Why I love Yakuza 5

Yakuza 5 is a fairly polarizing game in SEGA's long running crime drama series -- as an entry juxtaposed between two shorter experiences (4 and 6) and notorious for its huge runtime and expansive, thorough side content and five protagonists. To a lot of people, it's endemic of a lot of the issues with the franchise, but I think even a lot of its fans are underselling 5 as an experience and as a narrative.

Five is a game focused entirely on one's aspirations -- what sacrifices are worth making for one, and how does one inherit them?

One of the most effective ways the game explores its own themes is by giving each protagonist bar Akiyama their own side story with its own self-contained narrative. 5 takes advantage of the format of Yakuza side content in its weird temporal space that can take place at any point in the story in order to further characterize its cast.

Kiryu's side content explores themes that Gaiden and 6 would later touch on: the struggle Kiryu as a character faces as the world shifts around him and his identity being forced under alongside it. Through racing, the usual substory wackiness and Kiryu's complete serious investment shines through, showing that even when he's unable to proudly present himself as a legend his strength and passion for everything he does still shines through. If you don't go through most of Kiryu's side content, you won't experience Nakajima's backstory: his regrets and willingness to rehab broken souls around him in Nagasugai with his taxi business. By the end of Kiryu's arc, we understand that Kiryu is far beyond the point of being able to hide from being a yakuza: and the dragon on his back exists as a perpetual reminder that Taichi Suzuki cannot stay. People are willing to support him and back him up, and the kindness that he vicariously and confidently expresses has an impact on everyone around him.

Saejima's arc is a continuation of what began in Yakuza 4: a rough around the edges convict wracked with guilt and unrequited dreams of being a school teacher. Saejima's forced to relive the hell of prison again, but now with a level of maturity that wasn't present initially in the beginning of the previous game. This allows him to pour into Baba, in the same way he did Kido. The hunting minigame allows the guy to slow down and appreciate the world around him, and very importantly forces him to come to terms with the weight of taking and appreciating life. It's no coincidence that Saejima of all of the protagonists is the one shooting down deers and rabbits and not Kiryu. Later on, Okudera, the seasoned village hunter, is revealed as a man with blood on his hands not too different from Saejima. Only through self-acceptance and growth as a person is Okudera able to come to terms with his past actions and guilt, adopting the name of his own mentor, but also leave an impact on Saejima. It thoroughly parallels our protagonists's own life and story and also foreshadows Baba's own self-hatred and growth throughout the narrative.

Haruka's explores the brutality of the idol industry in the 2010s, and how uncomfortable and monotonous the experience can be. While some parts of the job can be fun, and she gives it her absolute best, it's all under the pressure of losing funding to Morning Glory and being separated from her uncle. Haruka puts up with so much weird bullshit to the point where her strength is undeniably in powering through it all.

Notice how the director goes to masturbate to the recording immediately afterwards??

5's messaging with Haruka can be a little dodgy at points, but the amount of uncomfortable and creepy segments make it undeniably critique.

Mirei Park is a somewhat disliked character in this franchise, and while I can understand not liking her as a person, she's a very solidly written character that represents the challenges of the industry: hardened and worn down from years of being forced into a box.

Her dream of becoming an idol stems from wanting to be validated and loved as a person, after not having much of a childhood or loving family to fall back on. Stripping herself of her own Korean heritage and aspirations for leading a happy married life with husband and child placed her in a position where she wishes to give other girls direction and live through her dream through them.

Park understands the challenges of associating with yakuza, being the ex-wife of Goro Majima, and plays an enormous role in separating Haruka from Kiryu, fully aware that her career cannot meaningfully take off with association to the Dragon of Dojima.

I think the curt, cold mindset she has perfectly explores the themes of the game and helps elaborate them in a more nuanced way. Haruka, past a certain point, is conciously powering through as an idol for the sake of Park rather than herself. This is the reason she finishes her song at Dream Line rather than not showing up. And it helps justify the blood, sweat, and tears she put into all of the bullshit side content.

My personal headcanon is Haruka viewed Park as a mother figure to a certain degree. She quite literally spent more time with her in that one outing they shared together than she ever did with Yumi in Yakuza 1. Through it all, I think it's clear that Haruka cherishes their bond and views her as family.

Akiyama exists in this game. He has the least justification for being there and doesn't even really have his own side content, but piggybacks off Haruka and does what he does best: helping her live out her own dream. This idea was explored in Yakuza 4 and we can see him putting it to practice.

Lastly, Shinada ties everything together in a really solid bow. I think he's one of the most competently written characters in the franchise.

This single scene sold me on the character. Shinada is an everyman in the same vein as Ichiban of later games: an everyman down on his luck that fits every definition of "washed up". Shinada is obsessed with achieving his past glory as a rookie in the MLB, hitting an incredible home run and immediately having his career squashed by a ban.

Since then, he runs away from his problems, sleeps off hunger, and is so deep in debt it's beyond parody.

Shinada's acceptance and growth as a person comes from killing his past and moving on from his dream, accepting the circumstances surrounding his famous home run being fabricated. Through his batting side content, he knows for sure his own talents, and rather than be bogged down in uncertainty and failed promises, he's able to stand on his own two feet.

What makes Shinada so powerful is his willingness to help both Baba and Haruka achieve something special in their lives despite having no direct involvement with either of them. He's just able to Give Enough of a Shit by the end of Yakuza 5 that he can help others achieve the same rush and the same joy he did hitting that homer all those years back.

Yakuza 5 is not telling you to pursue your dreams no matter what. That's a harmful message when presented with no nuance, and this series is a little smarter than that. Instead, Yakuza 5 wants you to ask WHY you're pursuing a dream and to never sacrifice the love of those around you for it.

Everything ties together as the dying Omi chairman Kurosawa is revealed to tie the fates of everyone together: he simply wants the old guard of yakuza dead so his own son can inherit it all, passing down his dream to someone else. It's the kind of detached, insane goal that only a dying old man could want, and Aizawa is forced to carry it all on his shoulders at the end.

I think a lot of people miss that 5 is fully and entirely aware of how jarring Aizawa is as a final boss. He openly hates the idea of inheriting some bullshit dream from someone else, and instead wants to take things into his own hands and achieve things through his own physical strength. A wounded Kiryu is the one big obstacle to him getting there, and he couldn't care less about what his old man thinks.

Notice the koi tattoo on his back.

Like Shishido in Gaiden, the difference between Aizawa and Kiryu is one has wants, needs, and desires outside of himself and the yakuza life: Kiryu has a family to get back to. Aizawa's hunger still can't overpower a guy who just wants to see his kid safe and happy, and Kiryu leaves him with encouraging words to push him to achieve more. Aizawa's dream unfortunately came close to the dissolution of the Tojo and Omi as a whole, but his desire for strength is still admirable and aspirational.

I hope you can see why I think 5 is a well thought-out story. Its scale allows it to explore a theme through the eyes of multiple protagonists in a way that a lot of the series just can't. The rich side content, grandiose main story, over the top combat and soundtrack, and emotional core make it the most "Yakuza" Yakuza game.