THE DREAM IS OVER - Yakuza 5 Remastered - 41 - Ending

[@NicoB]

We have officially reached peak yume.

[@QuizMasterEntertainment]

Damn Nico, your back is going to be jack after the work you crammed into this one.

[@neonoah3353]

Peak yu, peak me, peak us, peak everyone.

[@StarBornMichael]

You dream of Metaphor Yes?

[@tmdiz4579]

Truly peak garbage ending. My god that haruka part was so dumb.

[@gintokiftw5152]

Peak 💩

[@thomasfairburn5254]

To better explain things Nico: 1) Kurosawa hates the romanticism of the yakuza and by example sought to purge the Tojo and Omi of the charismatic figures (Kiryu, Saejima, Majima, Daigo, Watase and Katsuya) before he died. He was desperate to leave behind a legacy as he didn’t want all that sacrifice he worked for to get to the top be all for nothing. So he chose his son Aizawa to pass the torch to rule over both Omi and Tojo with the yakuza united under his rule filled with yakuza who embody the realistic less savoury aspects of organised crime. There is an irony to Kurosawa in that despite looking down on charismatic people that inspire dreams, he too had a dream to leave something meaningful behind to his son to carry on. Man is an underrated antagonist who really represents the cold hard realist in a world filled with idealistic characters. Just because he wasn't "charismatic", he had to do unsavoury things that tore away at his pride and dignity to get to the top the hard way whilst guys like Kiryu, Majima, Saejima, Daigo, ect. had connections, charisma or did something "cool" that got them their positions and titles. 2) Aizawa on the other hand whilst hating how old fashioned the yakuza are like his dad, he despises nepotism and connections as he wanted to rule the yakuza by surpassing Kiryu on his own by talent and strength and thinks Daigo is a nepo baby that is unworthy. Irony with him is that despite claiming to want to get to the top on talent alone and his criticism of Daigo, Aizawa got as far as he did because he had to rely on help from Morinaga and his father plus he lost to a Kiryu that wasn't at 100%. Aizawa is a nepo baby trying to defy the glass ceiling of the yakuza world and make it to the apex by his own two hands, not giving a shit about his father randomly handing him his dream and power to inherit. Poetic. 3) Aizawa played on Saejima’s sympathies with the whole “find my aniki” act, as it was a ploy to put Saejima off track in having Katsuya be framed for Morinaga's death. Baba did the same to Kiryu. Kurosawa's plan was to pit the Tojo and Omi against each other so he can swoop in and eliminate the "charismatic ones" in the midst of the chaos. 4) Kurosawa and Aizawa thematically fit the game’s theme on dreams specifically the inheritance, passing on and attainment of the dream. Their relationship is a foil to Kiryu and Haruka. Kiryu sacrifices a lot to have Haruka attain her dreams and whilst grateful, Haruka once attaining it steps down as she deeply values Kiryu and her family seeing that as more important. Kurosawa schemed to have his son inherit his power but Aizawa is ungrateful and thinks his father as a desperate fool as he even says "what would he have done, if I didn't join the yakuza?" and once on the Chairman seat decides to go about things his way only to fail to scale the wall that is the Dragon of Dojima. Aizawa's tattoo like Nishiki's is a carp trying to swim upstream to become a dragon.

[@IrfanFakhrianto]

Aizawa really is the epitome of "I dont know what the fuck is going on but this fight is cool as shit".

[@Omeyrolx_theChessmaster]

Can we just talk about how amazing of a shot Daigo is? Not only did he manage to shoot all of Kurosawa's goons with 100% accuracy, but back in Yakuza 2, he was able to shoot Shindo before he could shoot at Kiryu, and then in Yakuza 3, he woke up from his coma, immediately rolled off his stretcher, grabbed a gun, and shot all the bad guys, all in a matter of seconds! He had to immediately recognize that Kiryu and Mine were in danger mere moments after waking up before deciding to shoot people, and he still cleaned house regardless. Like, dude, screw being the Tojo Chairman, you find yourself a successor who can make better decisions for the clan, appoint yourself as their armed bodyguard, and no one will ever get the better of you again!

[@AkaneCultist]

There’s a reason Daigo with a gun is the most powerful character in the series.

[@colt1903]

Important to remember those were all Cutscene Guns as well, which is a variable buff of anywhere between 20 to 80 percent effectiveness.

[@Arti_The_Great]

Well of course Daigo is a beast with a gun, he is Kazama's son

[@Pullesystem]

>Not present in 90% of the game >Suddenly appears again at the end >His presence is explained by a plot point with zero foreshadowing >Doesn’t even know why he’s the final boss >Has one of the best final boss fights in the series >Leaves

[@lifedeather]

Gigachad?

[@anotherjason]

You know how surprisingly evil that ambiguous ending was? The 3 games that were released after this, were Yakuza 0, A prequel, Kiwami 1, a remake, and original Ishin, a non cannon all stars style game. They really did tease kiryu dying here for quite a while. Of course 6 exists and everyone knows 6 has kiryu, but still.

[@eusouocarameuirmao]

tbf they had already fake-killed kiryu twice at this point, i can only speak for myself (i wasn't exactly checking on forums what people were saying at the time) but i find it hard to believe anyone actually fell for it a third time.

[@tacoman422]

@@eusouocarameuirmao Maybe, but going by Japanese release dates that's still four years in the real world where they left his fate up in the air.

[@parodyres]

I've always thought that 0 was Kiryu remembering what happened during his coma. I mean, it's what happened when he woke up in 6.

[@WojtekGoose]

​@@eusouocarameuirmao I don't think anyone expected him to actually die like this but this is still, the only game where they almost "killed" him and didn't backtrack in the same game. Like in Yakuza 3 he gets shot at the end but then post credit scene shows that he's fine

[@black-fenrir35]

​@@parodyresreported for spoilers

[@blackdragoncyrus]

The spot where Akiyama fights Kanai, Theater Square, is where his life was turned around when he was homeless, and also where he had his first fight in Yakuza 4.

[@jenniferrannila1414]

Now it should be pointed out that we know now in hindsight that Kiryu is alive because he is on the cover of Yakuza 6, but when this game came out in 2012, Kiryu's fate was on this cliffhanger that didn't get resolve for another 4 years as the games directly after this were a samurai spinoff, a prequel, and a remake of the very first game. So as far as people knew Kiryu most likely died in the snow in Haruka's arms even Yakuza 0 is really coy about it when it brings up in the credits when going over his fate that "his current status is unknown" so yeah this was kind of a wild way to end the biggest game in the series until recent games.

[@LargeToastie]

The ending of Yakuza 0 is interesting depending on when you played it too. If you play 0 first, then the ending seems pretty hopeful. But if you played the series from 1-0, then the ending has a really sad undertone, where Kiryu has no idea of what he'll be getting into.

[@sndark6241]

@@LargeToastie 0 as a whole is REALLY elevated by having knowledge of the previous games. So much of the writing is filled to the brim with dramatic irony given chronologically later events. It's why I'm actually not really fond of the fandom's perception of it being the definitive starting point: It loses far more than it gains by being anyone's first game. Obviously nothing against people who started with it, but still.

[@Rogeryoo]

​@@sndark6241 you forget the fact that 0 was really fucking good, and grabs people by the balls to continue the series. If you start with kiwami 1, and especially the original Yakuza 1, people would probably go "game was neat, but I dunno if I want to continue the series". I won't argue about the dramatic irony, but Yakuza 0 has the "holy shit, this is peak" component that makes a great start of a series.

