@@Citural The combat still has its JRPG element. It's more action-y than the traditional but it doesn't change the fact that it still has the JRPG elements into it. That's like saying the Tales series ain't JRPG because of the combat as well.
@@illusoghiaccio There’s a total of 3 characters who can compete with Daigo with a gun: 1: Dragon Quest Ichiban 2: Tanimura with a briefcase 3: Akiyama with a fire extinguisher
Daigo with a Gun is such a meme that it became his Y7 Summon. (the dead patriarcs are just Ichiban's brain trying not to fry itself trying to grasp the physical impossibility that is Daigo doing as much damage as 3 handguns, a SMG, an AK47 and a shotgun...all with a singular handgun) PS Yes, I know there's a mistake there. Not everyone has gotten spoiled yet so lets try to keep it that way.
"Because I didn't want to trek through several hours of my save file to record this, I had to use source footage and the only person I found who forfeit the Princess League was DSP" That had me laughing for about 10 minutes straight. I didn't even realize that was an option, but of course Phil would be the one to try and get out of doing any gameplay.
@@Eightsixseven23224 the long dialogue is fine, but being forced to play an extremely repetitive rhythm game is so annoying that some people just want to get through it. So oddly, I understand where DSP of all people is coming from. Imagine being forced to play hours of tekken bowling in between an arcade mode match
I think the way to best describe Y5 is that it has a lot more soul than it does sense. Not everything it wants to say comes through perfectly but it knows exactly what it wants to say and says with gusto. Not everything it wants to do works out but it goes for it anyway despite itself. It stumbles, it even falls short, but even at its worst it never gives up, it never stops trying. It follows the dream of what game it wants to be. Ain't that just perfect metaphor. Not to get too saccharine on you after you're likely high blood sugar injection from this sickeningly sweet story, of course lol
Very much like an underdog story, and I feel like this is really where the writers finally hone in on like super sick moments that later carried over to better effect in 0 and so on
"More soul than sense" can actually describe a lot of the series tbh. Not that it's (that much of) a criticism, I love the whole series. But there are some moments where you just shake your head and accept some odd event as having more emotional or thematic meaning than logic
@@zombieplasticclock I'm definitely the type willing to roll with some, at times, questionable realism/logic if it serves the purpose of thematic or emotional cohesion or satisfaction more than I am something that tries to justify itself with sterile scientific mumbo jumbo that is equally if not more ridiculous.
@@kingoftropes922 Oh for sure. But it happens infrequently enough in Yakuza that it can deflate an otherwise good moment. Most on reflection are fine, once you get the angle they were going for. Others rarer still are just kinda oof
I'm sure we won't see him again in a plot-relevant role, but I'd be thrilled if they brought Shinada back for a substory/minigame in a future entry. I couldn't care less about baseball but ended up loving his section of Y5. He's just a regular dude pulled into the plot by a combination of bad luck and happening to go to high school with Daigo. In a game where Kiryu takes down well over a hundred enemies in the first section, Saejima fights a bear, and Haruka and Akiyama are off having celebrity idol adventures, playing as Just Some Guy was actually refreshing and set up a great dichotomy, plus his scenes with Taksugi are peak. The whole time I was doing the baseball stuff in Y6 I was thinking "Okay I guess it wouldn't actually make sense for Kiryu to try to draft his friend in a totally different part of the country but also I Would Like To See My Baseball Boy Again"
@@Flameclaw123 Even just a named cameo where an NPC says “Hey did you see that disgraced baseball star Shinada got his blacklisting lifted?” would make me so happy.
I really want to know how they keep taking off suit jackets, ties, and buttoned up shirts in one fluid, dramatic flair. This is the true power of Yakuza.
7:12:15 Thank God I became a Yakuza fan a couple years ago. Imagine being a fan in 2012 and having to play a spin-off, a prequel, and a remake of 1 before playing Yakuza 6 and wondering if Kiryu is alive.
OH MY GOD, in the beginning of part 1 when snake says "It doesn't take a detective to know somethings wrong" and it shows Kurosawa, and that made sense cuz he's a detective buT NO HE'S NOT AND IT DOESN'T TAKE A DETECTIVE AND I HAVE BEEN PLAYED BOTH OVER THE COURSE OF 7 HOURS AND THE COURSE OF 3 MONTHS thats worth a month on patreon
3:24:38 - So I just found out that the main reason why Hana's presence was so minimal in this game along with Dead Souls and 6. Apparently her VA Aya Hirano was involved in a "scandal" with her then bandmates that nearly killed her VA career in 2011 which was enough to minimize her role in the coming games.
Seems to happen pretty often with this series. Like og Tanimura for a scandal he was innocent of and iirc a likeness legal thing with Yagami in Judgement.
Up until finishing Y5 yesterday, I always wondered why the games always described Haruka and Kiryu's relationship weirdly, by never just saying that she's his adoptive daughter. It felt strange. Y5 was the first game where that word, father, was used: first Akiyama when he meets Haruka, then Katsuya at the end of part 3 and I was happy the game finally started saying it. But then, while watching Haruka's final speech, I finally understood the weight that that word had on her and Kiryu. I think they both weren't ready to recognize it. It reminded me of Y1, when Kazama is dying in Kiryu arms, after saving Haruka: only then, in his last moments, Kiryu calls him father, maybe for the first time. In the same way, Haruka sees on tv that Kiryu is fighting and, after achieving her supposed Dream, while he might be in grave danger, she calls him father, maybe for the first time. It took long, but it just made me weep more during the ending. Loved the video(s). Yakuza 5 might be a mess, but it is just what makes it a great game.
52:36 I like how Kiryu immediately curls his body up, tucks his head in, and covers his neck to protect himself from any falling debris. It's such a cute detail to come right after the action movie cliche with the explosion that doesn't actually hurt you but just knocks you a few feet away
Considering that due to earthquakes being so common in Japan there's school safety drills about it that teach you what Kiryu's doing here (Find cover, cover your neck and face, crawl up in a ball, get down) it would make sense the japanese know their stuff. Very very cool detail.
It's easy to miss, but the utter contempt Kiryu has for Shinada for no apparent reason is so funny. In 4, the other protagonists had to convince Kiryu to let them fight Amon with him, but here he just drags Shinada with him even though he really doesn't want to come, even knowing that he will be a target of the clan for the rest of his life lmao
Yakuza 5 has a perfect final boss I think its the best final boss fight in the series for the quality of the fight itself But I'm putting together now why I think its the best themeatically as well The Tojo is ostensivly dead post Yakuza 4 Its crumbling in 2, shattered to pieces in 3 And in 4 Daigo is so desperate he goes against his morals and faith in the clan Doing anything required to keep it alive By the end of 4 he realizes its over, he can't do what he was planning to now without that money So in 5 he starts beginning to rebuild the Tojo in a different way as a better leader And ends up realizing that someone is trying to take the clan from him, hatching a plan to stop that from happening There is a man out there, posing as a detective, who is trying to raise his son up to being Tojo Chairman His son is Aizawa Kiryu arrives to an empty Tojo HQ Nothing but him, and Aizawa Aizawa never planned for or even wanted this. He was put into this spot by his father who wanted this *for him.* He never would've done this on his own, why would he? He dosen't care about running a near dead clan. But his father wants him to run the clan, because he himself won't be able to due to a disease eating him alive. Aizawa is Daigo, Kiryu is his father. Kiryu put Daigo at the head of the Tojo, something he didn't want and didn't care about. A crumbling clan worth nothing for long. But Kiryu wanted him to lead the clan, because he himself was going to leave again and dosen't want the Yakuza life. Kiryu puts him into a position he'd otherwise never be in. They're both put into the same position by their fathers (Kiryu being metophorical), becoming Tojo Clan Chairman Its like looking into a mirror Kiryu wants to escape the clan but wanted to pass on the dream of it being run by a man like himself The "Noble Yakuza" Just like how Park passed the dream of being an Idol to Haruka, Kiryu is passing the dream of a just Tojo Clan to Daigo Kiryu wont be the one to do it, he dosen't want it and I think he also dosen't believe he can do it But, just like Park and the others in the story, just because they themsleves can't do it dosen't mean they can't see their dream realized through someone else Even at the very beginning with Kiryu in the noodle shop The guys say how the idol industry is a place where parents throw their kids to the wolves to achive what they never could Kiryu gets pissed and leaves But its not like Kiryu passed a dream of being an idol to Haruka, then threw her into a situation she couldn't handle But he did do that to Daigo So even though them talking about Haruka that way would make him mad, I think it also brings up Daigo in his mind and what he's done to him Especially since the scene before is Daigo coming to Kiryu for advice he refuses to give
I was already pretty okay with Aizawa as the final boss since I liked the concept of him wanting to struggle instead of being handed the role and the sheer quality of the gameplay but your analysis definitely makes me like him way more lol. Especially since I unironically really like Daigo and his relationship with Kiryu (especially after the end of 6)
@@ashikjaman1940 Glad to here it, at first I just knew I really loved the fight but couldn't tell why, beyond how impressed I was by the actual fight itself. Yakuza team 100% put a lot of effort into the storytelling of that moment that I definately didn't pick up on at first.
Quality of the gameplay? The dude blocks every fucking punch you throw worse than yakuza 3 goons and can't be grabbed, you can only spam weapons and counters through its massive health bar. Blockuza 5 sucks
I always read Akiyama's line of: "Maybe this will turn me into a town legend, what do you guys think?", as more of just him being cocky towards Kanai, acting so sure that he will win. I don't really see it as his motivation suddenly changing. Still a great video/set of videos, and pretty stonking large indeed.
I feel like Tehsnakerer made a great video, though I really disliked how he always felt like Akiyama was doing something wrong. Akiyama was a great character for me (I wish he had his own game series to be honest) since they introduced him at the beginning of Y4, and I hated that they made his story so shallow this time. But at the end of the game, he shows his idea on what is going on behind the scenes - and to be honest, no one at the time knew what the hell is going on. So him trying to find out and look for clues is just natural, felt like something the story needed to progress so we could see multiple points of view. Everyone makes mistakes - this game points this out in many ways. And Tehsnakerer was like "what an idiot, why is he talking about all this"... And he was really apologetic towards Shinada. I mean - his story was great, but the guy is just plain stupid in many situations - in those he thought he is "lovable" XD
I think the reason why Akiyama is underutilised in games past Yakuza 4 is because well, his story was pretty much concluded in Yakuza 4. He had his arc in that game and past that he just becomes the "Be Available" kinda guy. Even Kiryu kinda says this in Yakuza 6. It would have been great to see new story threads for him in later games past 4 but I respect RGG for perhaps letting him take a backseat instead of pairing him with a potentially underwhelming arc in Yakuza 5 that adds little to his character anyways.
