The Evolution of the Biggest Yakuza Meme

[@gokudoni]

Thank you for your time! What's your favourite new karaoke song? For me, it's either Baka Darou or If I Could Love the One I Love.

[@michaeldagadagn307]

Definitely Joon Gi Han’s If I Could Love the One I Love is my favorite rendition. It has that flair of the pretty boy losing his former flame and trying to move on with the future shining bright.

[@shin_nasrash]

zhao english if i could love, is the best, i think i just like people screaming in general, (like ichiban at the end of judgment full spec)

[@marcelosoares7148]

Honolulu City Lights for me, especially the english version.

[@virtualputeri]

Bakadarou and Honolulu City Lights are my repeated songs at the moment 🙌🏼 Great video as always, love the musical analysis! P.S. loved the inclusion of Hananaki Yume in the background too!

[@SpadeOfNades]

Baka Darou and Awake have been top contenders for me so far

[@bkmanager7664]

I honestly enjoy listening to Baka Darou more than Mitai ngl

[@Szymbik1]

Same

[@IchiBUNProductions]

Same

[@klaus.sfc01official30]

It's probably because you can still hear it normally without cringing the whole time. I say cringing because idk how to describe the emotions of shame i feel when i listen to baka mitai just cuz it's a meme.

[@WebbedManiac]

Same. Baka Darou feels a lot sadder and that's when not even taking Kiryu's history in consideration. Like listen to both blindly, without any context and Baka Darou just feels a lot more emotional.

[@vadar0521]

@@klaus.sfc01official30bakamitai sorrow might be better if you want to escape the memes

[@HeavySandvichGuy1]

Baka Mitai meme was a reason I've tried Yakuza. Many years ago, I guess when 0 was released, I remember seeing it on Steam and thinking "Nah, it's just bootleg GTA" and forgetting about it. Then, many years later, Baka Mitai meme happened, and youtube also started recommending me "Yakuza without context" videos. After watching those, I gave Yakuza a chance, and now it's my second most favourite game series

[@THE_CORN_MAN]

whats your first faveorite game series?

[@HeavySandvichGuy1]

@@THE_CORN_MAN Half-Life

[@THE_CORN_MAN]

@@HeavySandvichGuy1 ah thats based

[@LEMON3705]

The only thing Yakuza and GTA in common, it’s about crime 😂😂 Yakuza dont even have an open world that large. But somehow it holds a lot of content in the small map

[@shonarts5583]

I wish they were able to have Tomizawa sing this in the karaoke minigame. Baka darou is soo fitting for his backstory and drink links and stuff.

[@jialin7]

I think they might’ve but I think his VA has a similar situation as Yagami’s VA.

[@wonderfulprogress2952]

Also the fact that most of Tomizawa’s “Soul Friends” are never introduced.

[@fuyuki_alt]

Like the guy above me said, it'd be far too expensive since the VA for Tomi is King Gnu's vocalist

[@kenjamago3977]

The melody of Baka Darou itself had a strong 80s City Pop vibes in it (hell might be as well as a love letter to those Genre of it's time). Like i can't help it but for some reasons i had some kind of nonexisting nostalgic memories to it

[@gokudoni]

The perfect way to describe it, honestly 👍

[@samuel.jpg.1080p]

I feel like Baka Mitai and Baka Darou sums up the theme and tone of the entire series extremely well too. It is full of sadness, but also funny but also full of tragedy, hope and love. That's RGG as a series in a nutshell EDIT: also really love how Baka Darou has this kind of 80s city pop feel to it. It has that nostalgia feeling

[@kasgarlmahmut4213]

It is good to see someone who makes a video about Baka Darou. I was afraid this song wouldn't get the attention it deserves.

[@sunwukong825]

Gokudoni: "It's safe to say people have largely moved on from it by now." Me, sweating in the background as Baka Mitai is playing in the background:

[@mjc0961]

You've reminded me, it's about time I listen to the smooooooth Akiyama version again

[@TheBlack_Ghost]

This video was a blast, baka mi-bye!

[@masteroflight7296]

Mame would be at least 14 at this point. We have no idea how old he was when they adopted him in 3. The life span of Shiba Inu’s is 12-15 years. it’s sad to say that Mame might have passed away by this point.

[@Drums_of_Liberation]

Bruh Kashiwagi survived being filled with holes by a 50 cal and being blown up. And Richardson somehow managed to survive falling from the top of the Millennium Tower. At this point I'm convinced animals is Yakuza are immortal

[@thenewagus]

​@@Drums_of_LiberationI have hopes for Mine reappearing and saying "Kiryu San, Richardson stole my Fly ability, thanfully, it was a Rubber Floor" with the best plow twist *made me cry* in gaming

[@jamesb687]

This is a cool video concept! I was so surprised by Baka Darou when I first heard it since I never heard much of the OST of LAD8 and I havent finished Infinite Wealth yet, I keep getting stuck on this fight in the finale chapter haha. I always run this risk especially for the first time playing a game.

[@rickwong9049]

Imo Honjitsu wa Diamond is pretty underrated. The song helped me to go through some difficult time and come to term with things that is unpleasant. I also like it false positive vibe which is again a shame it wasn't featured in Infinite Wealth. Great analysis.