[@Triforce_of_Doom]

@@Rogeryoo yeah as someone who started with 0, this. The way 0 introduced me to both Kiryu & Majima had me fucking hooked especially with the little knowledge I had making me still go "okay so how does the funny eyepatch man become the way he does". Also with Nishiki, I don't think the final battle with him in 1/Kiwami would have hit me the same if I hadn't spent a whole game with him & Kiryu as friends first.

[@sndark6241]

@@Rogeryoo I mean under that logic you could recommend Judgment instead (Which _is_ completely standalone) but I guess since it's technically a spin-off we can't do that.

[@MEGAmangaman]

Ah damn he didnt check out the costumes in premium adventure...

[@Fritz95]

Yeah that's disappointing but Nico if you are reading this check out the costumes on a livestream, you won't regret it.

[@lifedeather]

Rip new game +

[@leithaziz2716]

Shrimpnada, my beloved.

[@tacoman422]

Kurosawa: "Fine, so you thwarted the assassination, it doesn't matter when I still have five dudes with guns!" Daigo: "IT'S HIGH NOON..."

[@FilbertAllTheWay]

Like father like daughter, quitting it all when you reach the top. And by the way, “running out of a concert”, the actual last of the fortune telling lady’s prophecies!

[@WebbedManiac]

And with that, Yakuza 5 gets added to the list of Yakuza games which end with a Kiryu death fakeout along with Yakuza 2 and 3. Also, Majima's turnaround from kidnapping Haruka in Y1 to protecting her in Y5 is really nice, even though I'm kinda sad it mostly happened offscreen. Edit: Idk what you mean. Daigo's just an expert marksman, Nico. The dude literally got up from a coma in Y3 and immediately shot rogue CIA agents in the face. Edit 2: Kurosawa wanted to hand off both the Omi and the Tojo to Aizawa. That was his plan. He was already Chairman of the Omi, so that was a given from the start, but Baba also told Kiryu about how Kurosawa didn't actually want to kill Tojo members. He just wanted to kill the legends (Kiryu, Dojima, Majima and Saejima) in the middle of Tojo's own turf to dissuade the whole clan from fighting him and absorb them into the Omi when they're weak. That's why Aizawa is at Tojo HQ.

[@crazybagel9979]

Nico: FINE PENGUINS YOU WERE RIGHT!!! I didn’t believe it, dismissed all the evidence, and even hallucinated a scene with him in it, but you guys were right. Majima is dead and I have to move on. Penguins: We’re very proud of you Nico, there’s just one more step in the grieving process. Now what you have to do is turn around. Nico: What why- Majima: HA, you fell for it fool, THUNDER CROSS SPLIT ATTACK!!! Nico: DAMNIT PENGUINS AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

[@AllWeNeedIsHope1]

Haruka was able to find kiryu because in this game she's a playable character so she could see the quest icon for kiryu on the minimap

[@FinnishDuck15]

Some people have already said earlier that Yakuza 5 is also about identity aside from the obvious theme that it beats you over the head with, and it even tackles the subject of dreams in more multifaceted ways than just simply “follow your dreams, always”. Heck, you could argue Yakuza 5 is more about losing your dreams and what comes after/finding something more important. And nowhere is this more apparent than in Haruka’s final speech. She dreamed of becoming a star, and with the nudging of the Morning Glory kids, Kiryu and Park, she set out to make that dream a reality. But at this decisive moment, after she has accomplished Park’s dream and performs at the Japan Dome, she realizes that continuing as an idol is not worth it if it means being away from the person who has given her so much and who she adores dearly as a father, Kiryu. It may seem like she’s backpedaling on everything she’s been trying to work for this entire game, but not only was this very concert already the thing Dyna Chair was working so hard for, this scene shows that sometimes even the loftiest of dreams are not worth pursuing if it means sacrificing something more important, even if it’s right within reach. Haruka lived the dream, and carried Park’s expectations of her to where she wanted her to stand, but she simply couldn’t bear to go on from there. And that’s okay. Yakuza 5 shows us that while it’s important to have dreams and something to aspire to, it’s also just as important to know when it’s time to call it quits, whether because your dream is unattainable, or not worth the sacrifices you have to make. And it all pays off in the end with Kiryu and Haruka, after spending the entire game apart, reuniting in the final scene of the game. Yakuza 5 is a very messy game, and its main theming is about as subtle as a brick. But if you can see past that and invest yourself in the heart and the emotional core of the story, you’ll see why it's a real dream come true.

[@Jay-ch5xu]

YAKUZA 6. We're going back to the Dragon Engine, baby!!

[@roninwarriorsfan]

can't wait

[@JyuRaposa]

And with this finale, this LP is longer than Persona 4 Golden by over 20 minutes. Looking forward to Metaphor.

[@xplayfan21]

A metaphor will be just as long if not bigger metaphors of big game boys cannot wait.I've been waiting for this because they don't have the time to play metaphor

[@KingOfDarknessAndEvil]

​@@xplayfan21I'm sorry, what?

[@SeiyaTempest]

It's finally over, we'll never have to hear the word "yume" ever again.

[@Calhasnopals]

I think it’s important to emphasise that this game came out in 2012: just under a decade before Kasuga Ichiban took centre stage and RGG decided we needed even more shark jumping in this series. I say this because I need you to understand that Majima can just… create Shadow clones canonically. This is just something he can do, in the real world. It’s never explained, there’s no background to it, he just can

[@kdlsimondistefan47]

Didn't he kinda turned invisible in his fight in the darkness in the original Yakuza (I know saying "in the darkness" kind of point out how he did it, but I feel Majima took it one step further)

[@Calhasnopals]

⁠@@kdlsimondistefan47I choose to chalk that up to Kiryu having terrible eyesight. Without specifying, we have seen him use glasses in subsequent entries to this. I like to imagine he’s always needed them, but just elects not to

[@masteroflight7296]

his clones represent his insane speed its like seeing double. He's not ACTUALY cloning himself

[@eusouocarameuirmao]

@@masteroflight7296 its either that or just a manifestation of his fighting spirit, a common martial art shounem trope, but yeah, either way its not something meant to be taken *literally*

[@masteroflight7296]

@ ya, you’d think people would realize that gameplay is non canon by now. There’s light sabers and stuff but that’s obviously just for gameplay and not actual canonical to the story.

[@kev1nno]

