Even if you’ve never played a single one of Sega’s Yakuza games, you’ve undoubtedly seen the memes — the chicken in the bowling alley, the Friday night boogie at the disco, the profoundly earnest karaoke, the perils of mahjong. These days, there’s no denying that Kazuma Kiryu, the stoic but sweet prince of Tokyo’s underworld, is one of the most iconic characters in video games. And it all started back in September 2006, when the original Yakuza was first released outside Japan on the PlayStation 2.
After serving a ten-year sentence for a crime he didn’t commit, Yakuza sees Kiryu return to his old stomping grounds in Tokyo’s vice district. There, he’s tasked with tracking down 10 billion yen that’s been stolen from the Tojo Clan and investigating the mysterious disappearance of his childhood friend — and longtime crush — Yumi. Along the way, he unravels a conspiracy that threatens the leadership of the Tojo Clan, faces betrayal from his closest friend, and becomes an unlikely father figure to a vulnerable young girl.
Though the series wouldn’t achieve mainstream popularity overseas until the launch of Yakuza 0 in 2017, a lot of what made it great was there from the very beginning. The button-mashing combat is fun and furious, with plenty of over-the-top finishers like hurling a bicycle into a dude’s face and shoving firecrackers into an enemy’s mouth. Before especially important brawls, Kiryu whipped off his suit jacket and button-down shirt in one fluid movement, like an Olympic-caliber stripper. The central storyline was full of deadly serious drama, but also included the whiplash-inducing tonal shifts that have become a series trademark That’s thanks to an abundance of lighthearted with sidequests like “Crisis on the Crapper,” where you have to bring a packet of pocket tissues to an unlucky fellow with a tummy ache in a public restroom.
The original Yakuza marked the first appearance of the iconic neighborhood of Kamurocho, which has appeared in every installment since. With dozens of optional activities like arcade games, darts, karaoke, and gambling, you can wile away the hours without going anywhere near the main story. The first game also saw the debut of Kiryu’s chaos-agent friend and rival Goro Majima. He’s the guy with the eyepatch who wears a snakeskin blazer without a shirt, and is constantly challenging Kiryu to fights. Majima dresses up in drag and gets brutally stabbed in the abdomen at least once per game, often more. He also has a knack for driving trucks into buildings. You’ll love him.
Overseas marketing for Yakuza leaned heavily into the Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row comparisons, which left aside a lot of the game’s goofy charm. The game was positioned as a gritty and mature crime drama, with an impressive yet baffling English voice cast that included Michael Madsen as Kiryu and Mark Hamill as Majima. If you’ve never heard Hamill’s riff on the character before, prepare to be confused and delighted:
Thankfully, Sega eventually stopped trying to make the series into something it wasn’t, and leaned into the weird humor and soapy plot twists. Following the success of Yakuza 0, Sega rolled out numerous remakes of the early games, with enhanced visuals, expanded storylines and sidequests, and more optional activities. 2017’s Yakuza Kiwami is the best way to experience the first game today, and it’s available on PlayStation, Switch, PC, and Xbox. Even two decades later, it’s still an absolute blast to play.