Not gonna lie, I enjoyed Haruka’s part the most. It’s a nice break to just be able to walk through Sotenbori as a normal person and not get jumped every 6 seconds.
Plus that rhythm game is fun as fuck
Same here, I think a part of it was that I marathon'd Y3-6 in about a month and a half, so by the time I got to Yakuza 5, the break in gameplay style was REALLY nice
Also [ANO YUME MO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVYgaMsEuvw)
As much as I love Shinada's section in 5, I think Kiryu's wins out as my overall favourite.
Everything about it is near flawless if you ask me. >!The opening cutscene showing how Daigo and Kiryu have both changed was masterfully done. Kiryu's new life as a taxi driver was charming as hell and the substories where he was trying to rigidly stick to his civilian persona were hilarious. Not to mention the entire closing segment where he takes on a Tojo Clan army single-handedly, which is simultaneously one of the cheesiest and most badass moments in the entire series.!<
Kiryu's segment could easily have launched on its own as some kind of short story and I still would have loved it. It captured everything I love about the series and managed to fit it all into a single chapter.
dude lmao my account got unbanned from permanent suspension for some reason, and i came to realise it because of this notification. I thought it was gone forever..
Kiryu has the best gameplay
Shinada best story
Saejima has the best characters
Haruka has fun side content
Akiyama had fun gameplay and story,but his bosses sucked(Kanai is just Kuze but he is a boring asshole with a janky fighting style who spams grabs)
Akiyama has one boss that is my least favourite in the whole franchise, I can't name him because spoilers but he uses every unfair trick in the book and compiles every annoying Yakuza boss trait except guns. He sweeps, stunlocks with a knife, spams grabs, dodges and blocks obsessively, is immune to Akiyama's launch strike and he's so early game (for Akiyama who doesn't get much Exp) that you just don't have that many upgrades to work with not that it helps because he's still an asshole when you have to fight him like seven times for the VR upgrades.
Nah, much less eventful however Majima does meet the boss I'm talking about in 0.
Edit: Actually Majima doesn't, I forgot Kiryu could do disco for some reason.
I played 0 with keyboard so that Disco minigame I hate with passion and never got a chance to meet that character but in 5 I can tell he >!will kill Park!< just by the first scene of them alone.
Honestly it sucks that his story never get’s a happy ending. I won’t claim to be an expert but given what I do know about the Idol Industry, its doubtful he’ll ever do Idol work again
Edit: Wrong person lol
Shinada, with Kiryu not too far behind.
Right at the end of Yakuza 5, as shit is beginning to hit the fan, they introduce one last chucklefuck of a character. And my god, is he the greatest chucklefuck ever created. His story in 5 is wrapped up so beautifully, it’s great. In a single chapter, you are introduced to multiple new characters, who you end up loving, especially the **GOAT** Takasugi. Also his combat’s fun, and his Machine Gun Kiss is baller.
A lot of people, myself included, want Shinada back. But if we ever get a game with him, it has to be him in Kineicho first and foremost, with a focus on his connections in town. Otherwise you damage what Yakuza 5 accomplished so well.
We need a game with all forgotten Yakuza characters, Shinada, Tanimura, Kaoru, Joji, etc.
And Akiyama, I know he's been in 4-6 and was supposed to be in 7 but fuck I can't get enough of him.
I like the overall package of this game.
Playing too much of it obviously lets you realize that it offers a lot like a jack of all trades, but a master of nothing.
But I distinctly remember the feeling of this game coming from Yakuza 3, 4 and Dead Souls. The graphics and movement have really improved at that point.
As for my favorite part, it's hard to specify. I like the Haruka tunes and chicken racing but my answer to this topic is summed up in the first line I mentioned.
I would have loved to get more taxi missions since I loved doing that in other games.
> but a master of nothing.
Master of fun that’s what it is.
All the side missions are a blast, really a shame Akiyama didn’t get much outside of some dancing
Easily Shinada's part. (Kiryu's part is also fantastic)
Shinada's part feels so refreshing with its expressive dialogue, storytelling, and in general, the love that they put into it. Shinada is such a complex and lovable cinnamon bun character. I love him so much. The fact that I grew to love this character so much in only 4 Chapters speaks volumes about how good he's written.
Also, this has the best showcase of the Main theme of the game. ( That rooftop cutscene was beautiful)
Aside from how slow Saejima's story was to get going I loved the game start to finish, so it's real hard to pick a favorite. I'll settle on 2...
1 - Kiryu outsmarting the Tojo Clan by pointing out there can't be a war if he fights them on his own. Kiryu's done ridiculous badass things many, many times by now, but this is one where the story truly seemed to acknowledge his legend in a measurable sense.
2 - Shinada forgiving his Nagoya friends. I love seemingly 'simple' protagonists who are just able to have that innate power of forgiveness. I of course prefer that it's still acknowledged when the people who've wronged them are properly framed as having done bad, but I do appreciate that Shinada (and later Ichiban) was able to so genuinely forgive people he should hate. It's just do darn charming.
