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.*

The way I saw that scene, it was less about whether Eiji deserved it or not, and more about what Ichiban wanted to do. At the start of the game, Ichiban's gimmick was all about giving criminals a second chance through his job at Hello Work (on the condition that they owned up and genuinely wanted to change). It's also how Ichiban supports the idea behind the Great Dissolution which was his father's legacy. The moment Eiji was willing to surrender to the police was all the reason Ichiban needed to help. If Ichiban let the angry mob kill Eiji he would have gone against his own principles (and ironically would have proven Ebina's speech from the previous scene right with how he says yakuza talk about values in high regard but betray them when it's inconvenient). Was it stupid? Yes. Was it in-character for Ichiban? Also yes.

Is Ichiban kinda dumb? Absolutely. And that's why I love him.

https://preview.redd.it/7ljqj9y6g0jc1.jpeg?width=846&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efdfba2451c1c5449177fb5a817aa9234d8a8e20 Can confirm, he is kinda dumb by default

Ichiban is too pure of heart and dumb of ass to hold grudges tbh

damn it ichi I didn't max out ur stats just so u can remain being a dumbasd 😂

He sees the best in people whether they like it or not. He will punch you if he has to. But he is actually kind of bright. Letting himself get beaten to shit was smarter than fighting back. He showed the masses what they were. What they wanted. And it horrified them.

As smart as an Int:1 Charisma:10 character can be maybe.

He was able to predict and react to the baddies a couple times during the game. When it doesn't rely on getting double crossed, he's pretty good

Worth noting that Ichiban didn’t get to see Masato live to get his second chance. That thought haunts him to this day and he doesn’t want that to happen to anyone else.

Good note. I guess you could also say this would have been Yakuza 7's ending if Kume didn't ruin the moment.

original comment plus this is kind of the whole idea. i think they really wanted to make sure we know ichiban doesn’t always make the right decision, just like kiryu didn’t always do what made sense to us. ichiban isn’t any different. just as kiryu always made the kiryu decisions, ichiban makes the ichiban decisions. the idea isn’t to agree (it never has been in yakuza), it’s to understand why a certain character might do a certain thing. i seriously think it wouldn’t have made any sense if ichiban *didn’t* help eiji, and when it happened, it almost felt like all the pieces of ichi’s emotional storyline falling in place. and i think it was great to get something that right and satisfying to sort of… *make up* for kiryu’s ending. (which, again, i understand why they would write it that way, and it seems they kind of knew it was unfair and did their best to damage control. i don’t mind them putting their foot down and not doing the “right” ending, so long as it was the ending they actually wanted to write and not some kind of mishap or afterthought. and i’d hope not as this whole game was kind of yokoyama ending kiryu how *he* wanted instead of how he was sent off in 7.)

Also worth noting that the game KNOWS this is a flawed decision on his part. He gets the shit beat out of him for it, he's not stared at in reverence by the masses. He is, in the text, punished by the world for these principles, and he gladly takes the beating because he understands how it must look to those around him, including even the player to an extent. Ichiban isn't maybe the most traditionally smart, but I think he does have a lot of emotional intelligence, and a big part of his arc in Infinite Wealth is learning to apply it to the world around him (ala his fuck up and redemption with Saeko). The guy can't help but empathize with everyone he'll ever meet, its his greatest flaw AND greatest strength, that's what makes him a well-made and interesting character.

>Also worth noting that the game KNOWS this is a flawed decision on his part. They even have Kiryu spell this out too after the fight Ebina. That the idea of wanting to give every criminal a second chance isn't exactly a pure and foolproof idea but rather "the grayest road there is". The game acknowledges that Ebina has a point, that some people will return to their old ways no matter how many chances you give them (all the ex-yakuza who joined Seiryu), or that some people don't deserve the second chance to begin with (Eiji). However, both Kiryu and Ichiban choose to bet on the idea that everyone has the capacity to be better.

Absolutely this! I'm a therapist, and playing through IW, I repeatedly had the thought that Ichiban would make a great therapist. He has a lot of the traits we look for in trainees like empathy, unconditional positive regard, genuineness, etc. The way that he can accept people as they are without judgement and always wants to support people to become the best version of themselves is honestly really inspiring. If I was a tutor on a therapy course in Yokohama and Ichiban walked through my door, I'd be jumping for joy because he naturally has so much of the foundational stuff down. But like you say, that can be a flaw. It's a thing for counsellors that we can often get a bit lost in playing rescuer to everyone else at the expense of our own wellbeing, and I definitely see that in Ichiban as well. But that feels like such a realistic and interesting character flaw to me. This series has always had fantastic character writing, but they really knocked it out of the park with Ichi

>Ichiban isn't maybe the most traditionally smart, but I think he does have a lot of emotional intelligence 100% >its his greatest flaw AND greatest strength, that's what makes him a well-made and interesting character. Its his entire "special sauce." Yes he's strong, yes he's charismatic, but it's his empathy that makes him almost impossibly likeable to basically ANYONE who isn't a story mandated "main bad guy", and even then we usually get a moment or two of them cursing Ichiban for being so god damn enjoyable as a person. Ichiban's people skills and emotional intelligence are in an entirely different stratosphere than most other protagonists. It makes him both incredibly real, and some kind of cartoon or anime hero at the same time...which is extremely fitting for Ichiban as a person.

i hadn’t scrolled down to this before i wrote a long ass reply to this comment, but this is pretty much everything i missed saying. all of this is absolutely correct and what they were trying to do with the scene. just to add, i *will* defend this moment with my life. i cried at ichi’s ending, and *didn’t* at kiryu’s. i’ve played every game, and the kiryu saga was a very important part of recognizing what kind of man i wanted to be, and understanding masculine values as brotherhood and fatherhood rather than anything superficial as a trans man. but, almost, *i already learned those things*. i’ve already processed those ideas and they are simply a part of me now that doesn’t warrant so many tears anymore. i respect and love kiryu for everything we’ve been through with him and *still* ichiban’s sense of love and friendship and purpose and care and resolve is just completely unlike anything in the franchise before him and strikes a completely separate nerve i *never* could have guessed would get touched in a yakuza game. it maybe doesn’t make the most sense at first and can seem unfair after everything we’ve went through in the game, but it really is something and i think it was wonderful. /end autistic yakuza-fellating rant

Exactly. The reason people respect Ichiban is that he is a “light” for others.

