By this point, it should go without saying, but Sega’s Yakuza games are the bomb. Looking for an engrossing crime drama packed with raw emotion and countless twists and turns? Yakuza is perfect. Feel like engaging in a few wacky antics that would not look out of place in a particularly weird anime? Yakuza is perfect. Want a fantastic central storyline, dozens upon dozens of memorable side-quests, and even a host of mini-games? Yakuza is perfect.
Naturally, something this perfect deserves to be shared with everyone, a job that only memes can accomplish. Here are 10 memes that show why Yakuza makes no sense, while also highlighting why the series is so awesome.
10 Kiryu’s Struggle
It is not that unusual for there to be some disconnect between a game’s storyline and combat, as even franchises like Uncharted have struggled to find the right balance.
Yakuza never does anything half-hearted, so Kiryu’s narrative drive to avoid killing someone is delivered with intensity and passion. Conversely, the beat ’em up combat is incredibly over-the-top and involves a lot of people being hit with bikes. It does not make much sense but, somehow, it still works.
9 Feel The Beat
While Yakuza is a crime drama that often hits many of the beats associated with the genre, it is also a supremely weird series that constantly throws caution to the wind.
Consequently, the perpetually calm Kiryu can quickly go from stoically demolishing dozens of yakuza members to dancing the night away in a club.
8 Majima Is A Complex Character
Goro Majima is a strange beast. As the patriarch of his own family, he is a respected and feared figure not only among the yakuza but throughout the Kamuro District. Majima is also someone who passionately believes that all yakuza members should act honorably and in ways that maintain the wider family’s societal image.
Majima is also incredibly unhinged and more than earns his nickname as the Mad Dog. Majima is simultaneously mature and unbelievably childish.
7 Time Changes Everyone, Even Majima
Despite being the sixth game in the series, Yakuza 0 serves as a prequel to the entire franchise. Along with chronicling Kiryu’s early issues with the Tojo clan, Majima is also a playable character, albeit he behaves quite differently to his later (in-universe) character.
This meme highlights Majima’s complete reversal between Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami. While a change in culinary preferences might not seem like much, it represents Majima’s transformation from a refined (and restricted) follower to a man in charge of his own destiny.
6 Who Said Fighting Is Not Rewarding?
While there are more efficient ways to earn cash, beating up random thugs is the quickest means to earn a bit of extra money. Outside of boss battles, Yakuza’s combat is pretty straightforward, especially once a few of the main character’s moves are unlocked.
Eventually, it starts to feel almost unfair to take money from opponents who are clearly no match for the Dragon of Dojima or the Mad Dog of Shimano.
5 The Yakuza Is No Place For Chickens
Yes, there is a chicken in Yakuza and its name is Nugget. While that might seem a bit cruel, it is really a test to see whether Nugget has what it takes to be a yakuza. Like Kiryu, Nugget has to work his way up from the bottom, and its name serves as a constant reminder that the world is not a forgiving place.
Considering Nugget can be assigned to manage real estate in Yakuza 0, this is evidently one chicken that is not happy to simply serve as someone’s meal.
4 A Majima Out Of Nowhere
Majima is a master of disguise. Regardless of what Kiryu is doing, Majima is always waiting in the shadows to pounce. On some occasions, he might be dressed as a cop; other times, Majima shows up as a zombie. While his costume may change, Majima’s end goal remains the same. He will be the one to help Kiryu regain his former glory and also kill him.
Even when it does not make sense for Majima to show up due to events in Yakuza Kiwami’s narrative, the Mad Dog finds the grit to rise above a knife to the gut to show up as a taxi driver and challenge Kiryu to a fight.
3 A Fair Fight
Yakuza is basically a B-movie gangster flick that just happens to have some fantastic writing and deep characters. Even though there is a lot going on in each game, the basic premise can be boiled down to Kiryu John Wicking his way through a yakuza clan.
Even after taking down hundreds of henchmen, Kiryu still feels human. He is vulnerable, often makes the wrong decisions, and relies heavily on brute force to turn things around. He is a relatable hero who has also amassed a body count that a battle shounen anime protagonist could be proud of.
2 The Other Side
While this meme is just as much about Red Dead Redemption 2 as it is about Yakuza, this is exactly the type of storyline that could feasibly play out in one of Sega’s entries. Yakuza has a lot of heart and goes out of its way to question the morality and actions of its colorful cast of characters.
Kiryu has thrashed so many enemies, some surely must have had families or pets that loved them.
1 Yakuza & Ghosts
Yakuza Kiwami 2’s “Rising from the Shadows” side-quest sees Kiryu crossing paths with a spirit after watching a film called “Dirty Video.”
While this meme is only a screenshot from the game, the visual of a well-dressed yakuza member humorlessly questioning a medium about ghosts while a spirit waits in the background perfectly captures the insanity that is Yakuza. What other series can bring these things together and still feel cohesive?
NEXT: Every Mainline Yakuza Game, Ranked
