Thank you for your time! Looking back, there are certain points in the video I wish I'd elaborated upon further, particularly with chapter two. The way it stands, it may have come off as simply dunking on one character to elevate another's qualities, but the intention was to show just how tricky such amitious writing can be to execute to its fullest intended potential. Here's to hoping that a dedicated Gaiden spin-off can help iron out the unrefined aspects, in order to turn him into the diamond he deserves to be. It did wonders for Shishido, after all. With all of that in mind, I'll do my best to take any and all constructive feedback from this video to heart, in order to improve my subsequent video analyses on that character, when the time for them comes. Thank you :)
The fact that Kiryu and Shishido has Awano's left reverse wheel kick as the Ultimate Counter and Mortal Attack respectively is just so ironic to me… Felt like it was done on purpose.
I never truly cared for Shishido until he gave THAT SPEECH and an army of battered Omi Grunts gathered to his words like zombies, it was SOOOOO badass and it just left me gasping his name like "YOU GOTTA STOP YOU RE TOO COOL"
Shishido not only is the coolest looking Yakuza antagonist but also just badass in general, I mean the way he pulled Majimas Demon-Fire Dagger out of his hand with his teeth or how he stomped down the katana Kiryu uses in his final boss fight, Shishido is just a fucking legend
that part before the QTE in the final boss where Kiryu punches down his kicks was so insane to see and a good physical representation of how badly shishido wanted it, and how Kiryu had to literally beat his hopes back down like a hammer on a nail. This probably replaces kuwana for my favorite antagonist ever. Kuwana's still more emotionally complicated and a good person imo, but Shishido is just the embodiment of the dream that kiryu held when he followed in kazama's footsteps, and the dream that made so many give so much to these clans
I think he is one of the reasons this game became so special. What really could have been a redundant and superficial experience to tie us over until Infinite Wealth, instead became one of the best games in the series for me. A large part is how incredibly Shishido was handled.
I really liked Shishido. the way they lead to him being the boss was masterfully done to me. And his speech before the fight has to be one of the best in the series.
Shisido is one of the reason Gaiden resonated me so much as a fan is he signifies the end to the Yakuza life but also giving Kiryu some closure he needed over the past 30 years since Yakuza 0.
I think the phrase "Written on his face" is quite fitting for Shishido, even in a literal sense. This guy clawed his way up from the bottom of hell that Nishitani subjected him to, to the lieutenant of the chairman's family. Now after all the torture and sacrifices he made, all that is going to be thrown away by his own patriarch? Shishido is by no means a noble character with his past deeds and his willingness to resort to any means necessary. Even in the final fight he threatened the orphanage kids. But what can Shishido do? Accept the safety net initiative for former yakuzas that Watase prepared? After dedicating his life to the yakuza? Of course a proud man like Shishido won't accept it but even then there is no guarantee the safety net would work for him. Besides the fact that there is no specifics given what that safety net even is, this leads back to the "Written on his face" part. Shishido's body is basically signed by the yakuza, the facial scars the tattoos that take up more of skin than most of the tattoos in the series is just a sign that he dedicated his everything to that kind of life and having it all taken away is the same as dying to him. A man like him could never return to a ordinary, civilian life. In the final fight, that one shot of him standing underneath the Omi Alliance symbol is also so powerful and badass while also portraying what it means to him. This is not a man who wants power for the sake of power but rather someone who protects his life with everything he has. This may sound him more "heroic" than I intended but yeah, of course he is a yakuza in the end of it all. Violence and power is what attracted him and what made him stay. I really hope that Shishido and Nishitani III are appearing in Infinite Wealth and that the Daidoji kidnapping them isn't just an excuse for them to not appear again since they are modelled after real actors. Really curious how two personalities like that would deal with living a life under the Daidoji faction. EDIT: Correct me if I am wrong but Shishido's irezumi is portraying a guardian lion just like Nakahara's in Yakuza 3. While not entirely the first depiction, you did say "face off against", so I take that.
Like he says to Kiryu, 'This room is the dream!' The old school Yakuza only have the glory of working up the ranks to look forward to, and that's about to be taken away from him, so of course he fights like a cornered animal. He's got literally nothing left to fight for, so he throws himself against the immovable object of the Dragon of Dojima, again and again. And him standing below the Omi crest as well makes it clear that he is the literal last guardian of the Omi Alliance. A Guardian Lion, if you will. Not only a singular man fighting Kiryu, but the personification of the Yakuza itself. Yet even if he did win, what does he hold? The Omi building is deserted, Shishido's main allies are gone, and the crest itself in the throne room is rubble. He won't sit on that throne for long, but he knows nothing else.
@@jamesnorman9160 I honestly think that win or loss, Shishido is a man who could rebuild a clan (if he wasn't arrested by the Daidoji). He has the charisma to rally the people against the legends of the Tojo, he had the will to go against the biggest odds. Even when he was beaten by Kiryu and not even able to stand, he was crawling towards him to continue. Now, would he be a good leader? Probably not. He did say that monsters like Nishitani shouldn't be allowed to live but at the same time teams up with him if he sees value in it. It's for sure an interesting character and an interesting villain and I do have to agree with "He is everything Aizawa was supposed to be", I grow to like him more and more even though I initially thought he was the weakest major character.
I think they will both show back up. If it was a one off you could’ve killed them i think they realized both characters are too good to only be in one game
@@FrankyAsherJrhe said that about nishitani after he pretended to kill him so you could say he was just playing his role to keep the ruse going. I think he does think nishitanj goes to far as a lot of what he does is for pleasure while shidhidos is to survive
Exactly. The final Aizawa fight was epic and cinematic, but Shishido's final battle honestly blows it out of the water. The emotional stakes are much higher here, and Shishido's reasons for fighting are much more compelling. He's fighting to protect the only life he knows, not just for the glory.
@@ikarovski12Right? Shishido has an actual resolve and natural charisma. The whole point of Aizawa's character is that he was the complete opposite of that and it makes sense for 5's story
I said it in another video also saying Shishido is the best boss fight. That boss fight in every parameter is top tier Kiryu: “the man who erased his name” vs Shishido: “the man who is trying to make himself a name” Absolutely masterpiece of a fight, very worthy of Kiryu final boss
I think "Undoing Past Mistakes" extends to *both* Morinaga and Aizawa. Morinaga seemed like a very interesting character who had like... *something* going on, like he was actually up to something, but then he just dies off-screen, and then Aizawa shows up at the end as the final boss out of nowhere. With Shishido they completely redid the Aizawa twist, and now Morinaga is back as an ally
As others have said, Shishido could've been the protagonist and strongest Yakuza (next to Kiryu) if he had been born in another era. Too bad for him that he was on the rise as the Yakuza became powerless. In fact, he showed incredible spirit in the final chapter. Legit "main character" energy. I just hope that RGG will bring him back in the future. I mean, there has to be a reason why they made him survive, plus Yasukaze Motomiya (his VA/face model) has repeatedly stated how he always wanted to be in an RGG game for years. He could easily be persuaded into coming back (heck, many "likeness actors" are also returning for Infinite Wealth). Great character. Heck, while we're at it: Akame and Tsuruno should also return. It's bonkers how some absolutely fantastic characters were introduced in Gaiden.
Just as an FYI, Gaiden didn't only have 6 months to develop, it's just that Yokoyama only took 6 months to write the story. The wording of the translation made it easy to be mixed up, but Gaiden as a whole took longer than 6 months.
There's one thing that always play on my mind; Shishido, while falling fown from the building after being punched by Kiryu, doesn't have a closure and lived the rest of his life in shame and misery of 'enservantness', while Yoshitaka Mine from Yakuza 3, although attempted a similar but half hearted coup, managed to falling down in a way that redeems himself from eternal shame. This show that if you don't have a regret (as Shishido is shown), you live the life without any closure.
Shisido was written so well in Gaiden, the moment the twist came was a surprise and a surprise that let me appreciate the timing of his actions. He was finally able to have a full effect at the end and played it masterfully. The way the twist was revealed was done so well thanks to his characterazation you talked about in this video - that's the moment he was really endeared to me
Some other things I find interesting about Shisido 1. I see the final fight as not only a do-over of the Aizawa fight but also a darker reflection of it and it’s association with dreams. Battle for the Dream is a triumphant, epic theme to reflect the fact that these are two men’s dreams clashing against each other. The qte’s are they of a bombastic shows of strength topped off with their heat auras accentuating the choreography. Meanwhile, Deadly Struggle is an intense and heavy while Fleeting Dream is somber. The qte’s are also more brutal. To me, this represents the death of the yakuza dream as while Kiryu fought to defend the Tojo Clan in 5 he fought to destroy it and the Omi in Gaiden as his ideals for a better future have shifted towards the dissolution while Shisido views himself as the only man with the strength to guard the yakuza dream and keep it alive, but it’s ultimately a futile effort due to his own loss and the changing times. 2. Shisido’s Shisi irezumi not only symbolizes how he views himself as a guardian of the Omi Alliance but may also serve as a callback to Nakahara’s irezumi in 3. Kiryu refers to Shisido as “an old school yakuza”, so him having a irezumi similar to that of an old man from a previous entry reflects how he stands against a changing world since yakuza as idealistic and tough as him are not only a rare breed now but also restricted by the law, the latter of which being a point that Shisido either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care to understand because his mindset is stuck in the past. His mention of dreams before he final fight pushes this further, as he’s calling back to the main theme of an older game in which the yakuza were still heavily dominant and relatively unfettered by laws. 3. 29:40 It sort of was for Shisido since yakuza as an institution was the only place he felt he belonged to. The track that plays at the construction site is titled Treachery, representing how Kiryu, Tsurono and Watase feel betrayed by Shisido but also Shisido feeling betrayed by his boss’s dissolution plan and collaboration with Tojo legends. 4. His fate as a Daidoji agent while incredibly cruel, also fits for him in a sort of ironic way. He desired to live in world where his strength and violent tendencies would be of use, but instead of him keeping the yakuza alive for that, he became a foot soldier for the Daidoji much like Kiryu, the man he resented. In rejecting the inevitable death of the yakuza by establishing himself as the legendary defender of the Omi the same way Kiryu did with the Tojo, he ultimately faced the same fate. Plus, him being forced to work for what is essentially a secret government group mirrors how the anti-yakuza laws led to the imprisonment of people like Watase, and Shisido effectively became Watase family patriarch since the two guys above him turned their backs on the Omi.
