can we take a moment to appreciate the yakuza community? I haven’t read all the comments, but the majority are polite, either disagreeing or agreeing. I know there’s definitely some toxic tans out there but god you all make me proud
Yep, the Yakuza community has been almost completely great in my experience. Every once in a while I find a rare chinpira who needs a beating, but most of the time it's fantastic. Even when they finally announced Yakuza for Xbox, It was very surprising to see such a small number of Sony Simps crying about how Xbox doesn't deserve these games. Most fans were just glad that even more people could experience the franchise.
@@mjc0961 i have ps4 and xbox and just yesterday i was on gamepass and a saw yakuza kiwami after I beat it am gonna get 0 because I wanna play the games in the proper timeline because today I found out 0 takes place before kiwami. So am saying it was a good choice to put it on xbox
with the yakuza 3 beginning were seeing what kind of life kiryu truly wants. i really appreciate that. also also establishing the theme of what makes a family. the story hits me feels man.
Gotta say. What they could have done with Kaoru is make it like Majima but not really. She's in Every game that'll come but she won't be there too much but we do see her. So in 3 they would speak to each other so they know that they're still speaking and stuff, make maybe a Substory like how in Kiwami 2 there was Sunflower. Not really donation but something like that. And at the end instead of showing Kiryu being at Morning Glory Wounded they could show him going to America to see Kaoru. Would be cool. I got no idea if he'd want to take Haruka with him or let her be the Mom of the house and shit but yeah that'll be better. And for the other games I dunno. But put her there. I haven't Watched 5, 6 and 7 yet but I think that she'll come back to Japan there and we'd see her the most there. I just feel like she could be there the most. I dunno what happens at the end of 6 but maybe she'd be one of the people who knows he's alive.
"so hopefully with this with people stop asking what my personal yakuza favourite is." Leon brother there's always gonna be that one guy who doesn't know this video exists in the future
I legit cried when a certain major character died before seeing his sister in Y0. Hell, even the antagonists up until the end makes you sad. Truly, Y0 is S Tier.
@darkcyberia nah you get to see the best and where it all started first. And even if 0 is the best, 1 feels like a perfect follow up while everyone is bound to love the stories of the of the others, whether it’s a classic like 2, a grounded tale like 3 and 6, or a higher stakes one like 4 and 5. Or what might as well be a new 0 due to it starting the next saga with 7
This list for me is pretty disgusting but thats his opinion My list: S: Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 6(coz of plot twists) A: Kiwami 1 and Kiwami 2 and Ishin B:Yakuza 5 and 4 and 3 C:any other spinoff ans Yakuza 1 and 2 D: Yakuza 7
Man you really did Yakuza 5 dirty like that. I think the quality, variety, and quantity of all the gameplay relates stuff far outweighs the negatives with the story, easily A for me.
SPOILERS DONT READ: I dont agree, I loved the fake Majima death but I hated his wife for what she did to Haruka, I literally hate that woman more than I hate the final boss of yakuza 6, what she did to push Kiryu and Haruka apart just so Haruka could complete her dream was disgusting to me, the fear tactics she used to keep Haruka thinking that this is her only option, from everything she did, down to giving the letter that caused her death, a letter that would put whoever possesses it in danger to Haruka was evil even if it was for an obviously bullshit reason like "because I love you Haruka.". I loved the dream theme of this game but Kiryu's boss literally was just a giant plot twist with no passion, that boss fight was boring to me, cinematic as FUCK though, on par with Shibusawa in 0. The final scene of yakuza 5 was fantastic, and all the Omi characters were amazing, the content was fantastic as each guy had his own side thing, the soundtrack is maybe 4th in the series for me, great fucking songs, but story-wise it just seemed all over the place, like it was trying to deal with so much in a short span of time. If I ranked the games: Yakuza 0, Yakuza 6 (that epilogue is fucking amazing), yakuza 4 (I know its not better than some but it introduced Akiyama and Saejima and had best Majima theme and most unique sounding soundtrack with nervousness and whisky and rapsody), kiwami 2, yakuza 3(I was so immersed into the game all the kids were mine I loved their little story arcs), kiwami 1, yakuza 5.
I'm with him there. Yakuza 5 was the only one that I don't enjoy. All the others I loved, but Yakuza 5 I had to force myself to finish it. Easily E for me, story wise and Haruka part wise.
Yakuza 5 is a great game but the ending, giving haruka a chapter and the choice of character for the final boss is what makes it the least liked Yakuza game imo
@@wunimbo I aware of what those game are. It not Yakuza Ishin but Ryu Ga gotoku Ishin and Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan. What I'm asking is the "colab" OP talking about.
Don’t know what it is about Yakuza 5 but I just loved being in that game world regardless of how convoluted the story got. I mean they gave us five city blocks and characters to play as with their own side content that was just so much fun. Easily my favorite in the series apart from 0. I had a blast playing it.
these preferences are personal tastes based on experience as you said, but one thing is certain... when you talk about the series your eyes shine, it's authentic passion. in live streaming I understood your tastes... I am only surprised with dead souls, lol.
As someone who has played through most of the games, the originals excluded, I can agree with most of the list. I enjoyed the heck out of Yakuza 0, and I regretted playing that after playing Yakuza Kiwami. Definitely a game I can recommend to others for getting into the franchise. Loved Yakuza 6’s story, Yakuza 4 and 5 were okay in my opinion for story, but their gameplay is top notch. Yakuza 3 is okay in my opinion, so much blocking however. Kiwami 2 is pretty good in my opinion, since I haven’t played the original. The FOTNS game is a grind fest. Judgement is Judgement, and damn well was it great. Overall, I think these games have their strengths and weaknesses, each is a fun experience, it all depends on your preference. Thanks for reading this!
FOTNS is only really grindy if you're trying to be a completionist. Plus it's combat is different than the usual Yakuza games and its just sooo much fun to make grunts' heads explode
Ive had fotns for a year and still havent played it. Should get around to it tbh. I dont mind grinding in games since im a big bl fan so i dont think it'll be bad for me. I like all the yakuza games 5 being my favorite and 3 being my least favorite.
the 2 thing i dislike about kiwami 2 is they cut out the area where you supposed to find the mahjong dude with the tower also the jpop at the end and the rain god that was awful
@@FuckRUclipsAndGoogle I personally love rhythm, in fact low key forgot that I was playing a Yakuza game because Haruka’s part was that good. Then Akiyama joined and I remembered 🔥 But your point is totally understandable.
@@FuckRUclipsAndGooglemeh, that's highly subjective. Some like rhythm games, I did. Rhythm games are popular in Japan too so I think that's more of a western dislike
Hurts to see 5 so low, but I completely understand why you'd dislike it. Not just story-wise, there are plenty of abnormal sections in the game that just aren't enjoyable for everyone. Regardless, pretty interesting to see your subjective rankings. Some of them I didn't actually expect to be as high as they were.
@@sumireravenclaw8034 bro I agree with you about Yakuza 3. I personally think it's the worst one in the entire series, especially when it comes to the trash gameplay
I've only played 0, Kiwami and Kiwami 2 but honestly, all these games are S tier for me. I like every single one of them so much and they each have their strengths and weaknesses but remain amazing games imo. Unlike many people Kiwami felt perfect after 0, and so on. It just connects perfectly.
I've only recently gotten into this franchise, i'm at kiwami 2 rn and so far i agree with these rankings especially 0 and 2 at the top kiwami 1 was still good but 2 is amazing so far. only thing is i miss the styles so much and the over the top heat actions but they enhanced the free roam and actually made the fighting and upgrade process unique which i'm enjoying. unfortunately i have to miss out on judgement and fist of the north star as well as the remasters because i'm on xbox, i'm contemplating getting a playstation just to be able to play those games
I gotta say, I’d switch Yakuza 5 and 4. I love both games, but 4 is way too convoluted with a horrible twist. I loved the story for 5, especially Saejima and Kiryu. I also just really love Saejimas gameplay, being able to steamroll everything is so fun. Yakuza 6, I agree for the most part. Except I’d put it in S tier. I think the final boss is meant to be shit because he’s a perfect contrast to Kiryu. Kiryu is a guy who’s strength comes from his desire to protect his family and his pride of what it is to be a yakuza, he worked for everything in his life. Iwami had everything handed to him on a plate, he’s a spoilt brat and he has no honour. Iwami trained his body and mind, so he’s strong and he’s skilled. Kiryu trained his body, mind and soul. He’s got everything Iwami has and even more, as well as having an unbreakable resolve.
@Greg Ballard rubber bullets, it was unnecessary. However it made Saejimas character that much more tragic. Going to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, but still thinking he’d murdered 18 guys, that’s fucked up.
I felt like 4 & 5 were both really convoluted. Having too many playable characters screws with the pacing. That's why Zero is one of the best Yakuza games, it stuck to two protagonists and was able to tell a great story.
