Like a Dragon
From WE Computers Museum
| |
| Like a Dragon | |
| Developer | Sega CS1, Ryū ga Gotoku Studio |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Sega |
| Platforms | As noted below |
| Released | 2005-present |
| Added to Museum |
As noted below |
Like a Dragon (龍が如く, "Ryū ga Gotoku") is a multimedia series by Ryū ga Gotoku Studio consisting of video games, films, a television show, comics, and music.
It was known outside of Japan as Yakuza until the official reveal of in-progress projects by Ryū ga Gotoku Studio on September 14, 2022.
It was spun-off into the Judgment series.
Fictional character biographies
Most games in the series focused on a former Yakuza named Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima. Kiryu took the blame for a murder that he didn't commit, and spent ten years in prison. He became the sixth chairman of the Yakuza's Tojo Clan until he left to raise the daughter of his only love, who was murdered by her ex-husband, a crooked politician.
In Like a Dragon Online, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Like a Dragon 8, the main series protagonist is Ichiban Kasuga, the Rock-Bottom Dragon. He was a low-level Yakuza, who was abandoned at birth and raised in the streets of Tokyo. Like Kiryu, he took the blame for a murder he didn't commit. However, when he was released from prison eighteen years later, he was shunned by his former yakuza family.
Other playable characters include:
- Goro Majima, Kiryu's rival, the Mad Dog of Shimano: Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami 2: Majima Saga, and Yakuza: Dead Souls.
- Shun Akiyama, a loan financier that ran Sky Finance: Yakuza 4, 5, and Yakuza: Dead Souls.
- Tatsuya Ukyo, the Mad Dragon of Kamuro: Black Panther: Like a Dragon 1 and 2.
- Taiga Saejima, a Yakuza who conducted a one-man massacre that led to the death of 18 Ueno Seiwa clan members: Yakuza 4 and 5.
- Koichi Adachi, a former police officer: Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon 8
- Yu Nanba, a homeless man that was formerly a nurse: Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon 8
- Saeko Mukoda, a mama of a hostess bar: Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon 8
- Masayoshi Tanimura, a member of the Tokyo police that is of Japanese and Korean descent: Yakuza 4.
- Ryuji Goda, the main antagonist of Yakuza 2, the Dragon of Kansai: Yakuza: Dead Souls.
- Haruka Sawamura, Kiryu's adopted daughter and a former idol: Yakuza 5.
- Tatsuo Shinada, a former baseball player for the Nagoya Wyverns: Yakuza 5.
- Miyamoto Musashi, a historical rōnin: Like a Dragon Kenzan!
- Sakamoto Ryōma (Saito Hajime), two historical samurai combined into one: Like a Dragon Ishin!
- Joon-gi Han, the second in command of the Geomijul: Yakuza: Like a Dragon
- Tianyou Zhao, the leader of the Yokohama Liumang: Yakuza: Like a Dragon
- Eri Kamataki, the owner of Ichiban Confectionary: Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Video games
| Title | System | Release | Added to museum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Like a Dragon Kenzan! |
PS3 | 2008 | October 26, 2018 | Takes place in 1605, with the historical rōnin Miyamoto Musashi as the playable character. Released in Asia only. |
| Like a Dragon: Ishin! | PS3, PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2014 | PS4 JP: October 26, 2018 | Takes place in 1863, with the historical samurai Sakamoto Ryōma as the playable character. Released on PS3 in Asia only. Remade in 2023. |
| Yakuza 0 | PS3, PS4, , PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2015 | PS4: October 24, 2018 Windows: October 30, 2019 |
Takes place in 1988, with playable Yakuza characters Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. Released on PS3 in Asia only. |
| Yakuza | PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, Wii U, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2005 | PS4: July 17, 2018 | Takes place in 2005, with former yakuza Kazuma Kiryu as the playable character. Re-made as Yakuza Kiwami in 2016. Released on PS3 and Wii U in Asia only. |
| Yakuza 2 | PS2, PS3, PS4, PS5, Wii U, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2006 | PS4: October 18, 2018 | Takes place in 2006. Re-made as Yakuza Kiwami 2 in 2017. The original release has Kazuma Kiryu as the playable character. Yakuza Kiwami 2 adds playable missions as Goro Majima. Released on PS3 and Wii U in Asia only. |
| Yakuza 3 | PS3, PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2009 | PS3: October 26, 2018 | Takes place in 2009, with Kazuma Kiryu as the playable character. |
| Yakuza 4 | PS3, PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2010 | PS3: October 26, 2018 | Takes place in 2010, with Kazuma Kiryu, Masayoshi Tanimura, Shun Akiyama and Taiga Saejima as the playable characters. |
