hey! i know a lot of you disagree with my opinions here, hell even i disagree with a few of them now that I've replayed a few of these games, but I still appreciate the watch! I love this franchise so very much and I'm glad to see that I've made something pertaining to Yakuza that's been seen by quite a few die hard fans. If this style of video interested you, I would really appreciate it if you'd check out my most recent video "I Beat Every Spider-Man Game" , I spent 4 months working on it and I've improved a LOT since I made this video, but if you're not interested, I completely understand! Have a great day and thanks for watching! PS: if you haven't played the judgment games or yakuza 7 because they don't have kiryu, you are SERIOUSLY missing out, I hate to say it because I love Kiryu so much, but they're better than most of the Kiryu games.
did you play Judgement and Lost Judgement ? they may not say Yakuza on them but they're Yakuza Games. I just finished Judgement myself and I had a good time with it.
The games look great, I'd also recommend movies based on the organization, tells you a lot about the underlying Japanese culture. I think there's even a movie based on this series.
0 was just mind blowing the twists and turns were so much more satisfying then some other yakuza games and it just was a great backstory for majima and kiryu and it was just such an all around amazing experience and amazing story
0 was a blessing and a curse since it was the game I started with. On one hand, the story and gameplay were fantastic, but on the other the narrative was SO good that it actually weakened Kiwami 1’s once I got to it, making it just absolutely pale in comparison.
If they released 6 then started doing Kiwami maybe it would have been better. Maybe instead of being a PS3 game be a PS4 game. Because btw in Japan the game's on PS3 same for 0.
I agree to an extent, with the exception of Yakuza 3 cuz ngl I’ve been playing that game for awhile and it’s hot garbage. So many plot holes, the ai is scuffed, the logic is so bad that you can literally tell from the first battle that they’ve given up on reasonable encounters. But all the other 7 games as far as I’m concerned are great in their own respects.
@@GearMasters988 The combat AI is a problem of the remastered, is a shame when people use a different version and not og version of a game for talk shit about it
@@azizvbh I've watched a playthrough of 4 and Yasuko reminds me of Makoto. That's one thing I gotta say. Also their names end with an O too. Both Looking for their Brothers. Though one knows where He's at. Prison. Well sort of. Plus she went in and out of a City much better than Makoto. I don't think she did too bad than what people are referring. Makoto was actually gonna kill the 3 Captains of the Dojima Family for revenge for her Brother! For Yasuko maybe she could have tried to take out a Loan earlier instead of killing those people. But ey. There's people who'll do anything to save their Family Member. I can Respect that
mind if I ask you why you started with 4? and not something like ps2 yakuza 1, kiwami 1 or 0? (I assume LaD definatly wasn't out then so I won't mention that for that but it would also be a good starting point) so basically I want to know why you started in the middle basically
My first was 3, then 4 and 5, because of remastered pack on xbox game pass....now on 0, which was my first intro because the bf played it. Amazing series!🥰 and I will play the other 3, too...
I'm actually one of the rare exceptions who is kinda halfway on the series. Not to be contrarian I just enjoyed it not a masterpiece or all time favourite for me personally, however 0 was very good
@@erikvaldes4293 agree. see what I did I played 0, then watched all the games in order on RUclips on 2X from kiwami to yakuza 5, then played and completed yakuza 6. So I've experienced the entire kiryu story while only playing two of them but I don't feel like I'm missing out because of how similar they all are. I'll play and buy the spinoffs for sure though so the judgments and yakuza like a dragon but I'll do like one a year so I'm not burned out
@@makefoxhoundgreatagain842 I love the charm of japanese games in general and I love the yakuza story but I have to agree I'm currently playing kiwami and the gameplay at the start really made me think about giving up on it. It gets better after a while but MAN the gameplay is shit for the first few hours. I'm actually glad they changed the fighting in Y7 because at this point I've only played 7-0-k1 and about to play k2 and i'm already getting tired of the same moves over and over. But the story makes it all worth it
@@DopeTracksOnly well kiwami actualyl does have a really in-depth combat system with combos you can do, for that reason i rank it as the best kiryu combat, right above gaiden and then zero. but to each their own. also k2 combat is pretty much a joke, but the one thing it has going for it is that it's the most realistic combat in the series. (no backhit combos, no juggling) it's just pure punching. and for some people thats really good, but for me i die inside each time i get the blockbounce effect. so again, to each their own.
5 is a fantastic game, not my favorite though. The story was crap, especially with that baseball section. Haruka’s gameplay was a great change of pace though
I played 3 hours of 0 on game pass and loved it too much that I brought every game in the steam summer sale, no regrets. I’m halfway through 0 on steam since I had to restart and I’m loving every second
Nice! I'm currently on Kiwami 2. Finished every sub story, the caberet club and clan creator, and am on chapter 13. Super happy to be going through the series.
Yakuza 0 is my favourite because it sets the bar extremely high in my opinion regarding the story and gameplay and I love the cash obsessed vibe of 80s Japan as well. That said Kiwami 2 is the only one out of the rest that actually looks better than 0 imo
I dunno. Haven't played 0 since I started playing the Kiwamis but that Green Effect makes it worse and too many lights that I can't recognise Kamurocho. I do love that you can look around a lot more though. It was kinda limited in 0 and Kiwami. Like you can't look up enough.
@@CrouTonG That's because it uses a new engine. When you play 0 and K1 the combat seems sluggish at first but once you play for 10+ hours it'll be manageable
@@originalvox2530 that’s understandable to a degree because Yakuza zero was in my opinion at least top 3 and was so good that it almost invalidated some of the games that came before it. Yakuza zero revived the entire franchise as a whole. Most of the community knows Yakuza for zero or kiwami, and without zero im pretty sure there wouldn’t be a Yakuza like a dragon or if there was one anyways, it’d likely be delayed.
Playing as Haruka In 5 literally made the series for me. Idk how that can be seen any way other than amazing. Part troll, part love letter to fans. That whole chapter was really Important. Even with how Kiriyu is now in the lore. Yakuza 5 was my favorite so I'm biased. Just finishing list judgement now. I can't wait for 8.
lol that was actually the worst part for me even tho i liked haruka as a character i atleast never really cared to play as her especially being a jpop star i felt like her whole part could’ve been added in as cutscenes for akiyama oh yea another thing i didn’t understand was why the hell did kiryu never care to teach haruka how to fight especially when kiryu has a ton of enemies in his life coming for him
@@brandonhasting2960 pretty sure they touched on why he never taught her to fight in 3. I think it was simply he didnt want her to have a life similar to his at all so he tries to pretend the Yakuza don't exist. But as we all know that doesn't happen.
Same, when I replayed 5 in the remaster collection, I made a separate save at the start of the chapter just so I can do the idol segment. 5 and lost Judgment have weaker stories but are my personal favourites for mingames and side content.
Kiwami 2 is probably my favorite, i also think it has the best system for leveling up Kiryu out of all the games. The graphically improvements from kiwami to kiwami 2 for some reason remind me of a band releasing their second album and blowing everyone away
@@npcunknown9877 I love Kiwami 2 and I like the levelling system because it's easy to max out early but I think that makes it a pretty poor levelling system tbh
Honestly I never could have predicted that game order. I was waiting for 4 to appear so early on because I like 4 a lot but I know most people don't rate it as highly as you do. I respect the decision and your list.
Also I'll say you know this series is amazing if fans argue about if a game is the best or the worst in the series, while generally agreeing that all of the games are still fkn amazing
Yakuza 4 and 5's placements were really interesting to me. I always ranked them right next to eachother, putting 5 higher than 4 because it felt like the stories fell short for all the same reasons. But since side content is such a big factor into my opinions on these games, that makes 5 easily take a higher spot for me.
I fell in love with the Yakuza franchise after completing 0. Very nice to see this video after having just completed 7 a couple weeks ago. I love the video and I can tell your passion behind the series :)
Speaking of Y5, I thought it was honestly refreshing to play as Haruka. After Saejima's chapter, I needed the break from the Yakuza punching. And yeah, the exp grind in LaD is insane, comes out of no where too. I did it by running up and down the Coliseum tower with the game on mute while watching Hulu . . . fight starts, drop a Kiwami group effect, repeat . . . run over to the workshop for weapon upgrades.
Kiwami is interesting because it's actually quite a bit different from the original, same with Kiwami 2. The original version of Yakuza doesn't expect you to know all of the characters, but Kiwami still does a better job at introducing Nishiki and making you care about him as a villain than the original. In the original he's kind of just this menacing guy that you know used to be friends with Kiryu. Mid story you never get to see him except at the funeral, at Serena, and at the end of the game unlike in Kiwami which adds cutscenes of his change as a person.
