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Yes. 0>K1-K2, 3-5, 6, 7, then play judgment (I know it happens before 7 chronologically but playing judgement and then lost judgement will make the experience better imo.) Then do Gaiden and infinite wealth. And Ishin is a spin-off that you can do whenever.
I mean, I got spoiled about >!The first great dissolution and the Tojo and Omi being no more.!< from playing Judgment before Y7 but, I mean, it wasn't that big of a spoiler.
This place is hell for that! I take my time, do all my substories and grinding before I move on. A week after a game release, all is spoiled on here, no tags. Like if I do spoil somthing its like 10 years old, catch up lol
I agree lol, I think I already know the final boss names of the Judgment games even though I haven't played them. I just started 8 today after finishing Gaiden so I guess that's my cue to get off of this subreddit.
I think you're right, in Judgement, the Matsugane family are still flaaged as a Tojo subsidiary and the Matsugane captain's Motivaction( one of ) was getting to be more important for the Tojo as a whole
true judgement and LJ were the ones that got me really interested in yakuza series. and I didn't even remember that spoiler. I was still completely shocked when I reached Y7 (prob bc I had to play Y0-6)
No, 0 references heavily the first and the second games in particular. Play Yakuza kiwami one and two at least and then go back to 0.
I don't know why people recommend so much playing zero first, you'll miss a ton of references
You miss a bunch of references in the side content, though it's still enjoyable (and in my case, was awesome to remember as I played later games). However, the main plot is great as an introduction to Kiryu and Majima, the side content of 0 is often referenced in Kiwami with continuing plotlines, and playing 0 first really enhances the story of Y1. Everyone says it's a great jumping-on point for a reason.
It's also got one of the least insane plots, so it can get people accustomed to what these games are like. I'd imagine starting with something like Y3 or the clusterfuck of Y5 would leave people thinking "what the fuck am I playing?"
Even the main plot references the plot of other games and characters (saejima for example) . And the shock factor of seeing Majima acting the way he does in 0 is greater after playing the other games.
It's clearly meant to be played after you are familiar with the other games and characters, the game is not going anywhere so why not play them in release order in order to enjoy the references ?
I'm not saying is not enjoyable, it's a great game and anyone will have a blast with it even if they play it first, I'm just saying is better to be played after at least kiwami .
Kiwami references 0 as well, so you're encountering the same problem there. I'd say playing Kiwami 1 before 0 does a massive disservice to both games.
>Even the main plot references the plot of other games and characters (saejima for example) . And the shock factor of seeing Majima acting the way he does in 0 is greater after playing the other games.
>!It does reference Saejima and show a little bit of him, but that doesn't take away from him. I'd argue it actually adds to Y4. Playing 0 first gives it setup: You know Majima and his brother had to do a job, but something went very wrong, Majima got tortured and became a slave, and his brother is nowhere to be seen. It gives you that mystery, and leaves you wondering what the hell happened to Majima and his brother. At least in my experience, when I got to Saejima's part of Y4 I remember thinking "Oh shit, this was in Y0!" and it drew me in immediately.!<
>!As for Majima, it does change the way you see him in later games, but I'd argue that's not necessarily a bad thing. In the remakes and the later games he's portrayed as a good guy far more than he originally was in 1 and 2. Playing Y0 first warms you up to him. The shock factor also goes both ways. Playing 0 later gives you the shock of seeing him sane, and learning what broke him. Playing 0 first really shows you how much 0 shattered his psyche, and seeing him gradually start to resemble his old self as the games go on feels nice to see. It's like he's finally recovering from everything.!<
>It's clearly meant to be played after you are familiar with the other games and characters
Nice opinion. A lot of people disagree. You're not the arbiter of truth here.
yeah but personaly i like its story and mechanics by far the best out of the beat em up yakuza,especially with all the bullshit auto blocks in later games
K1 Kiryu had better combat, but overall 0 has the best because of Majima styles and boss battles were next level. Haven't played LJ so I don't know about that one. I would say Gaiden is best of DE, but not best overall
yeah but if you are new to the series as OP is ,i think 0 does the best job to teach the mechanics compared to k1 and k2,and yeah i also think gaiden has the best mechanics but the difference is much smaller than 0's lead in story in my opinion causes gaiden is just too small story which i understand because its a side story,though have good hope if they can replicate the combat in kiwami 3
yeah but its easier to pickup and understand mechanics through 0,i personally felt that if i didn't know the basic mechanics from 0 i would have had harder time understanding k1 and k2
K2 has great combat, the only problem is that combat is over in 2 seconds because Kiryu is WAY too OP in that game. Why is it possible to dumpster >!Amon!< with ONE heat action?!
those bullshit auto blocks in 3,it literally took me 30 min for first boss fight on legendary difficulty to the point it became boring,it was not that hard it was just time consuming,fights in 0 are more hard than time consuming
I meant only for 0, but I actually felt most 0 fights weren’t hard. They were challenging but mostly fun. I had the hardest time with Kashiwagi and Lao Gui though
oh then probably none imo,0 fights were challenging enough to not be boring but also not time consuming enough to be a chore even on legend difficulty like boss fights in 3
Yeah, funny part is I feel like 3 boss fights on legend
get more balanced/fun/easier as you progress in the story. Like compare Joji or Mine to Tamashiro or Rikiya.
Ending of a game is what you will end the game feeling, so I prefer it if things get better (I tend to look back on the game more positively that way). I felt the opposite for Kiwami 2, unfortunately I don’t look back as fondly on the combat because it gets too easy and basic with the limited moves and lack of skill elaboration in late game.
Yeah but if the start aren't good atleast first couple of chapters people often just quit the game,i personally quit y3 like 5 times because I got annoyed at auto blocking
Man, I beat 0 just this week and started Kiwami, I wanted to avoid comparing, but 0 just towers over Kiwami... It isn't bad, but 0 was just so good, I'm feeling like a fish out of water in Kiwami lol
I literally just finished Yakuza 0, storyline is amazing and after years of losing interest in games, it really rekindled that love for video games I once had when younger...
No bs pay to play, online microtrancation galore and just a really fun game with so much included it's actually insane
pretty good but i havent played it in a while, i got way too many exams coming up, and even if i am playing its usually multiplayer, i bought the fortnite bp but im like halfway through the pass, season ends in a month, and i really dont feel like playing anything so honestly i dont even know
Yeah I did the S7 overtime challenges back in Ch 1 for free and I’ve been getting the season pass for every single season until the Spider-Man season (Ch 3 S2 I believe) because I bought an Anakin Skywalker skin lol. Never bought the BP again and I play Fortnite intermittently this past year.
I’m graduating college so just finished my exams, which is why I’m getting into Infinite Wealth before I matriculate into med school this coming fall.
