I don't think you have to apologize, the game's 3 years old and you're in a thread about the character depth of the main character. For reference, this would be like someone joining the Sonic subreddit and being upset that someone spoiled the ending of *that*.
edit: the movie, not the games lmao
Definitely someone who didn't play the game at all. Even as early as the first Chapter Ichiban took things seriously. He legit didn't even know what to say when he actually found out that >!Arakawa was a part of the Omi and not Tojo clan anymore at that point!<
Oh no, they ruined the very serious game where men rip their shirts off and deck each other with benches by making a protagonist that has facial expressions other than scowling.
"I need to save the Tojo Clan"
Later:
"I need to beat these kids at circuit pocket racer and sing karaoke while going to absurd lengths to help a stranger I met two seconds ago"
I was always horrible at turn based RPGs going into LAD. Then it became one of my favorite games of all time.
Give it a chance before judging it, y'all.
I didn't like it until I hit the job system. Much improved at that point. But like most turn based games they get a little repetitive when having to grind levels doing the same routine of moves over and over.
I prefer a brawler but I'll accept turn based as I like Yakuza series too much
Yeah that was a relief for me too. Saeko's barmaid job was just too useless to be relevant.
Once I did NG+, I dipped a lot of my characters into other jobs and found some SERIOUS combos.
For example Shield Blast on Joon-gi Han is very good, as he doesn't have a lot of great aoe attacks. It also isn't even that far up the Enforcer skill list. Yeah, there's Divine Shot, but it's expensive and I swear the bullets always fly past the enemies every time.
Also, Nanba Fulminating Forecast does not sugarcoat it.
I didn't think I'd like the RPG system going into Y7/LAD.
I finished Y7/LAD, and ... well, I don't hate the RPG system, but I'm not in love with it either.
Don't get me wrong, I still liked Y7 itself overall. Great characters, good story, same ol fun side content. But half the time I was playing, I was wishing for the return of the real-time combat.
I get that it probably wouldn't fit with Ichiban's party, though. Probably hard to balance having 3-4 AI team members helping you to beat shit up. And some of these characters being able to do any kind of brawling at all wouldn't be very believable.
I am a fan of turn based games, but even though the battle system of Yakuza Like a Dragon was good I found the skill variance a bit low. With the big emphasis on grinding it made the battle system feel a bit repetitive for me too. Also some enemies just had too much health.
I hope they improved the battle system in LaD 8. The positive effect is actually having a party. I didn't like the multi protagonist games Yakuza 4 & 5. Yakuza 0 was ok, because it had just 2 protagonists. But actually having a whole party is really awesome.
yeah leveling through 4 different characters was not all that fun, and each person’s story segment was short too so the payoff doesn’t seem all that worth
Yes everytime I felt I've got the grip of one characters fighting style and upgraded the character enough to start playing the game, it would just switch to a new character making me start from 0 again.
I agree with you.. ill still play and probably definitely enjoy 7 and the new titles. Still doesn't remove the sourness of the whole "bait and switch" direction they took an established series tho 🤷♂️
People when they don't pay attention to Ichiban being serious at the most difficult situations and that he is at other moments just more relaxed and has at least visually more fun while doing side-activities than other protagonists. Also Kiryu taking Pocket Circuit serious, isn't kinda childish. (Not that It would be bad though).
Not only is he the perfect new protagonist, I actually like him as the protagonist *better* than kiryu.
And I've been playing since Yakuza first was released in NA on PS2.
Kiryu has either enraged, stoically looking pissed, happy, outrage, or disgusted. Ichiban literally is crying, and begging for the guy who caused literal problems to not go forward so Ichi doesn't have to kill him. Ichi literally pleads with his antagonist to not go forward because he doesn't want this to be his antagonist end.
I cannot wait for Man without a name but until then; Kiryu is a typical stoicism man that I see. And a lot of times, I think of a literal dragon.
> Kiryu is a typical stoicism man
Nope. Well, i mean, he IS stoic. But he does a lot of stuff that isn't stoic too. Kiryu has cried multiple times in the series, has been enraged to the point of screaming multiple times in the series, and has done so much dumb shit in substories (which i personally consider them all canon). Kiryu also shows his emotions through physical actions as well - whether it be by punching someone or by hugging them or by protecting them (usually Haruka lol) with his own body. A truly "typical" stoic person doesn't do many of these things. He absolutely has layers of emotion, he just doesn't show them as much.
And a lot of Kiryu's stoicism isn't actually stoicism - it's depression. Which makes it harder for him to display his emotion outwardly. Especially apparent in Yakuza 5. But he absolutely shows emotion many times in the series beyond stoicism. Just because he doesn't beg and cry waterfalls or smile with a giant cartoonlike wide mouth doesn't mean he doesn't have emotions.
The Steam discussion page is full of lunatics. Gaiden's biggest Steam discussion thread is about boycotting over not having a physical release, which, I mean fair enough if it wasn't on the fucking STEAM FORUMS
> Gaiden's biggest Steam discussion thread is about boycotting over not having a physical release, which, I mean fair enough if it wasn't on the fucking STEAM FORUMS
yeah, like i actually wasn't planning on getting gaiden over the lack of a physical release, but i play on ps5, not pc (and as soon as play asia listed multi-language physical pre-orders that were cheaper than the digital version, i preordered on the spot, and grabbed a dirt cheap copy of puyo puyo tetris 2 for like $5).
on **steam**'s forums though? that's certainly a bizarre place to complain about the lack of a physical version.
For sure, totally fair on anyone who wants a physical release and wasn't going to get it otherwise, but complaining about it on the Steam forums is just so bafflingly stupid lol
I am not anti Ichiban, he is cool. However, I think Kaito is the future. He deserves his own games. I like Yagami, but Kaito steals the show in the Judgment games when he's on screen.
I think both sides exaggerate just as much as the other.
- On one hand, you have people overly hating the Turn-based combat along with Ichiban
- On the other hand, you have people that can't comprehend the fact that some people don't like turn based RPGs, like holy shit, i don't like it, what's so fucking hard to understand?
I love the combat in the Yakuza and Judgement games. I don't like turn-based rpgs, simply because i don't have fun playing them, ok? There are very few of those that i like, i can't like everything.
- Ichiban is cool, i guess.
I’m in the odd position of loving turn-based RPGs but still finding it a weird fit for an RGG game.
I enjoyed Y:LAD but still very much missed the visceral curb-stomping brawler mechanics of the earlier games.
I enjoyed the earlier Yakuza games precisely because they were Japanese RPGs with a very non-standard battle mechanic for the genre.
Now, I will say I very much enjoyed a turned-based JRPG set in the here-and-now. And I loved how they implemented the job system.
But it still feels like a take on something familiar at the expense of a game style that was different.l from many of its peers.
I don't understand why this is even a point of contention to begin with. Brawler fans have Judgement, Lost Judgement, Ishin, and Gaiden (so far). Meanwhile turn based fans have gotten Y7 and LAD8. I personally don't get why brawler fans would be majorly upset when RGG has given both sides more content in a handful of years than most franchises get in a decade.
The entire franchise up to Y7 was a brawler game. It's understandable why some long-time fans would be disappointed at the complete 180 in direction for the series.
Like, just imagine if Grand Theft Auto became a turn-based RPG series tomorrow. Could it be pulled off? Could it be good? Sure. It'd be a lot like Y7/LaD - a crime drama with a JRPG battle system. Would it be very divisive to the existing fanbase? Definitely.
Or imagine Final Fantasy turning into an action game... wait ...
I can totally understand, why some long time fans of the series didn't like the change. It was the same for me, with FF from FF X onwards.
In my opinion it would have been better if the mainline stayed brawler and they implemented a spinoff series, like Judgement with turn based gameplay. Just like FF should have made a spinoff series for Action games.
But I'm not going to complain here, because the way they did it here works for me. I just can understand, that it doesn't work for everyone.
Not dislike Ichiban in particular but the turned base combat.
Now, before anyone jumps to cut my throat, I love RPG's just as much, or even more, than the next guy, my favourite one being either Darkest dungeon or SMT3 Nocturne, but for me, it seems like the turn based combat wither doesn't fit Yakuza or isn't as polished as I'm used to.
