Took it's sweet time to arrive due to my country's courier services. But holy fuck i am stoked!!! Waited since it's Japanese release from last year and now i finally get to play it in it's beautiful localization glory. To all my Kyoudais playing it this week. Happy Yakuza Like a Dragon Launch!!!
Here is a list of recommendations if you can't decide which ones to get:
~ Classic Turn-Based ~
Persona 4 Golden: A great game with a lovable cast, and fantastic music. A school life simulator and dungeon crawler mixed in with a fantastic mystery plot. I would say more but I am holding back as to not spoil anything, because this is one of those games that lives and dies on the twists and turns of the story and the choices you make during the story.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar: An actual kickstarter JRPG that more than delivered what it set it out for and more. It went under the radar since release, but it's a great turn-based JRPG with great characters and challenging combat and a satisfying crafting system, arena fights, fishing, skill trees, and a fantastic in-game encyclopedia with an actual incentive to complete. With a great tiered loot system, dungeons with random events and side-quests every time you enter. And really great monsters to hunt. It's more than worth full price, but right now it's dirt cheap.
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling: 2nd rank on the best Indie JRPG of 2020 and only because CrossCode took number 1, this Paper Mario style JRPG saw that Nintendo isn't making what JRPG fans are waiting for, so they scrapped themselves in to patch in that gap in JRPG history. With praise from every where and Overwhelmingly Positive score on steam. why not give it a try ?
GRANDIA HD Remaster and GRANDIA 2 HD Remaster : If you are in the mood for one of those old turn-based epic fantasy adventures, then look no more. The first Grandia in particular is one of the classics great fantasy adventure games. Grandia 2 is more "Edgy", but still has the great gameplay that Grandia 1 had.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon: Another game that is always in the top 3 in multiple categories, with it's Main Character (Ichiban Kasuga) winning the number 1 spot for the best character for 2020. The Yakuza series was already crazy fun, and now it's Turn-based ? enough said.
Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition: 2 full games in 1 package. If you're a fan of the series then this is a must play, it dives into the lore more than a lot of the previous games, and also has one of the biggest Digimon rosters till to day. Even if you're not into the series but you're looking for a classic turn-based game to just grind and chill out in, then this is a good choice.
~ Tactical Turn-Based ~
Disgaea 5: To be honest any game in this series or even it's spin-offs, like Phantom Brave, is worth getting. Great voice acting, always funny characters and funnier events, and you'll always get more than you're money's worth of content and gameplay time even if you are paying full price for it. But if you don't have the time to go through the series one by one, then going for this one is more than worth it. You'll miss out on a lot of inside jokes and great cameos if you start with this one, but story wise you don't have to worry about anything since they aren't really connected. They happen in the same world, but even if you don't know the story of other games it still won't hinder your enjoyment of the story here.
TROUBLESHOOTER: Abandoned Children: What if you want something serious ? then this is your go to game. I always liked X-com but I couldn't get into the RNG gameplay and losing characters forever because of one mistake. So here is TroubleShooter, an X-com JRPG, with an actual full story told through multiple chapters. A really fun world to get into, with great characters and fantastic music. The detective Noir atmosphere combined with really deep and complex customization system just provides endless content to go through. They also just recently released a whole DLC for free that expands the story and adds more content...yes for FREE!
SD GUNDAM G GENERATION CROSS RAYS: You want a Tactical Mecha game focused on the Gundam universe with great graphics and crazy amount of customization and days worth of play time ? that's a weird request but I got you, here you go fam, Cross Rays brings you amazing Metal on Metal clash! with a huge (and I mean huge) list of Mechs to develop, evolve, capture, exchange, and unlock throughout a long and satisfying story campaign, and a customization system deep and varied enough to lose days of your life on.
Utawarerumono: Prelude to the Fallen: The Entire Series is on Steam now. This fantastic Visual Novel Style game is one hell of a ride from start to end. If you're looking for a lore and story rich fantasy game then there is no reason to not get this whole series. Drama, Comedy, Mystery, Action, Horror, Fan-service, and more, this game has it all.
Prelude to the Fallen is the first game story-wise, and while the story is fantastic, I won't lie to you that they didn't really update the gameplay to the standards of the other two games in the series. Still the gameplay isn't really where the game shines anyway, and once you get into the other 2 games after this one, the gameplay gets much better. After Prelude to the Fallen is: Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception. And then after that comes: Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth.
Lost Dimension: This one probably went under the radar when it was ported to PC. But it's a solid Tactical JRPG, with a really fun setting. To save you the time on the story, Imagine Danganronpa as a tactical JRPG and there you go. A really dark Mystery story, filled with plot twists, and some really great customization done in a way that makes sure no 2 playthroughs are the same.
Tale of Wuxia: Are you into great world building ? choices that matter ? open-world gameplay and life-sims ? Tactical turn-based combat Chinese Martial Arts novels/comics ? well here is one of the best games you can find. A remake of an older game, they did a fantastic job with it. There are issue with the translation, but for something so unique and one of a kind you'd have to work through minor issues. The game is about building your own Martial Art master, by managing their daily life-style, chores, adventures, jobs, training, and even social relations. With multiple endings, and so many different routes and events, you can easily gets sucked into it's world. If you like it then you can also check Tale of Wuxia:The Pre-Sequel, that does away with the life-sim, and focuses completely on the open-world adventure and tactical gameplay aspect.
~ Action combat ~
.hack//G.U. Last Recode: You're itching for the next great action JRPGs that plays like the Tales series, but with an even more edgy and revenge hungry main character than Velvet from Berseria ? Then look no more. With 3 games in 1 and with an extra new episode to wrap the story up, then you'll be getting more than you money's worth for sure. With an MMO setting and a fresh approach to side-quests and world exploration, it's a classic that is more than worth giving a try.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA: Again this is a case of a whole series is filled with great games, but if you're going to choose one, then this one is an easy pick. Fantastic soundtrack ? check! Great Smooth Action gameplay ? check! Dogi the wall breaker ? check! Base building and crafting ? check! and check!
Tales of Symphonia: To be fair, any of the Tales games on Steam right now are good to get since they are all dirt cheap in this sale and they are great games. But if you had to choose only one, then this is the classic Tales game experience, and it might as well be free at the price they are selling it now at. Whatever Tales game you get, make sure to check out the mods on steam, there are some really good ones to make sure you get the best experience possible, graphics and FPS wise.
CrossCode: Look.....I have yet to play this myself (don't shoot!), but I got so many people telling and shouting at me to play it, and friends begging me to, that it has to be good. But just to be on the safe side, you can check the free demo before you take the jump. And am sure someone in the comments can vouch for the game. Oh and it's Number 1 in the rankings of this year's Indie JRPGs.
Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch™ Remastered and Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom: If you're looking for that great Isekai fantasy adventure feel, then these two games are where it's at. Fantastic visuals and great music, coupled with a great art style, a combo that is perfect for a chill and relaxed gaming experience.
The games aren't connected story-wise, so you can start with any of them: Wrath of the White Witch: For a the best fantasy adventure feel, while the combat is a hit or miss depending on your taste, don't let that stop you from actually diving something that is really whimsical, this is the one with the better story in my opinion, so if you want more story than game, this is for you. Ni no Kuni™ II: Revenant Kingdom: This one focuses more on gameplay, with a Kingdom builder, Army battles, Heavy loot focus, and even character collector, this is the one to go with if you want more game than story.
Here is the "Bonus Round" version:
AKIBA'S TRIP: Undead & Undressed: A Beat'em up JRPG, where you kill Vampires in modern Japan, by using a combination of elaborate wrestling moves and every weapon you can get your hands on, and finally finishing them by stripping them till they disintegrate. A funny and silly game that has a weird amount of detail.
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 (Wait on buying it, there seem to be a crashing problem at the moment): Yes I am aware that Pirate Warriors 4 is out and on sale, but I like this one more, and it's cheap as hell. If you're looking for something mindless but very satisfying to waste hours on, then this is really good. Even as someone who isn't a fan of the Warriors series, I really couldn't stop playing this one when I first got it, and if you're a fan of the show then this is a must.
Okami HD: I mean, what is there to say ? a true PS2 classic...on the PC, in HD, for dirt cheap. It's Okami people come on.
Please go ahead and post any great deals that I missed, or ask about any you are unsure of.