So, let me explain the rooftop fight scene in Part 38 (the one with Kiryu, Saejima, Katsuya and Watase). There's a lot of seemingly random, unconnected plot points that coalesce for this fight, and it's easy to miss the connections. Let's start by exploring why Katsuya is acting the way he is this whole game, as he's the main instigator of this rooftop fight. Bear with me, this is a long story, and we have to discuss quite a few scenes to get the full picture... *Katsuya:* Katsuya suspects Kurosawa is the mastermind and realizes that Kurosawa will threaten Haruka's concert. You can tell from his conversation with Akiyama he realizes Haruka's concert is the mastermind's target: "I just don't want her to play a concert there right now. If she goes up on that stage, she might... Well... Never mind. This is simply a business transaction". That is not a thinly-veiled threat - it's genuine concern. And Akiyama most likely realizes that, hence why he says he can't tell what Katsuya's doing, but he can tell Katsuya's not the bad guy he's making himself out to be. It's hard to say if Katsuya actually did intend to cancel the concert here. But what we can say is that after his talk with Akiyama he certainly no longer felt like he could do that. Like Akiyama said, this concert was Park's dream too after all - so Katsuya can't exactly go tearing down his deceased friend's dream. And like Katsuya said to Akiyama, if Haruka pulls out of the concert, she'll likely never get another shot at it, meaning Park's dream dies too. But if they do go through with the concert without getting the mastermind out of hiding beforehand, they're obviously screwed. So Katsuya basically has a strict time limit - he needs to stop the mastermind before the concert. So his plan to get the mastermind out of hiding is this: Announce to the world that Haruka's concert is cancelled (but say that T-Set's taking her place to prevent having to *actually* officially cancel the event). After all, if the mastermind can't threaten Haruka at the concert, the mastermind's plan falls apart, so he can hardly afford the risks of inaction. Kiryu points out as much when he says that Katsuya's TV announcement about the concert (which shows everyone exactly where Katsuya is) is to bring together "allies and foes alike". Katsuya is hoping that threatening the mastermind's plan alone will be enough to make him show up on that rooftop, where they can settle things. This plan doesn't work out however, as the mastermind doesn't show. Katsuya therefore notes that the mastermind is clearly "cautious to the extreme", and so Katsuya has to resort to his backup plan of handing the mastermind exactly what he wants on a silver platter - the four of them beating the hell out of each other. So this is now the plan: The mastermind knows that Katsuya is putting the mastermind's plan at risk because of the concert cancellation, but also has victory handed to him with minimal risk since his targets have already taken each other out - all he needs to do is to show up and finish the job. Katsuya knows full-well that this backup plan ending well for them is a long-shot, but it's the only shot they have left in Katsuya's mind that ensures the mastermind shows, given the fast-approaching time limit. To make sure things get settled, Katsuya proposes to the other three that whoever makes it out alive has to "clean up the mess". And to ensure they have enough time to settle things, Katsuya gets the concert delayed by a day. And with this, you also now know the meaning of all the shenanigans with the concert being changed to T-Set, then delayed by a day, in case you were wondering about that. Haruka and T-Set doing the concert together was most likely the plan all along though, being something Katsuya and Park planned long ago, as Nagai said. This whole plan of Katsuya's is never really explained to you in the game (aside from the backup plan that is the rooftop fight). The game puts the responsibility on the player to infer Katsuya's plan and his intentions from his actions and his exchanges with the other characters. It's a very subtle approach to storytelling, which is very odd coming from the same game that's about as subtle as an exploding sledgehammer when it comes to its theme... But I think it's a pretty fun approach regardless :) Now, as for the other characters' reasons for agreeing to the fight. Don't worry - I'm not gonna write another novel for each of these 😅 *Watase* Watase's pretty easy to read. His reaction heavily implies that he understands that Katsuya's got a reason for doing what he's doing. If you remember, he pulls a contemplative face and says: "What gives, Ka-chan? Ain't exactly your style to be picking a fight, is it?" on the rooftop. Watase's basically fighting because of his loyalty and trust towards Katsuya here. Getting to fight Kiryu while he's at it is certainly a nice bonus that makes agreeing a whole lot easier for him though *Saejima* The way I read it, Saejima just wants this whole mess to be over, so he's willing to take the simplest, fastest solution he's presented with. That'd certainly explain him saying that his way of cleaning up the mess may well end with him just crushing the Tojo and Omi. He's just done with the whole thing at this point, so this simple and quick idea is basically his dream scenario. He most likely realizes how reckless it is, but he just doesn't care about that at this point *Kiryu* My take is that he's starting to realize the truth of Watase's words earlier in the game. Kiryu isn't kidding when he says he's the one that's been waiting for this fight the longest. It's not just some shonen line he says to be cool - I think he's genuinely the person that most wants this fight out of the four - not just to catch the mastermind, but just for the thrill of the fight. Unlike Saejima, who ultimately only agrees in order to stop the mastermind and end this whole mess, I genuinely don't think that's Kiryu's main reason for agreeing to this fight - he just wants the fight like Watase says in the game's first act

[@pyroferno4644]

This needs more likes

[@unbind_all]

The “sworn in” thing Aizawa mentioned isn’t meant to suggest he just volunteered or was handpicked by Kurosawa to pass on the yakuza clans, nor did Kurosawa saying he had no one to pass on his legacy to mean he didn’t have a son. Basically, although Aizawa’s been prepping hard for his dreams, his present activity in the yakuza is actually mostly recent, to the point even Morinaga had no idea of his connection to the Omi Chairman. He joined the yakuza because he wanted to climb his way up the ranks and prove himself with strength and honor-the very ideals that Kurosawa wanted to scrub away. Morinaga, unaware of the purpose of the Omi chairman’s plan, lied that he killed Aizawa to give him an easy out, but that went against the dreams of both masterminds, so he got axed for his troubles. I can’t say for sure what the point of the bit with Saejima and the Florist was, but I imagine it was to draw eyes away from him as he struck out on his own to storm the Tojo HQ. Ultimately, Aizawa is a man who desires power, but wants to earn it himself, and to hell with anyone who tries to give him otherwise. He couldn’t care less that his dad’s doing all this 5D chess to basically serve the two strongest yakuza clans to him on a silver platter. Note that Kurosawa’s plans were explicitly to avoid killing as many Tojo patriarchs as possible-he just wanted the big names dead so the clan could be easier to assimilate. By contrast, Aizawa says “fuck it, I want to prove I got the strength to be the chairman now,” and sliced up all those same patriarchs and challenged Kiryu (despise Morinaga saying he wouldn’t be able to beat him). Two men, connected by blood, pursuing two clashing dreams, and an entire clan falls apart in the ensuing chaos.

[@sbfh014]

"Why are you the final boss?" "Lol idk"

[@johans3164]

Proceed to give a kickass boss fight anyway, regardless of how random it is

[@netherfire50]

So interesting fact. Since Yakuza 5 ends on such a cliffhanger, that by the way, was 2 games to see what happened. OG Ishin (Even though that was JP only) and Yakuza 0. All the way to 2016. Throw in Kiwami 1 as well being the last game using 0s engine. Yakuza 0 also references this by saying "his whereabouts are unknown" for Kiryu during that little epilogue that mostly describes the starter events of K1. That part can be looked over. Anyway, for your information, Yakuza 6 is the second shortest game in the series, so good to keep in mind with that. Only beaten out by one of the newer games. This even includes with all substories.

[@blackdragoncyrus]

Majima and Katsuya are supposedly good friends and the two fuckers don't share a single line with each other in this game. XD

[@DiarrheaIsUnbreakable]

Better than with Park. They’re never seen together outside of that photo and Majima never reacts to her death

[@Omeyrolx_theChessmaster]

I mean, to be fair, Majima doesn't even mention Park's name at all, either.

[@blackdragoncyrus]

@@Omeyrolx_theChessmaster Majima has no reason to bring her up.

[@Omeyrolx_theChessmaster]

@@blackdragoncyrus I know that, I just think it's a little weird that we don't know how he felt about Park's death, since they were in a relationship and it was his letter that led to her dying.