@@vanilla3464 Oh I agree. He doesn't really have anything to do in games past 4, although him being afraid of the Saio Triad in 6 and not fighting back against them really gets on my nerves.
@@vanilla3464 Akiyama is the same man who just waltzed into Omi territory in Y5, completely unafraid and confident in his abilities (and rightfully so, considering he is one of the best fighters in the series)
Yakuza 5 was a journey, took me the whole summer to finish it and it's one of those game where you get nostalgic about the part that you've played last month. What an experience!
You've got to have a big attention span to play for that long, I'd honestly compare the length of the game to 0, because 0 might've been small in terms of everything, but the amount of time it took to complete a chapter would take me hours. Anyways, hope you enjoy the rest of the series (even if I didn't create it. I hope you'll play til the end).
Tehsnakerer's thoughts: "I'm going to need to dial back on the video length for the next Yakuza." Viewer's thoughts: "mmm finally. Some delicious fucking content. Make more." Joke aside, fantastic. I don't think I need to overly add to the praise on this video especially but yeah. Keep it up mate!
This video is big, huge, colossal, grandiose, towering, pretty stonking large. And much like Yakuza 5 itself I enjoyed sitting back and watching every hour of it. I have a lot of respect for you having to talk about this game at the length you have, and yet it still feels packed with detail; even when I was going through them again as each part released the hours flew by without me noticing. Since I first caught you on my recommended bar you've become one of my favorite video analysis creators on this platform. Great work, man. Hope that Yakuza 0 will be less work on your voice.
I cant even imagine what he'd have to do in order to stretch out Yakuza 0 beyond 3 hours (and realistically its probably be well under 3, unless each minigame gets its own part video.)
@@mitchellalexander9162 He wouldn't, it was in response to the guy saying he hopes the Yakuza 0 video will be less taxing on his throat, and since it's unlikely to have half the runtime it's probably going to be
I think I got it. Going back to the idea that each story is made to make you think back to Kiryu, each story represents the dreams of Kiryu. Saejima reflects that Kiryu was never tied to the yakuza. His dream was to be like Kazama, and he always saw Kazama as a father first and yakuza second. He wanted to be a good father, just like Saejima wanted to be a mentor above being a yakuza. Akiyama represents how Kiryu dreamed of giving orphans a life he never had. Away from the influence of the Yakuza. And Shinada is a reflection of a man living after a dream had been lost. Coasting through life as it all seems to blend together. Keeping vague hope that one day the dream will come back.
SPOILERS I spent the whole game waiting for smaller bodyguard guy to rock up again. When he wasn’t the final boss, I was a bit confused It was only when watching this video did I recall that he was declared dead by the florist. I agree that it is difficult to remember what’s going on with so many characters
When you make a 7 hour video talking about anything, let alone a single videogame, you better have something to say to justify the absurd length. And you did not disappoint in the slightest. Your insights made me re-evaluate the game, especially the story and themes; following the Yakuza series both in the actual games and with your videos, it's stuff like this that makes the experience ten times more worth the effort of going through every entry. All this to say, thank you Tehsnakerer, you're an absolute bloody legend. Now go rest, you deserve it.
Kurosawa: I did this so that my son would ascend to the top without having to literally eat shit, like I did. Aizawa: But what if I WANT to eat shit, dad? Me be STRONK! Kurosawa: Goddamn it kid
I always loved the contrast of Kiryu and Haruka’s hands at 7:11:35. I see it as Haruka giving up the manufactured, pristine world of the idol industry for the bloody and violent yakuza one by taking Kiryu’s beaten hands in her clean ones
As someone working on a Yakuza 5 video myself, I have to say watching this video has me both nervous & elated. Elated because, on top of the sheer quality of your work here, it's nice to see where my opinions line up with a true Yakuza aficionado like yourself. Nervous because in order to make my video unique & stand adjacent to yours, I'll have to push myself hard! A vast, expansive & entertaining analysis, cheers my friend!
I wanna see his opinion on 6 too, I noticed while playing it that I was having a blast and having way more fun than when playing 5 (not to say it is bad at all, just that I prefer one over the other)
@@daniellins4114 for me, 5 and 6 are tied as my personal favorites. Neither are the best in the series especially after 7 and judgment, but the finality of kiryu’s story throughout both really resonated with me
Whenever I see stuff like this I am reminded of when there was the 10 minute time limit on RUclips, imagine watching this as a 422 part series in 480p. How times have changed. Also I'm curious how long this behemoth took to render. Edited for clarity.
@@EmptyHand49 RUclips use to have a cap on video uploads so that they could only be 10 minutes long. So cap over timer probably would have been better phrasing
@@TheyDarthElmo Some ancient memories there man Makes me...well nostalgic and a bit melancholic God I remember the first timer increase we got, back when 480p was considered high quality
I am really happy that someone gave so much time and effort to make a video about yakuza 5, some people like it, some hate it, some love and hate it. But for me, this game is a masterpiece in every single way, it’s rare to see so much ambition and hard work to pay off, in my opinion, yakuza 5 is definitely one of the greatest games ever made.
I had a lot of issues with Haruka's characterization in Y5. You made the point about maturity being the ability to open up in a painful world instead of just writing the whole thing off as pointless and I totally agree. I think that's part of what made Haruka the character she is; she went through so much at such an early age and had to develop a world-weary kindness long before she should have been asked to do so. That's why it drives me nuts that at some point she went "screw it, I wanna be an idol" and abandoned Kiryu and the other orphans. The story takes some steps to let you know it thinks her choice was somewhat forced and one she ultimately comes to regret, and I think she understands Kiryu enough to know he wouldn't want her to turn down Park's offer for his sake, but I still think the fact she makes that call at all feels deeply out of place with who we've come to know. I can get behind the idea that Haruka is still a kid and made a mistake, but the story never frames it that way with any real conviction and I can't help but keep thinking as we're going through Haruka's section about the kids at Morning Glory without their father figure or big sister. Haruka absolutely deserves to live her own life and pursue her own dreams, and I think Park was right to at least some extent in saying the status quo might make all the kids too comfortable, but the choice to be an idol in particular seems way too vain to really suit Haruka. At the end of the game she's really just saying she wants to be with her family, there's no reckoning with her making a decision to abandon them and set them up for hardship for the sake of participating in a deeply toxic industry, or with the idea that this ambition was foisted on her by others. This general arc would have honestly suited Haruka better a few years down the line having to decide whether to leave the orphanage for college or some other life development, where the story could have grappled with a young adult feeling torn between family roots and a desire to build her own life instead of a teenager walking away from her life for the hope of living in a fantasy world. But even in Yakuza 6, when she left the orphanage out of the same sort of misplaced but selfless concern as Kiryu and had a child of her own, the writers are smart enough to know that once the conflicts are settled Haruka would just want to be there for her family. (FWIW this is the same conclusion Kiryu should have reached but uhhh well you'll get to that one in a couple videos) Tl;dr the foundational pillars of Haruka's charcter are 1) being more world weary and mature than most people her age and 2) selfless love and kindness, but her whole arc in Y5 centers on her making a naïve and selfish choice.
Also like mentioned in this video her being an idol was a thing back in 2 and she hated the idea. This plot could work, but reframed as her doing this so that the orphanage can prosper financially and even tho she doesn't want to do it for a dream she has to put on a brave face and suck it up in this toxic industry, probably incidentally use her charm to make some changes like her adopted father does with the Yakuza. Then have it so that she thinks Kiryu is still at the orphanage taking care of everybody and not overhearing them talk and Kiryu truly suffering in silence alone. Then probably have them reconnect right before her concert backstage or something then have the same sort of talk they had on the beach with "we would've parted ways at some point anyways" then it weighs on Haruka emotionally during the concert since it's still fresh and then she drops the bomb about her past live on air, giving it a reason other than coming out of nowhere just because this game is the beginning of her making stupid decisions.
@@literaryloser4470 I like this idea. The thing that really drives me nuts is the game can't seem to figure out if she made a mistake or not. The subtext is there to some small extent but it's 98% treating Haruka's arc as legitimate and unconcerning until just about the exact moment it does a 180.
I still believe if Haruka did become an idol it best if she part of a group, group idol normally have member graduate because of age as such it can be structure to flow more nicely to the ending rather than Haruka abruptly ditching her idol career, being part of idol group could also highlight Haruka maturity with selfless love and kindness naturally as she grown into the leader of the group, Haruka having friends that goes through the same hardship could also help transition her hesitation turn to love being idol without making her look selfish, this growing bonds with her group members could also parallel with her getiing detach with her family and lastly being member of an idol group also make Haruka struggle to let go of this life make more sense as the consequences of her leaving abruptly could negatively affect her friends this could also pull to Haruka dissecting Kiryu choice to leaving the Tojo and then the orphanages and how it affect both parties mention lead to her ultimate choice whatever it is
@@BattlePants321 Like, I love this series and these characters but sometimes the writing is a mess. I've been rewriting the series as a little hobby to see how fixing these little snags affects the story as a whole
To be it feels like such a contrived direction for the character to make, it's simply because "The audience likes Idols so let's make the series resident cute teenage girl and idol." and then they worked backwards from there.
After finshing the Yakuza series I wanted to watch some in-depth videos and retrospectives on each games. Tehsnakerer's channel is exactly what I was looking for espically with Yakuza 5. Thank you for making these long videos and ketting fans of the series learn a bit more about the series and seeing things from a diffrent perspective
I genuenly want yakuza 8 to bring back shinada. Maybe as a party member, which isnt as unlikely as i initially thought since the said kiryu would have his own party members (i think). Or maybe in a substory where ichiban also meets akiyama and they all talk about how kiryu is. Ichi and company describing him as the hard core he acts like, and the other two as the lovable knight he really is
Yakuza 5 is my favorite because, it feels like you're going on a cross-country road trip with the cast of the seires. (And some baseball obsessed crackhead that joined along the way)
Congratulations man. You’ve basically summed up why I love (and slightly loathe) Yakuza 5. It’s massive, fun, interesting, the music is the best in the series (fight me), Shinada, as you said, is the greatest chucklefuck who ever walked the earth. Hopefully 0 and 6 don’t take long.
Yakuza 5 is a solid game, the game play rocks, it might just be a little too ambitious and bloated with side content but mechanically it works. As far as story I love it. I'm playing 6 right now, I should've finished it when I first bought it, but I was busy and eventually just said I should play the other games first. Looking back at thins now I'm conflicted on the combat, as far as the story goes Yakuza 6 really caught my attention even without experiencing the other games.