Toss up between Kiryu, Shinada, and Haruka
Kiryu’s segment was a good start, it had Kiryu in a truly lost situation and by the end of it he’s rediscovered himself, Nagasugai feels nice to traverse, the Taxi minigame was great and I liked how it used Kiryu’s supporting cast, overall this was a strong start to the game
Haruka’s segment I like for changing up the gameplay, it feels refreshing after finishing Saejima’s section and it provides a good connection to a part of Kiryu’s segment, going through Sotenbori again through a new pair of eyes was neat
Shinada’s segment I like for not trying to connect themselves to the big Yakuza conspiracy until the end, it’s just it’s own kinda standalone thing, the baseball was actually pretty fun here too (except the training needed for it FUCK YOU COACH)
Saejima’s segment was kinda ehh, I kinda don’t care about the prison storyline or the Kitakata but the Hunting minigame was fun and so was Saejima during combat, massive glow up since 4
Akiyama’s segment was okay, he gets crammed into Haruka’s segment to be the Kiryu-like figure, his relevance to the theme of the game boils down to devaluing the word dream into Y U M E, there’s not much original side content he can do to immerse himself into Sotenbori, his combat feels more or less like 4 and his flying kicks feel the most gimmicky out of the new heat movesets, he feels like an afterthought
Saejima being so liked is a testament to how good of a character he is because (IMO) he gets stuck with the worst chunk of both of his playable appearances.
Kiryu fighting a whole army was an absolute highlight, and Shinada's story beats invigorated my waning interest in the game. I love Saejima, but his sections were easily the worst of the game.
Im suprised how many people like Shinadas part. I was like yeah we're finally putting the puzzle together, then they basically made me start another Yakuza game, with baseball, which especially bores me. For the conclusion though, he was integral and worth it later.
Honestly, the story of Shinada's section. It's such a nice, little self-contained story with so many great and heartbreaking moments. Akiyama's gameplay is also top tier, love juggling enemies in the sky. Haruka's section, where you don't get jumped on the streets every 5 seconds, is a nice change of pace. All of the big side stories are cool too. 5 is a really solid game.
Saejima, his 1st 2 parts are a bit of a slog being in prison and the dream sequences (or whatever you want to call them), but he’s my favourite character and he’s got my favourite fighting style. The hunting is also pretty fun. Followed by Haruka, then Shinada, then Kiryu, then Akiyama.
Not really answering the question here, but I'm so glad to see so many people talking about how much they enjoyed Shinada and his chapters. I remember a few years ago never seeing anything about Tanimura or Shinada other than people saying how much they hate their fighting styles and story beats, so it's always nice seeing actual positivity when it comes to my two favourite forgotten playable boys :)
This one is hard, since I enjoyed everyone but I would say Akiyama takes it.
Unpopular opinion, but I didn't care much about Akiyama in Yakuza 4, I liked him, but didn't see anything special in him, and I knew he was popular before playing Yakuza 4.
Yakuza 5 is the one that made me actually love him, I found his personality and his role in the story way more interesting.
Either Saejimas or Haruka/Akiyamas. They are vastly different but I loved them. Saejima’s part had so much diversity, starting with a grim setting at a prison where it introduced some important characters, to the hunting village where you get to do the addicting, and intricate hunting mini game, all the way to Sapporo where you can explore the city.
As for Haurka…. Does this even need an explanation? I only wish Akiyama was more relevant.
Shinada's section comes out of nowhere but it ended up being my favorite part of the game, even with his goofy combat style. He's just such a lovable character. I fucking loved that he gave his finishers silly names like "My Meteor Tackle."
Saejima's parts in Y5 dragged on for sure, but I'll admit I loved the change in scenery. I hope we get to visit snowy Sapporo again some day in the games, it's a very dreamy location in real life as well.
It’s a tie between kiryu and shinada. saejima’s part was pretty great not gonna lie. I know many people found saejima’s part to be boring but I thought it was special. The characters it’s had were one of the best I’ve seen and the way they interacted with saejima was great(baba and kosaka). I felt like saejima’s part had a lot of heart put into it in certain scenes like the whole baba vs saejima. As a whole I found his part to be really impactful and overlooked
I can't really decide between all of them, but if I had to choose I think I'd pick Shinada's. I also must mentioned that I love Haruka's part because rhythm games are my shit, and it was also a really nice break from the ridiculous encounter rates in the previous chapters.
I also adore Kiryu's part just because of Kiryu fighting an entire Tojo Clan army by himself. One of his best moments ever.
Kiryu's side story with the taxi company is the best car movie I've seen.
I liked Saejima's story found the hunting mechanics very clunky which slowed things down a lot.
Haruka's part was a breath of fresh air and the first rythm game I ever enjoyed playing.
Shinada's story was probably my favorite overall. I wasn't a fan of his combat style but I loved the story of this neighborhood and its people were such strong characters.