@@mrsimpleslowmo I mean Kiwami does still add all of those cutscenes so it's not purely that. I'm not disagreeing with you, but it's still better than the original at that at least.
The majima substories in 0 makes me love maji Chan, the more I play as him. Kiryu vs Ryuji was the best boss battles in kiryu’s story. I love the cabaret club mini games in kiwami. I still think like a dragon is my favorite of my yakuza games. I’ve played Hella substories in like a dragon and when I finished played it, I was so satisfied
I gotta agree; yakuza 4 is by far my favourite game of the series. The ost (especially ones that play in long battles), the characters, that crazy finale scene. It’s just top tier 🔥
What the actual hell, your list is basically the same as mine. I'd just switch 6 with 2 and put 5 somewhere higher. Great video. Also Judgment's pretty great but tailing missions and some other mechanics put it down for me.
I've been playing Yakuza series starting with 0 up to 7 was a really great experience. After playing 1-6, I thought I wouldn't want another Protagonist to play the game. Then comes Ichiban, his character is awesome and I liked him a lot. Kiryu, Ichiban and Majima are my favorite MC's in the Yakuza Series. Glad I played this series or I would have missed something that was pretty significant to my life. lmao
Play the judgment games there awesome the new lost judgment fighting is soooo amazing I wish like a dragon was like that I can’t even finish the game I can’t stand the turn based combat
as someone who’s only played 0 and none of the others before beating 7, the story makes plenty of sense with the information available. Partly because of the introduction of the Arakawas, mostly because the brand-new party reacts to the old Yakuza story with relatable obliviousness. YLAD is a great reset for that reason and seems to satisfy the old fans just as much.
Nah I agree I actually recommend people to try 7, every single one of em now is going through the series loving it. Yakuza 7 makes it so obvious that if you want to learn about characters that appeared in the past go play those games, but we don't got time right now.
I started off with 6 literally because of the appearances of NJPW wrestlers in it (which were rendered perfectly) but wound up being so invested in the story, that even though it spoils the franchise on the main menu, I had to pick up all the other main entry games. Had I started with 0, it would have that much more weight whenever Kiryu has had his brushes with death throughout the series, but I still was totally enthralled and entertained by the story
I've just started playing yakuza 0 on the ps+. I'm absolutely loving it. Straight off the bat,them 3 chords on the intro video had me hooked and I haven't played anything else since or even wanted to. I love the randomness of it all serious 1 minute then silly the next. I can't believe I didn't look at these games earlier.
Yakuza 4 has such a good atmosphere, the music and vibe really flesh out the city and make it feel completely different from almost every other game (also 4 has the best soundtrack in the series, only other one that comes close is 6 imo)
@@zoreone-hundred8764 i haven't played Ps2 Y1 or Y4 and only listened to the soundtrack on RUclips. Yakuza 0's instantly gets my adrenaline going; the ones you mentioned are cool but leave me rather cold still. Maybe playing the games would change my mind though who knows; only played 0 and Kiwami so far
@@Jerryx29 yeah listening to them by themselves y0 is easily the most enjoyable, most of the other games need to be experienced with the setting to really appreciate them imo
Even though i don't agree with some of the rankings, this video was VERY well done, thank you for the great video. I haven't sat down and watched a full 22 minute video and paid attention to every word in a while but it was very captivating and appreciate your takes on each game, well done!
"Kiryu feels out of character in Yakuza 3" my man did we play the same game?? it's basically the Yakuza game that established a lot of traits about the Kiryu we know and love, his characterisation in Yakuza 3 was great. but then again Yakuza 3 is the most polarising game in the series, for 80% of people it's either in their top 3 or bottom of the list
Its my first time playing a Yakuza game. I played Like a dragon and im so inlove with the story. It's so good, I cried a lot lol. Im starting 0 today. I know Kiryu, when i met him im still hyped asf lol his aura is just different. Can't wait to play his story
I thought I was the only one who didn’t really enjoy Kiwami. Put me off a lot after playing 0, but playing Kiwami 2 encouraged me to play all the rest too.
@@roguedragoon9212 game play wise no but story wise yes Kwami might be on par with zero the final fight wasn’t that bad either but just off the fact nishiki turning into a cold blooded person after kiryu went to jail and them fighting over a girl which might seem kinda stupid to some ppl but I think it wasn’t the only reason but just off the fact kiryu faced so much lost during that game that you wouldn’t expect is good
@@mj2254 I didn't think it was stupid, you'd be suprised what 2 dudes would do to fight for their love mate, a girl they grew up with and known for 10 years. Regardless that wasn't the main reason, it was show mutliple times everyone thought he was inferior to Kiryu and useless
I'm currently going through the series, finishing the sode content of 4 and I totally loved it. My order so far from best to worst is 0, Kiwami, 4, Kiwami 2, 3. Also gotta shout out Judgment, those two games are amazing
I actually started the series with 3 over 10 years ago, so it has a special place for me. I have yet to play 6 or kawami 2 but i think the series has gotten better with each entry since 4. Also after seeing the teaser for 8 it looks like it could be the craziest entry yet! 😄👍🔥
So many people dislike 3 but for me it was actually one of the most enjoyable because the combat wasn’t as easy as all the others. Opponents all blocking every attack made it more effort to win and I liked that.
i started from 0 almost 2 years ago, and yet 3 still holds a special place in my heart. i just like the atmosphere. and the characters, although a big portion of the game is a pain
Cool this inspired me to play them all. I got to 3 and kind of fell off due to fatigue (did 0, kiwami 1 & 2 back to back) also loved 7 but hearing you say how much better it is with the context of the other games makes me wanna replay it
you should've. realistically you should play 1-6 before you hop into 7 because firstly that's kiryu's story done and you kinda just bypassed the rest of the mainline games lmao and secondly the whiplash from changing gameplay genres will be much stronger if you just go from 0 to 7 or 1-7
Thanks for the video, the series is now on sale on Xbox store so I decided to grab 0 and 6 to start with, then when I'm done with them, also jump into Kiwami 2. I know I should play all of them but time is a rare commodity for me so these will have to do. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind down the line. Either way, good job on the vid. Glad to know there are still dedicated fans of the series out there.
Yakuza 3 deserved the Kiwami treatment! That game is so underrated, the atmosphere is so indredible, and speaking from real world pov, it is perhaps one of the most important entries as it introduced the concept of minigames like karaoke and dynamic intros (the super cool animations/ poses that story bosses do right before they fight you). Those two elements alone are super ingrained into Yakuza's identity. And the story--come on, you can't hate Yakuza 3's secret CIA twin and BLACKU MONDAY! Or what about Majima's fabulous pink truck rescue? Kiryu and Rikiya's love hotel adventure? Not to mention everything involving Mine. There are so many memorable moments it's hard not to ramble. Oh well, even if we can't agree on this I really enjoyed your review. :)
Yakuza 3 is one of my favourite Yakuza games and I don't think it needs a Kiwami, the Kiwami games may improve on the graphics but they also introduce various issues like if you don't care about graphics you could have a better time playing Yakuza 2 over Kiwami 2. Yakuza 3 is recent enough where it doesn't need the graphical enhancements that come with the Kiwami games.
@@jefferythibodeaux5573 people who are mad over the blocking need to learn real skill and not button mashing other than that play the original yakuza 3 if you dont wanna deal with it
It was also the game that showed sega that the series has fans in the west. It wasn’t supposed to be released outside of Japan but fans were signing petitions and making a fan translation just to play it. Sega did eventually release but they cut about 30% of the side content. It wasn’t until yakuza 0 that the series finally got a bigger audience in the west
Surprised that you ranked like a dragon so high despite not digging the turn based combat. Honestly the turn based JRPG fits because of Kasuga’s love for Dragon Quest
Don't wanna go into it but if they were to make it beat em up. Make the Characters around you fight pretty nicely and with the D-Pad you can switch 4 different Characters. That's how I'm seeing it be like. But you can also choose to fight alone before you start the fight. Or just a button Mid fight so you tell your Allies to leave.
I'm with him on that one. I'm not a fan of the turn based combat either, but I understand why they went for it. Hopefully I'll enjoy it more in the next installment. The story, the characters and the soundtrack are what carried the game for me. I'm curious to see what awaits the protagonists.
