In an announcement made one month ago, Ryu Ga Gotoku detailed several significant upcoming alterations to the Yakuza franchise. In addition to the news of three new games, the Japanese developer also shared information about a change in their company’s name. Instead of Yakuza, Ryu Ga Gotoku will be known in the West by the term “Like a Dragon,” precisely as it is known in the East.
Masayoshi Yokoyama, the show’s producer, explained the reasoning behind the decision to change the show’s name in an interview he gave to IGN shortly after the rebranding news was made public. He stated that the decision was primarily motivated by the fact that the show had shifted its focus away from being solely about the Yak.
According to Yokoyama, even if we are discussing the criminal underworld in terms of the narrative, we are not discussing the Yakuza. Therefore, it is entirely reasonable for us to omit them from the organization’s name. Furthermore, the Like a Dragon’s reception appeared to be quite positive [in Yakuza: Like A Dragon]. As a result, it gave us the confidence to drop the Yakuza prefix and go solely with the Like a Dragon moniker.
On the other hand, the new name hasn’t precisely been settled on yet. In a recent interview with Automaton, Yokoyama stated that he would be monitoring the responses of fans outside of Japan to determine whether or not the word “yakuza” will be eliminated from the franchise in the years to come.
The primary worry is that it will be puzzling to listeners in Western countries. Although diehard fans are aware that the same series is dubbed Like a Dragon in Japan, more casual fans may have yet to link the two even after Yakuza 7 was named Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The series has always been referred to as Yakuza. This may result in Yakuza receiving a reboot, and the next game in the series may be given the title Yakuza: Like a Dragon 2 or just Like a Dragon 2.