My Entirely Positive* One-sentence Game Awards for my Top 50 games completed in 2020
As patient gamers, we know that "Game Award Shows" are a farce; how many gamers can really vote for "game of the year" out of a selection of 20-30 new games? Only people with extreme amounts of money and time (and no dedication to just one game!) Here's my awards for games I actually played to completion, rather than just saying "the one or two new games I bought in year X must therefore have been the best." I decided to be entirely positive* (*mostly) with my awards, as I am known for saying "why are you spending 5-50 hours with something you don't like, you maniac?" Thanks to SomethingAwful for the idea for "One Sentence Game Reviews." Any other awards you would give these games? (Sorted in reverse order of completion) Yakuza Kiwami 2 X1: Best Construction Management Double Dragon NS: Most Mysterious as to how anyone could beat this without save states Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid X1: Most Likely to make me want to buy a bunch of action figures Fallout 76 X1: Most Improved Star Wars: Squadrons PS4: Best game that only I, personally, can beat the single-player campaign on Ace difficulty Tacoma X1: Best Workplace Safety Tutorial Afterparty X1: Best Portrayal of characters I didn’t mind damning Persona 4 Arena PS3: Most coherent fighting game story… ever Onee Chanbara Origin PS4: Largest Departure from Original Series, including spelling of title Crackdown 3 X1: Best Co-op Car Throwing Kandagawa Jet Girls PS4: Most Surprising Actually Decent Jetski Game Prototype 2 360: Most Likeable Portrayal of Deadly Virus Panzer Dragoon Orta X1: Most Word-Salad Title Streets of Rage 4 X1: Most Grizzled Returning Protagonist Persona 4: Golden PlayStation ᴠɪᴛᴀ: Most lived-up-to high-expectations student schedule simulator Gears 5 X1: Best land-based sailboat Yakuza Kiwami X1: Best hide-and-seek cosplay fistfights My Hero One's Justice PS4: Best punching teenagers into the side of a building The Missing: J.J. Macfield and the Island of Memories PS4: Most surprising treatise on gender and sexuality Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise NS: Best Twin Peaks Sequel The Banner Saga 3 X1: Most tragic demises The Banner Saga 2 X1: Best carry-over of save data Yakuza 0 X1: Best tutorial on how to run an entertainment establishment, real estate No Man's Sky X1: Most satisfying mining laser Dead Rising 4 - Super Ultra Dead Rising 4 Mini Golf X1: Best golf Dead Rising 4: Frank Rising X1: Best paid-for ending Dead Rising 4 X1: Best at making me want to play all the other Capcom games it has cameos of Prototype 360: Best realism simulator showing people ignoring a pandemic Pokémon Sword and Shield - The Isle of Armor NS: Best at letting me use even more data from previous games Lost Castle NS: Best game to argue with your friends about who gets what weapon El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron 360: Best stylish action game with angels wearing only low-rise jeans Sacred Citadel PS3: Best reminder that you were going to finish this with local co-op friends in March 2020, but… Omega Labyrinth Life NS: Best flower garden sim Tekken 7 X1: Best android dojo demon-man and invincible grandpa battle Astral Chain NS: Best single-player game where you use two “people” Cities: Skylines X1: Most encouraging argument against traffic lights Life Is Strange 2 X1: Most relevant in 2017-2020 Dishonored 2 X1: Best use of time-travel fan The Jackbox Party Pack PS4: Most awkward drawings when that one friend is playing Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts NS: Best use of the Rewind feature on the NS SNES emulator Monster Hunter: World X1: Best 40-hour game that everyone else plays for 100+ The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit X1: Best tie-in that they didn’t have to make, but did The Jackbox Party Pack 3 X1: Best game that’s only good if your friends are funny Untitled Goose Game X1: Best honk The Banner Saga X1: Best global crisis management sim River City Girls NS: Best shopping sim Game of Thrones - A Telltale Games Series PS4: Fastest way to be up on GOT without having to watch the whole series, or like read or whatever Pokémon Sword and Shield NS: Best at letting me import old game data Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition PS4: Best game I can actually do combos in Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal — 'Miyabi' Character and Campaign PS4: Most Handsome The Outer Worlds PS4: Best Fallout 3 cosplay Slay the Spire X1: Best not making me do combo math with real cards What Remains of Edith Finch PS4: Best heartfelt Urban Exploration sim
YAKUZA SERIES PLAY ORDER FOR NEWCOMERS - PS4/5 - XB1/SX/SX - PC
It's like Dunkey always says - "if you want something done right, you gotta do it all by yourself" TLDR play order for the mainline series:
Yakuza 0
Yakuza Kiwami
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 4
OPTIONAL - Yakuza: Dead Souls - NOT CANON TO THE MAIN SERIES STORY
Yakuza 5
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
OPTIONAL - JUDGEMENT - HAS REFERENCES TO THE MAIN SERIES BUT ISN'T INTEGRAL
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
OPTIONAL - Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise - PURELY SPINOFF TITLE USING GAMEPLAY FROM YAKUZA SERIES
Hey there kyodai, this is the New and Improved "I'm Tired of Seeing This Posted 300 Times a Day" Yakuza series play order post! We haven't had one of these stickied in a long time, and I doubt this one will be, but at least we will have something to link to! Please feel free to link to it as you see fit! This guide covers the titles on all available current/next gen platforms and PC. Yes I know Yakuza exists on PS2 and PS3, nobody cares anymore. This guide is also just in reference to the NA releases and doesn't go into the PSP titles or the JPN exclusives ISHIN and KENZAN. This is to help the influx of new Xbox and PC players. I will update this post as new releases on PS5 and the like become available! PLEASE NOTE! All physical releases for the PS4 and XB1 will work on new gen PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. WHERE TO START WITH THE YAKUZA SERIES REGARDLESS of what console you play on, the games are meant to be played chronologically. There is the argument that the story is best played by release date and I will refute that statement until my dying breath. Because it doesn't make sense. Why would you play through the series, then go back to 0, a prequel, then BACK to 6, the end? That's dumb. In the same vein, if you want to experience the entire saga the way it's intended, DON'T SKIP GAMES. Just watching the cutscenes leaves sooo much to be desired. YOU START THE SERIES FROM YAKUZA 0. 0 is available on all platforms and can be had the following ways:
Digitally on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Digitally as part of the Yakuza Origins bundle on Playstation
Digitally with GAMEPASS on Xbox and PC
Physically as a standalone blue case release on PS4
Physically as a standalone red case Greatest Hits release on PS4
NEXT IS YAKUZA KIWAMI Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of Yakuza on the PS2. It uses a very similar style to Yakuza 0 combat wise and is about half as long. Kiwami is available the following ways:
Digitally as a standalone title on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Digitally as part of the Yakuza Origins bundle on PlayStation
Digitally with GAMEPASS on Xbox and PC
Physically as a standalone blue case release on PS4
Physically as a standalone red case Greatest Hits release on PS4
Physically as a standalone Steelbook release on PS4
AFTER THAT IS YAKUZA KIWAMI 2 Kiwami 2 is a remake of Yakuza 2 originally released for the PS2. This is the first CHRONOLOGICAL game to use the Dragon Engine. The combat is most similar to Yakuza 6 and JUDGMENT. It's available the following ways:
Digitally as a standalone title on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Digitally as part of the Yakuza Origins bundle on PlayStation
Digitally with GAMEPASS on Xbox and PC
Physically as a standalone blue case release on PS4
Physically as a standalone red case Greatest Hits release on PS4
Physically as a standalone Steelbook release on PS4
NEXT IS YAKUZA 3 Yakuza 3 was first released on the PS3 in NA and Japan and acts as a sort of soft reboot for the series in HD. Until just last year it was only ever available on disc but now you've got the following ways to grab it:
Digitally as a standalone title on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Digitally as part of the Yakuza Remastered Collection on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Physically as part of the Yakuza Remastered Collection on PlayStation
Physically on PS3
LOGICALLY, YAKUZA 4 IS NEXT Yakuza 4 marked the first time RELEASE DATE WISE that you could play as someone other than Kiryu. 4 introduced 3 new protagonists to the mix and can be played the follow ways:
Digitally as a standalone title on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Digitally as part of the Yakuza Remastered Collection on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Physically as part of the Yakuza Remastered Collection on PlayStation
Physically on PS3
YOU GUESSED IT, YAKUZA 5 COMES AFTER THAT Yakuza 5 brings us 5, count em', FIVE protagonists and is arguably the largest game in the series (although 7 comes damn close). Until recently, 5 was a downloadable only title on the PS Store but can now be purchased as such:
Digitally as a standalone title on the PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Digitally as part of the Yakuza Remastered Collection on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
Physically as part of the Yakuza Remastered Collection on PlayStation
FINALLY WE END WITH YAKUZA 6 Yakuza 6 is the final chapter of Kiryu's saga and for now is only available:
Digitally as a standalone title on PlayStation
Physically as a standalone blue case PlayStation release
Physically as a standalone Artbook case PlayStation release
Physically as a standalone red Greatest Hits PlayStation release
THE SERIES STARTS ANEW WITH YAKUZA: LIKE A DRAGON The newest title in the Yakuza series is Yakuza: Like a Dragon. This game features a totally new protagonist and main area to explore, as well as introduces a brand new, turn based battle system. It's a fantastic game and a welcome change to the formula, despite what Reddit would have you believe. Grab it any of the following ways:
Digitally as a standalone title on PlayStation, Xbox or PC
Physically as a Steelbook release on PlayStation and Xbox
Physically as a standalone blue case release on PS4
And that's it! Feel free to browse but not to carouse!
It is not recommended to skip any of the games since a lot of the plot relies on knowledge from previous games. This might cause you to feel lost at times and even if you don't, knowing the events of the previous game gives you a better experience. That being said, the story of most of the games are still somewhat self-contained so even if some of the previous games will be spoiled and you might not understand some things, you will still enjoy any of the games that you play. It is up to you.
Where can I play the games?
All of the mainline games are available on PS4/5, Xbox and PC. (starting from march 25th)
What are the differences between the original games, the kiwamis, and the remastered games?
Yakuza kiwami and kiwami 2 are remakes of the original yakuza 1 and 2 that feature updated graphics, gameplay and new content. Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 remastered are upscaled versions on the original games. The English version of the games was completely retranslated and some cut content from the original release where restored.
Which yakuza games have a dub?
Judgment and Yakuza: like a dragon have english dubbed voices as well as subtitles in French, German, Italian and Spanish. It is also highly likely that any future localisations will also have one. The original Yakuza 1 also has a dub but it's ummm... not the greatest thing.
What is Yakuza Like a Dragon? Is it a spinoff?
Yakuza LaD is the 8th mainline game and it is known as Ryu ga Gotoku 7 (Yakuza 7) in Japan. It's a soft-reboot of the series that focuses on a new protagonist and cast of charecters and unlike the previous games, this one is a turn-based JRPG.
Can I play Yakuza 7 without playing any of the other games?
Yes. Since it focuses on a new cast of charecters and story, you will understand it even if you haven't played any of the other games. However, it will contain story spoilers for a lot of the previous games, especially 5 and 6, so be warned if you're planning on playing those games in the future.
What are Ishin, black panther, Judgment, etc? Are they yakuza games? Are they canon?
Ryu ga gotoku kenzan and Ryu ga gotoku Ishin are Samurai spinoffs that take place during the Edo period. Kurohyo: Ryu ga Gotoku Shinsho (or Yakuza: black panther) and its sequel are spinoffs developed by Syn Sophia for the PSP. The story takes place in kamurocho but it's not related to the main games. Yakuza Dead Souls is a non-canon zombie spinoff that takes place after yakuza 4. It is the only localised game that is stuck on the ps3 :( Binary Domain is a third-person shooter that was made the same creators as yakuza. However, it's not a yakuza game. (Funnily enough though, this is the very first game that was developed under the name RGGStudio) Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise (or Hokuto ga gotoku) is a spinoff that's based on the FotNS manga. There's actually some debate about weather this is a yakuza game or not but we consider it one. Ryu ga Gotoku Online is a free-to-play Gacha RPG. The main story follows Ichiban as the protagonist. The game is not canon but it does have canon backstories for a lot of the series's characters. Judgment is a spinoff that follows the story of Takayuki Yagami, a Kamurocho detective. The story revolves around some Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance members but it's not directly related to the main series.
A live action movie directed by Takashi Miike called Like a Dragon
A 40-minute prequel to said movie
A stage play
A live action TV adaptation of Kurohyou
A 3-volume Manga adaptation of Kurohyou
A TV show that released with yakuza 6 called RGG: Tamashi no Uta
and a series of comics that retell the story of all of the mainline games
Why are some of the songs in the Japanese version different?
Due to licensing issues, a lot of the songs were removed from the English version of the games and were replaced by something else. Fortunately, recent releases like kiwami 2 and judgment have stopped doing this. You can see a list of these songs here If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them here!
