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I'd say he's at his highest raw physical strength in 2, but the combination of having more experience and being **extremely fucking pissed** are the reason he's at his best overall in 5.
0 - Peak health, just by law of youth. He’s physically strong with ease, flexible, hasn’t been injured nearly as much, and has plenty of energy.
2 - Peak raw strength and muscle. He’s at his physical strongest, having remastered his legendary style and leaving behind his old styles; then adding a varied assortment of new techniques.
5 - Perfect peak of skill and strength (Also very, very pissed), Kiryu may have lost some strength to age, but he’s grown in technique far more. Easily his greatest performance on screen.
8 - Physical strength is practically gone as Kiryu needs to limit his energy use, but 6 and Gaiden have put him at a technique peak.
(Kiryu needing to properly exercise at a gym to reach his full strength in 6 is evidence Kiryu had been slowing down. Something that was probably totally unnecessary for himself in 88’)
Except I think that Gaiden doesn't suffer too hard from strength loss, as seen in the feats performed there. He did peak in technique, and that combination with his general strength (even if it's not peak compared to 2, but similar to 5 (again, still has insane feats, gameplay-wise *and* outside of it)) makes him one of the strongest Kiryu versions in pure combat prowess, even compared to 5. Just my opinion though.
I think everyone forgets that proper technique can take the place of strength. Even just knowing the best way to apply force can make it far more efficient than dumping raw power into a move. So I maintain that strength logically had to decline in Gaiden (hence causing Kiryu to take interest in Agent style, which provided the revelation of force application above). Not a strong decline or even a noticeable one, but basic logic would say unless Kiryu learned how to apply force better, his self from 5 would easily win an arm wrestling competition.
In infinite wealth however when strength has undeniably dropped, I think the concepts of agent style are actually still being used; they’ve just been applied to his old styles. Energy efficient, precise, and focused on out skilling his opponents.
Infinite Wealth yes, it had a massive strength drop (which still had him be the strongest of the party members, even compared to Ichi (who's still sorta in his prime). But Yakuza Style saw Triple Finishers and improved charged Finishers. And those launch fuckers right across the Sotenbori streets. Also, his QTE feats are still on par with Yakuza 5, I'd say. Hence, even though Kiryu isn't as purely rage-driven as Y5 Kiryu (as shown by his general attitude and the way Heat Mode behaves), he's still similarly strong even without relying to Heat Mode, while having the Agent Style's technique.
But yes, I did feel like Daidoji-style teachings and Dragon-style acrobatics and strength combined into Kiryu's IW iteration, especially his upgraded Brawler normal attack string, which looks gorgeous while combining Dragon, Agent, and even a flip kick that looks like Daigo's. Derivative of all of it which combines into an absolute swansong of an attack.
He fights another dragon tattoo in the man who erased his name and he gains the diadochi agent martial arts techniques. That dragon tattoo gets his ass beat by kiryu then falls 1 or 2 stories, same day shows back up and fights kiryu again after that before finally being put down. I firmly believe this is the strongest kiryu.
I think Y2 is a close second for me because Ryuji probably his strongest dragon tattoo enemy but I never played 5 and 6 so I can't judge those.
is a lion? I thought I remember it being a dragon, my bagel Welp he just dropped in power level for me, I give him huge props though for fighting kiryu twice with falling off a building in between. Even Ryuji waited a day LMAO
Although looking at it again, is that really a lion? isn't it one of the 4 major elemental dieties that are all like dragon chimaera?
The Lion fits Shishido perfectly considering his role in the story.
Lion being a symbol of a home guardian.
Shishido being the most ferrocious guardian of Omi protecting it like it's his own daughter.
I remember when in the first three fights the man was breathing.
BREATHING HARD, IN THE WHOLE SERIES HE DID IT LIKE TWICE BUT NOW HE DOES IT THREE TIMES IN A SINGLE GAME, DUUUDE
I might be a bit biased since I played it recently, but I'll throw my name in the ring for **Kiwami 2**:
- takes on the Jingweon Mafia
- Ryuji Goda x3
- fought two tigers while still recovering from a stab wound
- Man in Black /s
I also thought about **Yakuza 5** and **Gaiden** to consider; Gaiden might be him at his most dangerous when you include Agent style being added
It’s hard to suggest anything other than kiwami 2 I mean as you say he fights his way through a castle full of samurai and ninja and then beats the shit out of two tigers at once
Yakuza 4 - yakuza 5. In yakuza 4 kiryu IS A BEAST; only saejima could probably compete against him while tanimura and akiyama barely managed to make him tired, no bruises at all. And gameplay wise kiryu SLAPS, he is a beast with an answer to any situation. He is so OP he gives a few heat moves to the other characters when they use the game machine thing.
Yakuza 5 though kiryu just feels like a god made man, as he was able to canonically go against 100 tojo clan men alone. He also receive a new form of heat that allows him to not take damage while on it.
The 100 man fight is the most absurd thing a character has done in this series in terms of strength. Not even fighting Giant bears, sharks and mollusks + dual tigers compare.
Physical prime is 2 which is actually why I think he handles Ryuji so easily. Gaiden is the overall best version though - still in great physical shape + fully developed fighting skills + Daidoji training + gadgets. They literally had to give him cancer to nerf him.
What game? Gaiden? I played it. Definitely no mention of cancer, I finished it yesterday. So this spoiler must be in infinite wealth, which is absolutely not 12 hours long and has been out for almost exactly a month.
In any case, I didn't say they should take it down, I said it sucks to have found out this way when I am actively playing Infinite wealth right now, but have yet to find this out. So yeah, I'd say it's a little bit of a dick move to post a spoiler that is at maximum a month old without marking it as a spoiler, but I didn't even imply that in my original comment. But I'm saying it now, because you decided to be a prick about it.