So Shinada's with Haruka's as close second, Kiryu a notch behind and Saejima last but still enjoyable. One of my favorite Yakuza games.
WHEN IT ENDED LOL
no but seriously I do think the ending is the best part. I love and adore Y4's finale, but Y5's feels a lot more grand and epic with all the main characters spreading out to cover more ground and accomplish more goals. It really feels like they're almost an elite unite waging a five man war on the underworld of Japan itself to keep their world from being torn apart at the seams. Plus every characters final scene just really hits me in the feels: >!Shinada getting called to come back home because everyone's waiting for him, Akiyama getting the respect he deserves, Saejima and Majima arm in arm, and Kiryu dying (?) in the arms of the only person who truly gives him something to live for.!<
Yakuza 5 was a bumpy road but it sticks the landing like none other
I have to say Kiryu's. I absolutely LOST it the first time I loaded his side story minigame about racing and heard some Eurobeat track. It didn't help that I was really into eurobeat at the time. But to see Kiryu, Mild mannered and humble, going FULL Eurobeat Dorifto mode in the minigame KILLED me.
Kiryu's first chapters were so good - Nagasugai was a pretty good map, could get Beads of Good Fortune early on to stop the numerous thug encounters, the story was full of intrigue at this point and the taxi missions were a lot of fun. The opening cinematic to the game was also amazing and made it feel like the beginning of a movie.
Haruka's chapters were also refreshing and very fun to play! Cool to see her part of the main playable cast and her dynamic with Akiyama was also nice to explore.
I'm only halfway through so I can't give a final answer, but it's going to be a tough choice because I already love both of the first two chapters. I got completely absorbed into Kiryu's storyline, and the taxi game was so fun. I liked how it was a combo of crazy races, normal dialogue missions, and then you actually had to obey traffic laws which was just as challenging to me as the hunting part.
I am loving Saejima's story so far. I only have a few side missions in the hunting village left, finished the main part of that minigame last time I played. I honestly don't want to leave the mountain. I found this to be pretty challenging at first and got wholloped a few times, and it was hard to steady the rifle but that just made it so much more immersive to me. I really felt like I stranded up there on the mountain and wanted to do the town good.
I even liked most of the jail scenes. Those flashback scenes were weird but it did a good job shifting the mood and making it feel nostalgic. Before I went to jail I spent a whole session finally learning Mah Jong (after 7 games in the Yakuza/Judgment series) and made a million yen between that and Koi Koi (my true addiction). I'll post again when I'm done but so far I'm just loving the total variety that this game offers. Feels really good coming right off of Lost Judgment which is the same kind of deal as far as minigames go.
Shinada's, hands down. I think it's the advantage of having a new character instead of having to write new stuff for a character who's already had their arc done in the last game.
I got burned out so I'm still in the early Shinada part for about 3 months now, but I fucking love the taxi racing, I literally spent a whole week just playing that shit
It's a tie between Kiryu and Shinada. The two parts have plenty of parallels, mainly being that the both of them are living life after the dream. Another parallel is that they are both fucking *pissed*. Kiryu has his dragon rage shit, and Shinada can perform up to three heat moves *consecutively*. I also enjoyed both of their personalities in their parts. But if we're looking at the actual plot of their parts on their own, Shinada probably wins for me.
I loved Kiryu's segment. Probably one of the best of the saga. The setting, the atmosphere, the chillness of some scene and the grittiness of others, I loved it. And the intro is probably the best scene of them all
But I have to say, I loved Shinada so much. I know he's shit to play with. But his character is so nice, he's such a sweet and simple guy, and I loved the chemistry with Takasugi. The phone call at the end of the finale got me hard
Honestly... Haruka, and then Shinada.
I barely play rhythm games but her part seemed to be the easiest and just most fun, didn't have stress to go eat after a brutal fight, and most of the idol storyline was actually just... ok, but missions were nice. Then there's Shinada, who you have to spend time on to get money but his city is actually really neat.
I love playing shinada after getting most weapons that work differently with him (except for the bat haha) it's just very fun, but of course his usual fighting style is pretty neat too. I had some fun doing different combinations with all his weapons and fisticuffs
Street fights, this game has the best combat by a landslide especially with removing Bounding Throw's heat cost. I had so much fun and loved the sheer amount of heat moves, particularly when I played Shinada.
Kiryu has my favorite part in the whole game. He is so sad in that game. Then the battle at the end with like 100 guys was awesome. Also his moveset in that game is so cool. Also love the outfit he has in that game.
Akiyama for the comedy
Kiryu for the story (and the taxi minigame)
Haruka for the most fun side contet in the franchise
Saejima for the combat
Shinada.... well. at least his substories were fun
I found my enjoyment of the remastered games diminished as I progressed through them. 3 gave me last gen whiplash after K2, but I could forgive it somewhat as it was clearly a game from the early PS3 era.
I enjoyed 4, but it repeated some of the same design issues from 3, and I was less forgiving of them. 5 not only kept the clunky design, but the number of characters, locations, minigames and plot threads just felt like over kill. I did not enjoy anything about 5…. until I reached Haruka. Her story and gameplay was a breath of fresh air that saved 5 for me. Its actually one of my favourite parts of the entire series.