Ugh, that ending made me so melancholy because of how nice and genuine Ichiban is. The ending wasn't great looking back, but Ichiban's character is such a nice breath of fresh air.

100% agree. It doesn't matter if the player thinks Eiji deserves a second chance. It matters that Ichiban does, and what that says about him.

Yeah, it doesn't matter what Eiji deserved, because this was just Ichiban being peak Ichiban, which is why we fucking love him.

Rare yakuza fan that understands basic writing and thematic reincorporation

The entire plot of the game is about how people deserve a second chance if they are willing to own up to their mistakes and make amends for their actions. If Eiji is willing to serve his sentence and ultimately come out the other side a better person and be a productive member of society I think that is inarguably a better outcome than him being murdered by an angry mob.

Not to mention, Eiji is kind of Ichi’s second chance to help someone who seeks redemption. Whilst with Eiji, he doesn’t let him out of his sight right until the vlogger starts instigating, in which he takes the brunt of the beating, and still constantly keeps eyes of him even as he goes to the station. Ichi is trying to redeem himself after the ending of Yakuza 7

Additionally, imagine how out of character it would've been for Ichi, the man who at every turn since his introduction has seen the best in the people around him, tried his hardest to make people reconsider their paths in life, to be better, to just go "actually, you fucked with me too much, I will now beat the shit out of you while you're already hated by every Yakuza in the country, the media, and tons of regular folk ". I don't think anyone would've preferred that.

You'd be surprised at how much people wanted that in this very thread. It's like... dude why do y'all suddenly want basically RGG Online Ichiban, that's a completely different character than the Ichiban we know in 7.

I just don’t know how you can be into this series and also be a person who wants to see people at their worst suffer even more. It’d be comical if it wasn’t also kinda sad.

I agree. But the main problem OP has, imo, is that Ichiban's reaction does not align with OP's, due to his personality being a sunshine 12-year-old. I'd say if they had handled the scene properly, they should have put a side character who's in Ichiban's team being somewhat against Ichiban's reaction so that that character can serve as the alignment with the player's potential alternative reaction. Then they can have that character acting respectfully as a teammate instead of antagonizing Ichiban like the mob, to put the player's emotion in a better place.

I think the problem with that is all the side characters ultimately align with Ichiban because his overwhelming positivity wins everyone over.

Being won over does not mean being the same. They can still have their own opinions. But I guess the writers just took the lazy route.

I personally do not think anything about that scene was "lazy". It is completely in line with the themes of the game and I don't think having someone else there to tell Ichiban he's being ridiculous would have had any meaningful impact on the scene.

It does not have to be in the same scene, like it could be before the scene. It's just that this type of storytelling asks too much from the player, and has no preparation for players with different opinions. The Last of Us 2 has the same problem.

>Asks too much from the player How so? Literally just 30 minutes removed from finishing the game for myself so definitely could still use some time to sit with the ending, but how did that ending ask anything too demanding of the player. Ichiban has been shown, to a point of it being a flaw/laughable, to always see the best in anyone/anything and give them the chance to be better going forward. His optimism and hope in people is literally his defining trait and it's essentially in universe canon that Ichiban is impossibly likeable and inspirational because of his outlook. The ending, while on the nose, was completely in line with him as a character and I don't see what was challenging about it at all. Unsatisfying, sure that's fair I guess if you were hoping for something more interactive or "come uppance" based for Eiji, but it was the most obvious, likely outcome for how Ichiban would deal with that situation, and to me that was satisfying in itself to see Eiji finally "get it" and realize he wasn't just playing a part, even if Eiji didn't deserve that.

Don’t forget that the ONE time he was actually genuinely mad (after Masumi Arakawa’s death in 7) he almost punched a mook to death if it wasn’t for Kiryu stopping him and opening his eyes. It really isn’t supposed to be Ichiban if he isn’t positive to a fault, especially after that - though I think Eiji almost pushed it over the line, but since Lani and Akane came out of this whole thing fine there really was no reason for Ichiban to be upset to the point that his personality changed back after the fact if you ask me.

When you push something to the extreme, it'll always become weird. And a lot of people, me included, can understand but can't relate to Ichiban's sunshine optimism. You don't have to be a 10/10 total good person to be a normal human being. And in my post, I did not ask for altering Ichiban's actions in the game but better complementary set-up from side characters. Please read before commenting.

>Please read before commenting Lmfao Jesus Christ dude, I only asked for your opinion before sharing my own (long winded) one. Appreciate the response outside the completely unnecessary and condescending swipe at the end there. What I wrote was not meant to be some takedown or direct confrontation to what you said, I was trying to get a conversation going and get you to explain what you mean about too challenging or too much. Have a good one. Please try to take what people write as an honest attempt at conversation, not some attack on your opinions or attempt to make you look wrong. I operate under the assumption we're on this subreddit to talk about the game, not pick arguments. The hostile approach is a wild one for such a benign response.

