Masu ⚔️✨ RGG Wiki 会長 & Niche Reporter
@04tenno.bsky.social
138 followers 62 following 308 posts
Masu・He/Him Chairman of the official Yakuza/Like a Dragon Wiki and niche reporter RGG Art/News/Translations TUE-THU・QRTs🆗・日本語🆗 04tenno.straw.page
Masu・He/Him Chairman of the official Yakuza/Like a Dragon Wiki and niche reporter RGG Art/News/Translations TUE-THU・QRTs🆗・日本語🆗 04tenno.straw.page
![A shot of Makoto Daito fighting a large enemy in Stranger Than Heaven accompanied by a translated excerpt from a Hiroyuki Sakamoto interview on Famitsu published 2026-09-10:
“We plan to have difficulty settings for the whole game [so ‘everyone can see the ending’]. [Before: I want to preserve the nuances—tough enemies stay tough, and immersion in battle comes with deep focus. And we’re tuning the tempo of blowing through weaker guys to have the exhilerating feel we want.] [But we] want to give players who aren’t good with action games a chance. We also plan to implement beginner-friendly relief measures. It’s up to the player to use them or not, but we want a broad entry point from which they can get used to the default controls bit by bit.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreiethkjvwom456cezfqrihtz36xdqt5r7i4xjmixvumldpmzu33hj4)
![A shot of Makoto Daito threatening an enemy with a dagger in Stranger Than Heaven with options to “show him mercy” or “show him no mercy” accompanied by translated excerpts from a Hiroyuki Sakamoto and Masayoshi Yokoyama interview in the RGGTV Special on 2026-05-07:
Sakamoto: “So far we’ve only had dialogue options, but we’ve been wanting [choices to have real consequences] for a while now. The ‘kill or let live’ choice from the trailer—well, it’s a game [with] five eras, right? […] That choice is something that will have an impact later. We wanted to add those side elements […] that could be enjoyed longer-term in the game.”
Yokoyama: “Well, there won’t be multiple endings or anything. And the main story itself is 100% linear, no branching. RGG Studio’s titles—at least mine—will probably never have that.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreibspz3w77peyry3ruwnt7hbl2mcnjqxc7d3mqrq2hyzm2v7yqtz2a)
![A shot of Goro Majima using the Breaker style in Yakuza 0 and Makoto Daito punching someone in Stranger Than Heaven from Masayoshi Yokoyama interviews with Gamer.ne and GameWith published 2026-06-23 and BFM published 2026-06-13":
“My dream was to create the ultimate boxing game and the ultimate dancing game. Don’t dancing games always seem to end up as rhythm games? [In my vision] you could freestyle windmills and moonwalks with just the controller, but that probably won’t ever be doable. […] Still, part of that dream was realized through Majima’s Breaker style in Yakuza 0. I digress, but […] I thought the "controls themselves are fun" idea fit Stranger Than Heaven well, so I carried [the scrapped boxing sim mechanics and certain combat sequences] over.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreic5spuy3ho6qyycgyummdcfouvnkcyj2q6yz3jytl4t7z22kla4lq)
![A shot of Makoto Daito downed and impaled with a katana by a crazed enemy accompanied by excerpts from Masayoshi Yokoyama interviews on 4Gamer and Gamer.ne as well an excerpt from Automaton, all published 2026-06-23:
The Yokoyama excerpt reads: “If the whole game were as hard [as we made the demo to teach players], it’d be 300–400 hours long (laughs).[…] We’re still tuning [accessibility and such based on feedback] to accommodate all kinds of people too. That said, we don’t intend to make it so just anyone can mindlessly buttonmash through it. I think creators worldwide struggle with this: ‘How can you craft a story best appreciated as a game?’ When you and the character you control become one, the more hardships you overcome together, the more you’re moved. That’s what’s so great about games to me.”