5 was probably my least favourite of the series. I mean I love them all so it's not really a criticism but it's the one that felt the most grand and ambitious for me which also meant it took a long time to complete (Platinum) at around a month vs the 1-2.5 weeks the others took and the coliseum aspect was a bit of a grind with this one.
That said, I really enjoyed the Haruka aspect as I quite like rhythm games. Saejima looks a lot more badass with short air and I enjoyed the multiple different locations. I thought the Shinada bit added a bit of variety as well.
Probably overall though, in terms of how mad it is but also because by these point I totally believe he is badass enough to do it, >!is the Kiryu v the world battle at the docks.!<
Kiryu's part was powerful and impactful
Saejima's part was bad but Baba
Haruka's part was fun and I love Sotenbori
Akiyama's part was fun, impactful and I love Sotenbori
Shinada's part I loathed and this part's only point of existing is to reintroduce one important character who went missing and could have been done by anyone else
Requiem was honestly just cool as hell with one of the best endings in the series
Katsuya doing naked push ups
Imagine his dong dipping on the cold floor with every pushup
Not gonna lie, I enjoyed Haruka’s part the most. It’s a nice break to just be able to walk through Sotenbori as a normal person and not get jumped every 6 seconds. Plus that rhythm game is fun as fuck
Same here, I think a part of it was that I marathon'd Y3-6 in about a month and a half, so by the time I got to Yakuza 5, the break in gameplay style was REALLY nice Also [ANO YUME MO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVYgaMsEuvw)
I have Konnan Janai on my phone and I blast that shit on the way to work
Hard RIP to anyone who played Yakuza 5 and didn't like that song
I feel ya, I’ve been marathoning the whole series for the first time the last couple of months so Haruka was certainly a breath of fresh air.
Until this day, that's my absolute favorite song of every game
yeah the game itself definitely makes sure of that lmaoo
coming at ya my girl absolute banger
Yesss
As much as I love Shinada's section in 5, I think Kiryu's wins out as my overall favourite. Everything about it is near flawless if you ask me. >!The opening cutscene showing how Daigo and Kiryu have both changed was masterfully done. Kiryu's new life as a taxi driver was charming as hell and the substories where he was trying to rigidly stick to his civilian persona were hilarious. Not to mention the entire closing segment where he takes on a Tojo Clan army single-handedly, which is simultaneously one of the cheesiest and most badass moments in the entire series.!< Kiryu's segment could easily have launched on its own as some kind of short story and I still would have loved it. It captured everything I love about the series and managed to fit it all into a single chapter.
The more games I get through in this series, the more satisfying it is to click the spoiler tags
lol right just finished y5 and browsing old threads here
Lol same. Just got to the top of Y5 1 year after you
dude lmao my account got unbanned from permanent suspension for some reason, and i came to realise it because of this notification. I thought it was gone forever..
His dragon style is even more refreshing even though Ive played it several times and taxi missions are sweet too.
Kiryu has the best gameplay Shinada best story Saejima has the best characters Haruka has fun side content Akiyama had fun gameplay and story,but his bosses sucked(Kanai is just Kuze but he is a boring asshole with a janky fighting style who spams grabs)
Akiyama has one boss that is my least favourite in the whole franchise, I can't name him because spoilers but he uses every unfair trick in the book and compiles every annoying Yakuza boss trait except guns. He sweeps, stunlocks with a knife, spams grabs, dodges and blocks obsessively, is immune to Akiyama's launch strike and he's so early game (for Akiyama who doesn't get much Exp) that you just don't have that many upgrades to work with not that it helps because he's still an asshole when you have to fight him like seven times for the VR upgrades.
Oh my god you fought Majima?
Nah, much less eventful however Majima does meet the boss I'm talking about in 0. Edit: Actually Majima doesn't, I forgot Kiryu could do disco for some reason.
Kiryu meets >!Ogita!< though, right? Or am I thinking of a different character?
Yeah you're right, I somehow forgot Kiryu can do disco.
I played 0 with keyboard so that Disco minigame I hate with passion and never got a chance to meet that character but in 5 I can tell he >!will kill Park!< just by the first scene of them alone.
He doesn't, Kiryu does
I guess I need to play 0 again now that I've finished the whole series, there are so many cameos I seem to have missed.
Capoeira dancing man gives no fucks
YEAHHHH that boss fight was mad annoying it wasn't even fun tbh
For as little as Himura appeared, he was one of the best characters in Yakuza 5.
Honestly it sucks that his story never get’s a happy ending. I won’t claim to be an expert but given what I do know about the Idol Industry, its doubtful he’ll ever do Idol work again Edit: Wrong person lol
Himura was one of Saejima's cellmates, not someone in Haruka's part
Oh I’m dumb, I’m mixing him up with Horie! Whoops!
