ZeroX
Banned
There's 17 years between Y0 and Y1, I don't think Majima's transformation was fully 'complete' right after Y0, especially with what we know happens in Y5
Kasai
Member
- Jan 24, 2018
- 4,274
So, I have zero exposure to anything Yakuza, especially past chapter 6 of Yakuza 0, where I'm currently at.
I love him. Hes my previous little baby and I want to protect him. Hes super hilarious and way more go with the flow than Kiryu. I'm just a little...nervous as to where the game is going to pick up when I play as him.
Seyavesh
Member
- Oct 25, 2017
- 631
y0 majima has like no development that leads to y1 majima in whats observable in the game itself so going from ps2 y1y2 to y0 to kiwami i was just like "uhhh ok"
it seems like later yakuza games explain it but in the context of 0, 1 and 2 its practically complete f*cking nonsense bc he goes from the cool char in y0 to Im Da Joker Babeh full throttle with nothing shown ingame as progress towards meme man characterization
Richter1887
Member
- Oct 27, 2017
- 39,098
So, I have zero exposure to anything Yakuza, especially past chapter 6 of Yakuza 0, where I'm currently at.
I love him. Hes my previous little baby and I want to protect him. Hes super hilarious and way more go with the flow than Kiryu. I'm just a little...nervous as to where the game is going to pick up when I play as him.
Just a warning. If I were you I would leave this thread not to be spoiled cause there are some really big spoilers in here.
Chumunga64
Member
- Jun 22, 2018
- 14,209
I was bummed that we didn't get any development of Majima's and Kiryu's relationship.
I actually really like that since in 1, it was clear that Majima was just some guy Kiryu knew but didn't *know* and even though the 0 was itching to give the two a cool confrontation they had some restraint and didn't do it. In contrast to a lot of prequels that shoehorn greater relationships between characters even though it wouldn't make sense
such as Snake and Otacon having identical dads who also destroyed robots together in Metal Gear prequels
OP
OP
- Apr 30, 2020
- 320
This is just a random Yakuza thought, but I am completely horrible at keeping clans, families, subsidiaries, etc. straight in my head.
Castor Archer
Member
- Jan 8, 2019
- 2,294
I actually really like that since in 1, it was clear that Majima was just some guy Kiryu knew but didn't *know* and even though the 0 was itching to give the two a cool confrontation they had some restraint and didn't do it. In contrast to a lot of prequels that shoehorn greater relationships between characters even though it wouldn't make sense
such as Snake and Otacon having identical dads who also destroyed robots together in Metal Gear prequels
That's true. My problem was more with ending scene of the two meeting and the famous "Kiryuuuu-chan" line. Felt weird especially since they never actually met in-game.
OhSatan
Member
It ruins the best plot twist in the series.
When in 5 you see that he was a normal person is mind blowing.
Now when you start with 0, 5 feels flat.
KiLAM
Member
- Jan 25, 2018
- 1,610
iirc there is like a 6-7 year gap between Yakuza 0 and 1. We really need a game in between with Majima as main character to flesh out the transition even more. Maybe flesh out on some of the stuff we find out in 5.
His relationship with Park and how it all went downhill. Correct me if I am wrong but maybe it happened in between 0 and 1 and had a role in changing his character even more.
edo_kid
Member
- Oct 27, 2017
- 11,087
It ruins the best plot twist in the series.
When in 5 you see that he was a normal person is mind blowing.Now when you start with 0, 5 feels flat.
We have seen since Y4 that he was and still is a normal man when he wants. Even in Y3 what little we seen of him is mostly subdue.
OhSatan
Member
- Mar 15, 2018
- 15,512
We have seen since Y4 that he was and still is a normal man when he wants. Even in Y3 what little we seen of him is mostly subdue.
Sure but not a normal, normal man.
Not talking about the meme snake Majima.
edo_kid
Member
- Oct 27, 2017
- 11,087
Sure but not a normal, normal man.
Not talking about the meme snake Majima.
Y4 has the oldest flashbacks of Majima story where he's pretty normal. The guy literally brings a watermelon for Saejima and his sister to eat together lol
He even talks ozone layer and the environment lol
OhSatan
Member
Y4 has the oldest flashbacks of Majima story where he's pretty normal. The guy literally brings a watermelon for Saejima and his sister to eat together lol
He even talks ozone layer and the environment lol
Is normal for Majima but a lot of interactions you see the weirdness come out, in 5 we see a 100% normal majima.