I'm not sure if it's brought up here already (still rewatching this), but one piece of foreshadowing that I liked a lot and only noticed on my second playthrough was Kurosawa's first appearance showing - if not emphasizing, him having smoked a staggering amount of cigarettes as Kiryu walks by. With Daigo going on in the car ride prior to this about the Omi chairman having terminal lung cancer, it's surprising how early on they pretty much reveal Kurosawa's identity - albiet in a manner that most people who didn't know the story beforehand would ignore or miss.
Oh yeah, I brushed past that for the detective foreshadowing instead, these vids are thorough but I still try to worry about pacing. It's a really clever little detail though and is definitely a nice pick up on a replay.
@@Future_Doggo I would like to see tanimura, akiyama especially, and even shinada come back. Kiryu somehow shows up all the time again and again after retiring over and over, saejima is still going around giving speeches too.. why can't they bring back the others? It's especially typical for a jrpg to do
I felt that Akiyama's charisma and likeability was recognized, and that's why he has his own game: Dead Souls. You get hours and hours of extra Akiyama-brand charisma if you can deal with the import cost and stuttering, hanging performance on console, or complete crashes without writing anything to a crash log every 5-30 minutes on an emulator. It's such bullshit on an emulator; Ishin JP runs at 87fps in 1440p. Dead Souls can run perfectly but dies randomly, so often you'll quit. Akiyama does have his own game... but that great experience is locked behind an unclearable swathe of shit. It will never be remastered or receive bugfixes - people have tried to increase its stability to little avail on emulator. The best thing to do is cough the money (up to $220 for an import copy!) and chug through Akiyama's content on a console. I got through it on emulator. It took me about a YEAR because you replay so many sections only for it to crash and die right when you finish.
"oh hey he posted a new video so soon wonder how long SWEET JESUS" I know it's just the full compilation of the other Yakuza 5 vids but seeing it all as one video is still kinda shocking how long it is and how much work you put into this. Great job!
And one part of the story is just "oh we don't have tanimura's actor on the line so we just made a character on the fly" The character was in fact the GOAT (The Guy whO wAs just There) Shinada, and he was dragged out of no where, regardless he's a lovable idiot
Already watched the individual parts, but am now putting on the full cut for a day of chores, and to feed the algorithm. Excellent work as always Snakerer. Love your long-form reviews.
I thought I would'nt see ShayMay's Omega Ruby Analysis dethroned in size which was 7h 15m. But here we are and I'm damn proud you did it with a game I care much more about.
Honestly what even. The amount of effort that must've been put into this video to make it almost 8 hours is insane. I have nothing but respect for Tehsnakerer for making this. Cant wait to enjoy this over the next few days. ^ ^
Love these types of videos, unfortunately you're the only one that has made really good essay type videos on Yakuza. I hope that you'll do 0, 6 and Like a Dragon next.
your voice overs were really entertaining and they got me through doing my laundry and household chores! I thoroughly enjoyed this 7 hour long video~ gonna replay y5 soon
So I'm 6 months late and haven't finished this video yet, but I have to mention this. Everyone who plays this game treats Baba like he's, what, early 20s, mid 20s at oldest? I did, and the game sure did. Baba is 30. I hope someone out there's as shocked as I was.
I just spent the last few days chipping away at this video, this is a great look at Yakuza 5 and I’ve enjoyed every part I’ve seen. Also thanks for the time stamps so I can skip over the small side activity stuff I missed when I played!
I just realized the part five title has multiple meanings, it's a "dream cast" of characters, but it's also the moment when all of their dreams are finally ready to take shape, be molded and "cast." And then further it could also be cast as in casting the dice, all the dreams flying into the air to fall where they may. Good shit
I like this clip at 5:08:50, snake doesn't mention it, but it's easy enough to notice by just watching the clip, after takatsugi reveals he has no connection to the nagoya family, shinada isn't afraid of his act anymore, in fact, he finds it annoying, so he complains about it and basically bosses him around telling him to shut up, takatsugi recognizes that he doesn't have leverage anymore so he just goes along with it quietly, very funny
I think my favorite thing about how you write long form videos is that they don't feel like time vampires. Like in a lot of 7+ hour essays they lose me by making the same points over and over again. Like for example they will say "i don't like kiwami substories" and then will spend an hour talking in detail about 20 substories and how each fail. I like how you constantly move and contrast in your writing. It really keeps me hooked. This can go for most of your videos but i feel it works best here since if i saw the runtime i would skip it. But the moment i start watching this i get engrossed. It feels relaxed and a lot more chill than many other essays which feel overly self serious.
Honestly I can't tell if it's just the game or not, but flowing between talking the flaws and the strengths is so much better than hearing the pros of a game then being overwhelmed by the list of flaws continuously after hearing said game get praised.
I just love the moment when you get so fucking real and describe the duality of chasing your dreams and the upsides and downside that comes with it. You've put so much heart into these series of videos and I some of it really struck home for me so thank you for being so uplifting without coming off as preach or unrealistically optimistic.
Just finished all the remastered versions of the PS3 Yakuza games. While I’ve watched this video multiple times, it gave me a way for me to find my own values and understanding for this game. It was truly great to share these experiences with someone who has so much love and care with this series. I hope that’s not lost on you, and it feels great to finally say I’ve completed Yakuza 5.
This is a fucking fantastic video. This makes me want to play the game for myself. Shinada's story fucking broke me, and seeing Akiyama return makes me want to play this game so much. I speak for everyone when I say Thank You for making this video
Wow. Just wow. Compliments to you, kyodai. All of your videos on yakuza are just perfectly made in every way and they really show your love for this incredible series. Can't wait for yakuza 0 videos. Kudos again.
This is a master class video. You somehow made a 7 hour video over one game, and made it interesting the entire way through. I literally watched this straight while gaming, something I never do. A lot of times I get bored of stuff this long. Not for a moment this. I used to think that Joseph Anderson was the best long form RUclipsr, but I now give you that crown. You manage to make insanely detailed, hour long videos on a monthly basis. Truly, thank you for everything you do. Coming from a long time fan, thank you for all the hours of amazing videos. If I had money to give, I would support you on Patreon.
I'm really grateful for these long videos, particularly the Yakuza 4 and 5 ones. You went to such lengths to unpack everything (and more) about the games that it actually helped me close a few open questions I was left with after playing those games, and I feel like I can really see them with a different light now. Gosh, I really am a sucker for video essays like these.
You know, you've come a long way from being worried that people will find your recaps of the story boring and too long lol I'm glad you're doing these, though. Your reviews helped convince me and my brother to get into the games last year, now I'm going into the games with my wife and brother in law for my third playthrough of the series. Your long reviews help put some thoughts we have into perspective, and I can't wait to introduce them to the best bumble fuck the series has made. I hope 6 goes well, too!
I appreciate the compliment but I'd say most of my thinking is done in post. Looking back at what happened, connecting the dots and being able to put together what was subtext or hinting at things that hadn't happened yet. In the moment I can be pretty oblivious, it's mostly just trying not to take everything at face value and question my own assumptions as things go along.
I’ve watched this so many times that it takes less than 15 seconds to find this video in my recommended. Absolutely great game and beautiful review, well done.
Man, I started this episode by buying Yakuza 5 and promising myself I would beat it before you released all the parts. I got to part IV. I am astounded at just how massive this game is, and am going to continue to hold off on watching the last parts until I beat the game. So far, I fully agree with your analysis and actually let me appreciate the game even more after i played through it. The scale of it is boggling, as it just drops new games and story lines on you every so often. It's amazing that when i watched part I after i had beaten it, it seemed like a distant memory already with so many bits and bobs that I didn't catch when actually playing it. I'm really enjoying playing the game and then watching the breakdown afterward. Already the parts I've watched on part IV have made me appreciate the character, city, and mechanics far more. I'm also playing Yakuza 7, which without the 7-hour Tehsnakerer breakdown I'm not sure if I'm stupidly enjoying a poorly written story, or missing on much, much deeper themes. I like Yakuza, it really keeps me humble when i think i can analyze anything.
Simply amazing vid Snake! Can't wait for the next Yakuza review, tackling the game that served as a celebration of the series, that revolutionized the gameplay with its new style change system and revamped the way the series told its story, of course I'm talking about Yakuza Ishin.
Excellent video. I’m a poor college student and don’t have the money to spare to give to your patreon, but I’m a big fan of your videos and think you’re a fantastic reviewer and great analyst. Hope to see a lot more of your analyses in the future. Love you tehsnakerer.
This was a incredible ride and I'm glad you took all of us on it. I never considered touching Yakuza 5, although I consider myself a big fan of the series having finished 0, 1 (both the original and kiwami), kiwami 2 and on my first playthrough of 7, and having you go through all the plot and themes of these games with the earnest passion, insight and appreciation for the weird janky mess that is Yakuza is just a cheer delight. Although a massive undertaking I now know that down the line I will probably take the time to play through 3 to 6 and that's hugely thanks to you. Thanks for the content and the hours of entertainment. You rock.
This is a great series keep it up! Looking forward what your opinion on yakuza 6 will be. I discovered Yakuza 0 over a year ago by chance and immediately fell in love with it. Today I finished Yakuza 6 and now I feel completely empty inside.
I worry about that feeling as I am at 6 and only have Judgement, 7, Lost Judgement, and Lost Paradise left to get through before I've beaten every last Yakuza game (minus the psp titles which I'd definitely play if I knew how to get my hands on them....and find where my psp is)
@@utswriter Same, I literally just started 6 and I am in love with it. Been playing the games in chronological order and it’s great being on a dragon engine game finally. After 6 I have 7, Judgement, Lost Judgement, and Lost Paradise as well. I still got plenty of Yakuza to go but only 6 left with Kiryu and the game already had me tearing up in the beginning chapters. Lol
I have only watched the part about Shinada do far but man you really got it. I remember when I first played the game and by Shinadas part I was really worn out by the rest of game, there was just so much that at first I didn't appreciate Shinada's segment. But now it's become my favorite, he's just such a wonderful character and the story is so special and full of life. Everything you said sums up my feelings about that part and pointed out some new things as well! Thanks for such wonderful commentary on the best doofus in the world :)
I also love the comparisons between Shinada and Kiryus parts of 5, that isn't something I had considered before and it brought a lot more to their stories for me
I'm not sure what to say about this video. It's an amazing deep dive into the story and themes of Yakuza 5. A colossal detailed video for a collosal game. Fantastic job.
i started watching your series of yakuza videos around a year ago, and i’ve rewatched them time and time again. you’re the reason i picked up the series and all i can say is thank you. i finished yakuza 5 tonight and i’m looking forward to 6. these videos are brilliant and your passion towards this series is definitely felt. i’ll continue to play, watch, and compare my own feelings towards yakuza with your own. thank you again for introducing me to one of my favorite series of all time! i cant wait for the 10 hour long yakuza 6 video
possibly one of the highest quality pieces of work on a game i've ever had the pleasure of watching and listening to, this was so fantastically done, excellent job.