The Automaton excerpt reads: “Per the devs, ‘The [demo’s] clear rate up to Advanced is ~80%.’ ”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreih5l4oot6o32rxryozi5yyuuc76g4sawaygdqhvyidulsgpmacfea)
![The cover art for Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Stranger than Heaven, accompanied by excerpts from a Masayoshi Yokoyama interviews conducted on 4Gamer, Famitsu, Gamer on 2026-06-23 and the RGGTV Special on 2026-05-07:
“I actually mulled over the story [*Stranger Than Heaven*] is based on for six, seven years. I had plenty of time [to think], and its current state really began taking shape four to five years ago. It was a little while after *Yakuza: Like a Dragon* came out that I started to feel like, ‘Maybe this is how it goes.’ The original draft was mine, and start to present, it’s been two to three years of hard work.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreif7geczmacttk3lkfcpk6wxulif74ea2j54mnje7wcxkofk5lwlre)
![A shot of Genzo Iwaki in Stranger Than Heaven accompanied by an excerpt from a Masayoshi Yokoyama interview conducted in an RGGTV special on 2026-05-07:
"The role does suit [Bunta Sugawara], but also… I couldn’t picture asking any actor of today to play it. I thought of doing an original character, but happened to connect with Toei. […] They gave me the chance to discuss it with his wife and daughter, who not only accepted but readily approved, […] saying, ‘If you’re gonna do it, give it your all! [Run wild without holding back.]’ […] Our character designer was able to [capture him across eras based on Toei’s archives.] Then there was Takashi Ukaji, Bunta-san’s assistant [recommended by Sugawara’s] wife to voice him, and Yasukaze Motomiya who introduced us. […] He diligently acted out [Sugawara’s voice changes over the years], too.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreickpzvyktnes7eywe7ntl5irmtrf2phbuqmee4yystj644oerhe2m)
![A collage of the five eras of Makoto Daito in Stranger Than Heaven, accompanied by an excerpt from a Masayoshi Yokoyama interview conducted in an RGGTV special on 2026-05-07:
"Actually, [at the start] Daito mainly speaks English and there’s a system through which he gets better at Japanese [over time]. As he improves, his body language becomes more Japanese, [which, along with his gait changing with age, is why we switch mocap actors midway]. […] And as he improves, more approaches to communication become available to him, which means more options [for the choice system]. […] For example, say you go debt collecting for the boss. Can you only say, ‘Gimme my money!’ or can you also say you’ll wait a few days if need be? […] Of course, there’s no way his Japanese wouldn’t improve over time, so think of it like both the [character] and the way you play change between eras.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreiewh3dzuri3l7nbc4g4jn6rju6ist6xgam6tn3cas6dufzyamngha)
![A collage of Etsuko, Shintaro Kazama, and Minoru Daidoji crossed out, accompanied by an excerpt from a Masayoshi Yokoyama interview conducted in an RGGTV special on 2026-05-07:
"If you’re thinking, ‘What if young Etsuko shows up? Or maybe young Kazama?’ I’m sorry to cut ahead, but the answer is no. We’re not forcing [direct connections]. […] Or like, the Daidoji Faction. […] You might be expecting us to tie them in, but this is meant to be a brand new story about two men called Makoto Daito and Yu Shinjo. It involves nothing that doesn’t need to be involved. So no, we’re not doing that. […] Of course the Omi Alliance will be around [in 1943], so we’re not forcing [a disconnect] either. What’s there is there too.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreihzdahovdrzmkszh2lfmgtihapiasxwrw2oe3ulsyjsmgwl5fofbe)
![A shot of Teruyuki Kagawa as Goh Hamazaki in Yakuza Kiwami 3 with his face mosaic blurred out, accompanied by an excerpt from a GAME Watch interview with Ryosuke Horii on 2026-02-05:
Horii: “Rikiya and Hamazaki are both key characters to the story, so it would certainly be safer not to recast them and avoid online criticism (laughs). But we felt there was no use being afraid. We based our decision on what excited us and made us think, ‘This is who we want to perform,’ or ‘What if we cast this person?’ […] Hamazaki is a sleazy, persistent, and militant yakuza, right? Since he isn’t an explosive character like Kanda, when we tried to think of someone who makes you go, ‘This guy’s a creep,’ naturally it was Kagawa-san. The biggest thing was just had to see that. Kagawa-san’s acting is fun to watch. Even when he’s chopping a pig’s feet off with a chef’s knife, it has a slimy feel.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreianho4oe2hx4rmjbrd65x22prtp53ol6fm5ljlqdnjmxkjx2bnpme)
![Excerpts from a Rock Paper Shotgun article published 2026-01-29 and titled “Yakuza fans are demanding Sega recast a Kiwami 3 actor, and Dark Ties may make the situation worse” and a Polygon article published 2025-11-03 and titled “Yakuza 3 remake stirs up backlash with new trailer starring actor who admitted to assault.”