@@user-ew2sd7vl5m exactly! It feels like a really good parallel to Kiryu taking the fall for crimes, but one step further due to Saenima’s willingness to go through with it. I find it interesting and tragic, never found it bad or dumb
@@RobertEdwinHouse9 1. Story: one of the most important aspects of a game, but yeah who cares? Just cause I don’t like the same shit as you. Pure copeum. 2. This is literally Virgin old good, new bad fan vs chad enjoyer of all games
I respect your tier list, but personally yakuza 5 story ain't all that bad. It is messy but the thing is i expected it to be messy due to the scale and ambition that the developers had in mind. And the other thing is that the story is like an emotional rollercoaster, I haven't played 6 but boy did yakuza 5 hit me multiple times from the moments that it had Also i do remember the villains from 5 by memory alone. Kurosawa, aizawa, aoyama, kugihara,kanai,baba(he's not really of a villain, he's somewhere in the middle) sawada, higata, T-set and ogita.
@@edlerkrieger8045 nah not even close. If you consider Yakuza 4 to be a mess, then all of fiction must be pretty confusing for you lol. It’s very straight forward and better written than most fiction you’ll find elsewhere, especially in the context of the rest of the series
@@edlerkrieger8045 alright let’s count the twists. There was Yasuko killing the dudes for Katsuragi, Sugiuchi killing Tanimura’s father, Katsuragi killing the diner dudes instead of Saejima (directly, not that it matters to Saejima), Shibata working with Katsuragi and Sugiuchi, Kido betraying Saejima and Akiyama, and Arai being a brainlet with a gun. Everything else was very clearly not a twist, and some of these is even stretching it, like Shibata since he was meant to be suspicious as hell since the beginning and was shown to be planning stuff. But just to try to agree with you, that’s a total of 6 twists For the antagonists, you have Munakata, Katsuragi, Sugiuchi, Shibata, Arai, Kido, and technically Daigo. The only one there who was meant to be anything close to a twist for the average viewer was Kido So 6 twists where some were pretty obvious even beforehand and a single “twist villain?” In a 40 hour long story? Yeah that’s pretty straight forward. If that isn’t easy to keep track of and predict for you, then I’m sorry to say that’s a personal problem. I hope you sort that out so you can enjoy more complex stories more often :)
I’m so glad you appreciated yakuza 6 as much as i did. The story was a bit on the low but the message I really loved and probably had one of my favorite stop cards
I had that feeling when I went from 0 to Kiwami that I'd unfortunately started with the best one. Ah, well. Right now I've only played 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2, my personal ranking was 0 best for writing, Kiwami 2 for the best combat system, and Kiwami for the best city activity. [It's such a good activity that it's available EVERYWHERE!]
This still won’t stop people from constantly asking the question because so many don’t know that it’s exceedingly simple to look through a channel’s past uploads with just two clicks of the mouse. Also, I saw Kabukicho on NHK News the other day! ...But it was saying that entertainment districts like it are being hit super hard by coronavirus restrictions and most businesses are closed. Since the devs like to put current events into the games, how depressing would it be if the next Yakuza came out and the streets of Kamurocho were empty?
I've seen some of his boss videos(though rare) on it, and it looks cool samurai wise, so is it like the older Yakuza where it's one style fighting, or is it like nioh where you have different stances?
@@sbfh014 its where the different style system from 0 originated. You have fists, sword, pistol, and wild dance. Its really fun but also really difficult. Overall, really good game. I'm glad i imported it.
@@NishaPerson woooooooooah. That sounds heckin neato. Now I really want to see if they'll bring it over to the west, especially after sekiro and tsushima, lol
@@cookedbacon24 I didnt use the guide he mentioned. I did use the KHHsubs guide though. That one is really useful and they also translated the cutscenes.
I honestly don’t see why yakuza 5 is so hated lol, yakuza 5 gameplay without been a fanboy is a lot better than 3 and 4, and have better boss fights than kiwami 1 Only with that Yakuza 5 have to be at least B tier or A
Thanks for the vid Leon, missed you making lists like this. I remembered you pumping list vids out like crazy around 3 years ago haha. Would love for you to put out some more Yakuza content, whether it be livestreams or discussion vids, i'll watch them anyway
I still don't understand why people got pissed at Yamato II being the big secret in Y6. Do people seriously not understand what it signifies? The old, obsolete battleship itself is not the big deal, ffs. It's the fact that it revealed some GIGANTIC corruption inside the Japanese government. Its existence means that Japan violated the treaty with the US (well, in Yakuza's world, ofc). In real-life, the US would've immediately summoned all of Japan's top politicians, and Japan's entire government would've had to resign. It would've been one of the biggest world-wide scandals of the past 60 years in real-life. That's why that battleship was such a huge deal, and why Kiryu had to be silenced. The fact that so many people still think that the twist was more like "Oh no, they built a ship that can be destroyed in minutes by the US military" baffles my mind. Ffs, that's not it. Anyway, as for my own personal ranking for the games I played: S: Y0 (masterpiece)/ Judgement (masterpiece)/ Y7 (I love JRPGs, so masterpiece) A: Y6 (I love its more intimate story)/ K2 / Y2 (Ryuji carries the story for me and remains my favorite Yakuza villain) B: Y1 (better story presentation than K1)/ K1 (better than 1 in everything but story presentation) C: Y4 (too convoluted, stupid rubber bullet crap) / Y3 (3 would be A-tier for me with updated gameplay) D: Y5 (too bloated, Saejima's part is tedious)/ DS (yeah...)
i like this list, everything had a reason and you explained it well. cant wait to move onto 5 and the rest of the series after dead souls so i can see how they stack up for me!
I finally beat 7 yesterday so I can finally finish watching this video ichiban is probably my favorite character as a protagonist. Namba was my favorite character in the game
Hey this video was realy interesting to watch, i always was curious about your thoughts of every game of the series and you even talked about the spin off games. Great video!
If I were to rate them in terms of how good they are as an overall package this would be my ranking: Yakuza 0/5 Yakuza Kiwami 2 Yakuza Kiwami 1 Yakuza 4 Yakuza 6 Yakuza 3 Yakuza 6 would be above 4 if we are talking story but the gameplay just simply isn't up to snuff. (I haven't played OG 1 and 2 or the spin-offs personally)
@Connor LaChance Oh whoops, somehow forgot to count Judgement as a Yakuza spin-off. Yeah I have played it, but only up to chapter 6, I got really busy and never got around to finishing it but it definitely was my favorite Dragon Engine game during the time I played it. I'll get back to it one day.
I think since Yakuza 0 was my entry to the Yakuza franchise, it will be my very biased #1. It made me realize how much I was missing out on the series but I'm glad that I got into it. The game made me buy Kiwami 1 and 2 even though I wasn't even finished with 0 yet. I was more invested in Club Cabaret Czar than most other full games lol.
As a player who started series from 0, the reused assets and move sets for Characters helped me play this game without feeling weird. It was so comfortable
Well, Kiwami Amon can one shot you, other versions go easier on you. I think it’s a tie between Kiwami and Zero. Y4 and Kiwami 6 Amons are the easiest ones.
@@alifadha3857 Outside of not being able to pause that fight was really easy you even get health and heat from him depending on what style your in when those things hit you
I actually totally agree with your opinion about Yakuza 2. I really enjoyed it personally, but felt that it didn’t give me the satisfaction that the other games did. However, the points you made kind of put my opinions in perspective. Ryuji’s motivations were just so much weaker than many of the other main villains and it kind of made the inevitable showdown with him a lot less interesting to wait for. Great vid and opinions man, keep it up!
SnowiestAngeman made a video ranking the games in a more like cinematic way and so forth, and it’s interesting to see the comparison between your tier list and his. He swears by Yakuza 5 being considerably better than you have made it out to be here, could be worth watching man!
I don't really have any particular favorites in the Yakuza/Ryu ga Gotoku series excluding Judgement/Judge Eyes which quickly became my favorite game of all time
Yakuza 6 had the best yakuza story imo after 0. And Yakuza 5 felt like Yokoyama on weed but gameplay was something which made me not hate it. Tbh I didn't hte any Yakuza game and Judgement is the best dragon engine Yakuza game till now and my 3rd best yakuza ( best being 0 followed by kiwami 1)
@@wunimbo I love yakuza 4, but the plot twists just ruined my immersion, like that Kido scene. I love the game but its bosses were kinda weak in terms of a climactic ending, beautiful setup for weak bosses but excellent ending, Yakuza 6 to me resembled 3 in the somber and relaxing mood it has up until shit hits the fan, but in 6 when shit hit the fan, IT WAS FANTASTIC, I hated Haruka in 6, the recklessness and terrible decision making ironically just like her mother (honestly Reina best female character, the females really get shit on in this game hard.) but the soundtrack, oh man, wonderful, unique, and introduced Saejima and Akiyama, Saejimas arc was fantastic too, but the Epilogue in 6, my god that's the best in the entire game no competition.