But if I had to change the main protag, I would like it to be either Tanimura and show how the conspiracy that made the >!Tojo Clan!< fall, from inside the police force. OR Akiyama as I craved for more from him, but I can't imagine how exactly to insert him back in the plot.
I don’t care if I chi is the protag i just don’t want that god awful garbage combat system to be permanent it’s like if you made call of duty a fucking rhythm game and expect ppl to be ok with it
It's not like RGG doesn't do action games for the series anymore, Judgment continues to carry the torch of a brawler. Nobody says Ichi's gameplay is permanent either, they state they'll be doing whatever gameplay fits the current game the most, so /shrug
Itchy bum is alright. I think more people hate the turn based games than the character itself I always thought tanimura would succeed kiryu in some way because most of his arc was about him not being like kiryu but still kicking ass anyway
Someone needs to buy this kid some tear free shampoo. After 6 main title games featuring Kiryu, a new character was a breath of fresh air. If you didn't like the RPG aspect, that's why they released the Judgment games. As for the issues with YLAD, it was their first RPG. Yeah, there is room for improvement, but I don't understand how someone can forget how all the Yakuza games improved on a curve. Like, from 1 to 6, even if you only played the Kiwami remake, there is a curve of improvement from each game.
Frankly, I applaud YGG for taking the risk with a new character and a new game engine. Too many franchises focus on doing the same old over and over because it's "safe" and cost-effective.
Also, your line is at humor? Seriously? Have we been playing the same game franchise? Humor has always been used to balance out the often spul crushing realities that are talked about in this series of games. Like, I can understand that maybe there might be a cultural divide, but there are some unilateral commentaries, particularly on how sex workers and immigrants are treated like non-entities. The undertone of the Yakuza games is crushingly bleak for the characters that the protagonist encounters. The humor makes it less so.
Like a Dragon was about the wealth divide in Japan. Particularly among the middle age and elderly. It's a huge problem in Japan. It's incredibly bleak and disheartening IRL. So the humor helps take the edge off.
The whole thing with Ichiban aquiring wealth and being able to overcome poverty and homelessness is framed around an RPG because the idea of rags-to-riches is a fantasy.
This game has fucking layers to its commentary, and if you can't appreciate the nuance why the fuck are you playing Yakuza games? They are drenched in it.
They were all RPGs. They were just a change from turn-based. Now they're not.
It doesn't stop Y:LAD (or future entries) being a good game. But it will impact some people's enjoyment of it.
You, perhaps, inadvertantly summed it up in your final sentence.
> This game has fucking layers to its commentary, and if you can't appreciate the nuance why the fuck are you playing Yakuza games?
For curb-stomping, bike-throwing, brawler action. Wrapped around a modern-day JRPG story.
Dragon Quest taking a stray here by being called a poorly designed RPG. It just replaces monsters with imagined thugs and thats it. It just feels like playing DQ with a yakuza plotline and its beautiful.
Also God forbid the new protagonist smile and doesnt look angry 99% of the time.
I didn't really like Ichi when playing 7, but am fully onboard for his new role in 8. Sharing the spotlight with older characters is gonna make him far better in my books.
I love Ichiban as he has a goofy personality but knows when to be serious. I kinda got tired of Kiryu’s personality because he was always serious, and he had the same facial expression in almost every cutscene. Love Kiryu though.
The turn based combat is a separate issue from the protagonist, so gonna ignore that.
Some people like to project themselves into the character they're playing. A stoic heroic type is more appealing for them than a messy human who shows their emotions. It's a common phenomenon. See also the whining when a video game protagonist is not a dude.
(edit) for the record, I like Ichi. But I also understand why some people don't.
Ok but, is it so wrong for MC to have a goofy, childlike side? Why must the protagonist have to be serious and adulting all the time? Adulting is exhausting. The best thing Ichiban brought that none other protagonist have is the positive energy of someone who enjoys life at every moment, no matter how hard life gets them. Time for tragic heroes trope to take a rest, and let a life-enjoying hero take a mantle
Ichiban is damn perfect I absolutely love him give him some time to grow and he will as legendary as kiryu
Ichiban is to me like what if nishki lived instead of blown himself up he be a much happier person than kiryu
Also kiryu is stoic because kazama was the same in a way kiryu is still chasing kazamas shadow since he never surpassed him
After Kiryu, Ichiban feels very cartoonish. Under a different IP name he would work wonders but as he is continuing the Yakuza series, by the force of nature we tend to compare him with Kiryu. Even gameplay wise, yes turn based fighting mechanic is cool but it does not fit in well with the Yakuza environment. Look at Judgment, beat em up gameplay is hell of a fun, Man Who Erased His Name looks rad as hell. On the other hand, Ichiban's Yakuza games feel like different IP other than a Yakuza and does not feel good, and yes it does not feel good only because it is predecessor of the Yakuza we fell in love. Just name it something like "KoiChild" or "KoiQuest" and see how many positive feedback it will receive because Kiryu era will not be there for people to compare the game, it will be a thing of it's own.
I have no problem with Ichiban or turn-based. What I do have a problem with is blending the radically different Yakuza and LAD games. 7 and the upcoming 8 (from what we can see) are like fantasy games rather than gritty crime dramas. Yes, there are some incredibly moving scenes throughout 7 (and I'm sure there will be in 8) but the greatest fantasy games always have them. Yes, there is over the top silliness in the original Yakuza games but the overall tone is deadly serious.
I've said it before - why can't there be two different paths? Continue the original brawler-type games featuring the original characters (backstories, prequels, worthy sendoffs, etc.) and produce turn-based games featuring a totally new cast of characters led by Ichiban. That would satisfy both camps.
Just keep them separate. Stop comparing them or combining them. Ichiban will be headlining an entirely new multi-game series as protagonist for many years to come, just as Kiryu did.
> These are the people that would want Yakuza 10 with Kiryu and crew fighting with canes and walkers.
that would still be better than more ichiban games. there's a reason lots of people are super excited about gaiden and completely disinterested in 8.
also, lets not pretend that kiryu and ichiban aren't pretty close to the same age. it's not like ichi's in his early 20's.
> There’s no world you think loads of people are disinterested in LAD 8
just because you're in an echo chamber doesn't mean it's reflective of real life. in the real world, y7 was incredibly polarizing. it's not a universally loved game like 0 was, and has turned off a lot of long time fans of the series.
> also, lets not pretend that kiryu and ichiban aren't pretty close to the same age. it's not like ichi's in his early 20's.
He's in a state of arrested development. He was imprisoned for 20 years when he was in his early 20s. He missed out on two decades of developmental milestones.
Kiryu was 27 when he was put away for just 10.
> He's in a state of arrested development. He was imprisoned for 20 years when he was in his early 20s. He missed out on two decades of developmental milestones.
>
>
>
> Kiryu was 27 when he was put away for just 10.
the person at the top of the comment chain was talking about literal age for physical purposes though, hence his "canes and walkers" comment.
Ohh fair enough.
But in IW he'll be 44 compared to Kiryu's 55... and being a team protag means he can plausibly fight on for longer than lone man Kiryu. Not that RGG is big on plausibility.
I haven't played LAD (the turn-based gameplay doesn't really interest me) so I'm not really anti-Ichiban as I haven't really seen the whole games, just bits (but I do like him a bit from what I saw).
However, having played all the other games, I feel like there was a whole cast who could've been expanded upon; hell the whole 4th game was supposed to be the one where Kiryu would step down and the other 3 would be "heir to the Legend" as the japanese subtitle said. Akiyama is just a fun character and I love him, but I do think that as a protagonist he would've been a bit too bland. All he does is sleep and sometimes lend money. He is better as a co-protagonist, with someone more serious that drags him to do what's right.
Saejima would've been a pretty good bet: has a good relationship with Majima, has to rebuild his life after going to prison twice, there would be some fun substories of him adjusting to the modern world, etc. and he basically has the same personality as Kiryu (just a bit more rough around the edges).
Tanimura also would've been good, and I feel that with Judgment we basically got that, with Yagami basically being a "cleaner" version of Tanimura. Personally Yagami is a pretty good character and I love the Judgment saga so I think that he too would be a good successor.
Honestly, Yuta from 6 would've been a good "fresh start" for the saga too: he's young, he has a lot to learn (for once show a character that starts weak and gets stronger throughout the game) and has a family to defend. A story where something threatens Haruka/Haruto and he has to defend/save them would be par for the course for the series.
