Would totally be cool with a Black Panther remake, taking place in it's own universe. It doesn't cross and cause problems with Like a Dragon, and give's them more creative liberties.
For who don't notice: Ichi & Saeko do reconcile and start dating, details are hidden in The Big Swell and Survive Bar's conversation. I like the idea of Kiryu's as a mentor of Ichi.
Akiyama Gaiden: goes to China to clear his name from the triad (actually explain why they are after him, I don't think they did in 6) and ends up in Singapore to do something (can't think of something, and it doesn't really make sense to connect the two places together due to their map locations) Edit: As pointed out by a reply, the triads were after everyone not just akiyama (oops). Maybe he could help Tanimura find and seek vengeance for the little asia fire (a lot of people mention putting this into a game, or wishing it was in 6) and having Akiyama and Tanimura as two playable characters is FUCKING AWESOME, with refined movesets and maybe new fighting styles (like Akiyama doing like a substory learning muay thai and making that a new style, and tanimura with a kung fu or weapon-based grappling style with a police baton or something) but i'm still not sure how they can tie this idea with Akiyama ending up in Singapore(maybe he just says "nah, i'll see the sights of asia" or something at the end lol)
They did explain it in 6 tho. The Triads were offing anyone who is involved with the gray zone so that they can get the local yakuza attention (they were even offing random civilians in the process too)
It's strange that they don't talk about Judgment at all, but in IW and in Gaiden we basically got big cameos (biggest was in the most recent developed game - Gaiden, with Kaito and Higashi appearing and actially doing things in a substory) and we see two universes merging or something. So unless they are making another Judgment currently I don't understand why would they hint and reference characters so much as they did in last two games.
Tanimura Gaiden sounds pretty cool, it could explain where he's been since Yakuza 5 (2012) because in-lore he got transferred somewhere else. It'll have the best aspects of both Judgement & Like a Dragon, mashed together in a whole new story.
@@ldking5132 it really never was confirmed, but by how faithful the screenshots looked and how there are no mods resembling the “leaks”, I’d assume they were real at some point
Fantasy RGG spinoff: Ichi either gets isekai'd, has a dream after hitting his head, etc. and is experiencing an actual dragon Quest style RPG as the hero. Imagine Seong-Hee as an elf, Adachi as a dwarf, Kiryu as an *actual* Western dragon bossfight, etc. - also a good way to test potential new core systems for RGG9 down the line. Akiyama Gaiden sounds fantastic and Singapore is a great new sandbox.
if someone like saejima got nothing to do idk what akiyama would do on his own. both chars were constantly pulled into a plot, so something like that could happen again
I mean both have a lot of potential but I just can't think of something they could do for their own game, as said Akiyama could go to Singapore and Saejima could i don't know go back to prison to get another prison break story
Hopefully Judgment 3 if possible. Kurohyou remakes. And honestly if they want to take a bit of a break of making LAD games maybe another anime license game similar to Fist of the North Star Lost. I want them to make a Naruto game. Heck some of the skills in the Kunoichi job of Infinite Wealth have some Naruto references and the way the Geomijul runs in the Naruto way in Seonhee's Spider Web Essence makes me think that they're planning on making it but just need to get the license from Bandai Namco and the creators or owners of Naruto. (And having a new anime game that isn't another repetitive 3D arena fighter after all the Ninja Storm and Xenoverse games and single player focus for once)
Honestly, I would love if some of the kids from the orphanage comes back into the series, older... With substories or whatever, I would love it as I've played every game except LAD: IW yet...
Kinda unsure what the future would bring, and what Yoko-chan would make after Infinite Wealth. The series will still be going, sure, but there's no clue what will happen next. Yoko-chan said that he would make Kiwami 3, but not in the meantime, as well as making a new IP, which is unknown up to this day. Let's just pray for the best from them.
Like A Dragon 9 where ichiban goes to solve the remaining families of the great dissolution 3 with kiryu being a side character we see throughout mentoring and spending time with gang and co. Or The obvious one with an Akiyama Gaiden game about clearing his beef with the traid which can lead up to him being a party member in 9
Tanimura Gaiden sounds pretty cool, it could explain where he's been since Yakuza 5 (2012) because in-lore he got transferred somewhere else. It'll have the best aspects of both Judgement & Like a Dragon, mashed together in a whole new story. Tanimura has been gone for over 14 years, unlike Akiyama/Saejima who's been linked to Kiryu for sequels they have a chance to flesh him out on his own. And unlike Yagami, RGG Studios can create a whole new city for him too.
