Yakuza 5 was my favorite via how they tied up Akiyamas story and how he became a legend of his own. As he kept comparing himself to Kiryu who was a legend himself. Being the first Loan Shark to stand above the Yakuza

The Saejima Hunting side activity is goated. It’s nice having a somewhat in-depth side story mode that’s not so reaction-based, and instead is a bit slower-paced and tests you in ways that wouldn’t be tested during regular combat. I also think that it does fit Saejima thematically… sort of. Your main Hunter buddy (forgot his name 🤷‍♂️) tells you about the importance of only killing animals for the sake of your own survival, in contrast to Saejima’s infamous 18-man massacre he pulled that landed him on death row. Now I know the rubber bullets twist is a giant meme and all, but in Y4 you can clearly see that Saejima is haunted by what he did that day. Admittedly I’m not able to make a more substantial connection or elaborate on it, but food for thought for anyone smarter than me. …also it’s a great way to grind for money, animal lives be damned 🤭

Based Yakuza 5 enjoyer. It also paved the way for Yakuza 0.

I love this game but I feel like they almost made Haruka too innocent. She's been through hell through the series and was characterized as having some attitude, specifically with how she slapped Mine

I don't see how anybody could say too many bad things about 5. Aizawa's buildup was not the best but I kinda liked his character already, what he stood for and the dynamic he presented with Kiryu was super badass and the final battle itself was one of the best executed in the entire series, only Ryuji Goda's final battle was as impactful to me. I also love how much it built Daigo's character and made him much more independent from Kiryu and the other Tojo legends, so much so that I want a game following Daigo faking his death or something and doing his Batman thing we saw here, it was so badass. There's so much more too, Akiyama growing into a legend, Haruka realizing that she was living Park's dream and not her own, Saejima beating the shit out of bears with his bare hands, and so on

One thing which I appreciate about this game is that it talks about what happened before. It didn't forget about what started it all. The way Date talks about how his Detective job started with Kiryu is amazing. And the small references of Y2. Ryuji and shit.

I liked funny horny broke guy Shinada. the only problem I had with this game was that his main plot and baseball side plot just wasn't as interesting as the rest of the game. The Yama Orochi side plot is one of the best in the series, up there with Cabaret management. KZfaq algorithm did a great job recommending this channel, hope you grow bigger bro

its nice to see someone who understands yakuza stories.

I've had my problems with Yakuza 5 but your video has enlightened a lot. Your take on its pacing and story really opened my eyes and made me see the game in a different light that I've never seen before. Tho this perspective still can't erase its imperfections but it made me appreciate and love things about Yakuza 5 that I never thought before. (I love the game enough already and you just strengthened that love even more lol) Another Yakuza Great Video as always!

I WOULD try to fight this, but I'm stuck in too many random encounters

Really great video, dude! Yakuza 5 is my favorite in the series as well. Even with all of it's imperfections, the game has so much heart in it it's impossible to not like it. Some of the plotlines and desicions didn't make much sense to me, but not every action has to make sense especially if it comes from the heart is what I thought. You did a great job of explaining some plot points! I loved Shinada and all the dream shit. This game is super personal to me. Damn, you described my feelings for the game perfectly at the end of the video

Just saying but when Famitsu gave Yakuza 5 a perfect score of 10/10 (a pretty rare award) that was fully justified

