The Yakuza series has spawned well over a dozen games since it debuted in 2005, and I haven't included any of the substantial remasters in that figure. As prolific as Ryu Ga Gotoku is, they're also remarkably consistent: the same bonkers mix of melodrama and absurd humour is threaded through every one of these games, even the ones set in the 17th century.
It's a formula that took a while to cotton on outside of Japan: it didn't really land as a big commercial success in the west until 2015's Yakuza 0. And that game landed loudly, despite making no overt compromises for western audiences.