One thing id like in 9 is a kiryu saga like the majima saga in kiwami 2, where there is minor fighting but its just playing as kiryu and interacting with all the people who thought he died like the orphanage kids, yuya and kazuki and the like and at the end him and sayama meet and leave it at that (if rgg isn’t gonna use kiryu as a protagonist anymore)
I think that would be great. Just increase the minigame count for his part to the max and have Kiryu go all out on them, one more time. Maybe a big singing story line with him and Haruka, or him finding that passion he alluded to in one of the memories from 8 with Shinada
Wholeheartedly agree on the 'Kiryu will be Ichiban's mentor figure'. He will no longer be an actual playable character in the future games, but he'll have minor advisory roles. I think that's where they were going with IW's ending, he's finally done as Dragon of Dojima. As for the future games that'll be coming out, my main two stakes would be on another Judgment game (what with all the referencing of the crew in Gaiden and IW) and a Kiwami 3. Something tells me a Kiwami 3 / 3 remake is an inevitability and that we'll be getting it sooner, rather than later. It's the oldest game in the old engine, making it somewhat of a pain for new players getting into the series, they've brought back Mine for Ishin, some of the Morning Glory kids in Gaiden and IW respectively, even Touto hospital assets in 6 and IW (Yakuza 3 final long battle is in Touto Hospital) so idk, with Reuse Ga Gotoku, I think it's very likely even just based on these minor details. But besides that, I think Takaya Kuroda has a very long history with RGG and in my opinion it's unlikely they'll have him do exclusively minor roles now (Kiryu mentor in future Yakuza games), so I think Kiryu is still gonna be around in terms of being a protagonist, it's just not gonna be chronologically story wise after 8 / IW. Besides, remaking 3 allows them another gap year so they can cook something original for another Judgment or mainline Yakuza game. One aspect that may prove problematic would be Kanda's/Nagumo's VA since he's had a fair amount of controversy so they'd probably wanna replace the VA somehow, but that's the only thing I can think of.
Nah, Kiryu is done, like DONE done, even if he does recover, yeah, he's not fighting anymore, Majima and Saejima are getting up there with the age too so it was likely their last hurrah too. Last passing the torch fight or something between Ichi and Kiryu is possible though probably, it would be cool if Ichi had one of them revelations and developed a fighting style similar to that of Nishiki, because, you know, same VA and he already has some similar moves as his skills. I think spinoffs with different characters are a possibility too, Ryuji, also imagine a game with Kuze as MC, he was pretty badass in that live adaptation, or, even better yet Kurohyou 3. Kenzan Kiwami would be great too, though just a translated version and port of original would do well too.
Judgment 3,Gaiden starring ichiban(Realtime) before 9 to flesh out story keft over and Segway into next main title,9 Fresh start no kiryu on sight until way later in game
My opinion of the game went down by a mile when Kiryu didn't die, it just felt so like fan service and that they were scared to kill him off. Only thing I want for 9 is absolutely no Kiryu, 8 was the ending for him the whole game was about that.
If we have to be honest Rgg needs money, and sales, and for that they need their poster boy Kiryu :/ But I think all that means is that Kiryu needs to stay on coverart and be crucial part of those games, but maybe not the protagonist. Also we gotta keep in mind Judgement 3 and maybe even Kurohyou 3 ;)
Is it really even possible for Kiryu to retire? Daidoji won’t leave him be, after he basically broke his contract by revealing his name, and former Yakuza or anti-Yakuza radicals like Ebina would likely want to get their revenge on Kiryu as well. Ichiban may fight Kiryu’s fight, but for me it seems too illogical. Ichiban doesn’t even feel like a Yakuza, his story still feels much more separate from Yakuza’s world than Kiryu’s. Ichiban’s final bosses in both Y7 and Y8 weren’t Yakuza, they were just power-hungry individuals. For him Yakuza isn’t about duty or work, like for Kiryu, but about family and fun, and he gladly abandoned this lifestyle easily, he forgets his aniki, like he was nothing, and gets along much better with ordinary people, Korean and Chinese mafia, not Yakuza. Ichiban feels indebted to Arakawa, because he was his dad and saved his life, not because of “honor and duty” Yakuza values. I see the only way for Kiryu to break from Yakuza and retire is if some powerful organization protects him. For example, he continues to work for Daidoji, but now is allowed to see his friends, because Daidoji themselves now see value in him(which is shown in the end of Gaiden), and maybe he won’t be a fighter, but instead a fixer like Hanawa, and, in turn, Daidoji will protect him from his haters. Then maybe we will have Kiryu cameos in Ichiban’s storyline, where he may play Florist of Sai-like role, using his Daidoji connections.
The biggest problem with the ending of Yakuza 8 is that, with the way it was advertised, everyone was ready to say goodbye to Kiryu and move on with Ichiban as the main character after this game. The only people unable to let go of Kiryu were RGG Studios themselves. It's like they're scared that leaving Kiryu alone means no one will be interested in Yakuza anymore, so all of the things leading up to this ending, which was a massive letdown in its own merit, just felt unfulfilling and annoying. For the 8th time in a row, Kiryu gets a fake death ending, and we don't even have any sort of reunion cutscene of Kiryu with his family to make the wait worth it.