While our top two are exactly the same, the rest are pretty different. I haven't played any spin-off outside of Judgment and I'm waiting for the English release of Y7 but my list is more like: Y0>Judgment>Y5>Y2>Y2K>Y6>Y4>Y3>YK1>Y1. When I first dipped into this series, it was with Yakuza 1 but by god I hated it. The story wasn't good, I couldn't get attached to the characters and Nishiki was such a forced "emotional" villain that I could not get into because it did not give me enough to care about their relationship. So I dropped off of the series for about a decade, missing 2-5. It wasn't until hearing how great Yakuza 0 was until I gave the series a shot again and by god did I love it. Giving me reasons to actually care about these characters and a story that I absolutely fell in love with. While YK1 did make the game better with enhancing Nishiki's fall and inputting the care that the original was missing thanks to Yakuza 0 and the additional scenes of Kiwami. But because 1/Kiwami still felt like it needed to heavily rely on Y0 existence, I still have to put the two very low. Played Kiwami 2, loved it despite the decrease in difficulty; managed to scrounge a copy of Yakuza 2 from a friend. Liked the boss battles and the actual difficulty compared to the remake so I would put it slightly higher than Y2K. Then I played Judgment, but while I personally didn't care for most of the side stories, the story was absolutely amazing and I had so much fun fighting the final boss on Legend. Definitely my favorite final boss from a gameplay perspective. Y3 I liked but by god did playing on Legend make me almost hate the game. I originally had it higher than 4 because of how crap 4's story is, but boy did that change. Now the rest I haven't replayed on Legend so my opinion might change in the future so 4... like I said probably has the worst story in the series and definitely the worst final boss (just Jingu but less difficult and somehow significantly more annoying. Whoever thinks Y6's final boss is worse than 4's is on some serious crack.) The gameplay was still really good and I did enjoy the story until that plot twist towards the end almost ruined the whole game... Y5 I just absolutely love as well. Sure the story isn't the greatest, but I just loved how bonkers it was. And while Shinada did feel out of place, I still really like the plot. 5 also had a lot of good substories, I liked all the "business side stories" and I personally liked the Haruka part. I still need to defeat Noa Amon though. Then I played Y6. It's story is really good and I love how it borrowed plot elements from all the other games and put it into one. My biggest issue is mostly that I feel that Hiroshima feels... half complete. Like... there's just not enough to do there. Kamurocho also felt that way but less so. The cities just felt a bit rushed. And having played YK2 and Judgment with their improvements over Y6 in the Dragon Engine in the gameplay department definitely did put a damper in it. And I didn't like how it started the "red" heat aura for the bosses that YK2 also had. That felt lazy too. Still a great series and I'll be holding off on the FotNS one until I've re-watched the anime and for Ishin and Kenzan to finally be localized in the West. Can't wait for Yakuza 7. Unlike some fans, I absolutely love turn based games and I hope it's really good.
I really enjoyed Yakuza 6's simpler, more personal story. Especially after 4 and 5 went too big, too crazy, too out there for me to stay invested. Sure, the secret was kinda dumb, but not as dumb as trying to make Hamazaki a good guy out of nowhere, or as dumb as "Majima's dead, no he's not, also he's Park's ex husband, and maybe he's working with the Omi, or maybe not!" And the final boss of 6 is an ass pull, but less of an ass pull than 5's at least. And yeah, at least I really wanted to beat the crap out of 6's final boss, whereas 5's was such an asspull that I didn't really care. Also, 6 at least had an ending (it also had 5's ending since 5 forgot it, maybe their intent at the time 5 came out was for you to believe Kiryu was dead? but it doesn't hold up after they've made more games and you know Kiryu survives). And I won't even pretend that I didn't cry during 6's ending. Those footsteps got me. 😭
As far as 7, I'll give it a shot, but I really hope it's not one of those RPGs that thinks grinding is fun and just throws walls at you that force you to grind for hours to level up enough to continue. Grinding is never fun, it shouldn't be included in any game, and I always quit RPGs that require it. I have better things to do with my time than grind low level mooks for 2xp each for 5 hours just to beat the next boss. Don't do that, Yakuza 7. That's all I ask of you as an RPG.
Judgement PS4 clearly deserves credit for story. I love how despite overall yakuza series ridiculousness, (you can use actual super powers from DLC lol) story is very complex and very grounded in reality. It presents many problems Japan faces today and how hard it is to find solution for them. Also presented how difficult it is to expose corrupted officials, how long Yagami had to gather proofs and persist after getting every false lead. This mixture of realism with typical yakuza ridiculousness worked perfectly :D
seeing protagonist who shoots hadouken, fires lasers from the sky, dances in the middle of the battle to restore hp, fights ridiculous supervillain perverts then discussing serious problems like nation deficit because too much is spent on medical care for nation that has too many old citizens.
I'll be honest out of all the Yakuza games I personally liked the 6th game the most I understand that there's much to be desired especially when we consider the fact that it didn't have nearly as much content as the 5th game or 0 for that matter but in much respect less content made the plot a lot more consistent as there wasn't much filler to detact from the pacing. Not only that but even though 6 didn't have as much content as the two games released prior it still had and an abundance of new minigames like the Clan Creator, Live Chat, New Gaudi, Rizap Gym, Spearfishing all of which excluding the Clan Creator haven't came back making them exclusive to 6 as a whole. Not only that but I personally felt as though the story was amongst one of the best in the series in fact I'd go so far to say that it's right up there with 0 and 3 for my top 3 favorite Yakuza storylines. From a gameplay perspective I personally liked it even more so than 0 (please don't hate me) it wasn't only great for one on one battles but it was also great for crowd control (I mean what more could you ask for aside from taunting and some more heat actions?) I think the only issues I have with 6 is how specific upgrades are locked behind upgrading base stats and that the Clan Creator has no strategy behind it (that's one thing Kiwami 2 did better than 6). Other than that I personally like it even more so than 0 or Judgment I respect you opinion though Devileon7. P.S. I platinumed Kiwami 2 last month! And now I'm attempting Yakuza 3 and Judgment!?
The problem I have with the Yakuza games is that I started with Yakuza 0. That game was fantastic. I went to Kiwami 1 and 2 expecting the same experience, an I have not gotten it. I am currently half into Kiwami 2, and it just simple combos. This is preventing me from playin 3, 4 and 5. I am actually thinking of jumping straight to 6 and just play Judgement and Like a Dragon.
The combat system in Kiwami 2 and 6 is kinda janky at first but if you focused on upgrading you actually get pretty good fun combat I kinda think that the heat actions are lacking some of them are fun but it's just too not enough for me
@@RobertEdwinHouse9 6 and 3 are weak entries? What the hell, maybe the combat isn’t the best but since when did we judge yakuza games based on combat alone? I think the problem is that people are starting with 0, for the love of god don’t start with it, it’s different from the other games and it will set the wrong example for what’s to come later…
Hey Devillieon, by the way Yakuza 5 is much better game not in terms of story but it has one of the best side contents in the yakuza series. The villains are kind of memorable Kurosawa, Aizawa, Aoyama, Shigeki Baba, and Kamon Kanai.
Say what you want about yakuza 5, but saying the villians are memorable is a straight up lie, it and yakuza 4 have the worst setup for boss fights, aizawa the plot twist, baba the fight that didnt really need to happen because he didnt shoot, kanai boredom incarnate, aoyama... man say what you want about yakuza 5 but its strength is DEFINITELY not its villians, all the Omi characters were great though, baba super complex and great character but that last fight was super forced, lots of content, that wannabe mom from Haruka arc was terrible on so mant levels I hated her and if I was mean't to hate her than the writers are fucking amazing because I've never hated a fictional character more in my life. Yakuza 5 final scene was great though, almost made me forgive everything else.
@@Realppbutt I disagree with that, the issue with 4 wasnt the characters, they were amazing, the issue was the bosses, even the story was fine even endjng got me excited with them in suits next to eachother, it just didnt really make me feel anything with the bosses.
Mine is probably S- Yakuza 0, Judgment A- Kiwami, 6 B- Yakuza 5 C- Yakuza 3, Kiwami 2 D- Yakuza 4 Haven't played 7 but from what I've seen from the soundtrack and trailers, it's 99% going to be B/A/S tier
On the contrary, I actually think Ishin might be one of the best games in the series in terms of gameplay, finding the perfect mix between some of the best style based combat (imo, doing a better job of making each style feel viable and even compliment each other better than the style systems in the other games) and in-depth and fulfilling side-content without feeling bloated like in 5 for example (especially love the battle dungeons with the collectible cards for various effects).