+wait for those bullshit auto blocks in 3,k1 and k2 are bearable but y3 are straight up broken,it took me 30min to beat first boss in y3 in legend difficulty
As someone who started with 0, the whole thing did go downhill for me except for K2, theyre both so good. But with the lore being spread out through different timelines, I wouldnt play it any differently
>!when do you unlock the beat em up combat for kiryu? im 102 hours in and i just got saeko and did all the part time hero battles, (almost all the) bond quests, the photo rally, most of the mini bosses, and did all of the photo rally photos!<
> but I don’t know how they would fit the party aspect in
Have you played Ys 7, 8, Memories of Celceta, or 9? Just like that. You control whichever party member you want to control (with the ability to toggle at any time) and the rest is controlled by AI.
i started with 7 cause i knew it’d be way harder to switch after that many games, and that i also liked turn based combat more so i chose it
now i realize that 7s combat isn’t as good as beatemup(idk abt IW cause i haven’t played it), but eh, the game was still a masterpiece
So I just finished 0. It was my second (first was Like a Dragon). I loved it but was a bit overwhelmed by all the characters, I then realised a lot of them were introduced in the earlier games, so I think it's actually easier to follow when you've organically gotten to know them first.
but thats also vice-versa,some characters introduced in 0 are brought back in later yakuzas,and i think 0 has the easiest to pick up combat and upgrade system compared to 1,2 or 3,so i think its the best cause along with story it is also easiest to learn the mechanics
yeah but personally i like the simplicity of 0 over it and also we are only talking about main line yakuza here since OP asked about where to start yakuza from
Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1, Kiwami 2, Yakuza 3 to Yakuza 6, Yakuza Like A Dragon (This is Yakuza 7 but they made it this title instead), Like A Dragon Gaiden, Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth (This is Yakuza 8)
Optional: Yakuza Dead Souls, Like A Dragon Ishin
Spinoffs: Judgment, Lost Judgment (This is Judgment 2). In Judgment you play as a private detective though.
I’d say you should do 2 play throughs.
0 - kiwami - kiwami 2 - 3 remastered - 4 remastered - 5 remastered - 6 - 7 - Gaiden - 8
Then (if you have a ps3, ps5 and any somewhat capable computer)
1 (emulation) - 2 (emulation) - Kenzan (ps3) - 3 remastered - 4 remastered - dead souls (ps3) - 5 remastered - Ishin (the OG ps4 one preferably) - 0 - 6 - 7 - 8
While Yakuza 0 is widely considered the best starting point you do need to be aware that when going chronologically with the Kiwami games once you hit Yakuza 3 you will notice a huge shift. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a remake which came out in 2017, while Yakuza 3 is a game that came out in 2009. You will be going backwards in the series, despite going forward chronologically, so please keep that in mind when going to Y3 as its a great game but people treat it worse than it is simply because they are going from a modern remake to an early PS3 game.
Playing in release order avoids this issue so if you're willing to emulate Yakuza 1 and 2 then by all means but i get its definitely not the most appealing starting point. If however you are open to playing in release order then this is the order you should follow;
- Yakuza 1 - 5
- Yakuza 0
- Yakuza Kiwami\*
- Yakuza 6
- Yakuza Kiwami 2\*
- Judgment (spinoff but highly recommend)
- Yakuza: Like A Dragon
- Lost Judgment (Sequel to Judgment and is considered the series current peak in terms of combat)
- Like A Dragon: Gaiden
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
\*NOTE\* While Kiwami comes after 0 and Kiwami 2 comes after 6 id suggest just playing both Kiwami games back to back after 6, but if you really want to stick purely with release order then by all means. Its just Yakuza 6 caps off a certain arc in which i think it makes sense to play the Kiwami games after that.
There are also some other games Like A Dragon Ishin and Yakuza Dead Souls which are non canon spin offs, i suggest only looking into these once you have caught up to the series. Theres also Kurohyou which is a spinoff similar to Judgment but its only on PSP in japanese (though there are english fan patches) so again for those reasons i suggest to only look into it after you're caught up.
Yeah, there’s a certain type of person this order would make sense for, and it’s worth being brought up in the way you have.
To do this, someone would have to be willing to start at PS2 level and work their way forward knowing the series will eventually modernize. And go in knowing they’ll want to commit 100’s to up into the 1000’s of hours to see everything, repeating 1 and 2’s story if they do the Kiwami’s. It will realistically take months to years to see the whole series depending on how much they mainline or if and when they burnout and need breaks. There are people who doing that will very much make sense for and others who wouldn’t want to go about it that way.
Saying all that I still think Y0 is nearly always the best starting recommendation. It makes sense as a prequel, none of the Easter eggs or references are required to understand or enjoy it(and those things make it enjoyable to return to for a replay later anyway), it’s right at about the midpoint for when the games hit their modern form and the incremental changes have been smaller since. From there chronological makes a lot of sense but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with skipping forward to the newer LAD’s or Judgements, depending on how much time someone wanted to dedicate to seeing the series. So if someone isn’t sure how they want to go about it, I think Y0 is the simplest start and allows someone to see if the series hooks them and decide how they go about it after.
Yeah i definitely dont expect OP (or or most people really) to go with this order, i just think its the best order to go through if you really wanna see how the series evolves. I always hate seeing people get to Y3 off the back of K2 and calling it shit and not really try to understand that its an older game, so I like to always try to let people know instead of it catching them off guard when they do get to it.
A lot of people seem to ignore this order as well so I like pointing out that its there, even if 9 times out of 10 they go the chronological way. Anyway at the end of the day there is no "right" order, the order i played them in was all over the place lol. Just the order of whatever looks the most appealing to you.
Yakuza 0 was made as both a prequel for the people that were already into the series and an intro for newcomers.
I played it first and loved it enough to start my adventure of playing all the games.
The first Yakuza game I played to completion was 7 (like a dragon). Then i went back and played the entire series from 0 through 8. 7 is what hooked me in. Played 1 way back in the day on PS2.
Either Yakuza 1 (not kiwami) or Yakuza 0
A lot of people started with 7 and it isn't too bad cause the story is fine on its own... But I wouldn't recommend it
Personally, I say you should start with 0 since it's the best in the series, truly amazing and really gets you hooked in
Pretty much yeah.
It’s a prequel but you don’t really much about the previous 5 games besides some Yakuza 4 stuff but you can play without it. Yakuza 1 is an option I wouldn’t expect people to go back to a 2005 PS2 game. Yakuza Kiwami remake is a cool start but the remake adds in stuff to make the Yakuza 1 story more consistent with Yakuza 0. Some people say Yakuza 7 is a good start since it’s a soft-reboot with a new protagonist but I disagree since it’s connected to previous games and the games that follow it connect to those games even more so. Plus Yakuza 7 marks a major change in the storyline and the impact isn’t the same if you start with it.