Yakuza 5 is my favorite in the franchise. The theme itself, dreams, touched me deeply. So many sentences, which were motivational. Not to mention, I played this game during the lockdown 2 years ago. The main characters and the side ones were amazingly written as RGG really took their time. (The studio always does, but in this game you feel it even more than others) The cities in their variety were so pleasant to discover, as well as their citizens. And the minigames... Man, that's crazy how many they were able to implement. Had so much fun ! They also went balls out with the OST, which could make anyone pumped up ! And the fight system was very polished compared to the older games. I haven't felt this sensation of "grandiose" in other games, to be honest. This game really felt like a spectacle, and the climax of the entire franchise. Like the summit of a mountain. (Kiryu giving his all for the sun of his life : Haruka and Morning Glory; Saejima risking it all to learn more about his bro; Haruka having her OWN adventure and struggling with it, like a life test; Akiyama working for the sake of a client and repaying his debt to Kiryu by taking care of Haruka ; Shinada having the chance of his life to become someone again) +The two biggest Yakuza clans, really clashing it out in Kamurocho. Yakuza 0 harbors more of a legendary status. As it is the tale of the two most powerful beings in this franchise. (Saejima is in prison) The economical context also adds more "golden age" feels to the game. Fantastic one. Yakuza 6 has more of an epilogue feel, given the nostalgic feels it embodied. I was sad from beginning to end. Yakuza 7 (LAD), is a new beginning. But it felt at times like Y5 too, with how over the top and ambitious it was. But I believe LAD 8, will be the Yakuza 5 of this new generation. Or perhaps Judgment 3 ? (Yagami, Kaito, and perhaps other playable characters)

"The story is not a clusterfuck, it's just messy at points." You really thought you did something there, didn't you?

Can't compare Aizawa with Ryuji. Eventhough you fought him twice, you knew he would be the final boss. So that hype is built up till the end. Whereas Aizawa was introduced as a side character, you fight him as a side character, then suddenly he's a final boss.

Yakuza 3 and 5 were the ones that got me into the series though I couldn’t play 5 because it was only in japan. Now that I just finished 4 remastered I can’t wait to dive into 5.

I loved aizawa as the final boss the second I understood what he stands for

Yakuza 5 should be buried under gold

Yakuza 5 was my first dive into the series, and I ended up playing the entire main Kiryu Series (6, then 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, 3, and 4)... While Zero is my favorite, 5 is a very close second.

My favorite yakuza game in the series. I remember playing saejimas part during christmas. Best timing ever!

Giga-Chad Shinada will always be one of my favorite protags in the seires.

when i started having less time for gaming cause of my job and my lifestile, this kind of games started to shine on me, the ones that are more focused on the little moments rather than the whole experience, this game let me play it whenever i could, whenever i wasn't tired, i could enjoy it at my pace and still understand it's story and it's characters, did all the side stories, all the hostesses, and i fucking enjoyed this game to it's fullest. Shinada is the best, period.

yakuza 5 was one of the best games I've ever played imo. I don't mind the game having way to many characters BUT at least they managed to make them very likable like Nakajima (Kiryu's employer) Himura and Oshima (Saejima's cellmates), Horie, Christina and Yamaura (Dyna chair) and Takasugi (Loanshark that shinada owes) Yes the story is confusing as fuck but holy shit the gameplay BLEW me away, I played the entire yakuza games in chronological order so my first game was Yakuza 0. And i always thought Yakuza 0 was one of the best games *overall* because it was overrated, but ever since I played Yakuza 5 I completely changed my mind. Yakuza 0 has the best stories but Yakuza 5 is still one of the best games I've ever played (and the best gameplay). And you sir just earned a sub!

The issue with Baba being Shinada's enemy is not it being Baba, its it occuring at all, Baba already gave up on killing Haruka which Shinada even acknowledges, the ass pull comes with Shinada initiating the fight regardless, its just feels quite forced

FOR THE YUUUUUMEEEEEES!!!!!!!

Yakuza 5 is my favorite in the series I just love everything about this game and it’s endless fun stuff to do

i love shinada, i really hope he returns in future games, he would fit nicely in a sequel of like a dragon

After 63 hours of playtime, I beat the game, uninstalled it (blame my disk space) and went to YT to rewatch that awesome final boss... Then I was confused as to why people didn't like the game. At the start I thought it was "ok" but as I played more and more I started to realize that I came across a special title, one that could offer me hours of fun in mini-games, have me interested in the story and uncover my-most-tryhard-self. Absolutely loved every second of it...well, maybe I'm lying a bit there since Haruka's story got a bit boring UNTIL Park's "suicide", THEN the game catched my interest again so I kept playing, and before I could notice I was already at Shinada's part, which I adored. PEAKuza 5 is one of the best things that happened to me this year.