I've been holding off on watching your Yakuza content, always the type of thing that struck me as incredibly hard to understand and far too long. However, after listening to about an hour of this I decided to go back and watch your reviews for the other 4 games, and it's had me completely hooked. This review was fascinating, and I really have nothing to say but thank you. Watching these has sold me on Yakuza 0 and I've really enjoyed what I've played of it thus far. These are some banger vids, and it has me incredibly excited at the prospect of seeing another game reviewed. Great job with these man, they're probably some of my favourite videos on RUclips.
This makes me want to see a professional cut together a full playthrough of Yakuza 5 where it *can* jump between the different stories, because you’re right, that would really make the stronger stories able to carry the weaker ones
It was pretty interesting to hear you takes on aizawa as the final boss. Outside of loving the fight itself and the music id definitely count myself among the ranks of people who didn’t quite like him whilst i don’t think my opinion has changed on him I was very surprised by what you said especially since I don’t see many giving his character or sudden twist villain position some positive views
While I didn't like the twist and the fact that his new introduction may as well have been a completely different character, the character that was introduced did have verry interesting philosophies and positions to put in front of Kiryu
I don't get it. I loved Aizawa as the final boss and his reveal made sense with the themes of the game. He's like Haruka, he's fighting for a dream that may not even be his (his father's dream) but he's putting everything he has into it. The song for the final boss is called Battle for the Dream. It makes perfect sense when you think about it.
@@REDEEMERWOLF The reason why some people don't like Aizawa as the final boss is because it comes from literally nowhere. Not even talking about him being the Omi 7th Chairman's son, or even the Omi's successor: I'm talking about him being a bad guy at all. He was absent from chapter 3-4 of Kiryu's part to the fight with Saejima, and there were no hints of him being the final boss prior his reveal. And here I say (though I might be mistaken in some things, since I played Y5 a long time ago), wouldn't it make more sense for him to be the one shooting Aoyama and revealing himself as the bad guy, instead of Morinaga? It's not like he did anything else after that, aside from dying offscreen by the time Saejima returns to the Purgatory, and they would've already established Aizawa as a bad guy long before his final boss fight.
@@EnrocaLaRocaI personally think they should have given him and Kanai more screentime, and maybe rewrite them to be be contrasts to each other - both wanting to rise to the top of their respective clans, with Aizawa being more honest, somewhat well-meaning but naive and kinda bull-headed (maybe getting more cynical over time due to his father, setting him up to fight Kiryu), and Kanai trying to rise up by being an opportunist and a kiss-ass, while still remaining a human cockroach that Akiyama cannot break physically.
And with kiryu beind the represetention of the father pushing the dream into his son (daigo) while aizawa represents the son that is still going along with the plans of the father because they don't have their own (Haruka)
I am so glad you did this review series; if you hadn’t, I don’t know that I ever would’ve played these games, and that’d have been a crying shame as I absolutely adore them.
holly shit I finished it! and I’ m so happy, I’m glad I watched this great video. I’m tearing up here man, great work. Now I just have to watch all the others
I personally found Tehsnakerer thanks to the HDTF video, and, man what a journey this was, discovering both this channel and Yakuza series through these long analyses. I cried, I laughed, but most importanly I found appreciation for something I would never have found myself, something big, strange and beautiful. Thank you, snakerer for creating this journey and giving such detailed, entertaining, insightful and meaningful videos, they really are on another level. Cheers on 7+ hours video, probably the longest I'll ever watch on yotube, even if I couldn't watch the whole thing, only in parts. Here's hoping for that brigand video to come soon, lol.
Blessed day today is! Thank you for all your work on the Yakuza franchise, every video is truly a gift! But please get some rest for the time being too
I don't think I've ever watched any of your videos before, but I can tell you're a good video essayist on the basis of you making me actually appreciate and understand Aizawa as a character, wow.
Man I adore this game. I played it at the perfect time. I had not a ton going on during my gap semester, and I absolutely cherished the time I had not only with the series during this time, but with the game. It was a ton of fun.
Aizawa's QTE's are pretty cool In this world it takes more than raw power to stand at the top. It takes using your head, and most of the successful QTE's are Kiryu outsmarting Aizawa and using his raw strength against him But if you don't use your head, and think you can just tough it out against Aizawa'a strength, that final QTE is gonna Demolish you
I had watched the separate parts before, so I knew the final, combined upload will be pretty big, but when I looked at the video length, my first thought was "this is pretty stonking large indeed". I had played trough the game only once (when the PS3 version came out in the West in 2015), and I admit, I was in a Yakuza burnout after the four mainline entries + Dead Souls, so while I did played trough 5, it was more driven from a sort of loyalty to the brand. I do recall having parts that I found good (like Kiryu's entire part, or Shinada's inclusion), but overall, it left me with a feeling that this game got scope out of control, WAY harder than 4 ever did. It became this monstrosity of a game that, while did lived up to Nagoshi & co.'s intent to make the most extraordinary game in the series at that point, was a chore to "map out" in the mind. Like you said in Kiryu's part, it became this blurry mess of details that I either remembered from gut or not, and when Yakuza 0 came out, I thought the only merit 5 had was to be a lesson for the developers to how to shape the next entry. Which it did well, because 0 rekindled a large portion of my love for the series that never went away, just got severely dampened. Six years later, after watching your review, I think I had found a fair amount of appreciation for the game - it did reminded me of a LOT things that I heavily disliked about it (like Saejima and Akiyama being sort of elevated into meme-y, larger-than-life status, as opposed to their way more natural disposition in 4), but got to appreciate Kiryu's and Shinada's parts in general way more intensely than I did before, especially the themes that went into their parts. Hell, I actually found Kiryu's story the most energizing in retrospect, partly because it's like the start of the series' writing growing its teeth back that is used to have in the first two games: having 0 and 6 in mind, it finally dared to challenge him again on an actual, character disposition-level way, in a way that genuinely warrants giving many a thought about it. And above all, I earned this new PoV because of the effort you put into this hefty beast of a video: your previous works weren't a slouch either, but this may be THE best one so far: poking fun at the game when it's justified, giving well-reasoned praise when it's deserved (yes, even the "it just works" ones, because... sometimes things are just cool), and generally being elaborative without coming off as needlessly wordy or rambling. Not that your previous videos had lacked these qualities, but if those were 150% on the scale, this might as well be 200%, it was that impressive. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to your next video, and have my tremendous praise for the effort that went into this beast of a video!
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
The fight with Aizawa is infinitely cooler when you realize he’s not your final boss.
You’re *his* final boss.
O😊
7 hours of Yakuza 5. I'm gonna watch all this in one sitting and walk away only remembering the word yume, just like in the real game
Maybe the real yume was the friends we made along the way
@@rastas_4221 Yakuza has always been JRPG at its core. Wtf are you even on about? lmao
@@zeroskaterz92 obviously the combat
@@Citural The combat still has its JRPG element. It's more action-y than the traditional but it doesn't change the fact that it still has the JRPG elements into it.
That's like saying the Tales series ain't JRPG because of the combat as well.
@@zeroskaterz92 hes talking about turn based
“Daigo really missed his calling in life as a hitman” fr dude had 100% accuracy.
Strongest character in the series
- -Kiryu-
- -Saejima-
- -Jo Amon-
- Daigo with a gun ✅
@@illusoghiaccio
There’s a total of 3 characters who can compete with Daigo with a gun:
1: Dragon Quest Ichiban
2: Tanimura with a briefcase
3: Akiyama with a fire extinguisher
@@illusoghiaccio
Excluding women in substories
@@Name_man Tachibana with a car
Daigo with a Gun is such a meme that it became his Y7 Summon.
(the dead patriarcs are just Ichiban's brain trying not to fry itself trying to grasp the physical impossibility that is Daigo doing as much damage as 3 handguns, a SMG, an AK47 and a shotgun...all with a singular handgun)
PS Yes, I know there's a mistake there. Not everyone has gotten spoiled yet so lets try to keep it that way.
"Because I didn't want to trek through several hours of my save file to record this, I had to use source footage and the only person I found who forfeit the Princess League was DSP"
That had me laughing for about 10 minutes straight. I didn't even realize that was an option, but of course Phil would be the one to try and get out of doing any gameplay.
His voice gives me ear aids
Hearing Phil bitching about long dialogue in a Yakuza game is hilarious.
Ironically (as proven by speedruns) you can skip literally all the gameplay in Haruka's part lol
@@ashikjaman1940 I did, I like the dancing disco game but haruka's was so stupid
@@Eightsixseven23224 the long dialogue is fine, but being forced to play an extremely repetitive rhythm game is so annoying that some people just want to get through it. So oddly, I understand where DSP of all people is coming from.
Imagine being forced to play hours of tekken bowling in between an arcade mode match
I think the way to best describe Y5 is that it has a lot more soul than it does sense. Not everything it wants to say comes through perfectly but it knows exactly what it wants to say and says with gusto. Not everything it wants to do works out but it goes for it anyway despite itself. It stumbles, it even falls short, but even at its worst it never gives up, it never stops trying. It follows the dream of what game it wants to be. Ain't that just perfect metaphor.
Not to get too saccharine on you after you're likely high blood sugar injection from this sickeningly sweet story, of course lol
Very much like an underdog story, and I feel like this is really where the writers finally hone in on like super sick moments that later carried over to better effect in 0 and so on
"More soul than sense" can actually describe a lot of the series tbh. Not that it's (that much of) a criticism, I love the whole series. But there are some moments where you just shake your head and accept some odd event as having more emotional or thematic meaning than logic
@@zombieplasticclock I'm definitely the type willing to roll with some, at times, questionable realism/logic if it serves the purpose of thematic or emotional cohesion or satisfaction more than I am something that tries to justify itself with sterile scientific mumbo jumbo that is equally if not more ridiculous.
@@kingoftropes922 Oh for sure. But it happens infrequently enough in Yakuza that it can deflate an otherwise good moment. Most on reflection are fine, once you get the angle they were going for. Others rarer still are just kinda oof
i’m assuming it might just be a patreon thing, but how’d you get this video a month early?
"My story's not yours to write." Perfectly sums up Shinada's entire character arc in Yakuza 5.
What an amazing character.