Kurohyou appreciation time! Its like, the one yakuza game that doesn't slaughter half the cast to hurt me, it finds different ways to make me cry. Its so damn good. I dunno what the K2 combat issues are though. I haven't had any major issues. Worst I ever got was getting a hella long combo done on me by a Yakuza because I got knocked back into one of those grabby assholes on the edge, but that was not only an isolated incident, it didnt do much more than injure my torso and knock off a chunk of HP. So i dunno what everyone is suffering from.
In my opinion the main issue with Kiwami wasn't the reuse of assets or fight modes. It was the story that had some major plotholes, motives that made no sense and deaths that were unnecessary and seemed to be only there for shock value. If the story was somewhat decent, it would have been way higher on my list. Shame really.
honestly yakuza 5 is in my top 3 even tho theres so much going on its got some of my favourite moments in the series, i love that they just went insane with it
Yep aside from 7 whitch i don t compare with the others 0 kiwami 2 and 5 are my favpurites i haven t played judgment yet tho but from what i ve seen it will be with 0 for me
Wonderful video! Had to skip to Yakuza 0 because felt like the game had everything. The only criticism is reading the subtitles instead of listening on the actual voice on most substories.
No thats fair. These games aren't praised for the gameplay they are single player games that are story driven. If he doesn't like one story as much as the other its fine to put the other higher.
@@themanofconstantsorrowelia1929 so we just gonna ignore the gameplay which the developers put time and effort to make us gamers enjoy beat em up mechanics? This game is not like Detroit become human or heavy rain or other story driven games. This Yakuza game is a video game where we spam buttons!
The Man of Constant Sorrow Elias If we’re playing a game, our first priority would be the gameplay. Story comes second. Dead Souls is absolute cheese and over the TOP in a fun kind of way, but it matters little if the gameplay is clunky and doesn’t suit Yakuza’s style. And not a gripe towards Devilleon’s taste or judging criteria, but he seems to place story over gameplay by a Long shot, and that seems super unfair.
I'm not gonna say that I agree or disagree with your list, because i jumped into Yakuza games with 0 on pc in 2019. But after watching some videos of yakuza dead souls and ishin... Man i would love to play those. In the meantime, still waiting for Yakuza 7 worldwide release, ichiban has caught my attention so badly
I feel like with Yakuza games tier lists tend to vary quite a bit cause each game excels and experiments in specific areas (story, characters, combat, substories, minigames) while being mediocre in some, so yeah all preferences and what you value most in games. That's why seeing my favorites at the bottom doesn't bother me at all, the explanations are more important than the placement. A lot of people hate 3's combat for the blocking, but I actually quite like it despite the clunkiness. Each RGG game is worth playing to form your own opinion. Plus the games are just huge bang for your money in general. The most common placement I see is 0 being somewhere around the top usually.
my tier list: S : Y0 A : Y5, Y7 B : Y6, Y4, JUDGEMENT, Fist of north star, Y3, Kiwami 2, Lost Judgement, Fist of the North star, Ishin C : Kiwami, 1, 2, Kurohyou, Kurohyou 2 D : Kenzan
My list would be: -C: Yakuza 3 -B: Yakuza 4, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Yakuza 6 -A: Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza 5 -S: Yakuza 0 Mine is just about how much fun and how they made me feel
can we take a moment to appreciate the yakuza community? I haven’t read all the comments, but the majority are polite, either disagreeing or agreeing. I know there’s definitely some toxic tans out there but god you all make me proud
Yep, the Yakuza community has been almost completely great in my experience. Every once in a while I find a rare chinpira who needs a beating, but most of the time it's fantastic.
Even when they finally announced Yakuza for Xbox, It was very surprising to see such a small number of Sony Simps crying about how Xbox doesn't deserve these games. Most fans were just glad that even more people could experience the franchise.
@Matriones i found the series through the memes, I hope Im not toxic lol
My 2nd favourite community,
The first being Community kiwami of the end 2.
@@mjc0961 i have ps4 and xbox and just yesterday i was on gamepass and a saw yakuza kiwami after I beat it am gonna get 0 because I wanna play the games in the proper timeline because today I found out 0 takes place before kiwami. So am saying it was a good choice to put it on xbox
Because honestly, there is not bad yakuza... every yakuza fan have their own taste and their favorite game
Imagine putting time and effort into making a 50 minute video just to have people skip to the end, like who would do such a thing (sweats nervously)
Any fighting game player lol
Im people 😅😅😅
Oh well their loss
Dame da n-
Naaaah I ain't a normie like that
@@sniper712 HOW'D YOU TYPE THOSE HARUKAS OMG
the reason Y5 was put in D tier is because of the taxi missions, the D stands for Drift
Initial D
Magnifique
Precisely
that's perfect
nah man the D stands for Dream
with the yakuza 3 beginning were seeing what kind of life kiryu truly wants. i really appreciate that. also also establishing the theme of what makes a family. the story hits me feels man.
Gotta say. What they could have done with Kaoru is make it like Majima but not really. She's in Every game that'll come but she won't be there too much but we do see her. So in 3 they would speak to each other so they know that they're still speaking and stuff, make maybe a Substory like how in Kiwami 2 there was Sunflower. Not really donation but something like that. And at the end instead of showing Kiryu being at Morning Glory Wounded they could show him going to America to see Kaoru. Would be cool. I got no idea if he'd want to take Haruka with him or let her be the Mom of the house and shit but yeah that'll be better. And for the other games I dunno. But put her there. I haven't Watched 5, 6 and 7 yet but I think that she'll come back to Japan there and we'd see her the most there. I just feel like she could be there the most. I dunno what happens at the end of 6 but maybe she'd be one of the people who knows he's alive.
@@MariusBoss11458 i heard the original kaoru actor was hard to work with so nothing else they could have done im afraid.
"so hopefully with this with people stop asking what my personal yakuza favourite is."
Leon brother there's always gonna be that one guy who doesn't know this video exists in the future
when idiots play games together the questions will now come in waves G! Or salty talk of why their yakuza is Less or more.
Aye you've got that right sniper
I legit cried when a certain major character died before seeing his sister in Y0. Hell, even the antagonists up until the end makes you sad. Truly, Y0 is S Tier.
We need a Yakuza game the vibe of Y0 with gameplay of Y0 and dragon engine combined. Imagine ragdolling someone while switching styles nonstop
I was spoiled that shit and i still cried bro. It was that good.
Such an emotional game, didn’t hit as hard as a certain kyodai from 1/Kiwami, but damn this series can hit me in the feels
@@tomcruise7481 I feel that
@darkcyberia nah you get to see the best and where it all started first. And even if 0 is the best, 1 feels like a perfect follow up while everyone is bound to love the stories of the of the others, whether it’s a classic like 2, a grounded tale like 3 and 6, or a higher stakes one like 4 and 5. Or what might as well be a new 0 due to it starting the next saga with 7
I disagree about everything in this list, but I appreciate the honesty and effort.
Whats you list?
even with yakuza 0 being s tier??
@@jui7ce I just started the series (currently on 3) but I like yakuza 2 better than 0. Idk maybe it was because 0 was my first yakuza game
same here, I disagree with most of this list. y0 being s-tier is solid, though
This list for me is pretty disgusting but thats his opinion
My list: S: Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 6(coz of plot twists)
A: Kiwami 1 and Kiwami 2 and Ishin
B:Yakuza 5 and 4 and 3
C:any other spinoff ans Yakuza 1 and 2
D: Yakuza 7
Cool video Leon, what's your favorite Ryu Ga Gotoku game though?
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Kiwami
@@devilleon7 no way mine s too
@@devilleon7 nah, I'd have to say that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Kiwami 2 is better.
Sleeping Dogs
devilleon7 Mine is Grand Theft Auto: The City of Lost Heaven Kiwami. It was a huge improvement over San Andreas imo
Man you really did Yakuza 5 dirty like that. I think the quality, variety, and quantity of all the gameplay relates stuff far outweighs the negatives with the story, easily A for me.