Some of the greatest emotional highs and best writing in the series. Beautifully bittersweet.
edo_kid
Member
- Oct 27, 2017
- 11,087
Is normal for Majima but a lot of interactions you see the weirdness come out, in 5 we see a 100% normal majima.
Majima has been mostly the same character for Y4 Y5 and Y6. The main diference it's screen time, he has less and less so maybe that's why you think he is more normal since there's less time for his antics.
OhSatan
Member
Majima has been mostly the same character for Y4 Y5 and Y6. The main diference it's screen time, he has less and less so maybe that's why you think he is more normal since there's less time for his antics.
This is not my point.
UnluckyKate
Member
- Oct 25, 2017
- 10,492
I was so hyped for zero when y5 touched on majima's past and his former korean girlfriend / wife? And anticipated zero to go into that but they went somewhere else entirely...
- Oct 25, 2017
- 748
Since 1 you kinda figured out he wasn't just a cruel guy since he took a knife stab in the place of kiryu and didn't kill that girl in Shangri-La
Sure, but he was still 90 percent crazy Majima. Unpredictable, and you always had to ask him for a favor and he would always try to beat you up for it.
Seeing him as a not-so-secretly all knowing crazy guy from kiwami onwards didn't seem right to me.
Dreamboum
Member
- Oct 28, 2017
- 22,796
We will get Yakuza 0-2 one day. I BELIEVE
Dreamboum
Member
- Oct 28, 2017
- 22,796
Y4 has the oldest flashbacks of Majima story where he's pretty normal. The guy literally brings a watermelon for Saejima and his sister to eat together lol
He even talks ozone layer and the environment lol
Yakuza 4 was mostly wack but this cutscene entirely redeemed the game for me. This cutscene alone is gangster movie level of quality. I feel like they channeled the spirit of this cutscene and put into one single game and the result was Yakuza 0
edo_kid
Member
- Oct 27, 2017
- 11,087
Yakuza 4 was mostly wack but this cutscene entirely redeemed the game for me. This cutscene alone is gangster movie level of quality. I feel like they channeled the spirit of this cutscene and put into one single game and the result was Yakuza 0
That cutscene is so good, it's so well done. Also seeing that when Majima had been nothing more than a psycho for the whole franchise was mind-blowing.
Doctrine Dark
Member
- Nov 13, 2017
- 2,426
I started with Kiwami and played 0 after. His entire personality was nothing like I expected. Kiwami had me believing he was always crazy.
- Oct 29, 2017
- 23,429
His backstory was great.
He's also a great businessman with successful Cabaret club & Kamuro Hills (Yakuza 2).
loved it. he's my favorite yakuza character.
sad we won't get to play as him again
Aurc
Member
- Oct 28, 2017
- 6,890
I was part of the new wave of fans that entered the series with Yakuza 0 in 2017, so to me, it was a brand-new story about a brand-new character, with no prior associated baggage, nor preconceived notions about what the character should be.
To say I loved it would be an understatement. Goro Majima is one of my all-time favorites.
That's not to say it's perfectly congruent with his characterization in the rest of the series, but I still love it, and think of it often.
Oh, I should also add that I played Majima Saga tonight and while worthless, it at least gave some closure to a storyline from Zero that was appreciated.
I love the Majima Saga. It made me cry.
The story of Majima and Makoto is so well-done. It's my favorite romantic pairing in gaming, even though they technically never actually get together... that just makes it better, really. Majima cares about her so much that he just wants her to have a good life after the hell she's been through. Then there's the matter of the watch, which she views as a memento of better times, before the blindness... and Majima gets it repaired for her at the end of 0, then gets her a new strap for it in Kiwami 2. Beautiful.
- Oct 25, 2017
- 15,473
I really loved his origins story in Y0. Even though we knew he was more than the "crazy dude" after 4 and 5, the story in Y0 still hit hard. Also this:
Etrian Darkness
Member
Over the course of Yakuza's story Majima goes from whacky man with a bat to actually having depth. Yakuza 0 finally gave us a backstory worthy of such a great character. it feels like the built off Yakuza 4's flashback Majima and I think that was great. Though 0 also gives us the implication he adopted his wacky persona from some guy he met a few times, which I wish got slightly more development.
I still wish we got a Yakuza 0.5 following more Majima stuff (perhaps when Kiryu is in jail at the start of 1), but I hear Kiwami 2 basically ties up his 0 story. So I should play that at some point.