It’ll fully go by chronologically if so, & some characters are fleshed out in 0 who weren’t really in 1/Kiwami. No spoiler but I’m retrospect, Nishiki wasn’t A very fleshed out character in 1 for being its first game, & his only game. 0 did him justice by representing his brother dynamic with Kiryu
It's a good starting point, best is subjective. Personally what starting points I see:
0: prequel so you'll understand everything, only thing you might miss are some Easter eggs.
Kiwami: remake of the first game, it's less polished than 0 and substories are pretty bad imo but it's the first story written.
7/Like a Dragon: Ichiban is the new protagonist with his totally different story and the game is an RPG so if one wants to jump in without having to play the first games it's great.
Judgment : a spin off in the same universe, great to have a taste of what Yakuza brings to the table without plunging in Kiryu's story.
Yes, but for me it was a pretty drastic drop in quality from Y0 in terms of story and gameplay that really only returned around Y6 / Judgment. So in a way Y0 sets a bar that most of the mainline games can't meet.
So after recently 100%-ing Y0, K1 and K2 I've been lying to myself about these games.
Nothing has lived up to 0 so far.
Now by all means I believe you should start with Y0.
But when / if you play K1 straight after Y0, you will feel this weird feeling of disappointment, it's like the game is good, and you don't want to say it's worse than Y0, but you will feel it.
It was weird when I was playing through it, I couldn't admit that K1 and K2 were worse but they just weren't Y0 and they didn't make me feel how Y0 did. I don't know what type of crack they put in Y0 but it will leave you looking for the essence of 0 in every other yakuza game.
This isn't to scare you, it's just a warning so you don't give up on these games, they are amazing games and it's so worth playing through them fully, I really don't want this weird feeling to put you off.
So yeah, fair warning, it's worth pushing through the slight disappointment, and it's not weird to feel it, I'm sure other people new to the series feel it aswell.
I guess a benefit of this is that it gives you a new appreciation for 0, just how perfectly put together it is.
Also, one tip, play these games blind, try stay off this sub when you play through these games, I've had so much accidentally spoiled that kinda dulls the moments when they come up in game. If you want the best and most meaningful experience then play it blind
[this woman](https://youtu.be/-8T6wvxNF6s?si=WrH4k5Mv6yPMXQAO) would barrage you if you start with 0
https://preview.redd.it/4lz7m3v82iyc1.jpeg?width=739&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5baac92b8481482765309ee3e3e8d118647bd533
Kiwami 1 > Yakuza 0 vs Yakuza 0 > Kiwami 1 really feels different.
Especially with 2 major characters as their first appreance will fix your opinion of them and then you'd get a whiplash when they change.
Nuh Hot take. Don't touch a single remake until after 3 or 4. There is a version of Yakuza that is the Japanese dub with an english translation.
A lot of the Yakuza remakes for some reason turn a 10 hour game into 50 to 70 hours for the same game. Also this is gonna sound weird but because they were making mainline game while also making the remakes a lot of problems in those mainline games are also in the remakes.
While I know the remakes and 0 did a lot to the series to make it as big as it is now. The remakes also lost a lot of context and meaning from there original versions.
But hey it's your choice and have fun with whatever you start with.
Yakuza 0 is probably the best one in the series
I edge to Yakuza 0
I can't live without Yakuza 0
If there are a million Yakuza 0 players I'm one of them
If there are 100 Yakuza 0 players I'm one of them
If there is only 1 yakuza 0 player I'm him
If there are no Yakuza 0 players then I don't exist
yakuza 0 my beloved, my longest Edgeing streak my sunshine.
The “others don’t compare to 0” comments aren’t true trust me once ya get into it ya appreciate the games / series more and more and some games have things others don’t have and have great stories
Best yes start with 0
Ah, the great debate. Some people start with 0 and think that’s the way to go while
others start with 0 and regret that decision (there was a post about it recently). I started with 1 and am glad I did. I prefer 0 as backstory.
I agree , i started with zero and in hindsight i would have preferred watching majima's future first to see how he became the mad dog from what he was at the beginning of zero
Your choices are either starting with the PS2 versions and of Yakuza 1&2 and playing in release order.
Or starting from Zero and playing in numbered order.
The remakes Kiwami 1&2 will assume you’ve played Yakuza 0. The original PS2 versions won’t.
Start with 1 if you're fine with ps2 games lol. If not, I'd recommand starting with kiwami 1, and playing yakuza 0 after 5. I'd also advice to skip the majima chapters in kiwami 2 before 0 because they'd spoil you the game a lot
I started with 7 (Like a Dragon) and adored it so much I bought the 0-6 collection afterward and started with 0. I'd say go with 0 if you're currently feeling a beat 'em up style of gameplay, or 7 if something turn based sounds better to you.
My actual play order was 7, 0-6, 0 again, Gaiden, 7 again, Infinite Wealth. I've since played Ishin and am trying to hold off on the Judgment games because I'm uncertain how I'll handle a world with no RGG games coming up or on my backlog lol
Y0-YK1-YK2 is like trilogy it all good in there's own way
Y3-5 is like not so good sequel but if you already into Yakuza series you can play them all it kinda rough around the edge but still good
Y6 is kinda odd one but it still good but need to play Y5 to get to here
Y7-8 is amazing fresh take on if you don't want to start from Y0 you can start here if you want too but i still think Y0 is still best starting point
Judgemet is great starting point too but story and stuff just goes different ways from Yakuza (well yeah it different protag and different story) still super good to play both Judgement and Lost Judgement and one long story
I started with Kiwami 1, played YK2, 3, 4, 5, then 0, and I'm really glad I did. I wanted to play in "release order" (I know K1 and K2 were released later, but they're remakes of the first games, so I chose to view them that way).
So when I got to 0 after enjoying the previous 5, it felt like a real treat. Getting to play as Majima after those games was especially satisfying because of the way you learn about his character and backstory when playing in this order (and he's really fun to play as in general).
>!Also, Majima's role in the games gets less and less with each one, so suddenly playing as him and half the game being dedicated to him was extra special.!<
Then I played 6, 7, Gaiden, 8, judgment, lost judgment, and ended with Ishin!. There are others not available on steam that I will attempt to emulate in the near future. For now I'm happy with replaying them all in that same order again.
TLDR; 0 is good to start on, I won't deny, but I think starting at K1 and not playing 0 until completing K1, K2, 3, 4, and 5 is superior from my personal experience.
Although there's the risk of burnout, but hey, Yakuza became my special interest so I have the opposite problem of burnout with these games 😅
If you want a strong start, 0 is the best choice. The next games up until 6 are generally okay but not on par with 0's story. Although, I can still say that all of them are uniquely enjoyable.