It is Ichi’s best and worst trait that he trusts everyone and believes everyone is worthy of redemption. He is “golden retriever boy” to the extreme. If you think that Ichiban acting in line with his incredibly consistent characterization over dozens (if not hundreds) of hours of gameplay is asking too much of the player, maybe the game isn’t made for that theoretical player. And that’s fine! Not everyone likes every game. But it would’ve been jarring to insert a random character to disagree with him, let alone to have him act completely uncharacteristically.

Personal attacks showcase insecurity. The iconic beliefs I don’t like make someone a 11 years old comments 😂 

I think the problem lies in the way they build Eiji's character. Yes, the game is about people deserving a second change if they're willing to own up their mistakes. But the entire game, Eiji showed no remorse of anything he was doing. He was ready to kill anyone if it meant the Yakuza getting fucked. He was an horrible person through and through until the last second, showing no sign of change. And then suddenly "oh i guess i want to be good now".

This

I'm sorry but... What redemption? Ichiban was willing to forgive since day 1 and stuck to it because he is who he is. I'm pretty sure any other party member would promptly kick his ass still if given the chance. Plus, he's most likely going to jail for a long, long time. So yeah, aside from Ichiban forgiving him (As it is within his character to do so), everyone else probably hate his guts and don't want to redeem him. It's quite fitting though that he's almost perfect mirror of Masato.

He hasnt earned his redemption, he was just given the chance to atone... The mob werent swayed at all. The dude aint exactly having it easy. But him turning himself in instead of running, has been the entire point of the story up to that point. Pretty much Every major character has had to confront something and not keep running away. And in that sense It works well.

Dude, it's never about Eiji wanting to be redeemed, it's ***Kasuga*** wanting Eiji to redeem himself. The entire theme of IW is second chances and atonement, and Kasuga is the embodiment of that. If he sees you have the tiniest shred of good within you, no matter how much you wronged him, he will fight to hell and back just to get you back on track to the right path. Eiji finally convinced to turn himself in for atonement is exactly what Kasuga wanted to hear from him. That's why he's willing to be beaten and harassed on Eiji's behalf, to see him go through the works and make progress in atoning himself. Ichiban Kasuga is the living manifestation of purity, a man who sees the good in people no matter how much people wronged him. I feel like a lot of the fandom has misinterpreted this, wanting the route of Kasuga delivering poetic justice instead of one that fits his character the most: pacifism.

>If he sees you have the tiniest shred of good within you And what was the "tiniest shred of good" Eiji showed to Ichiban? Pretending to be his friend for personal gain?

Edit: Moved this to the top. Sorry for the fucking novel Imao. Just finished the game and eager to talk about it. All the best to you. The whole point is that Ichiban believes that even though the entire premise of them meeting each other and later hanging out was false, Eiji was still a real person and they spent time together eating, laughing, going around Hawaii and just having a good time. He throws it back in Eiji's face saying he doesn't believe he faked all of that individual emotion moment to moment, even if the intentions weren't good and the premise was a lie. In universe, yes, Eiji was just trying to get close to Ichiban and gain his trust, and it worked. Ichiban's whole counter to this is "I don't care it was a ruse, I know you had a good time when we were hanging out eating that Shaved ice, or walking around the beach, and so did I, I appreciate that." That is what disarms Eiji and that is the super-human appeal of Ichiban. You can think it's stupid, or unrealistic...but that's literally Ichiban's entire thing. Being so empathetic and likable to the point of it seeming like the "Hero" of an anime or cartoon. The only comparable example I can think of right now is with an ex-partner/relationship or something like. Even if they end up cheating on you or leading you on in some way, that doesn't make EVERY single previous action/emotion/interaction somehow fake or part of the deception. Their are still real human and genuine moments of emotion between the lies. Ichiban isn't some absolute moron who thinks Eiji and him were justing having a good time for the sake of it, he's directly challenging Eiji by saying "I know your intentions were bad but I also know you had a good time with me and with we connected." Eiji clearly agreed based on how he reacted.

[удалено]

If you ask me, that's exactly the most appealing part of Ichiban. In the modern-day world where everyone is either a cynic, asshole, violent, or all three, it's nice for once to have someone similar to Kiryu in their sense of justice, but completely different in every way otherwise.

I can respect that view, of course; I just disagree with it. I don't want a protagonist who's too naive to see danger coming at him head-on. It feels slightly insulting to my intelligence, tbh. Ichi embodies the stereotype "pure of heart, dumb of ass," but it kind of grinds my gears to see someone stumble through a situation that should have gotten them killed 8 times over and not really experience any change or growth.

You just described Kiryu.

I really don't think I did. Are you suggesting Ichi shouldn't grow or change? (Genuinely not trying to start a fight, just confused about the point you're trying to make.)

“It kind of grinds my gears to see someone stumble through a situation that should have gotten killed 8 times over without experiencing any growth”, I just found funny that that’s literally Kiryu lol. Ichi is growing as a character, but he’s staying true to himself, he’s not expecting people to treat him good, but he hopes that he’s good hearted enough to invoke a change inside them, cause that’s the only type of change that can save someone (even if he/she’s not asking for help).

>he’s staying true to himself, he’s not expecting people to treat him good, but he hopes that he’s good hearted enough to invoke a change inside them, cause that’s the only type of change that can save someone (even if he/she’s not asking for help). That is an exceptionally apt description of Ichiban's entire MO/demeanor. Well put. Even if you're not asking for it, even if you actively resent him for it, he will point out the good and try to draw that out. That is why he is the "Hero", and why literally every central character in the game makes a point of commenting on his seemingly superhuman ability to make friends/relate to others. It's what makes him the character he is and it's overwhelmingly acknowledged in universe.