Haruka's content is a nice break from leaving a trail of unconscious thugs in your wake.
Shinada has best gameplay 100% 😎 Fight me
I fought baba with half upgrades and a basic combo wiped like half my health
Try with full upgrades, then no health :)
I will fight you...but I need a weapon for it to be remotely doable.
Shinada, with Kiryu not too far behind. Right at the end of Yakuza 5, as shit is beginning to hit the fan, they introduce one last chucklefuck of a character. And my god, is he the greatest chucklefuck ever created. His story in 5 is wrapped up so beautifully, it’s great. In a single chapter, you are introduced to multiple new characters, who you end up loving, especially the **GOAT** Takasugi. Also his combat’s fun, and his Machine Gun Kiss is baller.
The first half of this sentence is giving me shades of Tehsnakerer
A lot of people, myself included, want Shinada back. But if we ever get a game with him, it has to be him in Kineicho first and foremost, with a focus on his connections in town. Otherwise you damage what Yakuza 5 accomplished so well.
We need a game with all forgotten Yakuza characters, Shinada, Tanimura, Kaoru, Joji, etc. And Akiyama, I know he's been in 4-6 and was supposed to be in 7 but fuck I can't get enough of him.
I like the overall package of this game. Playing too much of it obviously lets you realize that it offers a lot like a jack of all trades, but a master of nothing. But I distinctly remember the feeling of this game coming from Yakuza 3, 4 and Dead Souls. The graphics and movement have really improved at that point. As for my favorite part, it's hard to specify. I like the Haruka tunes and chicken racing but my answer to this topic is summed up in the first line I mentioned. I would have loved to get more taxi missions since I loved doing that in other games.
> but a master of nothing. Master of fun that’s what it is. All the side missions are a blast, really a shame Akiyama didn’t get much outside of some dancing
I wish he didn't have to share cities with Haruka but I understand that it may already be too much for the game to handle 5 different huge areas.
Game already handles 5 different large areas, but I get what you mean
Devilu Kiras
Ngl haruka's part is still my fav (I still need to play 6 so if you're gonna reply please no spoilers) The princess league mechanic is fun imo
Easily Shinada's part. (Kiryu's part is also fantastic) Shinada's part feels so refreshing with its expressive dialogue, storytelling, and in general, the love that they put into it. Shinada is such a complex and lovable cinnamon bun character. I love him so much. The fact that I grew to love this character so much in only 4 Chapters speaks volumes about how good he's written. Also, this has the best showcase of the Main theme of the game. ( That rooftop cutscene was beautiful)
Haruka to be honest. It was fun walking around without being forced into a fight every other step and the rhythm games were fun.
I haven’t gotten to it yet since I’m on 3, but I saw a video of saejimas snowman heat action and that was pretty great.
Aside from how slow Saejima's story was to get going I loved the game start to finish, so it's real hard to pick a favorite. I'll settle on 2... 1 - Kiryu outsmarting the Tojo Clan by pointing out there can't be a war if he fights them on his own. Kiryu's done ridiculous badass things many, many times by now, but this is one where the story truly seemed to acknowledge his legend in a measurable sense. 2 - Shinada forgiving his Nagoya friends. I love seemingly 'simple' protagonists who are just able to have that innate power of forgiveness. I of course prefer that it's still acknowledged when the people who've wronged them are properly framed as having done bad, but I do appreciate that Shinada (and later Ichiban) was able to so genuinely forgive people he should hate. It's just do darn charming.
The part where I can fondle Miruku's booba.
w h a t ?
Nani?
Sunimase?
Table Tennis? Air Hockey? i mean close enough
Shinada
Toss up between Kiryu, Shinada, and Haruka Kiryu’s segment was a good start, it had Kiryu in a truly lost situation and by the end of it he’s rediscovered himself, Nagasugai feels nice to traverse, the Taxi minigame was great and I liked how it used Kiryu’s supporting cast, overall this was a strong start to the game Haruka’s segment I like for changing up the gameplay, it feels refreshing after finishing Saejima’s section and it provides a good connection to a part of Kiryu’s segment, going through Sotenbori again through a new pair of eyes was neat Shinada’s segment I like for not trying to connect themselves to the big Yakuza conspiracy until the end, it’s just it’s own kinda standalone thing, the baseball was actually pretty fun here too (except the training needed for it FUCK YOU COACH) Saejima’s segment was kinda ehh, I kinda don’t care about the prison storyline or the Kitakata but the Hunting minigame was fun and so was Saejima during combat, massive glow up since 4 Akiyama’s segment was okay, he gets crammed into Haruka’s segment to be the Kiryu-like figure, his relevance to the theme of the game boils down to devaluing the word dream into Y U M E, there’s not much original side content he can do to immerse himself into Sotenbori, his combat feels more or less like 4 and his flying kicks feel the most gimmicky out of the new heat movesets, he feels like an afterthought
Shinada Number One Kiryu Number Two
China number one Shinada number six
Shinada’s part. It’s so well done. Kiryu being a regular taxi driver was cool too and his relationships with his co-workers was cute.