[@syd.xander]

Daigo and tatsuya getting up to the rooftop was actually v believable, you see they are fucking beasts who managed to dress themselves up smart and drag each other up long flights of stairs despite both being on life support maybe a mere hour ago. Absolute chads. Maybe its unbelievable for YOU, they are just built like that 😌😌 Also Daigo blasting 5 dudes away is NOTHING, remember how in the Mine fight he fucking rolls off his hospital bed and starts shooting w point accuracy despite having been injured and in a COMA like 2min previous. Hes been shown to be an expert marksman. Daigo w a cutscene gun is an unstoppable beast. Sadly he was born in the wrong century and country, he was clearly destined to be some famous wild west outlaw. Oh well 😂

[@treizehk5547]

1:43:37 Akiyama: Dammit I knew i should have quit smoking 10 minutes later gets another cigarette

[@reptiliannoizezz.413]

Addiction's a bitch 😔

[@7thlittleleopard7]

The way I read the plot - Kurosawa had a kid, Aizawa, but didn't really do much with him beyond pressure him to swear to the yakuza lifestyle. He then pulled himself up through the muck and mire of yakuza politics until he was at the pinnacle. He then realised that he was dying and how little he had - no-one to care for him, no sworn brothers, no-one to pass his dreams to. He hit up the son he'd pretty much just ignored and went "Hey, wanna be boss?" and Aizawa, who actually liked the code of sworn brothers and yakuza more than his dad went "Bitchin'" but decided to throw away all he actually had for power and the chance to fight those at the pinnacle who he admired - to test himself against the best of the best. The father despised the ways of yakuza that he pulled himself up through, seeing it as a place where the strong ruled the smart and hated it. The son liked the idea of strong ruling over others and aspired to be strong himself. They're kinda mirrors of each other in how they view and feel about the yakuza lifestyle - one having to fight and claw his way to the top through underhanded means, the other trying to power his way to the top using the nepotism that he sees (and believes) other top dogs use.

[@weeaboowrangler6321]

I think this is one of my favs in the series because, even though the message is slightly clumsy goddamn they tell it with all their heart

[@FlareSouL]

Edit: Btw, they are serious about Aizawa being the blood son of Kurosawa. It’s not a joke, that’s a serious plot twist point. So we are finally at the end of this long winded adventure, started up by the 7th Omi Alliance Chairman and now the new Yakuza 5 is here to sto-… wait, Wtf you mean Aizawa is the final boss? Son of Kurosawa and a personality flip? What the f%ck? Yeah, so this is the most infamous moment for Yakuza 5. *No one expected the final boss to be Aizawa and even _he is wondering why he’s there lmao._ Almost every player is in agreement that the final boss of Y5 is the most jarring, unexpected but incredibly hype as utter sh%t. *It is so polarizing because almost NOTHING built up to this plot character twist besides the fact that he had a black koi on his back which always in the series indicates conflict with a Dragon.* That entire speech Saejima gave to Aizawa in the Coliseum? MEANT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING because this new white suit Aizawa reveals he really didn’t care about his “brother” Morinaga. He was the son of Kurosawa, so of course he already knew his brother fate and just lied to Saejima and the Florist just cuz. Its really weird because not only that Saejima’s speech amounted to nothing, what was the need to trick Saejima there? For Kiryu, faking his death has some merit as it took the heat off of Aizawa completely from him. But Aizawa really did not need to be there lmao. And that’s a real problem because everything about white suit Aizawa is that everyone can deduce that this was done last second because of the inconsistencies with the plot he was involved in and that Kiryu didn’t exactly have a main opponent who could be the final boss. *Katsuya and Watase were already ruled out due to the 7th Chairman wanting them dead as well so Aizawa was likely picked and made the son to fit into the theme of the game, quite sloppily lmao. But its possibly one of the greatest final boss fights gameplay and cinematic wise due to the sheer scale of fighting through the whole Tojo headquarters. Like an injured Kiryu who is not at full power to an inexperienced Aizawa who thinks nothing but strength built from the ground up, the fight escalating with the heart of Tojo Clan HQs to finishing at the cold doorstep is so thematic, how Aizawa is getting further and further from his dream until being ultimately schooled by Kiryu. Battle of the Dream goes fucking hard here and its great. Just wish the final boss had actual build up to it lmao.

[@seannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

I like to headcanon that it wasn't Saejima he wanted to trick in purgatory, but the Florist. Aizawa was there to make sure his plan was going smoothly by making sure that it had gone over the head of the most knowledgeable person in Tokyo.

[@Weirdgirl213]

It's been said that when Yokoyama wrote this game's plot, he wanted a twist so good even he didn't even see it coming. But the problem with that is that you can't write like that. I don't know why he thought he could, but if what I heard was correct, this is the result of writing in the way he described. And the results is that it makes no fucking sense.

[@BobbyTheGamerOfJUSTICE]

I highly recommend you check out Haruka’s requests in the postgame before you end the LP. There’s lots of cute interactions that are more substantial in comparison to previous games. Oh and also check out the costumes for the characters. You forgot again!!!! Regardless, I loved this LP and I’ll be waiting for your inevitable Yakuza 6 playthrough

[@JackDout]

Damn, I can't believe Kiryu is dead.

[@theKingdomKid]

I will admit, while there is a lot of questionable stuff that happens in the finale of Yakuza 5 I still would put it as one of my favorite endings of the series at this point. And it really boiled down to the emotion that it let you feel. The way that Shinada got that phone call to be told that the people he felt had only been friendly to him just to keep tabs on him actually cared for him. And the way the game ends where we don’t know Kiryu fate until the next game was something that a lot of fans hat to sit on for a lot of the fans. This game originally came out in Japan in 2012 then everywhere else in 2015 until Yakuza 6 came out in 2016 for Japan and 2018 for everywhere. Still I really liked this ending a lot and this game as a whole.

[@archiExist]

My favorite thing about Yakuza 5 is how uplifting and hopeful its music is. From the music of the game's intro, to the title drop when Daigo stares at the river in the prologue, to the Long Battle theme, to the Final Boss theme, and finally the credits. All of it causes something within me to flare up, it makes me reflect on my past and look forward to the future at the same time. This game is damn special man, even after all its shortcomings (or longcomings, since it's so damn long) it pushes me to try even if life seem pointless sometimes.

[@darko7432]

The final fight's awesome. You literally beat Aizawa away from the Seat of Power that he covets - out of the room, down the hallway, into the foyer, before knocking him OUT of the building altogether. Literally dragging him away from his dream, kicking and screaming. Because you're the final trial at the top of the waterfall for him, the carp. And it is your duty to stand in his way.

[@tonyhuynh3073]

2:27:32 - Nico: "Haruka, how the fuck did you find me?" Bruh. She dreamt of his location. Pay attention, Nico.

[@Averi0]

This ending HITS me, this is still my 3rd favorite Yakuza game and has my favorite final boss

[@gregperianayagam4522]

On Aizawa, I have heard why some people like him. He is meant as a parallel to Haruka. Both of them are living other people's dreams, Aizawa and his dad, Haruka and Park. Both of them also forgoe the dream handed to them to achieve some personal victory in their own way. Haruka dropped her idol dream for the yumei she truly values, being with Uncle Kaz and Morning Glory kids. Aizawa, while still wanting to be at the top, rejects his father's method and tries to take the top spot his own way. All that is great if it had some good set up.

[@DiarrheaIsUnbreakable]

The idea that Aizawa is a foil to Haruka is something I didn't think of

[@kaliquis01010]

The fact that Kiryu took on a HUNDRED Tojo Clan members in a fight is fine, but Daigo killing few dudes quickly with a gun is stretching it? Xd

[@GingerSid]

The Aizawa fight is honestly one of the peak fights in the series for me, only eclipse by one of the more recent ones.

[@JamilJslibi]

Hey Nico, just so you know, there are secret scenes in Premium adventure between Kiryu and Haruka. It's not canon, of course, since they didn't really have the time to interact, but it's very cute. There is a scene for each city where kiryu and haruka can just talk about life and relationships. It's pretty wholesome... You know, if you ignore the fact that it's an impossible conversation lore wise.