I'm not entirely sure if this game counts as a jrpg or even an rpg at all, but I've seen other people talk about this game on this sub so I guess it's fair game. To be 100% honest, I bought Yakuza 0 because of all the memes. I saw stuff online like 24 Hour Cinderella shitposts or all the Bakamitai deepfakes, and I came to the conclusion that the Yakuza series was some really dumb meme series where I could have a fun laugh. So I got the game for Christmas two weeks before I left for college. I didn't initially think that I would beat the game due to only being able to have two weeks to play it, so I just assumed I would only see the funny stuff cause that's the entire reason I was playing the game in the first place. With all of that being said, I was pretty surprised by how unironically invested I got in the story and characters. I ended up loving the game a lot more than I expected, so I thought that I would give a review describing my general opinion on it. The gameplay was a lot of fun. I don't have any super in-depth thoughts on it, but it was pretty fun overall. I definitely found Majima's combat to be more enjoyable than Kiryu's overall due to how broken and fun the Slugger and Breaker styles were. I didn't realize until the last 20% of the game that you could actually use the weapons you had equipped during battle and I went through most of the game thinking that they just increased how much damage your punches did, so there's that I guess. I don't have a lot of points of criticism on the gameplay, but there were a few things that bothered me. I didn't like how grabbing objects and grabbing people was tied to the same button. There were a number of times where I was trying to grab a nearby bicycle only for Kiryu to grab a thug two feet away from him, but it wasn't that big of a deal. Also, and this is probably just a result of me being bad at the game, but I thought it was kind of disappointing that they gave you all these unique heat moves through training when the best heat moves to do 99% of the time was to punch an enemy on the ground. In terms of side content, it was pretty great. I was surprised by how much effort was put into a bunch of minor minigames that you could easily never run into in your playthrough, but I definitely appreciated things like dancing and doing karaoke. Admittedly, I found some minigames to be way better than others. Some like Dancing or the Cabaret Club were a ton of fun while others like the Real Estate Royale or the Batting cages were kinda boring, but hey that's just my personal preference. And then there were the minigames that I never played even once because I was scared that my family would walk in on me playing like the Cat Fights or the Telephone game or watching literal softcore porn. In terms of the actual side quests, they were really good overall. Some of them were absolutely hilarious like the one where you helped train a dominatrix or the one where you bought a kid porn or the one where you pretended to be a girl's boyfriend or the one where Kiryu gets horny so you need to get a highscore in the driving arcade game. And then others were really cute like the one where you got prizes in the claw machine for the kid outside the arcade or the one where you helped the guy propose to his girlfriend via crossword puzzle. Even though I was playing the game on something of a time limit, I got really into the Cabaret Club minigame due to how fun it was, to the point where I unlocked Majima's Legendary style. I know that you get Kiryu's Legendary style from doing the Real Estate minigame, but I just found the gameplay loop with that one to be so boring (Get money from properties and walk around shove your face up to random buildings to see if you can buy them until your next paycheck rolls around that you'll spend doing the exact same thing). I did enough of it to make some solid income to buy new skills, but I wasn't into it enough to do the entire thing, if that makes sense. There were a ton of side content that I couldn't end up doing (I never did pocket car racing for example), but I'm sure it's all really good. Now normally in open world games like this, I don’t pay much attention to the main story. I put 200 hours into Fallout 4 for example and I didn’t even touch the main story after I got Nick Valentine. I honestly think that Yakuza 0’s story is amazing, and that’s not something I can say about the majority of games I’ve played. Yakuza 0 does an amazing job at getting you hooked on the story from the get-go. Two hours into the game, there’s this one sequence where you fight your way through a building of Yakuza to get some information out of one of the higher ups, Daisuke Kuze, and I had the biggest fucking smile on my face the entire time The entire sequence is built up extremely well. When you get to Kuze, he gives Kiryu a short speech and rips his shirt off before you fight him and it feels insanely badass, even though you’re literally just fighting a middle aged Japanese man. I was really interested in all the different groups competing for the Empty Lot and it was super satisfying seeing all these minor plot threads come together at the end. I’m not the kind of guy who cries often from media, especially not video games, but this game managed to make me cry three times. Kiryu and Majima were both awesome protagonists and I loved both of them. Almost all the side characters like Nishiki, Tachibana, Makoto, etc. were fantastic. I especially loved Nishiki’s and Kiryu’s bromance and Majima’s relationship with Makoto even though they only got a couple scenes together. Even characters without a lot of screentime like Reina and Lee still managed to be really cool and memorable (Also on a mostly unrelated note, I find it weirdly hilarious how Reina tries to hit Majima with a bottle in Nishiki’s boss fight). The villains in this game were really great too. The game does a great job at making you hate Kuze in the first couple of hours, but as you continue fighting him over the course of the game, you can’t help but grow to love him as a character. Awano, despite how much of a scumbag he is, you end up developing some kind of respect for him when he takes a bullet for Majima. Sagawa, similar to Kuze and Awano, I fucking hated at first, but the way he handled events at the end of the game made me really like him (Side note, but I love how when you first see Majima and Sagawa interact, Majima lights Sagawa’s cigarette, but at the end of the game Sagawa lights Majima’s cigarette, showing how much Majima has grown as a character). With all of that being said however, I did think that the final boss was kinda underwhelming. You don’t find out what his whole deal is until right before you fight him, so the fight with him didn’t feel as impactful as some of the others. So all in all, I went into Yakuza 0 for some quick laughs and I ended up loving the game. I’m definitely gonna pick up Kiwami or Like a Dragon as soon as I can. It made me laugh, made me cry, and I got to win a chicken in a game of bowling. Play it if you haven’t.
Going through old issues of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and posting highlights in my own words. For anyone interested, I highly recommend signing up for the actual site at f4wonline and checking out the full archives. PREVIOUSLY:
The Rock did an interview with a Dallas radio station last week and seemed to accidentally reveal that WWE is planning a Rock vs. Goldberg match for Wrestlemania. As mentioned last week, WWE has gotten aggressive in its pursuit of Goldberg and negotiations are closer than ever between the two sides. That being said, Dave thinks it's a horrible idea. Wrestlemania is already guaranteed to probably do a good 750,000 buys or more just because it's Wrestlemania. Adding Goldberg/Rock to the card might boost the buys up a little but not probably significantly. People are going to buy Wrestlemania whether that match is on there or not. But putting that match on one of the secondary PPVs that only draw the hardcore fans would likely be enough to pull in a lot of those fringe fans too and could probably double the usual buyrate of, say, a Backlash or something. The revenue from that alone would probably pay for Goldberg's entire contract in one night. Dave also notes that Goldberg still has 3 matches left on his Japan deal with PRIDE and AJPW. If it happens, Goldberg will likely only have a short-term contract with WWE. Dave seems to think Goldberg is only going to be working 2-3 matches matches (ends up being quite a bit more than that, a full 1 year contract). Dave thinks the best idea long-term is for Rock to face Austin at Wrestlemania, with Rock winning. And then do the Rock/Goldberg match the following month and get 2 huge buyrates in a row. Then that should lead to Goldberg putting over either Austin or Lesnar at, say, Summerslam. Dave says it needs to be Lesnar for the long-term best interest of the company, but Goldberg/Austin is a huge dream match in its own right, so either one would work (this is pretty much how it played out. Goldberg debuts the night after Wrestlemania, beats Rock on PPV the next month, and ended his run by feuding with Lesnar. And of course, he was scheduled to lose that, but then Brock decided to quit too and fucked everything up and Vince got pissed and jobbed out Brock instead. Also, Triple H decided he had to beat Goldberg a couple of times along the way. It's a shame I won't be doing 2003 anytime soon. Re-living the slow motion Goldberg car crash is probably a fun read).
Bob Sapp broke the longest-standing taboo in wrestling when he was given the MVP award for Japanese wrestling at the annual banquet held by the Japanese media. Not only is Bob Sapp the first rookie to win the award, he's also the first foreign wrestler to ever win it in the 29-year history. This is also the second year in a row that someone who's career is primarily MMA won the award, showing how much shoot-style has penetrated what "pro wrestling" is in Japan. There has always been an unspoken rule/taboo that a foreign wrestler can't win the MVP award. Even in years when Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody, and Vader were dominating the business, the MVP awards were always given to a Japanese wrestler instead (this is still true today. A couple years ago, there was a bit of a controversy when Kenny Omega was passed over for it after becoming a mega star there). But this year, the choice was undeniable. Sapp is the biggest drawing star in the global wrestling/MMA business and it's not even really close. Between MMA and pro wrestling, he's only had 9 matches. And in that brief time, he's become one of the biggest overall sports celebrities in the Japan. Dave runs off the rest of the awards (Takayama vs. Nagata IWGP 5/2/02 match at the Tokyo Dome for match of the year, among others).
Dave has finally read Hulk Hogan's autobiography and awww lord, here we go. Strap the fuck in folks. Dave says it essentially summarizes the wrestling world of the last 20 years as Hulk Hogan would like people to think it was, with an extra helping of Vince McMahon's perception also since WWE was very involved in what was written and how it was edited. Needless to say, this book arguably belongs in the fiction section of your local bookstore. So full of bullshit that Dave felt insulted as a reader. Of course there's the usual attendance lies (claiming he drew 20,000 people for a match with Andre in 1979, to a building that only held 6,000 people). The whole story behind the Andre/Hogan WM3 match is exaggerated or in some parts, outright fabricated. Same with the Rock/Hogan match at WM18 (claims a broken rib going into the match, which some people believe and some don't, and also claims he went into the match with a 103-degree fever, which no one believes). Just shit like that. To his credit, he does come clean about the Vince Russo/Bash at the Beach 2000 story, admitting that the original deal with him laying down for Jarrett and his promo on Russo, was indeed all scripted. Of course, then Russo cut the promo afterwards which Hogan didn't agree to and that led to everything that happened after. Naturally, he takes no blame for the collapse of WCW and talks about how he put Billy Kidman over 3 times ("letting a guy pin you" and "putting him over" are two very different things and Hogan definitely didn't do the latter in that angle). Dave just picks apart lie after lie in this book. One example being how Hogan talks about how he quit wrestling and was working the loading docks in Florida for 6 months before he got a call to go meet Vince Sr. and the rest is history. Of course, one quick glance at the records will show you that there was almost no gap whatsoever between Hogan working as Sterling Golden in Atlanta and becoming Hulk Hogan in WWF in 1979. Not to say he wasn't working loading docks as a second job, that may be true, but the whole "he had quit the business and was ready to put it behind him when Vince called" story doesn't match up to the facts at all. Claimed he was in Memphis for the famous LawleAndy Kaufman match (nope, he was working an AWA show in Wisconsin that night). Just on and on and on.