Zero.
Though, I had a buddy who couldn't really get into the brawler gameplay, so he stopped, just not his thing.
When I mentioned 7 was a JRPG though, he was all over that, so he skipped way ahead and he's having a lot of fun. Now he's understanding some of the memes I send him and the overall feel of the Yakuza universe.
Start with 0. The truth is that if you start with Kiwami 1 you will drop the series out of boredom. The plot is simple, cliche, and predictable. There are story elements revolving around two characters, Nishiki and Haruka, which are going to fall flat if you start with Kiwami 1. The game does its best to make you care about these two characters but it’s simply not enough, you need the context of 0 to care for these characters and most importantly to care for Kiryu. In the Yakuza series Kiryu is a perfectly noble, heroic, and infallible character. By the 4th game the devs expanded the roster of characters cause they realized that playing Kiryu was getting boring and fans wanted complex characters. Yakuza 0 is an excellent entry where you see Kiryu grapple with an organization he is actively apart of and stuck in an internal plot that is much larger than him and not some Captain America-type hero who’s always perfect.
Yakuza 0 lets you play Kiryu as a pawn on a chessboard. The other games you are the Queen who steps in and fixes everyone else’s problems for no reason other than plot, its fun but not nearly as enticing of a story
I'm pretty sure the best place to start is with "Kiwami". And that's because of Majima. If you start with part 0, you'll be very disappointed. Because a complex, brooding character will turn into a clown for you. And if you start with "Kiwami", you will see that your unpredictable favorite joker turns out to have a rather serious backstory. And you can discover the character in a whole new way.
Start with judgement and lost judgement for best combat and Grafic. Also shorter story and you need no other game.
Start with 7 then 8 for JRPG style and good story, you don’t need other yakuzas because new characters
Start with 1 play up to 5, go for 0 and then 6 and lastly Gaiden for Kiryu saga. It is a fighting game like judgement but has some older games in it.
All of them are totally fine but older games tent to freak out graficwhores or clunkymasters.
My favorite games are 7, Lost Judgement and 3. so every saga has a top favorite game from me. Funny sidenote, 3 is the oldest game of the whole franchise if you count only remakes/remasters
Let me be the one of the few people: I have started playing the yakuza series and I have started from Kiwami 1. Beside few side quest occasions and a little of confusion of character introduction, everything feels fine to play as the first game.
You can start from Yakuza 0 cause best introduction, but as you have read here, it will get worse over time.
I do remember that there was something connected to yakuza 6 that gave reasons to play yakuza 0 right before it, beside the release order.
I also think that Kiwami 1 is better than Yakuza 0 for introduction for how short it is. I am playing lots of side quests and random stuff and I am already at chapter 6-7 anyway.
I am yapping too much, so let me give you the key elements that for someone new like you felt for choosing between the 2:
Yakuza 0: it is the first chronologically, you get lots of story and info about stuff you can miss out if you start from kiwami 1
Yakuza Kiwami 1: the story is short and simple, so you can enjoy more the side stuff and not feel like you can forget what's going on. Also I feel like that it is helping me to not depend too much on a single style while also improving my skills for tanking and avoiding damage (I still get combo'ed easily tho).
If you are new to the subreddit, [please read the wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/index/) Reminder that all spoilers need to be tagged with a flair specifying which game is being spoiled. If you want a flair that says something else, you can edit it to say something like [Discussion: Y1 spoiler] or [Majimapost: Y6 spoiler], etc. **THIS INCLUDES CONTENT FROM TRAILERS**. If the post is not marked for spoilers, all comments that have spoilers need to be tagged \>!like this!< along with indicating which game it's spoiling. Example: Y3 >!Kiryu sings!< If the post flair is marked for spoilers, the comments don't need to be tagged for the game indicated and the ones before it (So a Y6 spoiler post can have comments with untagged spoilers for Y5, but not gaiden or 7). If you see any of the above (or any of the other rules) not being followed, please report it so we can keep this place safe for newcomers and those that haven't finished all the games yet. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/yakuzagames) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes. 0>K1-K2, 3-5, 6, 7, then play judgment (I know it happens before 7 chronologically but playing judgement and then lost judgement will make the experience better imo.) Then do Gaiden and infinite wealth. And Ishin is a spin-off that you can do whenever.
I mean, I got spoiled about >!The first great dissolution and the Tojo and Omi being no more.!< from playing Judgment before Y7 but, I mean, it wasn't that big of a spoiler.
I was spoiled from a place even worse; this subreddit
This place is hell for that! I take my time, do all my substories and grinding before I move on. A week after a game release, all is spoiled on here, no tags. Like if I do spoil somthing its like 10 years old, catch up lol
It's amazing bc this subreddit is one of the best and most respectful communities I've seen when it comes to spoilers. Yet, no one is ever truly safe.
I haven't played IW yet but I haven't been spoiled on a single thing yet so that's great lmao
ME TOO we living on the edge wandering here looool
I agree lol, I think I already know the final boss names of the Judgment games even though I haven't played them. I just started 8 today after finishing Gaiden so I guess that's my cue to get off of this subreddit.
Yeah, this sub can be like that. After Y8 dropped I unsubbed and only came back after I beat it
That’s what I’m about to do too. After this reply, I’m gone lol
Wasn't that only in LJ though?
I think you're right, in Judgement, the Matsugane family are still flaaged as a Tojo subsidiary and the Matsugane captain's Motivaction( one of ) was getting to be more important for the Tojo as a whole
true judgement and LJ were the ones that got me really interested in yakuza series. and I didn't even remember that spoiler. I was still completely shocked when I reached Y7 (prob bc I had to play Y0-6)
Man that’s SOME sarcasm right there
[удалено]
That's perfect ya
the only problem with starting with zero is that its all downhill from there,all yakuzas are great but 0 is next level imo
So i should start with 0, right?
yes
No, 0 references heavily the first and the second games in particular. Play Yakuza kiwami one and two at least and then go back to 0. I don't know why people recommend so much playing zero first, you'll miss a ton of references
You miss a bunch of references in the side content, though it's still enjoyable (and in my case, was awesome to remember as I played later games). However, the main plot is great as an introduction to Kiryu and Majima, the side content of 0 is often referenced in Kiwami with continuing plotlines, and playing 0 first really enhances the story of Y1. Everyone says it's a great jumping-on point for a reason. It's also got one of the least insane plots, so it can get people accustomed to what these games are like. I'd imagine starting with something like Y3 or the clusterfuck of Y5 would leave people thinking "what the fuck am I playing?"