You can only do street brawling so many times before it gets samey. I like the idea of the turn based combat, and well Judgment exists to somewhat continue the series' normal gameplay
@@cryguy0000 Same can be said about turned base games but to each their own, personally I like fighting people in street brawls even if it is doing the same action, rather than doing the same action in turned based games
Hey this video is great, and I hope you keep on making videos. New and just getting to the end of 0. Dreading having to play Kiwami and 3 before the real good stuff.
One thing I can give Kiwami credit for is the combat. While on the surface it looks just like Y0, I think the few additions they made really made the game's combat pop. Like the L2+R2 move you can do with various buffs and overall balancing of the styles. Makes for some really fun/fast/explosive combos. Then they have to ruin it by making half of the game impossible to beat (on legend) without fighting majima 100x and grinding the coliseum for the Komaki parry and tiger drop.
I think this is the first time I see someone rank 4 and kiwami 2 so high up in the list. Personally I don't like 2 and 4 much because I found many of the story points dumb, but this was a nice video!
I thought kiwami 2 story was pretty decent, altough the music kinda ruined the ending even more. But you can t deny it has the best side content in yakuza. I agree 4 is one of worst though that ending was so forced
Yes same here. I would've ranked 6 low as well. That story was a head scratcher and a migraine provider. Yes I cried at the ending. But honestly things could've turned out better.
I’m in the middle of yakuza 5 right now, but I took a break to finish like a dragon and play some judgment. Kiryus section was amazing, and then saejimas was too slow for me to handle. I haven’t even finished his section yet, it was that slow for me. Him fighting a bear was really dope though.
I hated Saejima's section too but it got worse for me when getting to Haruka's. Swapping combat for QTE song and dance battles broke me. Her training to become a pop star is an interesting idea but would have made more sense in a spin-off game. The karaoke and dancing in other Yakuza games are only fun a small handful of times for me which is why I'm glad they were optional there.
5 is unbearably slow, I love rhythm games but Haruka's part was horrendous. Pacing is all over the place. Also have to mention the final boss' "I don't know why I'm here" lol
Totally agree. I genuinely think that the turn-based combat fits well, considering that Ichiban is a huge Dragon Quest fan and he’s literally imagining his fights as DQ fights. Ichi is much more relatable than Kiryu. Kiryu is basically a god at this point.
Great video I've recently (the 3-4months) have been replaying these games. Spot on about the grind in 7, at least there is Judgment for fans of the action based combat now the mainline series will focus on turn base combat
I heard about Yakuza some years ago, but never thought to try them out. I'm really excited to try all of them. I'm assuming 0 is the one I should start with first? Also, I'm assuming Kiwami 1 & 2 is the remake of the first 2 games?
In all honesty I think every main entry is good. Sure some are better than others but even the “worst” one was a really entertaining game and I would gladly play again. 0 is probably my personal favourite right now but that is subject to change (I’m honestly slowly putting kiwami 2 further and further up my list) and I’m surprisingly liking 3 the more I play it. It’s definitely a struggle to play early on but once you learn that game and unlock better abilities it starts to flourish (and Mine is possibly my favourite boss in the series)
Throughout the entire series. Yakuza 1 was the only game ending that made me cry. But yakuza 7 made me cry more. I can’t wait to see what they do for yakuza 8. I will pre order that game soooo quick!!
Just wanted to thank you for this it was so enjoyable…I didn’t come into this wanting to agree or disagree but just wanted to hear your yakuza journey and I wasn’t disappointed
finally, another yakuza 4 enjoyer. while I don't agree with some placements (I actually liked saejima's part in 5, although I agree the hunting part was slow but the good really outweigh the bad imo) yakuza 4 is such an underrated gem that took many risks and actually managed to pull shit off. story-wise it can be a bit hard to follow, but the joy you get from watching the story is really underappreciated. you didn't mention this but the music is also bonkers and strangely unique for the series
For me, Yakuza Kiwami 1 is my favorite. Kiwami 1 really touched my heart unlike other Yakuza games. Watching everyone Kiryu loves die 1 by 1 and watching Kiryu almost give up on life after everyone he loves is now gone really hurt me. I understand Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 2 maybe ranked the best in the series, but for me Kiwami 1 is my favorite.
Yakuza 5, Yakuza 4, Yakuza 0 are my top 3 Yakuza games, in no specific order, they're just masterpieces, and i love the way they play around with different storylines to then just collide everything into a epic final arc, fucking amazing story telling.
I'm playing Like A Dragon right now and the only other one I had plated was Kiwami so far. Great know basically all the other games are downhill from here haha. But yeah I really dig the turn-based. I'm a Final Fantasy player, and it's nice to be able to kinda relax and choose what you want your next move to be, especially with how full of random encounters the Yakuza series is. The story, mini-games, side stories, and crafting have me taking a break from FF 14 Online for a while, just logging in once per day to maintain my Island Sanctuary basically. I even really enjoyed the Business Management mini-game and love how so long as you like doing that, you never ever have to worry about money again.
This is his opinion my guy.....he even rated yakuza 4 to number 1 which isnt considered as good as some of the games....you should start with 0 honestly....cuz its all really good except 3
I think 7 is underrated. I know the gameplay change is drastic and all but bro I hate rpg games but I liked like a dragon 😂 just an amazing game and I'm not even done with it and I agree with everything you said about kiwami 2, that game is top tier
I played thru the entire series this past year with the pandemic and being stuck at home. You're totally nuts for your choice on #1, I definitely rank 5 and 0 above it. But honestly my top 2 games are 0 and especially Judgment, which has the dopest possible rendition of Kamurocho so far. Like A Dragon was OK but I love the fighting too much. I'll take a Komaki system over Final Fantasy any day. And I'm still team Kiryu over Ichiban.
He isn't nuts haha. The franchise is so good that the diversity between them all is immeasurable. I just be beat 6 and I'm so close to putting it over 0.
Ever noticed there are no weather effects in the Yakuza series except for Yakuza 4 where you have rain? Can't really speak to Like a Dragon yet but I've played it for 23 hours now and no weather changes yet.
Got introduced to yakuza to like a dragon and wow, what a journey that game was, I’ve never been so intrigued by a narrative. Loved the universe all around. I played both judgment games later on and loved both. Now I’m thinking about starting 0 or Kiwami 2.
my favorite games series ever. started with 6 ffrom recommendations from a friend. then went to 0 and went all the way through and replayed 6. loved the games so much i went to japan to some of these places in the game. tried to go to onomichi as well but my last trip got canceled from pandemic.
oof on that onomichi trip, but its so cool that you actually went to the places in yakuza! i'd love to go to the area kamurocho was built off of one day
It's crazy how some people felt they needed to grind in Y7. In my playthrough, it was challenging but never did I have to stay in a dungeon and level up?
Like a Dragon was my first Yakuza that i played, and I can honestly say that not having any context to the second half the story but this story itself and the mentions did not take away ANY enjoyment. I LOVE this game and I hope that if they listen to people wanting the old Yakuza gameplay back, they make it a 2 way battle system like how Bioware did Dragon Age...I'd fucking SNAP if Yakuza 8 is that way. ICHIGOAT
I played 0 almost 4 years ago and it took me 180 hours to do a lot but not all of it. I decided to make this year a yakuza year and play them all to 100% completion even judgment games (also starting 0 over). I'm still on 0 and am 135 hours in with about 90% done but it's still a lot.
Great video though I disagree with some of the rankings, but I do have to laugh at the "the only villain I remember by name" part while saying the name wrong lol.
Playing the Judgement games rn, and I really feel the new dragon engine suits Yagami more than Kiryu. I haven't played Y6 yet, but YK2's combat didn't have the oomph and impact Kiryu's punches should've had. Where as it works with Yagami because he is not a physical beast like Kiryu. For the story, well, Yakuza kiwami 2 is a Yakuza game as it says, and all the stories in the Yakuza games hit.
I see a lot of people saying that, but I've been putting some time in with YK2 right now and I'm really loving it, because the combat feels a bit more realistic/cinematic and scrappy which made some moves even more brutal to me. The only annoyance I have is that the enemy's blocks actually break the flow with Kiryu staggering more. Judging from everyone's personal list though I won't lie that I'm not looking forward to Y3, hopefully, I can handle it when the time comes xd.
At end of it, I feel I had gotten used to it, but it was already too late and I was already on the last chapter. I really liked the side stories though, and I feel an urge to go back in and play it for real. The combat for Yakuza 3 is def the worst in the series. Even though there were other reasons, I took a couple months off playing it to finish it. At the same time, I really liked Mine and his views on loyalty and friendship really endeared me to him. I'm sure you can handle Yakuza 3. After you finish 3 and move onto 4, playing as Akiyama feels so fucking good.