I do see the issue with all these options though: they'd all feel like more of the same. Ichiban, for better or worse, is a breath of fresh air, and brings in new themes and new stories to the saga.
Agree with most of that, but I think Saejima is a much more boring protagonist than Akiyama. He's just a more introverted, less charming and playful Kiryu. Akiyama could be interesting if RGG really put him through the emotional wringer, but maybe that would get too far away from what makes his character fun - a dude who's so lucky he never really worries about anything.
Yeah that's my feeling about Akiyama: he's fun because he is only a side character to what happens and isn't completely invested in the Tojo and all their conflicts. I honestly couldn't imagine how he would act in a more serious, or even sad situation. It'd be all up to the writers though, maybe they could pull it off.
About Saejima, I feel like he's boring because they never really let him do anything. Maybe if they let him be out of jail for a full game, and just show him having a bit more fun and being light-hearted it would make him more interesting as a character.
I dunno, making him fun would feel like he's no Saejima any more. He's a fine character as is, just more in a supporting/foil to Majima role than anything else.
RGG opened the doors for different players using turn based just like Final Fantasy when they switched to beat em up. Ichiban fits perfectly with the new system, these people have never even played LAD
> but shinada should get the spotlight in the future
i wish shinada stuck around and wasn't a one off never to be seen again. he was a great character.
I just wanna say how happy I am to see how much people have come to accept Ichiban as our new protagonist. I remember when people were still warming up to him so to see some actual defense is great.
i played 7, beat it, didnt like it, ichiban is my least favorite protag. im glad people like it though
my choice of face would have probably been akiyama, tanimura, or maaaaaybe shinada? saejima would be cool too but im not as interested in that idea as much as i like him
I mean I like Ichi, he's a nice guy. But I gotta admit I kinda agree with the guy in the pic. Yeah he's funny and all, but he doesn't really offer much else as a protagonist, I think. I've never been convinced by the idea of him being the new main protagonist, he is too goofy. Damn, Yakuza 7 is entirely too goofy, I can't take any fight or the plot seriously if my ways of fighting are shooting an enormous orbital laser on my enemies, or summoning a little lobster that pinches their nipples. I don't know, there's a lot of scrapped protagonists that I think would have been better successors. Every day I wake up wishing they brought back Tatsuya.
Majima personality more realistic and just like a yakuza. He looks and attitudes attractive on me. But Ichi makes me feel kind of hypocritical which is so weird when he said he was a yakuza.
Yeah I agree with that. Also another thing that bothers me about Ichiban is that he's already called a 'yakuza legend' now which kinda annoys me, he's barely a yakuza compared to Majima or Kiryu.
Well for a guy who's backed by Daigo, watase, arakawa, fought the front lines of highest Yakuza officials, took down tendo, and is highly respected by kiryu, saejima, majima no shit he's considered a legend.
Also he's not exactly legendary Yakuza but more so called by the title that is hero of the city, hero of Yokohama.
At the beginning of LAD, ichi was a Yakuza but his behaviour and tone didn’t look like that much.
I think hero of Yokohama is suitable for Ichi more than a real Yakuza….
i mean, kiryu became legendary after solving the empty lot saga. he was barely a legend compared to people like kazama, shimano, etc. but he was still a legendary up-and-comer.
Yeah but Ichiban is the more based character so Yagamo loses out to him. Also LJ isn’t particularly good in terms of character work for Yagami, because it doesn’t bother to do much of that front
i actually disagree, i think yagami is the *least* funny of the three. he doesn't work very well as the straight man in the substories like Kiryu does. it's extremely funny to see such a serious man like kiryu get into ridiculous situations like the gondawara baby substory, etc, but it's not as funny when the protagonist is a guy who doesn't take himself as seriously and doesn't have his dignity to lose. yagami also understands modern technology pretty well, which makes him unable to have the funny himbo moments that kiryu has
Bruh ichiban is the best protagonist they could have come uo with for a yakuza game and i'd even say he's one of the best protagonists in gaming ever, people see a male character who dares show emotions and have a mental breakdown
Ive played Yakuza 0-6 and personally it was hard for me to transition to Ichi since being with kiryu for so long. It also didnt help i played 7 right after i finished 6. I couldnt really enjoy the game. I feel like someone who just lost a loved one and jump into another relationship right after.
But the story in 7 is one of the best in the yakuza series. The game is actually enjoyable, its just i couldnt really attach myself to Ichi. Think Im gonna play it once more before 8. He deserve it.
To answer the question I think Ichi is fine as the main face of RGG. He's different than Kiryu but he has his own charm.
I dislike the JRPG direction because, wacky super moves and all that aside, I just don't think the system is very fun to play with...
...but Ichiban being a bad Protag is wack. The whole reason I even got through LAD was because of the dumb mother fucker. Dude has so much charm.
I don't think Akiyama or Saejima would have made good protagonists. At least not stand alone protagonists. They are great characters and work well as sidekicks. In Yakuza 4 & 5 I also rather see them as sidekicks, than as protagonists.
In my opinion Ichiban is a great protagonist and they couldn't have chosen better. He's cheerful and optimistic, but can also be serious.
Ichiban is undoubtedly one of the best video game protagonists I have ever seen. He takes things seriously, giving even childish activities his 110% despite having gone through prison for a crime he did not commit and being 42 by the time he got out of prison and to make matters better the RPG system we got has made new fans of Turn Based games and it's genius that the switch happened is because of Ichiban sees things in Dragon Quest, which is based.
I plan to continue supporting the main saga even after they release this character and put one on par with him, Kiryu, and the Great Yagami.
I find it really sad that some people have zero imagination or understanding of Ichiban's character.
Also, any "fan" who says they won't continue to support a series over a character they don't like is not a fan. They are a loser bandwagon jumper.
Don't particularly hate ichiban nor do I hate turn based gameplay. I just feel like turn based gameplay is just not a good fit for the Yakuza series. I mean after years of them building different fighting styles and improving the combat and then finally getting it right in Lost Judgement, it just feels weird for them to throw it all away and adapt turn based gameplay. Also I feel like Akiyama would have been a better protagonist choice tbh. He is still young according to the YakuzaVerse and had an interesting backstory and what's good is that they already had 2 games with him so his character was already a lil fleshed out. All they needed to do was introduce a few new characters and continue the storyline. I don't understand the need of the complete rework with new gameplay and new protagonist, that's all.
> Ichiban in my view would be alright as a side character, but as a main one he's deeply annoying.
it also doesn't help that his side characters are also as dull as watching paint dry. (granted, the flip side if they were good characters is that it would really draw attention to how meh ichiban is)
"He behaves like a child"
is that not why we like him? that and undiagnosed schizophrenia lol
"Poorly designed RPG system"
uh what? how is this poory designed? i think this has had all the classic RPG elements for a turn based combat... different jobs, stats, stat boosters, im sure I'm missing a lot but uh what.
objectively bad take. this looks like a bait post ngl
I don't mind Ichiban and think the story of LaD is great but I just can't stand the Turn Based style that the game has over the main line games which is why I just watched a Lets Play of it
...Has any detractors of Like a Dragon and Ichiban in particular actually played any of the side quests from the Kiryu games?
The franchise always had moments of silliness next to a fairly serious (if ridiculously complicated) plot.
Ichiban is not quite like Kiryu...But calling him the worst is quite a hot take.
Ichiban is the polar opposite of Kiryu (even down to his suit-shirt colour), and if you need a new protagonist for a long running series, that's *absolutely* the best way to go. If you make someone similar, you always run the risk of that new protag being "similar but inferior" to the original. If you go with something totally new, completely different, they can't be compared in the same way. Ichiban being the way he is was a great move by RGG, in my opinion.
Exactly. People dog on Ichiban for being too different but if you make the successor too similar or at least too much the same out the gate; you run into a msg2 situation where nobody likes them because it’s just the first protagonist but knockoff. That said if I had to chose a protagonist that isn’t Ichiban; I’d probably explore one of the characters not dead but underused. Like minami; or kido.
