Highlights

  • Like a Dragon Gaiden emphasizes Kiryu's past adversaries and presents one of his greatest rivals from Yakuza 2, Ryuji Goda. Regardless of their villain status, Ryuji gained respect from Kiryu and fans alike.
  • Kiryu's selfless nature and legendary fighting skills have earned him the title of the Dragon of Dojima. He consistently finds himself in conflicts and gang wars, emerging victorious due to his toughness and impressive deeds.
  • Ryuji Goda's impact on Kiryu's story is significant, even after his death. Like a Dragon Gaiden ensures that players remember Ryuji as a legendary figure, and Kiryu's adventures since Ryuji's demise have only seen a few rivals come close to his stature.

One of Kiryu's old rivals has a definite presence in Like a Dragon Gaiden, even though he doesn't make a physical appearance. Over the course of the series, Kiryu has faced off with many foes, and Like a Dragon Gaiden is no different. Some, most notably Tsuneo Iwami of Yakuza 6, earned nothing but disdain from him. However, Kiryu has found some redeeming qualities in a number of his opponents, even if they never end up becoming allies. Like a Dragon Gaiden takes special care to prop up one past adversary as one of Kiryu's greatest rivals.

A key part of Kiryu's story in the Like a Dragon series is the role he has played in countless conflicts. Somehow, he always finds himself in the midst of a gang war, or in the position to unravel a major plot in the underworld. His stern but selfless nature means that he always steps up, and thanks to his legendary fighting skills, he always manages to come out on top. In fact, it's a combination of his unbelievable toughness and list of deeds that earned him the title of the Dragon of Dojima, which is known throughout the world of Like a Dragon.

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Like a Dragon Gaiden brings Kiryu and Majima face to face once more, delivering one of their most sincere and heartfelt moments together.

Like a Dragon Gaiden Speaks Highly of Yakuza 2's Ryuji Goda

yakuza kiwami 2 kiryu and ryuji

Kiryu finds a fierce fight from Like a Dragon Gaiden's Kosei Shishido, but one of his greatest rivals appeared all the way back in Yakuza 2. Ryuji Goda was the leader of the Go-Ryu clan, and his goal was to have a battle with Kiryu, even willing to cause a gang war to get the battle that he wanted. However, Ryuji also had a sense of honor, refusing to fight a weakened Kiryu, and executing a gangster who had kidnapped Kiryu's daughter Haruka. Despite being a villain, Ryuji Goda managed to gain the respect of both Kiryu and the fans.

Although Ryuji died as the end of Yakuza 2 , he would return as a playable character in the non-canon Yakuza: Dead Souls .

Like a Dragon Gaiden shows that Ryuji has not been forgotten. One of Like a Dragon Gaiden's first difficult boss fights is against a Ryuji impersonator in the Coliseum. After he pulls some underhanded tricks during the fight, Kiryu chides him post-victory, stating that the real Ryuji had too much faith in himself to cheat. Likewise, one substory revolves around an attempted revival of the Go-Ryu clan through the use of fake Ryujis. However, Kiryu defeats them easily and points to their cowardice as proof that they aren't fit to succeed Ryuji. At the end of the substory, Kiryu even notes that "dead celebrities" should look out for each other.

There are much more prominent characters associated with Kiryu, most notably Like a Dragon's wildly popular Goro Majima, but Like a Dragon Gaiden pays special attention to Ryuji. In fact, Kiryu can even recruit a Ryuji impersonator as a member of the Joryu clan in the Coliseum later on. For most villains in the series, their final defeat was the end of their relevance. However, Ryuji managed to leave a major impression on Kiryu long after the duel between the two ended. If any villain from the series deserved a call-back in Like a Dragon Gaiden, Ryuji would be the one.

Despite being a villain, Ryuji Goda managed to gain the respect of both Kiryu and the fans.

Kiryu's adventures have continued long past Ryuji's death, but the massive gangster still stands as one of Kiryu's greatest rivals. Even after the chaotic battles of Like a Dragon Gaiden, there are only a handful of foes that have managed to come close to Ryuji's status, most of whom ended up being similarly notable figures in the franchise. With Kiryu's past being so prominent throughout the game, it only makes sense for Ryuji to be a part of that. Like a Dragon Gaiden makes sure that players will remember Ryuji Goda as a legendary figure in Kiryu's story.