Like a Dragon Producer Explains Why Kazuma Kiryu Was Brought Back

This article contains SPOILERS for Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a DragonThe producer behind the Like a Dragon series, Hiroyuki Sakamoto, explains why they decided to have Kazuma Kiryu return after the events of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Kiryu has always been the face of Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku’s long-running franchise, having maintained this role ever since the first game in 2005. However, this would change with the release of Yakuza 6, which was billed as the final game in the Kazuma Kiryu Saga. It was seen as a bittersweet but understandable move, with the game giving a mostly graceful and heartfelt ending before passing on the torch to his successor, Kasuga Ichiban.