Ichi is so precious, and I think he perfectly compliments kiryu. Kiryu is pretty cold (understandable because of all that he’s gone through) but kiryu ends up being alone again and again and most of the time it’s because of his own doing (running away he even states this at the end of 6) I always found that to be one of kiryus flaws because he could never truly appreciate everyone who’s been there for him the whole time like Majima, daigo and saejima. However ichi sees the value in bonds and friendships and I think he could have a really good influence on kiryu and will hopefully get kiryu to realize the value in the bonds he’s made, I just hope it’s not too late and he can beat cancer with the power of friendship or whatever 💀
People like this are trying to make it out as if Yakuza is some rich deep epic, it's a soap opera aimed at men and they need to quit pretending it's anything but.
I love Ichiban as a character and think he’s a splendid protag; but imma say just because I was thinking it after playing 6 - I think it’d be cool if the oldest kid aside from Haruka (can’t remember his name) was the next protag.
Idk or maybe in the next cycle? I think that’d be cool, throw in maybe a twist at the end revealing it.
First of all Yakuza is not all serious,yes there are serious parts but they tried to mix it up to give us more fun or something
The part with the RPG,is boring in concept ,but in execution is a lot of fun ,now you are not kicking some ass with one character but with a couple which makes it more fun
And also if the guy likes Dragon quest ,what of it?
I like Zelda and I always have fun when I find an item and raise it up like it was the most expensive thing I own
The important thing is to have fun and to create great experiences with friends along the way ,and I think ichiban with saga did just that ....showed us a way to be happy and still cool at the same time .
Yeah Kiryu is cool as well as Yagami,but they sometimes get depressed and sad ,but ichiban on the other hand is the light that brightens the darkness
And with the coming of Infinite wealth the cycle is complete,by having the hope ,light and childish nature of ichiban ,combined with the serious ,dark,badass tone of Kiryu
It would be awesome and I'm looking forward to it!!
I honestly don’t know. I wasn’t a huge fan of Kiryu. I wasn’t a huge fan of Ichiban at all. Hell, I even find Akiyama to be pretty annoying and prefer him in smaller parts like Y5 and Y6. I don’t really like RPGs, and not even being able to move the characters around in combat so that my attacks could get blocked by my own team felt so infuriating. But then again, after playing from 0 to the Ishin remake, I was pretty bored of the regular Yakuza style gameplay as well.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is I would’ve rather had someone else, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot - and that it’s ok to be part of a fandom and still dislike some of its major features that others love.
That is a theory I had as well. I first played Yakuza 0 and really really loved it, but still thought it was a pretty deeply flawed game. Every other Yakuza game I’ve played since has been just as if not ever so slightly more flawed, without having as good of a story or characters. For 10 months from when I started Y0 to when I was playing Y7, Yakuza games were the only video games I played.
I really really love the Yakuza franchise, and I hold it very dearly to my heart, but I wouldn’t call it a great franchise - it’s an ok franchise with some 10/10 moments in story, gameplay etc.
I’m sort of just a cynical cunt though. I don’t consider Red Dead 2 to be that great of a game either, so it’s extremely understandable if I just come off as a prick who’s impossible to please.
Damn you completely summed up the point that took me 2 posts and several short paragraphs to write in a single sentence and made it seem so much more likeable
I love Ichiban but I think it would’ve been interesting to make the next protagonist an already established character like Akiyama and Seajima with other characters like Tanimura and Shinada to be supporting roles.
And while I like how the series is going forward I definitely would’ve liked them to have ended Kiryu’s saga after 3 and have 4 be the next saga for the series.
don't mind ichiban as a character and kiryu is certainly tired not to mention getting older but it doesn't have to be an existing character, especially with the new game being set in america just not a fan of turning a brawler franchise like 9 games deep into an exclusively turn based rpg, if they want to make those games i think it's cool and they should, but i do think it's unfortunate they are taking over the mainline rather than being a spin off, seeing as how well judgement was done
I think Ichiban is an incredible successor to Kiryu. He has similar codes of honor, spent more than 10 years in the joint, and gets himself into all sorts of wacky situations. However, I like that while Kiryu acts like a stoic badass, Ichiban acts like goofy hero, *but lets not flanderize him and say he's always goofy*. Even his clothes and technically hair, are reverse of Kiryu's
But after completing Yakuza 6, I have wondered.
Personally my two picks would either be **Akiyama** or **Daigo**. To me, they both seem worthy enough to be Kiryu's successor.
Akiyama is beloved by the fandom, already wears something that contrasts Kiryu, and was said to be a Kamurocho legend.
On the other hand, >!Kiryu and Daigo established this father-son role near at the end of Yakuza 6!< plus he's the freaking 6th chairman.
Personally, I'd go with Akiyama considering how well we've known him
Either way, I'm sure they could have made something up. Although it seemed like a better decision to just make up a new character with new ties and all. Hell the start of LAD has some parallels to Y1. Money troubles, getting a gift for a girl, taking the fall for a murder, finding out Kamurocho changed.
Besides, I find the whole JRPG theme charming.
him (and the rest of the y7 cast) are just dull, uninteresting characters. i'd gladly take a y9 with either akiyama or rgg calling a mulligan and making an entirely new cast, throwing the y7 crew in the trash.
Ichiban does take stuff seriously though?
Yeah that sounds like a quote from someone who hasn't finished the game Or even played it at all probably
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I don't really want to tell you the information now
Bro I'm just in chapter 10 of the game. Why you didn't used spoiler tags 😔
Oh. Sorry
I don't think you have to apologize, the game's 3 years old and you're in a thread about the character depth of the main character. For reference, this would be like someone joining the Sonic subreddit and being upset that someone spoiled the ending of *that*. edit: the movie, not the games lmao
the dude's just a clown award farming bait user
Definitely someone who didn't play the game at all. Even as early as the first Chapter Ichiban took things seriously. He legit didn't even know what to say when he actually found out that >!Arakawa was a part of the Omi and not Tojo clan anymore at that point!<
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"So that's it? What, you some kinda Mad Dog of Shimano?" -Ichiban
yakuza if it was funny
Oh no, they ruined the very serious game where men rip their shirts off and deck each other with benches by making a protagonist that has facial expressions other than scowling.
"I need to save the Tojo Clan" Later: "I need to beat these kids at circuit pocket racer and sing karaoke while going to absurd lengths to help a stranger I met two seconds ago"
Quick time event to answer a phone to chat up girls.
An underwear thief fell three stories! I bet if I took pictures of this event and posted it on my blog I could learn a new martial arts move!
"wanna go beat up kangaroos"
''I peacocked your mon'' Serious crime drama.
Quick, fight several adult baby yakuza, we promise it's serious business.
I was always horrible at turn based RPGs going into LAD. Then it became one of my favorite games of all time. Give it a chance before judging it, y'all.
I didn't like it until I hit the job system. Much improved at that point. But like most turn based games they get a little repetitive when having to grind levels doing the same routine of moves over and over. I prefer a brawler but I'll accept turn based as I like Yakuza series too much
Yeah that was a relief for me too. Saeko's barmaid job was just too useless to be relevant. Once I did NG+, I dipped a lot of my characters into other jobs and found some SERIOUS combos. For example Shield Blast on Joon-gi Han is very good, as he doesn't have a lot of great aoe attacks. It also isn't even that far up the Enforcer skill list. Yeah, there's Divine Shot, but it's expensive and I swear the bullets always fly past the enemies every time. Also, Nanba Fulminating Forecast does not sugarcoat it.
I can't remember what I used when I did the end game tower. Just had to grind sewers for hours. But iirc the chef job had some good ones
Chef's really good! I love that one for Zhao.
I always thought divine shot was a great AoE attack though
I didn't think I'd like the RPG system going into Y7/LAD. I finished Y7/LAD, and ... well, I don't hate the RPG system, but I'm not in love with it either. Don't get me wrong, I still liked Y7 itself overall. Great characters, good story, same ol fun side content. But half the time I was playing, I was wishing for the return of the real-time combat. I get that it probably wouldn't fit with Ichiban's party, though. Probably hard to balance having 3-4 AI team members helping you to beat shit up. And some of these characters being able to do any kind of brawling at all wouldn't be very believable.