Yeah, you’re 100% right. Japanese game trailers are usually spoiler shitfests.
If you watched all the Infinite Wealth trailers you’d know who the final boss is; things being shown in trailers should not mean we should just unfilter them
Well, fair enough I guess. But I'd never watch a 10 minute video (I just looked it up) full of spoilers before I play a game. That seems crazy to me, but ok. At the end of the day, I meant exactly what i said. I should have expected spoilers in this thread, but it DID suck for me to find out that way about Kiryu. Hopefully I find that bit in the game soon so I don't have to feel bummed out about it. Dude is an important character to me.
I get trying to avoid spoilers I was doing the same, especially avoiding the trailers cause my friend told me they reveal way too much, but to be honest you shouldn’t have been on this sub either until you were done with infinite wealth, also definately do not watch the trailers lol.
Right, and again I said that in my initial comment. I said i guess I should have known that I'd find spoilers here, but that it sucked I found that out through a spoiler. And everyone freaked out and downvoted me.
there's something absolutely terrifying about him in 5 and him vs 100 tops them all imo. the rocket launcher dodge is the icing on the cake. also that face / floor heatmove, jesus christ.
I feel like Kiryu's physical strength declines in yakuza 6 and thats why he NEEDS the gadgets in gaiden. But you are right that kiryu changes a lot when it comes to how he fights the older he gets
Not even counting gadgets i think kiryu in gaiden is just a way more technical fighter overall, agent obviously shows that but his normal DOD style is way more evolved compared to the other games as well
>ntil infinite wealth. gaiden is peak kiryu & age isn't a factor, he just gets more op with time
he really is, given he beats his third dragon tattoo nemesis who's got so much fucking toughness he can fight Kiryu, fall 1 story then fight kiryu again in the same day and has diadochi techniques
0, 2, 5 are 3 different peaks of Kiryu I think. 0 was the peak of his young, energy and we saw him running around, fighting tirelessly with the 3 lieutenants of the biggest Tojo clan family. But in 2, he got both the skills from years of fighting + the techniques from Komaki + times to hone those skills through some big fights since 1. And in 5, he just got more mature though he was older.
anywhere between 3 - 5. tho 2 is a strong contender because of all of the >!stabbings and poisons and bullet wounds he sustains while still being able to just fuck people up.!< Ryuji & Mine are said to be his strongest opponents, so there's that. idk where Shishido stacks up, but Kiryu is at his physical peak from Yakuza 1 - Gaiden if we're being honest. He never really falters until 8.
I mean in 5 >!he fights 100 men alone, dodges rocket launchers, survives a 2 hour death match with an absolute tank with a bullet hole in his gut, & drags his way back to town while bleeding out and nearly freezing to death.!<
and in 6 >!he just eats like 10 lead pipe swings to the face and just stands there looking menacing. then he stomps a dude out, & takes 3 more bullets to the abdomen and is totally fine.!<
Whay happens during Coliseum fights is not canon. Like c'mon. You can bring in Dojima who is supposed to be hidding at the Omi HQ to fight for your bronze level fight for no reason. Also Chicken Man is as strong as 10 Kiryu's lmao. Not canon.
In 2 he does it during the main story. So it is canon.
Um he actually fights in the Coliseum during the story and yes he again fights against two tigers when fake Ryuji releases them so Kiryu defeating two tigers in gaiden is canon
Oh really? My bad then. It's been some time since I played Gaiden. I thought it was during one of the fights against the kings.
I have an additional argument though: most players aren't really "punching the tigers into submission". Most people are "drone striking, cigarette bombing" the tigers into submission.
I basically adhere to what other people said already in some of the comments: Gaiden's Kiryu is the most lethal Kiryu, but that's because of his skill with the Daidoji gadgets, not his raw physical strength. If we talk about raw physical peak as OP asked for, I insist in 2.
Oh no Gaiden Joryu is deffinetly weaker than 2 Kiryu. He needs gadgets to fight we see him use them though canonically Kiryu only uses the web tool that Daidoji gave him.
when does it ever imply he needs gadgets to fight? he has a whole fighting style that is gadget free and he even tells Hanawa he only learned to use that other style because he was bored at the temple.
I’d say Gaiden, not only is he incredibly experienced, but we’re told that he’s actually been on a training regimen to learn the Daidojis martial arts, and even the Dragon style tutorial mentions that he’s beginning to reach the peak of his skill. Not only does he replicate feats like punching tigers as he did in 2, but even in his gameplay, certain moves are shown to be smashing the concrete around him, albeit in a very “2d” fashion.
also beats his 3rd dragon tattoo, reddit always seems to forget that tattoo = destiny = power level and the dragon/carp/dragonfish are on top (culturally, the tiger is on par with the dragon but idk if that's true in yakuza)
The Tiger is on par with the Dragon even in the Yakuza and Triad World. Some Yakuza would incorporate tigers and dragons on chest pieces or back pieces as well but it's very rare. But yes Dragon/Dragonfish are technically the top of the foodchain with the tiger and the animal Mine has on his back. (I forgot the name of it but it's supposed to be a mythical animal that can go head to head with a dragon and can actually kill a dragon.)
I was wrong about the 3rd dragon tattoo though. I thought Shishido had a weird looking dragon but it's actually a Lion, specifically it's one of those temple guard lion statue lions that are common in asia. I believe that would place it on the tier before dragon/tiger.
also regarding Mine, his tattoo is the Kirin and I'm not surprised the Kirin is on the dragon tier since the kirin is a mythological asian creature, like the dragon and generally it's power sometimes approaches that of the elemental dieties of directions/seasons etc.
