Dude it's so cool how the farewell to the action identity of Like a Dragon did double duty as an in universe reconciliation for all of Kiryu's mistakes and a proper goodbye to the dream that has been at the center of the series since 2005.
The antagonist of Gaiden feels like an insert for a certain brand of Yakuza fans. Clinging desperately onto the legacy of a man they don't truly get, buying into the series's romanticization of the yakuza, and it doesn't actively shame that fan.
Obviously it criticizes the viewpoint to an extent but it also feels like it recognizes that this is the franchise's own fault. The logical endpoint of being actual yakuza PR for a decade is people being sold on it and its so cool to have a game that recognizes that earnestly.
(just copied a thread i wrote on twitter bc i felt it encapsulated what i loved so much about this entry into the yakuza canon mb)
The antagonist of Gaiden feels like an insert for a certain brand of Yakuza fans. Clinging desperately onto the legacy of a man they don't truly get, buying into the series's romanticization of the yakuza, and it doesn't actively shame that fan.
Obviously it criticizes the viewpoint to an extent but it also feels like it recognizes that this is the franchise's own fault. The logical endpoint of being actual yakuza PR for a decade is people being sold on it and its so cool to have a game that recognizes that earnestly.
(just copied a thread i wrote on twitter bc i felt it encapsulated what i loved so much about this entry into the yakuza canon mb)