On my list, Yakuza 0 is the peak of this series with Yakuza 5 being the second. Im impressed just by the length of the story mode in both game, by the time that i finish each of them i felt like i just watched a 50 episodes Netflix series or something lol. The thing about the Yakuza games is that they know how to write a good main story (and side mission) from the start,the twist and build up to the finale, every game is a beautiful journey in their own way,once you are hooked,you won't be able to stop playing it. The devs at Sega surely outdone themselves with this series, definitely one of the best video game series we ever had. Hope we will have more games like the Kiryu saga.

I acttually sad how much you studies storytelling and make this videos just to have a little feedback tbh you're my favorite Yakuza youtuber that i found, continue your work i love it so much. Ps: it took 44 hours in Yakuza 5 for the main story and i almost dropped if not of Haruka and shinada (the baseball guy).

one of my favourite games from the series, wish i could expierience it for the first time again. new game + is still very fun tho

Every other Yakuza you cant drive and streetrace In yakuza 5 you can Yakuza 5 wins

I feel like Yakuza 5 is a game you have to play again after you've finished through all the games to really appreciate. I didn't like the game after my first playthrough, but finishing up the whole series, giving it some time, and going back to replay 5, it's becoming one of my favorites in the series to be honest. I feel like I played through it initially to just get through the story and move on to the next game, and the pacing of the game is just awful if you do that instead of taking your time with the game and taking in everything it has to offer, which I did on my second playthrough.

5 is my fav too and Akiyama was always my 2nd main guy after Kiryu

yakuza 0 and yakuza 5 are the best

I wouldn't say Yakuza 5 is my favourite, but to me it is a turning point where I feel the series went from good to great. I started at Y0 like a lot of people, and that is still my favourite game in the series. Then I played the kiwami's, which felt a bit mixed to me, largely because it is a weird combination of old and new that doesnt always work that well. Then i went through 3 and 4. 3 had some pretty annoying issues, but I love Okinawa and Mine, so once again, felt two ways about it. I ended up disliking the last acts of 4 so much it is now my least favourite game in the series. But 5 finally made me feel like I did playing 0 again, and that has only continued into Y6, 7 and gaiden. Love all those games.

Man I remember getting into Yakuza 5 with a lot of prejudice for Park-san. Not only did I like her, she became one of my favourite characters. I really like how complex and layered her character is. I like how direct she is and how hard she works to achieve her goals. I admit I thought she was evil at first because of the whole scene with Kiryu, but when you play as Haruka/Akiyama you really start to understand her motives, as you explained in your video. You can tell she loves Haruka as the daughter she never had and that she misses Majima, signaling how she gave up in a lot of things, like a happy family, to achieve her dreams, and how much she regrets it sometimes. It's all so twisted and gray but that's what makes me like her more.

Yakuza 5 is definitely the best game out of all for me since I absolutely love long games. I completed it the span of 2 months, where I was struggling with life and was kind of having similar issues as the characters of the game pertaining to the topic that surrounds it. I loved every minute of it and never got bored. I still remember finishing the game and 03:46 in the morning, after which I got up from my PC, put a jacket on and literally went outside to find a place to sit in silence and reflect. Masterpiece of a game.

*this is the only one in the series i haven't played.....i think its a good time to finally give it a go.*

Were not wrong the story is objectively written horribly.

I’m struggling with Yakuza 5 because I’m so used to Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1, 2, and Yakuza 3 gameplay style that 5’s slowing my progress through the game.

I just finished this game and really enjoyed your video! I liked the game overall. Haruka's section was actually by far my favorite. I do disagree with one thing though - the "lets fight each other for the culprit to show up" I don't get why they couldn't just fake fighting each other. I don't think the culprit would be able to tell from a distance that they weren't fighting for real. Or at least bring guns in their pockets when he shows up. Katsuya has shown no aversion to using guns. It's weird that he didn't have a plan once that culprit did show up. I mean, later Katsuya even admits he suspected his boss. So they could have joined together and confronted him, instead of "waiting for him to show up". This part of the game felt forced/poorly written to me. I enjoyed the rest though. Good game overall!