26:20 Man, I didn't realize that even the two fighting styles Kiryu uses in Gaiden actually reinforces the game's themes of past and future till this part, with Agent representing starting anew and Yakuza representing going back to the old ways. That is genuinely the coolest thing to me.
@@vboi5697I believe yakuza 5 very briefly mentions him and just says that he has to "lay low" after the events of yakuza 4 so we can assume he's still alive
@@baymexx6591 and in Infinite Wealth, it seems that there are no new info about Tanimura and Shinada's current whereabouts, Kiryu simply just remembered them
Shishido really caught me by suprise. Everything about him screamed rival for Kiryu. But how they built him from the ground up was brilliant. The story made you care for him. A wild dog just trying to make it to the top while everything stood in his way. Being assaulted by Nishitani having shitty parents. And even being beaten within an inch of his life. This man has seen it all. And all he wanted was a taste at glory. He didnt care what stood in his way. And was even willing to make a deal with the devil to do so. By far one of the best tellings of a villain to date. And i hope RGG continues this with infinite wealth. The series needs this more complex villains ones you can feel for.
in such a short time, he shot up to be in my top 3 best bosses of all time he is perfect for kiryu to fight against, a yakuza to heart and idolizes the life a man stuck in the past, clinging onto his only way of living he's ever known, even if it was only pain so it's kiryu who becomes the wake up call, putting an end to not just someone's dream but everyone's, putting rest to the legacy of the yakuza, the same yakuza he helped build up once, and that built him
I honestly wasn't feeling Gaiden that much initially, but by the end of it I was impressed. So much quality in here, even with a relatively short development cycle, and easily one of the best final bottles in the entire series too (and that's already a good list to begin with). The final battle was important for both men involved. It was important for Shishido because it the most important battle of his entire life, all to keep intact the only life he knew before it was taken out from under him. And it was important for Kiryu because he wasn't just fighting against Shishido, but a spectre of the Yakuza life that had followed him for decades, and he finally puts it to rest the best way he knows how: with his fists. The symbolism in the final battle is superb too: from when Shishido breaks his first katana against the Omi crest on the wall, and then is immediatly tackled through it afterwards, destroying the crest and the wall. It all shows the Omi is crumbling to dust whether he likes it or not, and even if he does win here, there's nothing left to fight for: the Omi HQ Building is an empty, dead kingdom. There's no-one left inside. Nothing left to fight for. And when they tumble outside for the final phase, the sun is setting on the day and on the Omi Alliance itself. Kiryu stands with his back to the sunset, while Shishido stands below the Omi Crest on the outside of the building: they represent the future and the past respectively. And while the latter's fought like a wounded, cornered animal for the last 15 minutes, he seems to realise that he won't be achieving his dream today, like you said. But he still fights to the bitter end, because what else does he have?
Deadly Struggle quickly became one of my top favourite songs from the series, and only when you mentioned Mike Portnoy did I realise why. He’s my all-time favourite drummer 😂 Love the reference! And loved the video as well, I’m so glad Shishido’s getting the recognition and appreciation he deserves!
Shishido has been the only final boss I've perceived as a threat. Shibusawa, Nishiki and Aizawa felt like them wanting to prove their worth, one against The Dragon of Dojima, the other against his brother and Aizawa against the legendary 4th Chairman. Iwami was a cunning, cold blooded Yakuza makes his way to the top. Mine was too blind to see he was a good guy fighting for the wrong reasons. Daigo was just being lectured so we cannot count that as true fight. The villain who I think is more similar to Shishido is Goda Ryuji himself. I felt like Shishido is what both Ryuji and Aizawa couldn't. Ryuji was the first villain I felt to be stronger than Kiryu in terms of physical strength. However he felt too inexperienced and too young. While Aizawa felt as if his daddy would have granted him a chance at yakuza glory, all he had to do was to beat an injured Kiryu. And as Kiryu correctly pointed out he had gone through serious conflicts that had granted him the strength and experience to wipe the floor with Aizawa. Shishido on the other hand is more experienced, older, hardened and determined. The fight against Shishido wasn't for honor, glory or to best the legendary Kiryu Kazuma. He said it himself, he doesn't give a shit about some legendary yakuza. Had he bested Kiryu, Shishido was ready to go against Daigo, Majima, Saejima, Tsuruno and Watase. During the fight you could tell Shishido was going for the kill. All the previous big guys who did heavy damage were slow, but not Shishido. Shishido riling up the rest of the Omi officers, I´ve never seen another villain do that. Also he was the first villain not to show any sign of respect or submission after being defeated by Kiryu. Shishido's a true badass
Great analysis very well said and put in everything I've had on my mind, he will truly remain unforgettable and one of the greats of the series. A well done job by RGG to implement characters like these in a side story within a short span of time.
I think they did a great job with Shishido. He feels like a fusion between Aizawa and Kurusawa, but far better realized than either of those two characters. It’s one thing for Kurusawa to talk about how he literally ate shit to make it to the top, but Shishido literally bears the scars from that ascent. His entire *life* was spent getting to where he was, with any mistake along the way being rewarded only with pain and punishment, and now someone (Kiryu) whose struggles pale in comparison to his own is willing to come back from the dead and destroy all of that work. You can absolutely see the point in his anger and desperation, even if you might not agree with his ideals completely.
I just beat Shishido yesterday on Christmas and this video drops the day after. He was pretty much my favorite boss next to Ryuji and Shibusawa. This’ll help me appreciate Shishido even more than I already do, the Aizawa that was done right.
Speaking about his convictions and things in life that he basically has gone all in in , take a note on Shishidos ink ,we know the significance of the koma inu but thats not what i wanna talk about, its the lenght of the tattoo reaching all the way to his fucking wrists . I read somewhere that tattoing the underside of your upper arms is extremely painful due to how sensitive they are so only the most dedicated and or old fashioned of yakuza did it like Majima, Shimano,Watase, you wouldnt even find a punk in the Reiwa era even considering such a commitment, remember what Someya(rest his soul) said to Kiryu in Y6. Then you have Kosei MFing Shishido going above and beyond with making full arm length tats upto the wrist . Considering how tattoos are treated as taboo in japanese everyday culture as a mark of the gokudo can you even imagine the loyalty Shishdo had for the yakuza life that he went all in on ? A normal yakuza with a back tattoo can still blend in with a civillian crowd, go to konbinis to buy cigs and beer, people will kick up a fuss if he gets to a public onsen or something but Shishido wanted people to know he was a yakuza with his ink reaching up to his wrist everytime. As he said "Only power will put people on their knees" Nothing but respect of this man, i dont know what the future holds for him with the whole diadoji thing but hes a man whose trials and tribulations wont end and im damn sure he will come out of this even stronger whether RGG decides to give him screen time or not.
Loved this video. Shishido is such a fantastic boss, he is a combination of many bosses into one. So glad he was the final boss. Although people wanted Ichiban as the final boss, i think Shishido was perfect. If RGG really wanted, they could have had a boss rush mode in the main menu ( similar to the ultimate battles to yakuza 0) and Ichiban be the final boss there. I say this as we all know who the final boss for Kiryu was in y0 ultimate battle.
there still REALLY should’ve been an Ichiban fight. We see the end of the Omi from Kiryus perspective but that fight just got an off screen mention from Kitty and i was unsatisfied low key..
@@cius2112 yeah, from ichiban’s perspective in a turn-based fight. if you somehow think that’s the equivalent of doing it from Kiryu’s perspective in real time i dont know what to tell you. Not to mention that not EVRYONE played 7 (especially since it’s turn based) and it would’ve done good to have those people play that passing of the torch instead of just being shown it for 2 seconds in a still image flashback. cmon man, i shouldn’t even have to tell you this.
@@williamalbatross4677 Me personally, I'm okay with there not being an Ichiban fight. Ichiban doesn't mean.... anything to Kiryu. He's an ally, yes. But from his POV, Ichiban and his friends ganged up on Kiryu just as the regular everyday goons do and he beat them all with little effort. It meant something to Ichiban, he faced the dragon, he was vulnerable and riled up and learned the lesson to not abandon his friends. The torch WAS passed.
I disagree on the idea that there are many parallels between Aizawa and Shishido, because their motivation is pretty different in my opinion. Shishido has a material interest in keeping the Yakuza as an institution alive, and that's what he fights for: Having his place in the world. This is of course not where his character ends, and it doesn't taint him in any way, but Aizawa, on the other hand, fights partially because his father forced him into his grand scheme. But he doesn't really care about being appointed Tojo Chairman. So he tries to make sense of it by declaring that only the strongest should rule the Yakuza. Who is the strongest? Why, that's Kiryu of course. He then makes it his goal to defeat Kiryu and, in his very own worldview (this is not something Kurosawa wants, who despises it when Yakuza talk about Honor or Strength, since he never got to enjoy either of those concepts) earn his place at the top by becoming the strongest rather than just have his father put him there. He wants to become Tojo Chairman, not by measure of Nepotism, but by measure of strength. At the beginning of his final boss fight, Aizawa already has what Shishido wants if Kurosawa's plan were to work; He just thinks he has to still earn it, which is probably why he's waiting there for Kiryu to show up instead of working behind the shadows alongside his father. Shishido wants to become Omi Chairman because no one else seems to want to. He may very well have been the highest-ranked Yakuza at the Omi HQ who wasn't in favor of disbanding both clans, so he's kind of next in line if the Omi Alliance were to continue existing. He's also the one who has the most dedication to achieve that, trying to pick up a crown that was willingly abandoned by its king. Aizawa tried to actively steal that crown from Daigo instead, thinking he's too weak and incompetent to lead the Tojo. But Shishido is loyal to Watase and Tsuruno as long as they still want to be Yakuza; Shishido thinks Watase is a traitor, while Aizawa is even somewhat proud that he is a traitor to someone who he doesn't even respect. I think Shishido is perfect for Gaiden too, and I can appreciate Aizawa, but they have different motivations. But I do agree that Shishido is better presented. Aizawa suffers the most from having his role switched around with that of Morinaga in the finale, where one is dead and the other is the twist villain.
