I Know It's Selfish Of Me To Want This...

[Mark Loring]

...But I'm really hoping that Kiryu is done after this game. I've been at this series from the very start. To be honest, as much as I would hate to see Kiryu killed off, I think it needs to happen, otherwise he's going to be on a cycle of never-ending game sequels.

I don't care going forward if they refer to him or his lessons or teachings or quotes or anything, but the man needs to go, they've teased his death several times over the course of the saga, but now's the time to end it. LaD 8's ending needs to have a long scene with Kiryu back at the orphanage with the kids (who are mostly near full-blown adulthood at this point) Haruka, Yuta and Haruto (and anyone else who decided to follow him there like Daigo, Majima, etc) and them all being by his bedside as he passes.

They can still make other Gaiden's or spin-offs from now until the apocalypse with him (and they probably will) but his story needs to come to an end in LaD 8. I myself am 48 years old and have been around this thing since the very start, I don't want to think of being 55+ and still having to wonder if Kiryu's involved in this or that RGG game. He seems to have terminal lung cancer if he's coughing up blood like that, and I know the story about someone in RGG beating cancer and all, but now's the time to end this saga with Kiryu. The only way for the man to rest is if death takes him.

[armycat23]

Originally posted by Wykydtron:

Yakuza is Kiryu, i like Ichiban but without Kiriyu its just another game, nothing special.

Well, there's not any series in gaming history that captures "modern" japanese-immersion like Yakuza, with or WITHOUT kiryu. The 2nd place game is a very distant comparison(Shenmue).

Many people have felt that Kiryu was the weakest link to the franchise due to his level of being stoic. Japanese-immersion, fighting, story, and side-characters are the real stars in a Kiryu-led game.

For much (not all) of a kiryu-led game, it might as well be Link from Zelda playing the part.

[ZZZZZ]

dunno, I would hate to see turn based combat as permanent future.. we still need to beat up people at some point and hes the guy for it

[mrpurple]

Ichi could have been designed a bit better, younger for one, and less of a goof.
Ichi for Yakuza series
Yagami for Judgement
Kiryu for side games...maybe some Majima games??

Make it so

[armycat23]

Originally posted by mrpurple:

Ichi could have been designed a bit better, younger for one, and less of a goof.
Ichi for Yakuza series
Yagami for Judgement
Kiryu for side games...maybe some Majima games??

Make it so

I'm fine with his goofiness, because he still takes serious matters....well, seriously, even passionately. That said, I do wish they started his age to be younger, a shorter prison stint, and/or a shorter time skip ....so that he would be in his mid-30's in this game.

If he gets married Saeko than disregard my views about his age, because then it at least ties back to what Arakawa told him at the beginning of Y7 to not give up finding somebody special, even if it takes him being old before it happens.

[anthonyrod01]

RGG said they have an announcement planned for later this year after finishing the marketing for IW. My hope is we get something for the tri-tagonist of Zero, maybe show us how they all became oath brothers. Im a big fan of Kuze's fights in zero and would love to play him in his prime.

[Legato Bluesummers]

Originally posted by anthonyrod01:

RGG said they have an announcement planned for later this year after finishing the marketing for IW. My hope is we get something for the tri-tagonist of Zero, maybe show us how they all became oath brothers. Im a big fan of Kuze's fights in zero and would love to play him in his prime.

a lot of people would like to play as Kazama, but Sega just isn't going to do it. There's how many games in the series? You don't ever play as a Yakuza, for very long, in any of them. It's a taboo in Japan. So they write around the issue. I wouldn't be surprised if they did a Ryuji and Mine team up or did new protagonists with a new spinoff series. Something along those lines seems plausible. Whatever it is, you can be sure it won't be yakuza related. The could put people in the chinese mafia or the mob, but they won't do yakuza.

[roc_lobsta]

100% agree on this.

[arta]

if Kiryu dies i hope Kiryu dies in some epic fight not cancer lot of people would like to play Goro Majima

[Lokaror]

Kiryu needs to be done. The poor guy has been through just too much and his characterization in the latest agent one while good had the entire narrative creaking around his legacy.

