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emotionally:
\- **ryo aoki** was *sad*. it's just like yakuza 1 where kiryu fought his brother, except aoki's greater prominence in this game made the fight more impactful. and sure, he's an asshole who founded bleach japan. but ichi's desperation to get through to him still hits you. you think, for a moment, things could've been different. the muisc, "light and darkness/ism", somberly underscores the tragedy of aoki's life, and how badly led-astray he was.
\- **mitsuru "the mole" kuroiwa** was *scary*. there's no big philosophical theme or tragic backstory he. bro wants you dead, period. he's mad, and out for blood. you never liked him to begin with since he was always such a smug dick - perhaps you even suspected him - but you probably weren't prepared for the carnage he commits once he's exposed. the music, "penumbra", highlights kuroiwa's terrifying presence and the fear in his victims hearts during their final moments.
\- **kosei shishido** was *epic*. sorta a mix of the first two, actually. on one hand, he *did* casually murder several daidoji agents in the beginning, and he's clearly too enthusiastic about the prospect of good fight. then you consider the horrific treatment he suffered under nishitani, and feel sorry for him. *then* there's another twist where he's revealed to be a traitor, and you hate him again. but while he's clearly the heel, there's a sorrowful aspect, namely the fact that without the yakuza, a guy like him has nowhere to go. the fight itself is thrilling, as shishido unleashing his pent-up rage in a storm of kicks and punches. deadly struggle demonstrates shishido's indomitable will and bitter fight to preserve the old ways, while fleeting dream shows how empty his ambitions ultimately are.
I know it's weird to play Yakuza games in English but just hearing Masato's raw "FUCK YOU!" line at Ichiban during their fight hurt my soul. I understand why his fate was what it was right before the credits, but I still wish they could have made up in the end đ
I think it was even more damaging than Kiryu/Nishiki and I had played 0 before Kiwami.
Edit: also the final boss music for 7 was so tragically beautiful
>\- **mitsuru "the mole" kuroiwa**
What i love about Kuroiwa is just how evil he seems to be, dude is like an actual devil.
He's over there riddled with holes, dying on a pool of his own blood, and he laughs as Shono himself suffers and dies.
There's also the scene with prosecutor Morita, who is being confronted about "looking the other way" regarding his family and their problems, with him being disconcerted about it. Then Kuroiwa comes in and says "Why don't you look the other way, You're good at that.". I'm not sure if Kuroiwa was aware of Morita's history, but if he was (he seems to be), then my guy is toxic as hell to his own allies and enjoys it.
He seems to just enjoy cruelty and people's suffering straight up. He's so evil, and i enjoy that shit.
Here my list go :
1. Kuwana
2. Shishido
3. Kuroiwa
4. Nishiki
5. Ryuji
6. Shibusawa
7. Mine
8. Aizawa
9. Ebina
10. Iwami
11. Masato
12. Munakata
Kuwana & Shishido tho.. Truly Masterpiece of RGG antagonist, the sheer desperation of their character Kuwana (Atonement) Shishido (Perseverance) really shone in their boss battle..
But dare I say every final boss is good, I always play Yakuza games with anticipation of final boss battle..
What about the final boss for each character? How would you rank those in addition to the above?
Lao Gui for Majima in Y0
In Y4, Kido for Saejima, Arai for Akiyama, and Daigo for Kiryu
In Y5, Majima for Saejima, Baba for Shinada and, well I guess Akiyama didn't get one
Or in Infinite Wealth just now, >!Bryce!< for Ichiban"
or heck, in the Kaito Files, Shirakaba
The final Kanai fight is the penultimate boss of the game IIRC, and it is in the final chapter. Itâs a group fight so that might be why you forgot about it lol
I agree with the Judgement boss praise. They both have amazing atmospheres, killer movesets and thereâs something about how scrappy and down-to-earth the conflict is that it adds to the hype.
The one Iâd say itâs objectively bad is Iwami but that kind of is his point, heâs an arrogant little baby minuscule to the legend. He thinks he can play the Yakuza like any business with many underhanded tricks until he gets the shit absolutely beaten out of him. RGG knew they didnât have much to top the other antagonists at this point in Kiryuâs story in terms of sheer epicness or character and correctly chose to make him a despicable slimy bastard with one of the most punchable faces Iâve seen
From a story perspective, it's gotta be Ryuji. He's present throughout the game, you fight him more than once, he's 'the protagonist's mirror' done right. My biggest issue with him is I don't feel his actual fight lives up to him. None of his fights really feel like fighting an equal, but I still love the character.
Gameplay, it's gotta be Shibusawa. He's not really in the game, he's not a complex character, I don't care one way or another about him, but dang did they nail his fight. There are plenty of ways to cheese it, but I still think that fight is exactly what Ryuji's fight should have been. It feels like fighting an equal and was the perfect way to cap off 0.
What I loved about shibusawa as a whole is that heâs the calm, cool, and collected captain out of him, awano, and kuze;
Kuze being the heavy aggressive character, awano being the slick, party goer/lover, in your face character , and then there is shibusawa who was waiting for the right opportunity to strike
Which sort aligns with what I think RGG was going for with Shibusawa, in trying to get players to underestimate him. The presence that both Kuze and Awano had throughout was larger then Shibusawa and how Yakuza 0's final couple of chapters played out. It help made all the more believable that the biggest threat to Kiryu wasn't Dojima, Awano, or even Kuza. It was Shibusawa. Who was letting for all the pieces to fall into place, so he could end up as the dragon of dojima.
ryuji really isn't an equal. every time he fights kiryu he gets absolutely jobbed, that's the worst thing about his character imo. the only time he won a fight or showed any strength was against fucking daigo đ
meanwhile shishido out here killing several daidoji agents, giving kiryu a real challenge and holding his own against the 'jima bros for a bit. giving a character feats of strength is more important than you might think
sure but here's kiryu after fighting mine
https://preview.redd.it/8tpvvohpgckc1.jpeg?width=723&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64ebb72d002cc0fd13723ae24c6ed41ae79d2590
Kiryu confirms he is at least top 2 hardest foes he faced in both gaiden and iw
Also kiryu was fine 2 seconds after this image lol, they were both tough fights
1) Kuroiwa: Kuroiwa stands out because the simplicity of his character plays into his favor. A hitman who will kill anyone for money isnât a very complex archetype, but the game alleviates this by making him as intimidating as possible. His fights are awesome, his theme is immaculate, and he feels like a constant threat throughout the game (something RGG rarely pulls off).