I got 5 and I can't wait to get into the side stuff

I'm going down the list starting from 0 amd I'm on 5 now. Sadly, I want to rush through it cause i got burned out on the many characters thing in 4 and just want to play as kiryu and his story, but i what little i have played, I'm getting really invested in the story. I won't skip it, cause i know I'll love it like i have all the others, but I'm happy this is the last game that has multiple protags.

I don't know what's bad about this game. It's just awesome.

I always wondered where the Saint Aizawa moniker came from.

I respect the fuck out of you for this take. Yakuza 5 is like The Godfather 2 of this series. If I could have any Kiwami 2 DE remake of 5, my head and PS5 would explode. But I totally get that same sentimental feeling. This game as it stands is amazing.

The only tick against the golden rule is Saejima because he rolls but he has quite a few options that work really well that this was never really a problem, who needs dodge when can POWER THROUGH. P.S. "YeeAAAAHh"

I love this game so far. It's dope. You heard.

A true classic

My only gripe with Aizawa is that it's kind of unsuspected that he's the final boss. Yes, it makes sense that he's the kid who has spirit and willing to take on the challenge. He's the protagonist in his own story and that's commendable for a Yakuza character. And no, unsuspecting turn of events isn't always bad. It's just that Aizawa doesn't have much screen time at all. The less time I spend with a character, the less I feel connected with. Aizawa is practically stranger-made-acquaintance for Kiryu, they don't know one another, at least not as deeply as other characters go. So the final encounter doesn't hit as hard emotionally. But I guess it plays into Kiryu's declining mental state as a grumpy old man, fighting is what he knows best, and the climax of his life in Yakuza 5 is nothing but a duel to prove one's strength. It's kinda sad when thinking it that way.

reason why aizawa was stronger wasnt because he was holding back before but because kiryu himself was insanely weak at his final fight, after already being shot in the gut it makes sense that aizawa's strength and power would be alot higher due to the physical pain and disadvantage kiryu was at during that final fight, and he still won

YUMEEEEEEEEEE

Anybody else thought that Saejima could be portrayed by Dave Batista in a live action movie? 🤔

Yakuza 5 has the best side activities in my opinion. Shinada’s baseball is amazing but I think everybody knows that. Kiryu’s taxi driving is close to having the depth of an entirely separate game. Saejima’s hunting could straight up be sold as a separate game for maybe $5-$10. And while I don’t enjoy Haruka’s gameplay that much, I admire their dedication and the amount of depth they put into a character most people are just going to try and rush through the story of. The combat is, in my opinion, the best of the pre-Dragon Engine games (Lost Judgment and Gaiden currently are closely tied for the title for the best beat-em-up gameplay in the franchise). I absolutely love their approach to the difficulty of the game: you’re extremely powerful, but so are your enemies. Bosses feel like they’re threats, but you can tear them apart if you’re good at the game. The story’s got some issues, but I really love its commitment to scale and how they managed to tie all of the stories together. Kurosawa has some pretty good build-up as a villain and his plans actually make sense (looking at you, rubber bullets). If they make another prequel, perhaps set during Kiryu’s years as the Dragon of Dojima, I think Kurosawa should get an appearance and be expanded upon.

I loved all the games from Yakuza 0-Lost Judgment. played all of em, but for some people Yakuza 0 was the best, in my personal opinion, Yakuza 5 is the best no.1 (EQUAL to 0, Not better but Equal if that make sense) and the rest are all no.2 Thanks SEGA

Completely agree with most of the statements, absolutely best game of the series. You also should have mentiones the reason why Kiryu fights Aizawa, it's because Aizawa shared the same fate as Haruka. Kurosawa lived his dream to become top yakuza through Aizawa, because he couldn't make it himself. Same with Park and Haruka, this wasn't Haruka's wish to become idol, she was conviced to become by Park. Kiryu realises it when he deals final punch to Aizawa

I love all the games in the Kiryu series, but I’d place Y0 and Y5 equally at the top. I don’t think any game had the amount of content Y5 did when it came out and few do now still. Lost Judgement has those long side quests with the school and such, but a majority of them feel like chores. Y5 didn’t make me feel like that anytime. I completed each mini game and loved every second of it, even Haruka’s rather controversial one.