[@KaoRYuusha]

Despite Aizawa being damn clueless as a villain, as a final boss fight itself it's one of my favorites in RGG series due to its well-designed fight sequences, on top with that music titled "The Battle for the Dream", it's so good. I think from this game onward, RGG Studio has figured out how to make cool ass boss fights.

[@fafaaf61]

Honestly, one of the things that kinda gets me is that I feel there was an easily better way to execute the twist: have Morinaga be Kurosawa's son instead. You can have literally the same exact plot but instead of Aizawa at the end have Morinaga. While he's older, it's clear that Kurosawa is very old himself so it fits. You can still have the thematic elements of legacy and dreams with Morinaga as his son but add in the additional subtheme of brotherhood with his bond with Aizawa be further explored. Not only would this make Saejima's speech mean something, it also draws parallels between Saejima's bond with Baba and Aizawa's with Morinaga. I feel it would've just made more sense from a writing perspective while also drawing from the games themes.

[@Kochen51]

SPOILERS FOR FUTURE GAMES: . . . . Thankfully they do something cool with Morinaga, although then they mess that up too

[@Brickaiser]

"I'm not so sure myself" is something me and my friend quotes to this day. This final boss was so out of nowhere and funny that every time a weird plot point appears anywhere we just bust out this line

[@deathyhoto]

Alright yakuza bros, that's it. Time to sit back, kick up our feet, and wait 2 years for the Yakuza 6 playthrough.

[@deltacojames]

rest easy Dragon

[@Rixec2]

A few things: Kitakata did get show by Baba but when Saejima was taken in at the end they mentioned he survived and was now in recovery. Aizawa is Kurosawa's son. Kiryu said he was his flesh and blood and Aizawa never refuted it. Kurosawa's meaning is more likely a result of him never thinking he needed to have use of his son due to all his backstabbing. Once he learned he was going to die, though, he realized everything he did to get to the top, to prove his cunning did the trick, would be for naught. Someone else who represented the more honorable ideals of the yakuza would just take over, leaving him forgotten. He didn't have someone ready to take over for him, so he was then depending on his son to do it, but Aizawa more closely represents the ideal yakuza with wanting to rely more on strength, challenging Kiryu fairly. It may have been messily handled but Yakuza 5 walked so later games could run. Since you never went back to Ayanokoji, allow me to explain how that ends. When we go back to the training spot, we see him in his Hein outfit again and his personality has regressed to how it started. The girlfriend he made was conning him and had her real boyfriend beat Ayanokoji up, and since Ayanokoji is useless without a weapon, that fight didn't go well for him, and he was mugged of not only his wallet but his clothes as well. He decided to never deal with commonfolk again, except for Shinada, whom he continues to train with but as an excuse to beat him up and take his frustrations out on him. Shinada actually allows this, since he felt bad for Ayanokoji and felt responsible for what happened. Also, fun fact. If you have Kiryu and Haruka take a picture at the photo booth together in the post-game, one of Kiryu's options for a tag is "Touch her and I'll kill you." XD

[@tedrules516]

Yup, I wanted Nico to see Ayanokoji's ending just so he doesn't keep his mistaken impression that it wrapped up happily. It would have been yet another dream that ended this episode.

[@swordmasterfairyprincess9708]

Metaphor Refantaizo next can't wait for this beauty to continue and I hope for next year for the return of Three Houses or maybe Three Hopes hopefully JoJo part 4 as well.

[@fabioherrera859]

Given how Xenoblade Chronicles X is coming to Switch, i fear we might not see three houses returning

[@slobertooth1358]

@@fabioherrera859 I honestly don't think X would make for a good lp tbh. It might be something Nicob would enjoy more on his own time

[@aneonfoxtribute]

The scene with Haruka at the end is one of my favorite scenes in the series. It just fucks me up so much

[@fenrohr2548]

Aizawa: I am Kurosawas son Kurosawa: Aizawa is my son Nico: why woudl he pick some random guy

[@aneonfoxtribute]

In the original Yakuza 2, Kiryu was not running a hostess club. But he WAS a host himself. They replaced the mini game from "You are the host" to "you're managing the girls"

[@RSRoxyielle]

Kiryu manages club Marietta in the substory Managing the Marietta, also in the original PS2 version of Yakuza 2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2WoYqmXat50lZosi=Iq95cJVBJAElE9_o

[@tianmingh]

thank you for the playthrough nico! it was a fun one once again and i cant wait to see metaphor, but also of course for yakuza 6 for whenever you're ready, which is one of my favorites in the series that i hope you'll enjoy too

[@Etherwinter]

This is the game where I believe Akiyama becomes a legend in Kamurocho. Personally I think he's on the same level as Kiryu and Majima at this point when it comes to legend status. The Omi Alliance literally bows to him at the end. Aizawa as a final boss is one of my favourites in the series as well. The music is fantastic as well. Despite Shinada having my favourite arc in this game, I feel like it's also forced to fit with the overall narrative. Shinada is an amazing character with great circumstances, but... Daigo literally disappeared in the beginning to go find Shinada and convince him to look into what happened? Whatever man. And this is the last chronological game before the move to the new engine. Six is, or was, controversial, I think. But it also has some of my beloved side characters, moments and locations in the series.

[@cranesilentlyplays8084]

A missed opportunity for me, is that I wish Haruka’s song played in the background of Shinada’s fight. It’s crazy that Shinada debuts in this game and ends up as one of my favorites in the series, even now. On a tangent, Japan got their big baseball mark in history with Ohtani and the Dodgers winning the World Series and I’d like to thank Shinada and this LP for letting their dream come true. Edited - Aizawa being a negative portrayal of ‘dreams,’ where he has his father’s dreams pushed on him and Kurosawa killing both Morinaga and Fujita (Kurosawa has been framing stuff from the start and that includes Morinaga’s death being similar to Fujita’s.) Aizawa is also the only Yakuza final boss who doesn’t die at the end nor is arrested by the cops/implied to die of old age in prison, since no one else is there (Aizawa is even given a ‘come back from the bottom the right way and I’ll give you a proper test’ moment from Kiryu.) Also, ‘Battle for the Dream’ is used in the final boss and the pre-download video for Yakuza 5 on PS3 (Yakuza 5 being one of the last few with one, with the others being Dead Souls, Ishin, 0, and Kiwami 1 being the last one.)

[@articsorcerer7117]

Well wasn't expecting Aizawa but that was still hype though and Yakuza 5 is done which was not as long as I expected to be honest I thought it would be a few episodes longer but regardless great lp as always. Its been said dozens of time now but can in 2025 make a return to Three Houses as a lp maybe just the dlc or Three Hopes or even just livestreaming it has already been 5 years now it's honestly getting me worried.

[@MugdhaMahdiShams]

Wow, already at the end. I was expecting another episode. But still, loved the LP and your reactions to so much key stuff we couldn't talk about for so long. So you see the cliffhanger in the end where they don't show you what happened with Kiryu afterwards? Back in its original release, fans had to wait years and years to get an answer to that cliffhanger. Because they made Ishin after this, and then 0, after that Kiwami 1 before finally doing 6 in 2016. If you'll recall, 0's post credits scene where they stated what these characters were doing now in present day, for Kiryu's one it ominously ended with "His current whereabouts are unknown", which was the end of this game. And so now since you don't do these games back to back, you can also have a short taste of that cliffhanger till the eventual y6 LP. Once again it's been a blast. Daddy Kiryu's near the end of his journey, but he's got at least one more fight left in him ✌️.