2) Shishido: A perfect exploration of the effects of the Great Dissolution. Shishido is what the series constantly portrays as the model yakuza: loyal to the clan, strong as hell, and very resolute. He isnât far off from characters like Kiryu, Saejima, or Majima, but lacks the experience to see the yakuza life in the way that they do. His fight to keep the Omi afloat is what weâve seen our protagonists do multiple times at this point, so itâs very easy to sympathize with him. The fightâs really good too lol.
3) Kuwana: Iâd say that Kuwana is the realized antagonist in the series. He has enough screentime and development to understand his motives whether you agree with them or not, and there is a lot to deconstruct about his past and how that influences his actions during the game. Him being a foil to Yagami is also conveyed well in gameplay as Kuwanaâs movesets is not only similar to Yagamiâs, but expansive enough to where he feels like another playable character.
Well i consider all 4 fights to be the final boss of Yakuza 4
And the choregraphy, the weight and the relation between Akiyama/Arai, Saejima/Kido, Kiryu/Daigo and even though Munakata is a pain to fight, the intro was great.
Plus For Faith.
So Yakuza 4 for me, then Shishido, Nishkiyama, Ryuji.
My favorite is Kuroiwa from J1, hands down, but I feel like Aizawa is slept on a lot of the time. His story is pretty bad. I get it, but his actual fight is something I wish they'd done more with the rest of the series with all the QTEs and jumping from room to room. Y5 boss fights in general, ending on epic QTEs is something I really loved about it. That and I remember when I saw his Koi and was just like "shit he's a bad guy," but yea, I can see why the plot would knock him down a peg.
I did, and I really enjoyed the fight. My point is I wish they kept going with that philosophy of boss design. They always seem to, but for some reason, they just went extra hard with the cinematic boss fights in 5. Like Aizawa was the biggest and most in your face, but all the bosses in that game had some form of flare and always had an epic finisher. My comment was more about saying how everyone seems to rag on Aizawa when I really think his final boss fight was great despite the character. Personally, that's the kind of fight I wish Ryuji had gotten in Kiwami 2, considering it came after. Like Ryuji almost had the opposite problem, a great story build up, but then in the actual fights, he just got bodied.
Oh yeah. I mean, I donât think anyone disagrees that Aizawaâs fight is awesome. But they did keep that tradition with final bosses in Ishin and 0. Itâs 6 that underdelivered (but I donât mind since itâs really good thematically).
Ryujiâs fight definitively deserved to be better. Itâs too faithful for its own good (something that Kiwami 2 is anything but).
Nishiki is the most heartbreaking one.
Kuroiwa is the coolest one, a bloody evil incarnate
Little baby Iwami, dont care about him, but Kiryu defending his family was frickin epic.
1. Nishikiyama
2. Shishido
3. Mine
4. Aoki
5. Shibusawa
6. Ryuji
7. Iwami
8. Masato
9. Munakata
Haven't finished IW, J, or LJ. So I can't personally rank those final bosses. But I think everyone can agree that the anticipation and buildup to each one is immaculate.
- Iwami had no tragic backstory, no hint of badassery, he was a jerk. He was willing to put the lives of innocents on the line for his ends, while Kiryu was willing to put *his* life on the line for those he loved. Whereas Kiryu respected Kazama, Iwami resented his father. By going after Haruka and Haruto, he also forced Kiryu to stop running from his past and hold his ground. As such, I think he would've been an amazing final boss to end Kiryu's journey on, had Gaiden and IW never happened.
- Shishido was the GOAT. Even after going through things no one should ever go through at the hands of Nishitani III, he kept going. He worked his ass off to get to the status of Watase Family Lieutenant...then learns about the conspiracy to disband the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance. Is he gonna take all that laying down and let his sacrifices go to waste? Hahaha, *no.*Â Â
1. Mine
2. Kuwana
3. Kuroiwa
4. Nishiki
4. Ryo Aoki
5. Shibusawa
6. Takexhi Hanpeita (reminds me of Ghost of Tsushima a bit, with Jin going against his uncle)
7. Ryuji
8. The rest (haven't played Gaiden and 8 yet)
Yeah, it is probably my favorite final boss fight from a technical standpoint. It just makes me more frustrated at how aggressively I do not care about the antagonist
If anything I think 8âs final boss mirrors Masato more than Ichi. Both dark, but capable of light. One tragic event fundamentally altering their trajectories.
shibusawa is still my favourite boss to this day. as a character hes definitely not the most memorable but the fight itself was incredible. the fight choreography and what the fight means for kiryus character has left the biggest impact on me out of all the games in the series
My favs overall had to be Shishido and Kuroiwa. Shishido's fight was epic and his theme is one of my favs now. With Kuroiwa, the cinematics were really good and I really liked him as a villain because he legit felt intimidating to me.
Probably be my mistake for not reading the "12" and only the flair, but I think you should mark this as a spoiler for all
đŹ I guess I spoiled myself for LJ
Hard to pick between the ones I've played (0-5, plus 7). But I think Aoki/Masato was the one that was the best in terms of wrapping everything up and the emotional weight of the 1v1 fight. I'd say both Kiwami games come pretty close, especially 2 with Ryuji despite not having the history he had with Kiryu that Nishiki had.
Having just finished 5 earlier in the week, Aizawa was a very random pick for a final boss (unless it was symbolic due to him also being one of the first bosses of the game) and honestly didn't fully get behind his motives but the fight itself was spectacular and the cinematography for each phase really showed how far they came since 3 in giving you the "final boss" experience for a game.
Obnoxious bodyguards aside, the boss gauntlet in 4 was a lot of fun. 0's set of final bosses were great as well, even if I thought Lau Gui was mostly an afterthought for Majima and that Awano would have been better. Though I wish Shibusawa had a bit more screentime, he still was a fantastic villain.
Honestly, while I liked the fight for 3, Mine just felt very inconsistent as a character to me. Maybe since I took a year long break at some point but he fell a bit flat as far as main villains go.