I very much appreciate your view on the matter! What you've mentioned here are some of the reasons I'd love to see an Aizawa Gaiden, should the opportunity present itself, cause there's more than enough substance present to make him stand among the rest of the great final bosses. Thank you for watching
Slight spoiler, but Yokoyama offhandedly confirmed to a cosplayer at a con that Morinaga is alive, lol. He is actually Hanawa, who seemingly got picked up by the Daidoji after his off-screen "death" and got a face change by the Daidoji. It's why Morinaga and Hanawa share the same voice actor, and why Hanawa gave the name "Taichi Suzuki" as Kiryu's latest alias in the ending of Gaiden. Daigo, Aizawa, and Morinaga were among the few people Kiryu has met who was even aware of that one alias he used.
Truly a great video i enjoyed all the work you put. - After what happened in Gaiden it's kinda safe to say his a worthy protagonist like the ending gave us the idea that his story is not over yet like he needs to fulfill something that probably Shishido doesn't know but the answer would only appear if he meets someone like Haruka who could possibly change his mindset and try to fight for a normal life but it won't be a happy ending but a sad and tragic.
Bro Shishido made this game even better than it was. He felt like who Kiryu was to Kuze but representing different ideologies. How can a game so short be so great but to be fair doing ALL the content would require time that rivals games normal play time. Like you can beat Insomniacs Spiderman 2 and 1 within 30 hours. When I did everything I wanted to do on the hardest difficulty. It took me over 40 hours to complete almost 50.
I wish there was much more of Gaiden. Best cast since Zero. Akame the Essence of Waifu and Shishido the most intimidating mf-er since that one guy at the end of Judgement whose name is a spoiler.
18:59 the only problem I see with this is he took advantage of the situation after hearing about kiryu being shot. Even kiryu's wound opening during the fight with him. I had thought he took advantage of the situation. I mean before hand he used his sword to cut down the skeleton crew at the tojo clan with the all the chaos happening.
He' very relatable. Just like the young Kiryu in Y0, a determined young man rising up against an older legend, but unlike Kiryu, he's born in the wrong age...
Love his design. His tattoo is beautiful and his scars look awesome. Also great that he was given plenty of screentime to develop and enough depth to be more than just a simple villain. Hope we'll get to see him again later since they specifically didn't kill him.
Loved and i think the exact same I was so mind blown when i thought about it, Shishido too is a man who erased his name, since this names was given, omfg i love this game
A superb video. Also, happy new year! Hopefully next year your videos can be a bit louder lol. I played your video after listening to some music on yt and I can barely hear anything.
I feel for some reason i see Shishido as a cautionary tale for majima or what majima would of been if majima made different choices in his life, hell even both of their styles are similar and plus the hannya thing. Also both wear flashy clothes even similar color palate, and in a hand to hand stance. Shishido's stance looked somewhat similar to Majima's thug stance, both use weapons, and use underhanded tactics in battle, both could quickly adapt to situations, and both have this... idk this certain confidence and certain charisma to them, and ect, and like to kiryu even though deep down they are similar to an extent. Majima and kiryu are like polar opposite of each other in terms of style, personality, and ect but dispite this they have like this respect for each other even Brotherhood even. But ya Like what you said about Mine in his character analysis video, Mine is like a cautionary tale or darker reflection for Kiryu or what he would of been if he made different choices in life as well and turns are they were much alike and things could of been different if they met much earlier. But ya I hope we get more of Kosei Shishido in the future. Liked his character. Be cool to get a game where we play as him. Whether a prequel or show what's going on with him after he got captured and put on a short leash.
Gaiden final fight is the most thrilling and awesome in the series. I can feel the emotion, power, anger, and determination in Shishido vs Kiryu. Despite being the shortest in story, its amazing that RGG could make this one last game for Kiryu as good as it can be.
You really can't help but feel kinda bad for the guy. Shishido is the definition of "born in the wrong generation", if he was around during the Kazama or early Dragon of Dojima generation, he undoubtedly would have clawed his way to the top. He had the strength, leadership, and determination for it. Hell, in a few of his fight's transitions, there are a few points where he gets the edge over Kiryu! Definitely ranks up there with Ryuji and Mine for being one of The Dragon's toughest and greatest opponents.
My favourite part is that kiryu is basically the villain for the older yakuza game in gaiden, you are the one that is breaking the yakuza world you knew , you are the one betraying shishidos trust , shishido is the protagonist that we never got the chance to play
I kinda expected shishido to be the finalboss since the 3rd chapter, because everything the families with the help of kiryu have planned goes entirely against Shishido's beliefs and especially his loyalty. At first i thought he didn't know about the plan for some reason, but that thought was completly shattered by the confirmation in chapter 4 that he does know. Which just left the question of "why?" In my head. Why is Shishido on our side? Truly an amazing villain with an even better build up :)
One of the things Shichido's ending brought me was more questions. Both Nishitani and him were picked up by the Daidoji? Then I thought back to Kashiwagi's off-screen "death" and rebirth as Barman from Survive bar... Is he also a Daidoji agent? How many past antagonists are now with the Daidoji? Do they really think they can take a wild beast like Shichido? He already lost everything he held dear to and I don't think getting him to comply will be easy. So many questions about a faction we, despite everything, know very little about.
You guys really believe that the HLA has the means to save a guy riddled with bullets from an attack helicopter? 🤨 I know this is the Yakuza series, but come on! Also he funded the HLA with the money he was making with the Kazama family, which was absorbed by another after his death (by the Majima family IIRC) so it's a possibility that the HLA got defunded at that point, after all other than that substory with Kotaro in 4, I don't remember the HLA being ever mentioned again. Moreover Kashiwagi wasn't just a punk not cut out for the Yakuza business, he was essentially the second most important guy in the Tojo clan before his "death", a.k.a. a guy that probably got his picture in the newspapers a lot. Ain't no way Kashiwagi "died" and revived through the HLA.
@@NachtKaiser666 no, the HLA has nothing to do with Kashiwagi’s survival. You originally said Kashiwagi had an off screen death but he never did. His “Death” was shown on screen
Regarding the finale in Gaiden, I'm left wondering where Tendo and the other lieutenants are. By no means am I expecting a Tendo and Kiryu fight, but the other lieutenants surely must have similar goals to Shishido. Did they only want to build the Tokyo Omi and serve Ryo Aoki? Perhaps I've forgotten some of the plot points in 7 but I feel like there's a disconnect here. How come there's no Ryo Aoki connections to the Watase family? I assume that's the exact reason for the dissolvement move. Perhaps I’ve just answered my own confusion but if Shishido took over the Omi then there’d be an internal conflict between Tokyo and Osaka halves. I recall Tendo saying he wanted to stand at the top, so he'd have to fight Shishido and the other lieutenants for it. But of course we know his plan was stopped by Ichiban and the party in the end then was arrested. Maybe the story is a lot more well written than I had realised before writing this comment lol. I guess my confusion comes from the Omi lieutenants in 7 and why they have no impact in Gaiden. They're still Omi and Tendo visited the event for Watase's release. I guess the police takeover the HQ afterwards??? I can't wait for 8 as I want to learn what happened to the families and members after the dissolvement. To be honest I feel like this may not be explained since that security company seemed to have never happened from what we see in the trailers of 8. It would also be nice to know where Ichiban, Arakawa and Tendo were during that final fight. The more I think about this the more confused I get and worried for the future.
Gaiden was soo good even tho the game was short it was fun and had many good stuff like fun out with the boys to a badass fight even tho it was not perfect the execution was just somewhat perfect!
Shishido is one of the best villians of the series. He's motives are relatable and understandable. What he does is justifiable and it makes sense. He isn't bad for being bad and move the story he's really well writen in my opinion. I really,really like him at lot.
you are so right with how Shishido wasn't granted "peace" with his loss be it through, well, moving on with his life after losing the final fight and the yakuza way OR even through death. Instead he gets a fate worse than death, whatever it may be that the Daidoji would do with him (biggest joke being that he is now "owned" by the biggest joke of a secret society aka daidoji lmfao)
A gripe I have with a couple of the past Yakuza villains is that I think it sometimes overly-romanticizes their ambitions as these venerable and noble sort of affairs. I was never as into Ryuji as the rest of the fandom because it always felt like the game overly lionizes him in a way. Even more-so Aizawa, who winds up getting praised by Kiryu at the end despite doing literally nothing to earn it. It sometimes makes me ask the question if these men who would use cruelty and murder to get to the top deserve the glamorous ending they all receive in their spectacular final battles. Shishido almost feels like a subversion of that, as there's this sort of pointlessness to his motivations that makes him imo more tragic and interesting. He literally can't win. Supposing he stops the yakuza disbandment, they will become government lapdogs anyway like Daigo and Watase feared. And when he loses, he becomes a government lapdog anyway through the Daidoji. He's hurting people for a world that will never come to be, a literaly dream. The Aizawa comparison is on-point imo, and clearly not just a reference but a subversive statement. I mean the literal translation of their boss themes are very similar, but Shisido's has some bleaker adjectives added for context. Its not a Battle, but a Struggle. And not just a Dream, but a Fleeting one.
Great video! I disagree with you quite a bit regarding some of your conclusions with Aizawa, but I definitely agree that he is inconsistently written as a character throughout the story and I definitely prefer how Shishido is handled throughout Gaiden by a significant margin even doe I personally vibe with Aizawa despite the numerous amount of issues with his story. Shishido is a phenomenal character and he is such a perfect capstone to the series, especially with how his major interactions with Kiryu managed to challenge him in a really unique and worthwhile way I adore. He's such a fantastic send off to the Kiryu set of games and I am so happy I played the game on release so I didn't have him spoiled for me. He deserves any recognition he gets as an antagonist.
Appreciate the feedback! In retrospect, I wound up being much harsher on Aizawa than I thought I'd be, but the next time I give him a lasting spotlight it will be much more balanced view to observe. Had huge hopes for him, so I'm glad RGG took the mechanical concepts and executed them in the way they originally wanted to. Thank you for watching!
That opening guitar riff in his dynamic intro is EVERYTHING! It encompasses his entire badass personality, you wouldn't even have to play the game to know who he is as a person, just that opening guitar riff. Brilliant! P.S. The Yakuza games are the reason I don't watch Hollywood action movies anymore, nothing even brings the sheer testosterone, camaraderie and manliness that these games do!
