Amazon Prime’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza is just around the corner, loosely adapting the storyline from the original Yakuza game. The original came out in 2005, followed by a remake in 2016, launched a massively popular series, spawning 8 mainline titles and plenty of spin-offs. The series is known for its melodramatic and grandiose stories. They’re filled with twists and turns, betrayals, and surprising kinship, all while grounding them in character and heart. And there are a lot of characters across different factions of the Yakuza.
With the family structure of the Yakuza seemingly complicated at first, I’m here to break down the families, who are on what side, and the significant players going into the series. There will be very light set-up spoilers here, but there is nothing major that shouldn’t be communicated quickly.
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Let’s kick things off with a general summary of the original game, as it sets up the framework from which the show is built. Yakuza takes place in 2005. It follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu, a stalwart yet kind ex-yakuza, as he’s released from a 10-year stint in prison. He took the fall for his childhood friend and yakuza brother, Akira Nishikiyama, after Nishikyama saved their childhood friend Yumi from an attempted sexual assault, murdering the transgressor in the process. Kiryu takes the fall for him, standing up for those he considers family.
Due to Kiryu’s actions, he is expelled from the Yakuza and sent to prison. The game picks up as Kiryu leaves prison, as he is pulled into a dark and complicated web centered around the missing Yumi, a stolen 10 billion Yen, and a Nishikiyama that is much different from the person he remembers.
The Amazon series will be adapting this loosely. The season will flip back and forth between 1995 and 2005, following Kiryu, Nishikiyama, Yumi Saramura, and Nishikiyama’s sister, Miho. The show promises to dig deeper into the emotional bonds between the characters both before Kiryu goes to prison and after his release. It’s not yet confirmed why Kiryu goes to prison, but the show’s synopsis notes the tension between Kiryu and Nishikiyama. With many supporting players still unknown, here are the families that will show up and the rivaling clans caught up in the mix. Much of this will mix what little we know of the show with the lore from the games to paint a more comprehensive picture of the Yakuza.
THE TOJO CLAN
The Tojo Clan is the big bad wolf in eastern Japan, headquartered in Tokyo. They have a controlling interest in Japan’s capital, ruling over many families. A family in the organization is basically a sub-gang within the gang, having their own organizational structure that then reports to the Tojo Clan. A family can have another family under them as a subsidiary, meaning that the bigger families can spread out into many smaller ones. Kiryu and Nishikiyama are prominent members of the Dojima family, one of the largest families. Both reported to Sohei Dojima, the head, and namesake of the family. After Kiryu goes to prison, Nishikiyama works his way up to find his own family.
The other major players make up different sections within the Tojo. Shintaro Kazama is the father figure to Kiryu and Nishikyama, owning the Sunflower Orphanage where they were raised, alongside Yumi and Miho. Kazama has his own family underneath the Dojima family, known as the Kazama family, and is constantly looking out for Kiryu and company.
Goro Majima doesn’t appear a lot in the first game but is confirmed to be in the Amazon series. He’s a lieutenant of the Shimano family, headed up by Futoshi Shimano. The Shimano, Kazama, and Nishikiyama families were the biggest under the Tojo in 2005. Majima is a mainstay in the series and one of the best characters, a wild dog constantly physically and mentally challenging Kiryu. He’s unpredictable but loyal and known for solving problems with violence. Majima is sure to be involved in the first season but could have a much bigger role if the series moves past its first season.
THE OMI ALLIANCE
The Omi Alliance is the biggest Yakuza faction in Japan, having a stake in most of the country in some form or another. Sometimes friends, mostly foes, the Omi Alliance has a major presence across the entirety of the Yakuza franchise. The show seems to be changing up the narrative of the first game here, as the 10 billion is not stolen from the Tojo as in the game. Instead, the 10 billion is taken from the Omi Alliance, meaning they may appear more antagonistically in the first season. Yakuza actually had Kiryu working quite closely with Yukio Terada, the patriarch of the Terada Family, though no mention of Terada has been made in the trailers thus far.
The most significant family within the Omi is the Go-Ryu Clan. Jin Goda is not just the patriarch of the family, but the Chairman of the entire Omi. If 10 billion has gone missing, he’s sure to be involved to some extent. They feature much more prominently in the second game, with Jin’s son Ryuji being one of the primary antagonists, so it is possible we see Ryuji in some form as a tease for what may come.
THE SNAKE FLOWER TRIAD
There are other prominent crime syndicates operating in Japan alongside the yakuza. Most prominently featured in the first game is the Snake Flower Triad, a Chinese crime organization. Led by Lau Ka Long, they’re a major antagonistic force across the series. Though the cast list and trailers haven’t confirmed they’re in the series, they may appear in some capacity.
THE SUNFLOWER ORPHANAGE
While not a Yakuza family, the Sunflower Orphanage is an incredibly important place in Yakuza lore. It’s the place where Kiryu and Nishikiyama grew up and became brothers, alongside Yumi Sawamura and Miho Nishikiyama. In the games, Miho doesn’t feature prominently but seems to be a major part of the picture in the first series. Yumi is not only the major love interest for both Kiryu and Nishikiyama but also integral to the first game’s story. She’s somehow connected to the missing 10 billion Yen, with everyone after her.
Most important, however, is Haruka. The apparent daughter of Yumi’s sister, Haruka, is one of the most important characters in the entirety of Yakuza. A young child lost in the mix and hunted by dangerous men, Kiryu saves her and takes her in, as their father/daughter relationship being an integral part of the franchise. Haruka has not been confirmed for the first season yet, but a Yakuza show without her just wouldn’t feel complete. Without Haruka, Kiryu wouldn’t be Kiryu.
Amazon Prime’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza is going to have a lot of pieces to juggle. Regardless of how much of the original game’s plot and characters make the transition, the show will be using parts and pieces of the whole. With a better understanding of all the families and how they connect, you’re now ready to dive into the world of Yakuza.