Despite first becoming a big star there, Hogan doesn't talk much about his time in Japan. It's no secret that Hogan patterned himself after Superstar Billy Graham but he doesn't mention that at all. Probably understandable that he wasn't given any credit considering the bad blood between them over the years, but the reality is, Hulk Hogan doesn't exist without Billy Graham. Claimed during his first run starting in 1979 that he was the top heel in WWF. Not even close to the top heel, never even headlined MSG as a heel during that time, despite WWF running there constantly. Claimed he was told to shoot on Riki Choshu during a match in Japan so he did and knocked him out and pinned him in 3 minutes in a match booked to be a 20 minute draw. Probably goes without saying that this never happened. Hogan and Choshu had tons of matches in Japan during that period and none of them involved Hogan going into business for himself and shooting on Choshu and double-crossing him on the finish. Sounds like Hogan heard the Akira Maeda/Choshu story and decided to drop himself in there. Claimed Andre was 7'4 and 700 pounds at the time of their WM3 match. Even in wrestling, Andre was only ever billed as 515 and that was a fake number too, so 700 pounds is obviously stupid and wrong. He also wasn't 7'4 and in fact, was around 6'10 and gradually getting smaller as he aged and began hunching over due to his condition. Claimed the Shea Stadium 55,000-seat sellout in 1980 was due to him and Andre. Ignoring that the main event was the famous Sammartino/Zbyszko match, which Hogan flat out claimed no one cared about and insists he and Andre drew the crowd. Absurd. Also, even if it was true....not a sellout. Only drew 35,000 paid. And the Hogan/Andre match was 4th from the top. And Sammartino/Zbyszko outdrew them in every other city when they were on different cards in separate cities. You get the drift.
I just scrolled down to look and, you guys....this is SO long. We're not even 1/4 of the way through Dave's review of this book yet. Almost every paragraph is exposing one bullshit story after the next. How he got the part in Rocky III. Claimed he basically invented the idea of selling merch at wrestling shows and was the first to use entrance music. Claimed he was the one who got Cyndi Lauper involved in wrestling. Claimed (as he does to this day, ridiculously) that he didn't know how the match with Andre was gonna go at Wrestlemania because he didn't know if Andre would do the job for him. Talked about how no one had ever slammed Andre before. Claimed they were concerned about canceling WM3 because they didn't know if they could sell it out. Steroid stuff. The Bret Hart/WM9 stuff. Working the Summerslam 1992 show at Wembley. WCW ratings tales. How Dennis Rodman got into WCW. Dropping the title to Goldberg. Owen Hart's funeral. His alleged role in WCW being sold to WWE. On and on. Dave spends paragraphs delightfully pointing out how nearly every word of it is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, lies, lies, wrong, lies, exaggerated, wrong, lies, lies, lies, wrong, and explaining, [i]with evidence and exact dates and stats[/i], how so. (I've never read this book but man, it sounds like a whopper of a good time).
WWE's final PPV of 2002, Armageddon, is in the books. The show was headlined by Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels in a 3 Stages of Hell match. The idea was to re-create the Triple H/Steve Austin 3 Stages of Hell match from last year, which was arguably the greatest performance of Triple H's career. Well, this time, they didn't come close. Triple H went into the match with a messed up thigh and right leg. It was a gutsy performance from a guy who clearly had no business in the ring, but the match suffered greatly as a result. The final match of the 3, a ladder match, will go down in history as the worst ladder match in WWE history thus far. The full match went over 40 minutes and was a plodding indie garbage match that felt like it was never going to end. And the final result was, of course, a very injured Triple H winning the world title when he probably needs to be taking a few months off, from a guy who never should have had it hotshotted onto him for one month in the first place.
Other notes from the PPV: there was Torrie Wilson/Dawn Marie lesbian angle. Dave actually notes that Stephanie McMahon allegedly produced this. Anyway, this was the scene where Torrie went to Dawn Marie's hotel room. They aired a small portion of it on Smackdown but UPN wouldn't allow them to air the full thing, forcing WWE to move it to this PPV. What resulted was a poorly acted sleazy angle that was really nothing more than Torrie and Dawn Marie getting down to their underwear and making out, before of course, they "stopped" the footage to get heel heat for Al Wilson. Dave thinks it was one of the worst segments in history, B-level soap opera stuff. Jeff Hardy beat D-Lo Brown on the pre-show and the match was a mess, with Jeff missing everything. Once again, Dave notes how horrible Jeff is these days. All throughout 2002, almost every week, Dave has been practically screaming "PLEASE GET THIS POOR MAN OFF THE ROAD AND SAVE HIS LIFE!!" but no one is listening. Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero was good, of course, but not great. Batista vs. Kane was the deadest WWE crowd Dave has seen in awhile. Bad match but the idea was to give Batista a big win over a name star because they're building him up for the group with Triple H and Flair. John Cena did a rap and Dave thinks Cena is "doing a great job with a bad gimmick." Trish came into the women's match with a fractured nose from a house show the night before. Kurt Angle won the Smackdown title from Big Show, in a bad match because Show was gassed early. Angle won due to Lesnar interference and now that Angle is champion, the groundwork is set for he and Lesnar at Wrestlemania. And the full Triple H/Shawn Michaels 40-minute jerk fest gets a total 2 stars, though Dave again gives Triple H credit for working the match as hurt as he was because he looked like a man being tortured the entire time (yeah, say what you will about Triple H but that dude has had some horrific injuries in his career and he always man's up and finishes the match, even when he's in clear agony. Anyway, here's the Torrie/Dawn Marie thing we've been building up to for weeks).
Dave reviews the latest Zero-1 PPV in Japan, featuring Naoya Ogawa doing a rare job to Matt Ghaffari in a tag match, although it was far from a clean pin. Elsewhere on the show, Nathan Jones lost in the opening match and then cut a promo saying it was his final match with NOAH and he's headed to WWE. Dos Caras Jr. (Alberto Del Rio) and Jimmy Snuka Jr. (Deuce) teamed up for a match. NWA champion Jeff Jarrett teamed with Steve Corino against Samoa Joe and some other dude. Keiji Muto did commentary and AJPW star Satoshi Kojima worked the show. Just a mish-mash of random companies and wrestlers who would go on to do interesting things in later years, all here together on a random Zero-1 show.
This past month was the worst month for WWE house show attendance since December of 1995. It's at the same attendance level WCW was at in Feb. of 2000. Even worse, the decline doesn't appear to be bottoming out, it appears to be speeding up, which points to far worse numbers to come (indeed). Last month was also the lowest rated month for Raw ratings since early 1998. Smackdown is also down significantly from last year, although it's actually gone up some from its lowest point a few months back.
As has been expected, WWC finally filed a lawsuit in Puerto Rico against former star Ray Gonzales for breach of contract after he jumped to IWA a few months ago. The lawsuit is not only against Gonzales, but also against IWA and their promoter Victor Quinones, as well as the TV network (Telemundo) that broadcasts IWA. The gist of it is Gonzales had a long-term contract with WWC that they say he breached by leaving and going to IWA. Gonzales, one of the biggest stars in the history of Puerto Rico, argues that his contract called for him to be paid every 2 weeks and when WWC fell behind in paying him, they breached the deal, so he quit. Soon after, he was in IWA, working under a mask.
Dave has finally seen video of AJPW's latest big Budokan Hall show from a couple weeks ago. Many have been calling it the worst AJPW Budokan show in history. Dave dunno about all that, but he says it was better than WWE's Armageddon PPV so whatever. As mentioned at the time, Taiyo Kea went into the finals of the tag team tournament with a badly injured knee and did very little. He had surgery this week and is expected to be out 8 months. Otherwise, most of the show was just kinda decent, forgettable matches. Dave notes that Muto will be defending the Triple Crown title against Mike Awesome (going by his old gimmick The Gladiator) next month. The storyline they're telling there is Awesome pinned Muto in WCW a couple years ago, so there you go.
Perry Saturn is coming to Japan this weekend and will be part of a press conference where Muto will announce him as a new full-time member of the AJPW roster (I'm curious to find out what went wrong here because this is not what happens. Saturn never works a single match in AJPW and spends much of 2003 working tours for NJPW instead).
Steve Williams is scheduled to work AJPW's next tour in January but beyond that, he's no longer under contract and AJPW doesn't appear to be interested in using him going forward. Muto is attempting to change how they do business with foreign talent and doesn't plan to keep any full-time foreigners (indeed, this is the last tour Williams works for AJPW. He comes back for a one-off show in 2004 but this is pretty much the end of his career on a major scale. He spends the next 6 years working small time indie shows in between battling throat cancer).
Lots of political maneuvering around the upcoming NJPW Jan. 4 Tokyo Dome show. Masahiro Chono went on a radio show and claimed Keiji Muto will be working on the show. 3 days later, he did another interview and did a complete 180, saying NJPW will not be working with AJPW. This has also thrown NOAH's involvement into uncertainty. Kenta Kobashi was originally planned to wrestle on that show, which would be his first time in a NJPW ring. But NOAH head Mitsuharu Misawa got wind that NJPW might have AJPW wrestlers on the show, so he pulled Kobashi, refusing to let a NOAH wrestler work on the same show as an AJPW wrestler. As of press time, the card for the Jan. 4th show is completely in disarray with very little announced. Whatever they were planning to announce this week seems to have fallen through, because the press conference they had scheduled (which was supposed to feature Steven Seagal for some reason) was canceled a few days ago. (Since we won't get there, here's what happened: Muto didn't work the show. But AJPW star Satoshi Kojima did, and as a result, Misawa kept his word. No NOAH stars worked the show. Kobashi ends up making his NJPW debut in May 2003 instead).
Hiroshi Tanahashi's in-ring return from being stabbed by his girlfriend looks like it'll be in May or June (nah, he comes back sooner). He spent 15 days in the hospital after the incident, but has been told he can now start light weight training.
NJPW held its last big show of 2002 in Nagoya, drawing around 6,000 fans to the arena. That's the smallest crowd NJPW has drawn in Nagoya in over 20 years. Anyway, they did an angle to set up Yuji Nagata defending the IWGP title against Josh Barnett at the Tokyo Dome show. They also had a match with Masahiro Chono teaming up with Chyna, which they won when Chyna made one of their opponents tap out to Chono's STF. After the match, they brought Sean Waltman into the ring to celebrate with them. Then Waltman cut a promo saying he and Chyna wanted to challenge Chono and Tenzan for the IWGP tag titles. Chono responded by asking, "Who are you?" and then they attacked Chono and left him bloody. Appears the plan is to do that match at the Tokyo Dome also (never happens, and in fact, Chyna doesn't wrestle again for 9 years).