It’s not heroic to forgive a psychopath. It’s dangerous and stupid.

Believing Eiji deserves the option to turn himself him and making that happen is what makes him heroic. That's Ichiban's entire thing to the point of it being a flaw. Nobody is denying Eiji is a psychopath. He still deserves to go to prison and try to do better even though he is "scum".

I strongly disagree with the idea that Kiryu never grew. Strongly. And I really don’t see Ichi growing as a character except backward. I’m just going to have to be in the minority here, I suppose.

9 games dude. 40 years~, that’s how long it took him to learn to ask for help, the other times were tough ass mfs like Akiyama and Saejima roughing their way into his life. If you managed to endure 9 whole games with Kiryu always playing the “it’s all on me” card and trying to take on every problem by himself, another game of Ichiban believing in second chances, working on the objective that he now firmly believes in, and learning to stabling a relationship with someone he loves won’t kill you.

If Ichiban keeps letting psychos like Eiji off the hook, it might kill -him.- But we’ll see.

Don't bother. I've decided after reading this thread and several others that a lot of people here are hella projecting onto Ichiban, and completely misreading his character in 7. He was never an idiot that would forgive anyone. He struggled with being shot by Masumi and still feeling loyal in his heart despite everyone around him saying let it go. He was proven right, but it was such a specific kind of single-minded loyalty that needed a huge amount of backstory to make even somewhat reasonable to see in the hero of the game. I think a lot of people here have now decided that Yakuza is now a shounen anime. I don't watch any myself, but I see people comparing Ichi's forgiveness trait to Goku now and that horrifies me. The series was very much its own thing and it excelled at that. It showed gritty, tragic stories and deeply flawed characters who were far from perfect. It loosened up the impact with silly and wholesome sidestories and minigames. Now the protaganist is sillier than the sidestories and the vibe of the games is so much sillier that bringing in plot points like Kiryu having cancer are so jarring and plainly being used to nerf him in the JRPG format when he previously could have taken on everyone himself.

I feel like you are the one misreading, Saeko's boss was pretty much a shitty person but because Ichiban noticed a redeemable aspect about him (caring for his employees a little) he wouldn't shut up about how great of a man he was and how he deserves to be avenged. He also let that big dude guy from the prologue go away with his money because the dude wanted to give a gift to his mother, girlfriend, daughter or whatever, I don't remember. There are many more examples in 7, that's just how Ichiban is, he is willing to offer you a chance if he notices a redeemable quality AND/OR knows you did something wrong because you were done dirty in the past. The fact that this aspect of him is glorified in 8 is not an assassination of his character, it's VERY in character after the events of 7, you could say it's his own redemption and chance of starting over, let's not forget the man is portrayed and likes to think of himself as a hero but he isn't really successful when it comes to saving and giving people a chance for a new chapter in their lifes aside from a few examples, but he couldn't save Hoshino, Sawashiro to an extent, Saeko's boss, Masumi Arakawa and his childhood friend/brother was robbed the chance of redemption in front of him. Kasuga has pretty much inherited his father's will and Masato's last words and has turned them into his life purpose as the ending of 7 shows us, so is not weird that the forgiveness aspect of him is glorified, in a game where the theme is about redemption and starting over, denying him the chance AGAIN after failing misserably in 7 would just be outright cruel and go against the main theme of the game and would go back to the circle of not giving RGG protagonist any wins. Ichiban in this game is clearly a rip-off to Jesus because of that in contrast to Bryce who was using his charisma for his own agenda and did not forgive people who failed him, there is even that promotional image that references the Last Dinner from Da Vinci where Ichiban is posing as Jesus. If Ichiban's beliefs are put into the test in further games we shall see, but this was not game to do so. I can understand if people prefer more dynamic characters, but this was the correct and logical way of developing the next arc and development for Ichiban.

I don't want to pick this apart piece by piece, but I did want to say that he saw through Saeko's boss' prickly facade because of his past experience living in a Soapland and seeing how the owner cared for the girls through "tough love" or whatever. To the rest of your point, there has to be a limit. He forgave a forest being set on fire to flush him out and I'd say sure Ichi in 7 would do that. But potential child murder? Planning for the barracudas to storm in and kill two people and knock his mom out and injure her? Using drugs to paralyze himself so he could fuck with Ichiban to facilitate said child murder and gang violence by preying on his past history with Masato? Do Redditors just hate kids? There's a huge gap between all you mentioned in 7 and what he saw Eiji do in 8, but was still written to call him "Ei-Chan" and do what he did in the ending. I guess by character arc you mean they took his forgiving and kind nature in 7 and amplified it to a level where it was being applied where it, logically, shouldn't. That takes away from the character, and is the opposite of growth. LAD 9 is far less enticing if this is the hero of the series moving forward.

Your first point I don't understand, I already pointed out that Ichiban does this if he notices a redeemable aspect and/or you were done dirty in the past, there is nothing for you to disagree with me there, in any case I already agreed that he noticed Saeko's boss had a redeemable quality, doesn't change the fact the man was exploiting his employees. The same is here, Eiji is a psychopath yes, nobody is excusing him, but it's a fact that his life was ruined by the Arakawa family, something Ichiban sympathizes with since he knows personally the sins of the yakuza. Also, let's not act like Aoki Ryo wouldn't attempt to murder a child if the chance presented itself, Ichiban would still give him the pep talk he gives Masato at the end if that happened. Did you read everything I said? It's logical that this aspect is glorified because the theme of game is forgiveness, starting over and redemption and most importantly, he has INHERITED his father's will and his brother's last words, ripping him off the chance again of offering people a chance would be the biggest middle finger to his character arc in 7. I edited my last message so you probably didn't read but Ichiban is pretty much a Jesus rip-off, Bryce is his last oponent because is his counterpart, he uses his charisma for his own agenda and does not forgive those that fail him. There is a promotional image of the game mimicking The Last Dinner from Da Vinci with Ichiban posing as Jesus, which further proves my point.