| Black Panther: Like a Dragon New Chapter | PSP | 2010 | September 6, 2021 | Takes place in 2010, with Amamiya Tatsuya as the playable character. Released in Asia only. |
| Yakuza: Dead Souls | PS3 | 2011 | August 6, 2020 | Takes place in 2011. A zombie shooter with Shun Akiyama, Goro Majima, Ryuji Goda, and Kazuma Kiryu as playable characters. |
| Black Panther 2: Like a Dragon Ashura Chapter | PSP | 2012 | Not yet | Takes place in 2012, with Amamiya Tatsuya as the playable character. Released in Asia only. |
| Yakuza 5 | PS3, PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2012 | PS3: October 26, 2018 | Takes place in 2012, with Kazuma Kiryu, Shun Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, Haruka Sawamura, and Toshiyuki Morikawa as the playable characters. |
| Yakuza 6: The Song of Life | PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2016 | July 17, 2018 | Takes place in 2016, with Kazuma Kiryu as the playable character. |
| Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name | PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2019 | Not yet. | Takes place between 2016 and 2019 with Kazuma Kiryu, as Joryu, as the playable character. |
| Like a Dragon Online | Android, iOS, Windows | 2018 | Android: January 20, 2019 | Takes place in 2018. An online turn-based RPG with gatcha mechanics, with Ichiban Kasuga as the main character. |
| Yakuza: Like a Dragon | PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2019 | Not yet. | Takes place in 2019. A turn-based RPG with Ichiban Kasuga as the playable character. |
| Like a Dragon 8 | PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One, Series X/S | 2024 | Not yet. | Takes place in 2024 with Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu as the playable characters. |
Films
| Title | Production company | Distributor | Release | Added to museum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Like a Dragon: Prologue | Art Port | Sega | 2006 | Digital: July 27, 2020 | Prequel to Yakuza. |
| Yakuza: Like a Dragon | Art Port | Toei | 2007 | DVD: August 1, 2020 | Based on Yakuza. |
Television series
| Title | Production company | Distributor | Release | Added to museum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Panther: Like a Dragon - New Chapter | TBS Television | TBS Television | 2010 | Not yet | Adaptation of Black Panther: Like a Dragon - New Chapter. |
Other games with Yakuza characters as playable characters
| Title | Developer | System | Release | Added to museum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everybody's Golf 6 | Clap Hanz | PS3, Vita | 2011 | Not yet | Kazuma Kiryu is a DLC character in the Japanese version of this golf game. |
| Binary Domain | Ryū ga Gotoku Studio | PS3 Xbox 360 Windows |
2012 | Windows: December 23, 2018 | Kazuma Kiryu, Shun Akiyama, Goro Majima, Taiga Saejima, and Ryuji Goda were available as DLC in the Japanese version of this third-person shooter set in 2080 in a Tokyo that has been ravaged by global warming. |
| Project X Zone 2 | Monolith Soft | Nintendo 3DS | 2015 | Not yet | Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima are in this crossover tactical role-playing game with characters from franchises by Bandai Namco, Capcom, Sega, and Nintendo. |
| Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise | Ryū ga Gotoku Studio | PlayStation 4 | 2018 | October 26, 2018 | A Kiryu skin is available as DLC. |
| Streets of Kamurocho | Empty Clip Studios | Windows | 2020 | October 20, 2020 | Beat-em 'up in the 16-bit Streets of Rage style, with Kazuma Kiryu, Goro Majima, and Ichiban Kasuga as the playable characters. |
Pachinko games
| Title | Developer | Release | Added to museum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Like a Dragon Kenzan! 2 Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! 2 (龍が如く 見参!, "Like a Dragon Arrives! 2") |
Taiyo Elec | 2014 | Not yet | Pachinko game. |
| Like a Dragon: Of the End Ryū ga Gotoku OF THE END (龍が如 OF THE END, "Ryū ga Gotoku") |
Taiyo Elec | 2015 | Not yet | Pachislot game. |
Soundtrack albums owned by WEC Museum
| Title | Studio | Release | Added to museum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dragon Song: Like a Dragon - Karaoke Best Selection | Sega | 2011 | August 15, 2022 | Preorder bonus for Like a Dragon Of the End. |
| Dragon Song: Like a Dragon 5 The Best Songs Selection | Sega | 2012 | August 15, 2022 | Preorder bonus for Like a Dragon 5. |
| Like a Dragon Series: Best Soundtrack | Sega | 2014 | August 15, 2022 | Preorder bonus for Like a Dragon Ishin!. |
Magazines owned by WEC Museum
| Title | Publisher | Release | Added to museum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Like a Dragon: Hot•Dog Press | Sega | 2015 | August 15, 2022 | Preorder bonus for Like a Dragon 0. |
| Kamutai Magazine | Sega | 2006 | August 15, 2022 | Preorder bonus for Like a Dragon 2. |