The Rock Paper Shotgun excerpt says, “We asked Sega to comment on Kagawa's casting and for their response to the petition calling for his removal. They declined to provide a statement.”
The Polygon excerpt says, “Polygon has contacted Sega for comment on Kagawa's role in the upcoming game and will update when the company responds. [Polygon received no response.]”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreibrq5tzagqfltyotsp4c6ms7hg6eifgnkvmexry5kttgruiszlg2q)
” by makbak3_kiwami, V1Vtorious, and 04tenno:
“His other victim, Mirei (pseudonym), was a bright and cheerful hostess in her 30s known to be able to handle drunk guests, which Kagawa targeted her for. Soon after she sat next to him, he reached into her dress, tore off her bra, kissed her, and groped her. She escaped with the help of staff, but upon returning for her things, Kagawa forced her to stay and SAed her again on video call to a junior kabuki actor. Word of his conduct spread through the club, humiliating her further when concerned customers called out to her after she got away.
“These were, allegedly, not isolated incidents. Kagawa was accused of violently hitting a female production staff member in the head in 2018. He’d been banned from most hostess clubs in Minato leading up to the incident in Ginza in 2019. One witness even claimed to have seen him groping hostesses on other occasions. His pattern of misconduct, however, would remain an “open secret” left unaddressed for years to come.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreia2geffokpjvpxx3baikrsjf4glczhpfo3uw7idvooqr32sbxfoka)
![Let’s hear lawyer and former deputy chief of the Special Investigation Department of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, Masaru Wakasa, explain how Kagawa’s conduct in this case should be judged under the law.
“If a hostess suddenly had that done to her without her agreement or consent, then in theory, it would constitute the crime of Indecency through Compulsion under Article 176 of the Penal Code, punishable by [between 6 months and 10 years] of imprisonment. […] Indecency through Compulsion was a private offense in the past, and there could be no case without a formal complaint from the victim, but […] after the 2017 revision to the Penal Code, it is now possible to punish as a crime even with no complaint.”
The statute of limitations is completed upon the lapse of the following time periods: […] 7 years for offenses punishable with imprisonment […] maximum term is less than 15 years [but not less than 10 years]. [Kagawa’s case occurred in July 2019, 6 years ago.]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreiawafhoa5nailz4kvh3dneu43xyhajb4e5ebrr5uzliutth32ee6y)
![A collage of colorful shots of 1915 Kokura, 1929 Kure, 1943 Minami, 1951 Atami, and 1965 Shinjuku from Stranger Than Heaven accompanied by translated excerptss from from Masayoshi Yokoyama interviews in the RGGTV Special on 2026-05-07:
“The RGB channels went haywire and the green channel’s strength and contrast were messed up. [Designers were apologizing during one of my early checks], and it was a bug, but I said, ‘Huh, but it’s kinda cool? Just could be tiring to look at the whole time.’ Then by next week’s check it was fixed, but looked super plain. I [asked to see the glitched image again], and they told me [the Dragon Engine] couldn’t revert [to bugged states]. (laughs) They had to diligently recreate it from memory for the first teaser. […] That’s the look I wanted for Kokura. […] though the colors [among] other things change between eras.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreidlcejvxyadttxsuhe2m3cn66susidf2e6gyfgay6ci7mbtpox3x4)
![A shot of ‘60s Kamurocho at night in Stranger Than Heaven accompanied by translated excerptss from from Masayoshi Yokoyama interviews in the RGGTV Special on 2026-05-07 and Nikkei Cross Trend on 2026-03-03:
The RGGTV excerpt reads: “[Stranger Than Heaven’s] first visuals were super photorealistic. Like in Unreal, or… [not] naming names, but like all these games we’re seeing lately. You watch these world premieres and they all paint the same pretty picture. Great graphics, but I was just like, ‘Where’s our individuality?’