SPOILERS DONT READ: I dont agree, I loved the fake Majima death but I hated his wife for what she did to Haruka, I literally hate that woman more than I hate the final boss of yakuza 6, what she did to push Kiryu and Haruka apart just so Haruka could complete her dream was disgusting to me, the fear tactics she used to keep Haruka thinking that this is her only option, from everything she did, down to giving the letter that caused her death, a letter that would put whoever possesses it in danger to Haruka was evil even if it was for an obviously bullshit reason like "because I love you Haruka.". I loved the dream theme of this game but Kiryu's boss literally was just a giant plot twist with no passion, that boss fight was boring to me, cinematic as FUCK though, on par with Shibusawa in 0. The final scene of yakuza 5 was fantastic, and all the Omi characters were amazing, the content was fantastic as each guy had his own side thing, the soundtrack is maybe 4th in the series for me, great fucking songs, but story-wise it just seemed all over the place, like it was trying to deal with so much in a short span of time. If I ranked the games: Yakuza 0, Yakuza 6 (that epilogue is fucking amazing), yakuza 4 (I know its not better than some but it introduced Akiyama and Saejima and had best Majima theme and most unique sounding soundtrack with nervousness and whisky and rapsody), kiwami 2, yakuza 3(I was so immersed into the game all the kids were mine I loved their little story arcs), kiwami 1, yakuza 5.
an ishin and 4. and literally everything under that trash dumpster fire that was yakuza 3. lol
I'm with him there. Yakuza 5 was the only one that I don't enjoy. All the others I loved, but Yakuza 5 I had to force myself to finish it. Easily E for me, story wise and Haruka part wise.
Yakuza 5 is a great game but the ending, giving haruka a chapter and the choice of character for the final boss is what makes it the least liked Yakuza game imo
@@KudaroKoi ending was great, the kiryu and haruka scene, damn near redeemed the whole game on its own.
>i'm not feeling the samurai game as much as the other fans
I see, the Ishin "collab" still leaves a bitter mark to this day
I like your pfp, you have good taste
@@borgsan9825 same
What is this Ishin "collab" you talking about?
@@LThanhHao232 yakuza ishin and yakuza ishin 2 omg u dont know them? 😂😂😂
@@wunimbo I aware of what those game are. It not Yakuza Ishin but Ryu Ga gotoku Ishin and Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan.
What I'm asking is the "colab" OP talking about.
Don’t know what it is about Yakuza 5 but I just loved being in that game world regardless of how convoluted the story got. I mean they gave us five city blocks and characters to play as with their own side content that was just so much fun. Easily my favorite in the series apart from 0. I had a blast playing it.
these preferences are personal tastes based on experience as you said, but one thing is certain... when you talk about the series your eyes shine, it's authentic passion. in live streaming I understood your tastes... I am only surprised with dead souls, lol.
I disagree with this list heavy but I appreciate your answer
Kinda my opinion too, it’s cool and confusing at the same time how different some opinions on the series can be
What’s your list look like?
well for me yakuza 2 is worst than everything because of the story
I’m just here so I can use these
Thanks leon you rock!
@Goromi goreng Member
Honestly i wish they could localize ishin. Then we could finally have the full experience. Same with the yakuza games for psp
I never even knew they had yakuza games on the psp
@@miguelrobb5719 Kurohyou 1 and 2 are exclusively for PSP
Ishin is hella fun
Kurohyou 2 fan translation coming Jan next year!
You wish came true
As someone who has played through most of the games, the originals excluded, I can agree with most of the list.
I enjoyed the heck out of Yakuza 0, and I regretted playing that after playing Yakuza Kiwami. Definitely a game I can recommend to others for getting into the franchise.
Loved Yakuza 6’s story, Yakuza 4 and 5 were okay in my opinion for story, but their gameplay is top notch.
Yakuza 3 is okay in my opinion, so much blocking however.
Kiwami 2 is pretty good in my opinion, since I haven’t played the original.
The FOTNS game is a grind fest.
Judgement is Judgement, and damn well was it great.
Overall, I think these games have their strengths and weaknesses, each is a fun experience, it all depends on your preference.
Thanks for reading this!
FOTNS is only really grindy if you're trying to be a completionist. Plus it's combat is different than the usual Yakuza games and its just sooo much fun to make grunts' heads explode
Ive had fotns for a year and still havent played it. Should get around to it tbh. I dont mind grinding in games since im a big bl fan so i dont think it'll be bad for me. I like all the yakuza games 5 being my favorite and 3 being my least favorite.
the 2 thing i dislike about kiwami 2 is they cut out the area where you supposed to find the mahjong dude with the tower
also the jpop at the end and the rain
god that was awful
Imo Yakuza 5 is infinitely better than 4
The only thing about 5 that's worse than 4 is the mandatory Haruka rhythm game section.
@@FuckRUclipsAndGoogle I personally love rhythm, in fact low key forgot that I was playing a Yakuza game because Haruka’s part was that good. Then Akiyama joined and I remembered 🔥
But your point is totally understandable.
@@FuckRUclipsAndGooglemeh, that's highly subjective. Some like rhythm games, I did. Rhythm games are popular in Japan too so I think that's more of a western dislike
@@outphase78 The problem is that it's mandatory, not that it's a rhythm game.
Nuh bruh only good thing about 5 is Shinada story and haruka
Finally! Been waiting on a Yakuza tierlist!
How did you get verified with 50k subs. Can I get that tick too? I have 18k subs
@@AMMight you probably need to make videos with your face
Hurts to see 5 so low, but I completely understand why you'd dislike it. Not just story-wise, there are plenty of abnormal sections in the game that just aren't enjoyable for everyone. Regardless, pretty interesting to see your subjective rankings. Some of them I didn't actually expect to be as high as they were.
Shelltoast Yea I like it a lot more than 3 and 4 personally.
@@VenomSnakeMGS yeah after I got to 4 I liked 4 probably the 2nd best but 3.. my god what the actual fuck was that game
@@sumireravenclaw8034 bro I agree with you about Yakuza 3. I personally think it's the worst one in the entire series, especially when it comes to the trash gameplay
Nah, 3 is great
@@mrlaidback83 but 3 story is arguably one of the best in the entire series.
I've only played 0, Kiwami and Kiwami 2 but honestly, all these games are S tier for me. I like every single one of them so much and they each have their strengths and weaknesses but remain amazing games imo. Unlike many people Kiwami felt perfect after 0, and so on. It just connects perfectly.
My tier list:
GAMEPLAY+STORY:
S: Y0, YK2, Y7/Y: LAD
A: Y5, YK1, Y6
B: Y4
C: Y3
GAMEPLAY:
S: Y0, YK1, Y7/Y: LAD
A: YK2
B: Y3, Y4, Y6
STORY:
S: YK2, Y0, Y6, Y7/Y: LAD
A: Y5, YK1
B: Y4
C: Y3
To be played: Judgment, FOTNS: LP
I'll edit this when I finish all of them.
@DeadMemes NeedToStayDead Yeah, YK2's gameplay is amazing, but the styles, my god I just love them.
I've only recently gotten into this franchise, i'm at kiwami 2 rn and so far i agree with these rankings especially 0 and 2 at the top kiwami 1 was still good but 2 is amazing so far. only thing is i miss the styles so much and the over the top heat actions but they enhanced the free roam and actually made the fighting and upgrade process unique which i'm enjoying. unfortunately i have to miss out on judgement and fist of the north star as well as the remasters because i'm on xbox, i'm contemplating getting a playstation just to be able to play those games
@@kami_vega I'm a PS fan but I'd be happy if Sega releases the other (3, 4, 5...) games on the Xbox.
I gotta say, I’d switch Yakuza 5 and 4. I love both games, but 4 is way too convoluted with a horrible twist. I loved the story for 5, especially Saejima and Kiryu. I also just really love Saejimas gameplay, being able to steamroll everything is so fun.
Yakuza 6, I agree for the most part. Except I’d put it in S tier. I think the final boss is meant to be shit because he’s a perfect contrast to Kiryu. Kiryu is a guy who’s strength comes from his desire to protect his family and his pride of what it is to be a yakuza, he worked for everything in his life. Iwami had everything handed to him on a plate, he’s a spoilt brat and he has no honour. Iwami trained his body and mind, so he’s strong and he’s skilled. Kiryu trained his body, mind and soul. He’s got everything Iwami has and even more, as well as having an unbreakable resolve.
@Greg Ballard rubber bullets, it was unnecessary. However it made Saejimas character that much more tragic. Going to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, but still thinking he’d murdered 18 guys, that’s fucked up.
@Greg Ballard yeah man, everyone’s gotta be one step ahead of everyone else. That’s like some JJBA level shit.
I felt like 4 & 5 were both really convoluted. Having too many playable characters screws with the pacing. That's why Zero is one of the best Yakuza games, it stuck to two protagonists and was able to tell a great story.
@@user-ew2sd7vl5m exactly! It feels like a really good parallel to Kiryu taking the fall for crimes, but one step further due to Saenima’s willingness to go through with it. I find it interesting and tragic, never found it bad or dumb
@@RobertEdwinHouse9 1. Story: one of the most important aspects of a game, but yeah who cares? Just cause I don’t like the same shit as you. Pure copeum.
