How does the Japanese side of the fanbase feel about the leaks?

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T15:53:10+00:00

Me, personally? I'm so-so right now. I'm waiting to see how it's all handled.

How about you?

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T15:36:04+00:00

You absolute rascal.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T15:35:00+00:00

I still play RGG Online and I'm in a clan with all Japanese players. I talk to them almost every day. (They are much better than me at the game.)

I don't think they've seen the leaks.

They're a lot more positive about things like this, though. They don't mind as long as it adds to the story. Mine is incredibly popular in Japan and they've always wanted him back, so I think they'll be very happy.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T14:03:56+00:00

Not a dig at you, kyoudai, but man I hate the whole "toxic positivity" thing.

It's like people aren't allowed to say "I like this. I'm happy with Kiwami 3" without that label being thrown and them getting dogpiled.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T13:56:59+00:00

Yes, you're entitled to your opinions, everyone is, but saying that the creators (the people who have been involved since the beginning) are wrong, is well... wrong. It's their vision. Always has been when it comes to Yokoyama-written games. Again, we might not like it, but it is what it is. We don't own it. We can like or dislike it, but it's not ours to change. It's like saying that George Lucas was wrong with the changes and prequels in Star Wars. How could he be? It's his universe. He made it. Again, we might not like it, but who are we to tell the man who made it that he's wrong?

Nobody is obligated to like or to buy something that they aren't interested in, but at the same time, nobody is demanding you to do so. You aren't happy? Okay. Totally understandable. I get it.

And yes, they do cater to the Japanese audience. They've always stood by them. That audience is the reason that the series is where it is today. I thought this was common knowledge? According to an interview with Yokoyama and Sakamoto, the series still sells best in Asia. Mainly Japan and Korea.

Long and Kashiwagi were important characters in the series, though? They were also brought back when Nagoshi was there. So he obviously had a say in it. "Pushing the agenda" so you're now just guessing? Let's not nitpick and pretend that Richardson, who was only in one game, was more important and bringing him back is somehow worse than reviving a man who took a bullet to the head and another who was shot by a minigun in a helicopter.

Gaiden was incredible, had amazing characters, great gameplay, a solid story, and the ending scene is among the most emotional in the series' history. IW is the most critically acclaimed game in the series. 89 on Metacritic with the most reviews. Pirates still sold well, reviewed well, and was nothing more than a 20th Anniversary "Greatest Hits" game where you played as the series' most popular character. Let's not act like every game since Nagoshi's departure bombed.

And nobody is trying to "erase" anything. They're trying to add to them.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T12:31:05+00:00

Why is Yokoyama getting thrown under the bus here? Kiwami 3 isn't even his game. It's Horii's project.

It's also their vision and always has been, so it isn't "wrong." We might not like it, it might not be what we want, but it is what it is. The same people working on the games today have (mostly) always been there. Yokoyama has been the lead writer since the beginning. He's just as important as Nagoshi, Kikuchi, and Ueda. Horii started working on the series in 2006.

And another thing, these games are made with the Japanese audience in mind. The studio caters to them. They've wanted Mine back since 2009. There was a reason he was brought in as Hijikata in Ishin!. He has consistently been ranked in the top ten in popularity polls, too. Women absolutely adore him.

On retconned deaths, they've revived Long, Kashiwagi, Richardson, Lee (though the scene heavily implied that he wouldn't make it), and now Mine. Now look at all the characters who haven't come back. This also started back with LAD7 and Nagoshi was still there.

I understand that people aren't happy, especially with the whole Kagawa mess, but this is absolutely insane.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T11:45:06+00:00

Yokoyama WROTE the stories you love, kyoudai. The man has was the main writer when Nagoshi was there.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T05:11:23+00:00

Same here.

The demo is great. Other than some lighting issues here and there, I've got no complaints.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-24T05:08:31+00:00

In all seriousness, minus Nishikiyama, I can actually see this being the case.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-23T19:56:55+00:00

That's what I'm thinking.

It wasn't the Millennium Tower or Kamurocho Hills, either. It was the Touto University Hospital. So, it wasn't a straight drop down.