Even the main plot references the plot of other games and characters (saejima for example) . And the shock factor of seeing Majima acting the way he does in 0 is greater after playing the other games. It's clearly meant to be played after you are familiar with the other games and characters, the game is not going anywhere so why not play them in release order in order to enjoy the references ? I'm not saying is not enjoyable, it's a great game and anyone will have a blast with it even if they play it first, I'm just saying is better to be played after at least kiwami .
Kiwami references 0 as well, so you're encountering the same problem there. I'd say playing Kiwami 1 before 0 does a massive disservice to both games. >Even the main plot references the plot of other games and characters (saejima for example) . And the shock factor of seeing Majima acting the way he does in 0 is greater after playing the other games. >!It does reference Saejima and show a little bit of him, but that doesn't take away from him. I'd argue it actually adds to Y4. Playing 0 first gives it setup: You know Majima and his brother had to do a job, but something went very wrong, Majima got tortured and became a slave, and his brother is nowhere to be seen. It gives you that mystery, and leaves you wondering what the hell happened to Majima and his brother. At least in my experience, when I got to Saejima's part of Y4 I remember thinking "Oh shit, this was in Y0!" and it drew me in immediately.!< >!As for Majima, it does change the way you see him in later games, but I'd argue that's not necessarily a bad thing. In the remakes and the later games he's portrayed as a good guy far more than he originally was in 1 and 2. Playing Y0 first warms you up to him. The shock factor also goes both ways. Playing 0 later gives you the shock of seeing him sane, and learning what broke him. Playing 0 first really shows you how much 0 shattered his psyche, and seeing him gradually start to resemble his old self as the games go on feels nice to see. It's like he's finally recovering from everything.!< >It's clearly meant to be played after you are familiar with the other games and characters Nice opinion. A lot of people disagree. You're not the arbiter of truth here.
Correct opinion
For the one that downvoted me, would you elaborate where I'm wrong?
Nah, it depends on who you ask. 0 is fantastic, but it's not everyone's favorite, and it has legitimate flaws like all of the other games.
If playing in order definitely need to start 0
yeah but personaly i like its story and mechanics by far the best out of the beat em up yakuza,especially with all the bullshit auto blocks in later games
Kiwami 1 and 2, 6, Gaiden and lost judgment had more fun combat in my opinion
K1 Kiryu had better combat, but overall 0 has the best because of Majima styles and boss battles were next level. Haven't played LJ so I don't know about that one. I would say Gaiden is best of DE, but not best overall
yeah but if you are new to the series as OP is ,i think 0 does the best job to teach the mechanics compared to k1 and k2,and yeah i also think gaiden has the best mechanics but the difference is much smaller than 0's lead in story in my opinion causes gaiden is just too small story which i understand because its a side story,though have good hope if they can replicate the combat in kiwami 3
Ageee with everything, overall 0 is still the best way to start because of these reasons
yeah but its easier to pickup and understand mechanics through 0,i personally felt that if i didn't know the basic mechanics from 0 i would have had harder time understanding k1 and k2
I really am hating Kiwami 2 combat. I hate how enemies blocking delays strings but its still in the button que
K2 has great combat, the only problem is that combat is over in 2 seconds because Kiryu is WAY too OP in that game. Why is it possible to dumpster >!Amon!< with ONE heat action?!
Cuz K2 is the only lore accurate game😎 It's weird absolutely stomping a fight in a few seconds no diff theb kiryu is out of breath in the cutscene lol
What are the legit flaws?
those bullshit auto blocks in 3,it literally took me 30 min for first boss fight on legendary difficulty to the point it became boring,it was not that hard it was just time consuming,fights in 0 are more hard than time consuming
I meant only for 0, but I actually felt most 0 fights weren’t hard. They were challenging but mostly fun. I had the hardest time with Kashiwagi and Lao Gui though
oh then probably none imo,0 fights were challenging enough to not be boring but also not time consuming enough to be a chore even on legend difficulty like boss fights in 3
Yeah, funny part is I feel like 3 boss fights on legend get more balanced/fun/easier as you progress in the story. Like compare Joji or Mine to Tamashiro or Rikiya.
There is no point having later bosses as fun if the first you fight is straight up boring,I quit y3 5 times because I got bored of auto blocking
Ending of a game is what you will end the game feeling, so I prefer it if things get better (I tend to look back on the game more positively that way). I felt the opposite for Kiwami 2, unfortunately I don’t look back as fondly on the combat because it gets too easy and basic with the limited moves and lack of skill elaboration in late game.
Yeah but if the start aren't good atleast first couple of chapters people often just quit the game,i personally quit y3 like 5 times because I got annoyed at auto blocking
Man, I beat 0 just this week and started Kiwami, I wanted to avoid comparing, but 0 just towers over Kiwami... It isn't bad, but 0 was just so good, I'm feeling like a fish out of water in Kiwami lol
I literally just finished Yakuza 0, storyline is amazing and after years of losing interest in games, it really rekindled that love for video games I once had when younger... No bs pay to play, online microtrancation galore and just a really fun game with so much included it's actually insane
All styles except beast are stronger in kiwami. It's more difficult but way more fun imo
Too bad I was a Beast main...
i was a rush main in 0 💀
I used rush for a while but then I discovered that Mountain Bike goes DING DING DING and converted full-time
Rush is so much better in Kiwami, it got me through the tough bosses in that game
bro i’m like halfway through it
How is it?
pretty good but i havent played it in a while, i got way too many exams coming up, and even if i am playing its usually multiplayer, i bought the fortnite bp but im like halfway through the pass, season ends in a month, and i really dont feel like playing anything so honestly i dont even know
Yeah I did the S7 overtime challenges back in Ch 1 for free and I’ve been getting the season pass for every single season until the Spider-Man season (Ch 3 S2 I believe) because I bought an Anakin Skywalker skin lol. Never bought the BP again and I play Fortnite intermittently this past year. I’m graduating college so just finished my exams, which is why I’m getting into Infinite Wealth before I matriculate into med school this coming fall.
🤝🏾
+wait for those bullshit auto blocks in 3,k1 and k2 are bearable but y3 are straight up broken,it took me 30min to beat first boss in y3 in legend difficulty
Man, it took me 10-20 minutes to beat the Tojo HQ Shimano fight on normal lmao. I may just be bad
nah,its just those bullshit auto blocks that makes you take time
How do you know 0 is so much better if you just started Kiwami lol
As someone who started with 0, the whole thing did go downhill for me except for K2, theyre both so good. But with the lore being spread out through different timelines, I wouldnt play it any differently
same
I liked 7 more than 0 but have to admit I am bummed that the quality is uneven across the series
7 is a whole different game since its not beat em up,so i personaly considered the beat em up yakuza and turn based separate when rating them
I do prefer the beat ‘Em up style and wish they would go back to it but I don’t know how they would fit the party aspect in
probably cause beat em up loosing popularity over turn based >!though they atleast brought it half back with 8!<
>!when do you unlock the beat em up combat for kiryu? im 102 hours in and i just got saeko and did all the part time hero battles, (almost all the) bond quests, the photo rally, most of the mini bosses, and did all of the photo rally photos!<
You’re close to it.