The Nikkei Cross Trend excerpt reads: “Our aim isn’t simply to copy reality. It’s to convey the feel, atmosphere, and “coolness” only [we] can. Just like how anime is loved precisely because it doesn’t translate to reality, we want to [keep crafting] worlds you can take one look at and say, ‘That’s RGG.’ ”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreiahs2tzgzp5vyq7nc4htenuqulsx3b7igrytzfgxu3p6k42rauhgq)
![A shot of Makoto Daito downed and shielding himself from being punched by an enemy on top of him accompanied by excerpts from Masayoshi Yokoyama interviews on Famitsu, 4Gamer, Gamer.ne, and GameWith, all published 2026-06-23:
“The point isn’t whether it’s hard or not. We just paid no mind at all to whether RGG players could enjoy [Stranger Than Heaven] with the same controls.[The point is] how [best] to express the protagonist’s character and world through action. […] Back then, if you were seriously hurt, there was no saving you. We wanted to drive home that kill-or-be-killed dread [so you’d feel] the weight of trading blows and taking a life with your own hands at your fingertips.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreig2rlgf7axkseupdgvg3y4ly2hwotk32t247dy2j57yujnsyxdcle)
![The covers of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut accompanied by an excerpt of a CBR interview with Marc Hawes, the voice director for those games:
“Of course, there are things [that don’t translate], and where the voices sit and [such]… I think [the crux of it is] the story and making sure that the characters are true. There's truthfulness behind those characters, and it's a believable truthfulness. […] Often, what we do is [get a sense of the character from] the Japanese performance. […] Then [let] the actor to go either direction. We'd be like, ‘Great, give me two different variations of that line.’ Then I listen to the Japanese performance and [decide which to use based on] the stakes.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreicbakruuur35ygw3g2fqujkft7ef4rxsb6bb2dhzjworpt3htg7l4)
![The cover of Stranger Than Heaven accompanied by an excerpt translated by “C” from a Masayoshi Yokoyama interview conducted by Melinda Davan-Soulas for BFM on 2026-06-13:
“[Yokoyama] readily admits that he has sometimes used and abused the success of *Like a Dragon* as a [crutch/safety net]. ‘To be honest, it’s because we lacked the courage to start a new IP based solely on a concept and its own gameplay system. If the title didn’t say *Like a Dragon*, we’d fear missing out on that notoriety. […] It’s pure marketing.’ After 20 years on a well-trod path, RGG realised they could trust in their vision and start over from zero [with the freedom and confidence] to “satisfy [them] as both creators and players.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreihh2sxohwps4ydq7ijzxh6vwomjwefntyxa4yhzulxvhp7uuywae4)
![Shots of Makoto Daito and Akio Otsuka’s Heigo Yashima in Stranger Than Heaven accompanied by an excerpt from a Masayoshi Yokoyama and Hiroyuki Sakamoto interview conducted in an RGGTV special on 2026-05-07:
Yokoyama: “[Japanese] is tough for [Daito] at first, and […] he picks up accents, some Hiroshima, things like that—we wanted to convey that properly. The nuances would be lost if the game got dubbed entirely into English or some other language. That’s why it’s all one voice track. Which we cast around, but [...] Akio [Otsuka]-san’s character [does business] and so speaks English, and we told him, ‘Just do your best!’ Japanese English was fine. [...] We decided what would be in English or Japanese based on what sounded natural.”