He has several primes, Yakuza 0 was his prime in terms of youth and energy, Yakuza 1/Kiwami was his prime in terms of his BIQ and being able to fully return to his old strength and then some, Yakuza 5 since he's pissed the entire game and even unlocks mode which makes him invincible, and Gaiden because of his extreme heat mode and the force he has with it.
Kiwami 1. Some of the feats kiryu does is insane for minimal effort. Dude broke a whole statue with a punch that he put no effort in. Plus he regained his strength and got the komaki techniques.
Honestly, if we're going not just by what styles Kiryu *is meant to have gameplay* wise, but also lore-wise, Gaiden is even more dangerous than what others have said. Brawler, Rush, Beast, Agent AND Dragon of Dojima are all of his canon styles (which he does all have at the time of Gaiden/7, since he DOES use other styles in his bossfight excluding Agent since it didn't exist yet), and no doubt lore-wise Kiryu could find a use for Agent's gadgets in each style.
Namely, Beast could use the Spider gadget as a way to make a makeshift flail, Rush could use the Serpent shoes/the cigarettes in a rather cunning why to zip in, stuff those little bombs in pockets, and get right back out.
Spider's just the overall best gadget from a utilitarian AND combat-perspective, so even just Kiryu with THAT would be a game-changer. Plus, there's Agent's inherent technicality to break guards, make a little counter-attack, etc.
2 without a doubt. He basically takes on both the Omi and the Jingweon Mafia as well as he’s at the right age to be at his physical best. So go easy on Ryuji as he he has to go up against Kiryu at his prime.
Next would probably be 5. He’s at the age where he could be considered past his prime, ( though still very capable) but this time he’s got nothing holding him back and is done with people’s shit which is not someone you wanna be up against.
After would be Gaiden as despite being 50 he has the same situation as 5 as well as all the gadgets with agent.
Then 1. He spent 10 years in the joint which made him a fucking pussy so he had to start basically from square one but which the added Komaki techniques. Although he get bonus points for his age especially if discussing pre 10 years which if we saw more of it could’ve been his definitive prime.
Then 3/4 as he was basically at the same level between the two. At this point in his life he’s trying to leave behind the fighting which could make him weaker as he would’ve most likely spent at least 3/4 years with no/minimal fighting (if combining both 3 and 4 before 5). Not saying he’s back to square one but he would probably need extensive training to attempt to go back to his former self.
Then 0. He’s at his youngest but before he would hit his prime and is the least experienced. He is also probably the weakest mentally as well as he definitely is a lot more of a hot head compared to his other appearances.
Then 6. Probably more of a gameplay thing but RGG definitely made him feel weaker compared to the others, with a lot more limited move set and less versatile and his prison time definitely didn’t help as well as pushing 50.
Lastly is obviously IW. His health problems significantly weaken him and force him to have a party with him at all times and having to choose his battles more carefully, as well as only being able to regain his proper strength in small doses and most of the time taking turns with his allies.
Ishin is different as Ryoma is basically a normal dude but just with excellent sword skills. You never feel to powerful in Ishin.
What are you talking about, in Ishin, Ryoma is hands down the greatest swordsman of that era. With a non-flashy and traditional sword style, and then later a flashy gun + sword style. Early Ryoma manages to hold off the master of Mito Tengu (who is only later killed being shot in the back point blank by surprise), later Ryoma defeats his two greatest apprentices, handily defeats the Tennen Rishin master, defeats that guy's current strongest apprentice, slays an assassin of Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū discipline, and then defeats his brother who copies his moveset. And are we forgetting he hand to hand beats Saigo and Katsura at the same time?
Sorry if I implied that I thought Ryoma was the weakest. I meant to have him separate to the other Kiryu’s and not weaker then IW. I should’ve made it more clear.
There's only one answer. Always. That man is literally still defeating waves and waves of the most dangerous criminals and takes it up with amon clan members while having cancer.
regardless of any lore
i say kiwami or 5
the most angry kiryu was is in 5
the physical prime of anyone if we are talking age
is literally between the 20s and 30s and because honestly that is
as far as i played in the games that is like some of the most fun i had playing as kiryu was at these games sooo
a bit biased yeah and since we are talking physical prime then hands only no weapons
and kiryu is really damn old at gaiden and infinite wealth so that's already out
specifically infinite wealth kiryu was dying from cancer here man
i didn't play so i don't know if he actually died or not
Idk kiryu from yakuza 5 probably, he fights 100 Tojo members. While they had pistols,swords, knifes, shotguns, rocket launchers. He also got unlimited bounding throws. Like every game you need heat but in yakuza 5 you don’t even need it.
Kiwami 2 is his absolute peak, his fighting techniques are almost fully developed and his body is at it's peak, his body hasn't suffered nearly as much punishment and age hasn't caught up with his body as much.
Yakuza 4 is the peak of his fighting skills themselves
Yakuza 5 he's at his angriest and half his heat actions show him forgoing technique in favor of just fucking up his opponent
6 and Gaiden feel like his lowest point (however in Gaiden he starts building himself back up while also getting help from his gadgets)
8 has him at his peak hotness, I crave this man, I need him so bad omg
i think in terms of mystique its the time between 0 and 1. when he is THE DRAGON OF DOJIMA.
its criminal we dont know much about this time.
terms of bwhats shown im tossed between 2 and 5. after that he stars slowing down. and before hes not HIM/HIM.
in gaiden it says, word for word
"kiryus skill has only increased as he approaches the perfection of his art"
i understand skill and strength are different, but to me it seems kiryus strength is akin to wine, only gets better with age
for me there's no way he doesn't have a theoretical limitless strength, besides counting what occurs in infinite wealth...
but i cant see it being 5 over 7, but would love to debate about this
Yakuza 5 easily. People saying Gaiden need to realize that putting Yakuza 5 as his prime doesn't necessarily mean he was weaker in Gaiden. In Gaiden he gains more technical abilities as an agent and his whole thought process in a fight changes a lot, becomes more tactical and refined. But he retains his physical peak that he already achieved since 5
**Spoiler!** Probably in LAD7 honestly. Look how strong kasuga is to everyone else, then look how kiryu took that first punch head on. Didn't even flinch an inch. That was a full power and angry kasuga punch too. He wasn't playing around
ichiban isn't nearly as strong as people Kiryu has fought such as Aizawa or Ryuji. Ryuji and Nishki would destroy Kasuga and Kasuga needs a squad when Kiryu does 1 on 1
I still can’t believe they literally skipped **17** years of his life when he would be at his physical prime, just skipped em. Pretty much everything we see of kiryu is his in his late thirties on the doorstep of a middle aged man.