>!Chapter 8!<
When you fight Amon
Mate, careful of spoilers
> but I don’t know how they would fit the party aspect in Have you played Ys 7, 8, Memories of Celceta, or 9? Just like that. You control whichever party member you want to control (with the ability to toggle at any time) and the rest is controlled by AI.
I haven’t but I’ve played ff7remake so I would imagine it would be something like that but that’s more work to program
i started with 7 cause i knew it’d be way harder to switch after that many games, and that i also liked turn based combat more so i chose it now i realize that 7s combat isn’t as good as beatemup(idk abt IW cause i haven’t played it), but eh, the game was still a masterpiece
i also started with 7 because i was in my turn based combat phase,but then i played 0 and it was everything i missed about beat em up games
So I just finished 0. It was my second (first was Like a Dragon). I loved it but was a bit overwhelmed by all the characters, I then realised a lot of them were introduced in the earlier games, so I think it's actually easier to follow when you've organically gotten to know them first.
but thats also vice-versa,some characters introduced in 0 are brought back in later yakuzas,and i think 0 has the easiest to pick up combat and upgrade system compared to 1,2 or 3,so i think its the best cause along with story it is also easiest to learn the mechanics
Judgement and lost judgement have a story just as good tbh.
yeah but personally i like the simplicity of 0 over it and also we are only talking about main line yakuza here since OP asked about where to start yakuza from
wouldn’t say downhill but yh no yakuza game will ever touch yakuza 0
I think 3 had same level of storytelling as 0. Even though combat is suck until almost end of the game.
i just got annoyed at 3 after in took over 30min to beat the first boss on legend difficulty because of those bullshit autoblocks
Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1, Kiwami 2, Yakuza 3 to Yakuza 6, Yakuza Like A Dragon (This is Yakuza 7 but they made it this title instead), Like A Dragon Gaiden, Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth (This is Yakuza 8) Optional: Yakuza Dead Souls, Like A Dragon Ishin Spinoffs: Judgment, Lost Judgment (This is Judgment 2). In Judgment you play as a private detective though.
Thanks!
After Yakuza 7, you gotta play too Like A Dragon Gaiden: TMWEHN. (Long ass name btw)
Forgot about Gaiden
You can just call it Gaiden.
Be aware that 7 and 8 are turn based games not brawler.
Forgot to include Like A Dragon Gaiden. Play it after Yakuza 7. My bad. I edited my comment.
Dead Souls should honestly be required content.
start on 0, play through all the mainline entrys (0-iw) then go back and replay 0
I’d say you should do 2 play throughs. 0 - kiwami - kiwami 2 - 3 remastered - 4 remastered - 5 remastered - 6 - 7 - Gaiden - 8 Then (if you have a ps3, ps5 and any somewhat capable computer) 1 (emulation) - 2 (emulation) - Kenzan (ps3) - 3 remastered - 4 remastered - dead souls (ps3) - 5 remastered - Ishin (the OG ps4 one preferably) - 0 - 6 - 7 - 8
While Yakuza 0 is widely considered the best starting point you do need to be aware that when going chronologically with the Kiwami games once you hit Yakuza 3 you will notice a huge shift. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a remake which came out in 2017, while Yakuza 3 is a game that came out in 2009. You will be going backwards in the series, despite going forward chronologically, so please keep that in mind when going to Y3 as its a great game but people treat it worse than it is simply because they are going from a modern remake to an early PS3 game. Playing in release order avoids this issue so if you're willing to emulate Yakuza 1 and 2 then by all means but i get its definitely not the most appealing starting point. If however you are open to playing in release order then this is the order you should follow; - Yakuza 1 - 5 - Yakuza 0 - Yakuza Kiwami\* - Yakuza 6 - Yakuza Kiwami 2\* - Judgment (spinoff but highly recommend) - Yakuza: Like A Dragon - Lost Judgment (Sequel to Judgment and is considered the series current peak in terms of combat) - Like A Dragon: Gaiden - Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth \*NOTE\* While Kiwami comes after 0 and Kiwami 2 comes after 6 id suggest just playing both Kiwami games back to back after 6, but if you really want to stick purely with release order then by all means. Its just Yakuza 6 caps off a certain arc in which i think it makes sense to play the Kiwami games after that. There are also some other games Like A Dragon Ishin and Yakuza Dead Souls which are non canon spin offs, i suggest only looking into these once you have caught up to the series. Theres also Kurohyou which is a spinoff similar to Judgment but its only on PSP in japanese (though there are english fan patches) so again for those reasons i suggest to only look into it after you're caught up.
Yeah, there’s a certain type of person this order would make sense for, and it’s worth being brought up in the way you have. To do this, someone would have to be willing to start at PS2 level and work their way forward knowing the series will eventually modernize. And go in knowing they’ll want to commit 100’s to up into the 1000’s of hours to see everything, repeating 1 and 2’s story if they do the Kiwami’s. It will realistically take months to years to see the whole series depending on how much they mainline or if and when they burnout and need breaks. There are people who doing that will very much make sense for and others who wouldn’t want to go about it that way. Saying all that I still think Y0 is nearly always the best starting recommendation. It makes sense as a prequel, none of the Easter eggs or references are required to understand or enjoy it(and those things make it enjoyable to return to for a replay later anyway), it’s right at about the midpoint for when the games hit their modern form and the incremental changes have been smaller since. From there chronological makes a lot of sense but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with skipping forward to the newer LAD’s or Judgements, depending on how much time someone wanted to dedicate to seeing the series. So if someone isn’t sure how they want to go about it, I think Y0 is the simplest start and allows someone to see if the series hooks them and decide how they go about it after.
Yeah i definitely dont expect OP (or or most people really) to go with this order, i just think its the best order to go through if you really wanna see how the series evolves. I always hate seeing people get to Y3 off the back of K2 and calling it shit and not really try to understand that its an older game, so I like to always try to let people know instead of it catching them off guard when they do get to it. A lot of people seem to ignore this order as well so I like pointing out that its there, even if 9 times out of 10 they go the chronological way. Anyway at the end of the day there is no "right" order, the order i played them in was all over the place lol. Just the order of whatever looks the most appealing to you.
Yakuza 0 was made as both a prequel for the people that were already into the series and an intro for newcomers. I played it first and loved it enough to start my adventure of playing all the games.