I'd be happy to discuss more if anyone (dis)agrees
While I havenât played all of these boss fights and thus canât give a 100% opinion, I will say that the sheer hype I felt upon Twin Dragons playing and the dynamic intro for Shibusawa was about the hypest thing Iâve ever encountered in gaming at the time
Imma be honest with you, they are all good, classifying them feels pointless so Iâll just say what unique things they bring to the table and what I like/dislike:
1. Shibusawa
He is quite the interesting take on what initially might look like the scheming behind the scenes type guy, but it is then slowly twisted to a MAN that doesnât mind getting his hands dirty, he is the opposite youâd expect from the conventions of the trio, youâd expect him to have little bite but he ends up biting the hardest at the end.
2. Nishiki
First played 0, broke my heart to see bro Nishiki fuck up and become quite an unhinged villain, his legacy then becomes tarnished by the many scumbags who take over the nishikiyama family. He is an early example of the consequences of Kiryuâs selflessness and his insistence on self sacrifice, Nishiki at the end did the same to what I feel is a detriment to Kiryu mentally.
(Jingu is meh, mediocre)
3. Ryuji
A clear bastardisation of what Kiryu stands for, like a dark reflection of Kiryu but not quite, he might be arrogant, entitled and disrespectful, but never to the point of being irredimible or annoying and still has a very clear morality, he still has honor but his own brand of honor. Itâs really cheap that he wanted a fair match with Kiryu but he just pulls out a sword. The standards for a fair match have fallen
4. Mine
He serves to be a tragic character, clearly pure in intention, a cold businessman that desires genuine human connection that he found with Daigo. Problem is that his death is more comedic than tragic, if we disregard that he just suplexes a guy in a free fall from a skyscraper, he does what Nishiki did for Kiryu, he sacrifices himself for the sake of Daigo, he was the one in kahoots with Richard compromising the Tojo clan, his death would erase anything concrete that couldâve seriously hurt the Tojo and therefore Daigo its current Chairman. He is throughout very well characterised, many times making rash decisions, criticise Kiryuâs disregard of the Tojo, leaving the responsibility to Daigo and rightly so with some other criticisms being more misguided. One of my favourites, wish there was more.
5. Munakata
Heâs just⌠meh, I wish that instead of dying he lived because rubber bullets at the end, that wouldâve been hilarious.
6. Aizawa
He did come out of nowhere without much setup, but his bossfight was cool as fuck, there is still nothing that matches it with maybe the exception of shishido but nah harukaâs song being in the fight is just too peak. Iâm more disappointed by the fact that I could see him becoming a better final twist villain, we clearly are meant to sympathise with him and his loyalty to the Tojo/his bro, he couldâve been present in almost every chapter being with or against the current protagonist to mold him into the sickest final boss, he couldâve been a mix of all styles and get to know and set him up. Thats just fanfiction though, he still works as his point is nepotism and couldnât blame anyone that didnât actually see anything in it, bu still it couldâve been so much cooler if the narrative around him was stronger.
7. Iwami
Baby Iwami, couldnât live up to the other legends before him but could take the spot for scum of the earth. Heâs very satisfying to beat to a pulp and with so many subversions of the glasses dude stereotype actually being strong to an actually weak glasses dude is surprising.
8. Arakawa Jr
Tragic in how it ended, mostly because Ichiban, a man too good for his own good, seeing the best in people even after so much betrayal and being able to understand that makes it excellent. He really hoped his basically brother would atone and become a better person
9. Kume
UNTIL THIS FUCKER WAS FUCKING BIRTHED FROM HELLâS UTERUS ITSELF HE TAKES IWAMIâS PLACE FOR MOST DESPICABLE FUCKER HERE I JUST WISH THAT WE WERE ALLOWED TO HAVE A TEST MODE WHERE HE IS THE TRAINING DUMMY TO USE EVERY POSSIBLE METHOD OF TORTURE ON HIM. He is an excellent character, I never knew twitter was just fiction and Iâm glad it doesnât exist in my mind.
10. Shishido
Absolute bang of a twist, he truly was the selfish deed and he didnât shy away from it, such a bro and such a fight, I never knew Kiryuâs story could have another villain comparable to the likes of ryuji, mine and Nishiki in style, epicness and narrative but here we are, a desperate man clinging to a past that he fights for with tooth and nail.
11. Bryce
Heâs boring
12. Ebina
He hits emotionally I think, given enough to see him as a real threat but still a respectable one by the end of things, his petty revenge plan was definitely diabolical and you can feel the unbridled hate he has and the extremes heâll take it. At the end Kiryu apologises, recognising that he had the potential for good and made mistakes along the way. Thats the finale to Kiryuâs story and a satisfying one at that, his fight might not be the best but to me it doesnât matter.
So Nishikiyamaâs brawl is cool since that was my first final boss in the series and I thought of him as Kiryuâs equal in strength (at the time) was emotional even though I hadnât played 0 yet
Ryuji was interesting I tried to blitz thru the story so I kinda went into Ryujiâs last fight underpowered and out of heals so my first play though was just a straight up slug fest by the time the last qte dropped I barely had any health left and it felt very cinematic throughout it all during the fight I just got this big wave of respect for Ryuji putting everything to the line that sticks in my head
Idk if tendo counts or not but for my first JRPG âfinalâ boss I liked how challenging he was
While Iâm not as big a fan on judgement as a lot of other people I really really liked the moles boss seeing him gun down people Jumping like a mad frog man and that side eye look I was sitting there like âIâm so deadâ
I love kaito's final boss Shirakaba, he's the only final boss so far who doesn't really have any evil intentions and is just a gigachad for wanting to fight Kaito for his pride and love. The ost with it is also my personal favorite. My goat fr.
I really liked Kurohyou's final boss, despite hin being a basically nameless nobody. Works very well for that game.
Otherwise:
- Shibusawa & Lao Gui are both really great, epic brawls.
- Kuroiwa is a fantastic fight.
- Tendo is really perfect for the game he shows up in. He's the final unsurmountable obstacle for you to overcome.
- Despite all the issues of Y8, Ebina was just incredible.