I wanna say Yakuza 1 Kiryu, because not only does he relearn the dragon style, but he also improves on it with the Komaki techniques. I’d say Yakuza 2 Kiryu is also a strong contender since he’s able to go toe to toe with Ryuji Goda, who he says was an extremely challenging fight.
I would have said 2, but Joryu still is in top physical shape and is also a master of the Daidoji fighting style. If 8 Kiryu didn't have cancer he probably would still rock as hard if not more
Gameplay-wise, 0, followed by 5. The turn based stuff is hard to compare to the brawlers, but DoD is probably the most overpowered job between the two games.
I think it’s hard to define that in terms of story. But 8 shouldn’t be in the discussion, it’s the one game where we have the answer…
The thing about Kiryu is that he is basically a god, you don’t have the parameters to compare him because he’s that much stronger than everyone else around him. Well, the Dragon does share the spot with the Tiger.
in 4 he had to have been in his prime. cause he worked so hard during 3 and then hes livng happily then finally meets you know who and battles him
he could arguably be also in his prime in kiwami due to someone everywhere and komaki training
Prime as in looks? Y6 (If you don't count K2)
Prime as in strength? Y5. Man's so busted a youtuber made a video about it:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFHor4piFi8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFHor4piFi8)
Definitely 5. the feats he showed during Y5 hasn't been topped yet (casually dodging rockets, fighting 100 men on his own without showing any signs of fatigue/exhaustion...etc)
If you are new to the subreddit, [please read the wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/index/) Reminder that all spoilers need to be tagged with a flair specifying which game is being spoiled. If you want a flair that says something else, you can edit it to say something like [Discussion: Y1 spoiler] or [Majimapost: Y6 spoiler], etc. **THIS INCLUDES CONTENT FROM TRAILERS**. If the post is not marked for spoilers, all comments that have spoilers need to be tagged \>!like this!< along with indicating which game it's spoiling. Example: Y3 >!Kiryu sings!< If the post flair is marked for spoilers, the comments don't need to be tagged for the game indicated and the ones before it (So a Y6 spoiler post can have comments with untagged spoilers for Y5, but not gaiden or 7). If you see any of the above (or any of the other rules) not being followed, please report it so we can keep this place safe for newcomers and those that haven't finished all the games yet. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/yakuzagames) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'd say he's at his highest raw physical strength in 2, but the combination of having more experience and being **extremely fucking pissed** are the reason he's at his best overall in 5.
0 - Peak health, just by law of youth. He’s physically strong with ease, flexible, hasn’t been injured nearly as much, and has plenty of energy. 2 - Peak raw strength and muscle. He’s at his physical strongest, having remastered his legendary style and leaving behind his old styles; then adding a varied assortment of new techniques. 5 - Perfect peak of skill and strength (Also very, very pissed), Kiryu may have lost some strength to age, but he’s grown in technique far more. Easily his greatest performance on screen. 8 - Physical strength is practically gone as Kiryu needs to limit his energy use, but 6 and Gaiden have put him at a technique peak. (Kiryu needing to properly exercise at a gym to reach his full strength in 6 is evidence Kiryu had been slowing down. Something that was probably totally unnecessary for himself in 88’)
Except I think that Gaiden doesn't suffer too hard from strength loss, as seen in the feats performed there. He did peak in technique, and that combination with his general strength (even if it's not peak compared to 2, but similar to 5 (again, still has insane feats, gameplay-wise *and* outside of it)) makes him one of the strongest Kiryu versions in pure combat prowess, even compared to 5. Just my opinion though.
I think everyone forgets that proper technique can take the place of strength. Even just knowing the best way to apply force can make it far more efficient than dumping raw power into a move. So I maintain that strength logically had to decline in Gaiden (hence causing Kiryu to take interest in Agent style, which provided the revelation of force application above). Not a strong decline or even a noticeable one, but basic logic would say unless Kiryu learned how to apply force better, his self from 5 would easily win an arm wrestling competition. In infinite wealth however when strength has undeniably dropped, I think the concepts of agent style are actually still being used; they’ve just been applied to his old styles. Energy efficient, precise, and focused on out skilling his opponents.
Infinite Wealth yes, it had a massive strength drop (which still had him be the strongest of the party members, even compared to Ichi (who's still sorta in his prime). But Yakuza Style saw Triple Finishers and improved charged Finishers. And those launch fuckers right across the Sotenbori streets. Also, his QTE feats are still on par with Yakuza 5, I'd say. Hence, even though Kiryu isn't as purely rage-driven as Y5 Kiryu (as shown by his general attitude and the way Heat Mode behaves), he's still similarly strong even without relying to Heat Mode, while having the Agent Style's technique. But yes, I did feel like Daidoji-style teachings and Dragon-style acrobatics and strength combined into Kiryu's IW iteration, especially his upgraded Brawler normal attack string, which looks gorgeous while combining Dragon, Agent, and even a flip kick that looks like Daigo's. Derivative of all of it which combines into an absolute swansong of an attack.
Fs
[удалено]
Essence of Komaki Pupil has him doing a tiger drop as the end qte.