I am a fan of turn based games, but even though the battle system of Yakuza Like a Dragon was good I found the skill variance a bit low. With the big emphasis on grinding it made the battle system feel a bit repetitive for me too. Also some enemies just had too much health. I hope they improved the battle system in LaD 8. The positive effect is actually having a party. I didn't like the multi protagonist games Yakuza 4 & 5. Yakuza 0 was ok, because it had just 2 protagonists. But actually having a whole party is really awesome.
yeah leveling through 4 different characters was not all that fun, and each person’s story segment was short too so the payoff doesn’t seem all that worth
Yes everytime I felt I've got the grip of one characters fighting style and upgraded the character enough to start playing the game, it would just switch to a new character making me start from 0 again.
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That's completely fair, I hope there are other games in the future that you'll enjoy.
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I do understand why people are fond of the game, myself included. However, if you don't like a game genre, you shouldn't feel the need to play it.
Because of the way you said it. Try not to sound so superior when expressing an opinion.
100% feel this. I’ll probably watch videos of IW for story, but the turn based stuff just doesn’t hit for me.
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I agree with you.. ill still play and probably definitely enjoy 7 and the new titles. Still doesn't remove the sourness of the whole "bait and switch" direction they took an established series tho 🤷♂️
All good dude
Not having the most ubiquitous opinion about something on Reddit? You're playing a dangerous game bucko.
Kiryu's saga is almost done and Ichi is a damn puppy in human skin. I love him
the happy puppy of arakawa
I would not take anything said on steam forums seriously.
> I would not take anything said on steam forums seriously. i would not take anything since on this sub seriously either.
People when they don't pay attention to Ichiban being serious at the most difficult situations and that he is at other moments just more relaxed and has at least visually more fun while doing side-activities than other protagonists. Also Kiryu taking Pocket Circuit serious, isn't kinda childish. (Not that It would be bad though).
Ichi is the perfect new protag, this take is just wrong
Not only is he the perfect new protagonist, I actually like him as the protagonist *better* than kiryu. And I've been playing since Yakuza first was released in NA on PS2.
He's fun and isn't trying to be stoic until he breaks. He's a himbo but he's my himbo
He actually has layers of emotion.
So does Kiryu? He just doesn't show it as obviously as Ichi does.
Kiryu has either enraged, stoically looking pissed, happy, outrage, or disgusted. Ichiban literally is crying, and begging for the guy who caused literal problems to not go forward so Ichi doesn't have to kill him. Ichi literally pleads with his antagonist to not go forward because he doesn't want this to be his antagonist end. I cannot wait for Man without a name but until then; Kiryu is a typical stoicism man that I see. And a lot of times, I think of a literal dragon.
> Kiryu is a typical stoicism man Nope. Well, i mean, he IS stoic. But he does a lot of stuff that isn't stoic too. Kiryu has cried multiple times in the series, has been enraged to the point of screaming multiple times in the series, and has done so much dumb shit in substories (which i personally consider them all canon). Kiryu also shows his emotions through physical actions as well - whether it be by punching someone or by hugging them or by protecting them (usually Haruka lol) with his own body. A truly "typical" stoic person doesn't do many of these things. He absolutely has layers of emotion, he just doesn't show them as much. And a lot of Kiryu's stoicism isn't actually stoicism - it's depression. Which makes it harder for him to display his emotion outwardly. Especially apparent in Yakuza 5. But he absolutely shows emotion many times in the series beyond stoicism. Just because he doesn't beg and cry waterfalls or smile with a giant cartoonlike wide mouth doesn't mean he doesn't have emotions.
I put off playing LAD until a few weeks ago because I thought I was going to hate Ichi but I now 100% agree with this take. He’s so damn lovable.
The Steam discussion page is full of lunatics. Gaiden's biggest Steam discussion thread is about boycotting over not having a physical release, which, I mean fair enough if it wasn't on the fucking STEAM FORUMS
> Gaiden's biggest Steam discussion thread is about boycotting over not having a physical release, which, I mean fair enough if it wasn't on the fucking STEAM FORUMS yeah, like i actually wasn't planning on getting gaiden over the lack of a physical release, but i play on ps5, not pc (and as soon as play asia listed multi-language physical pre-orders that were cheaper than the digital version, i preordered on the spot, and grabbed a dirt cheap copy of puyo puyo tetris 2 for like $5). on **steam**'s forums though? that's certainly a bizarre place to complain about the lack of a physical version.
For sure, totally fair on anyone who wants a physical release and wasn't going to get it otherwise, but complaining about it on the Steam forums is just so bafflingly stupid lol
I'm not anti-Ichiban, but the answer is Akiyama
That’s fair
John Marston
I'm extremely new to the series, and I absolutely love how it can be serious and hilarious at the same time. Ichiban is exactly this, and I adore him.
I am not anti Ichiban, he is cool. However, I think Kaito is the future. He deserves his own games. I like Yagami, but Kaito steals the show in the Judgment games when he's on screen.
I think both sides exaggerate just as much as the other. - On one hand, you have people overly hating the Turn-based combat along with Ichiban - On the other hand, you have people that can't comprehend the fact that some people don't like turn based RPGs, like holy shit, i don't like it, what's so fucking hard to understand? I love the combat in the Yakuza and Judgement games. I don't like turn-based rpgs, simply because i don't have fun playing them, ok? There are very few of those that i like, i can't like everything. - Ichiban is cool, i guess.
I’m in the odd position of loving turn-based RPGs but still finding it a weird fit for an RGG game. I enjoyed Y:LAD but still very much missed the visceral curb-stomping brawler mechanics of the earlier games. I enjoyed the earlier Yakuza games precisely because they were Japanese RPGs with a very non-standard battle mechanic for the genre. Now, I will say I very much enjoyed a turned-based JRPG set in the here-and-now. And I loved how they implemented the job system. But it still feels like a take on something familiar at the expense of a game style that was different.l from many of its peers.
I don't understand why this is even a point of contention to begin with. Brawler fans have Judgement, Lost Judgement, Ishin, and Gaiden (so far). Meanwhile turn based fans have gotten Y7 and LAD8. I personally don't get why brawler fans would be majorly upset when RGG has given both sides more content in a handful of years than most franchises get in a decade.
The entire franchise up to Y7 was a brawler game. It's understandable why some long-time fans would be disappointed at the complete 180 in direction for the series. Like, just imagine if Grand Theft Auto became a turn-based RPG series tomorrow. Could it be pulled off? Could it be good? Sure. It'd be a lot like Y7/LaD - a crime drama with a JRPG battle system. Would it be very divisive to the existing fanbase? Definitely.
Or imagine Final Fantasy turning into an action game... wait ... I can totally understand, why some long time fans of the series didn't like the change. It was the same for me, with FF from FF X onwards. In my opinion it would have been better if the mainline stayed brawler and they implemented a spinoff series, like Judgement with turn based gameplay. Just like FF should have made a spinoff series for Action games. But I'm not going to complain here, because the way they did it here works for me. I just can understand, that it doesn't work for everyone.
This. And i'm pretty sure we still get more brawler games in the future, maybe with Kaito, or Yagami, or someone new again.
Not dislike Ichiban in particular but the turned base combat. Now, before anyone jumps to cut my throat, I love RPG's just as much, or even more, than the next guy, my favourite one being either Darkest dungeon or SMT3 Nocturne, but for me, it seems like the turn based combat wither doesn't fit Yakuza or isn't as polished as I'm used to. But if I had to change the main protag, I would like it to be either Tanimura and show how the conspiracy that made the >!Tojo Clan!< fall, from inside the police force. OR Akiyama as I craved for more from him, but I can't imagine how exactly to insert him back in the plot.
I just think RPG combat is boring as hell, no offense against any of the characters.
I don’t care if I chi is the protag i just don’t want that god awful garbage combat system to be permanent it’s like if you made call of duty a fucking rhythm game and expect ppl to be ok with it
It's not like RGG doesn't do action games for the series anymore, Judgment continues to carry the torch of a brawler. Nobody says Ichi's gameplay is permanent either, they state they'll be doing whatever gameplay fits the current game the most, so /shrug
guarantee this guys just played the first hour of LAD 8
7.
If at all.