[@MrDarklord11733]

wheelbair-chound is now my favorite NicoB misread.

[@Mr96POP]

I’m sad you didn’t check out Shinada’s “Rouge of Love.” It’s the most hilarious performance in the game. Also, you’re not the only one confused about Aizawa as not even Aizawa can tell you why he’s the final boss. Also, Aizawa is in fact Kurosawa’s blood son. I think you’re the first person I’ve seen who has questioned the legitimacy of that revelation because it’s exactly as they say it is. Aizawa said he was Kurosawa’s son, and Daigo said he had no idea Aizawa was Kurosawa’s son (in response to Kurosawa revealing that info on the roof), and no one ever denied their claims. Kiryu talks about how Kurosawa left everything to his flesh and blood, and Aizawa doesn’t say anything to contradict that. Also, since you’re done with this game, I should inform you that Shinada follows the path of Tanimura in that he never appears in another game after this one. Tanimura and Shinada are known as the one-off protagonists in this series.

[@fafaaf61]

One of the major complaints I have about this game is that Park's subplot with Majima...is never resolved. During Haruka's story, a big deal is made about Majima and Park's relationship and hope that Haruka's concert will allow them to meet indirectly...and this never comes to fruition. In fact, Majima never even mentions Park once. In fact the whole romance seems to be just an excuse to explain that Katsuya and Park were secretly working together despite the immense thematic weight placed on the relationship. It just makes some of Haruka's story come off as empty pathos in hindsight.

[@Meltoras12]

Kiryu: Aizawa!? What are you doing here? Aizawa: To be honest, I don't know. But the script here says that I am the final boss you fight. Kiryu: Really? I feel like the game could of set this up better. Aizawa: Yeah I know. I figured if we just make our fight really awesome, people will just accept it. Kiryu: Bitchin'

[@johans3164]

Aizawa: "Iam the final boss bcuz the script say so" Kiryu: k Aizawa: "at least the fight will be so awesome, it will distract people from the nonsensical plot" Kiryu: k

[@Eugene_TEC]

Thing with Aizawa is he actually works as a thematic final boss (moreso parallel with Haruka rather than Kiryu) but a terrible narrative one. And ultimately the latter is always more important when experiencing the story fisthand.

[@QuizMasterEntertainment]

Daigo has grown so much in this series, at this point he at least became a capable Yakuza.

[@jacalynnepuder1172]

1:42:20 "is there a sign over there that says 'Playstation?'" You finally noticed it huh? For the record, i noticed that during the kiryu akiyama fight against kurosawa clan, was tto busy thinking about club sega, singing in my head those two words

[@Mathamus1]

Part of me does feel kind of bad for the t-set girls. Feel they get kinda shafted by Haruka's actions in the end. It will probably ruin their careers too knowing the idol industry.

[@reptiliannoizezz.413]

Wait, really?

[@janbrohal1332]

Honestly they deserve it after treating Haruka badly for most of the game

[@jeena4182]

Great let's play Nico now when Xenoblade Chronicles X jokes aside Aizawa was a bit of a shock for me as well but kind off makes sense when you include the inherited dream from his father. I hope next year we can return to Fire Emblem Three Houses or maybe There Hopes (hopefully the Black Eagles) since so much is left.

[@RosyMiranto]

If i had to guess, he'd probably play Xenoblade X after he's finished with Sky SC... That is if he chose to do that, nor going for Sky 3rd or... Anything else

[@jeena4182]

​@@RosyMirantoThere is also The Hundred Line to consider.

[@BB-fy8kn]

It's the last episode? Aw, man, you missed one of the funniest things in the game! One of the possible intros for street encounters is a thug going: "H E Y Y O U ! W H A T S U P M A N ? G I V E M E M O N E Y P L E A S E !" In broken english.

[@rickythemaddragonxiong8757]

And yes Majima can do Shadow Clone Jutsu.

[@FinnishDuck15]

A few things on the final bosses: Even though Majima’s role in this game was far from perfect, I do like how he’s utilized at the end here for Saejima’s final battle. He’s being forced to fight to the death with him with Haruka’s life on the line, and Majima complies because he knows how much she means to Kiryu. And I think it’s a cool moment of compassion for the Mad Dog. Also I love how Saejima throws the “this should clear things up” back at Kurosawa when he sees the camera fallen over. To explain why Shinada and Baba fight even though Baba decided against shooting Haruka, it’s because of what Saejima asked him to do. He says that Baba is still young, so he has to be smacked some sense into so that he’ll see sense (like he did for Baba in his part). So when Baba sloppily leaves his camera behind as evidence, Shinada decides to make him take responsibility for his actions, and puts it in baseball terms, because of course he does. And while the matchup itself is a bit weird, I think a professional yakuza assassin like Baba is a great final challenge for Shinada, since sans Daigo, all his opponents so far have been regular townspeople or just thugs. Also, it may seem like Baba tries killing himself because Shinada attacks him, but I feel like Baba was going to try committing suicide anyway even if Shinada hadn’t come, though their fight may have sped things up. At least we get a great moment with the Abashiri gang and Shinada gets his happy ending after all. His dream may be lost, and his life for the last 15 years may have been filled with lies, but he finally has a place to belong. Not really much to say about Akiyama vs Kanai, but I do really like the atmosphere of the fight with the snow falling on Theater Square (coupled with the goated End of Rematch). And seeing all the yakuza factions bowing to Akiyama and cementing him as a legend in his own right is really awesome. Gonna leave stuff about Aizawa in its own comment but I’d like to talk about his papa Kurosawa a little here instead. The reason I find him so compelling even for a scheming über-evil antagonist is for how human he feels in the end. Faced with a terminal illness, he realizes that his entire career, his entire life, has been nothing but shit jobs and backstabbing, trying to come out on top in a dog-eat-dog world by any means necessary. While he is the Omi chairman, he has no legacy to pass on to, and in the end, he will only be a footnote in the long legacy of the Alliance. That's why, with this scheme, he tries to take absolute control over both the Tojo AND the Omi. It also puts his words about Kiryu and the others in a new light. Since he got to the top by being the cutthroat yakuza he is, he probably does not like the way they do things, but it might at least partly come from a place of envy as well. Kiryu and the others have already left their mark on the yakuza and become revered icons of the underworld. While with Kurosawa, most people outside the Omi don’t even know what he looks like. He also says that he would’ve loved to keep his integrity, which only seals the deal more for me. In the end, Kurosawa is just a terribly pitiable man who, at the end of his life, realized he had nothing but power, and tried to become the man who seized control of the two biggest criminal organizations in Japan to leave his mark that way.

[@ZenoKnightShade]

1:45:35 Effectively the writers outright saying they wrote themselves into a corner, ran out of bad guys and Kiryu still needed a final boss.

[@RealTrueAnonAccount]

As someone who is just getting into Yakuza through Yakuza 0, Like a Dragon and Judgement, watching your Yakuza 5 LP live was a blast! My day instantly improves the moment I see these in the morning! Keep up the great work Nico and looking forward to whatever you want to play next!