@@HeavenAboveRtas ye I'm definitely looking forward to playing Y4 and 5 as videos of those are the ones that started getting me into yakuza in general. Also looking forward to trying out lost judgement and like a dragon to see some new faces in the same universe.
My personal ranking, from best to worst would be 0, 7, K2, 5, K1, 3, 4, 6. 0 remains the best installment so far forme. I also love 7 even though, like you, I don't like the turn based combat. I miss the fast pace and visceral feeling of excitement of the fights. Sometimes I'd even let the battles play out on automatic cuz I was so bored. But it's definitely a worthwhile experience. Ps: I miss Majima :-(
@@azizvbh I love that you have a different taste than me, I'm currently on 4 and I made it to Tanimura. I gotta beat it so I can get to 5 and then 6, two of my more favorites. I'm at the Florist of Sai's Coliseum on Legend mode in Kiwami 1 but I'm stuck from being injured so bad right before lol Think I can beat Kiwami 1 and 2 on Legend if I beat 0 on Legend?
@@azizvbh Don't worry about it, man, thanks! 0 Was hard, really hard... I had to reload to my last save instead of checkpoint, and that on rails car shooting part... jeeze, and Kiwami 1 has the same recycled stuff (though I guess it was technically first if it was in the original PS2 version)
Yakuza 0, Lost Judgment, Judgment, and Kiwami 2 are my favorites. Yakuza Like a Dragon, I'm rather mixed on, because I did enjoy it at first, but the turn-based stuff, the substories felt a bit too zany even by Yakuza standards IMO, the difficulty spike near the end, and the anitclimactic final boss forced me to dock some points from being truly great. Also, I know Ichiban's supposed to be this loyal guy, but I'm sorry, I couldn't find it as compelling when he got shot and left for dead in Yokohama by his own patriarch after his release.
Just started playing Yakuza 0 on Steam, I'm only about 15 hours in but I already absolutely love how quirky it is and I am sure I will be a fan of the series.
8:11 I mostly gameplay fan. I really enjoyed Haruka's part. Yes, it's very unusual for beat-em-up game. But not for Yakuza game because this franchise may to do everything you can(and can't in the same time) expecting. Hunting wasn't so bad but I have to agree with you. This part is boring after an... Hour I guess? Yakuza 4 is really fantastic. Akiyama and Saejima introduction, new combat styles, it's right after Yakuza 3 and of course * Kamurocho koi no sutory * . Other guy, Tanimura... Well, I didn't remember him well, like Shinada. They have very strange combat styles and story lines. And that final boss of Tanimura was horrible
Kiwami 1 and 0 was my favorite games out of the series. Including 5 being a runner up mainly for the combat. I found 4 being so fucking boring for the most part other than playing as akiyama and saejima. With 3 being one of my most favorite games as well.
Игры
![XO (Only If You Say Yes) - ENHYPEN エンハイプン 엔하이픈 [Music Bank] | KBS WORLD TV 240712](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wBT1bKKwPTo/mqdefault.jpg)
hey! i know a lot of you disagree with my opinions here, hell even i disagree with a few of them now that I've replayed a few of these games, but I still appreciate the watch!
I love this franchise so very much and I'm glad to see that I've made something pertaining to Yakuza that's been seen by quite a few die hard fans.
If this style of video interested you, I would really appreciate it if you'd check out my most recent video "I Beat Every Spider-Man Game" , I spent 4 months working on it and I've improved a LOT since I made this video, but if you're not interested, I completely understand!
Have a great day and thanks for watching!
PS: if you haven't played the judgment games or yakuza 7 because they don't have kiryu, you are SERIOUSLY missing out, I hate to say it because I love Kiryu so much, but they're better than most of the Kiryu games.
@@BozoBenty I'd probably put 4 a bit lower and i'd put 7 & 0 a bit higher after replaying them
Glad to see someone else agrees Yakuza 4 is the best
did you play Judgement and Lost Judgement ? they may not say Yakuza on them but they're Yakuza Games. I just finished Judgement myself and I had a good time with it.
Played Judgment, haven't played 7 or Lost Judgment yet though
This list sucks 🤣🤣
Never seen 5 this low and 4 this high, always fascinating to see people’s opinions. The only thing everyone agrees on is 0 being a masterpiece
I’ve also seen everyone say Judgement is incredible
@@sheevpalps3846 Def Lost Judgment and Judgment are top 2 imo.
@@rhod2486 Whoa excited to play them then
Play Judgment first. Otherwise, it'll feel a little like a slog in comparison to Lost Judgment.
Play Judgment first. Otherwise, it'll feel a little like a slog in comparison to Lost Judgment.
Just started playing 0 and I regret not starting on the series much sooner.
Same bro
Started a year ago
How is the game going for you now?
Premium adventure of like a dragon. 91 hours
@@solidfisher9798 Nice man
never did i get addicted to a game franchise as much a yakuza, amazing games
neither did i, lol already replaying 0 and trying to plat 6 & 7
same
I bought them all on a steam sale, and binged through all of them. Yakuza was my life for like 3 straight months.
Sameee man
The games look great, I'd also recommend movies based on the organization, tells you a lot about the underlying Japanese culture. I think there's even a movie based on this series.
0 was just mind blowing the twists and turns were so much more satisfying then some other yakuza games and it just was a great backstory for majima and kiryu and it was just such an all around amazing experience and amazing story
Easily the best in the series. I just kinda wish I hadn’t played the first. Even though I think Kiwami,Kiwami 2,4,6,and 7 have been great
Agreed. It remains the best in the whole series for me.
0 felt like an actual game and kiryu had best characterisation
0 has everything
Best story, sidestory, humour, bgm everything I can think of
I never liked zero
0 was a blessing and a curse since it was the game I started with. On one hand, the story and gameplay were fantastic, but on the other the narrative was SO good that it actually weakened Kiwami 1’s once I got to it, making it just absolutely pale in comparison.
If they released 6 then started doing Kiwami maybe it would have been better. Maybe instead of being a PS3 game be a PS4 game. Because btw in Japan the game's on PS3 same for 0.
Thats also because how yakuza 1 was dated in comparison and that yakuza 0 was just *chefs kiss
Objectively right cos rgg didn't know what they were doing back in 2005. They improved from there
To me it made Kiwami 1 even more of a gut punch cause we got to bound with Nishiki
same
That’s what I like about yakuza, the games are so solid that everyone’s ranking is different to each other lmao
Exactly, every list is different, for me, 4 is my least favourite so it was interesting to hear about why this guy put 4 at the top
I agree to an extent, with the exception of Yakuza 3 cuz ngl I’ve been playing that game for awhile and it’s hot garbage. So many plot holes, the ai is scuffed, the logic is so bad that you can literally tell from the first battle that they’ve given up on reasonable encounters. But all the other 7 games as far as I’m concerned are great in their own respects.
Except that most people put 4 at the bottom (4 is better than you think)
@@GearMasters988 The combat AI is a problem of the remastered, is a shame when people use a different version and not og version of a game for talk shit about it
@@ornix5761 nah, Yakuza 3 is easily the worst combat wise. Regardless of remaster or not. Played on PS3, PC remaster and Xbox One remaster. All shit
My first Yakuza game was 4 so it will always have a special place in my heart. Yakuza 0 is definitely the best all around though.
hell yes dude, finally another yakuza 4 guy hahaha
@@azizvbh I've watched a playthrough of 4 and Yasuko reminds me of Makoto. That's one thing I gotta say. Also their names end with an O too. Both Looking for their Brothers. Though one knows where He's at. Prison. Well sort of. Plus she went in and out of a City much better than Makoto. I don't think she did too bad than what people are referring. Makoto was actually gonna kill the 3 Captains of the Dojima Family for revenge for her Brother! For Yasuko maybe she could have tried to take out a Loan earlier instead of killing those people. But ey. There's people who'll do anything to save their Family Member. I can Respect that
mind if I ask you why you started with 4? and not something like ps2 yakuza 1, kiwami 1 or 0? (I assume LaD definatly wasn't out then so I won't mention that for that but it would also be a good starting point)
so basically I want to know why you started in the middle basically
My first was 3, then 4 and 5, because of remastered pack on xbox game pass....now on 0, which was my first intro because the bf played it. Amazing series!🥰 and I will play the other 3, too...