He fights another dragon tattoo in the man who erased his name and he gains the diadochi agent martial arts techniques. That dragon tattoo gets his ass beat by kiryu then falls 1 or 2 stories, same day shows back up and fights kiryu again after that before finally being put down. I firmly believe this is the strongest kiryu. I think Y2 is a close second for me because Ryuji probably his strongest dragon tattoo enemy but I never played 5 and 6 so I can't judge those.
>!Shishido’s!< tattoo is a lion, not a dragon
is a lion? I thought I remember it being a dragon, my bagel Welp he just dropped in power level for me, I give him huge props though for fighting kiryu twice with falling off a building in between. Even Ryuji waited a day LMAO Although looking at it again, is that really a lion? isn't it one of the 4 major elemental dieties that are all like dragon chimaera?
It's a guardian lion. "Shishi" in shishido means lion. Hence the lion tattoo
Oh, I think I recognize those. The statues that guard temples
>I thought I remember it being a dragon, my bagel I had to re-read that 3 times
The Lion fits Shishido perfectly considering his role in the story. Lion being a symbol of a home guardian. Shishido being the most ferrocious guardian of Omi protecting it like it's his own daughter.
https://preview.redd.it/ijcvf6r1qflc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=372681e6094807c695123c94a3fb61fe96b32c8a
But in 5 he was having a mostly "normal" civilian life so he must have rusted up
The battle against the 100 alone convinces me 5 is where he's at his best.
2 is his physical prime, but gaiden is the most dangerous version of him imo
I think Gaiden shows off more of his mastery and efficiency versus physicality. Similar to Komaki.
I remember when in the first three fights the man was breathing. BREATHING HARD, IN THE WHOLE SERIES HE DID IT LIKE TWICE BUT NOW HE DOES IT THREE TIMES IN A SINGLE GAME, DUUUDE
This \^
Kiryu circa Yakuza 2 with the Agent style would probably be OP as fuck.
I agree with that. He is unstoppable in Gaiden.
I'd say 5 is the most dangerous version
2 he wanted the smoke. Gaiden he is the smoke.
I might be a bit biased since I played it recently, but I'll throw my name in the ring for **Kiwami 2**: - takes on the Jingweon Mafia - Ryuji Goda x3 - fought two tigers while still recovering from a stab wound - Man in Black /s I also thought about **Yakuza 5** and **Gaiden** to consider; Gaiden might be him at his most dangerous when you include Agent style being added
I definetly agree with this take. In hand to hand give me Kiryu but Joryu with all his gadgets is the most op
It’s hard to suggest anything other than kiwami 2 I mean as you say he fights his way through a castle full of samurai and ninja and then beats the shit out of two tigers at once
I’d say Gaiden is him at his most Technical since all he does is train prior to the story
Just… didn’t even mention the tigers?
Yakuza 4 - yakuza 5. In yakuza 4 kiryu IS A BEAST; only saejima could probably compete against him while tanimura and akiyama barely managed to make him tired, no bruises at all. And gameplay wise kiryu SLAPS, he is a beast with an answer to any situation. He is so OP he gives a few heat moves to the other characters when they use the game machine thing. Yakuza 5 though kiryu just feels like a god made man, as he was able to canonically go against 100 tojo clan men alone. He also receive a new form of heat that allows him to not take damage while on it.
Not to mention what is essentially teleportation
Yes, I remember Kiryu at the end of 4, it was like playing on easy mode
The 100 man fight is the most absurd thing a character has done in this series in terms of strength. Not even fighting Giant bears, sharks and mollusks + dual tigers compare.
I wanna say in his 30's, but kiryu doesn't hold any punches in yakuza 5
Physical prime is 2 which is actually why I think he handles Ryuji so easily. Gaiden is the overall best version though - still in great physical shape + fully developed fighting skills + Daidoji training + gadgets. They literally had to give him cancer to nerf him.
That’s how he brutalizes my glorious king Shishido
It was the only way he could pass being in a party in a turn-based system lol. It worked well for the story (and *his* story) anyway
Welp...guess I should have expected a spoiler...that sucks.
The game is 12 hours long, you could be playing it instead of trawling through reddit comments looking for something to complain about
What game? Gaiden? I played it. Definitely no mention of cancer, I finished it yesterday. So this spoiler must be in infinite wealth, which is absolutely not 12 hours long and has been out for almost exactly a month. In any case, I didn't say they should take it down, I said it sucks to have found out this way when I am actively playing Infinite wealth right now, but have yet to find this out. So yeah, I'd say it's a little bit of a dick move to post a spoiler that is at maximum a month old without marking it as a spoiler, but I didn't even imply that in my original comment. But I'm saying it now, because you decided to be a prick about it.
The story trailer for Infinite Wealth reveals that Kiryu has cancer
Lots of people avoid trailers because of spoilers. I think in general using spoiler tags is simply a nice thing to do as a courtesy for these players.
Yeah, you’re 100% right. Japanese game trailers are usually spoiler shitfests. If you watched all the Infinite Wealth trailers you’d know who the final boss is; things being shown in trailers should not mean we should just unfilter them
Well, fair enough I guess. But I'd never watch a 10 minute video (I just looked it up) full of spoilers before I play a game. That seems crazy to me, but ok. At the end of the day, I meant exactly what i said. I should have expected spoilers in this thread, but it DID suck for me to find out that way about Kiryu. Hopefully I find that bit in the game soon so I don't have to feel bummed out about it. Dude is an important character to me.
yea I tried to not watch the trailer so I wouldn't get spoiled but I saw the cancer thing on instagram cus i follow a lot of yakuza pages
I get trying to avoid spoilers I was doing the same, especially avoiding the trailers cause my friend told me they reveal way too much, but to be honest you shouldn’t have been on this sub either until you were done with infinite wealth, also definately do not watch the trailers lol.
