Parents' Guide to

Yakuza

By Aaron Lazenby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Japanese gang epic is violent, profound, & adult.

Game PlayStation 2 2006
Yakuza Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

concernedteacher
concernedteacher Adult
April 13, 2023
age 15+

Play Yakuza Kiwami

So you let your kid play Ryu Ga Gatoku (japanese name of the franchise get over it), at least let them play the high definition remake
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

YAKUZA, a game centered on a mission-based crime story, follows Kiryu Kazuma, an up-and-coming enforcer of a powerful Tokyo crime family. When Kazuma finds his boss murdered, he takes the fall for the crime rather than implicate the true killer -- Kazuma's friend whose criminal earnings pay for the care of a sick sister. Back on the streets after a decade in jail, Kazuma finds that a lot has changed; his friend is now a boss, his girlfriend is missing, 10 billion yen have been stolen, and a little girl is following him around asking him to help her find her mom.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Japanese organized crime (Yakuza) is a hard-boiled genre that's long been ripe for the video game treatment. And Yakuza the game delivers with rich and intense gameplay similar to the successful Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series. Yakuza serves up an epic story with heart, multiple intersecting subplots, scores of characters, and an insanely detailed, atmospheric game world.

But the streets are harsh, and despite its ambitious storytelling, Yakuza revels in M-rated trimmings. Players can hang out at a strip club, intimidate local business owners, get in a bloody street brawl complete with graphic slow-motion attack animations, get falling-down drunk, check out some DVD pornography -- all in a night's work. It's this stuff that makes Yakuza an adults-only affair, despite its engaging, high-quality production values and story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about a common distinction made by media depicting organized crime -- a code of honor that separates mob culture from common street thugs. Do you think there's such a thing as an honorable criminal? Does this distinction add complexity that allows you to empathize with the human behind the violence, or simply romanticize an outlaw lifestyle? Do you see a difference between the way Yakuza stories are told and the way American crime stories are presented?

Game Details

  • Platform: PlayStation 2
  • Available online?: Not available online
  • Publisher: Sega of America
  • Release date: October 18, 2006
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating: M for Mature Sexual Themes, Realistic Blood, Realistic Violence, Strong Language, Use of Tobacco and Alcohol
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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