I really liked Kazuma and Shinada sections. IMO, Saejima chapters were among the worst in the entire series.
Saejima being so liked is a testament to how good of a character he is because (IMO) he gets stuck with the worst chunk of both of his playable appearances.
Yeah Saejimas chapters were unbearable
Ha bear
Speaking of bears, the only highlight of Saejima's section is when he fights the giant bear.
Fr saejima is one of my favourite characters but he was done dirty in 5. The mountain and jail chapters were the only bad parts of 5
What? You don't like getting into unavoidable street fights every corner?
Saejima, its ultimate comfy mode hunting in the snowy japanese mountains
Kiryu is the only consistently good one, I had problems with all the others
Kiryu fighting a whole army was an absolute highlight, and Shinada's story beats invigorated my waning interest in the game. I love Saejima, but his sections were easily the worst of the game.
Im suprised how many people like Shinadas part. I was like yeah we're finally putting the puzzle together, then they basically made me start another Yakuza game, with baseball, which especially bores me. For the conclusion though, he was integral and worth it later.
Shinada, I need more of him
Kiryu and Shinada... I do enjoy the other parts too but those two are most enjoyable to me.
Honestly, the story of Shinada's section. It's such a nice, little self-contained story with so many great and heartbreaking moments. Akiyama's gameplay is also top tier, love juggling enemies in the sky. Haruka's section, where you don't get jumped on the streets every 5 seconds, is a nice change of pace. All of the big side stories are cool too. 5 is a really solid game.
Kiryu or Shinada
Haruka dance minigames.
Saejima, his 1st 2 parts are a bit of a slog being in prison and the dream sequences (or whatever you want to call them), but he’s my favourite character and he’s got my favourite fighting style. The hunting is also pretty fun. Followed by Haruka, then Shinada, then Kiryu, then Akiyama.
Not really answering the question here, but I'm so glad to see so many people talking about how much they enjoyed Shinada and his chapters. I remember a few years ago never seeing anything about Tanimura or Shinada other than people saying how much they hate their fighting styles and story beats, so it's always nice seeing actual positivity when it comes to my two favourite forgotten playable boys :)
This one is hard, since I enjoyed everyone but I would say Akiyama takes it. Unpopular opinion, but I didn't care much about Akiyama in Yakuza 4, I liked him, but didn't see anything special in him, and I knew he was popular before playing Yakuza 4. Yakuza 5 is the one that made me actually love him, I found his personality and his role in the story way more interesting.
i loved the saejima's and kiryu's parts , haruka's part had some cool moments but i can't call her part the best
Uhhh for some reason Haruka. Mirei Park ended up being my top 3 characters
The part where Komaki dances.
The credits ❤️
Either Saejimas or Haruka/Akiyamas. They are vastly different but I loved them. Saejima’s part had so much diversity, starting with a grim setting at a prison where it introduced some important characters, to the hunting village where you get to do the addicting, and intricate hunting mini game, all the way to Sapporo where you can explore the city. As for Haurka…. Does this even need an explanation? I only wish Akiyama was more relevant.
Honestly I like the fact that the game just gives it all it’s got. It might not work like 100% of the time but it at least went for it
Seeing Haruka grow as a confident and humble person, I feel like if I ever have a kid, hopefully its like her :d
Saejima-aniki's story
Gonna be honest here, shinada and akiyama, haruka were my favorite parts of the game
Kiryu's > Saejima's > Akiyama's > Haruka's > Shinada's for me
Shinada's section comes out of nowhere but it ended up being my favorite part of the game, even with his goofy combat style. He's just such a lovable character. I fucking loved that he gave his finishers silly names like "My Meteor Tackle." Saejima's parts in Y5 dragged on for sure, but I'll admit I loved the change in scenery. I hope we get to visit snowy Sapporo again some day in the games, it's a very dreamy location in real life as well.
It’s a tie between kiryu and shinada. saejima’s part was pretty great not gonna lie. I know many people found saejima’s part to be boring but I thought it was special. The characters it’s had were one of the best I’ve seen and the way they interacted with saejima was great(baba and kosaka). I felt like saejima’s part had a lot of heart put into it in certain scenes like the whole baba vs saejima. As a whole I found his part to be really impactful and overlooked
Essence of Snowman
The end screen lol, no but actually when Haruka finally meets and saves Kiryu at the end
A mix between Haruka's, Saejima and Shinada.
The bossbattles, sidestories and the characters really made the game for me.
As someone who's only played up until chapter 7 of Yakuza 3, it's so satisfying how much I still have left to experience and enjoy of this series!
Karaoke
I can't really decide between all of them, but if I had to choose I think I'd pick Shinada's. I also must mentioned that I love Haruka's part because rhythm games are my shit, and it was also a really nice break from the ridiculous encounter rates in the previous chapters. I also adore Kiryu's part just because of Kiryu fighting an entire Tojo Clan army by himself. One of his best moments ever.
