The Yakuza franchise is known for many things. It's great characters, minigames, quirkiness, and iconic locations like Kamurocho. Another well-regarded aspect is its final bosses. These games tend to have epic climaxes that really get your adrenaline pumping, and these final bosses hit hard. The effective use of QTEs, amazing music, and storyline drama make these fights special and stand out in the series.
While it's not the series most known for its final bosses, almost every single one is quality. Note these will be the actual final bosses. The Yakuza games with multiplayer playable characters essentially have a final boss for each one, but only the main event will count.
Spoiler Warning
8 Yakuza 0: Keiji Shibusawa
Yakuza 0 is a prequel, and that fact is very important when it comes to the story significance of the final boss. The boss title card tells the whole story with Kiryu's dragon tattoo, not even colored, but Keiji's is completely finished. Kiryu needs to win this fight to become the Dragon of Dojima, found in future games. The boss is solid, with multiple stages, but the QTEs transform this fight.
When Keiji's almost finished, Kiryu just wails at him over and over again. Then Keiji goes unconscious while Kiryu continues dropping bombs. Kiryu then picks up his lifeless body for one last devastating blow. It's an amazing final sequence that has never been replicated again in the series.
7 Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami: Akira Nishikiyama
The final boss of the very first game is great because of how the entire experience led to that moment. An issue that some of the lesser final bosses in the series can have is that the second-to-last boss feels more like a final fight than the actual one. While Yakuza 1's second-to-last boss Jingu is the hardest fight in the game, Nishiki feels so right for the final encounter.
Kiryu and Nishiki were former friends, now bitter enemies, and the entire game has been building to this moment. The music, especially in Kiwami, is excellent and adds greatly to the fight. There are no spectacular QTEs this time, but still, the emotional drama and climactic feel make this boss one of the best.
6 Yakuza 2/Yakuza Kiwami 2: Ryuji Goda
Highly regarded as one of the best villains, if not the best in the series is Ryuji Goda from Yakuza 2. He's so popular he ended up being a playable character in the zombie spin-off Yakuza: Dead Souls. The final boss with him is suitably epic with high stakes. Both will probably die from a time bomb, but all that matters is who is stronger; the Dragon of Dojima or the Dragon of Kansai?
The fight's solid but not a whole lot different than the previous encounters with Goda. The last QTE is simple but effective. Kiryu and Goda wind up for one more big punch. Both hits land, but Kiryu is the one standing. This final encounter is a great ending to one of the most popular characters in the series.
5 Yakuza 4: Seishiro Munakata
In all the Yakuza games before Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Kiryu fought every final boss. That is, except for Yakuza 4. Tanimura is a very underrated character in the series, and it's unfortunate he didn't appear in future entries. Since this is his only game, it fits quite well to have him face the final boss. Munakata, an underrated villain in his own right, has a large amount of backup.
This fight is the toughest in the game, with the sheer amount of opposition you have to deal with. You'll get clapped a lot, but that makes it even more satisfying to overcome this onslaught. It fits with Tanimura's character and his conflict, and out of the four last bosses, this was the right one to end on.
4 Yakuza 5: Masato Aizawa
Kiryu once again faces the final boss in Yakuza 5, Masato Aizawa. The story here isn't nearly as impactful or important as the other last bosses, but every other factor is great. The music is one of the best boss tracks in the series and works amazingly with the core theme. Aizawa is a fantastic fight and much different from your previous encounter with him earlier in the game.
The best aspect, though, is the awesome QTEs. Every single one is well-choreographed and hits so hard. The first one is literally a wrestling test of strength segment. Due to the QTEs alone, this is often the first final boss you'll think of in regard to the Yakuza series.
3 Yakuza: Like A Dragon: Ryo Aoki And Masato Arakawa
The final boss of Yakuza: Like a Dragon is special due to its neat switch-up. The last standard boss with Ryo Aoki is a great and challenging encounter, with how much backup he has. However, after you dispatch him, it's not over. You now have to fight Arakawa by yourself.
This is the first time you're fighting one-on-one since the start of the game, making the moment more impactful. This fight is also the only time QTEs show up in a boss, making the finale hit that much harder. This switch-up is unique and exactly what the first final boss of the new Yakuza era needed.
2 Like A Dragon: Ishin: Takechi Hanpeita
Like a Dragon: Ishin's final boss might be the most enjoyable in the series. First, it's very climactic regarding the relationship between both Ryoma and Hanpeita. This fight definitely feels like a long time coming, building from the start of the game. Second, is that mechanically, this is the best final boss.
Ishin is a definite contender for the best combat system of the franchise, and with all four styles here, Hanpeita is the most fun to battle. The QTE cutscenes are also really cool and show off how even the two characters are. It's not the most epic or awesome final boss, but in terms of pure gameplay, it is the most engaging and fun.
1 Judgment: Mitsuru Kuroiwa
Similar to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Judgment's final boss is so great partly due to how it flips the script. The actual gameplay of the fight is stellar, with it being the most challenging yet, but this fight swerves you good. Throughout the game, and even most of the series, there's never a moment when a main boss's health drains completely but somehow rises again.
Judgment does it, though, and it's a great fake-out. You do think you've won because the fight already had a decent length to it, but you must go through a whole other phase. At that moment, you feel like the hero in those action movies once the bad guy reappears.