SEGA Yakuza Franchise: Yakuza's Version of GTA

Sega's legendary Yakuza franchise has become one of the company's flagship titles.

Released in 2015 and bringing the series to the PlayStation 4, Yakuza 0 serves as the first chronological title in the franchise. Set in December of 1988 into January 1989, this game gives players an early look into the life of the leading character of the series, Kazuma Kiryu.

In Yakuza, the actual first game released in the franchise, events take place in 1995, six years after the events of Yakuza 0, as Kazuma Kiryu rises through the ranks of the Dojima Family under the Tojo Clan, a conglomerate of the Yakuza.

Yakuza 2 advances the series into December of 2006, as Kazuma is tasked to stop an all-out gang war from breaking out in Kamurocho.

With Yakuza 3, the series's first step onto the PlayStation 3, and starts mere months after the events of the previous game. Sega would first implement the use of facial capture technology in an effort to bring their characters to life.

One year later into 2010, Yakuza 4 takes fans of the series through the story of three newcomers to the franchise, with each character receiving their own share of the story and Kazuma only becoming playable toward the end of the game's story mode.

Yakuza 5 takes place two years after the events of Yakuza 4. Following with the number trope in its title, the game itself featured five different playable characters.

In what appears to be the final game in the story of Kazuma Kiryu, Yakuza 6 takes place in 2016 becomeing Kazuma's final chapter in the Yakuza franchise. For this, the game returns to its roots as Kazuma is the lone playable character as a final send-off to the franchise's main protagonist.

The latest game in the series, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, a new protagonist, new gameplay, and new setting will bring fans of the franchise and new players alike a set of new experiences to introduce the Yakuza series to the next generation.

However, there have been a few titles that deviated from the main story. Titles such as the Japanese-only “Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan” is set in 1605 during the Edo period, explaining the general history behind the Yakuza gangs in Japan.