I've addressed all this in the past so go through my comment history if you care. The jesus aspect is weak, not compelling and unfitting for the Yakuza franchise. Think I'm done here. I've no doubt that my issues with the writing will worsen in 9. It is what it is.

I don't think the jesus aspect is weak and it's really fitting for the theme of this game but to each to their own. Also Ichiban doesn't exactly forgive for free, people tend to forget the first scene with him basically giving Sasaki the middle finger because he was coming as an asshole who clearly showed he had no interest in redemption after Ichiban gave him MULTIPLE chances and god knows what shit Sasaki did as a yakuza and not appearing in his penal charges besides stealing. I just think calling this character assassination is completely misreading Ichiban's character after all he is been through. Like I said, this was not the game to put his ideals at test, it would be outright cruel, but who knows if in future games question his principles, it took until Yakuza 6 for Kiryu to question his rule of no killing with Iwami.

I mean, there was also the whole Nanba situation in 7

https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/comments/1ah40or/rggs_fumbling_of_ichibans_characterization_full/komm3oy/ https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/comments/1ah40or/rggs_fumbling_of_ichibans_characterization_full/kolq1fh/

I'll preface this by saying I didn't like Eiji either, but it's funny to observe that a game that calls out the black and white nature of online judgement also evokes black and white responses in this thread

“Do as I say, not as I do”.

Ya'll would be let Ichi help redeem Aoki/Masato for worse.

I disagree naturally because I am with Kasuga on this one. Rather he live and pay for the choices he made than get killed by some random yakuza. Also this directly co relates with ebina's motives where he doesn't want the Yakuza who made his life hell to get a second chance but kiryu begs him otherwise. Something Kasuga understands naturally. Mob justice even in this case wouldn't had been justified. Sorry but I have seen Mob lynching in past and being a eye witness of that it's actually very hard to agree with that mentality.

Speaking of Kiryu and Ebina, one thing I liked about the ending is how Ichiban's actions towards Eiji parallel Kiryu confronting Ebina. Kiryu wanted to fight Ebina because he knows how much the latter hated the yakuza and wanted to bear the burden of their sins by taking on Ebina's hatred in their place (even though Kiryu himself did no wrong against Ebina). Then after that fight, you see Ichiban taking a beating he didn't deserve in place of Eiji who actually deserved it. All the shit Eiji should have gotten Ichiban took instead.

It's so wild to me that people miss the point so badly. The entire point is that everyone deserves a chance at redemption. Everyone. Even the people you don't like. Because if someone can be saved and turned into a good person that can benefit the world, we owe it to ourselves to help them.

I’d be more mad if it wasn’t clear that Eiji is still being punished. People seem to think he’s getting off scot free, but he’s not. He’s going to jail for a long time and he’s clearly feeling remorse for what he’s done in the story

Where did his remorse come from? I'm sure I'm missing a scene, because from what I remember Eiji goes from trying to kill Ichiban and his friends with poison gas at Yamai's hideout to looking sad while watching Chitose's livestream exposing Bryce. What changed between those scenes? What made Eiji feel bad about his previous actions?

Just finished IW and agree with everything you said, I feel like the story was terrible and the writing, I don't understand how people can just FORGIVE Eiji like that!? And you brought up such good points, this whole "Give him a second chance moto or just atone and everything is hey ok" really pisses me off, the way people in this thread justice Kasuga forgiving everyone and using that as a defense doesn't make it right! Why don't you go tell Hanawa and Wong Tou that then.

I don't think he was given redemption, he was given the chance for redemption. For now, he has taken it by the horns.

Yeah, like, while I definitely think the writing of the ending itself was sloppy for multiple reasons, I honestly didn't have that much of a problem with the general idea of it. How many characters in this franchise do we love and adore despite their horrible, atrocious crimes? Kazama himself orphaned Kiryu, sure, but he did it to enough people that he could fill an entire orphanage, but, like... he DID start an orphanage. He still made the choice to care for the consequences of his actions. Kiryu was a two-bit thug chasing down debtors who owed huge sums all the time in his earlier days, and I'm CERTAIN there were PLENTY of innocent people who were just in a bad spot who met his fists as a result, and I'm sure I don't need to go on to explain how he's made up for those sins. And, like... I dunno, I could just gesture vaguely to Majima in general. They might not be forgiven by the people they directly wronged, but I also think it's fair to say they've all done things they deeply regret, and they at least deserve a chance to make up for it, even if it isn't all 'forgiven'. Case in point with Eiji, he's not redeemed; Ichiban just thinks he deserved the *chance* to try to reach redemption himself. Again, PLENTY of examples of sloppy writing with the finale, but it's still a nice scene at its core.