Shishido is Aizawa if you replaced him with Ryuji; He's easily the best final antagonist since Nishiki and Ryuji and is absolutely the best way to end Kiryu's run. Probably second or third strongest final boss too and is the only one to've ever fought Kiryu at a disadvantage. Nishiki and Mine had him run through a bunch of thugs, hired mercenaries, and even corrupt government agents, and both he and Ryuji were injured in their final fight. Everyone else just forced them to go through literal mobs and the silliest shit ever, but Shishido fell into a concrete pit while fighting Kiryu, climbed out, and went on to face down and come at the five most powerful Yakuza in the country at once and managed to hold two of them back after being stabbed in the hand, and then made his stand in the best boss fight RGG's put out since Kuroiwa. I really hope we get more of Shishido man, even his own game, if anyone deserves to succeed Kiryu, it's him.
I'd love to see you discuss who should get the next Gaiden game, what with Yokoyama's interest in making more games like this. Personally, I'd love to see a Gaiden game with Daigo as its protagonist, he's always gotten the short end of the stick in the series (more than any other character) and I think it would just be very interesting to have a game focused on him struggling to find a new purpose in his life after the Tojo clan's dissolvement.
I think Shisido would have been a forgettable boss but they made sure he can back up his claims to lead/take over. He has the first kill, he is ruthless, resilient, and even gets to stand up to Majima and Saejima at the same time. Nice pairing with the bargain bin Nishitani (though he did have an excellent suit) to make Shisido look more capable and hands on. Got bit od the Kuroiwa treatment, before you see the character itself, you see his actions and capabilities. And then you realize he is your enemy (though with Shisido it waa clear from the start he will be the final boss). I like this newer approach, old bosses were either just hyped up through dialogue (Nishiki, Ryuji, Mine) or just portrayed as a creep (Tamashiro, Saito, Kugihara). It seems like now we are at the era of the bosses proving themselves before becoming a main antagonist. Sawashiro, Kuroiwa, Kuwana and Soma.
Gaiden does a lot to improve on some of the weakest aspects of previous stories. It justifies 3, improves 5 (the Morinaga thing suprised the hell out of me), and even fixes the most disappointing fight in 7. It really felt like the game's whole point was to increase your enjoyment of the rest of the series.
Everything before Shishido's final stand I only saw him as another scummy character who's only interested in himself yet by the end had gained insane respect upon his speech and resolve
This could always just be my head canon, but instead of condemning the game for making it seem like Aizawa's heel turn made no sense, I ended going down a path that really made me think about how Aizawa behaves, and what would possibly lead him here. My interpretation/theory, is that Aizawa is a hypocrite, and deep down deeply doubts himself. If Aizawa were confident in his beliefs truly, then he would never have a reason to go with Kurosawa's plan, which he mentions he could've just..._not_ done at any point, and was clearly only done out of desperation due to his approaching death. If kurosawa were healthy, what would he need Aizawa for? Which leads me to believe that the only reason that Aizawa goes along with his father, is because he knew he _needed_ the backbone from him in order to get anywhere. While he should absolutely despise this idea, instead of denying the gifts, he finds a way to justify it, by saying if he beats Kiryu here and now, then maybe he can someone worth inheriting Kurosawa's will. He will have quelled his insecurity, and got the power he dreamed of through "effort", and no one would question it. Because he beat kiryu. But we all know how it goes...
Shishido also benefits immensely from Gaiden being so concise. Yakuza 5 is long af and there’s a good chance you haven’t seen Aizawa for 30-40 hours when he turns up again, you could easily have forgotten him. It’s not possible for you to forget Shishido.
I agree with everything said on this video, and it pains me to say that Ryuji is painfully undercooked. I’d love a video from you about his flaws and how he could have been better.
@@felipebastos7661 Appreciate the suggestion! It's been on my list of future videos for a while, but I'm waiting until I play through Dead Souls to give a more comprehensive look at Ryuji as a whole. After that, we'll see
His ending is painfully tragic for him as well. (Massive Spoilers just in case) The Man Who Couldn't Let It Go is essentially punished for his tenacity and drive to protect what little he has left. Hes not a special villain in that case, we've seen worse happen to the stubborn types, but his especially feels cruel considering all he's endured and what hes been fighting for. At the very end, being leashed by the Daidoji just solidifies that he will never belong in the real world. He will never escape the underground and while it is of his own making, the cruelty comes with being trapped with Nishitani III. The very man who abused him physically, sexually, mentally. The very mention by the Daidoji man (who I cant remember) that Shishido will be comfortable beside him for the rest of his days is the only thing in the entire game that evokes shock and maybe even a bit of fear in Shishido. That stuff stings. Hes such a great character who was dealt so many bad hands and he will be immortalized in the Yakuza fandom, I assure you. Nishitani III however is being run over by a Ford F150 and flushed down the toilet, anyone who likes him is a red flag and I'm talking about the simpy fangirls who like characters like Mahito in JJK. You people specifically NEED to go to therapy
I find it unfair to call Shishido a "better version of Aizawa" as Aizawa's mentality and philosophy are entirely different than Shishido. One is about earning glory through strength. Whereas Shishido is about survival, not glory. He himself always touts about surviving and feels betrayed because he feels like there's no other possible way or route to live life. I think its more accurate to compare him to a concept known as "Kurosawa in his prime." You know, the guy who also scratched, clawed and ruled through his own strength. Who also struggled. Remember, Kurosawa is a guy who was forced to eat literal feces on the way to the top. Make a Yakuza 4.5, make it about us seeing Kurosawa's actual struggle to the top, and that will be almost, word for word, exactly the story of Shishido.
Great video, but I suggest if you make future videos like this you leave the characters name out of the thumbnail. This game is only two months old, I can imagine there is quite a few kyodais that haven't played the game yet and dont want the main antagonist to be spoilt for them.
Noted! I've refrained from calling him the "final boss" just in case, but it's better to omit namesakes altogether for recent releases. Thank you for the input
After 6 rgg got all around really good with final bosses mostly because they nailed the mix of determination and obsession. Aoki and shishido feels like better version of baby iwami and aisawa less because of the writers wanted a do over and more because they drastically improved their writing right after a rot. Shishido and aisawa have "long fight through brute force" in common and little else you could have seen it as homage to ryuji since your first fight was after chasing him through omi and end with a clash and likely found more in common but no one really wants a do over of 2 boss fight
I personally disagree that the QTEs in the Aizawa fight are in essense comparable to loading screens in the way that they break up the fight into the segments. While it does stop the course of the fight for a second, they are also part of what made the fight so memorable to begin with. I actually miss the more frequent QTEs of the past games, as those parts of fights tended to be some of the coolest parts overall. I love Aizawa swinging a statue at Kiryu as Kiryu rolls on top of it to dodge. I love Aizawa trying to punch Kiryu in the air just for him to dodge and get the upper hand. I think the only time I've ever been annoyed with a QTE in this series was the last one in Yakuza Kiwami 2, because I pressed the wrong button on accident and had to redo the fight, but otherwise a lot of them add cool little scenes to the fights that you wouldn't really be able to see in a fight otherwise.
I honestly feel like ending a fight with one and that being the only QTE in the boss fight is kinda just a lame way to add depth to the end of a fight though. Yakuza 7 did this, and it didn't really make the ending that much better. Maybe it can be annoying if you were trying to go for a cool combo, but the spectacle of each QTE is worth it in most cases (not so much in the Dragon engine games, they hardly use them at all and most of them don't really do anything)
Hes easily one of the best characters. Keeping in mind the 6 month development time frame its even more impressive. You just can't help but respect him. To me it also seems pretty apparent he'll help, either directly or indirectly, kiryu with nishitani to free him from the daidoji by destroying them or what have you. I don't see nishitani or shishido reforming but that's all the more reason why i see them as a ticking time bomb for the daidoji.
![Like a Dragon: Gaiden OST Mix - A [Deadly Struggle] for a [Fleeting Dream] - (Final Boss Theme)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cjv1AN6XldI/mqdefault.jpg)
Thank you for your time!
Looking back, there are certain points in the video I wish I'd elaborated upon further, particularly with chapter two. The way it stands, it may have come off as simply dunking on one character to elevate another's qualities, but the intention was to show just how tricky such amitious writing can be to execute to its fullest intended potential. Here's to hoping that a dedicated Gaiden spin-off can help iron out the unrefined aspects, in order to turn him into the diamond he deserves to be. It did wonders for Shishido, after all.
With all of that in mind, I'll do my best to take any and all constructive feedback from this video to heart, in order to improve my subsequent video analyses on that character, when the time for them comes.
Thank you :)
The fact that Kiryu and Shishido has Awano's left reverse wheel kick as the Ultimate Counter and Mortal Attack respectively is just so ironic to me…
Felt like it was done on purpose.
What is that bottom line of the video? It looks like it reflecting or stretching everything closest to it.
He's basically could have been the best yakuza but born in the wrong era.
I never truly cared for Shishido until he gave THAT SPEECH and an army of battered Omi Grunts gathered to his words like zombies, it was SOOOOO badass and it just left me gasping his name like "YOU GOTTA STOP YOU RE TOO COOL"
Not to mention he did that with Majima's tanto in his left hand.
His entrance was so raw
"WE'RE THE OMI F___KIN' ALLIANCE!!!"
Shishido not only is the coolest looking Yakuza antagonist but also just badass in general, I mean the way he pulled Majimas Demon-Fire Dagger out of his hand with his teeth or how he stomped down the katana Kiryu uses in his final boss fight, Shishido is just a fucking legend
that part before the QTE in the final boss where Kiryu punches down his kicks was so insane to see and a good physical representation of how badly shishido wanted it, and how Kiryu had to literally beat his hopes back down like a hammer on a nail. This probably replaces kuwana for my favorite antagonist ever. Kuwana's still more emotionally complicated and a good person imo, but Shishido is just the embodiment of the dream that kiryu held when he followed in kazama's footsteps, and the dream that made so many give so much to these clans
Aizawa and Shishido are literally the "Daniel and The Cooler Daniel" meme, lmao.
I think he is one of the reasons this game became so special. What really could have been a redundant and superficial experience to tie us over until Infinite Wealth, instead became one of the best games in the series for me. A large part is how incredibly Shishido was handled.
I really liked Shishido. the way they lead to him being the boss was masterfully done to me. And his speech before the fight has to be one of the best in the series.