I'm sure we won't see him again in a plot-relevant role, but I'd be thrilled if they brought Shinada back for a substory/minigame in a future entry. I couldn't care less about baseball but ended up loving his section of Y5. He's just a regular dude pulled into the plot by a combination of bad luck and happening to go to high school with Daigo. In a game where Kiryu takes down well over a hundred enemies in the first section, Saejima fights a bear, and Haruka and Akiyama are off having celebrity idol adventures, playing as Just Some Guy was actually refreshing and set up a great dichotomy, plus his scenes with Taksugi are peak. The whole time I was doing the baseball stuff in Y6 I was thinking "Okay I guess it wouldn't actually make sense for Kiryu to try to draft his friend in a totally different part of the country but also I Would Like To See My Baseball Boy Again"
@@Flameclaw123 Even just a named cameo where an NPC says “Hey did you see that disgraced baseball star Shinada got his blacklisting lifted?” would make me so happy.
I really want to know how they keep taking off suit jackets, ties, and buttoned up shirts in one fluid, dramatic flair. This is the true power of Yakuza.
The universe can tell when a bunch of sweaty men powered by romanticism want to tussle while screaming their lungs out.
@@Jokoko2828 the best way to describe Yakuza fights
7:12:15 Thank God I became a Yakuza fan a couple years ago. Imagine being a fan in 2012 and having to play a spin-off, a prequel, and a remake of 1 before playing Yakuza 6 and wondering if Kiryu is alive.
Or if you in America, you beat it, wait 3 years, then you get the prequel and remake, then get yakuza 6
imagine thinking RGG would have the balls to kill off Kiryu after they already ended 2 previous games with fake out Kiryu deaths
@@bibblehouse they killed him in 6 tho- sike fuck you like a dragon
@@bibblehouseyakuza 8: Ohh boy.
@@samfire3067i really think that, this time, this is finally Kiryu's ending, especially after playing LAD Gaiden
OH MY GOD, in the beginning of part 1 when snake says "It doesn't take a detective to know somethings wrong" and it shows Kurosawa, and that made sense cuz he's a detective buT NO HE'S NOT AND IT DOESN'T TAKE A DETECTIVE AND I HAVE BEEN PLAYED BOTH OVER THE COURSE OF 7 HOURS AND THE COURSE OF 3 MONTHS
thats worth a month on patreon
I can see how Ichiban is like an evolution of Shinada, just overwhelming Yume and enthusiasm
For me Ichiban is a more upbeat, positive Nishiki. It even shares the same VA lol
And I love both of them so much. I enjoy that Shinada is an A-hole but he has a heart of gold and Ichiban is....well he's just a good boy
@@ZX3000GT1 ehhhh if it's anything he's more like a mature majima
@@dmcfail987 nah he is a lot more sensitive and ethic than majima, not maturity, just different personalities
also he is a lot more impulsive than majima
3:24:38 - So I just found out that the main reason why Hana's presence was so minimal in this game along with Dead Souls and 6. Apparently her VA Aya Hirano was involved in a "scandal" with her then bandmates that nearly killed her VA career in 2011 which was enough to minimize her role in the coming games.
Oh shit, she's the one who played Haruhi Suzumiya, I didn't put that together before.
@@Tehsnakerer I think this just adds another layer of irony to 5's idol industry commentary.
Seems to happen pretty often with this series. Like og Tanimura for a scandal he was innocent of and iirc a likeness legal thing with Yagami in Judgement.
Up until finishing Y5 yesterday, I always wondered why the games always described Haruka and Kiryu's relationship weirdly, by never just saying that she's his adoptive daughter. It felt strange.
Y5 was the first game where that word, father, was used: first Akiyama when he meets Haruka, then Katsuya at the end of part 3 and I was happy the game finally started saying it. But then, while watching Haruka's final speech, I finally understood the weight that that word had on her and Kiryu. I think they both weren't ready to recognize it.
It reminded me of Y1, when Kazama is dying in Kiryu arms, after saving Haruka: only then, in his last moments, Kiryu calls him father, maybe for the first time. In the same way, Haruka sees on tv that Kiryu is fighting and, after achieving her supposed Dream, while he might be in grave danger, she calls him father, maybe for the first time.
It took long, but it just made me weep more during the ending.
Loved the video(s). Yakuza 5 might be a mess, but it is just what makes it a great game.
Not to jump ahead but it's also why his letter to Daigo in 6 meant a lot
52:36 I like how Kiryu immediately curls his body up, tucks his head in, and covers his neck to protect himself from any falling debris. It's such a cute detail to come right after the action movie cliche with the explosion that doesn't actually hurt you but just knocks you a few feet away
Considering that due to earthquakes being so common in Japan there's school safety drills about it that teach you what Kiryu's doing here (Find cover, cover your neck and face, crawl up in a ball, get down) it would make sense the japanese know their stuff. Very very cool detail.
It's easy to miss, but the utter contempt Kiryu has for Shinada for no apparent reason is so funny. In 4, the other protagonists had to convince Kiryu to let them fight Amon with him, but here he just drags Shinada with him even though he really doesn't want to come, even knowing that he will be a target of the clan for the rest of his life lmao
Yakuza 5 has a perfect final boss
I think its the best final boss fight in the series for the quality of the fight itself
But I'm putting together now why I think its the best themeatically as well
The Tojo is ostensivly dead post Yakuza 4
Its crumbling in 2, shattered to pieces in 3
And in 4 Daigo is so desperate he goes against his morals and faith in the clan
Doing anything required to keep it alive
By the end of 4 he realizes its over, he can't do what he was planning to now without that money
So in 5 he starts beginning to rebuild the Tojo in a different way as a better leader
And ends up realizing that someone is trying to take the clan from him, hatching a plan to stop that from happening
There is a man out there, posing as a detective, who is trying to raise his son up to being Tojo Chairman
His son is Aizawa
Kiryu arrives to an empty Tojo HQ
Nothing but him, and Aizawa
Aizawa never planned for or even wanted this. He was put into this spot by his father who wanted this *for him.* He never would've done this on his own, why would he? He dosen't care about running a near dead clan. But his father wants him to run the clan, because he himself won't be able to due to a disease eating him alive.
Aizawa is Daigo, Kiryu is his father.
Kiryu put Daigo at the head of the Tojo, something he didn't want and didn't care about. A crumbling clan worth nothing for long. But Kiryu wanted him to lead the clan, because he himself was going to leave again and dosen't want the Yakuza life. Kiryu puts him into a position he'd otherwise never be in.
They're both put into the same position by their fathers (Kiryu being metophorical), becoming Tojo Clan Chairman
Its like looking into a mirror
Kiryu wants to escape the clan but wanted to pass on the dream of it being run by a man like himself
The "Noble Yakuza"
Just like how Park passed the dream of being an Idol to Haruka, Kiryu is passing the dream of a just Tojo Clan to Daigo
Kiryu wont be the one to do it, he dosen't want it and I think he also dosen't believe he can do it
But, just like Park and the others in the story, just because they themsleves can't do it dosen't mean they can't see their dream realized through someone else
Even at the very beginning with Kiryu in the noodle shop
The guys say how the idol industry is a place where parents throw their kids to the wolves to achive what they never could
Kiryu gets pissed and leaves
But its not like Kiryu passed a dream of being an idol to Haruka, then threw her into a situation she couldn't handle
But he did do that to Daigo
So even though them talking about Haruka that way would make him mad, I think it also brings up Daigo in his mind and what he's done to him
Especially since the scene before is Daigo coming to Kiryu for advice he refuses to give
I was already pretty okay with Aizawa as the final boss since I liked the concept of him wanting to struggle instead of being handed the role and the sheer quality of the gameplay but your analysis definitely makes me like him way more lol. Especially since I unironically really like Daigo and his relationship with Kiryu (especially after the end of 6)
@@ashikjaman1940 Glad to here it, at first I just knew I really loved the fight but couldn't tell why, beyond how impressed I was by the actual fight itself. Yakuza team 100% put a lot of effort into the storytelling of that moment that I definately didn't pick up on at first.
Didn't catch this comment earlier absolutely wonderful breakdown
Quality of the gameplay? The dude blocks every fucking punch you throw worse than yakuza 3 goons and can't be grabbed, you can only spam weapons and counters through its massive health bar. Blockuza 5 sucks
.... AYO who actually read all that?
1:05:14 rewatching the video I can now appreciate this setup for a punchline 6 entire hours later, you absolute madlad
I always read Akiyama's line of: "Maybe this will turn me into a town legend, what do you guys think?", as more of just him being cocky towards Kanai, acting so sure that he will win. I don't really see it as his motivation suddenly changing.
Still a great video/set of videos, and pretty stonking large indeed.
I feel like Tehsnakerer made a great video, though I really disliked how he always felt like Akiyama was doing something wrong. Akiyama was a great character for me (I wish he had his own game series to be honest) since they introduced him at the beginning of Y4, and I hated that they made his story so shallow this time. But at the end of the game, he shows his idea on what is going on behind the scenes - and to be honest, no one at the time knew what the hell is going on. So him trying to find out and look for clues is just natural, felt like something the story needed to progress so we could see multiple points of view. Everyone makes mistakes - this game points this out in many ways. And Tehsnakerer was like "what an idiot, why is he talking about all this"... And he was really apologetic towards Shinada. I mean - his story was great, but the guy is just plain stupid in many situations - in those he thought he is "lovable" XD
I think the reason why Akiyama is underutilised in games past Yakuza 4 is because well, his story was pretty much concluded in Yakuza 4. He had his arc in that game and past that he just becomes the "Be Available" kinda guy. Even Kiryu kinda says this in Yakuza 6. It would have been great to see new story threads for him in later games past 4 but I respect RGG for perhaps letting him take a backseat instead of pairing him with a potentially underwhelming arc in Yakuza 5 that adds little to his character anyways.
@@vanilla3464 Oh I agree. He doesn't really have anything to do in games past 4, although him being afraid of the Saio Triad in 6 and not fighting back against them really gets on my nerves.
I mean I don't really blame him, those mfers are vicious lmao
@@vanilla3464 Akiyama is the same man who just waltzed into Omi territory in Y5, completely unafraid and confident in his abilities (and rightfully so, considering he is one of the best fighters in the series)
Yakuza 5 was a journey, took me the whole summer to finish it and it's one of those game where you get nostalgic about the part that you've played last month. What an experience!
You've got to have a big attention span to play for that long, I'd honestly compare the length of the game to 0, because 0 might've been small in terms of everything, but the amount of time it took to complete a chapter would take me hours. Anyways, hope you enjoy the rest of the series (even if I didn't create it. I hope you'll play til the end).