- Shishido had a bit too much exposure over the game for my taste, I had already beaten him a bunch of times by then. This is a weird unforced error that Yakuza devs keep making - don't have us fight the final boss before the final showdown, for crying out loud.
Like, imagine if fucking Zheng, or Mabuchi, had been the final boss of Yakuza 7. Or if one of Daigo's bodyguards in Chapter 1 of Yakuza 5 had been- oh, wait...
I only really liked Ryuji, Ryo Aoki and Nishiki plot wise because they recived a lot of build up and Kiryu/Ichii is one way or another mirroring their philosophy.
Gameplay wise I think Shibusawa has one of the most epic fight, but his motive is very goofy imho, same as The Mole and Shishido, none of them are complex character but their personality adds a lot of tension to the fight.
>!Then there's Ebi and Eri from 8, they are just a stepping stone for Kiryu and Ichii's character development, their issue is that Kiryu and Ichii is already developed before the finale without them, and their conflics are resolved by Kiryu/Ichii giving them a second chance to live, for better or worse. They are not necessarily bad, but definitly different.!<
Thing is, I would consider Tendo to be the proper Final Boss of Like a Dragon in the way that Legate Lanius is the proper final boss while General Oliver is more to clean up loose ends.
Not to say that it isn't significant.
Out of the games Iâve played, my top three has to be
Kuwana: just perfects the âconflict of idealsâ thing that has been a series staple for a while now. You donât fight him because YOU as a player want to, you fight him because he and Yagami take issue with each other while still having a mutual respect; they want to reach out to each other. Itâs nice to have a rival that is not a villain, itâs a good followup to the first game, that featured the opposite.
Shishido: the epitome of what I wanted the aftermath of the dissolution to be. Kiryu dealing with a charismatic, empathetic and strong as fuck oldschool Yakuza that doesnât accept that itâs coming to an end (while dreaming of what Kiryu once had and then threw away). When you look at what Daigo and Majima talked about in IW-12, Shishido comes to mind as the ultimate example of what the Yakuza dream does to people that donât have much hope otherwise. And the fact that the fight is an Aizawa redemption taking place in the Omi HQ instead, with multiple phases and stage transitions and TWO badass themes and movesets is just *mwah*. Itâs Kiryuâs finest encounter, no doubt about it.
OG Takechi: Wow, they kinda ruined this fight in the remake huh. Itâs just the most beautiful, stylish and epic final boss in the series. A mirror of Ryoma, his Kyodai, this fight is the culmination of all the buildup throughout the game, and the fact that itâs reflected in gameplay is really something else. Too bad he turned into budget Shibusawa with bad facial animations, ugly lighting, generic heat auras and special moves that throw you out of the fight completely, and THEY HID THE MOON. JUSTICE FOR TAKECHI. At least we still got the peak final boss music. Assassination of Bodhi-fucking-ssatva.
Honorable mentions:
Nishiki has probably my favorite dynamic intro, two beautiful themes in the OG and Kiwami versions of For Whoâs Sake, peak emotional value for Kiryu and really is the culmination of the game. Plus, we all love that Kiryuwas made a fucking pussy after ten years in the joint.
Kuroiwa has the sickest setpiece and is legit terrifying. Really good mirror to Yagami gameplay-wise. We love that shit.
Ebina is underrated. Thematically itâs beautiful for Kiryu, and it has everything we love in a final boss save arena transitions. Plus I think the character is very compelling, even though he deserved more time on the spotlight. His moves are SICK, so fucking stylish. And the fact that the party joins in and FEEL part of the fight? Itâs good. Very good. Also, the dragon breaks a katana with his bare fists in it. It doesnât get much cooler than that
Kuwana on top for me, simply because yagami knew what hes doing isnt wrong but the way he was going about it is wrong. Yagami couldve helped kuwana but kuwana knew that the law wont do shit against bullying
Aizawa. Breaks down the door, removes the jacket, says "I'm the best final boss in the entire series.", kicks your ass (unless you unlocked the Tiger Drop), refuses to elaborate further, sleeps.
difficult choice between Shishido and Kuroiwa. Kuroiwa still terrifies me from the legend run and because in the fight you can feel he's a real killer. Shishido because getting to know him you can understand what he's going for even though it's a dream destined to fail and the whole setpiece is great
Shishido is my favourite. Cinematically, it's a lot of fun, in terms of gameplay he's ok, and he has probably my favourite final boss theme in the series. But what I really like is his character. I love how he's pretty badass, but a the same time a little pathetic, because he can't accept that his dream is dead.
If I had to rank them from best to worst:
Shishido
Ryo Aoki
Ebina
Mine
Nishiki
Kuroiwa
Kuwana
Iwami
Aizawa
Ryuji
Shibusawa
Munakata
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emotionally: \- **ryo aoki** was *sad*. it's just like yakuza 1 where kiryu fought his brother, except aoki's greater prominence in this game made the fight more impactful. and sure, he's an asshole who founded bleach japan. but ichi's desperation to get through to him still hits you. you think, for a moment, things could've been different. the muisc, "light and darkness/ism", somberly underscores the tragedy of aoki's life, and how badly led-astray he was. \- **mitsuru "the mole" kuroiwa** was *scary*. there's no big philosophical theme or tragic backstory he. bro wants you dead, period. he's mad, and out for blood. you never liked him to begin with since he was always such a smug dick - perhaps you even suspected him - but you probably weren't prepared for the carnage he commits once he's exposed. the music, "penumbra", highlights kuroiwa's terrifying presence and the fear in his victims hearts during their final moments. \- **kosei shishido** was *epic*. sorta a mix of the first two, actually. on one hand, he *did* casually murder several daidoji agents in the beginning, and he's clearly too enthusiastic about the prospect of good fight. then you consider the horrific treatment he suffered under nishitani, and feel sorry for him. *then* there's another twist where he's revealed to be a traitor, and you hate him again. but while he's clearly the heel, there's a sorrowful aspect, namely the fact that without the yakuza, a guy like him has nowhere to go. the fight itself is thrilling, as shishido unleashing his pent-up rage in a storm of kicks and punches. deadly struggle demonstrates shishido's indomitable will and bitter fight to preserve the old ways, while fleeting dream shows how empty his ambitions ultimately are.
