Number 7. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2016)
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life marks the final chapter of Kiryu Kazuma’s journey in the Yakuza series. Kiryu is sent to prison once again, but this time it’s for his own past crimes, not a set-up. During his time away, his daughter Haruka revealed to the world that Kiryu is her father and an ex-yakuza member.
Upon his release, Kiryu returns to Kamurocho briefly before learning that Haruka is in a coma following a car accident that also left her infant son, Haruto, behind. The accident occurred while Haruka was in Onomichi, so Kiryu heads there to investigate and uncover the truth behind Haruto’s father.
As Kiryu digs deeper, prominent figures like Daigo, Saejima, and Majima are imprisoned, and two rival groups, the Chinese Saio Triad and the Jingweon Mafia, are preparing to make their moves in Kamurocho.
Number 8. Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020)
Yakuza: Like a Dragon marks a significant shift in the series as it introduces a fresh start with a new protagonist. Unlike the previous games, the main character is not Kiryu, but Ichiban Kasuga, a member of the Tojo Clan who went to jail for 18 years to protect his captain, Jo Sawashiro. Upon his release, Ichiban discovers that the Tojo Clan has been defeated by the Omi Alliance, and no one is looking for him.
Ichiban later learns that Masumi Arakawa, the patriarch of the Arakawa family, had betrayed the Tojo Clan by working with the Omi Alliance and had shot him when they met after almost two decades. As Ichiban wakes up in Ijincho, a homeless man called Yu Nanba takes care of him, and they begin their journey to uncover the truth behind Arakawa’s betrayal. Along the way, they will form a party with various new characters and face three criminal organizations: the Yokohama Liumang, the Geomijul Mafia, and the Seiryu Clan.
