Best Yakuza
Denji is robbed of a normal teenage life, left with nothing but his deadbeat father's overwhelming debt. His only companion is his pet, the chainsaw devil Pochita, with whom he slays devils for money that inevitably ends up in the yakuza's pockets. All Denji can do is dream of a good, simple life: o...
This title represents a bold shift for the franchise, introducing turn-based RPG combat while maintaining the series' signature style. Players control Ichiban Kasuga, an optimistic man seeking to become a hero in the underworld. The game features deep character customization, a massive skill tree, a...
A full remake of the original Yakuza 2, Kiwami 2 updates the visuals and mechanics while expanding the story. It features a dual-protagonist system with Kiryu and Majima, offering two different ways to experience the same events. The combat is fluid, and the game provides a massive amount of content...
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a massive JRPG and the latest mainline entry in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. It continues the story of Ichiban Kasuga and features the return of Kazuma Kiryu in a sprawling adventure set in Japan and Hawaii. The game blends a heartfelt, dramatic narrative with a...
“Pigs and Battleships” is a 1961 Japanese gangster film by Shohei Imamura. The story centers on the intertwined lives of yakuza members and prostitutes operating in the shadow of an American naval base during postwar Japan. It offers a stark portrayal of economic disparity and societal disruption, e...
Kinji Fukasaku’s *Battles Without Honor and Humanity* offers a stark portrayal of post-war Japan through the lens of yakuza violence. The film, released in 1973, depicts a brutal struggle for survival amongst warring gangs drawing on real accounts of Hiroshima street crime. Its unflinching realism a...
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Proxy War is a 1973 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. As the third installment in a five-part series, it utilizes a gritty, documentary-style approach known as jitsuroku to chronicle the brutal power struggles of the Hiroshima underworld. The narrat...
As Eishin Kuga—nicknamed "Mad Dog" for his unmistakable bloodlust—beats up his underlings, Yashiro watches and waits for his longtime friend to subdue him. Kanji Kageyama, an underground doctor, at last meets the young hothead whom Yashiro wants to recruit for his yakuza group. However, in light of...
*The Blood of Wolves* (Japanese: *Korô no chi*) is a 2018 Japanese yakuza and police drama film directed by Kazuya Shiraishi. Set in the late 1980s, the film follows a morally ambiguous veteran detective and his idealistic rookie partner as they investigate cases amid an escalating gang war. It star...
Battles Without Honor and Humanity: Police Tactics is a 1974 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. It is the fourth installment in the original five-film Battles Without Honor and Humanity series, which uses a documentary-influenced style to dramatize shifting alliances, betrayals, and vi...
"Hiroshima Death Match" is a 1973 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and serves as the second installment in the "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" series. Starring Bunta Sugawara and Kinya Kitaoji, the narrative focuses on the volatile relationship between yakuza member Shozo Hirono...
Yakuza 4 features four different protagonists whose stories eventually intertwine in a complex web of crime and mystery. It offers a variety of gameplay styles, from brawling to stealth and even some light driving elements. While the narrative can feel disjointed at times due to the multiple perspec...
"Cops vs. Thugs" is a 1975 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, known for his gritty approach to the genre. Set in Okayama during the early 1960s, the narrative explores the blurred moral boundaries between corrupt police detectives and organized crime syndicates. The film stars Bunta Su...
Lupin the Third: Goemon’s Blood Spray presents an action-packed adventure centered on samurai Goemon Ishikawa. He accepts a dangerous task protecting a yakuza leader, only to find him murdered and compelled by his code of honor to pursue the killer. This classic anime film features a mature narrativ...
Tokyo Drifter is a 1966 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki for the Nikkatsu studio. The film stars Tetsuya Watari as Tetsuya, a reformed assassin whose attempts to leave the criminal underworld are disrupted by rival gangs. It is noted for its stylized visual design, which incorporates e...
Once a terrifying yakuza, "Immortal Dragon" Tatsu now continues to conquer the challenges of mundane life. While his beloved wife Miku works, Tatsu equips his trusted apron, takes care of their finances, hunts down the biggest store sales, and learns the way of a true househusband with the help of t...
Youth of the Beast is a 1963 Japanese yakuza film directed by Seijun Suzuki for the Nikkatsu studio and starring Jo Shishido. Shishido plays a former police officer who enters Tokyo's criminal underworld and sets rival organizations against each other while investigating deaths connected to his past...
With a wicked scar on his face, a terrifying gaze, and an apron adorned with a teddy bear, ex-yakuza member Tatsu proudly assumes the role of a full-time househusband. Already familiar with the regular challenges of grocery shopping, Tatsu now takes it to the next level by joining a women's organiza...
"Proxy War" is a 1973 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku and serves as the third installment in his renowned "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" series. The film continues the sprawling, documentary-style narrative of the Hiroshima yakuza conflicts, chronicling the shifting alliances a...
"Police Tactics" is a 1974 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, serving as the fourth installment in the "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" series. Set in the early 1960s, the plot depicts the intense crackdown by police on organized crime syndicates in the lead-up to the 1964 Tokyo Ol...
"Final Episode" is a 1974 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, produced and distributed by the Toei Company. It serves as the concluding installment in the original five-part "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" film series, a cycle noted for its gritty, documentary-style realism and foc...
"A Colt Is My Passport" is a 1967 Japanese crime film directed by Takashi Nomura and produced by the Nikkatsu studio. The film stars Jo Shishido as a professional hitman hired to eliminate a rival yakuza boss, which leads to his eventual betrayal and pursuit. It is notable for blending traditional J...
"Graveyard of Honor" is a 1975 Japanese yakuza film directed by Kinji Fukasaku, based on the life of real gangster Rikio Ishikawa. The film chronicles Ishikawa's violent trajectory through the yakuza underworld, depicting his rapid rise and subsequent fall with characteristic brutality and social cr...
Brother is a 2000 crime film written, directed by, and starring Takeshi Kitano. Kitano plays a Japanese yakuza who is forced to leave Japan and relocates to Los Angeles, where he joins his half-brother and becomes involved in the local drug trade. The film combines Kitano's restrained visual style a...
Beyond Outrage is Takeshi Kitano's 2012 Japanese yakuza film, the second Outrage entry and a Venice Film Festival competition title.
Outrage Coda is Takeshi Kitano's 2017 Japanese yakuza film, the third Outrage entry and an out-of-competition Venice premiere.
The renowned Konoha Academy is very strict about proper behavior. However, the arrival of transfer student Naruto Uzumaki—who declares that he wants to become the Yakuza boss of all Japan—drastically changes the high school's culture. Soon, Naruto faces off against just about every club captain and...
Gonin is a 1995 Japanese yakuza film directed by Takashi Ishii, notable for its stylish narrative about five desperate men who attempt to rob a powerful local crime syndicate.
Outrage Beyond is a 2012 Japanese yakuza film directed by Takeshi Kitano, acting as a sequel that depicts the ruthless power struggles and shifting alliances of rival crime syndicates.