Bob Sapp vs. Yoshihiro Takayama has been added to Antonio Inoki's annual New Year's Eve show. Along with Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Cro Cop, that's a double main event super show that is guaranteed to be a sellout and get a lot of media attention. But Dave thinks the match is borderline criminal. Takayama shouldn't be allowed to fight after some of the recent beatings he's taken, let alone against somebody like Sapp. Secondly, putting Sapp in a legit shoot only 3 weeks after he injured his hand in the Ernesto Hoost fight is risking a lot. Then again, there's a lot of question about whether the hand injury was legit or just a way to save face because he was practically dead after the Hoost fight and couldn't have continued in the tournament. Fighting only 3 weeks later only strengthens the rumors that his hand isn't really hurt. Or more likely, he is hurt and they're still pushing him out there anyway. Dave compares Sapp to a race horse and says promoters are going to ride him until he can't go anymore and then take him out behind the barn and put a bullet in his head and implies that he's being overworked and used by these promoters who are trying to milk him for as much money as they can with no concern for his long-term health or career (yeah I don't know the whole story or anything but I think there was some Yakuza strings being pulled behind the scenes also).
Jeff Jarrett did an interview addressing some of the backstage happenings in TNA recently. He called Sean Waltman a coward for not confronting Vince Russo and settling their issues and using Russo as an excuse for quitting the company. He said they've still been talking and said he thinks Waltman will be back eventually but confirmed that Waltman refused to come back and work the angle involving Russo. As for the Roddy Piper promo a few weeks back, Jarrett bent over backwards to avoid criticizing him, but did address Piper's comments about Russo being responsible for Owen Hart's death, defending Russo and saying nobody was responsible for it, it was just a tragic accident. For his part, Piper has said he isn't planning on returning to TNA, which makes the whole thing a few weeks ago even more pointless and dumb.
While they were overseas together working the WWA tour, Jarrett talked with Sting about joining TNA. Sting seemed receptive. Jarrett also talked to Goldberg about coming in to do a 1-shot match and an angle with him and Russo. Goldberg was said to be interested if the price is right. For what it's worth, just because they have Panda Energy money behind them doesn't mean they can afford either guy. Panda is actually trying to cut costs in TNA right now, so bringing either man in isn't as simple as it sounds (they do end up getting Sting in 2003. Goldberg, of course, never happens).
When it comes to Russo's involvement in TNA, he's only doing the angle with Jarrett. He stays in the car in the parking lot until it's time for his run-ins, as an attempt to swerve everyone, even the rest of the locker room, into thinking he's not there. Russo doesn't interact with anyone else backstage or participate in any talent or creative meetings, and yet he's clearly pulling the strings of whatever Jarrett is involved with at any given time. The whole secretive nature of his involvement with the company has the rest of the locker room as annoyed as you would expect and has invited constant comparisons to WCW's downfall.
Police raided the offices of K-1 in Japan this week, as well as the personal offices of promoter Kazuyoshi Ishii. They seized 50 boxes of records and files from the K-1 office. As noted previously, Ishii is under investigation for tax fraud. There's obvious concern about the future of K-1 here. Right now, it's at it's all time high popularity-wise, due to Bob Sapp, but there's a lot of concern that sponsors might start dropping off the shows due to the scandal, which would be a huge financial hit. There's also concern about the TV networks running from K-1 in the wake of the controversy (especially if Ishii refuses to resign his position as head of the company, which so far he has refused to consider). There's already reports that next month's K-1 show could be canceled (K-1 still lives to this day).
Notes from Raw: it was the first good Raw in a long time, mostly helped by a really hot crowd. They had Jericho come out and confront Shawn Michaels, with Jericho cutting one of his best promos in a long time. Clearly seems to be setting up an angle with those 2 (yup, all leading up to a classic Wrestlemania match). Jeff Hardy beat D-Lo Brown after the referee missed seeing Brown's foot on the ropes. This was followed by a backstage segment with Brown accusing the referee of doing it on purpose because he's black and the ref was white. Guess the race card angle was such a huge success in TNA that WWE felt the need to copy it. The main event segment with Triple H vs. Scott Steiner was surprisingly pretty much perfect. They never touched, they made you want to see the match, they elevated Steiner as a top star....all in all, this was a great segment (and then, as Bruce Prichard says, that damn bell had to ring). That being said, Dave thinks it's a good thing they're pushing Steiner to the top right away. Make as much money off him as quickly as they can because his body ain't gonna hold up long (indeed, it did not).
Vince McMahon has privately told some of the wrestlers that Steve Austin is indeed returning soon. But for obvious reasons, they're trying to keep it on the low for now. But you can't sneak the biggest star in history back into the company without Dave catching wind, c'mon now.
Eddie Fatu (Jamal of 3 Minute Warning, better known later as Umaga) was suspended a couple weeks ago. All Dave knows is that it had something to do with him getting into an altercation with police back on Dec. 7th in Pensacola (more on this next week).
Paul Heyman was interviewed on TSN's "Off The Record" and this should be good. Heyman talked about Austin's time away from wrestling and said it's a good thing for the fans to miss him for awhile so he's fresher when/if he returns. Heyman envisioned a scenario where Rock goes heel and turns on the fans when he returns, and Dave says that is indeed what is likely going to happen (yup, and it was faaaantastic). He said he doesn't know how much influence Triple H or Stephanie has on the product but says at the end of the day, the credit and/or blame for everything you see on WWE TV goes to Vince McMahon. Heyman admitted he hated Bischoff in the past but said ECW grudges died when ECW died and it's not an issue now that they both work for WWE. He said Booker T and RVD were the most under-pushed guys in the company (this is a great interview that I've never seen before, but it's always fascinating to hear Heyman talk about the business).
Heyman also talked about how Chris Jericho came to ECW back in the day and says it was because he saw a tape of Jericho vs. Ultimo Dragon and was so impressed, he signed Jericho immediately. Dave has a fun story here! He says himself and Chris Benoit were responsible for getting Jericho into not only ECW, but WCW as well. Dave says he was the one who sent Heyman the tape of the Jericho/Ultimo Dragon match. But he did so because Heyman was interested in signing Dragon and the match with Jericho was the best match he had of Dragon's laying around the house (and it was also Jericho's best match ever at that point of his career). So he sent the tape to Heyman and the rest is history. As for WCW, similar story. Dave sent Bischoff a tape of the Super J Cup, which featured the a Jericho/Benoit match among other things. Dave didn't send the tape to recommend anyone in particular, he sent it as an example to Bischoff to show him what the company was missing by not pushing junior heavyweights. Bischoff watched it, was impressed by Jericho, so he went to Benoit to ask about him and Benoit vouched for him. Later on, in 1996, Bischoff finally met Jericho at the Inoki Los Angeles Peace Festival event and they struck a deal. So there ya go.
A lot of the talk backstage in WWE is similar to what fans on the internet are also saying. There's a feeling inside the company that Triple H's influence on Raw is killing the show. But Pat Patterson has been the only one to vocally speak up about it because everyone else recognizes that this is probably gonna be Vince's son-in-law one day and nobody wants to speak out against him. But more and more, there are whispers going around that somebody has to say something because they feel Triple H is slowly strangling the life out of that show.
INTRODUCTION (can be skipped) So a over a week ago i started thinking about how many Japanese expressions i was learning from wasting months spending so much time here watching streams despite not having learnt formally a bit of Japanese. I ended up gathering all the terms, inside jokes i read and heard a lot in the streams to make idk some starter pack meme or test to post lol. But then i thought that maybe it would be more useful to make it a more in deep dictionary. We have many new people coming from the EN side or translated clips and some of them are understandably thrown off or scared on watching something which is 99% in a language you don't know. This isn't the first time someone has tried to do this, there was a very complete post 3 months ago (https://www.reddit.com/Hololive/comments/icgxaq/a_guide_to_basic_written_hololive_japanese/) but from that time till now we have 3x more subscribers and this was more focused on written posts. Mine is different. The focus of this one is mostly two things: That you learn enough things to get a tiny tiny grasp on what's going on streams if there isn't enough translation and than you can get and join in in most inside jokes even if you aren't into the weaboo culture stuff. HOW TO USE Trying to study this is a pointless endeavour. Just look it over with CTRL+F (too lazy to order it alphabetically now) when you hear some term you want an explanation on or some inside term that you don't get fully. The first word is how the word is in romanji (latin alphabet) and then how is written in Japanese (normally hiragana) in case you want to use it. The dictionary divided into 3 sections for ease of use. This isn't a complete rundown of all the Hololive lingo because it would be waay too long and or a Japanese language course because it goes over my knowledge and as a language is way too nuanced and contextual to teach in one post. But i'm open for submissions and corrections from japanese speakers, i only did the work to research every term from others! If you need a more complex translation althrough it's far from perfect, it's always recommended that you use DeepL (https://www.deepl.com/en/translator) DICTIONARY: Basic Japanese expressions:
Ohayo (おはよう): “Good morning”. Casual form of “Ohayo gozaimasu” (おはようございます)
Konnichiwa (こんにちは): “Good afternoon”
Konbanwa (こんばんは): “Good evening”
Oyasumi (おやすみ): “Good night”. Casual form of Oyasuminasai (おやすみなさい)
Hontouni? (本当に): “Really?”. Also it's used in the same way as "really x" in English to emphasize something.
Arigatou (ありがとう): “Thank you”. Casual form of Arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます)
Omedetou! (おめでとう): Congratulations! Casual form of Omedetou gozaimasu (おめでとうございます)
Otsukaresama (お疲れ様): A good translation would be "Thank you for your hard work", more like a common generic expression to say goodbye to co-workers and friends after a work day or meeting. Check out the entry on "otsu-" in the Hololive section to see how they transform the word as a goodbye in their streams.
Tadaima (ただいま): A popular expression you tell someone when you come back home. Here they use it when after they had to leave the stream.
Okaeri (おかえり): What you reply when someone says "Tadaima".
Gommenasai (ごめんなさい): "I'm sorry". The short casual form "Gomen" (ごめん) is really common.
Sumimasen (すみません): Another polite way of saying "I'm sorry" but can be more versatile like the English "Excuse me"
Kudasai (下さい), Onegaishimasu (お願いします) : The two main ways to say "please" in Japanese. You will find them mostly at the end of a phrase to 'soften' the blow. Ex: "Yamete Kudasai" = "Please stop". Onegaishimasu is considered a bit more formal and polite but both are used often.
Yamete (やめて): One form of pleading someone to stop something, usually as part of やめてください (yamete kudasai) which is a bit more polite. Also you hear sometimes Yamero (やめろ) which is the more imperative serious form. As with many expressions in Japanese the more commanding and absolute expressions are used more often between men while the softer more polite forms are used more often between women. [That's one of the reasons japanese natives can usually detect if you have been taught mostly by a male/female teacher] In my experience watching streams they do use Yamero often though.