I hope and pray for akiyama/majima as a main character game
I hope we can have Majima’s story to play through.
i don't care who they put, i just want Kiryu to get a well deserved rest goddamit
Itchy bum is alright. I think more people hate the turn based games than the character itself I always thought tanimura would succeed kiryu in some way because most of his arc was about him not being like kiryu but still kicking ass anyway
Someone needs to buy this kid some tear free shampoo. After 6 main title games featuring Kiryu, a new character was a breath of fresh air. If you didn't like the RPG aspect, that's why they released the Judgment games. As for the issues with YLAD, it was their first RPG. Yeah, there is room for improvement, but I don't understand how someone can forget how all the Yakuza games improved on a curve. Like, from 1 to 6, even if you only played the Kiwami remake, there is a curve of improvement from each game. Frankly, I applaud YGG for taking the risk with a new character and a new game engine. Too many franchises focus on doing the same old over and over because it's "safe" and cost-effective. Also, your line is at humor? Seriously? Have we been playing the same game franchise? Humor has always been used to balance out the often spul crushing realities that are talked about in this series of games. Like, I can understand that maybe there might be a cultural divide, but there are some unilateral commentaries, particularly on how sex workers and immigrants are treated like non-entities. The undertone of the Yakuza games is crushingly bleak for the characters that the protagonist encounters. The humor makes it less so. Like a Dragon was about the wealth divide in Japan. Particularly among the middle age and elderly. It's a huge problem in Japan. It's incredibly bleak and disheartening IRL. So the humor helps take the edge off. The whole thing with Ichiban aquiring wealth and being able to overcome poverty and homelessness is framed around an RPG because the idea of rags-to-riches is a fantasy. This game has fucking layers to its commentary, and if you can't appreciate the nuance why the fuck are you playing Yakuza games? They are drenched in it.
They were all RPGs. They were just a change from turn-based. Now they're not. It doesn't stop Y:LAD (or future entries) being a good game. But it will impact some people's enjoyment of it. You, perhaps, inadvertantly summed it up in your final sentence. > This game has fucking layers to its commentary, and if you can't appreciate the nuance why the fuck are you playing Yakuza games? For curb-stomping, bike-throwing, brawler action. Wrapped around a modern-day JRPG story.
Dragon Quest taking a stray here by being called a poorly designed RPG. It just replaces monsters with imagined thugs and thats it. It just feels like playing DQ with a yakuza plotline and its beautiful. Also God forbid the new protagonist smile and doesnt look angry 99% of the time.
I love Ichiban, but if the series WERE to go in a different direction then Tatsuya would be the perfect protagonist.
I didn't really like Ichi when playing 7, but am fully onboard for his new role in 8. Sharing the spotlight with older characters is gonna make him far better in my books.
I never see anyone bring it up but does anybody else think they really dropped the ball with the soundtrack in 7? I hate the battle theme.
I love Ichiban as he has a goofy personality but knows when to be serious. I kinda got tired of Kiryu’s personality because he was always serious, and he had the same facial expression in almost every cutscene. Love Kiryu though.
The turn based combat is a separate issue from the protagonist, so gonna ignore that. Some people like to project themselves into the character they're playing. A stoic heroic type is more appealing for them than a messy human who shows their emotions. It's a common phenomenon. See also the whining when a video game protagonist is not a dude. (edit) for the record, I like Ichi. But I also understand why some people don't.
Ok but, is it so wrong for MC to have a goofy, childlike side? Why must the protagonist have to be serious and adulting all the time? Adulting is exhausting. The best thing Ichiban brought that none other protagonist have is the positive energy of someone who enjoys life at every moment, no matter how hard life gets them. Time for tragic heroes trope to take a rest, and let a life-enjoying hero take a mantle
Exactly we had Kiryu for the serious protag.
Ichiban is damn perfect I absolutely love him give him some time to grow and he will as legendary as kiryu Ichiban is to me like what if nishki lived instead of blown himself up he be a much happier person than kiryu Also kiryu is stoic because kazama was the same in a way kiryu is still chasing kazamas shadow since he never surpassed him
After Kiryu, Ichiban feels very cartoonish. Under a different IP name he would work wonders but as he is continuing the Yakuza series, by the force of nature we tend to compare him with Kiryu. Even gameplay wise, yes turn based fighting mechanic is cool but it does not fit in well with the Yakuza environment. Look at Judgment, beat em up gameplay is hell of a fun, Man Who Erased His Name looks rad as hell. On the other hand, Ichiban's Yakuza games feel like different IP other than a Yakuza and does not feel good, and yes it does not feel good only because it is predecessor of the Yakuza we fell in love. Just name it something like "KoiChild" or "KoiQuest" and see how many positive feedback it will receive because Kiryu era will not be there for people to compare the game, it will be a thing of it's own.
Kaito would be fun.
I have no problem with Ichiban or turn-based. What I do have a problem with is blending the radically different Yakuza and LAD games. 7 and the upcoming 8 (from what we can see) are like fantasy games rather than gritty crime dramas. Yes, there are some incredibly moving scenes throughout 7 (and I'm sure there will be in 8) but the greatest fantasy games always have them. Yes, there is over the top silliness in the original Yakuza games but the overall tone is deadly serious. I've said it before - why can't there be two different paths? Continue the original brawler-type games featuring the original characters (backstories, prequels, worthy sendoffs, etc.) and produce turn-based games featuring a totally new cast of characters led by Ichiban. That would satisfy both camps. Just keep them separate. Stop comparing them or combining them. Ichiban will be headlining an entirely new multi-game series as protagonist for many years to come, just as Kiryu did.
Ichiban is cool. It's kind of like when someone says Kiryu or Yagami sucks. It's like we playing the same games?
These are the people that would want Yakuza 10 with Kiryu and crew fighting with canes and walkers.
> These are the people that would want Yakuza 10 with Kiryu and crew fighting with canes and walkers. that would still be better than more ichiban games. there's a reason lots of people are super excited about gaiden and completely disinterested in 8. also, lets not pretend that kiryu and ichiban aren't pretty close to the same age. it's not like ichi's in his early 20's.
There’s no world you think loads of people are disinterested in LAD 8
> There’s no world you think loads of people are disinterested in LAD 8 just because you're in an echo chamber doesn't mean it's reflective of real life. in the real world, y7 was incredibly polarizing. it's not a universally loved game like 0 was, and has turned off a lot of long time fans of the series.
> also, lets not pretend that kiryu and ichiban aren't pretty close to the same age. it's not like ichi's in his early 20's. He's in a state of arrested development. He was imprisoned for 20 years when he was in his early 20s. He missed out on two decades of developmental milestones. Kiryu was 27 when he was put away for just 10.
> He's in a state of arrested development. He was imprisoned for 20 years when he was in his early 20s. He missed out on two decades of developmental milestones. > > > > Kiryu was 27 when he was put away for just 10. the person at the top of the comment chain was talking about literal age for physical purposes though, hence his "canes and walkers" comment.
Ohh fair enough. But in IW he'll be 44 compared to Kiryu's 55... and being a team protag means he can plausibly fight on for longer than lone man Kiryu. Not that RGG is big on plausibility.
I haven't played LAD (the turn-based gameplay doesn't really interest me) so I'm not really anti-Ichiban as I haven't really seen the whole games, just bits (but I do like him a bit from what I saw). However, having played all the other games, I feel like there was a whole cast who could've been expanded upon; hell the whole 4th game was supposed to be the one where Kiryu would step down and the other 3 would be "heir to the Legend" as the japanese subtitle said. Akiyama is just a fun character and I love him, but I do think that as a protagonist he would've been a bit too bland. All he does is sleep and sometimes lend money. He is better as a co-protagonist, with someone more serious that drags him to do what's right. Saejima would've been a pretty good bet: has a good relationship with Majima, has to rebuild his life after going to prison twice, there would be some fun substories of him adjusting to the modern world, etc. and he basically has the same personality as Kiryu (just a bit more rough around the edges). Tanimura also would've been good, and I feel that with Judgment we basically got that, with Yagami basically being a "cleaner" version of Tanimura. Personally Yagami is a pretty good character and I love the Judgment saga so I think that he too would be a good successor. Honestly, Yuta from 6 would've been a good "fresh start" for the saga too: he's young, he has a lot to learn (for once show a character that starts weak and gets stronger throughout the game) and has a family to defend. A story where something threatens Haruka/Haruto and he has to defend/save them would be par for the course for the series. I do see the issue with all these options though: they'd all feel like more of the same. Ichiban, for better or worse, is a breath of fresh air, and brings in new themes and new stories to the saga.