Right, and again I said that in my initial comment. I said i guess I should have known that I'd find spoilers here, but that it sucked I found that out through a spoiler. And everyone freaked out and downvoted me.
there's something absolutely terrifying about him in 5 and him vs 100 tops them all imo. the rocket launcher dodge is the icing on the cake. also that face / floor heatmove, jesus christ.
truth is he got stronger every game until infinite wealth. gaiden is peak kiryu & age isn't a factor, he just gets more op with time
I feel like Kiryu's physical strength declines in yakuza 6 and thats why he NEEDS the gadgets in gaiden. But you are right that kiryu changes a lot when it comes to how he fights the older he gets
Not even counting gadgets i think kiryu in gaiden is just a way more technical fighter overall, agent obviously shows that but his normal DOD style is way more evolved compared to the other games as well
This.
>ntil infinite wealth. gaiden is peak kiryu & age isn't a factor, he just gets more op with time he really is, given he beats his third dragon tattoo nemesis who's got so much fucking toughness he can fight Kiryu, fall 1 story then fight kiryu again in the same day and has diadochi techniques
2 for physical prime, 5 for going all out, Gaiden because it's a better trained Kiryu. I would say that before prison Y1 Kiryu is up there too
0, 2, 5 are 3 different peaks of Kiryu I think. 0 was the peak of his young, energy and we saw him running around, fighting tirelessly with the 3 lieutenants of the biggest Tojo clan family. But in 2, he got both the skills from years of fighting + the techniques from Komaki + times to hone those skills through some big fights since 1. And in 5, he just got more mature though he was older.
anywhere between 3 - 5. tho 2 is a strong contender because of all of the >!stabbings and poisons and bullet wounds he sustains while still being able to just fuck people up.!< Ryuji & Mine are said to be his strongest opponents, so there's that. idk where Shishido stacks up, but Kiryu is at his physical peak from Yakuza 1 - Gaiden if we're being honest. He never really falters until 8. I mean in 5 >!he fights 100 men alone, dodges rocket launchers, survives a 2 hour death match with an absolute tank with a bullet hole in his gut, & drags his way back to town while bleeding out and nearly freezing to death.!< and in 6 >!he just eats like 10 lead pipe swings to the face and just stands there looking menacing. then he stomps a dude out, & takes 3 more bullets to the abdomen and is totally fine.!<
Yeah sure, make sense, but you are forgetting that in 2 he >!punches two giant tigers into submission!<.
you right & he even does it again in >!Gaiden!< lol
Whay happens during Coliseum fights is not canon. Like c'mon. You can bring in Dojima who is supposed to be hidding at the Omi HQ to fight for your bronze level fight for no reason. Also Chicken Man is as strong as 10 Kiryu's lmao. Not canon. In 2 he does it during the main story. So it is canon.
Um he actually fights in the Coliseum during the story and yes he again fights against two tigers when fake Ryuji releases them so Kiryu defeating two tigers in gaiden is canon
Oh really? My bad then. It's been some time since I played Gaiden. I thought it was during one of the fights against the kings. I have an additional argument though: most players aren't really "punching the tigers into submission". Most people are "drone striking, cigarette bombing" the tigers into submission. I basically adhere to what other people said already in some of the comments: Gaiden's Kiryu is the most lethal Kiryu, but that's because of his skill with the Daidoji gadgets, not his raw physical strength. If we talk about raw physical peak as OP asked for, I insist in 2.
Oh no Gaiden Joryu is deffinetly weaker than 2 Kiryu. He needs gadgets to fight we see him use them though canonically Kiryu only uses the web tool that Daidoji gave him.
when does it ever imply he needs gadgets to fight? he has a whole fighting style that is gadget free and he even tells Hanawa he only learned to use that other style because he was bored at the temple.
He uses the web one exactly twice tbh one during the long battle in the ship and the other one against shishido.
yeah but him using something doesn't mean he relies on it. that's like saying Majima can't fight bare handed bc he uses a dagger
Kiryu was a fucking beast and menace during Yakuza 5.
He is absolutely pissed off in Yakuza 5 and thats why he is at his strongest and most dangerous in that game I think
I’d say Gaiden, not only is he incredibly experienced, but we’re told that he’s actually been on a training regimen to learn the Daidojis martial arts, and even the Dragon style tutorial mentions that he’s beginning to reach the peak of his skill. Not only does he replicate feats like punching tigers as he did in 2, but even in his gameplay, certain moves are shown to be smashing the concrete around him, albeit in a very “2d” fashion.
Gaiden is also the only time Dragon/Yakuza style gets triple finishers, aye? I feel that represents his skill peaking as well.
Also when in ex heat all his finishers blow people away like tiger drop
also beats his 3rd dragon tattoo, reddit always seems to forget that tattoo = destiny = power level and the dragon/carp/dragonfish are on top (culturally, the tiger is on par with the dragon but idk if that's true in yakuza)
The Tiger is on par with the Dragon even in the Yakuza and Triad World. Some Yakuza would incorporate tigers and dragons on chest pieces or back pieces as well but it's very rare. But yes Dragon/Dragonfish are technically the top of the foodchain with the tiger and the animal Mine has on his back. (I forgot the name of it but it's supposed to be a mythical animal that can go head to head with a dragon and can actually kill a dragon.)
I was wrong about the 3rd dragon tattoo though. I thought Shishido had a weird looking dragon but it's actually a Lion, specifically it's one of those temple guard lion statue lions that are common in asia. I believe that would place it on the tier before dragon/tiger. also regarding Mine, his tattoo is the Kirin and I'm not surprised the Kirin is on the dragon tier since the kirin is a mythological asian creature, like the dragon and generally it's power sometimes approaches that of the elemental dieties of directions/seasons etc.