Yakuza 5 was short for me. Probably because I sped through it to get back to DE games
@@MasterXeno0 fr
Eight hours of yume baby let’s go, gonna watch it all in one sitting
Tehsnakerer's thoughts: "I'm going to need to dial back on the video length for the next Yakuza."
Viewer's thoughts: "mmm finally. Some delicious fucking content. Make more."
Joke aside, fantastic. I don't think I need to overly add to the praise on this video especially but yeah. Keep it up mate!
This video is big, huge, colossal, grandiose, towering, pretty stonking large. And much like Yakuza 5 itself I enjoyed sitting back and watching every hour of it. I have a lot of respect for you having to talk about this game at the length you have, and yet it still feels packed with detail; even when I was going through them again as each part released the hours flew by without me noticing. Since I first caught you on my recommended bar you've become one of my favorite video analysis creators on this platform. Great work, man. Hope that Yakuza 0 will be less work on your voice.
I cant even imagine what he'd have to do in order to stretch out Yakuza 0 beyond 3 hours (and realistically its probably be well under 3, unless each minigame gets its own part video.)
@@Redblaze27 Why would he stretch a Game beyond an appropriate amount of time to talk about it?
@@Redblaze27 a full 4 hours will be dedicated to the pocket car racing
@@mitchellalexander9162 He wouldn't, it was in response to the guy saying he hopes the Yakuza 0 video will be less taxing on his throat, and since it's unlikely to have half the runtime it's probably going to be
Well if he loves 0 he might end up spending lots of time going in depth about all of its inner workings
I think I got it. Going back to the idea that each story is made to make you think back to Kiryu, each story represents the dreams of Kiryu. Saejima reflects that Kiryu was never tied to the yakuza. His dream was to be like Kazama, and he always saw Kazama as a father first and yakuza second. He wanted to be a good father, just like Saejima wanted to be a mentor above being a yakuza. Akiyama represents how Kiryu dreamed of giving orphans a life he never had. Away from the influence of the Yakuza. And Shinada is a reflection of a man living after a dream had been lost. Coasting through life as it all seems to blend together. Keeping vague hope that one day the dream will come back.
SPOILERS
I spent the whole game waiting for smaller bodyguard guy to rock up again. When he wasn’t the final boss, I was a bit confused
It was only when watching this video did I recall that he was declared dead by the florist.
I agree that it is difficult to remember what’s going on with so many characters
Or is he?
:-)
Man, I’m gonna miss Shinada as I move on through the rest of the series. Godspeed, funny baseball man.
When you make a 7 hour video talking about anything, let alone a single videogame, you better have something to say to justify the absurd length. And you did not disappoint in the slightest. Your insights made me re-evaluate the game, especially the story and themes; following the Yakuza series both in the actual games and with your videos, it's stuff like this that makes the experience ten times more worth the effort of going through every entry.
All this to say, thank you Tehsnakerer, you're an absolute bloody legend. Now go rest, you deserve it.
Kurosawa: I did this so that my son would ascend to the top without having to literally eat shit, like I did.
Aizawa: But what if I WANT to eat shit, dad? Me be STRONK!
Kurosawa: Goddamn it kid
*drinks toleit*
Man I love how shinada starts off broke as hell and i got a platinum plate in the first hour of playing as him and was set for the chapter
3:24:38
"Hana, meanwhile, has turned into a desk!"
My _god,_ that was unexpected.
6:22:52
Jaysus! Majima's face there!
I always loved the contrast of Kiryu and Haruka’s hands at 7:11:35. I see it as Haruka giving up the manufactured, pristine world of the idol industry for the bloody and violent yakuza one by taking Kiryu’s beaten hands in her clean ones
As someone working on a Yakuza 5 video myself, I have to say watching this video has me both nervous & elated. Elated because, on top of the sheer quality of your work here, it's nice to see where my opinions line up with a true Yakuza aficionado like yourself. Nervous because in order to make my video unique & stand adjacent to yours, I'll have to push myself hard! A vast, expansive & entertaining analysis, cheers my friend!
Yakuza 5: The Snakerer Cut
Doesn’t get any bigger than this
Also I look forward to seeing analysis of other yakuza games, especially 6
*Teh Snakerer cut
@@vladulenta6525 damn autocorrect!
I wanna see his opinion on 6 too, I noticed while playing it that I was having a blast and having way more fun than when playing 5 (not to say it is bad at all, just that I prefer one over the other)
@@daniellins4114 for me, 5 and 6 are tied as my personal favorites. Neither are the best in the series especially after 7 and judgment, but the finality of kiryu’s story throughout both really resonated with me
@@JoeGodHand can't argue with the finality of it, but my favorites are 0 and 4, I guess I like more the begguining of the legends than the ends
Whenever I see stuff like this I am reminded of when there was the 10 minute time limit on RUclips, imagine watching this as a 422 part series in 480p. How times have changed.
Also I'm curious how long this behemoth took to render.
Edited for clarity.
Whats the 10 minute timer?
@@EmptyHand49 not sure if you're actually asking or trolling me for my wording 😅
@@TheyDarthElmo Actually asking whats the 10 minute timer
@@EmptyHand49 RUclips use to have a cap on video uploads so that they could only be 10 minutes long. So cap over timer probably would have been better phrasing
@@TheyDarthElmo
Some ancient memories there man
Makes me...well nostalgic and a bit melancholic
God I remember the first timer increase we got, back when 480p was considered high quality
I am really happy that someone gave so much time and effort to make a video about yakuza 5, some people like it, some hate it, some love and hate it. But for me, this game is a masterpiece in every single way, it’s rare to see so much ambition and hard work to pay off, in my opinion, yakuza 5 is definitely one of the greatest games ever made.
I had a lot of issues with Haruka's characterization in Y5. You made the point about maturity being the ability to open up in a painful world instead of just writing the whole thing off as pointless and I totally agree. I think that's part of what made Haruka the character she is; she went through so much at such an early age and had to develop a world-weary kindness long before she should have been asked to do so. That's why it drives me nuts that at some point she went "screw it, I wanna be an idol" and abandoned Kiryu and the other orphans. The story takes some steps to let you know it thinks her choice was somewhat forced and one she ultimately comes to regret, and I think she understands Kiryu enough to know he wouldn't want her to turn down Park's offer for his sake, but I still think the fact she makes that call at all feels deeply out of place with who we've come to know. I can get behind the idea that Haruka is still a kid and made a mistake, but the story never frames it that way with any real conviction and I can't help but keep thinking as we're going through Haruka's section about the kids at Morning Glory without their father figure or big sister. Haruka absolutely deserves to live her own life and pursue her own dreams, and I think Park was right to at least some extent in saying the status quo might make all the kids too comfortable, but the choice to be an idol in particular seems way too vain to really suit Haruka. At the end of the game she's really just saying she wants to be with her family, there's no reckoning with her making a decision to abandon them and set them up for hardship for the sake of participating in a deeply toxic industry, or with the idea that this ambition was foisted on her by others.
This general arc would have honestly suited Haruka better a few years down the line having to decide whether to leave the orphanage for college or some other life development, where the story could have grappled with a young adult feeling torn between family roots and a desire to build her own life instead of a teenager walking away from her life for the hope of living in a fantasy world. But even in Yakuza 6, when she left the orphanage out of the same sort of misplaced but selfless concern as Kiryu and had a child of her own, the writers are smart enough to know that once the conflicts are settled Haruka would just want to be there for her family. (FWIW this is the same conclusion Kiryu should have reached but uhhh well you'll get to that one in a couple videos)
Tl;dr the foundational pillars of Haruka's charcter are 1) being more world weary and mature than most people her age and 2) selfless love and kindness, but her whole arc in Y5 centers on her making a naïve and selfish choice.
Also like mentioned in this video her being an idol was a thing back in 2 and she hated the idea. This plot could work, but reframed as her doing this so that the orphanage can prosper financially and even tho she doesn't want to do it for a dream she has to put on a brave face and suck it up in this toxic industry, probably incidentally use her charm to make some changes like her adopted father does with the Yakuza. Then have it so that she thinks Kiryu is still at the orphanage taking care of everybody and not overhearing them talk and Kiryu truly suffering in silence alone. Then probably have them reconnect right before her concert backstage or something then have the same sort of talk they had on the beach with "we would've parted ways at some point anyways" then it weighs on Haruka emotionally during the concert since it's still fresh and then she drops the bomb about her past live on air, giving it a reason other than coming out of nowhere just because this game is the beginning of her making stupid decisions.
@@literaryloser4470 I like this idea. The thing that really drives me nuts is the game can't seem to figure out if she made a mistake or not. The subtext is there to some small extent but it's 98% treating Haruka's arc as legitimate and unconcerning until just about the exact moment it does a 180.
I still believe if Haruka did become an idol it best if she part of a group, group idol normally have member graduate because of age as such it can be structure to flow more nicely to the ending rather than Haruka abruptly ditching her idol career, being part of idol group could also highlight Haruka maturity with selfless love and kindness naturally as she grown into the leader of the group, Haruka having friends that goes through the same hardship could also help transition her hesitation turn to love being idol without making her look selfish, this growing bonds with her group members could also parallel with her getiing detach with her family and lastly being member of an idol group also make Haruka struggle to let go of this life make more sense as the consequences of her leaving abruptly could negatively affect her friends this could also pull to Haruka dissecting Kiryu choice to leaving the Tojo and then the orphanages and how it affect both parties mention lead to her ultimate choice whatever it is
@@BattlePants321 Like, I love this series and these characters but sometimes the writing is a mess. I've been rewriting the series as a little hobby to see how fixing these little snags affects the story as a whole
To be it feels like such a contrived direction for the character to make, it's simply because "The audience likes Idols so let's make the series resident cute teenage girl and idol." and then they worked backwards from there.
After finshing the Yakuza series I wanted to watch some in-depth videos and retrospectives on each games. Tehsnakerer's channel is exactly what I was looking for espically with Yakuza 5. Thank you for making these long videos and ketting fans of the series learn a bit more about the series and seeing things from a diffrent perspective
Same
Highly recommend his other yakuza videos!
@@bigbadben5176 AGREED! The Yakuza video and Yakuza 4 are some of the best he’s ever made
Also recommend checking out Cvit. So far he has only done Yakuza 1 retrospective which was 2 hours long (which I watched) with more on the way.
Same, 6 made me sob and now I need an hour (or several) long analysis of it.