[@kieranwrightstone2199]

Essentially best I can tell is Aizawa is probably a child Kurosawa sired as a bastard on his path to the top, not having an involvement into both were latter in life and Aizawa joined the Tojo Clan. Kurosawa relishing all his efforts would leave nothing to show wanted to wipe the board clean and have Aizawa lead the merged Tojo and Omi yakuza under a single organization after clearing out all possible competition to Aizawa rise. Placing his legacy as someone who spent decades clawing from the very bottom of the Yakuza ranking ruling the majority of Japan’s underworld at the top. Aizawa continuing Kurosawa’s legacy after he died. Aizawa for his part seems to have a strained relationship with Kurosawa, even pointing out that him dying of cancer and causing the events of this game was something he hadn’t expected from Kurosawa at all. Kurosawa probably only viewed Aizawa as his legacy from their blood ties and for Aizawa rising through the rankings of his own methods or Morinaga’s help. Aizawa only going along with their plans until he sees a chance to claim to spot as the top of the Yakuza by his own hands. Uncaring of the plan in general except for the damage Kurosawa caused and for Aizawa to build his own spot as the through his own hands in the ensuing rebuilding of the clans.

[@seannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn]

Thanks for another banger LP Nico! Also Y5 has IMO some of the best premium adventure content, i'd say it's worth quickly checking it out maybe on stream sometime!

[@netherfire50]

Oh yeah, you kind of missed out on some of the crazy costumes that are available for the protagonists in premium adventure. Plus Haruka Requests do exist as a post game activity. You could check them out on stream if you wanted to. I wouldnt want to ask for a bonus episode as Id imagine you want to get back into Metaphor lol.

[@casterforlife4995]

As messy as parts of Yakuza 5 are it just has something special about it that makes it so endearing and one of my favorite games in the series

[@SimplyWalkz]

Happy Halloween, Nico!

[@ColorPrinter]

Kiryu: what are you doing here? Aizawa: lol idk

[@DanteRU0312]

And so, it is over. Honestly, Yakuza 5 is one of the best Yakuza games for me, up there with Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 2. Yes, the plot is a mess. Yes, the final boss comes out of nowhere and it's confusing as hell. But honestly, whatever. The combat is awesome and fun as hell. All of your favourite characters are involved in the plot one way or another, here's Kiryu, here's Akiyama, here's Taiga, here's Haruka, here's Majima, here's Daigo, here's freaking everyone. Except Tanimura, I guess. You play as Haruka! Every character has tons of side stuff to do and it's all unique and pretty fun. Here, drive a taxi! Here, hunt freaking bears! DANCE-OFFS! All of the characters have karaoke songs! It's all so freaking amazing for me. The plot is still full of epic, badass and emotional moments and when it hits, it hits freaking HARD. The final boss might make no sense from the plot standpoint, but in terms of actual presentation of the boss fight in terms of how epic it is and how badass the boss is, it's WAY up there. It's Yakuza at its peak. I could go on and on and I'm probably forgetting a lot, but I just love Y5. And it especially feels SO GOOD compared to the disappointment that is Yakuza 6. I know many people love it and I can understand why, but for me it's such a mess. But that rant is saved for when Nico plays and finishes Y6 which is not happening any time soon.

[@sndark6241]

Yeah not a fan of 6 either. I get why people enjoy it but to me it's a game that's far lesser than the sum of its parts. Again though, more on that some other day.

[@DanteRU0312]

@@sndark6241 SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS MORE SPOILERS YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED SOME TEXT IF SOMEONE ACCIDENTALLY STARTS READING for me two main flaws of Y6 were the fact that they haven't figured out the new engine yet so the combat is extremely slow and floaty, you just do a combo, enemies fly away and you can't no nothing except wait for them to stand up. And if they block your combo, the recovery period is insane. Even with full upgrades, it's so annoying. Flaw number two is that they went full on into casting popular actors and showcasing them, putting your favourite cast completely on the backburner for it. It doesn't help that one of the main guys from the new cast is an absolutely annoying incel. And it all would've still hurt less and wouldn't have made the game bad per se if that game wasn't the BIG FINALE to Kiryu's saga. At least back then. Now we know that there's a Kiryu spin-off and whatever, but when I played it, hoo boy that was unsatisfying.

[@fenrohr2548]

To explain some of it Kurosawa at the end of his life desperately wanted to leave behind some kind of legacy because he noticed he doesn't have anything aside of power. His only idea was to give his son, who both barely know each other, both the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance. The fact Aizawa is barely involved in the plan and doesn't really get what is happening shows how desperate Kurosawa was, basically plopping Aizawa on the tojo chair last minute after he realized his plans are falling apart

[@Jack_Garland78]

Kiryu seeing Haruka at the end. "Am I... *dream*ing?" Nico: Slaps his forehead so hard it makes a shockwave that destroys his house.

[@mohammedahmed967]

It’s a huge meme that Aizawa is the final boss “just because”, but there’s tons of substance behind it. Aizawa is someone who had a dream thrust upon him, one that his own ideals both align and conflict with. They align in that they’d allow him to reach the pinnacle of the yakuza world, which is his dream. And they conflict in Kurosawa’s desire to end the spirit-fueled and strength-based system of the yakuza, which Aizawa wants to revel in. This is why Haruka’s performance overlays his fight with Kiryu, because her situation actually parallels Aizawa’s. Both had a dream thrust upon them that they had appreciation for and issues with. Aizawa’s blood-related father Kurosawa coldly and, as you said, pretty randomly, threw his dream at Aizawa. And Haruka’s mother figure Park did her best to pass on her dream with as much care and tenderness as she could muster. That contrast of blood ties is used to highlight why one failed to achieve both the dream thrust upon him as well as his own dream, and why the other succeeded in fulfilling the dream thrust upon her as well as being able to pursue her own dream in the future. It is only with time and love that people can form the bonds necessary for the form and nature of each person’s dream to be communicated, understood, appreciated, and passed on. The Yakuza series is filled with characters who not only gave up on their dreams, but were also forced to become too emotionally unexpressed and unavailable to pass on their dreams. Shinada and Akiyama are polar opposites to that idea, but Kiryu and Saejima are prime examples of it. And Aizawa himself was cutting off all of his bonds in the pursuit of greater strength. But Haruka never stopped valuing her bonds, and that’s why she not only succeeded, but helped the person who she has the strongest bond in the world with to fight and live through seemingly impossible odds. Haruka and Kiryu saw their dreams through. And like Haruka said, Kiryu isn’t dreaming anymore. Their bond is more than just a dream. It’s unshakable and real.

[@tcaz]

Yeah I actually like Aizawa being the final boss from a story theme perspective, but maaaan it was sloppily handled. Multiple unforshadowed plot twists, the whole thing in the colosseum meaning nothing... its just weird lol But like, conceptually I think it was a good idea. They just didn't do it well.

[@MugdhaMahdiShams]

​@@tcaz While all that sounds interesting, this was not meant to be Aizawa lol. Like I feel they had the outline of a villain with that Kurosawa's son backstory with all that you mentioned here about dreams being forced on him. But I seriously doubt that person was originally supposed to be Aizawa. A bunch of his actions prior to this don't make sense now.

[@sometwithtoomuchfreetim3842]

So, let's talk about Masato "to be honest, I'm not really sure myself" Aizawa! I'm gonna put aside the weird switcheroo with him and Morinaga, just cause. As out of nowhere as he kinda still is in the story itself, there's a bit of meat to him. Firstly, he's the (this time literal) son of Kurosawa and that makes Kurosawa's big plan for him to inherit everything quite.. Familiar. Yeah, it's a lot like Kiryu forcing the tojo onto Daigo in 2. Which makes Aizawa calling out Daigo's nepotism and excusing his own interesting. That parallel aside, there is one commonality between Aizawa and Kurosawa. They both disdain the charisma and prestige driven Yakuza Kiryu and Saejima represent. He believes the Yakuza should be driven by pure strength. Kiryu clearly doesn't agree, but he doesn't outright reject this view. If by chance, Aizawa won, Kiryu might accept that he really did deserve to lead. But well, that obviously didn't happen. Aizawa does not have the strength. He betrayed those around, decried Daigo's nepotism while ignoring his own and won against a man with a bullet wound who had already been fighting for quite a while. Kiryu might not have even been at max power, but he still came out on top. Aizawa had a dream, but he didn't have the will to pursue it.