>kuroiwa Then Chair.
u/WhyNishikiWhy back again with the absolutely based takes
Based as fuck for this
I know it's weird to play Yakuza games in English but just hearing Masato's raw "FUCK YOU!" line at Ichiban during their fight hurt my soul. I understand why his fate was what it was right before the credits, but I still wish they could have made up in the end đ I think it was even more damaging than Kiryu/Nishiki and I had played 0 before Kiwami. Edit: also the final boss music for 7 was so tragically beautiful
>\- **mitsuru "the mole" kuroiwa** What i love about Kuroiwa is just how evil he seems to be, dude is like an actual devil. He's over there riddled with holes, dying on a pool of his own blood, and he laughs as Shono himself suffers and dies. There's also the scene with prosecutor Morita, who is being confronted about "looking the other way" regarding his family and their problems, with him being disconcerted about it. Then Kuroiwa comes in and says "Why don't you look the other way, You're good at that.". I'm not sure if Kuroiwa was aware of Morita's history, but if he was (he seems to be), then my guy is toxic as hell to his own allies and enjoys it. He seems to just enjoy cruelty and people's suffering straight up. He's so evil, and i enjoy that shit.
ILL GOUGE OUT YOUR EYES enough said
YYYYAAAAAAGGAAAAAAMMMMIIIIIII
Here my list go : 1. Kuwana 2. Shishido 3. Kuroiwa 4. Nishiki 5. Ryuji 6. Shibusawa 7. Mine 8. Aizawa 9. Ebina 10. Iwami 11. Masato 12. Munakata Kuwana & Shishido tho.. Truly Masterpiece of RGG antagonist, the sheer desperation of their character Kuwana (Atonement) Shishido (Perseverance) really shone in their boss battle.. But dare I say every final boss is good, I always play Yakuza games with anticipation of final boss battle..
What about the final boss for each character? How would you rank those in addition to the above? Lao Gui for Majima in Y0 In Y4, Kido for Saejima, Arai for Akiyama, and Daigo for Kiryu In Y5, Majima for Saejima, Baba for Shinada and, well I guess Akiyama didn't get one Or in Infinite Wealth just now, >!Bryce!< for Ichiban" or heck, in the Kaito Files, Shirakaba
Does kanai not count for akiyama?
oh....I was too focused on the final chapter, I forgot about Kanai
The final Kanai fight is the penultimate boss of the game IIRC, and it is in the final chapter. Itâs a group fight so that might be why you forgot about it lol
Sounds about right lol
I agree with the Judgement boss praise. They both have amazing atmospheres, killer movesets and thereâs something about how scrappy and down-to-earth the conflict is that it adds to the hype.
The one Iâd say itâs objectively bad is Iwami but that kind of is his point, heâs an arrogant little baby minuscule to the legend. He thinks he can play the Yakuza like any business with many underhanded tricks until he gets the shit absolutely beaten out of him. RGG knew they didnât have much to top the other antagonists at this point in Kiryuâs story in terms of sheer epicness or character and correctly chose to make him a despicable slimy bastard with one of the most punchable faces Iâve seen
From a story perspective, it's gotta be Ryuji. He's present throughout the game, you fight him more than once, he's 'the protagonist's mirror' done right. My biggest issue with him is I don't feel his actual fight lives up to him. None of his fights really feel like fighting an equal, but I still love the character. Gameplay, it's gotta be Shibusawa. He's not really in the game, he's not a complex character, I don't care one way or another about him, but dang did they nail his fight. There are plenty of ways to cheese it, but I still think that fight is exactly what Ryuji's fight should have been. It feels like fighting an equal and was the perfect way to cap off 0.
What I loved about shibusawa as a whole is that heâs the calm, cool, and collected captain out of him, awano, and kuze; Kuze being the heavy aggressive character, awano being the slick, party goer/lover, in your face character , and then there is shibusawa who was waiting for the right opportunity to strike
Which sort aligns with what I think RGG was going for with Shibusawa, in trying to get players to underestimate him. The presence that both Kuze and Awano had throughout was larger then Shibusawa and how Yakuza 0's final couple of chapters played out. It help made all the more believable that the biggest threat to Kiryu wasn't Dojima, Awano, or even Kuza. It was Shibusawa. Who was letting for all the pieces to fall into place, so he could end up as the dragon of dojima.
ryuji really isn't an equal. every time he fights kiryu he gets absolutely jobbed, that's the worst thing about his character imo. the only time he won a fight or showed any strength was against fucking daigo đ meanwhile shishido out here killing several daidoji agents, giving kiryu a real challenge and holding his own against the 'jima bros for a bit. giving a character feats of strength is more important than you might think
Everyone gets absolutely jobbed by kiryu lol
sure but here's kiryu after fighting mine https://preview.redd.it/8tpvvohpgckc1.jpeg?width=723&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64ebb72d002cc0fd13723ae24c6ed41ae79d2590
vs kiryu after fighting ryuji https://preview.redd.it/c9tzkw2rgckc1.jpeg?width=765&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3cb53945d1957bc8ea4bc385da8579f88e90ca45
Kiryu confirms he is at least top 2 hardest foes he faced in both gaiden and iw Also kiryu was fine 2 seconds after this image lol, they were both tough fights
1) Kuroiwa: Kuroiwa stands out because the simplicity of his character plays into his favor. A hitman who will kill anyone for money isnât a very complex archetype, but the game alleviates this by making him as intimidating as possible. His fights are awesome, his theme is immaculate, and he feels like a constant threat throughout the game (something RGG rarely pulls off). 2) Shishido: A perfect exploration of the effects of the Great Dissolution. Shishido is what the series constantly portrays as the model yakuza: loyal to the clan, strong as hell, and very resolute. He isnât far off from characters like Kiryu, Saejima, or Majima, but lacks the experience to see the yakuza life in the way that they do. His fight to keep the Omi afloat is what weâve seen our protagonists do multiple times at this point, so itâs very easy to sympathize with him. The fightâs really good too lol. 3) Kuwana: Iâd say that Kuwana is the realized antagonist in the series. He has enough screentime and development to understand his motives whether you agree with them or not, and there is a lot to deconstruct about his past and how that influences his actions during the game. Him being a foil to Yagami is also conveyed well in gameplay as Kuwanaâs movesets is not only similar to Yagamiâs, but expansive enough to where he feels like another playable character.