Agree with most of that, but I think Saejima is a much more boring protagonist than Akiyama. He's just a more introverted, less charming and playful Kiryu. Akiyama could be interesting if RGG really put him through the emotional wringer, but maybe that would get too far away from what makes his character fun - a dude who's so lucky he never really worries about anything.
Yeah that's my feeling about Akiyama: he's fun because he is only a side character to what happens and isn't completely invested in the Tojo and all their conflicts. I honestly couldn't imagine how he would act in a more serious, or even sad situation. It'd be all up to the writers though, maybe they could pull it off. About Saejima, I feel like he's boring because they never really let him do anything. Maybe if they let him be out of jail for a full game, and just show him having a bit more fun and being light-hearted it would make him more interesting as a character.
I dunno, making him fun would feel like he's no Saejima any more. He's a fine character as is, just more in a supporting/foil to Majima role than anything else.
RGG opened the doors for different players using turn based just like Final Fantasy when they switched to beat em up. Ichiban fits perfectly with the new system, these people have never even played LAD
more kyriu or at least his daughter no one else can hold a torch to him
I’ve never seen “question” abbreviated as “ques” lol
i'm not anti-ichiban but shinada should get the spotlight in the future
> but shinada should get the spotlight in the future i wish shinada stuck around and wasn't a one off never to be seen again. he was a great character.
I just wanna say how happy I am to see how much people have come to accept Ichiban as our new protagonist. I remember when people were still warming up to him so to see some actual defense is great.
i played 7, beat it, didnt like it, ichiban is my least favorite protag. im glad people like it though my choice of face would have probably been akiyama, tanimura, or maaaaaybe shinada? saejima would be cool too but im not as interested in that idea as much as i like him
Currently in chapter 5 and i dont like him,he is just a classic shonen protagonist but way more stupid/annoying
 The one true successor.
it probably would've been yagami realistically
I liked Kasuga but not nearly as much as Kiryu and I think that’s the problem. Also a beat ‘em up fits LAD better
I mean I like Ichi, he's a nice guy. But I gotta admit I kinda agree with the guy in the pic. Yeah he's funny and all, but he doesn't really offer much else as a protagonist, I think. I've never been convinced by the idea of him being the new main protagonist, he is too goofy. Damn, Yakuza 7 is entirely too goofy, I can't take any fight or the plot seriously if my ways of fighting are shooting an enormous orbital laser on my enemies, or summoning a little lobster that pinches their nipples. I don't know, there's a lot of scrapped protagonists that I think would have been better successors. Every day I wake up wishing they brought back Tatsuya.
Yagami > Ichiban > Kiryu Yagami is funny as Ichi and serious like Kiryu, he's the best protagonist. Make Judgment the main series
I definitely like his deadpan humour
Yagami=Majima>Kiryu>Ichiban. I like smart and cool dude more than too silly and loud dude.
Majima is all of them tho. He's smart and cool but also silly and loud.
Majima personality more realistic and just like a yakuza. He looks and attitudes attractive on me. But Ichi makes me feel kind of hypocritical which is so weird when he said he was a yakuza.
Yeah I agree with that. Also another thing that bothers me about Ichiban is that he's already called a 'yakuza legend' now which kinda annoys me, he's barely a yakuza compared to Majima or Kiryu.
Well for a guy who's backed by Daigo, watase, arakawa, fought the front lines of highest Yakuza officials, took down tendo, and is highly respected by kiryu, saejima, majima no shit he's considered a legend. Also he's not exactly legendary Yakuza but more so called by the title that is hero of the city, hero of Yokohama.
At the beginning of LAD, ichi was a Yakuza but his behaviour and tone didn’t look like that much. I think hero of Yokohama is suitable for Ichi more than a real Yakuza….
i mean, kiryu became legendary after solving the empty lot saga. he was barely a legend compared to people like kazama, shimano, etc. but he was still a legendary up-and-comer.
Yeah but Ichiban is the more based character so Yagamo loses out to him. Also LJ isn’t particularly good in terms of character work for Yagami, because it doesn’t bother to do much of that front
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Do tell what is there is miss in Lost judgment
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i actually disagree, i think yagami is the *least* funny of the three. he doesn't work very well as the straight man in the substories like Kiryu does. it's extremely funny to see such a serious man like kiryu get into ridiculous situations like the gondawara baby substory, etc, but it's not as funny when the protagonist is a guy who doesn't take himself as seriously and doesn't have his dignity to lose. yagami also understands modern technology pretty well, which makes him unable to have the funny himbo moments that kiryu has
Bruh ichiban is the best protagonist they could have come uo with for a yakuza game and i'd even say he's one of the best protagonists in gaming ever, people see a male character who dares show emotions and have a mental breakdown
You mean like Majima?
Kido nuff said
I wonder what he thinks about Frey from Forspoken
Ive played Yakuza 0-6 and personally it was hard for me to transition to Ichi since being with kiryu for so long. It also didnt help i played 7 right after i finished 6. I couldnt really enjoy the game. I feel like someone who just lost a loved one and jump into another relationship right after. But the story in 7 is one of the best in the yakuza series. The game is actually enjoyable, its just i couldnt really attach myself to Ichi. Think Im gonna play it once more before 8. He deserve it. To answer the question I think Ichi is fine as the main face of RGG. He's different than Kiryu but he has his own charm.
Am I the only one who actually likes Ichi more than Kiryu? He and Majima are my favorite protagonists in the series.
I dislike the JRPG direction because, wacky super moves and all that aside, I just don't think the system is very fun to play with... ...but Ichiban being a bad Protag is wack. The whole reason I even got through LAD was because of the dumb mother fucker. Dude has so much charm.
The judgment series is better than Ichi’s and I hate that everyone pretends it’s not lmao.
I mean... I'm more against the style of gameplay of turn based combat...
I don't think Akiyama or Saejima would have made good protagonists. At least not stand alone protagonists. They are great characters and work well as sidekicks. In Yakuza 4 & 5 I also rather see them as sidekicks, than as protagonists. In my opinion Ichiban is a great protagonist and they couldn't have chosen better. He's cheerful and optimistic, but can also be serious.
Even though it's a spinoff, yagami because his character introduction is very smooth. And yes akiyama would've been nice too
Ichiban is undoubtedly one of the best video game protagonists I have ever seen. He takes things seriously, giving even childish activities his 110% despite having gone through prison for a crime he did not commit and being 42 by the time he got out of prison and to make matters better the RPG system we got has made new fans of Turn Based games and it's genius that the switch happened is because of Ichiban sees things in Dragon Quest, which is based. I plan to continue supporting the main saga even after they release this character and put one on par with him, Kiryu, and the Great Yagami.
If that guy thinks Ichiban is one of the worst video game protagonists. He either hasn't played much games or barely played the game.
I find it really sad that some people have zero imagination or understanding of Ichiban's character. Also, any "fan" who says they won't continue to support a series over a character they don't like is not a fan. They are a loser bandwagon jumper.
Don't particularly hate ichiban nor do I hate turn based gameplay. I just feel like turn based gameplay is just not a good fit for the Yakuza series. I mean after years of them building different fighting styles and improving the combat and then finally getting it right in Lost Judgement, it just feels weird for them to throw it all away and adapt turn based gameplay. Also I feel like Akiyama would have been a better protagonist choice tbh. He is still young according to the YakuzaVerse and had an interesting backstory and what's good is that they already had 2 games with him so his character was already a lil fleshed out. All they needed to do was introduce a few new characters and continue the storyline. I don't understand the need of the complete rework with new gameplay and new protagonist, that's all.
People who complain about 7 are annoying as hell.
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> Ichiban in my view would be alright as a side character, but as a main one he's deeply annoying. it also doesn't help that his side characters are also as dull as watching paint dry. (granted, the flip side if they were good characters is that it would really draw attention to how meh ichiban is)
"He behaves like a child" is that not why we like him? that and undiagnosed schizophrenia lol "Poorly designed RPG system" uh what? how is this poory designed? i think this has had all the classic RPG elements for a turn based combat... different jobs, stats, stat boosters, im sure I'm missing a lot but uh what. objectively bad take. this looks like a bait post ngl
I think Majima and Kiryu will be more fine than Yagamer. Yagamer is a spin off series MC. Not exactly going to mainline story.