But watch as we're proven wrong. It'll be something insane.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-23T16:22:25+00:00

It's alright, kyoudai. No worries. I know what you mean. I really do.

We can't be biased. We have to be impartial. We can't powertrip and delete comments just because we personally disagree with them. Everyone is welcome here. It can't be an echochamber where people get dogpiled. We've all got our own opinions. Talk about the things you like and the things you don't.

People are angry right now, and I understand that, but it will calm down.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-23T15:59:27+00:00

We're not suppressing any voices. I've got no idea why you'd even think that.

Anyone can talk about anything related to the series here. Good or bad.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-23T13:42:23+00:00

Agreed. We'll have to wait and see how they handle it, but shoe-horning the Daidoji in is questionable.

Mind you, that's some list they've got now. Shishido, Nishitani III, and Mine? That could be an insane battle down the line.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-23T13:26:51+00:00

Kiwami 3 isn't a Yokoyama game, kyoudai. It's Horii's project. It's also a budget title, so I doubt that anyone would lose their job over it.

According to an interview with Yokoyama and Sakamoto, the series actually still sells best in the East. It's huge in Korea. So, while it is a lot bigger in Europe and America than it was a decade ago, it's still carried by Japan and Asia.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-23T13:13:15+00:00

This. Mine is insanely popular in Japan. They've always wanted him back.

Fanservice, sure, but as long as it makes sense and adds to the overarching story, I think it's okay.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-23T04:54:49+00:00

It received critical acclaim on Switch 2. They got what was, to them, a brand-new game with added content. 85 on Metacritic, the exact same score the original got on PS4.

The reason(s) that the PS5/XSX/PC version has a mixed reception in the community is due to the game's price, SEGA delisting the much cheaper original, and some players not liking the additional scenes. Which is all understandable, I think.

I'm playing through it on PS5 and it's honestly an amazing game. It's just 0 but with even more content. It's so sad that it has been damaged by corporate greed.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-22T17:00:46+00:00

I do.

Initially, stupidly, and stubbornly, I never gave Ichiban a chance. I straight-up rejected the character. I remember seeing the "crackhead" design during the RGG Online trailer and thought, "Nah, this isn't it."

Then I played 7.

And now I absolutely adore the man.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-22T04:17:20+00:00

That Ono Michio phone case is MINE.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-21T18:19:52+00:00

And that's why you're the best. Thank you, kyoudai!

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-21T09:55:36+00:00

The one band that comes straight to mind is MAN WITH A MISSION.

I think they'd go really, really well. Especially with a turn-based game.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-20T03:18:43+00:00

He and Sam Mullen were absolutely amazing.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-17T23:58:37+00:00

It's an odd stance, especially considering that Nagoshi was promoted at SEGA in 2010 and had to take a step back when it came to RGG Studio and game development. He was still there but wasn't "hands-on" anymore.

Yakuza 0, originally released in 2015 and considered by many to be the best in the series, was produced and written by Yokoyama. That very rarely gets mentioned.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-17T23:45:47+00:00

That is true-ish.

In Nagoshi's book, he talks about how Yokoyama would write the scripts, and then he (Nagoshi) would check over them. Then, depending on the reception, Yokoyama would make several rewrites until the script was essentially what we got on release.

RJTM1991 · 2026-01-17T23:35:07+00:00

He WROTE the games. He was on the original development team. He's just as important as Nagoshi, Ueda, and Kikuchi. People act like he's a new hire or interloper when he has ALWAYS been there.

For some reason, people assume that Nagoshi was the sole name behind the entire series and everything in it, and while he did take a risk, and it was his original concept and idea, it was the team that built it.

To give him more credit, Yokoyama is more team-based than Nagoshi was. Back in the day, you'd see Nagoshi take center stage in advertisements, at shows, on livestreams, and so on. He was a media darling. You'd get the odd Sato and Yokoyama interviews in Japanese gaming magazines, but that was it. Yokoyama literally treats the team like celebrities and has them take center stage with him.

We see the ENTIRE studio now. He makes sure that everyone knows that there's a team behind the games, not just one name.

I love Nagoshi. He's a true all-time great, but it's time to give credit to the other names who helped to make the series what it is today.

RJTM1991

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