Yakuza 2 is an action-adventure game released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. It is the second game in the Yakuza series and follows the first game, Yakuza. The game was released in Japan on December 7, 2006, and in North America and Europe in September 2008.
The story centers on Kazuma Kiryu, a former yakuza member. He is asked by his former group, the Tojo Clan of eastern Japan, to help improve relations with the Omi Alliance of western Japan. During his journey, Kiryu discovers a Korean mafia group connected to both the Omi and his past. He also becomes an opponent of Ryuji Goda, known as the "Dragon of Kansai" from the Omi group.
Yakuza 2 added new gameplay features. Sega improved the fighting system based on feedback from fans to create a more detailed experience. The story included a more detailed love story for adults, which was not present in the first game. For the western versions, the original Japanese audio was kept, unlike the previous game, which used English audio.
Reviewers praised Yakuza 2 for its presentation and fighting system. It was followed by a spinoff called Yakuza Kenzan in 2008 and a direct sequel, Yakuza 3, in 2009. A remake titled Yakuza Kiwami 2 was released in 2017 for the PlayStation 4 and later made available on Windows and Xbox One.
Plot
Half of the game takes place in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward, especially a version of Shinjuku's Kabukichō area, which is called Kamurocho in the game. The other half is set in Osaka, with the fictional areas Sotenbori and Shinseicho inspired by real places in Osaka: Dōtonbori and Shinsekai. Even though these areas are made as imaginary versions, some real landmarks are still included, such as Dōtonbori's Sammy Ebisu Plaza and Shinsekai's Tsutenkaku Tower and Billiken.
In December 2006, Kazuma Kiryu and Haruka Sawamura are living peacefully, but Tojo Clan leader Yukio Terada asks Kiryu for help to stop a war between the Tojo and the Osaka-based Omi Alliance. The group is attacked by Omi assassins, and Terada is killed, asking Kiryu to try to make peace. Kiryu brings in his former friend Daigo Dojima to take Terada's place as leader, and they travel to Osaka. There, Kiryu becomes enemies with Ryuji, the son of Omi leader Jin Goda. Ryuji refuses to make peace and tries to take control, but he is arrested by Osaka police officer Detective Kaoru Sayama. Sayama agrees to help Kiryu stop the Omi in exchange for information about the Tojo, as she believes the Tojo are connected to her parents' disappearance when she was a child.
Kiryu and Sayama learn that Omi leaders Ryo Takashima and Toranosuke Sengoku are trying to kill them, and Daigo and Jin Goda have been kidnapped. They escape to Tokyo, where they find Detectives Makoto Date and Jiro Kawara investigating a bombing of the Kazama family offices by the Jingweon Mafia, a Korean group believed to have been destroyed by the Tojo in 1980. Fearing attacks from both the Omi and Jingweon, Kiryu brings in former allies Goro Majima and the Florist of Sai for help. They rescue Daigo and stop a coup led by Koji Shindo, the second leader of the Nishikiyama Family. During Terada's funeral, Ryuji warns the Tojo that he will give them three days to mourn before attacking Kamurocho.
Kiryu and Sayama discover that three Jingweon members survived the 1980 massacre and went into hiding. They find a survivor in Osaka, who says the Jingweon will not stop until they or the Tojo are destroyed. The survivor also says that Jingweon leader Sueyon and her child survived the massacre because of Kawara, but the survivor is killed before sharing more details. Sengoku kidnaps Haruka to trap Kiryu, but Kiryu defeats Sengoku's forces. Sengoku tries to run, but Ryuji kills him for hurting children.
Date finds out that Tokyo police chief Wataru Kurahashi is a Jingweon survivor who has been hiding the group's activities. Kurahashi takes Date and the Florist of Sai hostage and plans to bomb the room, but Kiryu, Sayama, and Kawara arrive and stop him. Kurahashi tells Sayama that her parents are Kawara and Sueyon. While they are distracted, Kurahashi shoots Kawara, but Sayama kills him. Before dying, Kawara says Sueyon was killed by the Jingweon after Sayama was born because she refused to help the group. Kawara gave Sueyon's child to a different family to protect them and hunted Jingweon members to keep them safe. The Florist of Sai learns the Jingweon has placed bombs across Tokyo and plans to explode them on the anniversary of the massacre, when Ryuji intends to attack the city.
On the night of the attack, Kiryu and his allies disable the bombs and stop Ryuji's forces. Ryuji challenges Kiryu to a final fight on the Kamurocho Hills construction site. There, Kiryu meets Goda and Sayama, who tries to stop Ryuji after learning from Kurahashi's files that Ryuji is Sueyon's other child. Despite this, Ryuji fights Kiryu and loses. Terada appears and reveals he was the last Jingweon survivor and leader. He faked his death to start a war between the Tojo and Omi so the Jingweon could destroy both groups. Kiryu defeats Terada's men, but Takashima shoots Kiryu, who had hidden Terada's truth for power. Takashima kills Goda and Terada to take control, saying he never cared about the Jingweon's revenge.