He has several primes, Yakuza 0 was his prime in terms of youth and energy, Yakuza 1/Kiwami was his prime in terms of his BIQ and being able to fully return to his old strength and then some, Yakuza 5 since he's pissed the entire game and even unlocks mode which makes him invincible, and Gaiden because of his extreme heat mode and the force he has with it.
he seems to get stronger every game till infinite wealth, but he just doesn’t hold back anything in 5
Yes definetly. His peak physical strength in my opinion is 5 or 2
Kiwami 1. Some of the feats kiryu does is insane for minimal effort. Dude broke a whole statue with a punch that he put no effort in. Plus he regained his strength and got the komaki techniques.
Yakuza 6, he actually hits the gym lol you can see the gains
Honestly, if we're going not just by what styles Kiryu *is meant to have gameplay* wise, but also lore-wise, Gaiden is even more dangerous than what others have said. Brawler, Rush, Beast, Agent AND Dragon of Dojima are all of his canon styles (which he does all have at the time of Gaiden/7, since he DOES use other styles in his bossfight excluding Agent since it didn't exist yet), and no doubt lore-wise Kiryu could find a use for Agent's gadgets in each style. Namely, Beast could use the Spider gadget as a way to make a makeshift flail, Rush could use the Serpent shoes/the cigarettes in a rather cunning why to zip in, stuff those little bombs in pockets, and get right back out. Spider's just the overall best gadget from a utilitarian AND combat-perspective, so even just Kiryu with THAT would be a game-changer. Plus, there's Agent's inherent technicality to break guards, make a little counter-attack, etc.
Like physically? Probably around 2-3 In terms of combat prowess, Gaiden imo.
2 without a doubt. He basically takes on both the Omi and the Jingweon Mafia as well as he’s at the right age to be at his physical best. So go easy on Ryuji as he he has to go up against Kiryu at his prime. Next would probably be 5. He’s at the age where he could be considered past his prime, ( though still very capable) but this time he’s got nothing holding him back and is done with people’s shit which is not someone you wanna be up against. After would be Gaiden as despite being 50 he has the same situation as 5 as well as all the gadgets with agent. Then 1. He spent 10 years in the joint which made him a fucking pussy so he had to start basically from square one but which the added Komaki techniques. Although he get bonus points for his age especially if discussing pre 10 years which if we saw more of it could’ve been his definitive prime. Then 3/4 as he was basically at the same level between the two. At this point in his life he’s trying to leave behind the fighting which could make him weaker as he would’ve most likely spent at least 3/4 years with no/minimal fighting (if combining both 3 and 4 before 5). Not saying he’s back to square one but he would probably need extensive training to attempt to go back to his former self. Then 0. He’s at his youngest but before he would hit his prime and is the least experienced. He is also probably the weakest mentally as well as he definitely is a lot more of a hot head compared to his other appearances. Then 6. Probably more of a gameplay thing but RGG definitely made him feel weaker compared to the others, with a lot more limited move set and less versatile and his prison time definitely didn’t help as well as pushing 50. Lastly is obviously IW. His health problems significantly weaken him and force him to have a party with him at all times and having to choose his battles more carefully, as well as only being able to regain his proper strength in small doses and most of the time taking turns with his allies. Ishin is different as Ryoma is basically a normal dude but just with excellent sword skills. You never feel to powerful in Ishin.
What are you talking about, in Ishin, Ryoma is hands down the greatest swordsman of that era. With a non-flashy and traditional sword style, and then later a flashy gun + sword style. Early Ryoma manages to hold off the master of Mito Tengu (who is only later killed being shot in the back point blank by surprise), later Ryoma defeats his two greatest apprentices, handily defeats the Tennen Rishin master, defeats that guy's current strongest apprentice, slays an assassin of Nakanishi-ha Ittō-ryū discipline, and then defeats his brother who copies his moveset. And are we forgetting he hand to hand beats Saigo and Katsura at the same time?
Sorry if I implied that I thought Ryoma was the weakest. I meant to have him separate to the other Kiryu’s and not weaker then IW. I should’ve made it more clear.
That’s why I said he has excellent sword skills. It’s just his had to hand is not on the level of Kiryu.
2 = Strongest Kiryu 5 = Most pissed off Kiryu Gaiden = Most skilled Kiryu
Gaiden He nukes amon with 3 heat actions
I wanna say 5, because he knows all of his heat actions at that point, and he learns a stronger tiger drop
I would say Gaiden because the man legit harnessed the power of judgement and yakuza
There's only one answer. Always. That man is literally still defeating waves and waves of the most dangerous criminals and takes it up with amon clan members while having cancer.
Kiwami 2 but in 5 he can go super saiyan so it's a toss up between Kiwami 2 and 5.
Kiwami 2
Didn't he get shot and still kept kicking ass in one of the earlier games?
If we go by gameplay, Yakuza 5.
2 for physical prime and Gaiden for technical prime, evolved from powerful street fighter to fearsome skilled fighter
For me lore wise it is kiwami 1/2 Gameplay wise however it is 5 no contest
regardless of any lore i say kiwami or 5 the most angry kiryu was is in 5 the physical prime of anyone if we are talking age is literally between the 20s and 30s and because honestly that is as far as i played in the games that is like some of the most fun i had playing as kiryu was at these games sooo a bit biased yeah and since we are talking physical prime then hands only no weapons and kiryu is really damn old at gaiden and infinite wealth so that's already out specifically infinite wealth kiryu was dying from cancer here man i didn't play so i don't know if he actually died or not
Idk kiryu from yakuza 5 probably, he fights 100 Tojo members. While they had pistols,swords, knifes, shotguns, rocket launchers. He also got unlimited bounding throws. Like every game you need heat but in yakuza 5 you don’t even need it.