2. This is literally Virgin old good, new bad fan vs chad enjoyer of all games
I respect your tier list, but personally yakuza 5 story ain't all that bad. It is messy but the thing is i expected it to be messy due to the scale and ambition that the developers had in mind. And the other thing is that the story is like an emotional rollercoaster, I haven't played 6 but boy did yakuza 5 hit me multiple times from the moments that it had
Also i do remember the villains from 5 by memory alone. Kurosawa, aizawa, aoyama, kugihara,kanai,baba(he's not really of a villain, he's somewhere in the middle) sawada, higata, T-set and ogita.
Honestly I didn’t even find it that messy lol, I found all the games relatively straight forward and all extremely well written too
@@DavidHosey1
Nah Yakuza 4 is a mess
@@edlerkrieger8045 nah not even close. If you consider Yakuza 4 to be a mess, then all of fiction must be pretty confusing for you lol. It’s very straight forward and better written than most fiction you’ll find elsewhere, especially in the context of the rest of the series
@@DavidHosey1
>Straight forward story
>50+ twists and twist villains
Kay' lol
@@edlerkrieger8045 alright let’s count the twists. There was Yasuko killing the dudes for Katsuragi, Sugiuchi killing Tanimura’s father, Katsuragi killing the diner dudes instead of Saejima (directly, not that it matters to Saejima), Shibata working with Katsuragi and Sugiuchi, Kido betraying Saejima and Akiyama, and Arai being a brainlet with a gun. Everything else was very clearly not a twist, and some of these is even stretching it, like Shibata since he was meant to be suspicious as hell since the beginning and was shown to be planning stuff. But just to try to agree with you, that’s a total of 6 twists
For the antagonists, you have Munakata, Katsuragi, Sugiuchi, Shibata, Arai, Kido, and technically Daigo. The only one there who was meant to be anything close to a twist for the average viewer was Kido
So 6 twists where some were pretty obvious even beforehand and a single “twist villain?” In a 40 hour long story? Yeah that’s pretty straight forward. If that isn’t easy to keep track of and predict for you, then I’m sorry to say that’s a personal problem. I hope you sort that out so you can enjoy more complex stories more often :)
Yakuza 0 is a masterpiece.
Yes
no
@@ExtremeMan10 best game (in your opinion)? I only played 0, kiwami 1, and the og
When are we getting a top 5 antagonist list as well as another character appreciation video?
I am considering implementing rankings in more tier list videos like this one, but we'll see.
@@devilleon7 Bro id say do more tier list about characters it would be awesome,i love those long vids
I’m so glad you appreciated yakuza 6 as much as i did. The story was a bit on the low but the message I really loved and probably had one of my favorite stop cards
I OWN BOTH YAKUZA 0 AND JUDGEMENT.. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT YAKUZA 0 AND JUDGEMENT, HANDS DOWN
I had that feeling when I went from 0 to Kiwami that I'd unfortunately started with the best one. Ah, well.
Right now I've only played 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2, my personal ranking was 0 best for writing, Kiwami 2 for the best combat system, and Kiwami for the best city activity. [It's such a good activity that it's available EVERYWHERE!]
This still won’t stop people from constantly asking the question because so many don’t know that it’s exceedingly simple to look through a channel’s past uploads with just two clicks of the mouse.
Also, I saw Kabukicho on NHK News the other day! ...But it was saying that entertainment districts like it are being hit super hard by coronavirus restrictions and most businesses are closed. Since the devs like to put current events into the games, how depressing would it be if the next Yakuza came out and the streets of Kamurocho were empty?
I can not imagine an empty Kamurocho, that would feel so weird!
I just finished Ishin a few hours ago and its truly amazing.
Personally, my favorite yakuza games are 0, 5, and Ishin.
I've seen some of his boss videos(though rare) on it, and it looks cool samurai wise, so is it like the older Yakuza where it's one style fighting, or is it like nioh where you have different stances?
@@sbfh014 its where the different style system from 0 originated. You have fists, sword, pistol, and wild dance. Its really fun but also really difficult.
Overall, really good game. I'm glad i imported it.
Do you, by chance, have a link to the guide he was talking about?
@@NishaPerson woooooooooah. That sounds heckin neato. Now I really want to see if they'll bring it over to the west, especially after sekiro and tsushima, lol
@@cookedbacon24 I didnt use the guide he mentioned. I did use the KHHsubs guide though. That one is really useful and they also translated the cutscenes.
I honestly don’t see why yakuza 5 is so hated lol, yakuza 5 gameplay without been a fanboy is a lot better than 3 and 4, and have better boss fights than kiwami 1
Only with that Yakuza 5 have to be at least B tier or A
Quality content man. 👍 Really appreciate the videos . You're one of the reasons why I gave the Yakuza series a chance again.
Have to my favorite Yakuza game is Yakuza 0 for the story. It's amazing. 2nd would be Yakuza 7. The story really is top notch minus the gameplay.
Have not checked out Judgement yet though.
I like how you put that New Serena music to the background
Thanks for the vid Leon, missed you making lists like this. I remembered you pumping list vids out like crazy around 3 years ago haha. Would love for you to put out some more Yakuza content, whether it be livestreams or discussion vids, i'll watch them anyway
I still don't understand why people got pissed at Yamato II being the big secret in Y6. Do people seriously not understand what it signifies? The old, obsolete battleship itself is not the big deal, ffs. It's the fact that it revealed some GIGANTIC corruption inside the Japanese government. Its existence means that Japan violated the treaty with the US (well, in Yakuza's world, ofc). In real-life, the US would've immediately summoned all of Japan's top politicians, and Japan's entire government would've had to resign. It would've been one of the biggest world-wide scandals of the past 60 years in real-life. That's why that battleship was such a huge deal, and why Kiryu had to be silenced. The fact that so many people still think that the twist was more like "Oh no, they built a ship that can be destroyed in minutes by the US military" baffles my mind. Ffs, that's not it.
Anyway, as for my own personal ranking for the games I played:
S: Y0 (masterpiece)/ Judgement (masterpiece)/ Y7 (I love JRPGs, so masterpiece)
A: Y6 (I love its more intimate story)/ K2 / Y2 (Ryuji carries the story for me and remains my favorite Yakuza villain)
B: Y1 (better story presentation than K1)/ K1 (better than 1 in everything but story presentation)
C: Y4 (too convoluted, stupid rubber bullet crap) / Y3 (3 would be A-tier for me with updated gameplay)
D: Y5 (too bloated, Saejima's part is tedious)/ DS (yeah...)
i like this list, everything had a reason and you explained it well. cant wait to move onto 5 and the rest of the series after dead souls so i can see how they stack up for me!
5's gameplay is super fun if you liked the characters in 4 the returning ones in 5 get even cooler moves and nuances to their kit
I finally beat 7 yesterday so I can finally finish watching this video ichiban is probably my favorite character as a protagonist. Namba was my favorite character in the game
Hey this video was realy interesting to watch, i always was curious about your thoughts of every game of the series and you even talked about the spin off games. Great video!
I’ve been waiting for a Yakuza Tier list. Pretty damn good list.
If I were to rate them in terms of how good they are as an overall package this would be my ranking:
Yakuza 0/5
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Yakuza Kiwami 1
Yakuza 4
Yakuza 6
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 6 would be above 4 if we are talking story but the gameplay just simply isn't up to snuff. (I haven't played OG 1 and 2 or the spin-offs personally)
@Connor LaChance Oh whoops, somehow forgot to count Judgement as a Yakuza spin-off. Yeah I have played it, but only up to chapter 6, I got really busy and never got around to finishing it but it definitely was my favorite Dragon Engine game during the time I played it. I'll get back to it one day.
Throw Judgment up there with 0/5 and this is the most objective ranking of the series
I think since Yakuza 0 was my entry to the Yakuza franchise, it will be my very biased #1. It made me realize how much I was missing out on the series but I'm glad that I got into it. The game made me buy Kiwami 1 and 2 even though I wasn't even finished with 0 yet.
I was more invested in Club Cabaret Czar than most other full games lol.
Yakuza 0 definetly deserves top nice
As a player who started series from 0, the reused assets and move sets for Characters helped me play this game without feeling weird.
It was so comfortable
I LOVE THIS LIST SO MUCH
Yakuza 4 ended up beating yakuza 5
I’m still waiting for a list that ranks the Amon fights from easiest to hardest
Well, Kiwami Amon can one shot you, other versions go easier on you. I think it’s a tie between Kiwami and Zero. Y4 and Kiwami 6 Amons are the easiest ones.
@@dragonkamran you dont remember that amon in judgement also the most powerfull amon
for me the hardest amon is amon in ishin.. insane damage output you can die with 1 or 2 if your armor sucks..
