Baseless Pitch: A New Yakuza Spin Off

On a previous post I mentioned about spin offs for the Yakuza series. After some deliberation I wanted to take a spin of writing up what I felt would be a good idea for a Yakuza spin off. I wanted to go over how the game would work, what combat would be used, some of the characters and a brief overview of the plot. 

One thing I wanted to do with this was use elements from both the Yakuza and Judgement series be it setting or characters there's a lot of things that can be used in the series we haven't seen or used for a while which can really help not create everything from scratch (plus some good old nostalgia bait to boost sales never hurt).

While I will go over the plot a bit later I would want this spin off to focus around Tianyou Zhao and the Yokohama Liumang. This was mainly due to Zhao being one of my favourite characters in Like a Dragon and the Liumang being an interesting group one with enough depth behind the scenes and what we haven't seen to develop into a game (especially out of the three groups that make up the Ijin Three). I think as a character and as a group they have a lot of potential which I will get into when it comes to the plot. But first of all I want to cover the gameplay and combat for this hypothetical game. 

Gameplay & Combat
Starting with Combat the idea I have is very much a halfway house of Like a Dragon & Judgement. In the sense that you have a party but the combat is not turn based.

I will assume from here you are up to date with ass of the Yakuza & Judgement series I won't spoil plot details only instances for comparisons. But in both Judgement games you have parts of the game where you are accompanied by Kaito, Higashi & Sugiura as all four battle enemies. What I want is a system like this all game. You have a party of 4 to pick from a host of characters each with strengths and weaknesses and weapons of choice but you only control Zhao and while team up heat actions are still a thing its up to you to craft your best team which will help you win. Obviously you can charge through the game ignoring your allies leaving them to die and slash your way through with Zhao's sword or work to improve them and their weapons in level up systems. 

In a sense you have the level up system of Like a Dragon paired with a more weapon heavy version of the combat of Judgement. This way you can level up characters you think would work well for your style of play while retaining the ability to chose and not be locked into a turn based format (which while I love I can understand people's reservations with). Do you prefer to play with weak attacks yourself but be able to doge a lot of attacks from enemies or do you go all out attack full power mode and try to take the enemy down before your underleveled health gets the best of you a skill tree for Zhao and his allies for this works the best. With basic attributes such as Health, Attack, Defence, Agility & Heat as examples it can make deciding how each character will play work for you should you wish to ignore how the stats for these characters in game already is and want to go it your own way. Player choice is key in this so what you have is a game style where anyone can play it how they want.

Now in relation to weapons being a key part of combat it makes perfect sense to bring back Kamiyama Works in this hypothetical game. If the game features around characters and the weapons they use for combat then having a system to buy new weapons and improve/level up for each character. It makes sense instead of creating something new for the game we can use something we know exists in world and can work in this situation. Just a nice part of world building. 

Plot and Setting 

I would use either the map for Onomichi or Sotenbori but expand the map is and what you can do as while both maps have some features I think we can now look to enhance what you can do and the places you can see and visit on these maps. I did debate the one time places uses in Yakuza 5 but I found them all quite plane. Something keeps pulling me to use Sotenbori is a significant map that has nothing really of note there anymore ready for a protagonist to make themselves associated with this map which it hasn't really ever had with the exception of Majima in 0 who was literally stuck there. When I am visualising the map and story in my head it works more with Sotenbori for ease of use I feel with Onomichi you have to shoehorn in the Hirose Family and I don't have a way to work them into the story so as a place holder because I'm not 100% decided where the game would be set Sotenbori will be used as a placeholder. 

In reference to Sotenbori (if we use this as the map) it has retained its name of being an entertainment capital but in a sense it is a lawless place. While the Omi kept some order there before now not so much. Each club or bar has it's own guard and most restaurants seems to have reinforced the glass windows. While more calm during the day but not perfect at night Sotenbori can turn into a place where anyone who wants to make an impact in the criminal underworld will try to move in causing all sorts of chaos. After all to them this is now free real estate ready to be bullied and forced into being their launching pad. This is what also causes it to be the targeted place for the antagonists of this game. 

Zhao informed that in Sotenbori disturbances and crimes are being carried out by the ‘Shin Liumang’ which goes against how the Liumang have changed to operate now looking to help Chinese immigrants safe and helping them learn and develop to new surroundings. In order to resolve this Zhao departs with Tesso to Sotenbori where they first begin to take in the sights. They can mention here a 'Sotenbori Expansion Project' just to explain the larger map for a familiar setting. Not long after they arrive they are jumped by the Shin Liumang to give us our first taste of combat. Tesso remarks that the Shin Liumang are more violent in how they attack going straight for weapons based offence over anything else and if they keep up eventually his and Zhao's weapons will break soon leaving them open to attack. The first chapter of the game I'd mainly use to explore the map and establish combat. The chapter would end with Zhao and Tesso getting captured to end it.

Here we set up are forces of good a band of ex-Yakuza and gang members banding together to try and stop the Shin Liumang. This hideout will be mainly where the previously mentioned Kamiyama Works and where we get the newest party member in Takeshi Kido from Yakuza 4. For arguments sake I end up looking at this as a legacy game and one where we can bring in parts and characters from all over the RGG stories and when looking for someone to bring back from the classic Yakuza from an older game which isn't a major character so sorry Tanimura fans I wouldn't have him here (I'd have him in Judgement 3 instead). I decided on Kido as we don't really know what he's up to since Arai went to prison and while he was a supporting character in Yakuza 4 I think it would be nice to see him back he's an important enough character who's alive that having them in here doesn't break the world around them. As part of this group Zhao & Tesso work with new allies (some of which I will talk about in the Characters section below) in order to uncover the mysteries surrounding the Shin Liumang. 