Ichiban i like because he is the exact opposite of kiryu. He spent so long in prison, he spent so long wanting to be something and getting nowhere. His rags to "riches" story shows that even as you get older you can find yourself and your place and happiness. Sure hes a bit goofy, but at this point i prefer that to the ridiculously stoic and legendary kiryu. I like kiryu but for narrative and character reasons he needs to get out of the limelight.

[BeefoTheBold]

Originally posted by arta:

if Kiryu dies i hope Kiryu dies in some epic fight not cancer lot of people would like to play Goro Majima

Cancer death would be about the worst ending for Kiryu I can imagine. Really hoping that's just a head fake and he beats that too.

[InkabodCrane]

I hope he never dies. He's like a superhero to me. Like Superman. He doesn't die. I won't allow it! I'm 43 and played them all as well, and it just makes me like him more each time.

[Mark Loring]

Wow, didn't think this thread would be so active...

Looking at the Y/LaD 8 Demo and playing it with Kiryu in it, I'm definitely over him being involved in the main-line games. I've gone back over the last few days to play on my Premium Adventure saves in the other Yakuza games, watch the Replay/Memories with him (mostly the ones that include Haruka) and especially the ending after Y6 where I remember thinking to myself it's finally over, time to move on, Kiryu can go somewhere and live out his final days

Then we see him in Y7 and now again in Y8 (not counting Ishin or Kenzan (if we happen to get that this year or so)) and I just feel like it's time. The man's in his 50s, been going since his early 20s and has gone through hell and back. I know for me personally, either way, I'm done after 8 and I just want to see Kiryu's story finally come to an end. Him beating cancer would be just another restart point for him and his involvement with the main-line games.

Let him have his closure with Haruka, let him meet up with Kaoru in Hawaii, and let the man die in peace at the end of 8 while Ichi finds his mommy and becomes the head of the franchise. I don't care if they bring back Kiryu in other games like Kenzan or whatever, just kill him off already. It's done, and it SHOULD'VE been done after Y6.

[SHINRA-CORP]

Well he has cancer according to the trailers so maybe he will die. Maybe we get to see Ichiban ride a bald headed Kiryus on his deathbed in the food delivery minigame they have

[Mark Loring]

From what it seems by the last trailer, according to Kiryu saying that his doctor nearly broke a blood vessel knowing that Kiryu's doing what he's doing, it sounds terminal to me, so Kiryu's going down swinging.

18 years is enough for Kiryu as the Dragon. Is Ichi's time, and I don't even like him that much in all honesty. It's the women of the series I've always liked the most; Haruka, Kaoru, Saeko, Akame, and now Chitose.

It's way past his time to be walking off into the sunset. We had that in Y6, but SEGA decided nah-uh and here we are reopening old wounds about Y6 and Kiryu,

[BeefoTheBold]

Originally posted by Mark Takagi:

From what it seems by the last trailer, according to Kiryu saying that his doctor nearly broke a blood vessel knowing that Kiryu's doing what he's doing, it sounds terminal to me, so Kiryu's going down swinging.

18 years is enough for Kiryu as the Dragon. Is Ichi's time, and I don't even like him that much in all honesty. It's the women of the series I've always liked the most; Haruka, Kaoru, Saeko, Akame, and now Chitose.

It's way past his time to be walking off into the sunset. We had that in Y6, but SEGA decided nah-uh and here we are reopening old wounds about Y6 and Kiryu,

One thing that I AM happy to see is the return of Kaoru in this one. I always felt she got crap treatment by the sequel game(s) just putting her on a bus never to be heard from again. At least Makoto got some full closure on the Majima side of things.

But some writer somewhere apparently disapproved of Kiryu ever having another woman to care for after Yumi, even if she was fresh and interesting and fun to have in the story. She and Kiryu had more chemistry in a few short scenes than the dozens of different utterly disposable Cabaret Club minigame girls since then.

But in all honesty, the pivot from his personality to Ichi's just has not done it for me at all. Gonna give it one more game to see if he grows on me, but he's got an uphill climb for a big part of the fanbase. I know some people really like him and I don't begrudge them that. Just really hoping he catches on with me more with his second attempt.