Yabai (やばい): Literally means "risky/dangerous" but it used in the meaning of "dangerously too much of something". It can be used both with positive or negative connotations, like something that is overwhelmingly well-done, a situation in a horror game that is so scary that makes you panic or a youtube thumbnail that is way too spicy to be allowed without banning the stream. It's a common casual term between young Japanese people, not something to be used in a formal context. As with other words ending in -ai the pronuntiation got slurred to -e resulting in “Yabe”. More recently some in chat are writing it like “Yab”.
Naruhodo (なるほど): "I see!", "I get it now!"
Wakatta (わかった): "I understood!" Sometimes they don't wakatta at all, though.
kuso (くそ): It means "shit" and it used in this context exactly the same way you would use it English, like "damn" or "fuck".
Ureshii (嬉しい): “I’m glad”/”That makes me happy”
Bikkurishita (びっくりした): “That surprised/scared me”
Mou ikkai (もう一回): “One more!”, as in “one more try”/”one last game” …
Oishii (美味しい) : “Delicious/Tasty”. Men may use more often Umai (うまい) which is considered more crude and slangy as a term. Umai can also mean “good [at doing something]/skilled at”
Ojisan (おじさん): Literally “Uncle” but frequently used as “middle-age man/mister”. In Hololive (at least) it’s implied this person is some kind of creepy pervert with younger girls when used as adjective for one of their members. Ex: “Watame Oji-san” = “Wata-oji”
Totemo (とても ) : “Very”. Really used generic word but native speakers may prefer more nuanced words depending on the context in the same way you don’t use “very” all the time.
Meccha (めっちゃ): An informal adverb used to do a superlative version of “very” like “supeextremely”. It comes from youth slang in the Kansai region that got popular with the general youth (probably thanks to TV comedians). Other popular words for this adverb are “chou” (チョー) and “sugoku” (すごく)
Mecha kucha (めっちゃくっちゃ): Something that is really: a mess, absurd, all over the place... It could be the origin of Meccha (めっちゃ)
Ikuzo! (行くぞ): “Let’s go!”/”Let’s do it!”
Saikou (最高): “The highest/maximum”
Minna (みんな): “Everyone”, as in everyone in the chat. Minna is the casual form of the word that get used among groups of friends. The polite version when you need a more formal address to an audience is Mina-san (皆さん)
Daijobu (大丈夫 ) : “It’s ok/fine”. You can hear them asking this in question form (something like “Is everything okay?/Are you okay?”) to the chat whenever something (audio, video, connection, missing something important in a game) seems wrong or the chat starts being too agitated.
Nani? (なに): "What?" Also the appropiate way to reply when you get to know you're already dead.
Doko? (どこ?) : “Where?”
Sasuga (さすが ): “As expected of...” In the overseas chat it’s used both as praise of someone’s abilities (as in “You’re great as playing this game (as we all knew already!)” so you’re impressed even knowing their previous reputation) or to mock ironically flaws in character (affectionally). In native Japanese I’m not so sure if this second meaning it’s used as much but Sasuga itself is pretty more nuanced as an expression.
Kawaii (かわいい): “Cute”
Kowai (こわい): “Scary”
Kakkoii (かっこいい): “Cool”
Itai (痛い) : Literally "Painful, hurt" but used as an onomatopoeia of "Ouch!"
Uta (歌): “Song”. A stream dedicated to singing is called "utawaku" (歌枠)
Ganbatte! (がんばって): “You can do it!”, a way to root/cheer for the success of someone
Chotto matte (ちょっと待って): "Wait a minute/ a moment". Chotto is an small amount(ちょっと) and Matte (まって) is "to wait"
Urusai (うるさい): Literally "[Too] Noisy/Loud", in practice it means "Shut up!"
Senpai ( 先輩): Your senior. In Japanese and other Asian cultures this is really important because respecting, serving and being loyal to your seniors (both elders and work/school seniors) is still a fundamental part of the social etiquette. Nowadays though it has been losing some relevance over a westernized meritocratic system so it has opened itself to a more superficial relationship in some places. You will see Kiryu Coco talk about “Paisen” (ぱいせん) which how you call your senpais when you’re really close together.
Kouhai (後輩): Your Junior. In Asiatic cultures the Senpais also have some duties over treating their kouhai according to the social etiquette which includes things like taking care of them as emotional support of to take them under their wings to show them all the ropes of the job.
Sensei (先生): "Teacheprofessor"
Tensai (天才): "Genius". Or at least they claim to be for comical effect.
Sugoi (すごい): Almost always you’ll hear it, it means “Awesome!” or “Impressive!” but hilariously enough it can mean the exact opposite too: “Horrible, Awful”. This is because it’s nuanced in the same way that “Awesome” is: something so overwhelmingly impressive that causes awe, good or bad.
Tanoshii(楽しい): “Fun”, “Pleasant”
Chigau (違う) : “Wrong”, “different”
Tadashi (正しい): “Correct”, “right”
Kimoi (キモイ): Slang for "Gross/creepy/disgusting", literally "bad feeling".
Kimochi (きもち): "feeling". Its most known variation, for reasons, is kimochii which means "good feeling" which includes the particle -ii to mean "good".
Baka (ばか): "Stupid/Fool/Idiot". The king of the swearwords. Shiranui Flare, Tsunomaki Watame and Shirakami Fubuki are self-named as the "Bakatare [stupid, idiotic] trio" due to their antics while playing games in collabs
Daisuki (大好き): "I like you a lot" with suki (好き) meaning "i like you"
Aishiteru (愛している) : "I love you" but in real life it's like a really really strong "i love you". Stories tell that even some married couples doubt on using this, so it's more rare to use in Japan than in overseas. Shouldn't have to remind everyone, but for both this and "daisuki" don't take them too seriously when they use them in streams, they like to play with them hyperbolically or to make a comedy bit.
Muzukashii (むずかしい): "Difficult/Hard". For example Haachama wrote once "English muzukashi OMG"
Hazukashii (はずかしい): "Embarrased/shy"
Mite! (見て!): "Look!"
Yokatta (よかった): Can be used as the past form of being good (so "It was good") but you're going to hear it with the meaning of "I'm glad to hear that", "What a relief [to know that now]"
Are? (あれ?): "Huh?"
Yatta! (ヤッタ!): "I did it, yay!"
Yoroshiku (よろしく): You hear it mostly is the form of Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (よろしくおねがいします) A natural translation would be like "Please treat me well/be kind to me" and it's a custom you say whenever you introduce yourself to other people to express your hope to start with a good relationship. In formal business japanese this phrase is used really really often not only in introductions but after asking for favors.
Japanese Internet and popular culture expressions:
Gachi Koi (ガチ恋): An expression from idol culture. Literally means "serious love" but a better translation would probably be "super obsessive fan" as you can guess from the first translation. With time the expression has soften and is used many times in a exaggerated/joking context. I think it's used more often by male fans.
Gap Moe: Moe is used very often in anime/otaky culture and is some specifics aspects of a character that makes them cute and really, deeply attractive to you (Althrough the word has to a surprinsingly complex meaning with some nuances and has expanded to general hobbies). Gap here means the difference between different aspects of the personality of someone. So putting both together, it means the stark contrast of different personalities of someone that makes them really attractive to you. For example, the anime "yandere" archetype of a sweet girl that is a psychopath when she get jealous, or a clumsy character that is a pro at some game.
Seiso (清楚): Literally means "pure, wholesome, uncorrupted (of knowing sexual and other adult stuff)" and it refers to some archetype of idols that used to be the ideal expected from of them. Nowadays many fans still take this seriously but it's more often a running joke. For example in Hololive is common for a streamer to say something perverted and when the chat points it out them saying they aren't perverts but seiso idols. If you ask me, modern "seiso" idols are a bit more more about attitude (agency) than purity, a way they chose to act after they look at the abyss (of degenerancy) rather than being some virginal person. In that meaning you can actually be both seiso and degenerate at different times.
wwwwwwwww : In Japanese "warai" means "to laugh".. Writing a w is faster than that, specially in a western keyboard and that's how it came to be in online culture. So it's their way to say "hahahaha". You can see it as a final "w" at the end of many messages if you were confused before. I guess there it means more like "lol".
Kusa, Big 草 : 草 (kusa) is a kanji for grass. As the story goes (that has been explained sooo many times in this subreddit lol) for japanese users the "wwwww" look like blades of grass, hence 草 ended up as a short hand for that so it means something like lol/lmao. It's something you always see in Hololive JP streams' chats. Big 草 is a beautiful example of cross-cultural interactions, like japanglish.
KSZK (くそざこ): Acronym of “kuso zako”. Literally “shitty noob”. Someone who does something pathetically really amateur (unprofessional). For example, oversleeping a scheduled stream or having their stream disconnected due to shitty internet connection. Coco has a recurring segment of this in Asacoco but please don’t take it too seriously, it’s mostly a way to poke fun at her work pals. The majority of the audience are more amused by these problems than angry.
Kaigai niki (海外ニキ): Comes from “Kaigai aniki”, literally “overseas [elder] brothers” = "overseas bros". It means the worldwide community of fans outside of Japan. The japanese fanbase is the "nihon-niki". For the female fanbase the word is "neki" and for the specific fanbase of both men and women they use both like "nekiniki/nikineki"
RTA: Literally means “Real Time Attack” and is what the Japanese use to talk about speedruns.
Haishin (配信): “Stream/Broadcast”. Also used, “Housou” (放送)
888888: Used as sort of onomatopoeia of clapping. Also, it’s a pun between “Pachi”, which means clapping and “Hachi”, which means 8.
Batsu game (罰ゲーム): A punishment you do for losing to someone or failing to do something. If you have watched Japanese variety TV before you will know this is almost its own genre of entertainment. For Vtubers, it’s mostly just playing horror games or eating spicy food.
Taikyuu (耐久): “Endurance”. In this context it’s used to talk about “endurance streams” which are stream that won’t end until some (hard) goal/milestone gets completed like beating a game in one go or winning an online match of some battle royale game.
Zatsudan (雑談): "Free chat/Idle chat". What you know as "Just chatting" if you come from Twitch culture. Exactly what it says in the tin, the streamer talks about things that has happened to them or plan to happen and interact for a bit with the chat. A stream with zatsudan is a zatsudanwaku (雑談枠).
Doki Doki (ドキドキ): Onomatopoeia of a beating heart. So you can guess it get used to emphasize nerve-wracking situations or romantic interactions in a goofy way.
