The Yakuza series is a collection of games with nearly anything you can imagine. Whether you’re a fan of beat-em-ups, rhythm games, dating sims, open-world collectathons, or anything in-between, you’re bound to find something especially fun to do while exploring the city and its complex criminal underworld.
If you also just want to look at some stylish characters, though, Yakuza is undoubtedly an all-star winner too, as many of the characters dress with a unique and classy flair that makes nearly everyone look charming and distinctive. Among the countless main and recurring characters of the series, there are ten in particular that are hard to top in style.
10 Kazuma Kiryu
While hardly the most spectacular-looking member of the Yakuza cast, the recurring protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is hard to miss thanks to his prominent and bright looks. His wardrobe is highlighted by a white jacket and red dress shirt, both of which are bright enough to make him stand out beautifully from a crowd.
Even more spiffy of him are his collars, both of which are as sharp as a knife. They frame his chiseled face perfectly, and the harsh angles make him just as intimidating to the random mobs he can beat down as he is charming in social engagements.
9 Shun Akiyama
While he might blend in more with his darker color scheme, it suits the slightly more serious edge that he has over Kazuma. In many ways, his black dress shirt and red blazer feel like an inversion of Kazuma’s brighter style but make for a much more threatening force in general.
Shun also does far more with his open shirt, featuring a gorgeous golden necklace among his wider open buttons. Kiryu’s main accessory is a heavy watch, but having something near his face gives Shun much more to look at when you’re having conversations than just an empty void of pectoral muscles.
8 Ryuji Goda
When standing among his fellow open-collar shirt peers, Ryuji Goda stands out by having way more layers over his bare chest than anyone else in the series. He does love to shed his tops here and there, but his primary outfit involves a fur-seamed jacket, a formal bright blazer, and a dark shirt underneath.
These layers are surely comfortable, but add a level of thickness that he doesn’t even need thanks to his impressive frame. This is a character who knows his strength and body but doesn’t need to advertise it as his only feature, as he’s far more than just a pile of muscles.
7 Saori Shirosaki
Many of the men in the Yakuza series are the major highlights of fashion, but the women in Yakuza can often have even stronger and more unique looks thanks to a wide variety of outfits depending on the situation. Saori, however, manages to stick out by having what might be the most comfortable semi-formal outfit in the game.
Her knit sweater and top are hardly on the level of a formal blazer and dress suit, but suit her exceptionally well and fit her form in a way that makes them appear more professional than they might seem independently. There are tons of additional outfits and dresses in the game for her, but this default casual wardrobe makes for one of the best casual looks in the entire series.
6 Sohei Dojima
Sohei has two looks that appear throughout the series, and both help him show the status he has as the leader of the Dojima family. One is a fairly standard black and grey striped suit, and while it’s quite dark and plain, it’s highlighted by a blood-red tie and thick shades that make him look like a true and traditional mobster.
Even better, though, is a more traditional outfit featuring dark green robes, all while continuing to wear his perfectly-fitting shades. Even in this type of outfit, he wears his age in a way that demands respect, and the darker colors help frame his perfect mustache and heavy eyebrows to strike fear in anyone across the table from him.
5 Ichiban Kasuga
Ichiban from Yakuza: Like A Dragon is the perfect blend of both Shun and Kazuma, with both a red blazer and sharp-collared white shirt that make him stand out more. This color is far brighter than most other reds in the outfits of the series and manages to help the chain around his neck seem like an organic accessory, instead of just filling in space on his chest.
While not necessarily a piece of clothing, his electrifying hairstyle is worth a separate mention just for how eccentric it is compared to the slick cuts of most of the other characters. It makes for the most recognizable silhouette of any Yakuza character and makes it easy to believe he’s a personable fellow.
4 Tianyou Zhao
Tianyou is where the outfits of the Yakuza series go from being simple and classy to outright glamorous. This fellow character from Yakuza: Like A Dragon is stepping far away from the blazers by wearing a black leather jacket with golden zippers and studs, and while it doesn’t contribute to a silhouette, the jacket style makes him extremely recognizable from a distance.
This isn’t even mentioning his other clothing choices, which include a black and shining gold casual button-up and a crescent necklace that fills out more of his upper torso than any of the muscular heroes of the Yakuza games. His wardrobe is a great addition to the series, being a dark scheme that’s surprisingly loud and iconic.
3 Daisuke Kuze
The last formal character worth a mention is Daisuke, another older gentleman who comes across far younger than he actually is. This is partly due to his spectacular white shirt and light grey blazer, helping him seem innocent despite being an expert in hand-to-hand combat and menacing patriarch of the Kenno clan.
Unlike any of the other characters mentioned earlier, Daisuke also has some powerful red tattoos across his chest and upper arms. You can’t see them in full until he’s shirtless, but they peek out just enough from his open white dress shirt enough to give him a more unique trait than any other formal character.
2 Hana
Hana may be one of the more underrated characters of the series, but this secretary’s outfit is undoubtedly way stronger than some women who share her position. Her formal plaid skirt and vest are a great pattern, and stick out greatly from the plain colors and thin stripes that most of the men typically wear.
Hana knows just as well how to properly accessorize too, with a beautiful pink ribbon to give her outfit some color and a round pair of glasses that fits her gentle expression. Her outfit is a great combination of both professionalism and personal style, and while it’s not as comfortable as Saori’s outfit is, it’s the perfect work outfit for a woman like Hana with moral strength and high aspirations.
1 Goro Majima
No other character in the Yakuza series comes close to Goro Majima in terms of style, as he ditches all the formal class of the series in exchange for an intimidating and comical series of clothing options to match his eccentric nature. Alongside the great accessories of an eye patch and several chains, Goro shows off his tattoos far easier than Daisuke by having no dress shirt beneath his yellow snakeskin jacket.
This helps Goro look less like a traditional mobster, and more like a 70s superhero villain. Those who haven’t played a Yakuza game might be skeptical towards that kind of character, but the Yakuza series is full of silliness, and Goro's goofy outfit and personality help show players just how ludicrous these games and their characters can often be.