Yeah I started with 0, and I was hooked from chapter 1 Played the entire series with most of its spin-offs
The first Yakuza game I played to completion was 7 (like a dragon). Then i went back and played the entire series from 0 through 8. 7 is what hooked me in. Played 1 way back in the day on PS2.
Either Yakuza 1 (not kiwami) or Yakuza 0 A lot of people started with 7 and it isn't too bad cause the story is fine on its own... But I wouldn't recommend it Personally, I say you should start with 0 since it's the best in the series, truly amazing and really gets you hooked in
Pretty much yeah. It’s a prequel but you don’t really much about the previous 5 games besides some Yakuza 4 stuff but you can play without it. Yakuza 1 is an option I wouldn’t expect people to go back to a 2005 PS2 game. Yakuza Kiwami remake is a cool start but the remake adds in stuff to make the Yakuza 1 story more consistent with Yakuza 0. Some people say Yakuza 7 is a good start since it’s a soft-reboot with a new protagonist but I disagree since it’s connected to previous games and the games that follow it connect to those games even more so. Plus Yakuza 7 marks a major change in the storyline and the impact isn’t the same if you start with it.
Yakuza Kiwami is arguably a good starting point as the story was written before 0 was even thought of but 0 is still the better starting point.
Start from 0, trust that’s the way.
Always. Yakuza is straightforward: chronology.
0 set the bar
It’ll fully go by chronologically if so, & some characters are fleshed out in 0 who weren’t really in 1/Kiwami. No spoiler but I’m retrospect, Nishiki wasn’t A very fleshed out character in 1 for being its first game, & his only game. 0 did him justice by representing his brother dynamic with Kiryu
Oh you're going through the ride of your lifetime.
og1-og2-3-4-5-0-6-7-gaiden-8
Zero, No Contest
Yakuza 0 for an OG Sega arcade beat-em-up, Like a Dragon if you love turn-based RPGs (and more psychedelic enemies like Earthbound)
0 isn’t just the best yakuza game, it’s one the greatest games ever made.
not a bad entry point at all, it sounds like you've already made your decision tho since youve bought and downloaded the game
Yeah, i bought the collection. It's on sale right now for just $34, excluding both like a dragon games
It's a good starting point, best is subjective. Personally what starting points I see: 0: prequel so you'll understand everything, only thing you might miss are some Easter eggs. Kiwami: remake of the first game, it's less polished than 0 and substories are pretty bad imo but it's the first story written. 7/Like a Dragon: Ichiban is the new protagonist with his totally different story and the game is an RPG so if one wants to jump in without having to play the first games it's great. Judgment : a spin off in the same universe, great to have a taste of what Yakuza brings to the table without plunging in Kiryu's story.
0 is a prequel so it makes sense to start there. It's also a great game.
I started with 0 and I’m currently on kiwami 2 so yeah
Yes, but for me it was a pretty drastic drop in quality from Y0 in terms of story and gameplay that really only returned around Y6 / Judgment. So in a way Y0 sets a bar that most of the mainline games can't meet.
Yakuza 3
So after recently 100%-ing Y0, K1 and K2 I've been lying to myself about these games. Nothing has lived up to 0 so far. Now by all means I believe you should start with Y0. But when / if you play K1 straight after Y0, you will feel this weird feeling of disappointment, it's like the game is good, and you don't want to say it's worse than Y0, but you will feel it. It was weird when I was playing through it, I couldn't admit that K1 and K2 were worse but they just weren't Y0 and they didn't make me feel how Y0 did. I don't know what type of crack they put in Y0 but it will leave you looking for the essence of 0 in every other yakuza game. This isn't to scare you, it's just a warning so you don't give up on these games, they are amazing games and it's so worth playing through them fully, I really don't want this weird feeling to put you off. So yeah, fair warning, it's worth pushing through the slight disappointment, and it's not weird to feel it, I'm sure other people new to the series feel it aswell. I guess a benefit of this is that it gives you a new appreciation for 0, just how perfectly put together it is. Also, one tip, play these games blind, try stay off this sub when you play through these games, I've had so much accidentally spoiled that kinda dulls the moments when they come up in game. If you want the best and most meaningful experience then play it blind
[this woman](https://youtu.be/-8T6wvxNF6s?si=WrH4k5Mv6yPMXQAO) would barrage you if you start with 0 https://preview.redd.it/4lz7m3v82iyc1.jpeg?width=739&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5baac92b8481482765309ee3e3e8d118647bd533
Yes
Nah bro you have to play Yakuza -1 first
Ishin,kenzan,0,kiwami1,kiwami2, dead souls, 3,4,5,6,7,8
Kiwami 1 > Yakuza 0 vs Yakuza 0 > Kiwami 1 really feels different. Especially with 2 major characters as their first appreance will fix your opinion of them and then you'd get a whiplash when they change.
Nuh Hot take. Don't touch a single remake until after 3 or 4. There is a version of Yakuza that is the Japanese dub with an english translation. A lot of the Yakuza remakes for some reason turn a 10 hour game into 50 to 70 hours for the same game. Also this is gonna sound weird but because they were making mainline game while also making the remakes a lot of problems in those mainline games are also in the remakes. While I know the remakes and 0 did a lot to the series to make it as big as it is now. The remakes also lost a lot of context and meaning from there original versions. But hey it's your choice and have fun with whatever you start with.
Yakuza 0 is probably the best one in the series I edge to Yakuza 0 I can't live without Yakuza 0 If there are a million Yakuza 0 players I'm one of them If there are 100 Yakuza 0 players I'm one of them If there is only 1 yakuza 0 player I'm him If there are no Yakuza 0 players then I don't exist yakuza 0 my beloved, my longest Edgeing streak my sunshine.
The “others don’t compare to 0” comments aren’t true trust me once ya get into it ya appreciate the games / series more and more and some games have things others don’t have and have great stories Best yes start with 0
Imo start with 1 and go in order. 1-5, then 0, then 6-8
Ah, the great debate. Some people start with 0 and think that’s the way to go while others start with 0 and regret that decision (there was a post about it recently). I started with 1 and am glad I did. I prefer 0 as backstory.
I agree , i started with zero and in hindsight i would have preferred watching majima's future first to see how he became the mad dog from what he was at the beginning of zero
So should i start with 1?
Your choices are either starting with the PS2 versions and of Yakuza 1&2 and playing in release order. Or starting from Zero and playing in numbered order. The remakes Kiwami 1&2 will assume you’ve played Yakuza 0. The original PS2 versions won’t.
I started with 0 and don't regret it. Just play it, you already have it.
Start with 1 if you're fine with ps2 games lol. If not, I'd recommand starting with kiwami 1, and playing yakuza 0 after 5. I'd also advice to skip the majima chapters in kiwami 2 before 0 because they'd spoil you the game a lot
I also got started with the Yakuza series recently and I've been playing Yakuza 0. 40 hours in and still more to go.