[@WolfWarrior623]

I love this song so much. Its been living in my head rent free since i heard it. It's great on its own and I love the cinematic and what it means for Kiryu. Ending with Mame was the best choice they could have made, imo.

[@Medea_Liddell]

I've always preferred the Kiwami (and Ishin) version of Baka Mitai especially for the singing because is somewhat calmer and fits better with the lyrics. Baka Darou is great for the same reason.

[@WolfWarrior623]

finally, a fellow acoustic Baka Mitai enjoyer. I love all versions but the more chill acoustics are just top tier for an already great song.

[@gokudoni]

Agreed! The -Sorrow- version in particular has been my favourite for quite a while.

[@SarmInTheHat7030]

Thanks for the great video congratulations on 7k much deserved i like baka daru its perfect mix of memey and emotional for karaoke song i would i like awake

[@bm_burger]

Great video, music-content is always one of my favorite parts of this channel! I was expecting this song to be a cheeky popularity chase from the original meme song, and yeah it turns out to have way more going on. I love the bit with Mame at the end; I've seen comments get a bit carried away with characters that are "supposed" to be in the highlight reel but Mame serves the purpose of both seemingly silly and out of context while also representing everything Kiryu holds dear. A perfect ending to a bit that was set up nearly a decade ago. (Also worth noting that in Yakuza games, and not the parodies, the character in the photograph is usually a bit of a curveball, something not obvious but still integral to part of the character).

[@abdullahgamer7575]

Behold bakametai 2

[@mementomemescooks]

Beautifully explained just like baka darou Thank you once again for the content 😭

[@OneManCast]

I don't see it as a meme song. Then again, I can't see very well right now. For some reason, Baka Darou makes my vision blurry. Prolly the tears.

[@leonardosa_a]

If Baka Darou was a little longer on the karaoke and have a few more characters on the clip (like Kiryu kids) i would had genuinely cried like i did in 6 with Hands

[@Arihiki]

Absolutely love the lyrics and the instruments are pure joy to my ears

[@Cherry91]

I fell in love with Baka Darou from the very first note. It's such a beautiful and melancholy song. While Bakamitai can be sung by anyone, I do feel in my heart of heart that Baka Darou is Kiryu's alone. The lyrics, the emotions, everything evokes his struggle over the years. No one has gone through what Kiryu has. No one truly understands the pain he's been carrying for so long after losing everything and everyone he loves and feeling that he's responsible for dragging them in this mess. You beautifully pointed out that the song is about his journey and him reflecting on him. I don't think it's going to be the subject of memes due to how deep it is. I've rarely been this touched by a piece of music. But I have a soft spot for autobiographical texts and Baka Darou is certainly one of those.

[@DiversionDude]

A neat little fact I learned is the involvement of Japanese 'gendered language' in both songs The lyrics of Baka Mitai are gendered female while Baka Darou seems to be gendered male and the English lyrics of both songs are like a conversational exchange. The personas of Baka Mitai and Baka Darou are addressing each other, lovers that have parted ways over 3 years now.

[@prithyachan333]

Baka Mitai and Baka Darou mentioned 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️ Wtf is a bad song 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔊🔊🔊🔊

[@ThelostKoiKiwami]

if bakamatai aint played at my funeral i aint going

[@IMM0Rtal318]

if it wasn't for the meme i would've never played this amazing franchise

[@NyomiHendon]

Glad we have another song in the Mame cinematic universe

[@gokudoni]

Now all we need is a dedicated Mame spin-off that plays just like Dondoko island 😁

[@rebelz926]

I want Akiyama to sing this.

[@gab_gallard]

There's an AI made cover going around. Check it out.

[@77-7-]

@@gab_gallard oof yikes

[@gab_gallard]

@@77-7- I mean, i find it both cool and terrifying in equal measures lol

[@Mel9188]

I always cringe when I remember I joined the community because of the Y0 memes but can't deny how it literally got me into it and I wouldn't had tried to play it wasn't it for the "dame da ne guy" typa shit. Though now I find it annoying (the memes), it's quite iconical. Baka Darou was a perfect way to seal these memes away, I believe.

[@jw-k35]

It's weird af to look at Y5 Kiryu singing baka mitai since i always play that song on Y0

[@derpedfox]

10 years

[@pupbeat]

nice video :-)

[@bebrasmachnayq5691]

I like baka mitai more than baka darou

[@slowpoke8585]

I just don't get this being a meme. I played Yakuza 0 and adored it. First time I came across this song, I was blown away by how good it was and I knew I was in for a good time. I just thought the songs were fun and amazing. Then it became a meme. Well, it was a forced meme. I roll my eyes when people try to be hilarious and say "It's the dame dane guy!". Ryu Ga Gotoku should not cater to that crowd. The Yakuza/Like a Dragon series is more than just a stupid meme.

[@Hiroakiarai88]

10 ye-

[@halodregs]

5:49 but whiskey doesn't age once bottled

[@ziqqerlad]

baka darou is what happens when the composers saw the popularity of baka mitai and went "alright i know you guys liked baka mitai but its getting old, so gon give you something special". it is such a catchy song i cant help sing to myself and relate to the lyrics