@@alifadha3857 Outside of not being able to pause that fight was really easy you even get health and heat from him depending on what style your in when those things hit you
@@marvelousmehki dont forget he can drop your frame rate
I actually totally agree with your opinion about Yakuza 2. I really enjoyed it personally, but felt that it didn’t give me the satisfaction that the other games did. However, the points you made kind of put my opinions in perspective. Ryuji’s motivations were just so much weaker than many of the other main villains and it kind of made the inevitable showdown with him a lot less interesting to wait for. Great vid and opinions man, keep it up!
I love yakuza 5 story...
BUT, DAMN, I WOULD SURELY LOVE IT MORE IF IT WAS POSSILBE TO UNDERSTAND
🤣🤣🤣 had to play it a 2 time to get all twists
Kiwami 2 is a definite s tier for me
SnowiestAngeman made a video ranking the games in a more like cinematic way and so forth, and it’s interesting to see the comparison between your tier list and his. He swears by Yakuza 5 being considerably better than you have made it out to be here, could be worth watching man!
Just spam this video when someone asks on stream
I don't really have any particular favorites in the Yakuza/Ryu ga Gotoku series excluding Judgement/Judge Eyes which quickly became my favorite game of all time
Yakuza 6 had the best yakuza story imo after 0. And Yakuza 5 felt like Yokoyama on weed but gameplay was something which made me not hate it. Tbh I didn't hte any Yakuza game and Judgement is the best dragon engine Yakuza game till now and my 3rd best yakuza ( best being 0 followed by kiwami 1)
Yakuza 4 has better story than 6 omfg this casuals players
wunimbo HELL NO, lol. Nothing tops rubber bullets plothole in this series, not even Haruka’s stupidity.
That's why I wrote " my opinion " . Omfg "this" casual readers and writers lmfao
@@wunimbo I love yakuza 4, but the plot twists just ruined my immersion, like that Kido scene. I love the game but its bosses were kinda weak in terms of a climactic ending, beautiful setup for weak bosses but excellent ending, Yakuza 6 to me resembled 3 in the somber and relaxing mood it has up until shit hits the fan, but in 6 when shit hit the fan, IT WAS FANTASTIC, I hated Haruka in 6, the recklessness and terrible decision making ironically just like her mother (honestly Reina best female character, the females really get shit on in this game hard.) but the soundtrack, oh man, wonderful, unique, and introduced Saejima and Akiyama, Saejimas arc was fantastic too, but the Epilogue in 6, my god that's the best in the entire game no competition.
wunimbo
Lol this guy is going around and calling everyone that didn’t like 5 a casual
I just finished 5 and it’s my 2nd fave
Unless your fav isn't 0, I can respect that
Yep finished 6 today gotta say 0 is the best close behind gpr me kiwami 2 and 5
@@marleonka. LMAO
While our top two are exactly the same, the rest are pretty different. I haven't played any spin-off outside of Judgment and I'm waiting for the English release of Y7 but my list is more like: Y0>Judgment>Y5>Y2>Y2K>Y6>Y4>Y3>YK1>Y1. When I first dipped into this series, it was with Yakuza 1 but by god I hated it. The story wasn't good, I couldn't get attached to the characters and Nishiki was such a forced "emotional" villain that I could not get into because it did not give me enough to care about their relationship. So I dropped off of the series for about a decade, missing 2-5. It wasn't until hearing how great Yakuza 0 was until I gave the series a shot again and by god did I love it. Giving me reasons to actually care about these characters and a story that I absolutely fell in love with. While YK1 did make the game better with enhancing Nishiki's fall and inputting the care that the original was missing thanks to Yakuza 0 and the additional scenes of Kiwami. But because 1/Kiwami still felt like it needed to heavily rely on Y0 existence, I still have to put the two very low. Played Kiwami 2, loved it despite the decrease in difficulty; managed to scrounge a copy of Yakuza 2 from a friend. Liked the boss battles and the actual difficulty compared to the remake so I would put it slightly higher than Y2K. Then I played Judgment, but while I personally didn't care for most of the side stories, the story was absolutely amazing and I had so much fun fighting the final boss on Legend. Definitely my favorite final boss from a gameplay perspective. Y3 I liked but by god did playing on Legend make me almost hate the game. I originally had it higher than 4 because of how crap 4's story is, but boy did that change. Now the rest I haven't replayed on Legend so my opinion might change in the future so 4... like I said probably has the worst story in the series and definitely the worst final boss (just Jingu but less difficult and somehow significantly more annoying. Whoever thinks Y6's final boss is worse than 4's is on some serious crack.) The gameplay was still really good and I did enjoy the story until that plot twist towards the end almost ruined the whole game... Y5 I just absolutely love as well. Sure the story isn't the greatest, but I just loved how bonkers it was. And while Shinada did feel out of place, I still really like the plot. 5 also had a lot of good substories, I liked all the "business side stories" and I personally liked the Haruka part. I still need to defeat Noa Amon though. Then I played Y6. It's story is really good and I love how it borrowed plot elements from all the other games and put it into one. My biggest issue is mostly that I feel that Hiroshima feels... half complete. Like... there's just not enough to do there. Kamurocho also felt that way but less so. The cities just felt a bit rushed. And having played YK2 and Judgment with their improvements over Y6 in the Dragon Engine in the gameplay department definitely did put a damper in it. And I didn't like how it started the "red" heat aura for the bosses that YK2 also had. That felt lazy too. Still a great series and I'll be holding off on the FotNS one until I've re-watched the anime and for Ishin and Kenzan to finally be localized in the West. Can't wait for Yakuza 7. Unlike some fans, I absolutely love turn based games and I hope it's really good.
Respect for placing Y2 above YK2.
Do my eyes and ears deceive me or is this the closest we are going to get to a Yakuza ranking video
New Yakuza game is coming out in November 12
@@scottiehall5530 He Played through it already tho. since it was released in the east and all.
@@chunkymonn5177 it's an awesome game
@@auhs6240 it's amazing for sure dude!
I really enjoyed Yakuza 6's simpler, more personal story. Especially after 4 and 5 went too big, too crazy, too out there for me to stay invested. Sure, the secret was kinda dumb, but not as dumb as trying to make Hamazaki a good guy out of nowhere, or as dumb as "Majima's dead, no he's not, also he's Park's ex husband, and maybe he's working with the Omi, or maybe not!" And the final boss of 6 is an ass pull, but less of an ass pull than 5's at least. And yeah, at least I really wanted to beat the crap out of 6's final boss, whereas 5's was such an asspull that I didn't really care. Also, 6 at least had an ending (it also had 5's ending since 5 forgot it, maybe their intent at the time 5 came out was for you to believe Kiryu was dead? but it doesn't hold up after they've made more games and you know Kiryu survives). And I won't even pretend that I didn't cry during 6's ending. Those footsteps got me. 😭
As far as 7, I'll give it a shot, but I really hope it's not one of those RPGs that thinks grinding is fun and just throws walls at you that force you to grind for hours to level up enough to continue. Grinding is never fun, it shouldn't be included in any game, and I always quit RPGs that require it. I have better things to do with my time than grind low level mooks for 2xp each for 5 hours just to beat the next boss. Don't do that, Yakuza 7. That's all I ask of you as an RPG.
5 in D.... REEEEEE-
Nah I love you Leon :))
Alright now you have to rank the receive you themes
Judgement PS4 clearly deserves credit for story.
I love how despite overall yakuza series ridiculousness, (you can use actual super powers from DLC lol)
story is very complex and very grounded in reality. It presents many problems Japan faces today and how hard it is to find solution for them.
Also presented how difficult it is to expose corrupted officials, how long Yagami had to gather proofs and persist after getting every false lead.
This mixture of realism with typical yakuza ridiculousness worked perfectly :D
seeing protagonist who shoots hadouken, fires lasers from the sky, dances in the middle of the battle to restore hp, fights ridiculous supervillain perverts
then discussing serious problems like nation deficit because too much is spent on medical care for nation that has too many old citizens.
Your speech about the original yakuza 1 made me sub
I started getting into the Yakuza series pretty recently and been really loving it, can’t wait to play more of it !
My Ranking:
1. Judgment
2. 5
3. 4
4. 0
5. 2
6. 6
7. 1
8. 3
Yakuza 3's combat is quite satisfying though
I'll be honest out of all the Yakuza games I personally liked the 6th game the most I understand that there's much to be desired especially when we consider the fact that it didn't have nearly as much content as the 5th game or 0 for that matter but in much respect less content made the plot a lot more consistent as there wasn't much filler to detact from the pacing. Not only that but even though 6 didn't have as much content as the two games released prior it still had and an abundance of new minigames like the Clan Creator, Live Chat, New Gaudi, Rizap Gym, Spearfishing all of which excluding the Clan Creator haven't came back making them exclusive to 6 as a whole. Not only that but I personally felt as though the story was amongst one of the best in the series in fact I'd go so far to say that it's right up there with 0 and 3 for my top 3 favorite Yakuza storylines. From a gameplay perspective I personally liked it even more so than 0 (please don't hate me) it wasn't only great for one on one battles but it was also great for crowd control (I mean what more could you ask for aside from taunting and some more heat actions?) I think the only issues I have with 6 is how specific upgrades are locked behind upgrading base stats and that the Clan Creator has no strategy behind it (that's one thing Kiwami 2 did better than 6). Other than that I personally like it even more so than 0 or Judgment I respect you opinion though Devileon7. P.S. I platinumed Kiwami 2 last month! And now I'm attempting Yakuza 3 and Judgment!?