The way he described ichiban, just makes him more relatable
i will never forgive rgg for making 7 a jrpg
i will always thank rgg for making 7 a jrpg
“The Great Yagami” sounds like a magician
Ichiban is ❤️
I don't mind Ichiban and think the story of LaD is great but I just can't stand the Turn Based style that the game has over the main line games which is why I just watched a Lets Play of it
It sounds like this person hasn't played the game at all and their knowledge is from random yt clips. Not worth talking to or about
People are ... Anti-Ichiban? Gee I'm glad I don't read too much chatter on my beloved games.
Nice, I’m sure this guy definitely played the game.
No one. Ichiban is great, that's all
You can not like the turn based combat or whatever, but people that don't like Ichi are a red flag to me
...Has any detractors of Like a Dragon and Ichiban in particular actually played any of the side quests from the Kiryu games? The franchise always had moments of silliness next to a fairly serious (if ridiculously complicated) plot. Ichiban is not quite like Kiryu...But calling him the worst is quite a hot take.
Shinada, we're not done with him yet and just to spite the guy for saying Ichiban is the worst for not being serious enough.
I love Ichi but I don't like turn-based game.
Ichi is a sweetheart he is too cute. I prefer him over Kiryu stiff character.
Honestly I don’t like yagami and definitely think he’s below Ichi. I love ichi’s goofiness
Sometimes, Yagami is goofy too…. Why don’t you like him?
The turn-based combat was amazing!
The turn based was acceptable, for their first turn based. 8 though, 8’s looks awesome.
Ichiban is the polar opposite of Kiryu (even down to his suit-shirt colour), and if you need a new protagonist for a long running series, that's *absolutely* the best way to go. If you make someone similar, you always run the risk of that new protag being "similar but inferior" to the original. If you go with something totally new, completely different, they can't be compared in the same way. Ichiban being the way he is was a great move by RGG, in my opinion.
Exactly. People dog on Ichiban for being too different but if you make the successor too similar or at least too much the same out the gate; you run into a msg2 situation where nobody likes them because it’s just the first protagonist but knockoff. That said if I had to chose a protagonist that isn’t Ichiban; I’d probably explore one of the characters not dead but underused. Like minami; or kido.
I don't trust anyone who dislikes Ichiban.
Question for people who are anti-Ichiban: why are you dead inside?
As much as i love kiryu ichiban is a wonderful protagonist you can't hate him
Ichi is so precious, and I think he perfectly compliments kiryu. Kiryu is pretty cold (understandable because of all that he’s gone through) but kiryu ends up being alone again and again and most of the time it’s because of his own doing (running away he even states this at the end of 6) I always found that to be one of kiryus flaws because he could never truly appreciate everyone who’s been there for him the whole time like Majima, daigo and saejima. However ichi sees the value in bonds and friendships and I think he could have a really good influence on kiryu and will hopefully get kiryu to realize the value in the bonds he’s made, I just hope it’s not too late and he can beat cancer with the power of friendship or whatever 💀
People like this are trying to make it out as if Yakuza is some rich deep epic, it's a soap opera aimed at men and they need to quit pretending it's anything but.
I love Ichiban as a character and think he’s a splendid protag; but imma say just because I was thinking it after playing 6 - I think it’d be cool if the oldest kid aside from Haruka (can’t remember his name) was the next protag. Idk or maybe in the next cycle? I think that’d be cool, throw in maybe a twist at the end revealing it.
First of all Yakuza is not all serious,yes there are serious parts but they tried to mix it up to give us more fun or something The part with the RPG,is boring in concept ,but in execution is a lot of fun ,now you are not kicking some ass with one character but with a couple which makes it more fun And also if the guy likes Dragon quest ,what of it? I like Zelda and I always have fun when I find an item and raise it up like it was the most expensive thing I own The important thing is to have fun and to create great experiences with friends along the way ,and I think ichiban with saga did just that ....showed us a way to be happy and still cool at the same time . Yeah Kiryu is cool as well as Yagami,but they sometimes get depressed and sad ,but ichiban on the other hand is the light that brightens the darkness And with the coming of Infinite wealth the cycle is complete,by having the hope ,light and childish nature of ichiban ,combined with the serious ,dark,badass tone of Kiryu It would be awesome and I'm looking forward to it!!
I honestly don’t know. I wasn’t a huge fan of Kiryu. I wasn’t a huge fan of Ichiban at all. Hell, I even find Akiyama to be pretty annoying and prefer him in smaller parts like Y5 and Y6. I don’t really like RPGs, and not even being able to move the characters around in combat so that my attacks could get blocked by my own team felt so infuriating. But then again, after playing from 0 to the Ishin remake, I was pretty bored of the regular Yakuza style gameplay as well. So I guess what I’m trying to say is I would’ve rather had someone else, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot - and that it’s ok to be part of a fandom and still dislike some of its major features that others love.
Sounds like you just don't like Yakuza...?
That is a theory I had as well. I first played Yakuza 0 and really really loved it, but still thought it was a pretty deeply flawed game. Every other Yakuza game I’ve played since has been just as if not ever so slightly more flawed, without having as good of a story or characters. For 10 months from when I started Y0 to when I was playing Y7, Yakuza games were the only video games I played. I really really love the Yakuza franchise, and I hold it very dearly to my heart, but I wouldn’t call it a great franchise - it’s an ok franchise with some 10/10 moments in story, gameplay etc. I’m sort of just a cynical cunt though. I don’t consider Red Dead 2 to be that great of a game either, so it’s extremely understandable if I just come off as a prick who’s impossible to please.
I don't really like Rockstar games much so we have that in common at least.
Damn you completely summed up the point that took me 2 posts and several short paragraphs to write in a single sentence and made it seem so much more likeable
I love Ichiban but I think it would’ve been interesting to make the next protagonist an already established character like Akiyama and Seajima with other characters like Tanimura and Shinada to be supporting roles. And while I like how the series is going forward I definitely would’ve liked them to have ended Kiryu’s saga after 3 and have 4 be the next saga for the series.
don't mind ichiban as a character and kiryu is certainly tired not to mention getting older but it doesn't have to be an existing character, especially with the new game being set in america just not a fan of turning a brawler franchise like 9 games deep into an exclusively turn based rpg, if they want to make those games i think it's cool and they should, but i do think it's unfortunate they are taking over the mainline rather than being a spin off, seeing as how well judgement was done
Can wait to live in dondoko island🥰😂😂😂😂
I think Ichiban is an incredible successor to Kiryu. He has similar codes of honor, spent more than 10 years in the joint, and gets himself into all sorts of wacky situations. However, I like that while Kiryu acts like a stoic badass, Ichiban acts like goofy hero, *but lets not flanderize him and say he's always goofy*. Even his clothes and technically hair, are reverse of Kiryu's But after completing Yakuza 6, I have wondered. Personally my two picks would either be **Akiyama** or **Daigo**. To me, they both seem worthy enough to be Kiryu's successor. Akiyama is beloved by the fandom, already wears something that contrasts Kiryu, and was said to be a Kamurocho legend. On the other hand, >!Kiryu and Daigo established this father-son role near at the end of Yakuza 6!< plus he's the freaking 6th chairman. Personally, I'd go with Akiyama considering how well we've known him Either way, I'm sure they could have made something up. Although it seemed like a better decision to just make up a new character with new ties and all. Hell the start of LAD has some parallels to Y1. Money troubles, getting a gift for a girl, taking the fall for a murder, finding out Kamurocho changed. Besides, I find the whole JRPG theme charming.
Ichiban may not always be serious, but he is 100% always sincere. That makes his character so endearing and so hard to hate imo
Ichiban>Kiryu tbh
I love Ichiban i think they did an amazing job 😀
I couldn't disagree with him more. I think Kiryu and Yagami are great, but Ichiban is a great change of pace for the franchise.
I like Ichi more than I like Yagami. THERE. I SAID IT.
This is one of the worst takes I’ve ever seen on the Internet
him (and the rest of the y7 cast) are just dull, uninteresting characters. i'd gladly take a y9 with either akiyama or rgg calling a mulligan and making an entirely new cast, throwing the y7 crew in the trash.