Shisido is one of the reason Gaiden resonated me so much as a fan is he signifies the end to the Yakuza life but also giving Kiryu some closure he needed over the past 30 years since Yakuza 0.
I think the phrase "Written on his face" is quite fitting for Shishido, even in a literal sense. This guy clawed his way up from the bottom of hell that Nishitani subjected him to, to the lieutenant of the chairman's family. Now after all the torture and sacrifices he made, all that is going to be thrown away by his own patriarch? Shishido is by no means a noble character with his past deeds and his willingness to resort to any means necessary. Even in the final fight he threatened the orphanage kids. But what can Shishido do? Accept the safety net initiative for former yakuzas that Watase prepared? After dedicating his life to the yakuza? Of course a proud man like Shishido won't accept it but even then there is no guarantee the safety net would work for him.
Besides the fact that there is no specifics given what that safety net even is, this leads back to the "Written on his face" part. Shishido's body is basically signed by the yakuza, the facial scars the tattoos that take up more of skin than most of the tattoos in the series is just a sign that he dedicated his everything to that kind of life and having it all taken away is the same as dying to him. A man like him could never return to a ordinary, civilian life. In the final fight, that one shot of him standing underneath the Omi Alliance symbol is also so powerful and badass while also portraying what it means to him. This is not a man who wants power for the sake of power but rather someone who protects his life with everything he has. This may sound him more "heroic" than I intended but yeah, of course he is a yakuza in the end of it all. Violence and power is what attracted him and what made him stay.
I really hope that Shishido and Nishitani III are appearing in Infinite Wealth and that the Daidoji kidnapping them isn't just an excuse for them to not appear again since they are modelled after real actors. Really curious how two personalities like that would deal with living a life under the Daidoji faction.
EDIT: Correct me if I am wrong but Shishido's irezumi is portraying a guardian lion just like Nakahara's in Yakuza 3. While not entirely the first depiction, you did say "face off against", so I take that.
Like he says to Kiryu, 'This room is the dream!' The old school Yakuza only have the glory of working up the ranks to look forward to, and that's about to be taken away from him, so of course he fights like a cornered animal. He's got literally nothing left to fight for, so he throws himself against the immovable object of the Dragon of Dojima, again and again.
And him standing below the Omi crest as well makes it clear that he is the literal last guardian of the Omi Alliance. A Guardian Lion, if you will. Not only a singular man fighting Kiryu, but the personification of the Yakuza itself.
Yet even if he did win, what does he hold? The Omi building is deserted, Shishido's main allies are gone, and the crest itself in the throne room is rubble. He won't sit on that throne for long, but he knows nothing else.
@@jamesnorman9160 I honestly think that win or loss, Shishido is a man who could rebuild a clan (if he wasn't arrested by the Daidoji). He has the charisma to rally the people against the legends of the Tojo, he had the will to go against the biggest odds. Even when he was beaten by Kiryu and not even able to stand, he was crawling towards him to continue. Now, would he be a good leader? Probably not. He did say that monsters like Nishitani shouldn't be allowed to live but at the same time teams up with him if he sees value in it. It's for sure an interesting character and an interesting villain and I do have to agree with "He is everything Aizawa was supposed to be", I grow to like him more and more even though I initially thought he was the weakest major character.
I think they will both show back up. If it was a one off you could’ve killed them i think they realized both characters are too good to only be in one game
@@FrankyAsherJrhe said that about nishitani after he pretended to kill him so you could say he was just playing his role to keep the ruse going. I think he does think nishitanj goes to far as a lot of what he does is for pleasure while shidhidos is to survive
@@redhood444 Yeah but they are likeness characters of two actors, that's always hard to guarantee
Shishido is what aizawa should have been
Exactly.
The final Aizawa fight was epic and cinematic, but Shishido's final battle honestly blows it out of the water. The emotional stakes are much higher here, and Shishido's reasons for fighting are much more compelling. He's fighting to protect the only life he knows, not just for the glory.
No. He's a concise version of Kurosawa.
For me they have nothing to do with each other. Both are completely different characters
@@ikarovski12Right? Shishido has an actual resolve and natural charisma. The whole point of Aizawa's character is that he was the complete opposite of that and it makes sense for 5's story
I said it in another video also saying Shishido is the best boss fight.
That boss fight in every parameter is top tier
Kiryu: “the man who erased his name” vs Shishido: “the man who is trying to make himself a name”
Absolutely masterpiece of a fight, very worthy of Kiryu final boss
the man who gave it all up vs the man who wanted it all
@@charliemcmillan4561the man who made it to the top but gave it away vs the man who’s still clawing for the top for the ideals of what it could mean
I think "Undoing Past Mistakes" extends to *both* Morinaga and Aizawa. Morinaga seemed like a very interesting character who had like... *something* going on, like he was actually up to something, but then he just dies off-screen, and then Aizawa shows up at the end as the final boss out of nowhere.
With Shishido they completely redid the Aizawa twist, and now Morinaga is back as an ally
As others have said, Shishido could've been the protagonist and strongest Yakuza (next to Kiryu) if he had been born in another era. Too bad for him that he was on the rise as the Yakuza became powerless. In fact, he showed incredible spirit in the final chapter. Legit "main character" energy.
I just hope that RGG will bring him back in the future. I mean, there has to be a reason why they made him survive, plus Yasukaze Motomiya (his VA/face model) has repeatedly stated how he always wanted to be in an RGG game for years. He could easily be persuaded into coming back (heck, many "likeness actors" are also returning for Infinite Wealth). Great character. Heck, while we're at it: Akame and Tsuruno should also return. It's bonkers how some absolutely fantastic characters were introduced in Gaiden.
No wonder Motomiya gave it his all as Shishido.
My top 3 antagonist
Shishido
Mine
Kuze
Have you played the judgement games? Because the antagonists from those games are top tier.
@@txstyy1266Kuroiwa my beloved
@@txstyy1266 Soma was my fav!
Yakuza 0 had so many good villains it was insane. Kuze is probably my favorite
Just as an FYI, Gaiden didn't only have 6 months to develop, it's just that Yokoyama only took 6 months to write the story. The wording of the translation made it easy to be mixed up, but Gaiden as a whole took longer than 6 months.
Ah, interesting. Appreciate the correction!
Honestly still pretty impressive on Yokoyama's part
@@lionelk.y7233 agreed.
@@lionelk.y7233 His team did well to deserve my 50 dollars in this great game.
if only he took more than a day to write IW
There's one thing that always play on my mind; Shishido, while falling fown from the building after being punched by Kiryu, doesn't have a closure and lived the rest of his life in shame and misery of 'enservantness', while Yoshitaka Mine from Yakuza 3, although attempted a similar but half hearted coup, managed to falling down in a way that redeems himself from eternal shame. This show that if you don't have a regret (as Shishido is shown), you live the life without any closure.
Aizawa = Style without enough substance.
Shishido = Style with plenty of substance.
Shisido was written so well in Gaiden, the moment the twist came was a surprise and a surprise that let me appreciate the timing of his actions. He was finally able to have a full effect at the end and played it masterfully. The way the twist was revealed was done so well thanks to his characterazation you talked about in this video - that's the moment he was really endeared to me
Same here! Really hoping Infinite Wealth continues this trend of deliberate narrative setups
Shishido may not be my favorite villain but he’s still a S tier villain without question
Some other things I find interesting about Shisido
1. I see the final fight as not only a do-over of the Aizawa fight but also a darker reflection of it and it’s association with dreams. Battle for the Dream is a triumphant, epic theme to reflect the fact that these are two men’s dreams clashing against each other. The qte’s are they of a bombastic shows of strength topped off with their heat auras accentuating the choreography. Meanwhile, Deadly Struggle is an intense and heavy while Fleeting Dream is somber. The qte’s are also more brutal. To me, this represents the death of the yakuza dream as while Kiryu fought to defend the Tojo Clan in 5 he fought to destroy it and the Omi in Gaiden as his ideals for a better future have shifted towards the dissolution while Shisido views himself as the only man with the strength to guard the yakuza dream and keep it alive, but it’s ultimately a futile effort due to his own loss and the changing times.
2. Shisido’s Shisi irezumi not only symbolizes how he views himself as a guardian of the Omi Alliance but may also serve as a callback to Nakahara’s irezumi in 3. Kiryu refers to Shisido as “an old school yakuza”, so him having a irezumi similar to that of an old man from a previous entry reflects how he stands against a changing world since yakuza as idealistic and tough as him are not only a rare breed now but also restricted by the law, the latter of which being a point that Shisido either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care to understand because his mindset is stuck in the past. His mention of dreams before he final fight pushes this further, as he’s calling back to the main theme of an older game in which the yakuza were still heavily dominant and relatively unfettered by laws.
3. 29:40 It sort of was for Shisido since yakuza as an institution was the only place he felt he belonged to. The track that plays at the construction site is titled Treachery, representing how Kiryu, Tsurono and Watase feel betrayed by Shisido but also Shisido feeling betrayed by his boss’s dissolution plan and collaboration with Tojo legends.
4. His fate as a Daidoji agent while incredibly cruel, also fits for him in a sort of ironic way. He desired to live in world where his strength and violent tendencies would be of use, but instead of him keeping the yakuza alive for that, he became a foot soldier for the Daidoji much like Kiryu, the man he resented. In rejecting the inevitable death of the yakuza by establishing himself as the legendary defender of the Omi the same way Kiryu did with the Tojo, he ultimately faced the same fate. Plus, him being forced to work for what is essentially a secret government group mirrors how the anti-yakuza laws led to the imprisonment of people like Watase, and Shisido effectively became Watase family patriarch since the two guys above him turned their backs on the Omi.
26:20 Man, I didn't realize that even the two fighting styles Kiryu uses in Gaiden actually reinforces the game's themes of past and future till this part, with Agent representing starting anew and Yakuza representing going back to the old ways. That is genuinely the coolest thing to me.
I hope RGG does more gaiden games
Maybe Tanimura and Akiyama would love to play as those two again
I really want to know what the hell happened to Tanimura after Y4. Was he just forced to leave Kamurocho? Did he die in the Little Asia fire?