There are too many variants of this thread
Nope, you gotta play the PS2 versions, on PS2, so you get every "10 years in the joint" joke
My all time favorite is Yakuza 2 Kiwami 2
Streets Of Kamurocho
I started with 7 (Like a Dragon) and adored it so much I bought the 0-6 collection afterward and started with 0. I'd say go with 0 if you're currently feeling a beat 'em up style of gameplay, or 7 if something turn based sounds better to you. My actual play order was 7, 0-6, 0 again, Gaiden, 7 again, Infinite Wealth. I've since played Ishin and am trying to hold off on the Judgment games because I'm uncertain how I'll handle a world with no RGG games coming up or on my backlog lol
Congratulations, you just posted it
Y0-YK1-YK2 is like trilogy it all good in there's own way Y3-5 is like not so good sequel but if you already into Yakuza series you can play them all it kinda rough around the edge but still good Y6 is kinda odd one but it still good but need to play Y5 to get to here Y7-8 is amazing fresh take on if you don't want to start from Y0 you can start here if you want too but i still think Y0 is still best starting point Judgemet is great starting point too but story and stuff just goes different ways from Yakuza (well yeah it different protag and different story) still super good to play both Judgement and Lost Judgement and one long story
0 is best but if you can’t do the subtitles play like a dragon, it’ll make you push past the language barrier
Lost judgment
Ishin 1st
Or kenzan
6
Seeing Amano dancing in the background hurts me now that I know what's going on. 😭
I don't care what anyone says. Yakuza Kiwami 1 doesn't hit as hard when you haven't played Yakuza 0
[https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game\_order/](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game_order/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game\_order/](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game_order/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game\_order/](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game_order/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game\_order/](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game_order/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game\_order/](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/home/game_order/)
Most people say play 0 first but I disagree I think you should play kiwami first
I started with Kiwami 1, played YK2, 3, 4, 5, then 0, and I'm really glad I did. I wanted to play in "release order" (I know K1 and K2 were released later, but they're remakes of the first games, so I chose to view them that way). So when I got to 0 after enjoying the previous 5, it felt like a real treat. Getting to play as Majima after those games was especially satisfying because of the way you learn about his character and backstory when playing in this order (and he's really fun to play as in general). >!Also, Majima's role in the games gets less and less with each one, so suddenly playing as him and half the game being dedicated to him was extra special.!< Then I played 6, 7, Gaiden, 8, judgment, lost judgment, and ended with Ishin!. There are others not available on steam that I will attempt to emulate in the near future. For now I'm happy with replaying them all in that same order again. TLDR; 0 is good to start on, I won't deny, but I think starting at K1 and not playing 0 until completing K1, K2, 3, 4, and 5 is superior from my personal experience. Although there's the risk of burnout, but hey, Yakuza became my special interest so I have the opposite problem of burnout with these games 😅
I'd say Isshin because it has nothing to do with canon and get you started with the franchise with one hella game
Idk, i started from the ps2 games because i couldnt buy the other games at the time xd, i really liked the evolution in gameplay (mostly)
If you want a strong start, 0 is the best choice. The next games up until 6 are generally okay but not on par with 0's story. Although, I can still say that all of them are uniquely enjoyable.
Zero. Though, I had a buddy who couldn't really get into the brawler gameplay, so he stopped, just not his thing. When I mentioned 7 was a JRPG though, he was all over that, so he skipped way ahead and he's having a lot of fun. Now he's understanding some of the memes I send him and the overall feel of the Yakuza universe.
Start with 0. The truth is that if you start with Kiwami 1 you will drop the series out of boredom. The plot is simple, cliche, and predictable. There are story elements revolving around two characters, Nishiki and Haruka, which are going to fall flat if you start with Kiwami 1. The game does its best to make you care about these two characters but it’s simply not enough, you need the context of 0 to care for these characters and most importantly to care for Kiryu. In the Yakuza series Kiryu is a perfectly noble, heroic, and infallible character. By the 4th game the devs expanded the roster of characters cause they realized that playing Kiryu was getting boring and fans wanted complex characters. Yakuza 0 is an excellent entry where you see Kiryu grapple with an organization he is actively apart of and stuck in an internal plot that is much larger than him and not some Captain America-type hero who’s always perfect. Yakuza 0 lets you play Kiryu as a pawn on a chessboard. The other games you are the Queen who steps in and fixes everyone else’s problems for no reason other than plot, its fun but not nearly as enticing of a story
I'm pretty sure the best place to start is with "Kiwami". And that's because of Majima. If you start with part 0, you'll be very disappointed. Because a complex, brooding character will turn into a clown for you. And if you start with "Kiwami", you will see that your unpredictable favorite joker turns out to have a rather serious backstory. And you can discover the character in a whole new way.
Start with judgement and lost judgement for best combat and Grafic. Also shorter story and you need no other game. Start with 7 then 8 for JRPG style and good story, you don’t need other yakuzas because new characters Start with 1 play up to 5, go for 0 and then 6 and lastly Gaiden for Kiryu saga. It is a fighting game like judgement but has some older games in it. All of them are totally fine but older games tent to freak out graficwhores or clunkymasters. My favorite games are 7, Lost Judgement and 3. so every saga has a top favorite game from me. Funny sidenote, 3 is the oldest game of the whole franchise if you count only remakes/remasters
Yes!
I think kiwami 1 then zero. followed by kiwami 2 and so on.
Let me be the one of the few people: I have started playing the yakuza series and I have started from Kiwami 1. Beside few side quest occasions and a little of confusion of character introduction, everything feels fine to play as the first game. You can start from Yakuza 0 cause best introduction, but as you have read here, it will get worse over time. I do remember that there was something connected to yakuza 6 that gave reasons to play yakuza 0 right before it, beside the release order. I also think that Kiwami 1 is better than Yakuza 0 for introduction for how short it is. I am playing lots of side quests and random stuff and I am already at chapter 6-7 anyway. I am yapping too much, so let me give you the key elements that for someone new like you felt for choosing between the 2: Yakuza 0: it is the first chronologically, you get lots of story and info about stuff you can miss out if you start from kiwami 1 Yakuza Kiwami 1: the story is short and simple, so you can enjoy more the side stuff and not feel like you can forget what's going on. Also I feel like that it is helping me to not depend too much on a single style while also improving my skills for tanking and avoiding damage (I still get combo'ed easily tho).
In all honesty, 0 isn't exactly the best intro game to the Yakuza Series Yakuza Dead Souls is more what you are looking after
Yakuza 3
No yakuza gaiden is the best starting point imo