Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, responsible for the renowned Yakuza saga, has officially announced that Yakuza Kiwami 3 and its Dark Ties expansion will be the final chapter in the series of remakes known as Kiwami.Executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama reported that the line of remakes ends here, marking an important change in the development of the franchise for both Sega and its fans.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is not simply a technical update of the classic Yakuza3, but incorporates important changes to the story, especially related to the character Yoshitaka Mine and the resolution of crucial events.These modifications have raised concern among fans, since the new proposed canon comes into direct conflict with the plots of Yakuza4 and Yakuza 5.
According to Yokoyama, the decision to close the Kiwami line is due precisely to the incompatibility of continuing to remake the sequels under this same approach: the story reinvented in Yakuza Kiwami 3 would cause the creation of a parallel chronology if it continued with in-depth remakes of the subsequent titles.Consequently, moving forward with more remakes in that style would mean moving too far away from the original saga and losing internal coherence, a risk that Sega has decided to avoid.
In this context, Yakuza Kiwami 3 functions as a bridge between the past and the future of the series, closing a stage and beginning another possible path of reimagination. The modifications affect both minor details and essential elements of the plot, which has led long-time fans to speculate that the studio could be considering a complete reboot, or at least experimenting with alternative timelines that allow exploring new dimensions of the characters and the universe of Like a Dragon.
The closure of the Kiwami line does not imply that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is going to stop exploring the history of its most iconic characters.Yokoyama has pointed out that, instead of remakes faithful to the original narrative, we could see new series that recover the characters, but place them in different plot contexts and under new rules.It will not simply be a matter of continuing the numbering of the franchise but rather exploring different paths, possibly incorporating alternative universes, products focused on other characters such as Kasuga Ichiban and completely new plots.
For its part, Sega continues to develop games like Stranger Than Heaven and new episodes of well-known franchises like Virtua Fighter, although it has not yet shared details about the specific future of Like a Dragon or about possible continuations of the turn-based RPG Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.In the face of uncertainty, the commitment to new forms of narrative is clear, which projects the saga into areas little explored until now.
The announcement has generated considerable debate among Yakuza fans, especially among those who expected complete remakes of the following installments. The absence of future installments in the Kiwami line especially affects players who learned about the saga through the recent remasterings, since the lack of new versions could make it difficult to access past stories with the same standards of visual quality and technical improvements.
This also raises questions about the coherence in the experience of the entire series, as different generations of fans will have different ways of immersing themselves in the Kazuma Kiryu universe.However, the community highlights the importance of clear and transparent communication between the studio and the players, considering the numerous emotional and cultural ties involved in the saga.
