The Yakuza franchise masks itself in comedy, characterized by whacky, weird, and wonderful side content. But underneath Yakuza's comedic exterior lies a multi-faceted and deeply emotional story, which starkly juxtaposes the upbeat nature of the aforementioned mini-games and stories.
Perhaps the best example of Ryu Ga Gotoku's affinity for storytelling with a symbiotic presence of comedy and tragedy is the character of Goro Majima. A character whose personality and ethos shifts wildly throughout the arc of the extensive story of the Yakuza franchise, Majima is undoubtedly one of the most layered characters in Yakuza's cast. As part-time protagonist who has a dysfunctional long-term friendship with primary protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, a lot is revealed about Majima's achievements over his 30-year story.
1980s - The Lord in the Gilded Cage
Chronologically, players are first introduced to Goro Majima as a secondary protagonist in the critically acclaimed Yakuza 0, primarily set in 1988. However, in 1985, Majima and his sworn brother Taiga Saejima planned to murder a rival family's patriarch as he was being released from prison - willing to spend the rest of their lives in prison on behalf of their family. On the day of the hit, Majima is prevented from attending the killing by Tojo higher-ups, who cite a conflict of interest with the killing. Saejima was able to carry this out regardless in what turned out to be a massacre that led to Saejima receiving 18 life-sentences.
Furious at abandoning his sworn brother, Majima still attempts to join him, leading to torture at the hands of the Tojo Clan and his boss Futoshi Shimano. It is during this torture that Majima lost his eye, leading to him wearing an iconic eye-patch for a vast majority of his appearances. Majima is tortured over the course of an entire year in a yakuza detention facility dubbed "the hole," with his ultimate strength and resilience to such sustained abuse leading him to be seen as a valuable asset.
Thus, a 24-year-old Majima in the events of Yakuza 0 becomes the legendary and enigmatic manager of the esteemed Grand Cabaret nightclub in Sotenbori, an entertainment district closely modeled off real-life Dotonbori in Osaka, Japan. Known in Sotenbori as the Lord of the Night due to his mysterious background, Majima is essentially a slave, using his skills to make extortionate amounts of money for the yakuza-owned cabaret club in a never-ending bid to reinstate himself in the family.
Majima is ultimately promised re-entry if he murders a target named Makoto Makimura, who turns out to be a blind young woman with a slither of land integral to the Tojo Clan's booming real estate business. Caught at a moral crossroads, Majima opts to save the young woman, harboring and protecting her from increasingly intense adversaries. As the bond between the unlikely pair develops and borders the romantic, Majima snaps into a frenzy when she is captured and shot, fighting his way through legions of yakuza to the heads of the famous Dojima family. Having shown strength and exposing the corrupt nature of the Tojo Clan brass, Majima is accepted back into the fold as the Mad Dog of Shimano.
1990s - Mad Dog Unleashed
Majima next appears in 1995 with Yakuza 1, a very changed man. Due to the trauma he experienced years prior, Majima adapts a very different persona as an eccentric, unpredictable, and obsessive individual - sharply contrasting his earlier muted and brooding prior. Majima has risen to the head of his own family, rising rapidly up the ranks of the Tojo Clan as a feared and powerful patriarch. With Kiryu being the protagonist of Yakuza 1 and going to jail, Majima isn't seen again until 2005.
2000s - An Unlikely Bond
Upon Kiryu's release, Majima develops an obsession with him, citing Kiryu as the only man strong enough to give him a fair fight. Majima would go to great lengths to goad or trick Kiryu into fighting him, ranging from disguising as an adult entertainer to kidnapping Kiryu's adopted daughter.
With Yakuza 2 being set in 2006, Majima leaves the Tojo Clan to create Majima Construction. Hiring subordinates from his old family, the company still acts as if in the yakuza, helping Kiryu by defending Kamarucho and disarming bombs at the culmination of Yakuza 2. A great bond and respect grows between Kiryu and Majima.
During the events of Yakuza 3, Kiryu convinces Majima to rejoin the Tojo Clan, where his family's size and strength only grows in size. Majima Construction still exists, actively developing the largest building in Kamarucho by looking up architecture guides on the Internet.
2010s - Perseverance and Change
With Yakuza 4 set in 2010, Majima finally reunites with Saejima, who had broken out of prison and escaped his execution. The two titans of the underworld are brothers once more, and in Yakuza 5, Majima's death is falsely reported after a failed assassination attempt. Majima attempts to use this new-found anonymity to his advantage, but is captured and forced to fight Saejima to the death, lest their captors kill Kiryu's adoptive daughter Haruka. The two oblige out of respect for Kiryu, yet are saved by Tojo Chairman Daigo Dojima. Majima is only briefly seen in the 2012-set Yakuza 6, where he is arrested along with other high-ranking Tojo officers.
Majima and Saejima make a chilling appearance in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the latest Yakuza title, fighting the party of new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga with ease. With the Tojo clan all-but eliminated from Kamarucho following Kiryu's decent, the last players hear of Majima is that he aims to open up a legitimate security business with other ex-yakuza in Sotenbori, now 54 years old.