Aurc
Member
- Oct 28, 2017
- 6,890
It ruins the best plot twist in the series.
When in 5 you see that he was a normal person is mind blowing.Now when you start with 0, 5 feels flat.
Where in 5 do we see a "normal" Majima? Sure, we learn that he was married to Mirei Park back in the early 90s, but even an unhinged or "crazy" person can get married.
Also, there's a weird age gap with Majima and Park. He was a 28 year old yakuza, she was an 18 year old idol. I do wonder how they became acquainted, and how that relationship developed, but we get very little info on that front. They also never show
Majima reacting to the news that Park was murdered, or acknowledging her existence in any way, really. That always bothered me.
iirc there is like a 6-7 year gap between Yakuza 0 and 1. We really need a game in between with Majima as main character to flesh out the transition even more. Maybe flesh out on some of the stuff we find out in 5.
His relationship with Park and how it all went downhill. Correct me if I am wrong but maybe it happened in between 0 and 1 and had a role in changing his character even more.
Yakuza 0 is 1988, then the prologue of 1 is 1995, so yeah, 7 years. Then, once Kiryu is released from prison in 2005, it's 17 years since the events of 0.
Majima marries Park in 1992, so 4 years after 0. I'd love a game set during that time period. Not just to flesh out their relationship, but also to explain why Majima was back in Sotenbori. I can only assume Shimano stationed him there to spy on the Omi Alliance's affairs.
Y4 has the oldest flashbacks of Majima story where he's pretty normal. The guy literally brings a watermelon for Saejima and his sister to eat together lol
He even talks ozone layer and the environment lol
What I always find funny about this flashback is that Saejima is meant to be 20 years old here. 20.
TechnoSyndrome
Member
- May 15, 2019
- 2,435
I thought they screwed up a chance to differentiate him from Kiryu by having him kill the assassin at the end. Majima was insane in the first couple games and absolutely killed people, but they've tried to soften him over the years and claim he's never killed, and I don't understand why they can't have these characters be different instead of everyone having to be a paragon of virtue in every aspect. Aside from that I enjoyed his story, though I thought it was weird an aspect of his backstory from 5 was not included in any way.
Xils
Member
- Feb 4, 2020
- 3,323
I think going from 0's Majima to 1's Majima isn't as smooth as many expected it to be but you are given enough context to fill in the blank.
I imagine going from 4 and 5 to 0 wouldn't feel as weird.
I actually really like that since in 1, it was clear that Majima was just some guy Kiryu knew but didn't *know* and even though the 0 was itching to give the two a cool confrontation they had some restraint and didn't do it. In contrast to a lot of prequels that shoehorn greater relationships between characters even though it wouldn't make sense
such as Snake and Otacon having identical dads who also destroyed robots together in Metal Gear prequels
But by the start of 1, Majima seemed super obsessed with Kiryu so I always assumed there was more to their relationship before 1.
Chumunga64
Member
- Jun 22, 2018
- 14,209
I think going from 0's Majima to 1's Majima isn't as smooth as many expected it to be but you are given enough context to fill in the blank.
I imagine going from 4 and 5 to 0 wouldn't feel as weird.But by the start of 1, Majima seemed super obsessed with Kiryu so I always assumed there was more to their relationship before 1.
I think that has more to do with the fact that majima thinks he's dealing with another unhinged badass like him since Kiryu supposedly killed a leader
edo_kid
Member
- Oct 27, 2017
- 11,087
What I always find funny about this flashback is that Saejima is meant to be 20 years old here. 20.
Lmao street life is hard on the body, on the other hand he didn't age a bit from his 20s to his 40s lol prison life doing wonders.
JustinH
Member
- Oct 27, 2017
- 10,364
I think that has more to do with the fact that majima thinks he's dealing with another unhinged badass like him since Kiryu supposedly killed a leader
That's an interesting point I had never considered.
Aurc
Member
- Oct 28, 2017
- 6,890
Lmao street life is hard on the body, on the other hand he didn't age a bit from his 20s to his 40s lol prison life doing wonders.
Some people just look middle-aged their entire lives, I guess.
But then he's suddenly super handsome and looking better than ever on the Dragon Engine.
OhSatan
Member
Some people just look middle-aged their entire lives, I guess.
But then he's suddenly super handsome and looking better than ever on the Dragon Engine.
Hey remember his hotel quest in 5, he is supposed to be super handsome AND manly.
Aurc
Member
- Oct 28, 2017
- 6,890
Hey remember his hotel quest in 5, he is supposed to be super handsome AND manly.