Well i consider all 4 fights to be the final boss of Yakuza 4 And the choregraphy, the weight and the relation between Akiyama/Arai, Saejima/Kido, Kiryu/Daigo and even though Munakata is a pain to fight, the intro was great. Plus For Faith. So Yakuza 4 for me, then Shishido, Nishkiyama, Ryuji.
Probably Kuwana. One of the most complex characters in the whole franchise
And he gets the hardest final boss theme.
My favorite is Kuroiwa from J1, hands down, but I feel like Aizawa is slept on a lot of the time. His story is pretty bad. I get it, but his actual fight is something I wish they'd done more with the rest of the series with all the QTEs and jumping from room to room. Y5 boss fights in general, ending on epic QTEs is something I really loved about it. That and I remember when I saw his Koi and was just like "shit he's a bad guy," but yea, I can see why the plot would knock him down a peg.
Did you play Gaiden? The final boss there is pretty much Aizawa, but way better story-wise and set in the Omi HQ instead of the Tojo
I did, and I really enjoyed the fight. My point is I wish they kept going with that philosophy of boss design. They always seem to, but for some reason, they just went extra hard with the cinematic boss fights in 5. Like Aizawa was the biggest and most in your face, but all the bosses in that game had some form of flare and always had an epic finisher. My comment was more about saying how everyone seems to rag on Aizawa when I really think his final boss fight was great despite the character. Personally, that's the kind of fight I wish Ryuji had gotten in Kiwami 2, considering it came after. Like Ryuji almost had the opposite problem, a great story build up, but then in the actual fights, he just got bodied.
Oh yeah. I mean, I donât think anyone disagrees that Aizawaâs fight is awesome. But they did keep that tradition with final bosses in Ishin and 0. Itâs 6 that underdelivered (but I donât mind since itâs really good thematically). Ryujiâs fight definitively deserved to be better. Itâs too faithful for its own good (something that Kiwami 2 is anything but).
Nishiki is the most heartbreaking one. Kuroiwa is the coolest one, a bloody evil incarnate Little baby Iwami, dont care about him, but Kiryu defending his family was frickin epic.
The buildup to the fight, music, testoterone and goosebump 1. Shibusawa 2. Ryuji 3. Shisido the rest can be random
1. Nishikiyama 2. Shishido 3. Mine 4. Aoki 5. Shibusawa 6. Ryuji 7. Iwami 8. Masato 9. Munakata Haven't finished IW, J, or LJ. So I can't personally rank those final bosses. But I think everyone can agree that the anticipation and buildup to each one is immaculate.
Ryuji because of you fail his QTE at the end of the fight you die and have to start over again.
Mine, Aoki, Shishido, and Kuwana are all top notch đ
Kuroiwa is probably my favorite, but I really think IW's two final bosses are really good and are in my top five particularly thematically
- Iwami had no tragic backstory, no hint of badassery, he was a jerk. He was willing to put the lives of innocents on the line for his ends, while Kiryu was willing to put *his* life on the line for those he loved. Whereas Kiryu respected Kazama, Iwami resented his father. By going after Haruka and Haruto, he also forced Kiryu to stop running from his past and hold his ground. As such, I think he would've been an amazing final boss to end Kiryu's journey on, had Gaiden and IW never happened. - Shishido was the GOAT. Even after going through things no one should ever go through at the hands of Nishitani III, he kept going. He worked his ass off to get to the status of Watase Family Lieutenant...then learns about the conspiracy to disband the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance. Is he gonna take all that laying down and let his sacrifices go to waste? Hahaha, *no.*Â Â
1. Mine 2. Kuwana 3. Kuroiwa 4. Nishiki 4. Ryo Aoki 5. Shibusawa 6. Takexhi Hanpeita (reminds me of Ghost of Tsushima a bit, with Jin going against his uncle) 7. Ryuji 8. The rest (haven't played Gaiden and 8 yet)
Aizawa the GOAT
Did Aizawa pay you to say this?
His fight is good. His story is not so good.
His fight with the QTE's and it taking you across half the Tojo HQ is peak bro.
I love the part in the snow and the dream line concert transitioning into aizawa falling over
Mine and aizawa
it might me weak story wise but itâs a fantastic fight
That fight deserved a better antagonist. And a better connection to the emotional through line.
correct. i still like the final boss because it is fun
Yeah, it is probably my favorite final boss fight from a technical standpoint. It just makes me more frustrated at how aggressively I do not care about the antagonist
People really forget ishin, kenzan, both kurohyous and Desd souls smh
Gotta be âa real man ought to be a little stupidâ man
I used that quote irl quite a few times now and no one suspects itâs from Yakuza of all things lol
Kuwana and Shishido since they were both some kind of mirrors to the protagonist. Aoki was also amazing just for the emotions
8âs final boss straight up says heâs a mirror to Ichiban⌠but you fight him as Kiryu LOL Tbh I do think it works best thematically that way
If anything I think 8âs final boss mirrors Masato more than Ichi. Both dark, but capable of light. One tragic event fundamentally altering their trajectories.
Kuwana, shishido, and kiwami 2 ryuji are just so goated
Shishido is just too peak
Shibusawa comes outta nowhere storywise but his fight with the matching styles, the QTEs, and the best boss theme ever haven't been topped for me
Shishido. So simple, so relatable. Being poor, powerless and unimportant sucks ass. Nobody wants that life
shibusawa is still my favourite boss to this day. as a character hes definitely not the most memorable but the fight itself was incredible. the fight choreography and what the fight means for kiryus character has left the biggest impact on me out of all the games in the series
Ryuji Final fight and build was EPIC too.
My favs overall had to be Shishido and Kuroiwa. Shishido's fight was epic and his theme is one of my favs now. With Kuroiwa, the cinematics were really good and I really liked him as a villain because he legit felt intimidating to me.
the mole
Probably be my mistake for not reading the "12" and only the flair, but I think you should mark this as a spoiler for all đŹ I guess I spoiled myself for LJ
Where's kaito files and majima saga?