Sakamoto: “There were actually a lot of revisions and corrections made during recording. The talents were geniuses.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreihs63rpvlypmost2ahw4et52arkyg5i77pofqbcsrcxgmmjkfragi)
![A still of Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi as Goro Majima in the show Yakuza Powered by Nihon Touitsu compared with a still of Goro Majima in Yakuza Kiwami, accompanied by an excerpt from RGG Summit 2025 as reported by Tristone Entertainment:
“I’ve been acting a long time, but it’s been a while since I last portrayed an established character, so I had to learn the role by heart. I grew my hair out into Majima’s style and matched my movements to the game for the action scenes. [Yokoyama: Majima’s fighting style has him spinning around with a dagger and it’s tough for a real human being to pull off, but he did it.] Majima is blind in one eye and wears an eyepatch, so there were times I couldn’t tell where I was spinning. (laughs)”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreihdbvc2amjm67amdaz3l253btlljo3lk2ohsdm24lrqqpzjknf5j4)
![A promotional image of Yasukaze Motomiya as Kazuma Kiryu in the show Like a Dragon Powered by Nihon Touitsu showing off Kiryu’s dragon tattoo set across from a similar promotional image of Ryoma Takeuchi as Kiryu in the show Like a Dragon: Yakuza, accompanied by an excerpt from a FILT interview with Motomiya on 2026-03-10:
“[Past adaptations] got more than a few unfavorable ratings from fans of the original games. We understand those feelings painfully well. The stronger one’s attachment is to the games’ world and characters, the more disappointing an adaptation can be. That’s why we deliberately chose a different angle of attack this time. Rather than a lackluster realistic drama, we approached production as if we were entering the world of the games. For certain scenes, we took the in-game environments as-is and composited the actors into them. […] The result has a ‘playful’ feel to it, in a good way—it’s a game-live action hybrid that sets itself apart from the existing movie and drama. There may be mixed opinions, but I’d be happy if it could be enjoyed as not just your typical dramatization, but a new take full of respect for the games.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreigme3psgxve65jmyrnpuxyl5mn2qfwoyhofewxrwezl47flsxo7fq)
![A comparison of a shot of Shun Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, Kazuma Kiryu, and Masayoshi Tanimura in black suits walking towards the camera in Yakuza 4 and a similar shot in A Better Tomorrow 2 (images compiled by u/u/RogueNinja77 in a Reddit post on 2023-04-24), accompanied by an excerpt from a Nikkei Cross Trend interview with Masayoshi Yokoyama on 2026-03-03:
Horii: “My directing is hugely inspired by Hong Kong noir movies like John Woo’s ‘A Better Tomorrow.’ If you look at it with a level head, the story’s [incoherent] (laughs). A character who got Swiss-cheesed and ostensibly died in the first movie casually came back in the sequel like, ‘Actually, he had a twin brother living in New York…’ When I saw that, [the idea] ‘anything goes as long as it’s cool’ shocked me. Beyond the nitty-gritty, do the characters shine, and does it sway your heart? What matters in entertainment is ‘passion’ rather than ‘coherence’—that’s what those movies taught me.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreideanqscijwxilhm4vqmnvtlxtjqzecbnfvum4pxpdsnm23xohtcu)
![The logos for Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2, and Yakuza Kiwami 3 superimposed over low-exposure shots of Kamurocho, Sotenbori, and Okinawa respectively, accompanied by an excerpt from a GosuGamers interview with Ryosuke Horii on 2026-02-27:
Horii: “I believe a lot of expectations are being built for, like maybe there’ll be a Yakuza 4 remake and a Yakuza 5 remake. But if you listen to Director Yokoyama’s message a little bit more intently, you’ll realize that he is hinting, perhaps, that we may not necessarily move in a direction where we are only recreating our works from the past. So there might be something else in the works as well. […] We don’t necessarily know yet what is about to come, but part of our goal is to, and I mean this in a good and positive way, to always betray the fans’ expectations, always exceed their expectations.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:miwrulrgrudgnchcqgcpxgth/bafkreifsqax4pm6iqk5ixecri5dgkgrkpbbg2ivv4ue6uov42vv3kp6v6q)