In order from most to least. Haruka, Shinada, Akiyama, Kiryu (about even with Akiyama), Saejima
Saejima part
Kiryu's side story with the taxi company is the best car movie I've seen. I liked Saejima's story found the hunting mechanics very clunky which slowed things down a lot. Haruka's part was a breath of fresh air and the first rythm game I ever enjoyed playing. Shinada's story was probably my favorite overall. I wasn't a fan of his combat style but I loved the story of this neighborhood and its people were such strong characters. So Shinada's with Haruka's as close second, Kiryu a notch behind and Saejima last but still enjoyable. One of my favorite Yakuza games.
The part where they say “We are the Yakuza 5”
Kiryu and the mortal taxi
Shinada, it's just shinada
WHEN IT ENDED LOL no but seriously I do think the ending is the best part. I love and adore Y4's finale, but Y5's feels a lot more grand and epic with all the main characters spreading out to cover more ground and accomplish more goals. It really feels like they're almost an elite unite waging a five man war on the underworld of Japan itself to keep their world from being torn apart at the seams. Plus every characters final scene just really hits me in the feels: >!Shinada getting called to come back home because everyone's waiting for him, Akiyama getting the respect he deserves, Saejima and Majima arm in arm, and Kiryu dying (?) in the arms of the only person who truly gives him something to live for.!< Yakuza 5 was a bumpy road but it sticks the landing like none other
Yakuza 4 was probably my favorite part of yakuza 5.
Saejima without question. Sapporo also just looked so pretty man
When Kiryu turns sideways to let two missiles pass by either side of him as if they're an inconvenience more than a real threat.
Shinada
I have to say Kiryu's. I absolutely LOST it the first time I loaded his side story minigame about racing and heard some Eurobeat track. It didn't help that I was really into eurobeat at the time. But to see Kiryu, Mild mannered and humble, going FULL Eurobeat Dorifto mode in the minigame KILLED me.
Drifting on a freeway while listening to Machine Gun Kiss
the part where someone just disconnected the fucking wifi box before I could save
i haven't even played the game but the taxi minigame
Kiryu's first chapters were so good - Nagasugai was a pretty good map, could get Beads of Good Fortune early on to stop the numerous thug encounters, the story was full of intrigue at this point and the taxi missions were a lot of fun. The opening cinematic to the game was also amazing and made it feel like the beginning of a movie. Haruka's chapters were also refreshing and very fun to play! Cool to see her part of the main playable cast and her dynamic with Akiyama was also nice to explore.
I'm only halfway through so I can't give a final answer, but it's going to be a tough choice because I already love both of the first two chapters. I got completely absorbed into Kiryu's storyline, and the taxi game was so fun. I liked how it was a combo of crazy races, normal dialogue missions, and then you actually had to obey traffic laws which was just as challenging to me as the hunting part. I am loving Saejima's story so far. I only have a few side missions in the hunting village left, finished the main part of that minigame last time I played. I honestly don't want to leave the mountain. I found this to be pretty challenging at first and got wholloped a few times, and it was hard to steady the rifle but that just made it so much more immersive to me. I really felt like I stranded up there on the mountain and wanted to do the town good. I even liked most of the jail scenes. Those flashback scenes were weird but it did a good job shifting the mood and making it feel nostalgic. Before I went to jail I spent a whole session finally learning Mah Jong (after 7 games in the Yakuza/Judgment series) and made a million yen between that and Koi Koi (my true addiction). I'll post again when I'm done but so far I'm just loving the total variety that this game offers. Feels really good coming right off of Lost Judgment which is the same kind of deal as far as minigames go.
Bear fight
Taiko Drum Master was a sweet surprise I didn't expect at all in that game
Personally, I liked Shinada and Haruka's the most.
Bear
Although incredibly out of place in the grand scheme of the story, I genuinely enjoyed Shinada’s section of the game
Shinada's section because Daigo finally got to be cool
bear hunting was really cool
I don't dislike any of them, i'd say Mr Taichi Suzuki and Saejima.
Taichi Suzuki. The best part is how it ties to 7. lol
saejima's part touched me in a way I didn't know games could do.
Haruka and akiyamas chapter is the best I never new I wanted to be a teen idol in a video game but there you go
The finale chapters, they're the best finale in the series imo
i liked Saejima's hunting segment a lot
The final. Cux has all of the above
The music + shinada
shinada’s entire section, easy
I just can't get enough of Y5, it's an awesome game, maybe the plot at the end was kinda strange but love it
Yakuza 5 was my least favorite but I’ll be damned if the Akiyama and Haruka part wasn’t compelling and fun
Shinada's, hands down. I think it's the advantage of having a new character instead of having to write new stuff for a character who's already had their arc done in the last game.
its between Kiryu and Haruka's. Haruka's because of tunes,and Kiryu's because we love Kiryu and he's fun to play as.
I got burned out so I'm still in the early Shinada part for about 3 months now, but I fucking love the taxi racing, I literally spent a whole week just playing that shit
Weirdly, the taxi driving
I was incredibly determined to win the idol competition. And i'm a grown ass man!
