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Yakuza is a beloved franchise with numerous adaptations. Here are all the playable Yakuza characters ranked.
Over the years, there have been 8 mainline Yakuza games that have included the classic brawler action gameplay and have refined the formula. Multiple protagonists have been a part of these games as playable characters with unique fighting styles, and one title featured up to five protagonists.
Here is our list ranking all of the playable characters in the brawler action Yakuza games.
6) Tatsuo Shinada
Shinada is a fan-favorite character, but he sadly made only a single playable appearance in Yakuza 5, with his story arc also ending in that game. Just like Tanimura, he also features a fast-paced playstyle that revolves around using various weapons in between combos.
His kit is also heavily based on grab attacks. Overall, Shinada is a really hard character to learn, but the fun factor for his gameplay is just not there when you compare it with other protagonists like Kiryu or Majima.
5) Masayoshi Tanimura
Masayoshi Tanimura has only appeared once in the entire franchise, in Yakuza 4. His gameplay is also quite fast-paced, similar to Shinada’s. His fighting style revolves completely around parrying your enemies and using heat actions.
While his basic combos are pretty simple and not too hard to pull off, Tanimura can also perform small juggles with his kick attacks. If you love parrying in games, then you’re absolutely going to enjoy your time with Tanimura.
4) Taiga Saejima
First introduced as a playable character in Yakuza 4, Saejima also later made another playable appearance in Yakuza 5. His playstyle is a bit tanky; basically, his fighting style is similar to Kiryu’s Dragon of Dojima style, but at a reduced speed.
However, he can charge his attacks and cancel combos into grabs. He’s a fun character to play once you understand his kit, but his playstyle takes time to master, unlike Kiryu, Majima, or Saejima.
3) Shun Akiyama
Akiyama has had playable appearances in Yakuza 4 and 5. Honestly, if it weren’t for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, he deserved the second spot instead of Majima. In both games, he has featured only a single fighting style, but what makes his gameplay unique is that he only uses, or mostly uses, his legs for fighting and does not allow himself to use his hands until absolutely necessary. This allows RGG to create new combos for this specific character because he plays unlike any other. Akiyama plays with such speed and fluidity that he nearly outruns the game’s pacing.
He’s fluid and can juggle enemies with extremely long combos that can even chain into wall attacks in Yakuza 4. This ability was removed in Yakuza 5, but Shun Akiyama still has plenty of potential and would make a strong lead for a solo Yakuza game or even a Gaiden title.
2) Majima Goro
Majima has canonically appeared as a playable character in two full games, including Yakuza 0 and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, and a DLC for Yakuza Kiwami 2. His Kiwami 2 appearance is not fun to play, and he is a completely bland action character.
Yakuza 0 is a great introduction to not only the story but also the gameplay of Majima, as he features four different playable styles, each with unique combos. There is even a breaker style in which Majima dances off to the beat while kicking his enemies.
However, Like a Pirate’s iteration of Majima is RGG Studio’s best playable action brawler character. Featuring only two styles, Majima has almost infinite combo potential in this game. Additionally, this title is the first to include a proper jump button, which can be utilized in gameplay.
1) Kiryu Kazuma
Kiryu is the face of the franchise and has appeared in every single game, with his fighting style changing over the years. He started with a single Dragon of Dojima style in the original games, which was refined in Yakuza 5, 6, and Kiwami 2. Later, in Yakuza 0, he received four different styles, and that continued until Kiwami 1.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name decreased his styles to two, but this iteration of Kiryu is the most fluid brawler character to play as. This game takes all the good parts of the previous entries and even from spin-offs like the Judgment franchise and combines them to form the ultimate Kiryu gameplay experience.
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