![]() ![]() ![]() As I watched the subtle power plays between the Shinsengumi captains at their cinematic meeting, I realised why the developers chose to give Kiryu a secondary historical role. But Ishin lampshades the Shinsengumi’s reputation by having characters react negatively to Hajime’s police uniform, and by showing scenes of members committing extrajudicial murder for power and profit. ![]() The Kiryu from the modern Yakuza games had always been fiercely independent from institutions, so it was somewhat jarring to watch him become a literal cop in Edo Japan. Hajime’s willingness to become one of their captains only increases the tension between himself and his brother. While their job was officially to protect members of the ruling government, historians generally agree that they were bloody assassins who murdered and tortured political dissidents. He accomplishes this by taking on the name “Saito Hajime” and joining the Shinsengumi, a real-world police force that currently harbours his father’s killer. Sakamoto Ryoma (who is both an actual historical figure and, here, is “played by” series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu) has to decide if he’s one of them, or if he’s prepared to carve his own legacy. And many of them are prepared to start a civil war in order to “save” the nation. Here’s a bit of historical context: Japan was in some deep shit when the Americans rolled up and said, “If you don’t open your borders to free trade, then we’ll burn Tokyo (Edo) to the ground.” Japan signed some treaties to prevent that from happening, but everyone in Ishin is still understandably concerned about those belligerent westerners. You’ll see familiar faces return as Japanese historical figures, and if you know that history, half of the fun is trying to see how much they follow - or deviate from - their real-world counterparts. Ishin is an action RPG that tells a story set in Edo period Japan using members of the Yakuza cast. Even if it means standing up to powerful institutions - or people you love. Like its modern predecessors, which feature characters surviving the crushing pressures of capitalism, the power fantasy in Ishin is about being courageous enough to live by your personal values. Like A Dragon games - formerly known as the Yakuza series - are not simple power fantasies about being the strongest or most influential man in the city. “But I can’t see the bigger picture like you do.” His words are self-deprecating, but his tone is defiant. “Sorry,” Sakamoto Ryoma tells his brother, who also happens to be the leader of the royalist faction, Takechi Hanpeita. ![]()
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