[@FinnishDuck15]

Surprise! It turns out Aizawa isn’t just some random Tojo jobber after all, he’s been wise to Kurosawa’s plan the whole time and takes the mantle of the final FINAL boss of Yakuza 5. This is one of the most infamous plot twists in the whole series, as there’s not much in the way of build-up to this fight other than Kurosawa stating he was going to pass on his legacy to someone right before you go to the Tojo HQ. And while there are things that make a bit more sense knowing that he was a traitor for Omi like Morinaga, it is a little hard to defend this twist with how out of nowhere his existence as the final boss feels. However, what I will defend are Aizawa’s motivations and the reason he and Kiryu fight here. As Kurosawa’s son, he already has a readily accessible birthright to a ton of clout and power within the yakuza. But Aizawa doesn’t care about that. He wants to rise to the top of the yakuza world with his own strength, not because of nepotism or schemes authored by his old man. When Aizawa answers Kiryu’s question about his reason for being there, he simply answers: I’m not sure. While this is also very very humorous, one might even say peak comedy, the in-story reason he answers that way is because this is not entirely where he chose to be. He was just moving along with his father’s chessboard the entire time, because he too hated the old-fashioned yakuza way of doing things, knowing that if he was victorious, he would just be handed down that power he wanted. But since he doesn’t really want it to be just given to him, he’s feeling conflicted. But once Kurosawa’s scheme is over and Aizawa is the last man standing, he doesn’t give up. He attempts to beat Kiryu to show the world that he could beat the Dragon of Dojima, that he has more than enough power to stand on his own among yakuza legends. And the best part? Kiryu accepts his challenge. He takes on the mantle of the Dragon after hiding it for the whole game, to show Aizawa that he truly is on a whole another level from him. And this all culminates in one of the best final bosses in the whole series. You get the full tour of the Tojo HQ while Aizawa gives you everything he’s got with multiple setpieces, badass QTE sequences, an amazing final boss theme in Battle for the Dream, and overall a tough as nails fight (or it would be if this game wasn’t so easy to break lol) that it’s more than enough, for me at least, to look past almost any grievances I have concerning the twist with Aizawa.

[@aneonfoxtribute]

No, Nico, Aizawa is Kurosawa's actual son. He's not a random, he is Kurosawa's flesh and blood. I understand how you got confused, but they are genuinely father and son.

[@LordOnisyr]

Congrats on beating the game Nico! Always happy to see your journey through the Yakuza series!

[@HappyPotat]

"What are you doing here?" "Fuck if I know" Said Aizawa...and the writer both.

[@lemonman6832]

Aizawa is just as confused as you Nico looks like the writers really needed someone to be the final boss. Looking forward to Metaphor Nico it's going to be a special kind of ride but I must say this though can we get a update on the possibility of returning to Three Houses in some shape or form I'm very worried about it's status and how long it's been that I'm just very unsure if you still desire to return to it please even just a mention of it's status can call my nerves on it.

[@ChrisWrightReally]

Really wish Nico would see the Premium Adventure costumes

[@seanlocke2228]

Akiyama: We have one night to do stuff before we end this game. Within one night; travel back and forth across Japan to collect girls from their clubs, go on dates with new girl, fight many thugs and other dudes, fight the Amons, compete in a tournament, collect 5m yen by gambling, complete a few remaining substories and still be back before the next day.

[@alfreebo1154]

In defense of Aizawa, while I do think the buildup was pretty silly (I think even people who like him like me agree that the scene with Saejima doesn't make much sense at all), I think the way he mirrors Haruka in the finale is still really well done and a lot of this encounter wraps the themes of the game up very well. The way in the boss you grapple him further and further away from the seat of the Chairman where he doesn't belong fulfilling a dream he doesn't care about, really hits for me. Say what you will about how often they say dream, but a lot of the messages around it and how each character tackles it differently is why this game is still easily my favorite of the Kiryu saga games, even if some believe other stories to be technically tighter this is the one that resonated with me the most

[@kawiianimekitty7472]

Glad to finally see one of these playthroughs to completion! Glad to hear you enjoyed Y5R. Its a big game yes but its one of my favorites. Next up is Yakuza 6: The song of Life and the return of the Dragon Engine and all the fun destruction that brings. Yakzua 6 is smaller than 5 so dont worry about hopping into another 40 episode LP

[@deltacojames]

can’t wait for the day the Yakuza 6 let’s play begins. Until next time Yakuza tomfoolery

[@KillerA15]

When this first started I thought it would be more sad with it ending but to know metaphor is next could not leave me with more joy

[@colt1903]

Going by the comments, this is another LP I really need to binge the rest of one day. God damnit. EVERY TIME!

[@gerome5603]

Two LPs ending with a dream recently? I’m gonna suggest Three Houses or more Trails for the next LPs

[@PDRUV]

He's playing Metaphor next. He says so at the end of the video, and he already uploaded the first video, where he explained that he was going to continue it once Yakuza 5 was over.

[@Jay-ch5xu]

The end!! Now Nico can finally take a rest before Metaphor!

[@couver73]

...you know what? I'll take a nod over nothing. They at least ACKNOWLEDGED what happened in the end of Yakuza 4 and what Kiryu wanted to do. That is better than nothing. On a side note, it almost feels like Kurosawa to some degree is the polar opposite to Kiryu. Wasn't charismatic, killed his own aniki and boss and did things to get to the top in a whimper. Kiryu had the opposite. Witnessed his boss and aniki killed, was blamed for the former, and fought for the life he had instead of lying down. It's definitely an underrated parallel.

[@Fatalbeast22]

And now we wait fir the eventual playthrough of 6, ih 6 is gonna be a GOOD one

[@Junerpher]

I'm gonna be honest, i lost all sense of plot at the end, but i think the point is more the mesage then the actual plot, to me aleast, i think thats okay. There was still alot of cool moments....... Alot lot of suspension of disbelief needed though lol

[@angelbro2833]

Looking forward to Metaphor Refantaizo but I do hope next year we can return to Three Houses or maybe a LP of Bug Fables.

[@oreotaku4017]

Ah yeah Bug Fables would be a peak Nico LP

[@TheY0shi08]

Aizawa: "While you were stealing the spotlight, I studied the blade. While you were engaged in running an orphanage I studied the blade. While you spent years outside of the yakuza world I used the blade. Now that the war is here you're all unprepared. But not me. For I studied the blade."

[@azon7458]

The glaring issue is the whole Morinaga and Aizawa relationship and the coliseum scenes with Aizawa making very little sense lol. It is also poorly foreshadowed and that's fair. The other things are explained. Firstly, Aizawa is his actual son. Secondly, Kurosawa essentially had taken over the Tojo (Daigo was out of commission, everything going according to plan, etc) and is the chairman of the Omi hence giving it to Aizawa. However, the dichotomy between him and Kiryu, and him wanting to prove that he's not just a nepotistic Yakuza and is his own person culminating in one of the best boss fights the series has to offer with also one of the best OSTs the series has to offer is pretty cool. Nah Y4 fumbled just as much if not more during the ending. Can't wait for Y6 when we get to that, because I absolutely love that game.