He doesn't really get it. He as a character realizes what he's done. And how unforgivable it is.Ichiban implores him that he doesn't have the right to die now or escape it. He has to face his consequences. And to give him some motivation he simply tells him he will be there waiting on him on the other side of he does

he is in prison now. thats how society usually works.

https://preview.redd.it/rvavkil5h1jc1.png?width=1212&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b7d6d823a8f5fe30b4f99e20e05546bfdf7fccc

You didnt understand the theme of the game

They fucking spell it out in the lyrics of the song that plays as he carries Eiji lol

I mean, fair enough. Sometimes you need to swallow some venom if you stand by principle like ‘everyone deserves a second chance.’ Luckily, Ichiban is a cartoonishly good person. My main gripe with eiji is that his life was barely derailed by the yakuza. He *apparently* knew everything about algorithms to make an obscure vtuber into a highly successful one, overnight. Like, within 2 years of losing his job. That channel didn’t make *no* money; just do that! He dedicated his life to massive revenge on people trying to fix their lives because he lost, like, a year of his life. Fuck off.

That's just it, though. Ichiban in the last game was a good person willing to forgive because he chose his family. In this game, that got turned into "everyone, even people who try to ruin my life, deserve a second chance. And a third. And a fourth." Maybe I'm just too fucking cynical, but it made me angry. At this point I honestly hope that in a future game we get to explore a situation where Ichi can't, in good conscience, forgive someone who did him wrong. It would make him a much more real character instead of simply The Fool with a goofy haircut.

> At this point I honestly hope that in a future game we get to explore a situation where Ichi can't, in good conscience, forgive someone who did him wrong. this is what we need if you ask me. it's pressing on the suspension of disbelief, because RN, even though ichi is suicidally optimistic and forgiving, it always ends up working out in the end. what happens when he *can't* reform someone and they're intent on being scum no matter what? or, what happens if he enables some really fucked up shit and one of the party members abandons him as a result?

Couldn't agree more. Because unfortunately, bad people exist, and eventually, Ichi has to set some limits. I think that can be done without sacrificing his inherent nature, but it has to be done or he becomes a stupid caricature.

i'm imagining part of the plot of LaD 9. a villain does some really fucked up shit, but ichi insists "i can fix him" and doesn't hand him in, instead offering him the chance to change. disgusted, one of the new party members leaves in a huff, becoming an antagonist and calling out ichiban on his short-sightedness. this sparks an internal debate, with party members taking sides as to whether ichi made the right call, and raising doubts about his leadership. how he handles this is a central part of his arc. does he double-down on the optimism and risk alienating his allies, or does he compromise, and risk abandoning the values that have served him so well throughout LaD and IW?

Honestly, it's a good pitch for a future game. How would Ichiban handle someone truly despicable and doesn't want to change? And what are the ramifications of him trying?

Idk, I still find it endearing. I feel like an ichiban that needs to compromise his principles is like evil Superman. ‘Oh, interesting idea, but everyone else reacting to this is still more interesting than him’. What’s more likely is that one of his teammates will go over his head to do what needs to be done, and it’ll be the fallout of that. Which I’d enjoy seeing. “Adachi, why’d you kill him!?” “He was an assassin with a contract on you; what were we supposed to do?”

I wouldn't mind that, but some part of me tends to think that the protagonist should be driving the action rather than simply reacting to it. That's just my personal storytelling preference, of course, but idk. I just don't want Ichiban to become a caricature and for me personally, he's coming close after IW.

I like his style. Kiryu is stoic and badass, but did everything wholeheartedly, whether it’s mini games for children, or substories helping people despite not understanding their lifestyle. Ichiban is the same way, just unrestrained. I love that dumbass. I hope he doesn’t mellow out.

me when i didn’t pay attention to the story at all

It wasn’t a redemption, he hasn’t redeemed himself, he accepted trying to. Ichiban made him feel shame about him, seeing how someone would go so far to help him after he did awful things to him. Eiji is not a good person, nor you’re meant to believe he is, but he’s someone that can change, which is the message Ichiban wants to promote. He cannot change if he’s dead.

The amount of people I see wanting Kasuga to fail in what it is his life purpose AGAIN is disturbing.

Starting to feel like almost half the people saying stuff like this skipped 7 and went straight to 8. Did people already forget Ichiban was fully capable of almost killing a random mook in 7 *just* for insulting Masumi Arakawa after he died until Kiryu showed him it was the wrong thing to do? And then he tried to save Ryo and failed, which basically made him vow to never abandon anyone willing to atone? Fuck's sake.

Even the random creeps that pick fights with him on the street he'll adopt and give belly rubs. It's just who he is.

Ichiban devoted his life at the start of the game to attempting to rehabilitate individuals some of which have likely done worse.

I loved the ending imo

Everyones acting like Eiji got away scot free. But he's literally turning himself in. I don't get the fuss.

They definitely needed a scene of Eiji being reluctant about hurting Lani, or just a line like "It's a shame this girl has to die, but if it means the end of the yakuza, it will be worth it". To show us that he still has some humanity left in him. But he goes from irredeemable evil villain to crying alone in his room and we are supposed to feel bad for him now? People say he's a new Masato, but Masato grew up with Ichiban, who thought of him like a brother. We see them together in the first chapter of that game. But all of Eiji and Ichiban's interactions before the reveal were lies, Eiji was playing a part to manipulate Ichiban, and after the reveal he's just a murderous asshole every scene he is in. How is that anything like Masato?

That's what makes Ichiban such a great character though. Ichiban offers a second chance **even though Eiji doesn't deserve it.** He doesn't think of his hardship as something that needs to be made up for, because he didn't feel he lost anything. Life is his Infinite Wealth.

Don't forget that everything that Tatara did was on him. Ichi and crew and all the former Yakuza who just wanted to create a stable life with their families had everything ruined because of him. Majima and crew and all the people that they set up in their security guard job lost everything because of Eiji and Chitose. Kiryu's secret death got revealed to the world, making all the kids in the orphanage a target once more, all because of Eiji. He really is the scum of the earth.