@@azizvbh That's what I was gonna say, finally people giving Yakuza 4 the respect it deserves.
Yakuza is one of those series where it's either not for you, or you've memorised every disco song. Very little in-between.
I'm actually one of the rare exceptions who is kinda halfway on the series. Not to be contrarian I just enjoyed it not a masterpiece or all time favourite for me personally, however 0 was very good
@@makefoxhoundgreatagain842 Same the gameplay is pretty poor imo I just play for the story
@@erikvaldes4293 agree. see what I did I played 0, then watched all the games in order on RUclips on 2X from kiwami to yakuza 5, then played and completed yakuza 6. So I've experienced the entire kiryu story while only playing two of them but I don't feel like I'm missing out because of how similar they all are. I'll play and buy the spinoffs for sure though so the judgments and yakuza like a dragon but I'll do like one a year so I'm not burned out
@@makefoxhoundgreatagain842 I love the charm of japanese games in general and I love the yakuza story but I have to agree I'm currently playing kiwami and the gameplay at the start really made me think about giving up on it. It gets better after a while but MAN the gameplay is shit for the first few hours. I'm actually glad they changed the fighting in Y7 because at this point I've only played 7-0-k1 and about to play k2 and i'm already getting tired of the same moves over and over. But the story makes it all worth it
@@DopeTracksOnly well kiwami actualyl does have a really in-depth combat system with combos you can do, for that reason i rank it as the best kiryu combat, right above gaiden and then zero. but to each their own. also k2 combat is pretty much a joke, but the one thing it has going for it is that it's the most realistic combat in the series. (no backhit combos, no juggling) it's just pure punching. and for some people thats really good, but for me i die inside each time i get the blockbounce effect. so again, to each their own.
I feel like that for Yakuza fans, 5 is either one of their least favorite in the series, or their favorite.
5 is a fantastic game, not my favorite though. The story was crap, especially with that baseball section. Haruka’s gameplay was a great change of pace though
I think it tried many new things to pave the way for Y0
We all know the main reason of that is one particular chapter.
You know wich one i'm talking about. Haruka's. You either absolutly love it or hate it.
@@stevenpham1044 You hated shinada? He's the best fucking character in the game, though!
@@DanielFerreira-ez8qd I loved shinada as a character, not his story and involvement.
I played 3 hours of 0 on game pass and loved it too much that I brought every game in the steam summer sale, no regrets. I’m halfway through 0 on steam since I had to restart and I’m loving every second
Update where you at
Nice! I'm currently on Kiwami 2. Finished every sub story, the caberet club and clan creator, and am on chapter 13. Super happy to be going through the series.
@@diavolo6753 sorry for the month late response but i havent touched it for a month or so, life has been really busy
@@mtlcatgrl hate to see it
@@wanderingmiqote9606 Did you get stuck on the Haruka karaoke like i did?
Yakuza 0 is my favourite because it sets the bar extremely high in my opinion regarding the story and gameplay and I love the cash obsessed vibe of 80s Japan as well. That said Kiwami 2 is the only one out of the rest that actually looks better than 0 imo
I dunno. Haven't played 0 since I started playing the Kiwamis but that Green Effect makes it worse and too many lights that I can't recognise Kamurocho. I do love that you can look around a lot more though. It was kinda limited in 0 and Kiwami. Like you can't look up enough.
for me it seemed like kiwami 2 had a sluggish weird gameplay mechanics mostly noticed in fights when compared to kiwami 1 and yakuza 0.
@@CrouTonG That's because it uses a new engine. When you play 0 and K1 the combat seems sluggish at first but once you play for 10+ hours it'll be manageable
What about 6? Graphics are pretty
@@angelusvastator1297 Unless you play on a toaster like me. Then you have to setrender scale to 50% and everything to lowest. Same for Kiwami 2.
Yakuza kiwami 1 I actually found to be incredible game, I’m surprised you put it so low
After Yakuza 0 i found Yakuza Kiwami as boring af game.
@@originalvox2530 that’s understandable to a degree because Yakuza zero was in my opinion at least top 3 and was so good that it almost invalidated some of the games that came before it. Yakuza zero revived the entire franchise as a whole. Most of the community knows Yakuza for zero or kiwami, and without zero im pretty sure there wouldn’t be a Yakuza like a dragon or if there was one anyways, it’d likely be delayed.
i still love kiwami 1, it's just that i loved it less than the other games
Tiger drop in kiwami was 👌👌👌👌👌
To me it's the boring plot and meaningless quests changed my opinion about it
> it’s the only name I remember
> proceeds to butcher the name
Playing as Haruka In 5 literally made the series for me. Idk how that can be seen any way other than amazing. Part troll, part love letter to fans. That whole chapter was really Important. Even with how Kiriyu is now in the lore. Yakuza 5 was my favorite so I'm biased. Just finishing list judgement now. I can't wait for 8.
lol that was actually the worst part for me even tho i liked haruka as a character i atleast never really cared to play as her especially being a jpop star i felt like her whole part could’ve been added in as cutscenes for akiyama oh yea another thing i didn’t understand was why the hell did kiryu never care to teach haruka how to fight especially when kiryu has a ton of enemies in his life coming for him
@@brandonhasting2960 pretty sure they touched on why he never taught her to fight in 3. I think it was simply he didnt want her to have a life similar to his at all so he tries to pretend the Yakuza don't exist. But as we all know that doesn't happen.
Same, when I replayed 5 in the remaster collection, I made a separate save at the start of the chapter just so I can do the idol segment. 5 and lost Judgment have weaker stories but are my personal favourites for mingames and side content.
I agree with you and 5 is the game I enjoyed the least in the franchise, Haruka’s part is great.
Just finished Kiwami 2. The showdown with Goda Ryuji is one of my favorite final boss moments ever.
Only yakuza game ive actually platinumed… Ryuji was such a savage tho
Kiwami 2 is probably my favorite, i also think it has the best system for leveling up Kiryu out of all the games.
The graphically improvements from kiwami to kiwami 2 for some reason remind me of a band releasing their second album and blowing everyone away
@@npcunknown9877 I love Kiwami 2 and I like the levelling system because it's easy to max out early but I think that makes it a pretty poor levelling system tbh
Started yakuza 0 3 days ago, and I’m blown away, now I wanna play every single game
Do it. I'm currently on Yakuza 5 and don't regret it so far.
HELL YES!!!! enjoy the ride my friend!
@@azizvbh I’ll try to, thanks
4 months later have you touched the other games in the franchise
@@qrillionaire I’m currently playing yakuza kiwami on my channel and I’m lovin it, you can check it out if you want.
Honestly I never could have predicted that game order. I was waiting for 4 to appear so early on because I like 4 a lot but I know most people don't rate it as highly as you do. I respect the decision and your list.
Also I'll say you know this series is amazing if fans argue about if a game is the best or the worst in the series, while generally agreeing that all of the games are still fkn amazing
For me the only exception is 7 which i think is ruined by its gameplay. I love good turn-based jrpgs but imo yakuza 7 is not one.
@@doughnut5945 I agree. That's why I'm not touching it. I just beat 6 and played 0-5. The tension decreases when it's turn based
Except 3
I love the fact goda is in yakuza 0 and you literally see how he begins
Also fyi for like a dragon they did the turn based cus they showed it off as a april fools joke but fans loved it so much they made it real
Yakuza 4 and 5's placements were really interesting to me. I always ranked them right next to eachother, putting 5 higher than 4 because it felt like the stories fell short for all the same reasons. But since side content is such a big factor into my opinions on these games, that makes 5 easily take a higher spot for me.
I fell in love with the Yakuza franchise after completing 0. Very nice to see this video after having just completed 7 a couple weeks ago. I love the video and I can tell your passion behind the series :)
Gotta give props for reviewing every game with no spoilers to any of them.
Speaking of Y5, I thought it was honestly refreshing to play as Haruka. After Saejima's chapter, I needed the break from the Yakuza punching. And yeah, the exp grind in LaD is insane, comes out of no where too. I did it by running up and down the Coliseum tower with the game on mute while watching Hulu . . . fight starts, drop a Kiwami group effect, repeat . . . run over to the workshop for weapon upgrades.
I agree Yakuza 3 is weakest, but skip? Never.
Thank you. There was this kid who said he played all and said it’s okay to skip. It bothered me.
Kiwami is interesting because it's actually quite a bit different from the original, same with Kiwami 2. The original version of Yakuza doesn't expect you to know all of the characters, but Kiwami still does a better job at introducing Nishiki and making you care about him as a villain than the original. In the original he's kind of just this menacing guy that you know used to be friends with Kiryu. Mid story you never get to see him except at the funeral, at Serena, and at the end of the game unlike in Kiwami which adds cutscenes of his change as a person.