Guru guru (ぐるぐる): A sound of something that goes around in circles. They use this to talk about the emoji for loading/buffering in a stream.
Hololive-related expressions and inside jokes:
Mama, papa: That's "mom" and "dad" in Spanish, in case you didn't know. They aren't talking about their biological fathers but instead the ones who designed their character Live2D avatar and the person who rigged the animations. Vtubers have a really grateful, supportive relation with the artists that made them come to life. Other words are used for this like mamma/mammy/mamman or the japanese equivalents hahaue (母上) / chichiue (父上).
FAQ: A way to pronounce "fuck you" (the q sounds similar). When you are so elite as Sakura Miko, you discover it's a really flexible word to react, greet each other, confess your love, apologize...
10Q: "Thank you."
Yubi Yubi: One catchphrase of many of our doggo Inugami Korone. Korone has a fascination with the criminal underworld customs and vocabulary (In fact, she used to have a section in Asacoco about this very thing). Yubi means finger and in yakuza (Japanese mafia) culture it is the one thing you get chopped off when you commit a grave mistake. In Korone's first stream this started as a joke she found funny. The gag evolved into her being an insecure doggo making a collection that wants to take your fingers as a safe deposit to ensure you stay watching all the stream (which can be really long) before her giving your fingers back. The fate of your fingers is decided in the sketch at the end of most streams which is some sort of improvised and hilarious bizarre short story to see if you get them back. Spoiler: You usually get them back but not in the best state. And then you explode and die for some reason.
Nyahello: The standard greeting of elite shrine maiden Sakura Miko. Also written sometimes as "nyahallo". A reference to the greeting "Yahallo!" from Oregairu (Abbreviation of the name of light novel/manga/anime "Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru", known in English as "My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected") character Yui Yuigahama. This is because Tanaka Yuuichi was both the character designer of Oregairu and Miko herself originally (but not currently).
Peko Peko Peko: A catchphrase of mischievous rabbit Usada Pekora. In anime some characters have some finish particles to their phrases like "-desu" or "-aru" that never happens in real life but for Japanese natives it makes them sound cuter. For Pekora the particle is "-peko". In her lore (please don't take it seriously) this is because she comes from the country of Pekoland. There they speak Pekolandish in which somehow every word is "peko". Pekora uses this expression often to laugh before doing some mischievous plan or to mock them after they lose to her. Sometimes wrote with arrows [PE↗️ KO↘️ PE↗️ KO↘️ PE↗️ KO↘️ PE ↗️ KO↘️] to represent the very characteristic changes of pitch she does while saying it. Once you hear it you will never forget it.
Asacoco: Really early morning show (in JST) hosted by dragon Kiryu Coco in her channel 3 days per week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). In the show Coco talks about Hololive related news from announcements or milestones to funny moments of the previous days. Asacoco is also the name of some undescribed ficticious drug Coco sells in many forms in ads during the show. It's implicit the very same show somehow is the drug too so when you don't watch it, you feel withdrawal symptoms if you don’t get more doses.
Tee Tee (ていてい/てぇてぇ): It's used to describe pure, cute, heartwarming, affectionate moments between 2 or more vtubers. It’s an internet variation of toutoi (尊い) which means “precious”.
Otsu- (korone, nomaki…): In Japanese a common way to say goodbye/hello in the job or other contexts is お疲れ様 (otsukaresama, a crude translation is "Thanks for your hard work, you must be tired") In Hololive [and other vtubers] many make it cutesy by changing -karesama for their name or some expression to say goodbye to the audience and for the audience to say goodbye to them. There's too many to put here but for example Inugami Korone says "Otsukorone", Tsunomaki Watame says "Otsunomaki", Pekora says "Ostupeko", Tokoyami Towa says "Otsuyappi"... Some other do use completely different expressions, check out Hololive fan wikis for that.
Gaming onion: The head of Minato Aqua's first Live2D model looks like a purple onion. Aqua is also a really good hard-working gamer. Both together are a affectionate way to poke fun at her. Recently, she complained after watching a clip of Hololive EN Amelia Watson mentioning her as a "certain vegetable senpai"; which could lead in the future to the nickname "yasai senpai" as yasai means vegetable in japanese and it has some rhythm to it.
Crazy comedian rabbit: A way for overseas fans to refer jokingly to Usada Pekora because of her comedy hijinks and blessed comedic timing. Also how they reply when Pekora says she's an idol. Hey, she can still be your favorite crazy comedian rabbit idol!
Akipella: A portmanteau of Aki + a capella due to the habit of accidentally muting the BGM of Aki Rosenthal during her singing streams. Her fans are pretty creative about adding Aki- to some other words.
HAACHAMA CHAMA~!: Catchy greeting of Haachama (aka Akai Haato). Haachama used to be like some alter personality of Haato which is crazier and almost supernatural but recently Akai Haato is dead because Haachama killed her (at least that’s what she says). In her videos she uses this greeting very very often, sometimes in the middle of songs she sings in some sort of deranged brainwashing chant way to get her viewers insane and to subscribe to her. In my personal experience, it works.
Kitsuneko (キツネコ). In Japanese "kitsune" is "fox" and neko is "cat". This portmanteau means "foxcat". Our friend and wholesome meme queen Shirakami Fubuki is based on an original mythological arctic fox. Her name in fact can be read as "White god Blizzard" (foxes are a common trope in JP mythology). The thing is that the audience doesn't always agree, they think she's cat. She plays into it by saying so many times that "she isn't a cat but a fox" or doing random cat noises. So her public thinks now maybe she has been a kitsuneko all along.
TMT: Acronym for “Towa Maji Tenshi” which means “Towa is really an Angel”. Tokoyami Towa tries really hard to show she’s a true evil demon but her continuous acts of kindness and inability to do evil things make her fans think otherwise. This acronym usually gets spammed whenever Towa appears or get mentioned on a stream.
PPTenshi: Hololive resident angel Amane Kanata did her debut livestream using Powerpoint (PPT). “Tenshi” means “angel”. Over time the meaning became a backcronym because there are many words that could fit like “Perfect Pitch”,”Poor Precious”, “Pure Power”…
Watamelon: Fluffy sheep Tsunomaki Watame + watermelon = Watamelon. She was made aware of this pun and she started wearing a watermelon helmet for a few streams and even released a (silly) mini song about having a “watamelon head”. Other related puns: “Watamelody”, “sheep-posting”, ”membersheep”.
Haato Basic: Overseas nickname for Akai Haato (Haachama) due to her cooking streams and videos being comparably as cursed as comedy youtuber HowToBasic.
Piki Piki Piiman: Cutey expression for someone who is being pissed off/salty/frustrated at some task, like at a videogame. Piiman means “green pepper”. That’s why Korone has a pepper in her coffee during her streams.
スーパーチャットタイム : In romanji it's "suppa chatto time". The other show Kiryu Coco does is a weekly meme review of this very subreddit with Hololive guests, which is a fun way of bridging the language gap between both communities and to make the Hololivers bond a bit more with their overseas fanbases since Japan has a totally different meme culture and you never know how they would react (althrough you end up discovering meme humor is universal). Anyways, in the show Coco translates the memes to Japanese and doesn't like when someone adds a shitty google-translate Japanese translation or random japanglish but the guests usually love this kind of awkward dorky japanese. One of the shitty japanese that stuck was this one and is used as some sort of call by viewers to send waves of donations.
量子チキンスープグラ ス ビッグチュングス: It doesn't mean anything. Really. It's an intentionally meaningless expression only made with the purpose of pissing off Coco after she scold the overseas community over shitty Japanese translations.
Shuba Shuba Shuba: Quirky catchphrase of Oozora Subaru when she’s excited, it somehow sounds like a duck. Subaru originally doesn’t have anything to do with ducks but the meme caught up when she did an unintentional Donald Duck imitation in an ASMR stream (really) and from there she likes to use duck drawings in her streams. She has acknowledged that she took inspiration of “Peko Peko Peko” when looking for a catchphrase.
Ahoy~! : Greeting of pirate captain [cosplayer] Houshou Marine and by extension chat spam whenever something related to pirates appear in a stream.
Kensetsu (建設): “Construction” as in “Construction company”. This is a normal word but I didn’t know where to put it lol. In Hololive’s Minecraft server they love their big building/art/automation projects, with their main builders having their own made-up construction company and “employees” sometimes helping out. The ones building the most for now are Aqua, Pekora, Haachama and Subaru.
AKUKIN: Alter ego of Minato Aqua which is an affectionate parody of really popular Japanese Youtuber HikakinTV and comes with the meme sunglasses. Currently the CEO of AKUKIN Kensetsu.
[]-chou (-長) [Kaichou, Senchou, Danchou....]: The relevant meaning of the root kanji chou 長 for this definition is "chief/head/leader" and is used to mark many profession are the boss of others. In Hololive, this trend caught like wildfire and now many members use this as some sort of nickname.
---- For example: Houshou Marine is the Senchou (船長) or "Ship Captain", Shirogane Noel is the Danchou (団長) or ----"[Military] Party Leader", Kiryu Coco is the Kaichou (会長) or "Chairman of a Company/association [in this instance ----it's implied the association is a criminal one]", Takanashi Kiara is the Tenchou (店長) or "Store Manager" [of her ----made-up business KFP], some others claim to be the Sachou (社長) or "CEO/President of a company"...
[USA-NV-Vegas][H] COD BO Cold War (PS5), Ni no Kuni: White Witch, Xenoblade Chronicles DE (NSW), Diablo 3, Code Vein, Bloodstained, Ni no Kuni 2 (PS4), Datel Pokemon GO-tcha Evolve Watch, SNES Classic, PS4/5, XSX/XB1/360, NSW/3DS/GC/N64/SNES/NES, Vita, DC| [W] HW Age of Calamity, 13 Sentinels, PS5/4
The main game that I’m looking to trade is my PS5 copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (this is the PS5 version with the next gen upgrade included). I also have some sealed PS4/XB1/Switch games that I’m trying to trade. For PS4, I have sealed copies to trade of: Diablo III: Eternal Collection (1 sealed), Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (1 sealed copies), Code Vein (1 copies), Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (3 sealed copies), Yakuza Kiwami (PS Hits sealed). For Switch, I've got an extra sealed copy of Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch along with other games like Xenoblade Chronicles DE and 2. I have an excellent condition SNES Classic Edition as well CIB if you’re interested in that at all.
As for games from my collection that I’m looking to trade in particular, I’ve bolded most of them in my list like Minecraft Story Mode - Season 2, Kingdom Hearts 3, Owlboy, and Shovel Knight (PS4).. Anything bolded is something that I’m interested in trading away.