Terada reveals a hidden bomb before dying, and Takashima tries to attack, but Ryuji kills him. Both Ryuji and Kiryu are badly hurt, but Kiryu wins the final fight. Ryuji accepts Kiryu's strength and dies in his half-sister's arms. Unable to move, Kiryu tells Sayama to leave, but she stays with him. The bomb had no fuse because Terada knew Takashima would betray him. Later, Kiryu and Haruka visit Terada's grave, with Sayama joining them.
Development
Yakuza 2 was announced in August 2006. Sega promised improvements to the fighting system and more exploration. The game's director, Nagoshi, shared goals for Yakuza 2. These included a deeper story than the first game and new themes, such as an adult love story. The Sega team listened to fan feedback during development. A major goal was improving the fighting system. Designers focused on making it easier to fight multiple enemies at once. For example, players could attack enemies coming from different directions and switch targets during a combo to defeat someone sneaking up from the side. The team believed the fighting system was improved and successful. When localizing the game, Japanese audio was kept instead of using an English dub. This caused no problems. More Heat moves were added to make fights more exciting.
The director of voice recordings told actors not to use overused acting styles from anime. In scenes with insults or threats, exaggerated acting could reduce tension. The composer believed this choice helped create the unique dramatic feel of the series. This was the first game in the series to use only Japanese voice acting for its U.S. and PAL releases. This decision followed criticism of the English voice acting in the first game.
The Ryū ga Gotoku & Ryū ga Gotoku 2 Original Sound Track (HCV-287) dual-disc boxset was released by Wave Master in Japan on January 25, 2007. The music was composed by Hidenori Shoji, Hideki Sakamoto, Norihiko Hibino, and Takahiro Izutani. During development of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz for the Wii, Sega sound manager Haruyoshi Tomita became interested in the company's sound design. Sakamoto, who loved the original Yakuza game, eagerly accepted the offer to work on the sequel. Shoji created a unique guitar sound for the game and explored piano compositions. His use of instruments and editing techniques gave him tools to study for the series. His musical style has roots in classical music, which helped shape the team's approach. To match the story's depth, music needed to connect the scenarist and the player.
Like the first game, a classic gospel song, Franz Gruber's Silent Night, Holy Night (Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht), is performed in English by Eri Kawai. Singer So Yoki performs Kamuro Setsugekka (神室雪月花).
Marketing
To create realistic versions of Tokyo's Kabukicho and Osaka's Dōtonbori, Sega worked with 17 well-known Japanese companies. As a result, some locations in the game, such as the Don Quijote discount store, Club Sega game centers, and Matsuya (松屋) restaurants (replacing an unlicensed version called Akagyu), are based on real-life buildings. The Tōkaidō Shinkansen high-speed train is also included in the game.
To help cover the game's high costs, Sega used product placement and added advertisements within the game. This includes the Japanese coffee brand Boss Coffee, as well as many alcohol brands found in the game's bars and pubs, such as Suntory Whiskey, Jack Daniel's Bourbon, and Carlsberg Beer.
The game includes famous real-life arcades. Sega's UFO Catcher crane game is included as a minigame, and arcade cabinets featuring Virtua Fighter 4 can be seen in the Club Sega game centers.
Reception
Famitsu gave the game a score of 38 out of 40. IGN gave Yakuza 2 a score of 8.5 out of 10, and GameFan gave the game a score of Very Good, as well as their "Best PlayStation 2 Game" award for 2008. Eurogamer rated the game eight out of ten.
In the week of its release in Japan, Yakuza 2 sold 281,836 copies. As of December 31, 2006, it sold 550,000 copies. In 2008, it was the 98th best-selling game in Japan, with 136,809 copies sold that year. In 2006, it was the third best-selling PlayStation 2 game, with lifetime sales in Japan reaching 827,978 copies. Only 40,000 copies were sold in North America.
Releases
The Japanese version of the game, Ryū Ga Gotoku 2, was moved to the PlayStation 3 and Wii U consoles. This improved version of the second game in the series comes with the original Japanese version of the first game. Both versions were released in Japan.
On November 1, 2012, a high-definition version of the Japanese original versions of Yakuza and Yakuza 2, called Ryu Ga Gotoku 1&2 HD edition, was released in Japan. This "HD edition" includes both remastered games on a single Blu-ray disc and later as a ~19GB downloadable file.
On December 11, 2014, this "HD edition" was re-released in a lower-price line called "PlayStation 3 the Best," which focuses on popular games in Japan. At the same time, an 18.1GB downloadable version became available for purchase on the Japanese PlayStation Store.
On August 8, 2013, a high-definition version of the Japanese original versions of Yakuza and Yakuza 2, called Ryu Ga Gotoku 1&2 HD for Wii U, was released in Japan. This "HD for Wii U" version includes both remastered games on a single disc or as a 19.8GB downloadable file. This release was special because it was the first Yakuza or Like a Dragon game on a Nintendo console and remained the only Yakuza game on a Nintendo console until the 2024 Nintendo Switch version of Yakuza Kiwami.
A remake of Yakuza 2, called Yakuza Kiwami 2, was released in Japan on December 7, 2017, for PlayStation 4. It was later released worldwide on August 28, 2018. This remake uses the Dragon Engine from Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Like the 2016 version of Yakuza: Kiwami, the remake includes new features not in the original, such as a new story campaign for Goro Majima that continues his story from Yakuza 0.