The Shin Liumang and their whole M.O is that they felt the Yokohama Liumang lacked the killer instance they have and that they just wanted to protect Chinese immigrants in Yokohama and keep them safe. They should've seen how quick they gained power as a sign they could take out the Yakuza and well now Japan has done that for them anyway they can walk in once they crush the resistance to them in Sotenbori the rest of Japan is next. Through this we can set up the return of exiled characters like Akira Mabuchi & Zheng (of which I would have the former be a boss) in order for us to conclude their story with Zhao. In respect to Mabuchi I do think his story should end with him sacrificing himself to save Zhao revealing key details of the man behind the Shin Liumang and giving them closure and he can also say he saw Zhao as a brother but his onw twisted goals and mind refused to ever let him see it like that. 

Once everything has been settled Zhao decides to step away from the Yokohama Liumang passing leadership on and returning to Sotenbori to help repair the damaged caused. Zhao realises that the only way to rebuild any image of the Liumang is through action they must act as a force for good wherever they are and as such he moves to Sotenbori.

Characters

Now I left some key characters being introduced not very well explained above so I want to go into them in more details here. While I can't go into detail of every character that would be in the game I think it's important to go over some of the major players new and returning that would form part of the game.

The first character is that of the lead women of this resistance group. Much like how Daigo sets up a security based company she looked to do something similar heading up a program to reintroduce these guys and girls back into society and planned to set up some form of community outreach system to bring them fully back into society. That has been put on hold and her group really is the only think keeping the Shin Liumang at bay. I see the arc ending with the her group or what's left of it being a publicly backed neighbourhood watch like group. Set up to protect Sotenbori as while the police are in disarray and haven't done much they city feels as a whole they can rely on them to step up and help out those in need and in times of crisis. While it's similar to a security firm and I understand that this is more a publicly funded Neighbourhood watch on steroids then a private security firm for hire. Especially with the previous description of how Sotenbori is lawless at nights with law enforcement seemingly abandoning it. 

As far as legacy characters to be team members in terms of weapons I can't think of many better than Ryo Suzaki. Judgement's Cane Man would very much be the part character known for his versatility. I'd set him up to join the team early arguably the one to join a little while after Kido to round up the team of four so players can get use to the dynamics of the fighting in the game. I'd imagine the versatility of the cane he uses you could allow players to chose between sword, knife, pole staff, gun and baton each with different strengths and weaknesses which players could really use Suzaki as someone who can fits many roles in the team plus I always thought out of any allies Yagami made in the friends system he was head and shoulders above the rest. 

The person Zhao names as his successor would also be a key supporting character. While not someone who joins in the combat he is in constant contact in checking in that the Yokohama Liumang are ok and noticed they are achieving more thanks to a change in leadership and someone brining new ideas to what they can do for Yokohama. Seeing how a change in leadership and philosophy can help the Liumang especially post the events of Like a Dragon which influences his decision at the end of the game.

As far as party members I would like the choice of 7 extra party members with the ability of 3 with you at all times. While I can't think two new characters for the party I do have one. Shin Liumang will have several lieutenants (one being Akira Mabuchi) and over the course of the story one of them joins up with Zhao and helping to stop what she was part of showing remorse and regret with her helping the main team into a key place for the Shin Liumang. For this character I imagine her as a more ranged attacked with the weapons she has being able to be upgraded in order to inflict some kind of damage similar to how being Poisoned in Pokémon where it chips away at health. The boss fight would have her work with a wall of Shin Liumang members that work to cover her while she attacks from afar. I think it's a smart idea to mix up how characters attack give a balance to gameplay and a reason to change who you use should that be a preference and with no exclusive ranged attacker it makes sense to incorporate one. 

As far as the main antagonist and the leader of the Shin Liumang I feel he needs to be something of a polar opposite to Zhao as where Zhao is caring to his companions the antagonist who uses everyone as pawns for his goal. He is someone who believes the Liumang should not look to simply co-exist but take over and do so by any means necessary. If anything he is like Walhart from Fire Emblem Awakening. A man who won't let anyone stand in his way,  calculated and ruthless he represents someone obsessed with power manipulating all around him and causing as much damage as he can. I want to set him up as both an intimidating villain and one you want to stop.

Conclusion

All in all just on a rough idea alone I think this shows the sheer scope of what Ryu Ga Gotoku have at their disposal. From the games and characters they have created I was able to come up with a new story which features new and old characters and influenced by their stories as well as an established setting in the series. Above all else this shows how a spin off game could be made and different to what is on offer in what they do. While I understand the short comings of what I have pitched and what would be a large reliance of nostalgia bait I do think that Yakuza does have room for another spin off what the main point is would be finding a story that works and a way to make this game different but feel like it works in this universe and with such a great cast of characters on the side it makes sense to me to work them into the universe as a whole once again to get their full stories. Either way regardless of the plot if have come up with or something entirely different Ryu Ga Gotoku has a universe that is ripe with potential for even more games set around the stories of other characters that aren't Kiryu, Ichiban and Yagami it's just a case of creating the most compelling ones.