So I've been playing a lot of Yakuza recently to prepare myself for Kiwami 3, and it truly reminds me just how phenomenal this franchise, the writing, and the world is. I think I've put another like 20 hours into Yakuza 0 in the past few days alone, and after I get back from classes I'll probably play some more. Anyways, all discussion of the following games will be made with minimal story mentions because I don't wish to give spoilers, you should just go play the games.
The first Yakuza game I've played was 0, back about 2 years ago when I first got my pc. I think I beat it in a week, but I didn't do any of the side content at all, so I hardly count that playthrough. However, in 2025 they announced Directors Cut for the Switch 2, and I picked it up at launch. Oh my god, what a phenomenal choice that was. I was leaving for a trip to Japan literally 2 days after the Switch 2 came out, and something really hits about hearing places mentioned in a game and then simply being able to go to said places. It's fucking awesome. During this trip, I had a lot of downtime (since it was a cruise) so I slowly worked away at Yakuza 0, while also playing Cyberpunk. Playing Yakuza 0 again after realizing just how much I missed in my first playthrough, alongside the fact Directors Cut adds in new shit, really puts a new light on the game to me. Yakuza 0 is byfar one of my favorite games of all time, and I've easily put probably 200+ hours into it, with much more to come.
I think literally 5 minutes after I beat 0 DC, I started Kiwami. I had played Kiwami before, but I never got further than I think Chapter 4 or 5. Anyways, this time I beat it all the way. Didn't take me too long either, did it in only a few days. I will say though, playing 0 right before playing Kiwami absolutely improved my experience. There are so many tie-ins from 0 to Kiwami, so many references, and it made me smile every time (and more than once I unironically did the meme where the dude like snaps and points at the screen. God, I'm a loser.) I will say, by this point I started feeling like the combat was getting a little stale. 0 and Kiwami use the same engine, and sometimes the combat can feel a bit slow, but that could also just be me, I dunno.
Much like my transition from 0 to Kiwami, I went from Kiwami to Kiwami 2 in a matter of about an hour (it needed to download.) And I will say one thing, I VASTLY prefer the combat of the Dragon Engine over the combat that came before, even though it wasn't bad. The dragon engine just feels smoother overall, the combat feels more fluid and fun, and the ability to kick people through windows is a fun addition. Overall, it kinda felt like Kiwami 2 took what I loved about 0 and Kiwami, and pumped them full of highly illegal anabolic steroids, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
My conclusion is simple. Play the Yakuza series, it's absolutely incredible. Also, I cannot wait for Yakuza Kiwami 3, that's going to be so good.