God that beard
Ironically enough, dead souls was my first Yakuza game, lol
I agree with everything in S and A tiers, and most of the other game placements too. Great tier list, man!
Perfect upload during breakfast time 👍
The backround music is a vibe
Walter white walter white
You are a very very good ranker of these games! i agree with your opinions very throughly
The problem I have with the Yakuza games is that I started with Yakuza 0. That game was fantastic. I went to Kiwami 1 and 2 expecting the same experience, an I have not gotten it. I am currently half into Kiwami 2, and it just simple combos. This is preventing me from playin 3, 4 and 5. I am actually thinking of jumping straight to 6 and just play Judgement and Like a Dragon.
The combat system in Kiwami 2 and 6 is kinda janky at first but if you focused on upgrading you actually get pretty good fun combat I kinda think that the heat actions are lacking some of them are fun but it's just too not enough for me
@@RobertEdwinHouse9 I jumped to Like a Dragon. Wow that game is good! Currenty my fav with Zero.
@@jcgonzalez84 this guy
@@RobertEdwinHouse9 6 and 3 are weak entries? What the hell, maybe the combat isn’t the best but since when did we judge yakuza games based on combat alone?
I think the problem is that people are starting with 0, for the love of god don’t start with it, it’s different from the other games and it will set the wrong example for what’s to come later…
I love the combat in Judgement but hate the tailing missions in it and also it has no karaoke...
I really enjoyed this video, great video Devileon!
You look like you can turn water into vine and iron into gold
Hey Devillieon, by the way Yakuza 5 is much better game not in terms of story but it has one of the best side contents in the yakuza series. The villains are kind of memorable Kurosawa, Aizawa, Aoyama, Shigeki Baba, and Kamon Kanai.
Baba’s not a villain,though
Say what you want about yakuza 5, but saying the villians are memorable is a straight up lie, it and yakuza 4 have the worst setup for boss fights, aizawa the plot twist, baba the fight that didnt really need to happen because he didnt shoot, kanai boredom incarnate, aoyama... man say what you want about yakuza 5 but its strength is DEFINITELY not its villians, all the Omi characters were great though, baba super complex and great character but that last fight was super forced, lots of content, that wannabe mom from Haruka arc was terrible on so mant levels I hated her and if I was mean't to hate her than the writers are fucking amazing because I've never hated a fictional character more in my life. Yakuza 5 final scene was great though, almost made me forgive everything else.
yakuza 4 and 5 are the weakest. Multiple characters hurts the villains and story.
@@Realppbutt I disagree with that, the issue with 4 wasnt the characters, they were amazing, the issue was the bosses, even the story was fine even endjng got me excited with them in suits next to eachother, it just didnt really make me feel anything with the bosses.
@@Realppbutt Yakuza 0 also had multiple characters and it was executed in a fantastic way.
Mine is probably
S- Yakuza 0, Judgment
A- Kiwami, 6
B- Yakuza 5
C- Yakuza 3, Kiwami 2
D- Yakuza 4
Haven't played 7 but from what I've seen from the soundtrack and trailers, it's 99% going to be B/A/S tier
On the contrary, I actually think Ishin might be one of the best games in the series in terms of gameplay, finding the perfect mix between some of the best style based combat (imo, doing a better job of making each style feel viable and even compliment each other better than the style systems in the other games) and in-depth and fulfilling side-content without feeling bloated like in 5 for example (especially love the battle dungeons with the collectible cards for various effects).
Now I"m even more hyped for Yakuza 7's western release. Great video.
Out of the ones I've played mine would go:
S) Yakuza 0, Judgement
A) Yakuza 5, Kiwami 2
B) Yakuza 3
C) Yakuza Kiwami
D) Yakuza 4
In japan, ishin called as great game as zero.
I think so.
One more reason to get localisation in the west
Yeah why this guy has ishin at rank d is beyond me. even most people here ins the US love the game.
btw This game also called "Ryu Ga Gotoku All-Star" in japan.
@@sumireravenclaw8034 if you watch the video again he will explain
Kurohyou appreciation time!
Its like, the one yakuza game that doesn't slaughter half the cast to hurt me, it finds different ways to make me cry. Its so damn good.
I dunno what the K2 combat issues are though. I haven't had any major issues. Worst I ever got was getting a hella long combo done on me by a Yakuza because I got knocked back into one of those grabby assholes on the edge, but that was not only an isolated incident, it didnt do much more than injure my torso and knock off a chunk of HP. So i dunno what everyone is suffering from.
i didnt understand why yakuza had a better grade than yakuza kiwami
Yakuza Kiwami BELOW Dead souls?? What in the goddamn.
In my opinion the main issue with Kiwami wasn't the reuse of assets or fight modes. It was the story that had some major plotholes, motives that made no sense and deaths that were unnecessary and seemed to be only there for shock value.
If the story was somewhat decent, it would have been way higher on my list. Shame really.
honestly yakuza 5 is in my top 3 even tho theres so much going on
its got some of my favourite moments in the series, i love that they just went insane with it
Yep aside from 7 whitch i don t compare with the others 0 kiwami 2 and 5 are my favpurites i haven t played judgment yet tho but from what i ve seen it will be with 0 for me
49 minutes i really didn't feel the time passing, nice video very interesting.
Yeee nice list Leon!
Wonderful video! Had to skip to Yakuza 0 because felt like the game had everything. The only criticism is reading the subtitles instead of listening on the actual voice on most substories.
my fav part form yakuza 3 is the orphanage stuff. It was nice to see kiryu trying his best to move on and see how much he cares for his kids
احلا قائمة وربي
You like just ranked the game with 90% on story, 10% on gameplay. Don't you think it's a bit unfair?
No thats fair. These games aren't praised for the gameplay they are single player games that are story driven. If he doesn't like one story as much as the other its fine to put the other higher.
@@themanofconstantsorrowelia1929 so we just gonna ignore the gameplay which the developers put time and effort to make us gamers enjoy beat em up mechanics? This game is not like Detroit become human or heavy rain or other story driven games. This Yakuza game is a video game where we spam buttons!
The Man of Constant Sorrow Elias If we’re playing a game, our first priority would be the gameplay. Story comes second. Dead Souls is absolute cheese and over the TOP in a fun kind of way, but it matters little if the gameplay is clunky and doesn’t suit Yakuza’s style.
And not a gripe towards Devilleon’s taste or judging criteria, but he seems to place story over gameplay by a Long shot, and that seems super unfair.
@@garrytalaroc we spam buttons = ultimate newbie yakuza player.
@@gasmavthor4631 lol newbie. but I judge the game equaly on gameplay and story.
I'm not gonna say that I agree or disagree with your list, because i jumped into Yakuza games with 0 on pc in 2019.
But after watching some videos of yakuza dead souls and ishin... Man i would love to play those. In the meantime, still waiting for Yakuza 7 worldwide release, ichiban has caught my attention so badly
Yakuza 0 was my first yakuza and what a amazing game. Then, after that it was kiwami 1-2 then 3 amazing first impression on the series
I dig the beard!
I feel like with Yakuza games tier lists tend to vary quite a bit cause each game excels and experiments in specific areas (story, characters, combat, substories, minigames) while being mediocre in some, so yeah all preferences and what you value most in games. That's why seeing my favorites at the bottom doesn't bother me at all, the explanations are more important than the placement. A lot of people hate 3's combat for the blocking, but I actually quite like it despite the clunkiness. Each RGG game is worth playing to form your own opinion. Plus the games are just huge bang for your money in general. The most common placement I see is 0 being somewhere around the top usually.
my tier list:
S : Y0
A : Y5, Y7
B : Y6, Y4, JUDGEMENT, Fist of north star, Y3, Kiwami 2, Lost Judgement, Fist of the North star, Ishin
C : Kiwami, 1, 2, Kurohyou, Kurohyou 2
D : Kenzan
Yakuza 4 was my all time favorite, even over 0
Every single yakuza boss dies easily if you are upgraded, not only in yakuza k2.
and yakuza 3.
Yakuza 0 just so good imo 😩👌❤
My list would be:
-C: Yakuza 3
-B: Yakuza 4, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Yakuza 6
-A: Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza 5
-S: Yakuza 0
Mine is just about how much fun and how they made me feel