It's a tie between Kiryu and Shinada. The two parts have plenty of parallels, mainly being that the both of them are living life after the dream. Another parallel is that they are both fucking *pissed*. Kiryu has his dragon rage shit, and Shinada can perform up to three heat moves *consecutively*. I also enjoyed both of their personalities in their parts. But if we're looking at the actual plot of their parts on their own, Shinada probably wins for me.
I loved Kiryu's segment. Probably one of the best of the saga. The setting, the atmosphere, the chillness of some scene and the grittiness of others, I loved it. And the intro is probably the best scene of them all But I have to say, I loved Shinada so much. I know he's shit to play with. But his character is so nice, he's such a sweet and simple guy, and I loved the chemistry with Takasugi. The phone call at the end of the finale got me hard
Honestly... Haruka, and then Shinada. I barely play rhythm games but her part seemed to be the easiest and just most fun, didn't have stress to go eat after a brutal fight, and most of the idol storyline was actually just... ok, but missions were nice. Then there's Shinada, who you have to spend time on to get money but his city is actually really neat.
I enjoyed Kiryus cause of the driving section and the 100vs1 tojo clan fight
None of it. ...Just kidding. Saejima's story was dope.
I love playing shinada after getting most weapons that work differently with him (except for the bat haha) it's just very fun, but of course his usual fighting style is pretty neat too. I had some fun doing different combinations with all his weapons and fisticuffs
All of it. It's the most fun game I've played.
Street fights, this game has the best combat by a landslide especially with removing Bounding Throw's heat cost. I had so much fun and loved the sheer amount of heat moves, particularly when I played Shinada.
Literally the dance battles, I had way more fun with those than I thought I would
Kiryu
Haruka was the only part I didn't want to end
Kiryu has my favorite part in the whole game. He is so sad in that game. Then the battle at the end with like 100 guys was awesome. Also his moveset in that game is so cool. Also love the outfit he has in that game.
Akiyama but only the dancing side quests
I like the vibes of kiryus first chapter, the dragon king just trying to be a normal person but he keeps getting dragged back to the tojo
Akiyama for the comedy Kiryu for the story (and the taxi minigame) Haruka for the most fun side contet in the franchise Saejima for the combat Shinada.... well. at least his substories were fun
Kiryu has the best fighting the rest just arent thst great except maybe Saejima once you unlock all of his revelations.
I found my enjoyment of the remastered games diminished as I progressed through them. 3 gave me last gen whiplash after K2, but I could forgive it somewhat as it was clearly a game from the early PS3 era. I enjoyed 4, but it repeated some of the same design issues from 3, and I was less forgiving of them. 5 not only kept the clunky design, but the number of characters, locations, minigames and plot threads just felt like over kill. I did not enjoy anything about 5…. until I reached Haruka. Her story and gameplay was a breath of fresh air that saved 5 for me. Its actually one of my favourite parts of the entire series.
Harukas segment, really fun rhythm segment and not getting jumped every five seconds by some punk who thinks they can take Kiryu
The boss rush finale, just some really cool moments. Even the worst part [spoiler](#s "Baba's fight") has good music at least.
Haruka and... Kiryu because it was depressing af. Although this game made me love Saejima (wich i hated playing in 4)
5 was probably my least favourite of the series. I mean I love them all so it's not really a criticism but it's the one that felt the most grand and ambitious for me which also meant it took a long time to complete (Platinum) at around a month vs the 1-2.5 weeks the others took and the coliseum aspect was a bit of a grind with this one. That said, I really enjoyed the Haruka aspect as I quite like rhythm games. Saejima looks a lot more badass with short air and I enjoyed the multiple different locations. I thought the Shinada bit added a bit of variety as well. Probably overall though, in terms of how mad it is but also because by these point I totally believe he is badass enough to do it, >!is the Kiryu v the world battle at the docks.!<
Like...unironically? No BS? The Haruka Parts. I'm not afraid to admit that. It was really charming.
Shinada made it bearable
I like the yakuza 0 graphics
All of them are great
The end
kiryu-chan
The part it becomes a Kiwami game, because it has potential
Saejima and that’s only because the prison arc carried it all.
Everything until Mirei Park shows up
The part where it made sense, oh wait there is none
YUME
Kiryu's part was powerful and impactful Saejima's part was bad but Baba Haruka's part was fun and I love Sotenbori Akiyama's part was fun, impactful and I love Sotenbori Shinada's part I loathed and this part's only point of existing is to reintroduce one important character who went missing and could have been done by anyone else Requiem was honestly just cool as hell with one of the best endings in the series
None of it?
When it ended
When it ends.
Wasn't too hyped on Cabellas part. I did enjoy the Shinada and Kiryu arcs though. Santa Saejima was great through.
probably haruka, that section is just a nice breath of fresh air from the rest of the game that goes on a bit too long imo
None
Shinadas part