@@vboi5697I believe yakuza 5 very briefly mentions him and just says that he has to "lay low" after the events of yakuza 4 so we can assume he's still alive
@@baymexx6591 and in Infinite Wealth, it seems that there are no new info about Tanimura and Shinada's current whereabouts, Kiryu simply just remembered them
Shishido really caught me by suprise. Everything about him screamed rival for Kiryu. But how they built him from the ground up was brilliant. The story made you care for him. A wild dog just trying to make it to the top while everything stood in his way. Being assaulted by Nishitani having shitty parents. And even being beaten within an inch of his life. This man has seen it all. And all he wanted was a taste at glory. He didnt care what stood in his way. And was even willing to make a deal with the devil to do so. By far one of the best tellings of a villain to date. And i hope RGG continues this with infinite wealth. The series needs this more complex villains ones you can feel for.
in such a short time, he shot up to be in my top 3 best bosses of all time
he is perfect for kiryu to fight against, a yakuza to heart and idolizes the life
a man stuck in the past, clinging onto his only way of living he's ever known, even if it was only pain
so it's kiryu who becomes the wake up call, putting an end to not just someone's dream but everyone's, putting rest to the legacy of the yakuza, the same yakuza he helped build up once, and that built him
I honestly wasn't feeling Gaiden that much initially, but by the end of it I was impressed. So much quality in here, even with a relatively short development cycle, and easily one of the best final bottles in the entire series too (and that's already a good list to begin with).
The final battle was important for both men involved. It was important for Shishido because it the most important battle of his entire life, all to keep intact the only life he knew before it was taken out from under him. And it was important for Kiryu because he wasn't just fighting against Shishido, but a spectre of the Yakuza life that had followed him for decades, and he finally puts it to rest the best way he knows how: with his fists.
The symbolism in the final battle is superb too: from when Shishido breaks his first katana against the Omi crest on the wall, and then is immediatly tackled through it afterwards, destroying the crest and the wall. It all shows the Omi is crumbling to dust whether he likes it or not, and even if he does win here, there's nothing left to fight for: the Omi HQ Building is an empty, dead kingdom. There's no-one left inside. Nothing left to fight for.
And when they tumble outside for the final phase, the sun is setting on the day and on the Omi Alliance itself. Kiryu stands with his back to the sunset, while Shishido stands below the Omi Crest on the outside of the building: they represent the future and the past respectively. And while the latter's fought like a wounded, cornered animal for the last 15 minutes, he seems to realise that he won't be achieving his dream today, like you said.
But he still fights to the bitter end, because what else does he have?
Deadly Struggle quickly became one of my top favourite songs from the series, and only when you mentioned Mike Portnoy did I realise why. He’s my all-time favourite drummer 😂 Love the reference! And loved the video as well, I’m so glad Shishido’s getting the recognition and appreciation he deserves!
Same here (plus, Dream Theater is my favourite band, so I'm used to recognizing these kinds of fills immediately hahah)! Thank you for watching
Shishido has been the only final boss I've perceived as a threat. Shibusawa, Nishiki and Aizawa felt like them wanting to prove their worth, one against The Dragon of Dojima, the other against his brother and Aizawa against the legendary 4th Chairman. Iwami was a cunning, cold blooded Yakuza makes his way to the top. Mine was too blind to see he was a good guy fighting for the wrong reasons. Daigo was just being lectured so we cannot count that as true fight. The villain who I think is more similar to Shishido is Goda Ryuji himself. I felt like Shishido is what both Ryuji and Aizawa couldn't. Ryuji was the first villain I felt to be stronger than Kiryu in terms of physical strength. However he felt too inexperienced and too young. While Aizawa felt as if his daddy would have granted him a chance at yakuza glory, all he had to do was to beat an injured Kiryu. And as Kiryu correctly pointed out he had gone through serious conflicts that had granted him the strength and experience to wipe the floor with Aizawa. Shishido on the other hand is more experienced, older, hardened and determined. The fight against Shishido wasn't for honor, glory or to best the legendary Kiryu Kazuma. He said it himself, he doesn't give a shit about some legendary yakuza. Had he bested Kiryu, Shishido was ready to go against Daigo, Majima, Saejima, Tsuruno and Watase. During the fight you could tell Shishido was going for the kill. All the previous big guys who did heavy damage were slow, but not Shishido. Shishido riling up the rest of the Omi officers, I´ve never seen another villain do that. Also he was the first villain not to show any sign of respect or submission after being defeated by Kiryu. Shishido's a true badass
Great analysis very well said and put in everything I've had on my mind, he will truly remain unforgettable and one of the greats of the series. A well done job by RGG to implement characters like these in a side story within a short span of time.
Shishido is a better written version of Aizawa.
I think they did a great job with Shishido. He feels like a fusion between Aizawa and Kurusawa, but far better realized than either of those two characters.
It’s one thing for Kurusawa to talk about how he literally ate shit to make it to the top, but Shishido literally bears the scars from that ascent. His entire *life* was spent getting to where he was, with any mistake along the way being rewarded only with pain and punishment, and now someone (Kiryu) whose struggles pale in comparison to his own is willing to come back from the dead and destroy all of that work.
You can absolutely see the point in his anger and desperation, even if you might not agree with his ideals completely.
Aizawa walks so Shishido could run
I just beat Shishido yesterday on Christmas and this video drops the day after. He was pretty much my favorite boss next to Ryuji and Shibusawa. This’ll help me appreciate Shishido even more than I already do, the Aizawa that was done right.
Not only the perfect Yakuza boss, but one of my personal all time favorite Yakuza villains. Shishido was a goddamn menace and beast!
The moment i saw the twitter post i was filled with excitement because i love the fantastic analyses you put out
Man it so cool to see how far the games have come today
Speaking about his convictions and things in life that he basically has gone all in in , take a note on Shishidos ink ,we know the significance of the koma inu but thats not what i wanna talk about, its the lenght of the tattoo reaching all the way to his fucking wrists . I read somewhere that tattoing the underside of your upper arms is extremely painful due to how sensitive they are so only the most dedicated and or old fashioned of yakuza did it like Majima, Shimano,Watase, you wouldnt even find a punk in the Reiwa era even considering such a commitment, remember what Someya(rest his soul) said to Kiryu in Y6. Then you have Kosei MFing Shishido going above and beyond with making full arm length tats upto the wrist .
Considering how tattoos are treated as taboo in japanese everyday culture as a mark of the gokudo can you even imagine the loyalty Shishdo had for the yakuza life that he went all in on ? A normal yakuza with a back tattoo can still blend in with a civillian crowd, go to konbinis to buy cigs and beer, people will kick up a fuss if he gets to a public onsen or something but Shishido wanted people to know he was a yakuza with his ink reaching up to his wrist everytime. As he said "Only power will put people on their knees"
Nothing but respect of this man, i dont know what the future holds for him with the whole diadoji thing but hes a man whose trials and tribulations wont end and im damn sure he will come out of this even stronger whether RGG decides to give him screen time or not.
I haven't started the video completely, but I'm looking forward to this analysis
Loved this video. Shishido is such a fantastic boss, he is a combination of many bosses into one. So glad he was the final boss. Although people wanted Ichiban as the final boss, i think Shishido was perfect. If RGG really wanted, they could have had a boss rush mode in the main menu ( similar to the ultimate battles to yakuza 0) and Ichiban be the final boss there. I say this as we all know who the final boss for Kiryu was in y0 ultimate battle.
there still REALLY should’ve been an Ichiban fight. We see the end of the Omi from Kiryus perspective but that fight just got an off screen mention from Kitty and i was unsatisfied low key..
@@williamalbatross4677 but you played it already lol
@@cius2112 yeah, from ichiban’s perspective in a turn-based fight. if you somehow think that’s the equivalent of doing it from Kiryu’s perspective in real time i dont know what to tell you. Not to mention that not EVRYONE played 7 (especially since it’s turn based) and it would’ve done good to have those people play that passing of the torch instead of just being shown it for 2 seconds in a still image flashback. cmon man, i shouldn’t even have to tell you this.
@@williamalbatross4677 Me personally, I'm okay with there not being an Ichiban fight. Ichiban doesn't mean.... anything to Kiryu. He's an ally, yes. But from his POV, Ichiban and his friends ganged up on Kiryu just as the regular everyday goons do and he beat them all with little effort. It meant something to Ichiban, he faced the dragon, he was vulnerable and riled up and learned the lesson to not abandon his friends. The torch WAS passed.
I disagree on the idea that there are many parallels between Aizawa and Shishido, because their motivation is pretty different in my opinion. Shishido has a material interest in keeping the Yakuza as an institution alive, and that's what he fights for: Having his place in the world. This is of course not where his character ends, and it doesn't taint him in any way, but Aizawa, on the other hand, fights partially because his father forced him into his grand scheme. But he doesn't really care about being appointed Tojo Chairman. So he tries to make sense of it by declaring that only the strongest should rule the Yakuza. Who is the strongest? Why, that's Kiryu of course. He then makes it his goal to defeat Kiryu and, in his very own worldview (this is not something Kurosawa wants, who despises it when Yakuza talk about Honor or Strength, since he never got to enjoy either of those concepts) earn his place at the top by becoming the strongest rather than just have his father put him there. He wants to become Tojo Chairman, not by measure of Nepotism, but by measure of strength. At the beginning of his final boss fight, Aizawa already has what Shishido wants if Kurosawa's plan were to work; He just thinks he has to still earn it, which is probably why he's waiting there for Kiryu to show up instead of working behind the shadows alongside his father.
Shishido wants to become Omi Chairman because no one else seems to want to. He may very well have been the highest-ranked Yakuza at the Omi HQ who wasn't in favor of disbanding both clans, so he's kind of next in line if the Omi Alliance were to continue existing. He's also the one who has the most dedication to achieve that, trying to pick up a crown that was willingly abandoned by its king. Aizawa tried to actively steal that crown from Daigo instead, thinking he's too weak and incompetent to lead the Tojo. But Shishido is loyal to Watase and Tsuruno as long as they still want to be Yakuza; Shishido thinks Watase is a traitor, while Aizawa is even somewhat proud that he is a traitor to someone who he doesn't even respect.
I think Shishido is perfect for Gaiden too, and I can appreciate Aizawa, but they have different motivations. But I do agree that Shishido is better presented. Aizawa suffers the most from having his role switched around with that of Morinaga in the finale, where one is dead and the other is the twist villain.