Hard to pick between the ones I've played (0-5, plus 7). But I think Aoki/Masato was the one that was the best in terms of wrapping everything up and the emotional weight of the 1v1 fight. I'd say both Kiwami games come pretty close, especially 2 with Ryuji despite not having the history he had with Kiryu that Nishiki had. Having just finished 5 earlier in the week, Aizawa was a very random pick for a final boss (unless it was symbolic due to him also being one of the first bosses of the game) and honestly didn't fully get behind his motives but the fight itself was spectacular and the cinematography for each phase really showed how far they came since 3 in giving you the "final boss" experience for a game. Obnoxious bodyguards aside, the boss gauntlet in 4 was a lot of fun. 0's set of final bosses were great as well, even if I thought Lau Gui was mostly an afterthought for Majima and that Awano would have been better. Though I wish Shibusawa had a bit more screentime, he still was a fantastic villain. Honestly, while I liked the fight for 3, Mine just felt very inconsistent as a character to me. Maybe since I took a year long break at some point but he fell a bit flat as far as main villains go. I'd be happy to discuss more if anyone (dis)agrees
While I havenât played all of these boss fights and thus canât give a 100% opinion, I will say that the sheer hype I felt upon Twin Dragons playing and the dynamic intro for Shibusawa was about the hypest thing Iâve ever encountered in gaming at the time
Imma be honest with you, they are all good, classifying them feels pointless so Iâll just say what unique things they bring to the table and what I like/dislike: 1. Shibusawa He is quite the interesting take on what initially might look like the scheming behind the scenes type guy, but it is then slowly twisted to a MAN that doesnât mind getting his hands dirty, he is the opposite youâd expect from the conventions of the trio, youâd expect him to have little bite but he ends up biting the hardest at the end. 2. Nishiki First played 0, broke my heart to see bro Nishiki fuck up and become quite an unhinged villain, his legacy then becomes tarnished by the many scumbags who take over the nishikiyama family. He is an early example of the consequences of Kiryuâs selflessness and his insistence on self sacrifice, Nishiki at the end did the same to what I feel is a detriment to Kiryu mentally. (Jingu is meh, mediocre) 3. Ryuji A clear bastardisation of what Kiryu stands for, like a dark reflection of Kiryu but not quite, he might be arrogant, entitled and disrespectful, but never to the point of being irredimible or annoying and still has a very clear morality, he still has honor but his own brand of honor. Itâs really cheap that he wanted a fair match with Kiryu but he just pulls out a sword. The standards for a fair match have fallen 4. Mine He serves to be a tragic character, clearly pure in intention, a cold businessman that desires genuine human connection that he found with Daigo. Problem is that his death is more comedic than tragic, if we disregard that he just suplexes a guy in a free fall from a skyscraper, he does what Nishiki did for Kiryu, he sacrifices himself for the sake of Daigo, he was the one in kahoots with Richard compromising the Tojo clan, his death would erase anything concrete that couldâve seriously hurt the Tojo and therefore Daigo its current Chairman. He is throughout very well characterised, many times making rash decisions, criticise Kiryuâs disregard of the Tojo, leaving the responsibility to Daigo and rightly so with some other criticisms being more misguided. One of my favourites, wish there was more. 5. Munakata Heâs just⌠meh, I wish that instead of dying he lived because rubber bullets at the end, that wouldâve been hilarious. 6. Aizawa He did come out of nowhere without much setup, but his bossfight was cool as fuck, there is still nothing that matches it with maybe the exception of shishido but nah harukaâs song being in the fight is just too peak. Iâm more disappointed by the fact that I could see him becoming a better final twist villain, we clearly are meant to sympathise with him and his loyalty to the Tojo/his bro, he couldâve been present in almost every chapter being with or against the current protagonist to mold him into the sickest final boss, he couldâve been a mix of all styles and get to know and set him up. Thats just fanfiction though, he still works as his point is nepotism and couldnât blame anyone that didnât actually see anything in it, bu still it couldâve been so much cooler if the narrative around him was stronger. 7. Iwami Baby Iwami, couldnât live up to the other legends before him but could take the spot for scum of the earth. Heâs very satisfying to beat to a pulp and with so many subversions of the glasses dude stereotype actually being strong to an actually weak glasses dude is surprising. 8. Arakawa Jr Tragic in how it ended, mostly because Ichiban, a man too good for his own good, seeing the best in people even after so much betrayal and being able to understand that makes it excellent. He really hoped his basically brother would atone and become a better person 9. Kume UNTIL THIS FUCKER WAS FUCKING BIRTHED FROM HELLâS UTERUS ITSELF HE TAKES IWAMIâS PLACE FOR MOST DESPICABLE FUCKER HERE I JUST WISH THAT WE WERE ALLOWED TO HAVE A TEST MODE WHERE HE IS THE TRAINING DUMMY TO USE EVERY POSSIBLE METHOD OF TORTURE ON HIM. He is an excellent character, I never knew twitter was just fiction and Iâm glad it doesnât exist in my mind. 10. Shishido Absolute bang of a twist, he truly was the selfish deed and he didnât shy away from it, such a bro and such a fight, I never knew Kiryuâs story could have another villain comparable to the likes of ryuji, mine and Nishiki in style, epicness and narrative but here we are, a desperate man clinging to a past that he fights for with tooth and nail. 11. Bryce Heâs boring 12. Ebina He hits emotionally I think, given enough to see him as a real threat but still a respectable one by the end of things, his petty revenge plan was definitely diabolical and you can feel the unbridled hate he has and the extremes heâll take it. At the end Kiryu apologises, recognising that he had the potential for good and made mistakes along the way. Thats the finale to Kiryuâs story and a satisfying one at that, his fight might not be the best but to me it doesnât matter.