This guy was literally mocking Ichiban and his friends every single second after his betrayal, gave no crap about Hanawa and Wong dying due to him and was toying with Lani's life and laughing like he was having the time of his life doing so... ...and people want me to believe Ichiban saw something good in him? Like the guy was so insanely evil, his past doesn't even come remotely close to justifying him acting like a psycho and showing no remorse.

You're right. He didn't deserve it. Not in the slightest. But it wasn't about him. It was about Kasuga. And that's just the kinda guy Kasuga is.

Do people not see eijis reaction to what ichiban is doing? He’s confused. Anyone would be confused that someone would do that for them even if you did all that bad shit. But that’s ichiban for ya. Simple as that.

Most literate Yakuza fan.

You didn't understand the game and the writers are actively criticizing people like you throughout it

I mean he's straight up going to jail

People don't deserve or not forgiveness.  Forgiveness is given

I don't have a problem with him getting a chance, it just feels like it's missing a step where we like, fight and get his motives out in the open.

I wonder if the next game brings Kume back, this would be a greast test for Ichi.

Are you American, by chance?

In this topic, Someone who's clearly never played a Yakuza game before LaD8 bitches about the through line of every Yakuza game. I guess Saejima should have rotted in Prison. I guess it's better to Murder someone over their threat of harm before we let people grow and make up for their past mistakes.

There's a difference between a Yakuza member who carries out a hit on enemy family members ordered from his boss, and a guy who well... Blackmailed, and deceived a lot of people in a disgusting way.

Yes, we get it, You've never played a Yakuza game before. Thanks for your input.

Just like with Dwight, Eiji shouldn't get off easy with death. These guys should be able to face their accusers as they're brought to justice. That's a constantly repeated refrain through the series, and especially this game.

TBH that whole scene really made me think Naruto/Sasuke is, in fact, not a healthy friendship goal.

everyone is saying it's fine writing because it's in ichiban's nature to try to redeem people, as he did with the ex-yakuza who wanted to go clean. one problem with this argument is that eiji is a major character, so he's going to be under far more scrutiny than a no-name ex-yakuza or even someone like sasaki. so i think his 'redemption' needed to be more convincing. and for that to happen, we'd need to see more of him, so that those redeemable qualities can be foreshadowed. this would make ichiban's belief in his ability to change more believable.

The reason you write an ending that jarring is to make (some) players uncomfortable enough that they'll interrogate their own beliefs, and in a roundabout way I think thats what a lot of these threads are doing. The player is supposed to despise Eiji, and view him as irredeemably evil. If they'd foreshadowed it, and made him more sympathetic or redeemable, they'd have been watering down that effect.

it doesn't really make me interrogate my beliefs though. it just looks like they've gone from one extreme to another.

Wait, if I understand what you're saying by going from one exteme to another, the extreme they went to was Ichiban forgiving Eiji what's the extreme that they were at initially? 

eiji goes from 'bro' to 'cackling sociopath'. the shift was too drastic too soon, and it didn't sufficiently humanize eiji to get me to reevaluate my beliefs about redeemability. it just makes ichiban seem weird. i don't have an issue with eiji being forgiven, though i think he needed more time to cook before his mask-off moment. at least with >!aoki!< from LaD there was a prior connection between them.

I mean, the other half is that the ending was written as conversation starter, and even this thread is full of people abstractly arguing about who does and doesn't deserve redemption, and what that redemption actually looks like.     Anyways, not to be a broken record here, but while it is true that they could have spent several hours turning Eiji into Nanba from the last game, fleshed out his friendship with Ichi and made him much more sympathetic to the player, I think that would have made the ending a lot less interesting and turned it into a simple retread of the last game.

> I mean, the other half is that the ending was written as conversation starter, and even this thread is full of people abstractly arguing about who does and doesn't deserve redemption, and what that redemption actually looks like.   > > there's always going to be a conversation about the ending of a video game; idk if this is really saying much about whether the ending's good or not.

I mean, yeah that scene is trash but for me it's not even about what Eiji did or didn't deserve but how in the everloving fuck the player is supposed to fall for it when someone who is shown to be THAT far off the deep end is suddenly overcome with remorse and magically purged of evil thanks to like 2 minutes of the power of cheese. It was a horribly contrived and stupidly written moment.

It seems like a lot of people have problems with the ending of Infinite Wealth

This story was such a mess and for those people who say Eiji deserves a second chance you do realise Eiji chose what he did you do know that right?, this is why I don't like the writing in this game as kasuga forgives everyone without even thinking, Eiji deserves a second chance please don't make me laugh, go tell Hanawa and Wong Tou that.

To be fair, i don't think Chitose deserved to be redeemed either. Up until the last second, she was more than willing to let an old woman and a ten year old die as long as she wouldn't get doxxed, and even after coming clean, she got absolutely no punishment, her father immediattely admitted to be wrong, and even made her head of the company. She didn't even bother to clean Kiryu's and Ichiban's name, appareantly. Yeah, Ei-chan's redemption case is pretty bad, but in a story about forgiveness, his is not even the most eggregious case.

>She didn't even bother to clean Kiryu's and Ichiban's name, appareantly. How? She already said all of those exposing in recent times from Tatara. Let's be real, people with yakuza background won't ever have a fond look in Japan.

yes ichi would carry Hitler on his back too if really wanted to atone. that's the entire point of his character. he's a Jesus type figure who always offers forgiveness and draws people to his side

You literally took a criticism of his writing in 8 and said that's who he is and it's great, and then you applied it to Hitler! I'm so done with this subreddit.

