Yakuza is such a colossal series now that newcomers can easily find themselves overwhelmed. First emerging way back on the PS2, Kazuma Kiryu and his fellow protagonists have been subject to multiple sequels, remakes, remasters, and spin-offs that knowing where to start is an understandable conundrum. Kamurocho is a relatively small town, but one with a layered, nuanced history that requires an entire Wiki to comprehend.
Everyone has a different response when it comes to what game to play first. Many recommend Yakuza 0 because it offers a touching backstory for Kiryu alongside some essential character development, while purists believe Yakuza Kiwami is the ideal first chapter because it remakes the original game with the utmost accuracy. Yakuza: Like a Dragon is also ideal for curious first-timers because it features a new protagonist and combat system, yet is fundamentally different to anything that came before it.
I'm a bit of an enigma, given I started with Yakuza 4 when it launched for the PS3 back in 2011. I will be honest and say that I had no idea who many of the main characters were, despite watching a handful of helpful clips in the main menu that served to catch up new players like me. These would have been perfect if the fourth entry focused solely on Kazuma Kiryu, but those who've played it will know it does anything but.
In fact, the Dragon of Dojima doesn't really show up until the game's final act, with a number of newcomers taking his place across a campaign that spans four distinct characters each with their own combat system and personal motivations. This marked a turning point for Yakuza where multiple protagonists became a regular occurrence, with both 4 and 5 stretching 50+ hours as an intertwining story slowly but surely came together across several characters and cities. It was daunting, and there’s a reason things have scaled back since.
Yakuza: Dead Souls took a similar approach and was a commercial and critical disaster. The series went silent for several years before emerging with a digital-only release of Yakuza 5 that the fanbase had to fight tooth and claw for it to even happen. I believe Yakuza 0 is celebrated as the perfect first entry because it marked the first time the series became a mainstream experience outside of Japan. It was a hit, launching at the perfect time with a distinct setting and fantastic story that required no prior knowledge.
It isn’t quite my favourite in the series - that honour goes to Yakuza 6 - but I understand why so many people view it with such admirable warmth. For many it was their first exposure to Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, two characters who will go down in history as some of the medium’s best. From an outside perspective it’s the perfect introduction to a series like this, but I don’t resent how I was introduced to this world at all, and others shouldn’t either.
With the exception of Yakuza 6, which I believe does require some prior knowledge to appreciate its greater emotional beats, there is no wrong answer to where you start with Kazuma Kiryu’s grand saga, or Ichiban Kasuga if you fancy your Japanese-street-crime adventures to be turn-based. Each game offers a sprawling, standalone narrative that while they often tie into one another, are so stellar in their character development and so flawless in their world building that Kamurocho welcomes even the most fresh-faced of urban criminals with open arms.
This is especially true of Yakuza 4 and 5, which seemed to understand where the series was headed and decided to focus a huge amount of their runtime around characters we’d never seen before. With the exception of underworld politics and the town layout itself, all of these characters were newcomers much like us, and the narrative was constructed to accommodate such a perspective. Shun Akiyama is my favourite new protagonist from this era; a suave, handsome loan shark who would quickly become a series regular in the years to come. His story is so beloved because he represents everything the Yakuza doesn’t, yet he is still willing to play within the confines of their system to make the world a better place.
Following his journey as a teenager while trying to figure out the past of this town and the people within it was fascinating, and as the campaign progressed I was thrown into a new pair of shoes time and time again as I met new and familiar faces alike. Yakuza 4 remains an excellent game, and one that saw the series entering a phase of evolution it has only just said farewell to. For me, it was the perfect first step into the world of Yakuza, and it might be the same for you. Or maybe that was Yakuza 0, Kiwami, Like a Dragon, or any other title across this never-ending series. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone picked up Judgment, adored it, and came to learn of the series that inspired its very existence.
Yakuza clearly isn’t going anywhere, despite the departure of Toshihiroi Nagoshi and other big players responsible for its creation, and the question will crop up time and time again of where to start and what games must be played in order to appreciate it best. There is no right answer to the question, simply do some research and jump into whatever experience takes your fancy. At the time of writing many of them can be found on Xbox Game Pass, so why not drop some pennies on a membership and lose yourself in Kamurocho?