Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Begin your Yakuza 3 adventure! Learn about starting difficulties, bonus items, and the initial story events involving Kiryu, Haruka, and the Tojo Clan.

Once you select a New Game, you'll select your difficulty. Pick whichever one floats your boat. The game will also search your data to find other games you have on your system. If you have any other Yakuza game on your system, you'll get an Ukiyo Bell, an accessory that gives you a little bit of protection. If you have Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise data or Judgment data, you'll get a Gold Plate for each of the two you have, which you can sell for some nice cash.

The opening cutscenes take place in 2009 and show us two things. The first is that our dear protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is now living a life of peace on the sunny beaches of Okinawa. Having assumed responsibility over the "Morning Glory Orphanage", Kiryu is living with his adopted daughter, Haruka, and the other members of the orphanage. A family dinner is interrupted by a local friend, Rikiya, arriving and informing Kiryu that "Nakahara" has been shot. As Kiryu arrives at the hospital, he discovers that a little girl, Saki, has drawn a sketch of the perpetrator. Kiryu's eyes bug out of his skull as he realizes that the shooter looks exactly like Shintaro Kazama, Kiryu's foster father, who has been dead for four years.

The other thing we learn is about Daigo Dojima, the Sixth Chairman of the Tojo Clan. He is adamant in his refusal of a deal with a mysterious party regarding property in Okinawa, property that Kiryu, the retired Fourth Chairman, now occupies. He does so despite the monetary troubles of the Tojo Clan. As he arrives at Tojo Clan HQ, he's confronted by the man bearing Shintaro Kazama's face, who notes that they already acquired the deed to Kiryu's land without his help. Daigo is then shot by the man.

But forget all that, because we've traveled back to 2007, shortly after the events of Yakuza 2. Kiryu and Haruka are visiting a series of graves, and they are joined by Kaoru Sayama, a policewoman with whom Kiryu got very close in the previous game. Get a good look at Sayama now, because she's about to leave the series forever as she is transferred to America. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Feel free to observe each of the four graves to get a little backstory, then speak to Sayama.

While the two of you say your goodbyes, Makoto Date and Junichi Sudo, detectives on the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, are observing the event. Seems the cops ended up with egg on their face after the last game, so they're going to leave things to Kiryu. Kiryu tells Sayama he's leaving the Tojo Clan in Daigo's hands, but Daigo will need someone supporting him. Someone like a certain Goro Majima.

With that all done, Kiryu and Haruka will return to Kamurocho, entering via its signature red gate. Head straight down the street and you'll run into Yuya, the floor manager of Stardust. You'll say your goodbyes, then will be directed over to the Emoto Clinic on Taihei Blvd. There's not much to do at this moment, so just head to the clinic and you'll be approached by three ne'er-do-wells. You'll use this opportunity to be reminded of the game's combat system. Perform Rush Combo, Finishing Blow, Grab, and Heat Actions on these punks. Once they're down, you can head into the clinic. Speak to Emoto and Kazuki. Now, you have a choice. You can continue on with the story as you leave, or agree to hang out with Haruka for a while. You're limited to where you can travel, but you can take part in Haruka's Trust requests and get her up to Rank D. It's entirely optional and has no bearing on completion, though.

Once you decide, tell Haruka you're leaving her with the doctor, then head out. Wander towards Theater Square and you'll find the punks from before and an "imposing" friend of theirs wearing his finest mustard sweater. Here you'll learn about guarding, fighting stance, and quicksteps. Once you beat down these guys, an actual yakuza will show up, recognize you immediately, and direct you to the Kazama Family Office in Millennium Tower. You'll also have enough experience to make an upgrade. Pick whichever you like. You'll be getting plenty more experience in a hurry.

Head to the Millennium Tower and you'll find Nishida, Majima's number two. He'll tell you that the boss is on the roof and also give you a couple of healing items that you might need. Head inside the tower and either go up to the second floor or down to the basement, then head to the elevators in the back and pick one to ride up to the roof.

At the top, you'll face Majima, because obviously, the only language he and Kiryu share is "beating the tar out of each other". Majima will reveal his Hannya tattoo, and Kiryu his classic silver dragon, and you'll begin. Majima's not an easy fight this early in the game. He floats and evades and his strikes tend to lay Kiryu out, which makes it difficult to get a pattern going. The fight can be won if you just hammer on him over and over again, or you could try to be sly and dodge around his moves by using Fighting Stance, then quickstepping and striking his behind. However you do it, defeating Majima will complete the chapter, and secure his promise to watch over Daigo.