I genuenly want yakuza 8 to bring back shinada. Maybe as a party member, which isnt as unlikely as i initially thought since the said kiryu would have his own party members (i think). Or maybe in a substory where ichiban also meets akiyama and they all talk about how kiryu is. Ichi and company describing him as the hard core he acts like, and the other two as the lovable knight he really is
Yakuza 5 is my favorite because, it feels like you're going on a cross-country road trip with the cast of the seires. (And some baseball obsessed crackhead that joined along the way)
And atleast 40-90% of the fandom love that baseball crackhead
Congratulations man. You’ve basically summed up why I love (and slightly loathe) Yakuza 5. It’s massive, fun, interesting, the music is the best in the series (fight me), Shinada, as you said, is the greatest chucklefuck who ever walked the earth.
Hopefully 0 and 6 don’t take long.
Yakuza 5 is a solid game, the game play rocks, it might just be a little too ambitious and bloated with side content but mechanically it works. As far as story I love it.
I'm playing 6 right now, I should've finished it when I first bought it, but I was busy and eventually just said I should play the other games first. Looking back at thins now I'm conflicted on the combat, as far as the story goes Yakuza 6 really caught my attention even without experiencing the other games.
0 is pretty long
I'm not sure if it's brought up here already (still rewatching this), but one piece of foreshadowing that I liked a lot and only noticed on my second playthrough was Kurosawa's first appearance showing - if not emphasizing, him having smoked a staggering amount of cigarettes as Kiryu walks by. With Daigo going on in the car ride prior to this about the Omi chairman having terminal lung cancer, it's surprising how early on they pretty much reveal Kurosawa's identity - albiet in a manner that most people who didn't know the story beforehand would ignore or miss.
Oh yeah, I brushed past that for the detective foreshadowing instead, these vids are thorough but I still try to worry about pacing. It's a really clever little detail though and is definitely a nice pick up on a replay.
Akiyama needs his own game series, or at least one more game. I miss him
Hopefully Akiyama joins Ichiban and the gang.
@@Future_Doggo I would like to see tanimura, akiyama especially, and even shinada come back. Kiryu somehow shows up all the time again and again after retiring over and over, saejima is still going around giving speeches too.. why can't they bring back the others? It's especially typical for a jrpg to do
I felt that Akiyama's charisma and likeability was recognized, and that's why he has his own game: Dead Souls. You get hours and hours of extra Akiyama-brand charisma if you can deal with the import cost and stuttering, hanging performance on console, or complete crashes without writing anything to a crash log every 5-30 minutes on an emulator.
It's such bullshit on an emulator; Ishin JP runs at 87fps in 1440p. Dead Souls can run perfectly but dies randomly, so often you'll quit.
Akiyama does have his own game... but that great experience is locked behind an unclearable swathe of shit. It will never be remastered or receive bugfixes - people have tried to increase its stability to little avail on emulator. The best thing to do is cough the money (up to $220 for an import copy!) and chug through Akiyama's content on a console. I got through it on emulator. It took me about a YEAR because you replay so many sections only for it to crash and die right when you finish.
"oh hey he posted a new video so soon wonder how long SWEET JESUS"
I know it's just the full compilation of the other Yakuza 5 vids but seeing it all as one video is still kinda shocking how long it is and how much work you put into this. Great job!
Appreciate the mention big dawg! 💪🏼😁
Woah is that the popular Yakuza series and Judgment no damage RUclipsr known as Gunkshot?
@@Shade497 no
Honestly my journey into the series can be summed up as *"came for the memes, stayed for the dreams."*
And one part of the story is just "oh we don't have tanimura's actor on the line so we just made a character on the fly"
The character was in fact the GOAT (The Guy whO wAs just There) Shinada, and he was dragged out of no where, regardless he's a lovable idiot
@@alvisyahrin2276 "The Guy whO wAs just There" make me snort lmao
Already watched the individual parts, but am now putting on the full cut for a day of chores, and to feed the algorithm. Excellent work as always Snakerer. Love your long-form reviews.
I thought I would'nt see ShayMay's Omega Ruby Analysis dethroned in size which was 7h 15m.
But here we are and I'm damn proud you did it with a game I care much more about.
If you like quick retrospectives like this, go take a quick peek over at PatricianTV's TES iv Oblivion analysis. You can thank me in half a day
@@dmorty72 Not into western RPGs so no thank you lol
@@mechashadow makes sense man, no worries!
The action button review of cyberpunk is 13 hours.
@@MisterMelvinheimer Last I checked it did not exist in the time of this upload tho'
Honestly what even. The amount of effort that must've been put into this video to make it almost 8 hours is insane. I have nothing but respect for Tehsnakerer for making this. Cant wait to enjoy this over the next few days. ^ ^
Love these types of videos, unfortunately you're the only one that has made really good essay type videos on Yakuza. I hope that you'll do 0, 6 and Like a Dragon next.
'It won't be as long as this video'
Tehsnakerer - Playing Yakuza 4: Gone Arai.
Well, you were right, it's twice as long as that video.
your voice overs were really entertaining and they got me through doing my laundry and household chores! I thoroughly enjoyed this 7 hour long video~ gonna replay y5 soon
Shinada gave me some very odd Cowboy Bepop vibes. Thank you for joining the videos up so its an easy watch.
I don’t know how but every time I fall asleep to Tehsnakerer, it doesn’t matter what video, I wake up to Yakuza 5.
So I'm 6 months late and haven't finished this video yet, but I have to mention this.
Everyone who plays this game treats Baba like he's, what, early 20s, mid 20s at oldest? I did, and the game sure did.
Baba is 30. I hope someone out there's as shocked as I was.
W H A
10 years older than Yakuza 0 Kiryu... these seem completely incongruous.
Maybe he is faking being a 20s
I just spent the last few days chipping away at this video, this is a great look at Yakuza 5 and I’ve enjoyed every part I’ve seen. Also thanks for the time stamps so I can skip over the small side activity stuff I missed when I played!
I just realized the part five title has multiple meanings, it's a "dream cast" of characters, but it's also the moment when all of their dreams are finally ready to take shape, be molded and "cast." And then further it could also be cast as in casting the dice, all the dreams flying into the air to fall where they may.
Good shit
Pretty sure it's just a dreamcast pun, man
No it's multiple meanings
A magnum opus. Thank you for this amazing journey in analyzing my 2nd favorite Yakuza game.
I like this clip at 5:08:50, snake doesn't mention it, but it's easy enough to notice by just watching the clip, after takatsugi reveals he has no connection to the nagoya family, shinada isn't afraid of his act anymore, in fact, he finds it annoying, so he complains about it and basically bosses him around telling him to shut up, takatsugi recognizes that he doesn't have leverage anymore so he just goes along with it quietly, very funny
I think my favorite thing about how you write long form videos is that they don't feel like time vampires. Like in a lot of 7+ hour essays they lose me by making the same points over and over again. Like for example they will say "i don't like kiwami substories" and then will spend an hour talking in detail about 20 substories and how each fail. I like how you constantly move and contrast in your writing. It really keeps me hooked. This can go for most of your videos but i feel it works best here since if i saw the runtime i would skip it. But the moment i start watching this i get engrossed. It feels relaxed and a lot more chill than many other essays which feel overly self serious.
Honestly I can't tell if it's just the game or not, but flowing between talking the flaws and the strengths is so much better than hearing the pros of a game then being overwhelmed by the list of flaws continuously after hearing said game get praised.
This is... nothing short of a masterpiece. I'm astonished and appalled that this doesn't have more views. Stellar work, man.
I just love the moment when you get so fucking real and describe the duality of chasing your dreams and the upsides and downside that comes with it.
You've put so much heart into these series of videos and I some of it really struck home for me so thank you for being so uplifting without coming off as preach or unrealistically optimistic.
Just finished all the remastered versions of the PS3 Yakuza games. While I’ve watched this video multiple times, it gave me a way for me to find my own values and understanding for this game.
It was truly great to share these experiences with someone who has so much love and care with this series. I hope that’s not lost on you, and it feels great to finally say I’ve completed Yakuza 5.
What I took from this video is that baseball is the greatest sport ever made
I genuinely love your wordplay, consistently makes me laugh.
2:27:20 The Baba slander all throughout this video had me in tears.
This is a fucking fantastic video. This makes me want to play the game for myself. Shinada's story fucking broke me, and seeing Akiyama return makes me want to play this game so much. I speak for everyone when I say Thank You for making this video
Wow. Just wow. Compliments to you, kyodai. All of your videos on yakuza are just perfectly made in every way and they really show your love for this incredible series. Can't wait for yakuza 0 videos. Kudos again.
This is a master class video. You somehow made a 7 hour video over one game, and made it interesting the entire way through. I literally watched this straight while gaming, something I never do. A lot of times I get bored of stuff this long. Not for a moment this.
I used to think that Joseph Anderson was the best long form RUclipsr, but I now give you that crown. You manage to make insanely detailed, hour long videos on a monthly basis. Truly, thank you for everything you do. Coming from a long time fan, thank you for all the hours of amazing videos. If I had money to give, I would support you on Patreon.
Thanks a ton for the kind words
I'm really grateful for these long videos, particularly the Yakuza 4 and 5 ones. You went to such lengths to unpack everything (and more) about the games that it actually helped me close a few open questions I was left with after playing those games, and I feel like I can really see them with a different light now.
Gosh, I really am a sucker for video essays like these.
You know, you've come a long way from being worried that people will find your recaps of the story boring and too long lol
I'm glad you're doing these, though. Your reviews helped convince me and my brother to get into the games last year, now I'm going into the games with my wife and brother in law for my third playthrough of the series. Your long reviews help put some thoughts we have into perspective, and I can't wait to introduce them to the best bumble fuck the series has made. I hope 6 goes well, too!
i really like these videos because it is from the perspective of someone who actually thinks when they are playing
I appreciate the compliment but I'd say most of my thinking is done in post. Looking back at what happened, connecting the dots and being able to put together what was subtext or hinting at things that hadn't happened yet. In the moment I can be pretty oblivious, it's mostly just trying not to take everything at face value and question my own assumptions as things go along.
The only thing i think is "kick face move"
I’ve watched this so many times that it takes less than 15 seconds to find this video in my recommended. Absolutely great game and beautiful review, well done.
Man, I started this episode by buying Yakuza 5 and promising myself I would beat it before you released all the parts. I got to part IV. I am astounded at just how massive this game is, and am going to continue to hold off on watching the last parts until I beat the game.
So far, I fully agree with your analysis and actually let me appreciate the game even more after i played through it. The scale of it is boggling, as it just drops new games and story lines on you every so often. It's amazing that when i watched part I after i had beaten it, it seemed like a distant memory already with so many bits and bobs that I didn't catch when actually playing it. I'm really enjoying playing the game and then watching the breakdown afterward. Already the parts I've watched on part IV have made me appreciate the character, city, and mechanics far more.
