Tokyo Game Show 2025 - Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties

Death, taxes and a Yakuza at Tokyo Game Show.

It's a comfort knowing that there's always a Yakuza, or a Like a Dragon, waiting for me at TGS. Yakuza 4 was probably my first, back in 2009. They had a throne photo-spot at the booth, where you could pose for pictures with hosts and hostesses and, if you were lucky, some of the dev staff. A year or two later, zombies were running amok on the show floor for the Dead Souls spin off. For the Yakuza 4-6 era, there was usually a theatre presentation pre-demo, where you'd sit in a dark room and watch a 10-15 minute video that highlighted the talent and brands that would feature in the latest entry, before getting your hands-on time. The Yakuza 6 demo came with a branded box of tissues (!) and the giant Last Supper panorama for Infinite Wealth, stretching across a gigantic screen, was a highlight of more recent shows. Nagoshi-san was a staple in the past, and now it's Yokoyama-san you'll spot in and around the booth.

Death, taxes and a Yakuza at Tokyo Game Show.

This year was no different. As rumoured, Yakuza 3 Kiwami, a remake of Yakuza 3, was announced during the Ryu Ga Gotoku pre-TGS stream. Also revealed, as part of the Kiwami remake, was the Dark Ties expansion, which covers the rise of Yoshitaka Mine, from business man to high-ranking Yakuza and eventual antagonist of Yakuza 3.

I was relieved that I wouldn't have to embark upon a Yakuza-less TGS, and while I might prefer a new entry, I've been keen to revisit Y3 for some time.

The TGS demo allowed you to switch at any point between Kiryu's Kiwami 3 demo and Dark Ties, which centred on Mine. It was unclear whether this was just for the demo, or if there will be some sort of option to switch between the stories on a whim in the final release.

Dark Ties opened with Mine sat in a familiar looking Kamurocho cafe, chatting with what appeared to be a private investigator. He's looking for information on Daigo Dojima, the Sixth Chairman of the Tojo Clan, having seen an attempt on his life thwarted by several clan members who willingly gave their lives to save his. This curiosity sets into motion the events that bring Mine into Kiryu's orbit.

Mine is a typical Yakuza character: handsome, broad-shouldered, very handy in a fight, and a magnet for trouble. It takes him all of twenty seconds to get into a street fight after leaving the cafe, a fight that he's well-equipped to end quickly. His fighting style isn't too dissimilar to Kiryu's, though it is a little more elegant and balletic. A press of the circle button on a PS5 controller has him step on an enemy, climbing them like a man-ladder, and an immediate press of one of the attack buttons then causes him to flow into a powerful stomp, twist or something else equally as painful looking. His Heat Mode-alike is called Dark Awakening, which can be banked up to three times and, when unleashed, considerably powers up his attacks.

With the opening cinematic done and the first tutorial completed, there wasn't much to do beyond wander the streets of Kamurocho. It's the version that you'll likely recall from the early games in the series, but looking much prettier running in the Infinite Wealth engine. I know those streets like the back of my hand, as I suspect you do too, and I made a beeline for the arcade, which contains Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers cabinets. I also stopped by karaoke for a single rendition of Baka Mitai - Mine can hold a tune - before returning to the street for a couple more rucks.

With not much else to see, I switched to Kiwami 3, where I was greeted by a topless Kiryu chopping wood in the front yard of the Morning Glory orphanage in sunny Okinawa. De-aged Haruka draws Kaz's attention to the shady characters hanging around outside the orphanage, who quickly speed off when confronted by Kiryu. Can't blame them really, as I wouldn't fuck with him either. He throws on his Hawaiian shirt and heads into town to look for the strange men who had been bothering his kids.

Despite promising Haruka that he wouldn't pick a fight, he immediately gets into one with Rikiya, a local yakuza who, thanks to a change in actors, has a very different face to the original character. He now looks far more like a host and far less like someone who could actually kick your arse. RIP the original, homelier Rikiya. Anyway, Kiryu kicks his head in! 

The demo gave access to two fighting styles: Dragon of Dojima and Ryukyu. You know all about the Dragon style: raw power and breaking objects over your enemies until they stop moving. The Ryukyu style utilises traditional Okinawan weaponry, and although you can't pick up objects strewn across the street in this stance, you can switch between multiple weapons, including blades, tonkka, scythes, shields and knuckle-dusters. Different attack combos trigger different weapons, so a blast of light and heavy attacks automatically causes Kiryu to cycle through different arms. It was smooth and felt a little different to what we're used to with the Dragon of Dojima. 

Okinawa, with its blue skies, palm trees, beaches, and smaller shopping arcades makes for a nice change of pace to Tokyo or Osaka. It's full of colour and feels more laid back, though it is populated with the same shits looking to pick a fight. To save his legs, Kiryu can immediately call the Street Surfer mk. 0, a Segway that'll get you from A to B far quicker, and with far fewer interruptions, than walking. Hawaiian shirts and Segways - it makes me miss Ichiban and the lads!

Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties is due to launch in February next year. Post launch, I suspect RGG Studio will shift focus to Stranger Than Heaven, and we might even have a Yakuza-less TGS in 2026. As excited as I am to learn more about Stranger than Heaven, I'm not sure how I'd feel about that. Maybe it is just death and taxes after all?