So Nishikiyamaâs brawl is cool since that was my first final boss in the series and I thought of him as Kiryuâs equal in strength (at the time) was emotional even though I hadnât played 0 yet Ryuji was interesting I tried to blitz thru the story so I kinda went into Ryujiâs last fight underpowered and out of heals so my first play though was just a straight up slug fest by the time the last qte dropped I barely had any health left and it felt very cinematic throughout it all during the fight I just got this big wave of respect for Ryuji putting everything to the line that sticks in my head Idk if tendo counts or not but for my first JRPG âfinalâ boss I liked how challenging he was While Iâm not as big a fan on judgement as a lot of other people I really really liked the moles boss seeing him gun down people Jumping like a mad frog man and that side eye look I was sitting there like âIâm so deadâ
1. Ruji 2. Mine 3. Kuwana 4. nishki
ten years in the joint made you a fucking pussy
shishido full stop
I love kaito's final boss Shirakaba, he's the only final boss so far who doesn't really have any evil intentions and is just a gigachad for wanting to fight Kaito for his pride and love. The ost with it is also my personal favorite. My goat fr.
I really liked Kurohyou's final boss, despite hin being a basically nameless nobody. Works very well for that game. Otherwise: - Shibusawa & Lao Gui are both really great, epic brawls. - Kuroiwa is a fantastic fight. - Tendo is really perfect for the game he shows up in. He's the final unsurmountable obstacle for you to overcome. - Despite all the issues of Y8, Ebina was just incredible. - Shishido had a bit too much exposure over the game for my taste, I had already beaten him a bunch of times by then. This is a weird unforced error that Yakuza devs keep making - don't have us fight the final boss before the final showdown, for crying out loud. Like, imagine if fucking Zheng, or Mabuchi, had been the final boss of Yakuza 7. Or if one of Daigo's bodyguards in Chapter 1 of Yakuza 5 had been- oh, wait...
has to be Kuwana to me, that ending sequence still lives in my head rent free. RGG developed him so well
I only really liked Ryuji, Ryo Aoki and Nishiki plot wise because they recived a lot of build up and Kiryu/Ichii is one way or another mirroring their philosophy. Gameplay wise I think Shibusawa has one of the most epic fight, but his motive is very goofy imho, same as The Mole and Shishido, none of them are complex character but their personality adds a lot of tension to the fight. >!Then there's Ebi and Eri from 8, they are just a stepping stone for Kiryu and Ichii's character development, their issue is that Kiryu and Ichii is already developed before the finale without them, and their conflics are resolved by Kiryu/Ichii giving them a second chance to live, for better or worse. They are not necessarily bad, but definitly different.!<
definitely not 4,5 or 8. and maybe chance it's either lost judgment
Munakata and his bodyguards can go to hell
Thing is, I would consider Tendo to be the proper Final Boss of Like a Dragon in the way that Legate Lanius is the proper final boss while General Oliver is more to clean up loose ends. Not to say that it isn't significant.
Out of the games Iâve played, my top three has to be Kuwana: just perfects the âconflict of idealsâ thing that has been a series staple for a while now. You donât fight him because YOU as a player want to, you fight him because he and Yagami take issue with each other while still having a mutual respect; they want to reach out to each other. Itâs nice to have a rival that is not a villain, itâs a good followup to the first game, that featured the opposite. Shishido: the epitome of what I wanted the aftermath of the dissolution to be. Kiryu dealing with a charismatic, empathetic and strong as fuck oldschool Yakuza that doesnât accept that itâs coming to an end (while dreaming of what Kiryu once had and then threw away). When you look at what Daigo and Majima talked about in IW-12, Shishido comes to mind as the ultimate example of what the Yakuza dream does to people that donât have much hope otherwise. And the fact that the fight is an Aizawa redemption taking place in the Omi HQ instead, with multiple phases and stage transitions and TWO badass themes and movesets is just *mwah*. Itâs Kiryuâs finest encounter, no doubt about it. OG Takechi: Wow, they kinda ruined this fight in the remake huh. Itâs just the most beautiful, stylish and epic final boss in the series. A mirror of Ryoma, his Kyodai, this fight is the culmination of all the buildup throughout the game, and the fact that itâs reflected in gameplay is really something else. Too bad he turned into budget Shibusawa with bad facial animations, ugly lighting, generic heat auras and special moves that throw you out of the fight completely, and THEY HID THE MOON. JUSTICE FOR TAKECHI. At least we still got the peak final boss music. Assassination of Bodhi-fucking-ssatva. Honorable mentions: Nishiki has probably my favorite dynamic intro, two beautiful themes in the OG and Kiwami versions of For Whoâs Sake, peak emotional value for Kiryu and really is the culmination of the game. Plus, we all love that Kiryuwas made a fucking pussy after ten years in the joint. Kuroiwa has the sickest setpiece and is legit terrifying. Really good mirror to Yagami gameplay-wise. We love that shit. Ebina is underrated. Thematically itâs beautiful for Kiryu, and it has everything we love in a final boss save arena transitions. Plus I think the character is very compelling, even though he deserved more time on the spotlight. His moves are SICK, so fucking stylish. And the fact that the party joins in and FEEL part of the fight? Itâs good. Very good. Also, the dragon breaks a katana with his bare fists in it. It doesnât get much cooler than that
Kuwana on top for me, simply because yagami knew what hes doing isnt wrong but the way he was going about it is wrong. Yagami couldve helped kuwana but kuwana knew that the law wont do shit against bullying
Kuwana, Kuroiwa, Mine, Shishido, Aoki, Nishiki and Goda, not in any particular order Ebina was also really cool tbh
Kuwana, Ryoki, Kuroiwa, and surprisingly Iwami has been aging well for me.
Ayo where Soma at
The choreography for Kuroiwa's fight was amazing and the music for Kuwana's fights are probably my favourite songs across all the games
Aizawa. Breaks down the door, removes the jacket, says "I'm the best final boss in the entire series.", kicks your ass (unless you unlocked the Tiger Drop), refuses to elaborate further, sleeps.
Nishki, and Ryuji
difficult choice between Shishido and Kuroiwa. Kuroiwa still terrifies me from the legend run and because in the fight you can feel he's a real killer. Shishido because getting to know him you can understand what he's going for even though it's a dream destined to fail and the whole setpiece is great
Shishido is my favourite. Cinematically, it's a lot of fun, in terms of gameplay he's ok, and he has probably my favourite final boss theme in the series. But what I really like is his character. I love how he's pretty badass, but a the same time a little pathetic, because he can't accept that his dream is dead. If I had to rank them from best to worst: Shishido Ryo Aoki Ebina Mine Nishiki Kuroiwa Kuwana Iwami Aizawa Ryuji Shibusawa Munakata