I’m interested in some recent PS4 releases like 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and The Wonderful 101: Remastered (as I prefer trophies) and maybe some PS3 games like Ico and Persona 4 Arena & Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. For Nintendo Switch, I’m looking for a copy of Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. I’ve also got a PS5 and XSX, so offers for those systems are fine as well.
I’m listing my whole collection as well just in case someone wants to piece some other kind of trade together (or as an index for other trades). I’m probably open to trading a decent number of things that I have on this list (especially bolded items) for the right offer. I’ve also got a bunch of Bluray movies as well that aren’t listed (if you’re interested in any movies to even out a deal, just ask and I can put a list together). The only things that I might be hesitant to trade are some of my rare SNES & retro collection, but I could possibly if I was “blown away” ;)
Keiji Shibusawa: A Great villain With a Lack Of Character.
Just letting you all know that this is gonna be a pretty long post, we're looking at just about all of Shibusawa's role in 0. There's also gonna be spoilers for Yakuza 1 and 2's main antagonists. With that out of the way, let's get things going. From my experience viewing the community, Shibusawa is easily the least popular of the three lieutenants in Yakuza 0. And that doesn't exactly surprise me, but at the same time it sorta does. The final bosses in these games are supposed to be the most memorable, most badass, one of your favorite characters. But if I asked you to name the first Yakuza 0 villain that comes to your head, Shibusawa isn't gonna be it. Even among the lieutenants, he falls short. Kuze is the gold standard when it comes to rival characters in gaming, not just Yakuza. 5 fights with him, each of them shows just how much you/Kiryu are growing in experience, and by the end most end up respecting him. Awano is pretty intimidating throughout, and especially has a great showdown with Majima, so much so that he sacrifices himself for him. Plus, dudes got meme potential. But Shibusawa hides in the sidelines for 90% of the game, barely in the story until Kiryu and Oda get Makoto to Kamurocho. But how much of that is intentional? As usual with these character study's, lets look at Shibusawa's actions in the story first. His first appearance, like the other lieutenants, is in Dojima Family HQ. And already there's a lot to think about. Whereas Kuze and especially Awano are deadset on the idea that Kiryu killed the man in the empty lot, Shibusawa is much more subdued. He doesn't actively defend Kiryu, but he doesn't really accuse him either. He genuinely seems to believe that Kiryu was set up. As he leaves the building, he even puts his hand on Kiryu's shoulder, possibly as a way of comforting him. Especially with how the later scenes paint him, this scene is interesting to think about. We'll come back to it later. His shows up when Dojima expels Kiryu, but doesn't really have a speaking role, only reinforcing that Kuze made Kiryu a civilian. Shibusawa doesn't really care about the other lieutenants, as we'll see later. He's also in the scene where Awano tells Kuze to take care of Kiryu (before Kuze's 2nd fight), but again doesn't do anything of note. And he's there during Kuze's 3rd fight, but does nothing. You noticing a pattern? This right here is the main problem with Shibusawa, but it's also his greatest strength. He's lurking in the shadows of the scenes he's in, waiting for the right moment, HIS moment, to take center stage. But that also means he's not a character until the last 10% of the game. It's all leading to the main themes of the 3 lieutenants, but that means that he can't have time to spend talking to Kiryu, or really anybody. Chapter 13 is where Shibusawa really comes into play, as we see him and his crew hunt down Kiryu/Makoto. Additionally, he had Oda as a mole, seemingly giving him information, though clearly not everything. It's in these last few chapters where we see Shibusawa's true nature. After shooting Oda for not giving Makoto's location, and after Makoto ran off from both Kiryu and Majima, he makes it a point to give Dojima Makoto, presumably so he can establish himself as the best of the lieutenants, to earn the captains position, as well as leaving with everyone via chopper after Lao Gui shoots Makoto. His next scene is where we learn quite a bit about Shibusawa's motivations. When Awano suggests to wait for Kazama to end up dead in prison, he scolds him pretty harshly, and reveals that only by getting rid of the entire Kazama family can Tojo rise again. This is how Shibusawa wants to get to the top. Funny how I previously talked about Jingu, whose motivations were also to rise to the top until you physically couldn't go any higher. And Nishiki as well has that very same motive, although he is much different then Jingu overall. Shibusawa's reasonings for it are somehow both more and less basic then those two, though. After that scene, we learn that Shibusawa is leading a raid on Shibaura, the ship Makoto is on. Obviously, Kiryu and Nishiki go to shut it down. During the raid we see Shibusawa intrigued with Kiryu. Almost like he's ready to fight him. Turns out he is, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Kiryu eventually makes it past everything on the ship, and confronts Shibusawa. Shibusawa seems to have only brought Makoto where he is to lure Kiryu in. He wants Kiryu to be the first kill. We'll skip a lot of Shibusawa's motivations for now, and just say that at it's most basic level, Shibusawa wants to kill Kiryu so that Kazama's heir dies, as he wants to surpass Kazama. Of course, Kiryu beats Shibusawa, who then encourages Kiryu to finish him off for good. Kiryu almost does, but Nishiki comes at the last second to talk him out of it. And Shibusawa is sent to prison. Not dead, but certainly won't come back. So why did I skip a lot at the end there? Mostly to discuss Shibusawa and some of the 3 lieutenants here. We'll start with the lieutenants. Kuze, Awano, and Shibusawa represent the different kind of Yakuza in this series overall. Kuze represents the Yakuza of old, mainly in the clan for the simple reason of beating others up, and showing themselves as tough bastards. Shimano, plenty of villains in 1, and lots of people in the series show this attitude. Awano represents the Yakuza of the present, too deep in to it to quit, but it's clear they've lost their touch to how they were so many years ago. It's most likely that Awano wants out, which is why he's the only one of the lieutenants to die. Reinforces that once you're in the Yakuza, there's no getting out in one piece. Shibusawa represents Yakuza of the future, who don't just want to thrive, but want to rise to the top, want to make a name for themselves. Nishiki and to a lesser extent Ryuji follow this as well. Shibusawa gets the closest to achieving his goals compared to the other two most likely for this reason; It's how antagonists from future games operate as well. What Shibusawa wants is simple. A legacy. A title to have. It's not just about rising to the top. Shibusawa tells of his father, who was a politician that rose pretty high in the business, but his boss got all of his credit. Eventually his father had to take the fall for his bosses corrupt deals, and it drove him to suicide. It's possible he thinks history will repeat itself with Dojima and him. So he wants insurance. Talent alone isn't enough for him. Shibusawa clearly shows a lot of respect for Kazama. He considers him a legend. So much so that he intends to surpass him. He wants Kazama's title. That's probably his main motivation for wanting to more or less eradicate the Kazama family. By doing that, he can become the true "Dragon of Dojima". With his title, Shibusawa will finally have a legacy, will be remembered as a legend. Kiryu rightfully says to him that Kazama is more then just his title and legend, but Shibusawa brings up some valid points about how Kazama isn't the perfect paragon (his own words) Kiryu thinks, how he arguably caused the events of Yakuza 0. Kazama in general has a lot to his character to talk about, but this isn't about him. Anyway, Shibusawa's first step in surpassing Kazama is to kill his heir, that being Kiryu. There's also the matter of Shibusawa's tattoo. The dragon tattoo. Tattoo's in this series are symbolic to the person who has them. Obviously, Shibusawa's tattoo is the same as Kiryu's. The dragon itself is a legend, and in some Japanese culture dragons are often respected and put on the same pedestal as gods. Shibusawa is not seen as such, but it's important to note that he eventually thinks he will. That's why he got the tattoo in the first place. That's also why Kiryu's tattoo isn't filled in yet. He hasn't reached that status yet, but he's on the path to achieving it. So why does Shibusawa tell Kiryu to kill him? He wants Kiryu to see Kazama for who he is. Kazama could only achieve the legacy he has now because of his massive body count. Shibusawa thought the same, as he attempted to write his legacy with others blood. Nishiki too, would follow this example. It's important to note about Kiryu's character that he 100% would have killed Shibusawa had Nishiki not intervened, which is interesting. And why is Shibusawa more lenient on Kiryu then the other's in the lieutenant's introduction scene? Straight up, no idea. Maybe I missed something, but I'd go so far as to say that's out of character for him, since we can assume he had this plan to surpass Kazama by doing something about Kiryu long before this. All in all, Shibusawa works as the final boss of Yakuza 0. He fits well with the themes of 0, and it's intriguing to watch him rise from the shadows, to reveal his blood lust for the Kazama family. However, I believe the fact that he stayed silent for so long significantly hurt his character. I'm confident that if he had more scenes, he would have won fans over as a top tier main antagonist (though it can be argued Dojima is the main antagonist of 0, but you never fight him, so I tend to ignore that). I enjoyed him for what he was, but he could have been something more. Sorry again for the long post, but hope you enjoyed me overanalyzing a single Yakuza character. Have a good day/night folks.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is the newest game in the now long running Yakuza series. The franchise has been known to really embrace the idea of the Japanese setting with things like arcades and more. Japanese style slot machines are also part of the game as well, but there’s something strange about them when you first check them out. According to a translation of Famitsu 's 1,623rd issue, if you blaze through Like a Dragon 's story, you will clock in around 30 hours of playtime. However, if you stop to smell all the roses and... Like a Dragon takes place in Yokohama, a city south of Tokyo. Take your time learning its streets, visiting its many shops, and meeting the people that call it home. Yakuza rewards exploration and curiosity, and there's almost always something new to find or do in these games. There's nothing quite like the Yakuza series, so enjoy your time A complete substory walkthrough for Substory 24 - Fifty Shades of Play in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Included are conditions to unlock the side quest, objectives, locations, obtainable items, enemies, and rewards Yakuza: Like a Dragon will continue this trend when it punches and kicks its way to consoles and PCs on Nov. 10. Before you preorder this PC game , though, let's find out if your computer is Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s Legendary Hero Edition includes ALL of the game’s DLC. This DLC adds a wide variety of in-game bonus content, including the Job Set, which unlocks the ‘Devil Rocker’ and ‘Matriarch’ Jobs, as well as the Management Mode Set, Crafting Set, Karaoke Set, Ultimate Costume Set, and Stat Boost Set. For Yakuza: Like a Dragon on the PlayStation 4, Guide and Walkthrough by CyricZ. In Yakuza: Like a Dragon, you play as Ichiban Kasuga, an earnest guy who’s always wanted to be a hero. Life hasn’t been kind to him though, and to say he’s down on his luck would be an understatement. This is especially true when it comes to his financial situation, where even in the beginning, 500 yen can seem like a lot. Yakuza: Like A Dragon is a role-playing game that was released recently. Yakuza: Like A Dragon, which gained the players' appreciation with its graphics and action mechanics, draws attention with its story. This game, which has
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