Kiryu has WHAT?

 Umm... 'Infinite Wealth' spoilers, I guess

How excited I was to tune into Like a Dragon's very first direct-style event, touching on the two brand new Like a Dragon games flying at us in the coming few months. I'm nowhere near ready to play either of the two games mind, I've a metric ton of Judgement and Yakuza games to get through first, but that just makes me even more excited about what I have awaiting me. One of these games is, of course, the action-based side series starring Kiryu as Agent Joryu, and the other is the next mainline entry: Like a Dragon 'Infinite Wealth' taking the franchise out of Japan to Hawaii for the first time... perhaps ever. I remember hearing that title 'Infinite Wealth' and trying to relate it to all the usual themes Yakuza might have. "'Wealth' could refer to something ephemeral like happiness, love and friendship- I wonder which way they'll go this game!" And then the bombshell landed and the clouds kind of parted.

To be clear, those looking to go into the next Yakuza game with no information don't want to carry on reading this blog and they don't want to watch the new story trailer for 'Infinite Wealth'. They should take my word that it looks like an incredible entry in a franchise that doesn't have any right to go on this long and still drop such consistent bangers- and if you want to see something than watch the gameplay trailer, that one is safe. As for those that already committed and are currently utterly flabbergasted at what the trailer-team decided was safe to reveal before the game was out, then I'm right with you. Who in their right mind thought the little plot point that Kiryu had damned cancer would be a fun little spicy warm up for those waiting for the game?

That's right, the Dragon of Dojima himself- the god like being of infinite mortality who solves all of his problems by punching, (and that's no exaggeration. Remember that in Yakuza 3 his solution for teaching the main villain the importance of friendship was to beat it into him) has been given the one foe he can't just Tiger Drop... unless... unless he Tiger Drops the back of his own head! (Imagine if that's how this plot point resolves itself...) Yes, like Arthur Morgan himself, Kiryu has been given a death sentence and it's bad enough to have the man coughing blood in the middle of the trailer, hamming home the themes of impermanence and the trickling sands of time in a narrative otherwise about...  Kasuga finding his mother? Damn, I totally forgot that was the lead-in; his mommy issues are overshadowed like they're nothing, I hope the game itself does a better job balancing his story.

It's a jarring position to put a character who is representative of so much strength in the face of adversity that he is being brought into stories nearing his mid fifties and the man still looks totally ready to kick some ass. It's not like a 'Sam Fisher' situation in the latest Ghost Recon where the man looks like he's been dragged out of an old folks home and thrown into an exoskeleton- Kiryu seems to be in the twilight of his fighting years and even his most beloved fans knew these next few games would be the last before ultimate retirement. I just... don't think we expected that 'ultimate retirement' to be a cancerous death like what seems to await our man. I don't think this is being introduced as a spectre to hang over Kiryu for the last few of his games either, the way it's being treated makes this sound like his big struggle throughout 'Infinite Wealth'; introducing the startling possibility that Kiryu might not actually survive through to the end of the  credits. (Let my man get back with Kaoru, dammit! He's suffered alone long enough!)

Cancer is, of course, quite the large bombshell to drop into any story, let alone the story of the man who seems to have transcended his mortality altogether through his sheer passion of beatdowns. Kiryu has been shot, stabbed, blown up, beaten to a pulp, tortured, mauled, hit by a car and everything else inbetween- yet through all that it was the damn cigarettes that got him! (And yet Akiyama is still okay enough to cameo through the Poundmates app? How does that make any remote sense?) In truth, I guess this really was the only way to further humble the character of Kiryu after the man faked his own death for the second time. I mean, there's only so many times you can cut to credits with Kiryu in a perilous state before it doesn't work anymore. You could have him be abducted by aliens just before the credits and I'll assume he'll beat him way before the end credits scene.

Of course, it's pretty surprising that such a perception destroying narrative as Kiryu facing death itself, a very concept designed to throw everything in one's life into perception, should occur without Haruka present. Literally the little girl that Kiryu devoted his entire life to raising, the love child of the woman he decided was the love of his life literally two seconds before she died. (Seriously Kiryu, I understand playing it cool, but you played that entire game damn near glacial towards Yumi!) You think that spending his time with Haruka would be the only thing on Kiryu's mind right now, but something has him tied not only to Honolulu, but to Kasuga and, eventually, the Tojo clan again! Isn't that the very life he's been trying to distance himself from since... literally the first Yakuza game? What on Earth could supersede his desire to be with his daughter, even if he faked his death in order to 'protect her' or whatever nonsense he came up with at the time. (I don't know, I haven't played that game yet.)

My guess? Kiryu won't die in this game. I don't think they'll magically cure his cancer, but I suspect it to go into remission. The only reason I say that is two-fold. Firstly, I can't possibly see them letting Haruka go on thinking her father figure is dead and not being there at his death bed. Sure, there's a possibility that she sneaks her way in at the end, but I just don't think Japan is going to be featured in this game much at all. Secondly, no self respecting proprietor of this franchise is going to let Kiryu die alone, not after all he's been through. How deeply disrespectful would it be for the character to have him die in the gutter coughing out his guts? This isn't that sort of franchise! If Kiryu's going out, it's going to be out into retirement in order to live surrounded by the people he loves most. And I'm not sure Haruka is going to be in this game and I know that Kaoru isn't going to be. (The made her a Poundmate but that isn't anywhere near enough, dammit!)

Still, at least this confirms that the franchise is adamant about their desire to move on from this being the 'ongoing story of Kiryu', despite that being severely questionable when it was revealed they couldn't go a single full game without bringing the ol' zombie back. I was waiting for Komaki to confer upon Kiryu the secret of his own inexplicable immortality, but unless that ol' bugger knows the secret technique for banishing Cancer I guess our man is on his own. I've always believed that Like a Dragon has had it in itself to expand it's horizon, and now they've lit a fire they can't put out it seems they're going to have to prove that with action in the years to come. Just like everyone else I can't wait to get my hands on the game and cry those darn ugly tears that Yakuza always tries to get out of me. (And sometimes does!)