I agree with this 100%

I completely agree.

It was an alright game, though it is a stretch to say it was the best lmao. Well to each their own

I didn't even know people disliked Yakuza 5. It's my 3rd fav (after 0 and Infinite Wealth). Why do people dislike it?

Still my favourite yakuza serie...don't change my mind (also saejima story is sick)

A lot of your points were streeeeched, but this video has at least made me consider replaying it and giving it another chance one day

Keep those truth bombs coming, king

Even if Yakuza 5 isn’t perfect it stills tries its damn best. Putting in all it’s love and passion into it. That’s what makes a Yakuza game. 5 is definitely my favorite along with 0.

Counterpoint- what the (mad) dog doin? We just never see him enough :'(

the only thing that I did not like about that game is that there is no autosave

"fucking appreciate that this game doesn't give you a genrick follow your dreams" *proceeds to do a genric speech about dreams*

There's so much filler though. I like this game overall, but I was bored out of my mind for a pretty good chunk of the story, especially the Saejima part

Yakuza 5 is awesome side content wise but some things ruined exploring for me like for example how enemies in the streets dont despawn after a fight making you constantly fight people while trying to cross the street, I really hated that in saejima and shinadas parts The story is pretty solid in each part, the finale is where it's just bad except for the akiyama related stuff, kanai is prob the best final boss Context wise The amon fights tho are the worst in the series

The only thing i hate in the game are the pachinko and slots, imo they are so freaking boring. Well maybe some of haruka segment since i don’t like rhytm game that much. Other than that the game is fantastic for me

I personally really liked yakuza 5, tbh the only yakuza I didn’t enjoy much (I still liked it) was yakuza 4.

Sometimes you need a different perspective to see a game in a better light.

love my sturdy iron pipe

so true

this video could've just been a montage of you driving the taxi and winning races and it'd be enough this is just the best yakuza game lmao

Yakuza 5 is my favorite game out of the series

My favorite game I wish they make the graphics better

My biggest problem with Haruka is that im not good at Rhythm games. She's always been a good character, im just bad at those. Also i wish Tanimura was playable, i enjoyed his play style in 4. Also I'd say the encounter rate is a little too high. I like the game, those are just personal gripes.

Truth.

yakuza 5 is my favourite based on gameplay alone, people say saijema sucks to play as but as of part 2 chapter 4 (where im currently at) i prefer him to kiryu so much more

Meanwhile, devilleon said otherwise 😅😅

Oh man, I really like Yakuza 5 but there's some points in this video I really don't agree with. 😵‍💫 Here's a couple of things I wanted to point out. - "Shinada is one of the most ingeniously designed characters in the series". I think he's a great character that's fun to play as, but I can't think of anything that sets him apart from other characters to that extent, would've liked more elaboration on that. - "The game is perfectly long". In general I agree with this, but the pacing for Saejima's part isn't very good, which is even more glaring since in terms of gameplay it has very little to do until you reach Tsukimino. - "Yakuza 5 is a more introspective game". Once again I partially agree with this, Kiryu and Saejima's parts are very introspective. But Haruka/Akiyama and Shinada's don't really have that element to the same extent. I just wouldn't agree with calling every part introspective in tone. - "The story isn't a clusterfuck". I mean it is. There's good scenes but there are way too many issues to call it good. Whether it's Kurosawa's short sighted plan, the dark side of the idol industry not being fully explored, Majima being retconned into having a wife, the complete 180 Park and the T-Set girls take in terms of personality, and many more that would take too long to go through. This story has a lot of problems that I don't think should just be shrugged off like that. - "You can't blame Park". Regardless of her reasons and what she went through Park did some terrible things, and the story doesn't show enough awareness of this fact. But I think the real issue with her character like I mentioned is the massive shift she takes into becoming a loving mother figure. And you mention her relationship to Majima as if that gives his character more depth, but the story doesn't really elaborate on that since he's barely in the game. - "People don't understand the Katsuya scene". I've never heard anyone complain that they just fight for no reason, the problem is that they willingly go along with the unknown enemy's plan and which will make them too weak to do anything when the enemy reveals themselves. It's a contrived setup so Kurosawa can ambush the group after they're all exhausted. - "The final boss makes sense". It works perfectly well thematically and for Kiryu's character, but this change in Aizawa's character needed much more time to be set up, it felt like he went through a whole character arc that just happened off screen. I agree with a good amount of your points, but I just took issue with these ones. Yakuza 5 is one of my favorites in the series, but a lot of the criticisms it gets are deserved.