Nah it's Yakuza 0 effect
@@mrsimpleslowmo I mean Kiwami does still add all of those cutscenes so it's not purely that. I'm not disagreeing with you, but it's still better than the original at that at least.
The great thing with Yakuza series is, even the worst is really good.
The majima substories in 0 makes me love maji Chan, the more I play as him. Kiryu vs Ryuji was the best boss battles in kiryu’s story. I love the cabaret club mini games in kiwami. I still think like a dragon is my favorite of my yakuza games. I’ve played Hella substories in like a dragon and when I finished played it, I was so satisfied
I gotta agree; yakuza 4 is by far my favourite game of the series. The ost (especially ones that play in long battles), the characters, that crazy finale scene. It’s just top tier 🔥
i am absolutely inlove with saejima, he's my favorite character in anything ever.
What the actual hell, your list is basically the same as mine. I'd just switch 6 with 2 and put 5 somewhere higher. Great video.
Also Judgment's pretty great but tailing missions and some other mechanics put it down for me.
I've been playing Yakuza series starting with 0 up to 7 was a really great experience. After playing 1-6, I thought I wouldn't want another Protagonist to play the game. Then comes Ichiban, his character is awesome and I liked him a lot. Kiryu, Ichiban and Majima are my favorite MC's in the Yakuza Series. Glad I played this series or I would have missed something that was pretty significant to my life. lmao
Play the judgment games there awesome the new lost judgment fighting is soooo amazing I wish like a dragon was like that I can’t even finish the game I can’t stand the turn based combat
yeh now start judgment, tbh there amazing as well, hell id rate judgment as the 2nd best game after yakuza 0 if you included it with them
@@ronuss I've played judgment but only the first one. And I'm not yet done with it because I want to finish the Drone Minigame first. lmao.
@@caoimhinyt9765 i hear ya, that game is amazing lol
as someone who’s only played 0 and none of the others before beating 7, the story makes plenty of sense with the information available. Partly because of the introduction of the Arakawas, mostly because the brand-new party reacts to the old Yakuza story with relatable obliviousness. YLAD is a great reset for that reason and seems to satisfy the old fans just as much.
Bruh...
Nah I agree I actually recommend people to try 7, every single one of em now is going through the series loving it. Yakuza 7 makes it so obvious that if you want to learn about characters that appeared in the past go play those games, but we don't got time right now.
I started off with 6 literally because of the appearances of NJPW wrestlers in it (which were rendered perfectly) but wound up being so invested in the story, that even though it spoils the franchise on the main menu, I had to pick up all the other main entry games. Had I started with 0, it would have that much more weight whenever Kiryu has had his brushes with death throughout the series, but I still was totally enthralled and entertained by the story
I've just started playing yakuza 0 on the ps+. I'm absolutely loving it. Straight off the bat,them 3 chords on the intro video had me hooked and I haven't played anything else since or even wanted to. I love the randomness of it all serious 1 minute then silly the next. I can't believe I didn't look at these games earlier.
Yakuza 4 has such a good atmosphere, the music and vibe really flesh out the city and make it feel completely different from almost every other game (also 4 has the best soundtrack in the series, only other one that comes close is 6 imo)
Yakuza 0 soundtrack: am i a joke to you?
@@Jerryx29 0's soundtrack still slaps but in terms of setting the mood doesn't hold up against y4 or ps2 y1
@@zoreone-hundred8764 i haven't played Ps2 Y1 or Y4 and only listened to the soundtrack on RUclips. Yakuza 0's instantly gets my adrenaline going; the ones you mentioned are cool but leave me rather cold still. Maybe playing the games would change my mind though who knows; only played 0 and Kiwami so far
@@Jerryx29 yeah listening to them by themselves y0 is easily the most enjoyable, most of the other games need to be experienced with the setting to really appreciate them imo
For faith
Even though i don't agree with some of the rankings, this video was VERY well done, thank you for the great video. I haven't sat down and watched a full 22 minute video and paid attention to every word in a while but it was very captivating and appreciate your takes on each game, well done!
"Kiryu feels out of character in Yakuza 3" my man did we play the same game?? it's basically the Yakuza game that established a lot of traits about the Kiryu we know and love, his characterisation in Yakuza 3 was great. but then again Yakuza 3 is the most polarising game in the series, for 80% of people it's either in their top 3 or bottom of the list
Like a dragon was my introduction to the series and my god it was phenomenal 10/10 I can’t wait for the new one dropping!
Its my first time playing a Yakuza game. I played Like a dragon and im so inlove with the story. It's so good, I cried a lot lol. Im starting 0 today. I know Kiryu, when i met him im still hyped asf lol his aura is just different. Can't wait to play his story
I thought I was the only one who didn’t really enjoy Kiwami. Put me off a lot after playing 0, but playing Kiwami 2 encouraged me to play all the rest too.
Nah I genuinely think kiwami and kiwami 2 are my least favorite games in the series by a wide margin. I don’t even think I finished kiwami 2.
@@harrylane4 wtf kiwami 1 is 100 percent top 4 and 2 is the worst
@@roguedragoon9212 game play wise no but story wise yes Kwami might be on par with zero the final fight wasn’t that bad either but just off the fact nishiki turning into a cold blooded person after kiryu went to jail and them fighting over a girl which might seem kinda stupid to some ppl but I think it wasn’t the only reason but just off the fact kiryu faced so much lost during that game that you wouldn’t expect is good
@@mj2254 I didn't think it was stupid, you'd be suprised what 2 dudes would do to fight for their love mate, a girl they grew up with and known for 10 years. Regardless that wasn't the main reason, it was show mutliple times everyone thought he was inferior to Kiryu and useless
@@crazymadstriker766 exactly and seeing how they made him switch from a bitch to a straight killer is why I like nishiki so much
nice video man. i was looking at the yakuza franchise and this vid helped me decide where to start. subbed!
I'm currently going through the series, finishing the sode content of 4 and I totally loved it. My order so far from best to worst is 0, Kiwami, 4, Kiwami 2, 3. Also gotta shout out Judgment, those two games are amazing
I actually started the series with 3 over 10 years ago, so it has a special place for me. I have yet to play 6 or kawami 2 but i think the series has gotten better with each entry since 4. Also after seeing the teaser for 8 it looks like it could be the craziest entry yet! 😄👍🔥
So many people dislike 3 but for me it was actually one of the most enjoyable because the combat wasn’t as easy as all the others. Opponents all blocking every attack made it more effort to win and I liked that.
i started from 0 almost 2 years ago, and yet 3 still holds a special place in my heart. i just like the atmosphere. and the characters, although a big portion of the game is a pain
Cool this inspired me to play them all. I got to 3 and kind of fell off due to fatigue (did 0, kiwami 1 & 2 back to back) also loved 7 but hearing you say how much better it is with the context of the other games makes me wanna replay it
An amazing game series! Also, all the hostesses research for each new entry kept me quite busy.
Just finished Yakuza 0 and its definitely in my top list of games, 9 hours into Yakuza 7 but wondering if I should play Kiwami first...
you should've. realistically you should play 1-6 before you hop into 7 because firstly that's kiryu's story done and you kinda just bypassed the rest of the mainline games lmao and secondly the whiplash from changing gameplay genres will be much stronger if you just go from 0 to 7 or 1-7
I am currently near the end of 4, beat 0-3, definitely best to do the series in order imo
@@kami_vega bro we're talking about the Yakuza fanbase here. They either play 0 and kiwami or 7 only and leave
Starting from Yakuza 2 on PS2 really puts your perspective on these games even more differently.
Thanks for the video, the series is now on sale on Xbox store so I decided to grab 0 and 6 to start with, then when I'm done with them, also jump into Kiwami 2. I know I should play all of them but time is a rare commodity for me so these will have to do. Who knows, maybe I'll change my mind down the line.
Either way, good job on the vid. Glad to know there are still dedicated fans of the series out there.
