In a recent interview, creator of the long-running Yakuza series Toshihiro Nagoshi explains why he doesn’t want to see Kiryu in crossovers with other fighting games. The Yakuza games stretch back to 2005 and with a myriad of sequels, spinoffs, and even a prequel, it has garnered a cult following that would surely love to see Yakuza characters in some other popular games, but Nagoshi won’t have it.
Most of the Yakuza games feature the same protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, with the exception of a few spinoff titles and the most recent addition to the series, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, which is being released in the West on November 10. This entry, considered to be Yakuza 7 as a part of the main series, has changed some game staples along with its protagonist. Previous games were a mix of open-world adventure and real-time brawler with some RPG elements, but Yakuza: Like A Dragon has chosen to switch the fighting style out with turn-based combat, and is closer to a JRPG with a party of fighters at the player’s disposal. Even though the mechanics work differently in the new game, it has also kept familiar Yakuza elements that make the game feel like it’s still part of the Yakuza series, and it has been met with critical acclaim.
Kiryu, the protagonist of all other main games, is a stoic character who runs into action with fists bared. As a hand-to-hand combat fighter, with the occasional baseball bat knockout, Kiryu seems to be a perfect character to appear in other fighting games. There was even a rumor that he might be coming to Tekken 7 which got fans excited, only to be disappointed when nothing came of it. In an interview with Resetera member Gegz, Nagoshi reveals that the reason Kiryu will not appear in other fighting games is that Nagoshi can’t bear the thought of Kiryu hitting a woman. Nagoshi says that publisher Sega often gets requests for Kiryu to appear in fighting games, but these often contain female characters, and so he says “personally I don’t really want to see Kiryu beating up women.“
Amongst other interesting talking points, Resetera also asked whether Nagoshi is interested in working in the film industry. Since a Yakuza movie was recently announced to be in development, it is good to hear that Nagoshi is on board with the idea, saying that “personally, regardless of the overall film direction, I hope to make it into an emotional human drama.” Nagoshi does have a degree in movie production, so he is happy to be closely involved in the project.
Kiryu is quite a chivalrous man in the games, but is always ready to throw some men around in brawls. While Nagoshi’s sentiment is well-intentioned and appreciated, this is 2020 and women are more than capable of keeping up with men in a fight. Many fighting games have female characters that are at no disadvantage when fighting male opponents, so it’s quite a loss not being able to pit Yakuza’s Kiryu against some of them.