I very much appreciate your view on the matter! What you've mentioned here are some of the reasons I'd love to see an Aizawa Gaiden, should the opportunity present itself, cause there's more than enough substance present to make him stand among the rest of the great final bosses. Thank you for watching
This was very well written on both parties, Good Job Kyoudais
Slight spoiler, but Yokoyama offhandedly confirmed to a cosplayer at a con that Morinaga is alive, lol. He is actually Hanawa, who seemingly got picked up by the Daidoji after his off-screen "death" and got a face change by the Daidoji. It's why Morinaga and Hanawa share the same voice actor, and why Hanawa gave the name "Taichi Suzuki" as Kiryu's latest alias in the ending of Gaiden. Daigo, Aizawa, and Morinaga were among the few people Kiryu has met who was even aware of that one alias he used.
@@runbaa9285 Wow,Thats pretty sick that they did that. :)
Truly a great video i enjoyed all the work you put.
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After what happened in Gaiden it's kinda safe to say his a worthy protagonist like the ending gave us the idea that his story is not over yet like he needs to fulfill something that probably Shishido doesn't know but the answer would only appear if he meets someone like Haruka who could possibly change his mindset and try to fight for a normal life but it won't be a happy ending but a sad and tragic.
Finally someone mentioning shishido's last moments, he'll be at square one. Forever, no legacy, no name
The OST played during that scene is literally called "From Demise to Abyss"
Absolutely brutal fate for a character like him.
@@kartikayysola dammn I already feel like revisiting this game after beating infinite wealth
I love Fleeting Dream a lot.
Bro Shishido made this game even better than it was. He felt like who Kiryu was to Kuze but representing different ideologies. How can a game so short be so great but to be fair doing ALL the content would require time that rivals games normal play time. Like you can beat Insomniacs Spiderman 2 and 1 within 30 hours. When I did everything I wanted to do on the hardest difficulty. It took me over 40 hours to complete almost 50.
love this charecter so much and if this is how we get redemption for yakuza 5 and specifically u know who then im all for it
Que gran análisis! Definitivamente la mejor final boss fight de RGG studios ❤
I wish there was much more of Gaiden. Best cast since Zero. Akame the Essence of Waifu and Shishido the most intimidating mf-er since that one guy at the end of Judgement whose name is a spoiler.
18:59 the only problem I see with this is he took advantage of the situation after hearing about kiryu being shot. Even kiryu's wound opening during the fight with him. I had thought he took advantage of the situation. I mean before hand he used his sword to cut down the skeleton crew at the tojo clan with the all the chaos happening.
He' very relatable. Just like the young Kiryu in Y0, a determined young man rising up against an older legend, but unlike Kiryu, he's born in the wrong age...
Shishido needs a hug.
Love his design. His tattoo is beautiful and his scars look awesome. Also great that he was given plenty of screentime to develop and enough depth to be more than just a simple villain. Hope we'll get to see him again later since they specifically didn't kill him.
Loved and i think the exact same
I was so mind blown when i thought about it, Shishido too is a man who erased his name, since this names was given, omfg i love this game
A superb video. Also, happy new year! Hopefully next year your videos can be a bit louder lol. I played your video after listening to some music on yt and I can barely hear anything.
Happy new year to you as well! Also, appreciate the feedback :)
I feel for some reason i see Shishido as a cautionary tale for majima or what majima would of been if majima made different choices in his life, hell even both of their styles are similar and plus the hannya thing. Also both wear flashy clothes even similar color palate, and in a hand to hand stance. Shishido's stance looked somewhat similar to Majima's thug stance, both use weapons, and use underhanded tactics in battle, both could quickly adapt to situations, and both have this... idk this certain confidence and certain charisma to them, and ect, and like to kiryu even though deep down they are similar to an extent. Majima and kiryu are like polar opposite of each other in terms of style, personality, and ect but dispite this they have like this respect for each other even Brotherhood even. But ya Like what you said about Mine in his character analysis video, Mine is like a cautionary tale or darker reflection for Kiryu or what he would of been if he made different choices in life as well and turns are they were much alike and things could of been different if they met much earlier.
But ya I hope we get more of Kosei Shishido in the future. Liked his character. Be cool to get a game where we play as him. Whether a prequel or show what's going on with him after he got captured and put on a short leash.
Gaiden final fight is the most thrilling and awesome in the series. I can feel the emotion, power, anger, and determination in Shishido vs Kiryu.
Despite being the shortest in story, its amazing that RGG could make this one last game for Kiryu as good as it can be.
by the end of this game i was itching to fight Shishido 1v1, they ramped it up perfectly.
You really can't help but feel kinda bad for the guy. Shishido is the definition of "born in the wrong generation", if he was around during the Kazama or early Dragon of Dojima generation, he undoubtedly would have clawed his way to the top. He had the strength, leadership, and determination for it. Hell, in a few of his fight's transitions, there are a few points where he gets the edge over Kiryu! Definitely ranks up there with Ryuji and Mine for being one of The Dragon's toughest and greatest opponents.
My favourite part is that kiryu is basically the villain for the older yakuza game in gaiden, you are the one that is breaking the yakuza world you knew , you are the one betraying shishidos trust , shishido is the protagonist that we never got the chance to play
Shishido is like Aizawa but better
Shishido is def my favorite villain in any media, he is THE BEST, god Gaiden is so good
Shishido is a fucking goat! And his theme "Deadly Struggle" is one of the best Boss themes I've ever heard!
Man this seems like such a cool video concept.
He definitely was elite material
I kinda expected shishido to be the finalboss since the 3rd chapter, because everything the families with the help of kiryu have planned goes entirely against Shishido's beliefs and especially his loyalty. At first i thought he didn't know about the plan for some reason, but that thought was completly shattered by the confirmation in chapter 4 that he does know. Which just left the question of "why?" In my head. Why is Shishido on our side?
Truly an amazing villain with an even better build up :)
One of the things Shichido's ending brought me was more questions. Both Nishitani and him were picked up by the Daidoji? Then I thought back to Kashiwagi's off-screen "death" and rebirth as Barman from Survive bar... Is he also a Daidoji agent? How many past antagonists are now with the Daidoji?
Do they really think they can take a wild beast like Shichido? He already lost everything he held dear to and I don't think getting him to comply will be easy.
So many questions about a faction we, despite everything, know very little about.
Kashiwagi didn’t have an off screen death
Did you even play Yakuza 3? Kashiwagi had his own group called HLA that helped with ex-Tojo to live a new life with new identity and new job for them.
@@zeroskaterz92 ya, the HLA was founded prior to his “death”.
You guys really believe that the HLA has the means to save a guy riddled with bullets from an attack helicopter? 🤨
I know this is the Yakuza series, but come on! Also he funded the HLA with the money he was making with the Kazama family, which was absorbed by another after his death (by the Majima family IIRC) so it's a possibility that the HLA got defunded at that point, after all other than that substory with Kotaro in 4, I don't remember the HLA being ever mentioned again. Moreover Kashiwagi wasn't just a punk not cut out for the Yakuza business, he was essentially the second most important guy in the Tojo clan before his "death", a.k.a. a guy that probably got his picture in the newspapers a lot.
Ain't no way Kashiwagi "died" and revived through the HLA.
@@NachtKaiser666 no, the HLA has nothing to do with Kashiwagi’s survival.
You originally said Kashiwagi had an off screen death but he never did.
His “Death” was shown on screen
Regarding the finale in Gaiden, I'm left wondering where Tendo and the other lieutenants are. By no means am I expecting a Tendo and Kiryu fight, but the other lieutenants surely must have similar goals to Shishido. Did they only want to build the Tokyo Omi and serve Ryo Aoki?
Perhaps I've forgotten some of the plot points in 7 but I feel like there's a disconnect here. How come there's no Ryo Aoki connections to the Watase family? I assume that's the exact reason for the dissolvement move.
Perhaps I’ve just answered my own confusion but if Shishido took over the Omi then there’d be an internal conflict between Tokyo and Osaka halves. I recall Tendo saying he wanted to stand at the top, so he'd have to fight Shishido and the other lieutenants for it. But of course we know his plan was stopped by Ichiban and the party in the end then was arrested. Maybe the story is a lot more well written than I had realised before writing this comment lol.
I guess my confusion comes from the Omi lieutenants in 7 and why they have no impact in Gaiden. They're still Omi and Tendo visited the event for Watase's release. I guess the police takeover the HQ afterwards???
I can't wait for 8 as I want to learn what happened to the families and members after the dissolvement. To be honest I feel like this may not be explained since that security company seemed to have never happened from what we see in the trailers of 8.
It would also be nice to know where Ichiban, Arakawa and Tendo were during that final fight.
The more I think about this the more confused I get and worried for the future.
You did indeed answer your own question.
Gaiden was soo good even tho the game was short it was fun and had many good stuff like fun out with the boys to a badass fight even tho it was not perfect the execution was just somewhat perfect!
Shishido is one of the best villians of the series. He's motives are relatable and understandable. What he does is justifiable and it makes sense. He isn't bad for being bad and move the story he's really well writen in my opinion. I really,really like him at lot.
you are so right with how Shishido wasn't granted "peace" with his loss be it through, well, moving on with his life after losing the final fight and the yakuza way OR even through death. Instead he gets a fate worse than death, whatever it may be that the Daidoji would do with him (biggest joke being that he is now "owned" by the biggest joke of a secret society aka daidoji lmfao)
Shishido is Aizawa but actually done well
Basically Shishido is perfect like you said
Do you think we can see shishido in a future yakuza game with the daidoji ?
A gripe I have with a couple of the past Yakuza villains is that I think it sometimes overly-romanticizes their ambitions as these venerable and noble sort of affairs. I was never as into Ryuji as the rest of the fandom because it always felt like the game overly lionizes him in a way. Even more-so Aizawa, who winds up getting praised by Kiryu at the end despite doing literally nothing to earn it. It sometimes makes me ask the question if these men who would use cruelty and murder to get to the top deserve the glamorous ending they all receive in their spectacular final battles.
Shishido almost feels like a subversion of that, as there's this sort of pointlessness to his motivations that makes him imo more tragic and interesting. He literally can't win. Supposing he stops the yakuza disbandment, they will become government lapdogs anyway like Daigo and Watase feared. And when he loses, he becomes a government lapdog anyway through the Daidoji. He's hurting people for a world that will never come to be, a literaly dream.