Yakuza 3 deserved the Kiwami treatment! That game is so underrated, the atmosphere is so indredible, and speaking from real world pov, it is perhaps one of the most important entries as it introduced the concept of minigames like karaoke and dynamic intros (the super cool animations/ poses that story bosses do right before they fight you). Those two elements alone are super ingrained into Yakuza's identity. And the story--come on, you can't hate Yakuza 3's secret CIA twin and BLACKU MONDAY! Or what about Majima's fabulous pink truck rescue? Kiryu and Rikiya's love hotel adventure? Not to mention everything involving Mine. There are so many memorable moments it's hard not to ramble. Oh well, even if we can't agree on this I really enjoyed your review. :)
Yakuza 3 is one of my favourite Yakuza games and I don't think it needs a Kiwami, the Kiwami games may improve on the graphics but they also introduce various issues like if you don't care about graphics you could have a better time playing Yakuza 2 over Kiwami 2. Yakuza 3 is recent enough where it doesn't need the graphical enhancements that come with the Kiwami games.
I don’t understand people saying it was hard, yea ai blocked a lot but certainly not hard required more tactics than “punch punch, kick”
@@jefferythibodeaux5573 people who are mad over the blocking need to learn real skill and not button mashing other than that play the original yakuza 3 if you dont wanna deal with it
@@imliterallyadachi ah yes, spamming the same 2 techniques that you get halfway through the game and cheesing is real skill
It was also the game that showed sega that the series has fans in the west. It wasn’t supposed to be released outside of Japan but fans were signing petitions and making a fan translation just to play it. Sega did eventually release but they cut about 30% of the side content. It wasn’t until yakuza 0 that the series finally got a bigger audience in the west
Surprised that you ranked like a dragon so high despite not digging the turn based combat. Honestly the turn based JRPG fits because of Kasuga’s love for Dragon Quest
Don't wanna go into it but if they were to make it beat em up. Make the Characters around you fight pretty nicely and with the D-Pad you can switch 4 different Characters. That's how I'm seeing it be like. But you can also choose to fight alone before you start the fight. Or just a button Mid fight so you tell your Allies to leave.
I'm with him on that one. I'm not a fan of the turn based combat either, but I understand why they went for it. Hopefully I'll enjoy it more in the next installment. The story, the characters and the soundtrack are what carried the game for me. I'm curious to see what awaits the protagonists.
You can only do street brawling so many times before it gets samey. I like the idea of the turn based combat, and well Judgment exists to somewhat continue the series' normal gameplay
@@cryguy0000 judgment proves brawler ain't stale
@@cryguy0000 Same can be said about turned base games but to each their own, personally I like fighting people in street brawls even if it is doing the same action, rather than doing the same action in turned based games
Your content is amazing bro. I am sorry that I am Spanish, so I can't understand all that you said. But I like it
yo gracias mi amigo, i can't speak spanish lol
Hey this video is great, and I hope you keep on making videos. New and just getting to the end of 0. Dreading having to play Kiwami and 3 before the real good stuff.
One thing I can give Kiwami credit for is the combat. While on the surface it looks just like Y0, I think the few additions they made really made the game's combat pop. Like the L2+R2 move you can do with various buffs and overall balancing of the styles. Makes for some really fun/fast/explosive combos. Then they have to ruin it by making half of the game impossible to beat (on legend) without fighting majima 100x and grinding the coliseum for the Komaki parry and tiger drop.
I think this is the first time I see someone rank 4 and kiwami 2 so high up in the list. Personally I don't like 2 and 4 much because I found many of the story points dumb, but this was a nice video!
I thought kiwami 2 story was pretty decent, altough the music kinda ruined the ending even more. But you can t deny it has the best side content in yakuza. I agree 4 is one of worst though that ending was so forced
and that's fine too! i'm a bit of a monkey brain when it comes to video games so i just like whatevers fun haha
Rubber bullet
@@qrillionaire rubber bodies, rubber assassinations, etc
Yes same here. I would've ranked 6 low as well. That story was a head scratcher and a migraine provider. Yes I cried at the ending. But honestly things could've turned out better.
I’m in the middle of yakuza 5 right now, but I took a break to finish like a dragon and play some judgment.
Kiryus section was amazing, and then saejimas was too slow for me to handle. I haven’t even finished his section yet, it was that slow for me. Him fighting a bear was really dope though.
Saejima’s section was an absolute drag. The only highlights were the prison escape, the bear fight and the final fight of the chapter.
I hated Saejima's section too but it got worse for me when getting to Haruka's. Swapping combat for QTE song and dance battles broke me. Her training to become a pop star is an interesting idea but would have made more sense in a spin-off game. The karaoke and dancing in other Yakuza games are only fun a small handful of times for me which is why I'm glad they were optional there.
5 is unbearably slow, I love rhythm games but Haruka's part was horrendous. Pacing is all over the place. Also have to mention the final boss' "I don't know why I'm here" lol
oh, and it took me 18 months to beat this game, just because how bored I was
5 seconds in and I’m already happy you actually pronounced the title right instead of saying Ya-Coo-za
7 combat actually fits yakuza to a tea. Icihi seeing the world like that is yakuza af
0 got me into the series. i fell in love with it after that. the attention to detail is astounding
Yakuza like a dragon had me playing nonstop for hours watching so many videos on the game it’s my personal favorite out of the whole series
Totally agree. I genuinely think that the turn-based combat fits well, considering that Ichiban is a huge Dragon Quest fan and he’s literally imagining his fights as DQ fights. Ichi is much more relatable than Kiryu. Kiryu is basically a god at this point.
@@ThallIsTheLaw I couldn’t agree more :)
Great video
I've recently (the 3-4months) have been replaying these games.
Spot on about the grind in 7, at least there is Judgment for fans of the action based combat now the mainline series will focus on turn base combat
I heard about Yakuza some years ago, but never thought to try them out. I'm really excited to try all of them. I'm assuming 0 is the one I should start with first? Also, I'm assuming Kiwami 1 & 2 is the remake of the first 2 games?
In all honesty I think every main entry is good. Sure some are better than others but even the “worst” one was a really entertaining game and I would gladly play again.
0 is probably my personal favourite right now but that is subject to change (I’m honestly slowly putting kiwami 2 further and further up my list) and I’m surprisingly liking 3 the more I play it. It’s definitely a struggle to play early on but once you learn that game and unlock better abilities it starts to flourish (and Mine is possibly my favourite boss in the series)
Combat in 3 is the best because it’s actually a challenge.
Throughout the entire series. Yakuza 1 was the only game ending that made me cry. But yakuza 7 made me cry more. I can’t wait to see what they do for yakuza 8. I will pre order that game soooo quick!!
Wow I still haven’t finished 7 and I love the series
Yes! I loved the ending to 1!!! It left me speechless!!!
Just wanted to thank you for this it was so enjoyable…I didn’t come into this wanting to agree or disagree but just wanted to hear your yakuza journey and I wasn’t disappointed
sorry for the late reply lol but thank you so much for this comment ❤
finally, another yakuza 4 enjoyer. while I don't agree with some placements (I actually liked saejima's part in 5, although I agree the hunting part was slow but the good really outweigh the bad imo) yakuza 4 is such an underrated gem that took many risks and actually managed to pull shit off. story-wise it can be a bit hard to follow, but the joy you get from watching the story is really underappreciated. you didn't mention this but the music is also bonkers and strangely unique for the series
I don't have a least favorite or favorite i just love this franchise i even love the zombie game Yakuza Dead Souls
Y2 villain is the only Yakuza villain I remember the name... Ryu Goda
solid video dude my list is literally the same also carti pfp fire
For me, Yakuza Kiwami 1 is my favorite. Kiwami 1 really touched my heart unlike other Yakuza games. Watching everyone Kiryu loves die 1 by 1 and watching Kiryu almost give up on life after everyone he loves is now gone really hurt me. I understand Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 2 maybe ranked the best in the series, but for me Kiwami 1 is my favorite.
Yakuza 5, Yakuza 4, Yakuza 0 are my top 3 Yakuza games, in no specific order, they're just masterpieces, and i love the way they play around with different storylines to then just collide everything into a epic final arc, fucking amazing story telling.
I like all I got no tops played this series sense ps2 ps3 now we playing on ps5
I'm playing Like A Dragon right now and the only other one I had plated was Kiwami so far. Great know basically all the other games are downhill from here haha. But yeah I really dig the turn-based. I'm a Final Fantasy player, and it's nice to be able to kinda relax and choose what you want your next move to be, especially with how full of random encounters the Yakuza series is. The story, mini-games, side stories, and crafting have me taking a break from FF 14 Online for a while, just logging in once per day to maintain my Island Sanctuary basically. I even really enjoyed the Business Management mini-game and love how so long as you like doing that, you never ever have to worry about money again.