He's a total Chad as long as he's not rocking that awful long hairstyle he had in 4. He looks like a retro old dinosaur band reject with that do.
OhSatan
Member
He's a total Chad as long as he's not rocking that awful long hairstyle he had in 4. He looks like a retro old dinosaur band reject with that do.
Yeah they joke about the hair in game.
And about your spoiler above, I remember that we do see the reaction.
Jo-awn
Member
As a fan of the franchise since 2005, I was underwhelmed by his eventual meeting of Kiryu being relegated to a cutscene where both characters don their iconic outfits. I appreciated the callbacks and foreshadowing of later Yakuza games.
Although I did find it a bit jarring that Majima went from a caged bird to Mad Dog of Shimano within a span of 0's few days. But 4, 5, and Kiwami 2 add depth to his character. I do wish he was an anti-thesis to Kiryu by killing only when he deems it just. That short sword that Majima uses is blunt in my mind to explain the lack of gashes mooks have. It's a shame Park got fridged in 5 though. And there was 0 emotional investment since she was so stoic.
Everything happens too conveniently in the Yakuza universe. Yakuzas are controlled by people who have the foresight to anticipate playing into doing exactly what they want to do. I guess that makes them chess players.
MYeager
Member
- Oct 30, 2017
- 816
I loved it. It showed a Majima that wasn't clear on who he was. All he knew was the Yakuza and was still torn from guilt for the blood brother who went to jail because he thought he failed him. Through it we get to see him try to figure out in the whole scheme of things who he is as a person, and the decision he makes to 'have fun and live crazier than any of them'. In Zero we see him accept that eventually his sworn brother is going to come for him and he accepts that he wont survive so he is going carve a place in the Yakuza for him to return to no matter what, and in the meantime live life to the fullest. The beginning of the game showed him living in a gilded cage, in the end he decides he the rules for how he is going to live as a Yakuza. It also showed he could've gone another way if he had really decided to, a less violent and better way possibly, but he did not. He gave it up for the one he chose.
shadowman16
Member
- Oct 25, 2017
- 31,619
Having played from 1 on the PS2 (ah the days of Hamill voicing Majima...) I loved his original personality. Especially in 2, the bomb defusing scene cracks me up. Plus, Dead Souls, it ain't a good game, but Majima's reaction to the zombie outbreak makes me laugh every time:
Now 0... I like his plot in 0, its a great story and Sagawa especially is a great ongoing friend?villain? ... whatever for his section, and I like how he eventually snaps and goes after Dojima at the end, but... I don't really like that they don't show that crazy side of his. He just gets angry... that's it. So when you compare that to his rather sad*stic/mad streak in the original Yakuza it just feels like a big disconnect.
(for the sake of the comparison lets ignore all the OTT stuff they do in the remake for fanservice and instead look at his main plot significance in 1):
Majima ain't a nice guy. His opening scene has him almost kill his own underling for disrespecting Kiryu. Next he kidnaps Haruka, and again almost/does kill another underling when he doesn't laugh at Majima getting hit in the head by a baseball. And finally, he drives a truck into the Shangri La Soapland just to get Kiryu's attention - and holds a woman hostage until she answers him truthfully, and he lets her go, no strings attached.
Thing is, the writers have gone on record via Japanese interviews that they wrote Majima a certain way in 0 because they didn't think that players would want to play as a bad guy. Its the same reason they rest so heavily on the "expelled from Yakuza" trope or the "nope, you didn't kill him" trope (see Yakuza 1, Online, Kurohyou 1, 4 and
7
).
It'd be nice to get a legit sequel/spinoff that features either an actual Yakuza, or someone that is not a good person and isn't afraid to kill to get his point across. But either of those seem insanely unlikely... the closest to a killer is actually Kenzan, where Musashi legit has a body count both in side stories and the main plot (yes, he really DID kill people in this game, for real).
Xils
Member
- Feb 4, 2020
- 3,323
I think that has more to do with the fact that majima thinks he's dealing with another unhinged badass like him since Kiryu supposedly killed a leader
Wasn't Majima already obsessed with Kiryu by the time that happened though? (Also, I could be wrong but I remembered Majima being one of the first to believe that Kiryu didn't kill anybody) But yeah, before that he was already the Dragon of Dojima so that could also be it.
Other thing I can think of is Kiryu's business card that Majima Got during the Makoto incident in 0 and that could led him to Kiryu.