The Aizawa comparison is on-point imo, and clearly not just a reference but a subversive statement. I mean the literal translation of their boss themes are very similar, but Shisido's has some bleaker adjectives added for context. Its not a Battle, but a Struggle. And not just a Dream, but a Fleeting one.
Great video! I disagree with you quite a bit regarding some of your conclusions with Aizawa, but I definitely agree that he is inconsistently written as a character throughout the story and I definitely prefer how Shishido is handled throughout Gaiden by a significant margin even doe I personally vibe with Aizawa despite the numerous amount of issues with his story.
Shishido is a phenomenal character and he is such a perfect capstone to the series, especially with how his major interactions with Kiryu managed to challenge him in a really unique and worthwhile way I adore. He's such a fantastic send off to the Kiryu set of games and I am so happy I played the game on release so I didn't have him spoiled for me. He deserves any recognition he gets as an antagonist.
Appreciate the feedback! In retrospect, I wound up being much harsher on Aizawa than I thought I'd be, but the next time I give him a lasting spotlight it will be much more balanced view to observe. Had huge hopes for him, so I'm glad RGG took the mechanical concepts and executed them in the way they originally wanted to. Thank you for watching!
That opening guitar riff in his dynamic intro is EVERYTHING! It encompasses his entire badass personality, you wouldn't even have to play the game to know who he is as a person, just that opening guitar riff. Brilliant!
P.S. The Yakuza games are the reason I don't watch Hollywood action movies anymore, nothing even brings the sheer testosterone, camaraderie and manliness that these games do!
Shishido is Aizawa if you replaced him with Ryuji; He's easily the best final antagonist since Nishiki and Ryuji and is absolutely the best way to end Kiryu's run. Probably second or third strongest final boss too and is the only one to've ever fought Kiryu at a disadvantage. Nishiki and Mine had him run through a bunch of thugs, hired mercenaries, and even corrupt government agents, and both he and Ryuji were injured in their final fight. Everyone else just forced them to go through literal mobs and the silliest shit ever, but Shishido fell into a concrete pit while fighting Kiryu, climbed out, and went on to face down and come at the five most powerful Yakuza in the country at once and managed to hold two of them back after being stabbed in the hand, and then made his stand in the best boss fight RGG's put out since Kuroiwa. I really hope we get more of Shishido man, even his own game, if anyone deserves to succeed Kiryu, it's him.
Great boss
Shishido should've had 60 health bars
I agree Shishido was a super memorable boss akin to Ryuji
ShishiGoat 🗿🗿
I didnt think much of Shishido, but his speech made me love him.
I'd love to see you discuss who should get the next Gaiden game, what with Yokoyama's interest in making more games like this. Personally, I'd love to see a Gaiden game with Daigo as its protagonist, he's always gotten the short end of the stick in the series (more than any other character) and I think it would just be very interesting to have a game focused on him struggling to find a new purpose in his life after the Tojo clan's dissolvement.
What’s the name of the music that was played on the background of the intro part? I’ve been trying to find it but can’t get it
It's the song "Wounded Beast" off Gaiden's soundtrack. Generally, you can find the names of each song that plays in my videos in the description 👍
I think Shisido would have been a forgettable boss but they made sure he can back up his claims to lead/take over. He has the first kill, he is ruthless, resilient, and even gets to stand up to Majima and Saejima at the same time. Nice pairing with the bargain bin Nishitani (though he did have an excellent suit) to make Shisido look more capable and hands on. Got bit od the Kuroiwa treatment, before you see the character itself, you see his actions and capabilities. And then you realize he is your enemy (though with Shisido it waa clear from the start he will be the final boss).
I like this newer approach, old bosses were either just hyped up through dialogue (Nishiki, Ryuji, Mine) or just portrayed as a creep (Tamashiro, Saito, Kugihara). It seems like now we are at the era of the bosses proving themselves before becoming a main antagonist. Sawashiro, Kuroiwa, Kuwana and Soma.
I need my king to return, I'd love to see shishido to meet ichiban and kiryu and figure out a better path
Gaiden does a lot to improve on some of the weakest aspects of previous stories. It justifies 3, improves 5 (the Morinaga thing suprised the hell out of me), and even fixes the most disappointing fight in 7. It really felt like the game's whole point was to increase your enjoyment of the rest of the series.
how dumb Am I for thinking it was majima in the thumbnail?
Everything before Shishido's final stand I only saw him as another scummy character who's only interested in himself yet by the end had gained insane respect upon his speech and resolve
This could always just be my head canon, but instead of condemning the game for making it seem like Aizawa's heel turn made no sense, I ended going down a path that really made me think about how Aizawa behaves, and what would possibly lead him here.
My interpretation/theory, is that Aizawa is a hypocrite, and deep down deeply doubts himself.
If Aizawa were confident in his beliefs truly, then he would never have a reason to go with Kurosawa's plan, which he mentions he could've just..._not_ done at any point, and was clearly only done out of desperation due to his approaching death.
If kurosawa were healthy, what would he need Aizawa for?
Which leads me to believe that the only reason that Aizawa goes along with his father, is because he knew he _needed_ the backbone from him in order to get anywhere.
While he should absolutely despise this idea, instead of denying the gifts, he finds a way to justify it, by saying if he beats Kiryu here and now, then maybe he can someone worth inheriting Kurosawa's will. He will have quelled his insecurity, and got the power he dreamed of through "effort", and no one would question it.
Because he beat kiryu.
But we all know how it goes...
Shishido also benefits immensely from Gaiden being so concise. Yakuza 5 is long af and there’s a good chance you haven’t seen Aizawa for 30-40 hours when he turns up again, you could easily have forgotten him.
It’s not possible for you to forget Shishido.
🐐
I agree with everything said on this video, and it pains me to say that Ryuji is painfully undercooked. I’d love a video from you about his flaws and how he could have been better.
@@felipebastos7661 Appreciate the suggestion! It's been on my list of future videos for a while, but I'm waiting until I play through Dead Souls to give a more comprehensive look at Ryuji as a whole. After that, we'll see
@@gokudoni Thanks, Buddy
His ending is painfully tragic for him as well. (Massive Spoilers just in case)
The Man Who Couldn't Let It Go is essentially punished for his tenacity and drive to protect what little he has left. Hes not a special villain in that case, we've seen worse happen to the stubborn types, but his especially feels cruel considering all he's endured and what hes been fighting for.
At the very end, being leashed by the Daidoji just solidifies that he will never belong in the real world. He will never escape the underground and while it is of his own making, the cruelty comes with being trapped with Nishitani III. The very man who abused him physically, sexually, mentally. The very mention by the Daidoji man (who I cant remember) that Shishido will be comfortable beside him for the rest of his days is the only thing in the entire game that evokes shock and maybe even a bit of fear in Shishido. That stuff stings.
Hes such a great character who was dealt so many bad hands and he will be immortalized in the Yakuza fandom, I assure you.
Nishitani III however is being run over by a Ford F150 and flushed down the toilet, anyone who likes him is a red flag and I'm talking about the simpy fangirls who like characters like Mahito in JJK. You people specifically NEED to go to therapy
I still like Aizawa a lot but I'll admit that ShiShido is way better.
I find it unfair to call Shishido a "better version of Aizawa" as Aizawa's mentality and philosophy are entirely different than Shishido. One is about earning glory through strength. Whereas Shishido is about survival, not glory. He himself always touts about surviving and feels betrayed because he feels like there's no other possible way or route to live life.
I think its more accurate to compare him to a concept known as "Kurosawa in his prime."
You know, the guy who also scratched, clawed and ruled through his own strength. Who also struggled. Remember, Kurosawa is a guy who was forced to eat literal feces on the way to the top. Make a Yakuza 4.5, make it about us seeing Kurosawa's actual struggle to the top, and that will be almost, word for word, exactly the story of Shishido.
Aizawa hardly shows up at all. He shows up 2-3 times in part 1 and never shows up again until the finale.
Aizawa had no screen time.
Great video, but I suggest if you make future videos like this you leave the characters name out of the thumbnail. This game is only two months old, I can imagine there is quite a few kyodais that haven't played the game yet and dont want the main antagonist to be spoilt for them.
Noted! I've refrained from calling him the "final boss" just in case, but it's better to omit namesakes altogether for recent releases. Thank you for the input
After 6 rgg got all around really good with final bosses mostly because they nailed the mix of determination and obsession. Aoki and shishido feels like better version of baby iwami and aisawa less because of the writers wanted a do over and more because they drastically improved their writing right after a rot. Shishido and aisawa have "long fight through brute force" in common and little else you could have seen it as homage to ryuji since your first fight was after chasing him through omi and end with a clash and likely found more in common but no one really wants a do over of 2 boss fight
Based
I personally disagree that the QTEs in the Aizawa fight are in essense comparable to loading screens in the way that they break up the fight into the segments. While it does stop the course of the fight for a second, they are also part of what made the fight so memorable to begin with. I actually miss the more frequent QTEs of the past games, as those parts of fights tended to be some of the coolest parts overall. I love Aizawa swinging a statue at Kiryu as Kiryu rolls on top of it to dodge. I love Aizawa trying to punch Kiryu in the air just for him to dodge and get the upper hand. I think the only time I've ever been annoyed with a QTE in this series was the last one in Yakuza Kiwami 2, because I pressed the wrong button on accident and had to redo the fight, but otherwise a lot of them add cool little scenes to the fights that you wouldn't really be able to see in a fight otherwise.
I honestly feel like ending a fight with one and that being the only QTE in the boss fight is kinda just a lame way to add depth to the end of a fight though. Yakuza 7 did this, and it didn't really make the ending that much better. Maybe it can be annoying if you were trying to go for a cool combo, but the spectacle of each QTE is worth it in most cases (not so much in the Dragon engine games, they hardly use them at all and most of them don't really do anything)
he really gave me the feel of kuze when he walked into the finale
Hes easily one of the best characters. Keeping in mind the 6 month development time frame its even more impressive. You just can't help but respect him. To me it also seems pretty apparent he'll help, either directly or indirectly, kiryu with nishitani to free him from the daidoji by destroying them or what have you. I don't see nishitani or shishido reforming but that's all the more reason why i see them as a ticking time bomb for the daidoji.