I'm also playing Yakuza 7, which without the 7-hour Tehsnakerer breakdown I'm not sure if I'm stupidly enjoying a poorly written story, or missing on much, much deeper themes. I like Yakuza, it really keeps me humble when i think i can analyze anything.
Simply amazing vid Snake! Can't wait for the next Yakuza review, tackling the game that served as a celebration of the series, that revolutionized the gameplay with its new style change system and revamped the way the series told its story, of course I'm talking about Yakuza Ishin.
Excellent video. I’m a poor college student and don’t have the money to spare to give to your patreon, but I’m a big fan of your videos and think you’re a fantastic reviewer and great analyst. Hope to see a lot more of your analyses in the future. Love you tehsnakerer.
Your Yakuza videos are getting better and better man
This was a incredible ride and I'm glad you took all of us on it. I never considered touching Yakuza 5, although I consider myself a big fan of the series having finished 0, 1 (both the original and kiwami), kiwami 2 and on my first playthrough of 7, and having you go through all the plot and themes of these games with the earnest passion, insight and appreciation for the weird janky mess that is Yakuza is just a cheer delight. Although a massive undertaking I now know that down the line I will probably take the time to play through 3 to 6 and that's hugely thanks to you.
Thanks for the content and the hours of entertainment. You rock.
I'm so glad I sat through this. Even if I think all I'm going to remember for a while is the "sea of Yakuza" watching Haruka
This is a great series keep it up! Looking forward what your opinion on yakuza 6 will be. I discovered Yakuza 0 over a year ago by chance and immediately fell in love with it. Today I finished Yakuza 6 and now I feel completely empty inside.
I worry about that feeling as I am at 6 and only have Judgement, 7, Lost Judgement, and Lost Paradise left to get through before I've beaten every last Yakuza game (minus the psp titles which I'd definitely play if I knew how to get my hands on them....and find where my psp is)
@@utswriter Same, I literally just started 6 and I am in love with it. Been playing the games in chronological order and it’s great being on a dragon engine game finally. After 6 I have 7, Judgement, Lost Judgement, and Lost Paradise as well. I still got plenty of Yakuza to go but only 6 left with Kiryu and the game already had me tearing up in the beginning chapters. Lol
I have only watched the part about Shinada do far but man you really got it. I remember when I first played the game and by Shinadas part I was really worn out by the rest of game, there was just so much that at first I didn't appreciate Shinada's segment. But now it's become my favorite, he's just such a wonderful character and the story is so special and full of life. Everything you said sums up my feelings about that part and pointed out some new things as well! Thanks for such wonderful commentary on the best doofus in the world :)
I also love the comparisons between Shinada and Kiryus parts of 5, that isn't something I had considered before and it brought a lot more to their stories for me
I'm not sure what to say about this video. It's an amazing deep dive into the story and themes of Yakuza 5. A colossal detailed video for a collosal game. Fantastic job.
i started watching your series of yakuza videos around a year ago, and i’ve rewatched them time and time again. you’re the reason i picked up the series and all i can say is thank you. i finished yakuza 5 tonight and i’m looking forward to 6. these videos are brilliant and your passion towards this series is definitely felt. i’ll continue to play, watch, and compare my own feelings towards yakuza with your own. thank you again for introducing me to one of my favorite series of all time! i cant wait for the 10 hour long yakuza 6 video
I absolutely loved watching every single one of these videos, from A bit like a dragon to dream cast. Hats off to you dude.
possibly one of the highest quality pieces of work on a game i've ever had the pleasure of watching and listening to, this was so fantastically done, excellent job.
I've been holding off on watching your Yakuza content, always the type of thing that struck me as incredibly hard to understand and far too long. However, after listening to about an hour of this I decided to go back and watch your reviews for the other 4 games, and it's had me completely hooked. This review was fascinating, and I really have nothing to say but thank you. Watching these has sold me on Yakuza 0 and I've really enjoyed what I've played of it thus far. These are some banger vids, and it has me incredibly excited at the prospect of seeing another game reviewed. Great job with these man, they're probably some of my favourite videos on RUclips.
This makes me want to see a professional cut together a full playthrough of Yakuza 5 where it *can* jump between the different stories, because you’re right, that would really make the stronger stories able to carry the weaker ones
5:40:32 I remember losing there on my first playthrough since i had put my controller down to watch the cutscene and missed the qte lol
i love these short analysis videos on yakuza
It was pretty interesting to hear you takes on aizawa as the final boss. Outside of loving the fight itself and the music id definitely count myself among the ranks of people who didn’t quite like him whilst i don’t think my opinion has changed on him I was very surprised by what you said especially since I don’t see many giving his character or sudden twist villain position some positive views
While I didn't like the twist and the fact that his new introduction may as well have been a completely different character, the character that was introduced did have verry interesting philosophies and positions to put in front of Kiryu
I don't get it. I loved Aizawa as the final boss and his reveal made sense with the themes of the game. He's like Haruka, he's fighting for a dream that may not even be his (his father's dream) but he's putting everything he has into it. The song for the final boss is called Battle for the Dream. It makes perfect sense when you think about it.
@@REDEEMERWOLF The reason why some people don't like Aizawa as the final boss is because it comes from literally nowhere. Not even talking about him being the Omi 7th Chairman's son, or even the Omi's successor: I'm talking about him being a bad guy at all. He was absent from chapter 3-4 of Kiryu's part to the fight with Saejima, and there were no hints of him being the final boss prior his reveal. And here I say (though I might be mistaken in some things, since I played Y5 a long time ago), wouldn't it make more sense for him to be the one shooting Aoyama and revealing himself as the bad guy, instead of Morinaga? It's not like he did anything else after that, aside from dying offscreen by the time Saejima returns to the Purgatory, and they would've already established Aizawa as a bad guy long before his final boss fight.
@@EnrocaLaRocaI personally think they should have given him and Kanai more screentime, and maybe rewrite them to be be contrasts to each other - both wanting to rise to the top of their respective clans, with Aizawa being more honest, somewhat well-meaning but naive and kinda bull-headed (maybe getting more cynical over time due to his father, setting him up to fight Kiryu), and Kanai trying to rise up by being an opportunist and a kiss-ass, while still remaining a human cockroach that Akiyama cannot break physically.
And with kiryu beind the represetention of the father pushing the dream into his son (daigo) while aizawa represents the son that is still going along with the plans of the father because they don't have their own (Haruka)
I finally finished the video, this is amazing you deserve more subscribers
That chicken pun section had me choking back laughs. You're fowl, sir.
I am so glad you did this review series; if you hadn’t, I don’t know that I ever would’ve played these games, and that’d have been a crying shame as I absolutely adore them.
holly shit I finished it! and I’ m so happy, I’m glad I watched this great video. I’m tearing up here man, great work. Now I just have to watch all the others
I personally found Tehsnakerer thanks to the HDTF video, and, man what a journey this was, discovering both this channel and Yakuza series through these long analyses. I cried, I laughed, but most importanly I found appreciation for something I would never have found myself, something big, strange and beautiful.
Thank you, snakerer for creating this journey and giving such detailed, entertaining, insightful and meaningful videos, they really are on another level.
Cheers on 7+ hours video, probably the longest I'll ever watch on yotube, even if I couldn't watch the whole thing, only in parts.
Here's hoping for that brigand video to come soon, lol.
Blessed day today is!
Thank you for all your work on the Yakuza franchise, every video is truly a gift! But please get some rest for the time being too
I agree, take it easy, kyoudai. Also, Yakuza 0's Legend mode is no joke.
I don't think I've ever watched any of your videos before, but I can tell you're a good video essayist on the basis of you making me actually appreciate and understand Aizawa as a character, wow.
Man I adore this game. I played it at the perfect time. I had not a ton going on during my gap semester, and I absolutely cherished the time I had not only with the series during this time, but with the game. It was a ton of fun.
I just finished the whole series (0 to LAD) and Y5 might be my favorite. Each characters chapter feels like it’s own self contained Yakuza game.
Aizawa's QTE's are pretty cool
In this world it takes more than raw power to stand at the top. It takes using your head, and most of the successful QTE's are Kiryu outsmarting Aizawa and using his raw strength against him
But if you don't use your head, and think you can just tough it out against Aizawa'a strength, that final QTE is gonna Demolish you
You know the video will be great when it is as long as a speedrun of the damn thing.
I had watched the separate parts before, so I knew the final, combined upload will be pretty big, but when I looked at the video length, my first thought was "this is pretty stonking large indeed".
I had played trough the game only once (when the PS3 version came out in the West in 2015), and I admit, I was in a Yakuza burnout after the four mainline entries + Dead Souls, so while I did played trough 5, it was more driven from a sort of loyalty to the brand. I do recall having parts that I found good (like Kiryu's entire part, or Shinada's inclusion), but overall, it left me with a feeling that this game got scope out of control, WAY harder than 4 ever did. It became this monstrosity of a game that, while did lived up to Nagoshi & co.'s intent to make the most extraordinary game in the series at that point, was a chore to "map out" in the mind. Like you said in Kiryu's part, it became this blurry mess of details that I either remembered from gut or not, and when Yakuza 0 came out, I thought the only merit 5 had was to be a lesson for the developers to how to shape the next entry. Which it did well, because 0 rekindled a large portion of my love for the series that never went away, just got severely dampened.
Six years later, after watching your review, I think I had found a fair amount of appreciation for the game - it did reminded me of a LOT things that I heavily disliked about it (like Saejima and Akiyama being sort of elevated into meme-y, larger-than-life status, as opposed to their way more natural disposition in 4), but got to appreciate Kiryu's and Shinada's parts in general way more intensely than I did before, especially the themes that went into their parts. Hell, I actually found Kiryu's story the most energizing in retrospect, partly because it's like the start of the series' writing growing its teeth back that is used to have in the first two games: having 0 and 6 in mind, it finally dared to challenge him again on an actual, character disposition-level way, in a way that genuinely warrants giving many a thought about it. And above all, I earned this new PoV because of the effort you put into this hefty beast of a video: your previous works weren't a slouch either, but this may be THE best one so far: poking fun at the game when it's justified, giving well-reasoned praise when it's deserved (yes, even the "it just works" ones, because... sometimes things are just cool), and generally being elaborative without coming off as needlessly wordy or rambling. Not that your previous videos had lacked these qualities, but if those were 150% on the scale, this might as well be 200%, it was that impressive.
Needless to say, I'm looking forward to your next video, and have my tremendous praise for the effort that went into this beast of a video!