the game is that your party members all have some trauma that happened to them, some self-inflicted. But the game never tries to rank who had it worse. It's all equally valid.

Glad I was recommended this video!! Definitely subscribing

Gotta say i wish i could say i found this channel myself! But even just being reccomended here by other people is great, since every VIdeo is so full of passion and joy!

the way u got into this series is exactly how i got into it as well. i bought this game at an impulse then realized theres so many references, backstory and callbacks to the previous games that i had to stop my playthrough at chapter 9 and truly experience it all chronologically. so i bought all the games on sale and started with like a dragon 0. i absolutely fell in love with everything i was experiencing and this is EASILY my favorite game series/franchise of all time. i just finished like a dragon 7 and i remembered that i didnt complete ur video cause i didnt want any spoilers so here i am again. love ur video so much!! i share the same love for this game!!

A great video about an incredible game in an incredible series, the yakuza series deserves it

Hariti's amulet was clutch to my enjoyment of the back half of Yakuza Like a Dragon. I enjoyed walking around the city unhassled much more than I did engaging with the RPG systems. It speaks volumes about how I feel about the combat system in the game but finally being in a brand new city after so long in and around Kamurocho felt so good. Edit: also this is something I thought about. How does Ichi not know about Kiryu at all? By the time Yakuza 1 was starting, Kiryu was already the Dragon of Dojima. Obviously the parts of his story after that would be a mystery to Ichi but I was under the impression that Kiryu was a pretty well-known fella.

Awesome video. I've never rooted for a character in a game as much as I have for Ichiban. The game is quite touching.

Can't watch the video because I want to play the game, but showed up to give a like anyway because an hour long video from you is HYPE

“Hot food at the counter” *zooms into Zhao I agree

Me yesterday: huh Eurothug hasn't posted in a minute hope she's doing okay Eurothug: Yakuza 7 is over no it's not okay

I was going to do house chores and decided to have this on the background but it was so good that I had to stop and watch it in it's entirety, so I'll blame you for not allowing me to finish what I needed to do. Also, I subbed, this is great stuff

Here's my obligatory comment to help with the algorithm before I dip to avoid spoilers. 🙂👍

The story is incredible and yeah this was my first yakuza as well. U have a beautiful voice as well btw