This is his opinion my guy.....he even rated yakuza 4 to number 1 which isnt considered as good as some of the games....you should start with 0 honestly....cuz its all really good except 3
I think 7 is underrated. I know the gameplay change is drastic and all but bro I hate rpg games but I liked like a dragon 😂 just an amazing game and I'm not even done with it and I agree with everything you said about kiwami 2, that game is top tier
Yeah 7 is my first game of the series and I actually enjoy it more than the others. x)
7 is definitely my favorite of the whole series.
I played thru the entire series this past year with the pandemic and being stuck at home. You're totally nuts for your choice on #1, I definitely rank 5 and 0 above it. But honestly my top 2 games are 0 and especially Judgment, which has the dopest possible rendition of Kamurocho so far. Like A Dragon was OK but I love the fighting too much. I'll take a Komaki system over Final Fantasy any day. And I'm still team Kiryu over Ichiban.
sorry, im a akiyama simp
@@azizvbh me to
He isn't nuts haha. The franchise is so good that the diversity between them all is immeasurable. I just be beat 6 and I'm so close to putting it over 0.
Ever noticed there are no weather effects in the Yakuza series except for Yakuza 4 where you have rain? Can't really speak to Like a Dragon yet but I've played it for 23 hours now and no weather changes yet.
Got introduced to yakuza to like a dragon and wow, what a journey that game was, I’ve never been so intrigued by a narrative. Loved the universe all around. I played both judgment games later on and loved both. Now I’m thinking about starting 0 or Kiwami 2.
Definitely start with 0 then kiwami
my favorite games series ever. started with 6 ffrom recommendations from a friend. then went to 0 and went all the way through and replayed 6. loved the games so much i went to japan to some of these places in the game. tried to go to onomichi as well but my last trip got canceled from pandemic.
oof on that onomichi trip, but its so cool that you actually went to the places in yakuza! i'd love to go to the area kamurocho was built off of one day
@@azizvbh careful you may wander these streets and hear someone say KIRYUUU CHAAAN
My Top:
0.-Judgment
1.-Yakuza 5
2.-Yakuza 0
3.-Yakuza 3
4.-Yakuza Kiwami
5.-Yakuza Kiwami 2
6.-Yakuza 4
(I still have to play 6 and finish 7)
just got a ps5 and played the judgment remaster, honestly kinda agree with it at number 1 LMFAOOO its such a good game can't wait for the sequel
Thanks man. Nice!
Just starter kawami.
My 1st time playing yakuza
It's crazy how some people felt they needed to grind in Y7. In my playthrough, it was challenging but never did I have to stay in a dungeon and level up?
Like a Dragon was my first Yakuza that i played, and I can honestly say that not having any context to the second half the story but this story itself and the mentions did not take away ANY enjoyment. I LOVE this game and I hope that if they listen to people wanting the old Yakuza gameplay back, they make it a 2 way battle system like how Bioware did Dragon Age...I'd fucking SNAP if Yakuza 8 is that way. ICHIGOAT
Old Yakuza gameplay want come back compy don't care what fans want no more
I love all the Yakuza games.
so do i lol
I really liked 3 shamelessly. I had fun at the orphanage, Okinawa was a refreshing change & I f*cking loved Mine. Only issue was the blocking.
I've already played 8 games (played the Judgment games too). I'm at Yakuza 4. This series become my favourite series ever. So amazing games!
Like A Dragon was my first Yakuza game, and it made me want to get into the rest of the series.
Currently going through Zero.
I played 0 almost 4 years ago and it took me 180 hours to do a lot but not all of it. I decided to make this year a yakuza year and play them all to 100% completion even judgment games (also starting 0 over). I'm still on 0 and am 135 hours in with about 90% done but it's still a lot.
Great video though I disagree with some of the rankings, but I do have to laugh at the "the only villain I remember by name" part while saying the name wrong lol.
Please dont skip 3 its actaully so good
Playing the Judgement games rn, and I really feel the new dragon engine suits Yagami more than Kiryu. I haven't played Y6 yet, but YK2's combat didn't have the oomph and impact Kiryu's punches should've had. Where as it works with Yagami because he is not a physical beast like Kiryu. For the story, well, Yakuza kiwami 2 is a Yakuza game as it says, and all the stories in the Yakuza games hit.
I see a lot of people saying that, but I've been putting some time in with YK2 right now and I'm really loving it, because the combat feels a bit more realistic/cinematic and scrappy which made some moves even more brutal to me. The only annoyance I have is that the enemy's blocks actually break the flow with Kiryu staggering more.
Judging from everyone's personal list though I won't lie that I'm not looking forward to Y3, hopefully, I can handle it when the time comes xd.
At end of it, I feel I had gotten used to it, but it was already too late and I was already on the last chapter. I really liked the side stories though, and I feel an urge to go back in and play it for real.
The combat for Yakuza 3 is def the worst in the series. Even though there were other reasons, I took a couple months off playing it to finish it. At the same time, I really liked Mine and his views on loyalty and friendship really endeared me to him.
I'm sure you can handle Yakuza 3. After you finish 3 and move onto 4, playing as Akiyama feels so fucking good.
@@HeavenAboveRtas ye I'm definitely looking forward to playing Y4 and 5 as videos of those are the ones that started getting me into yakuza in general.
Also looking forward to trying out lost judgement and like a dragon to see some new faces in the same universe.
Yakuza 6 deserved a better place its amazing
Thank you for making this video without any spoilers :) But I don´t agree with fighting style of like a dragon, I find him perfect.
My personal ranking, from best to worst would be 0, 7, K2, 5, K1, 3, 4, 6. 0 remains the best installment so far forme. I also love 7 even though, like you, I don't like the turn based combat. I miss the fast pace and visceral feeling of excitement of the fights. Sometimes I'd even let the battles play out on automatic cuz I was so bored. But it's definitely a worthwhile experience.
Ps: I miss Majima :-(
Ouch, 4 ahead of Kiwami? I can't even pick between Kiwami 1 and 0. I think I'm in a fan category all by myself :(
they're all really good games this was a very hard list to make haha
@@azizvbh I love that you have a different taste than me, I'm currently on 4 and I made it to Tanimura. I gotta beat it so I can get to 5 and then 6, two of my more favorites. I'm at the Florist of Sai's Coliseum on Legend mode in Kiwami 1 but I'm stuck from being injured so bad right before lol
Think I can beat Kiwami 1 and 2 on Legend if I beat 0 on Legend?
@@RossWyatt a bit of a late response but hell yeah dude legend mode is very doable
@@azizvbh Don't worry about it, man, thanks! 0 Was hard, really hard... I had to reload to my last save instead of checkpoint, and that on rails car shooting part... jeeze, and Kiwami 1 has the same recycled stuff (though I guess it was technically first if it was in the original PS2 version)
Yakuza 0, Lost Judgment, Judgment, and Kiwami 2 are my favorites. Yakuza Like a Dragon, I'm rather mixed on, because I did enjoy it at first, but the turn-based stuff, the substories felt a bit too zany even by Yakuza standards IMO, the difficulty spike near the end, and the anitclimactic final boss forced me to dock some points from being truly great. Also, I know Ichiban's supposed to be this loyal guy, but I'm sorry, I couldn't find it as compelling when he got shot and left for dead in Yokohama by his own patriarch after his release.
Totally agree 👍.
Just started playing Yakuza 0 on Steam, I'm only about 15 hours in but I already absolutely love how quirky it is and I am sure I will be a fan of the series.
I started on judgement 1 and 2, playing O now. Judgement 1 was masterpiece. So excited to play the rest
8:11
I mostly gameplay fan. I really enjoyed Haruka's part. Yes, it's very unusual for beat-em-up game. But not for Yakuza game because this franchise may to do everything you can(and can't in the same time) expecting. Hunting wasn't so bad but I have to agree with you. This part is boring after an... Hour I guess?
Yakuza 4 is really fantastic. Akiyama and Saejima introduction, new combat styles, it's right after Yakuza 3 and of course * Kamurocho koi no sutory * . Other guy, Tanimura... Well, I didn't remember him well, like Shinada. They have very strange combat styles and story lines. And that final boss of Tanimura was horrible
Kiwami 1 and 0 was my favorite games out of the series. Including 5 being a runner up mainly for the combat. I found 4 being so fucking boring for the most part other than playing as akiyama and saejima. With 3 being one of my most favorite games as well.
Saejima in 4 was painful to play as
"Genuinely the only villain I remember by name"
"Ryu Goda" XD
loved this vid man. Congrats
You can picture the entire series as a tv show with every game being a season.
For me from least to best it's: 4