Why isn't this just a 2 second video where you just say Shinada?

See this game was fun until I lost like 5 hours of gameplay cause I forgot to save 🤦🏽‍♂️ tryna play through Shinadas whole thing again was horrible

I'm very mixed on Yakuza 5 because it has such high highs but such low lows as well. First off I CAN blame Park and I fucking will, her aborting Majima's kid is just the start of all the things I very justifiably blame her for but I just wanted to get that out of me because it's not what I really want to say. I don't think it's controversial for me to say that Yakuza 0 is like a symbol of everything you can love Yakuza for. It really combines everything good about the series while cutting out almost all of the jank and the bad parts, and it's just such a perfect tribute and love-letter to it. But Yakuza 0 is everything you love about Yakuza. Yakuza 5 is everything Yakuza IS. Good and bad. It really has everything. Contrived plot with some bizarre narrative choices and unnecessary twist villains that just leave you scratching your head, but within that story you can find so much heart and such perfect storylines and characters, satisfying combat that still just has that layer of jank sitting on top of it, a mountain of side content, some amazing and some just kinda boring and grindy, tons of open worlds to explore, some great and some with baffling design that can be kind of frustrating to navigate, shirtless men beating each other to death of a rooftop, and of course, at least one just completely bizarre gameplay choice, in this case not giving you the ability to make a clear game file in premium adventure. 0 may be the better game and it definetely is my favourite but 5 is a perfect symbol of the series as a whole. And for that, it's my favourite least favourite Yakuza game.

I really like yakuza 5. But the best in the series is 0 and 2

I thought most people thought 5 was the best

10 billion on top of the Milenium Tower was honestly better than 5's battle royale because they looked completely stupid afterwards. Kurosawa stayed out of their reach by just going to the roof across from them. It would of been better if Katsuya had a strategy to capture the mastermind rather than hoping for the best.

for a ps3 game this game was massive and full of content. but akiyama's part was dissapointing, as well as his moveset just button mashing all the way, too easy. i still hope they give y3, 4, and 5 a proper kiwami treatment someday and polish up the entire things properly. besides the obvious huge graphical leaps and combat improvement, there's a bunch of relatively easy quality of life adjustments they could do that could significantly elevate all these games to classics, including hopefully new side content and fixing some of the story issues

"Why Yakuza 5 is the best in the series" -It has Shinada *The End*

I dont like the ending but Yakuza 5 is deep down one of my favourites and is my 2nd favourite yakuza game

RGG mustve paid you the big bucks

My fav is 6 and 0.

Do people really not like some of the protagonists? They are all amazing!

I needed this video, really. I gave Yakuza 5 a bad shake, largely because I think I was pressuring myself to finish it (under a crunch) so I could play Yakuza 6 on release day when it came to Steam. Yakuza 5 is a HUGE game, easily the longest story in the series. You can expect to put in 40 hours at the absolute minimum before you roll the credits, and that’s if you focus exclusively on story content. A game that large needs time to digest, for its themes and ideals to really set and resonate with the player, and that magic is lost when you make an effort to finish it quickly. It did Yakuza 5 a huge disservice and for that I can only apologize. I have a newfound respect for Yakuza 5 that I wouldn’t have otherwise. And all of that is thanks to this video.

I played all of them, Yakuza 5 is the best Yakuza game by far.

3:34 80 hours for completing everything? Really? I played Yakuza 5 for more than 100 hours and I have not finished everything I could. Hell, I didn't even finish all of the substories and I completely ignored Shinada's baseball side story game cuz I suck(ed) at it

Yakuza 5 is in my top 3 at least with 0 and 4.