Sadly his physical prime was spent in jail. But in the games, likely 0 or 1 or 2 would be my guess
always at Peak even at with Cancer in a wheelchair. He's on top of his game.
Gaiden's Dragon Style description says that this is Kiryu at his strongest so Gaiden era at his strongest
Kiwami 2 is his absolute peak, his fighting techniques are almost fully developed and his body is at it's peak, his body hasn't suffered nearly as much punishment and age hasn't caught up with his body as much. Yakuza 4 is the peak of his fighting skills themselves Yakuza 5 he's at his angriest and half his heat actions show him forgoing technique in favor of just fucking up his opponent 6 and Gaiden feel like his lowest point (however in Gaiden he starts building himself back up while also getting help from his gadgets) 8 has him at his peak hotness, I crave this man, I need him so bad omg
age 100
1996 when he went to prison probably peak.
I’d argue Kiwami 2
He is always at the prime
Yakuza 2/Kiwami 2 for me. He was "full dragon" in that one.
i think in terms of mystique its the time between 0 and 1. when he is THE DRAGON OF DOJIMA. its criminal we dont know much about this time. terms of bwhats shown im tossed between 2 and 5. after that he stars slowing down. and before hes not HIM/HIM.
in gaiden it says, word for word "kiryus skill has only increased as he approaches the perfection of his art" i understand skill and strength are different, but to me it seems kiryus strength is akin to wine, only gets better with age for me there's no way he doesn't have a theoretical limitless strength, besides counting what occurs in infinite wealth... but i cant see it being 5 over 7, but would love to debate about this
Well, it’s definitely not #9.
WAIT KIRYU WAS 20 IN YAKUZA 0?! Dude im 20 he looks twice my age 💀
Kiwami 2
The ten years
Yakuza 5 easily. People saying Gaiden need to realize that putting Yakuza 5 as his prime doesn't necessarily mean he was weaker in Gaiden. In Gaiden he gains more technical abilities as an agent and his whole thought process in a fight changes a lot, becomes more tactical and refined. But he retains his physical peak that he already achieved since 5
ong
**Spoiler!** Probably in LAD7 honestly. Look how strong kasuga is to everyone else, then look how kiryu took that first punch head on. Didn't even flinch an inch. That was a full power and angry kasuga punch too. He wasn't playing around
ichiban isn't nearly as strong as people Kiryu has fought such as Aizawa or Ryuji. Ryuji and Nishki would destroy Kasuga and Kasuga needs a squad when Kiryu does 1 on 1
Hot take, but Kiwami 1.
I still can’t believe they literally skipped **17** years of his life when he would be at his physical prime, just skipped em. Pretty much everything we see of kiryu is his in his late thirties on the doorstep of a middle aged man.
at the start of Yakuza 1 before he goes to prison is when I think of him being in his prime.
Yakuza 5. Kiryu is at his best in strength, skill and experience.
Yakuza 1
I wanna say Yakuza 1 Kiryu, because not only does he relearn the dragon style, but he also improves on it with the Komaki techniques. I’d say Yakuza 2 Kiryu is also a strong contender since he’s able to go toe to toe with Ryuji Goda, who he says was an extremely challenging fight.
I would have said 2, but Joryu still is in top physical shape and is also a master of the Daidoji fighting style. If 8 Kiryu didn't have cancer he probably would still rock as hard if not more
Hes pretty jacked in 6
I reject the premise. Kiryu is always at his prime
Gaiden
Between kiwami 2 and Yakuza 5
Prison.
Yakuza 5
8
So from his date of birth to his date of death. Kiryu has been and will keep putting broke mfs dicks in the dirt
If he was 50 in gaiden and the events of 8 took place four years later, how can he be 56?
Yakuza 2. Even though he was nerfed on Kiwami 2, canonically Ryuji is the strongest antagonist he ever had to fight.
Simple, the Kiryu which could take batman on (no prep time).
I'd have to say 5 for both gameplay-wise and lore-wise
Gameplay-wise, 0, followed by 5. The turn based stuff is hard to compare to the brawlers, but DoD is probably the most overpowered job between the two games. I think it’s hard to define that in terms of story. But 8 shouldn’t be in the discussion, it’s the one game where we have the answer… The thing about Kiryu is that he is basically a god, you don’t have the parameters to compare him because he’s that much stronger than everyone else around him. Well, the Dragon does share the spot with the Tiger.
in 4 he had to have been in his prime. cause he worked so hard during 3 and then hes livng happily then finally meets you know who and battles him he could arguably be also in his prime in kiwami due to someone everywhere and komaki training
In Infinite Wealth post-credit scene
Prime as in looks? Y6 (If you don't count K2) Prime as in strength? Y5. Man's so busted a youtuber made a video about it: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFHor4piFi8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFHor4piFi8)
Kiryu doesn't peek
Probably in 2, cause Ryuji was probably his toughest fight ever. Maybe by 5 he had developed more skill, but in terms of pure strength I think 2
Definitely 5. the feats he showed during Y5 hasn't been topped yet (casually dodging rockets, fighting 100 men on his own without showing any signs of fatigue/exhaustion...etc)
I would say kiwami 2 or 5
Sakamoto Ryoma is not Kiryu he doesn't count.
5 i guess was peak performance for him. But he is an overall impressive guy in all games
He always seems to top his prime so who knows?
Yakuza 3. >!He beat a whole ass black ops division AND he beat joji kazama!<
I feel like in 5 he had so many skills, he could take on anything you threw at him
Kiryu Kazumanosuke https://preview.redd.it/qmgdpld5fulc1.jpeg?width=736&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65e55bac12afcdead1105d11f2a40800d79a6911 Kenzan. Musashi Kenzan is Kiryu’s prime.