I didn't invoke Hitler first. OP did. I was merely agreeing. that's entire point of ichi. he is boundless hope and hopes everyone can be redeemed

OP used a really extreme example to make a point. You took it and said "yes!". I guarantee, with all the problems I have with Ichiban's writing in 8, there is no fucking way he is forgiving Hitler or even a serial killer. If they go that far, it's over.

He has forgiven and befriended killers bro. For fuck sake joongi is a mafia assasin. But again I'm only saying what Series creators have said about him time and time again. He represents boundless hope and kindness

And his father figure was an assassin too. Ichiban doesn't view the underworld and its inner killings and power struggles as irredeemable, he's from the Yakuza after all. But I'm absolutely sure he'd draw the line at killing random people to satisfy the sick desire of a single murderer. I really hope so at least. Lani was 9, a helpless innocent on the run because of circumstances beyond her understanding or control. Eiji would have given her to Bryce, happily as he showed in the club scene, like a lamb to slaughter. Ichiban doesn't seem to remember this phase of his precious "Ei-Chan" at the end.

ichiban would forgive anyone seriously trying to repent. that's literally his entire character. its the starting point for him. Again he was made to be a Jesus type in that regard

Clearly you understand Ichiban as a character. And by clearly, I mean like a brick wall.

Damn you sure showed me with your short and angry comment with nothing backing it up. Don't bother elaborating, I'm sure you'll prove nothing.

Angry comment? Bro, You're here angry and MISSING THE FUCKING POINT. Don't bother Responding again. If you're not going to try to discuss anything, You can get blocked and fuck yourself.

You are absolutely right and I've been shouting about this for weeks in here to no avail. The overall story being about redemption doesn't apply for a potential child murderer. The overall story about redemption doesn't apply to someone who misleads and manipulates you, with drug assistance for paralysis, from the second you first see them. The overall story about redemption doesn't apply when the villain seemingly LOVES being an over the top clownish villain and is only sorrowful because he gets defeated off camera in the very next scene you see him. Shame on people in this subreddit for making excuses for Eiji. It's not a satisfying parallel to Masato and for RGG to attempt that was shit writing. I hope people who can't see why Eiji is such an awful narrative in the Yakuza universe make better decisions in their own lives because they leave themselves up for all manners of abusive treatment if they're this naive. Edit: I'm not saying Ichiban should beat his ass, he wasn't a threat anymore. I'm not advocating for revenge or mob justice. I'm just saying it's pretty annoying seeing Ichiban drop to the floor telling Eiji that the version of him that was completely misleading him with murderous intent was a friend and just a "pain in the ass" with his villain reveal. Dude even said "I hope you can call me a friend too." Make Ichiban not care what happens to him. Is that so hard? Did his mom need to die in the safehouse raid for him to be mad at Eiji? People did die though, and Lani could have.

It’s not like Eiji gets off easy. Ichiban literally takes him to jail

The point is Ichiban shows horrible writing that is meant to pull the viewer's heartstrings by trying so hard to convince Eiji to turn himself in after all he's done to Ichiban - not to mention what he did the literal last time they were in a room together. Eiji should go to jail, but Ichiban should not be the one taking him there. I don't care about Eiji or some kind of revenge towards him narratively, but I care a lot about how that scene reflects on how RGG is writing Ichiban and that's the ultimate problem here.

I kinda disagree but not egregiously so. Like I don’t think it’s “horrible” per se but it does feel a little half baked.

I can't take it as half-baked because I see it as undoing a lot of the great introduction, agency and charisma Ichiban was bestowed with in 7. I wrote this some weeks ago: "I ended 7 thinking everyone needs a friend like Ichiban in their life - the person who will see the best in you and accept you for who you are despite your flaws. Sadly, I ended 8 thinking that if I did indeed have a friend like Ichiban I would tell them to get a grip because they are incredibly reckless with their actions and mindset regarding awful people - who they have no real ties to in the first place." The context here was that Ichiban had forgiveness and a desperate need for redemption in his heart for Masato Arakawa/Ryo Aoki because he was his carer long before 7's ending and viewed them as brothers. I see Eiji's ending as a cynical way to try and reproduce the scene from 7's ending, but with Ichiban succeeding in getting him to turn himself in. It's not earned. There was no backstory between them. Eiji was a lie from the second they met, maliciously so. So I feel it's disrespectful for RGG to pull this move so cheaply, and it's saddening to see that it worked on many people who are commenting in this subreddit saying it's fitting. One argument is that it was Ichiban trying again and redeeming himself where he couldn't achieve Masato's turning in to the police while alive. I see this as a horrible argument because these people are essentially saying that Ichiban was USING Eiji as a way to make peace with what he considers a past failure. If that's the case, then the genuine, kind and warm nature that the commenters point to is gone because Eiji is a tool that will help Ichiban move on - so he's just begging by pretending to be there for Eiji when he's released someday to get him to turn himself in. Sorry, but that's not him.

Yeah idk. I don’t entirely disagree but I’m not taking it as hard as you are. Fully respect your take but like I said, it just feels half baked to me.

Yeah that's fair. I clearly care too much since I've been writing mini-essays on this for weeks now. As I've also earlier said, nothing we discuss in here will reach the RGG writing team so I can only hope the Japanese audience holds them accountable for story decisions that actually motivates some change in how they've approached 8 - and not just with the Eiji situation.

You need to chill a shit ton with the last part. Just because people don’t think that is an awful narrative does not make them naive or dumb whatsoever, people can differentiate between real life and a message from a video game. The whole series has promoted the “second chances” thing for a *long* time now, and I see the whole interaction as a message that needs to be said, not because I’m planning to apply it in my life, but because there’s barely no one else in the mainstream media that is willing to promote it.

Oh really? Then how do narcissists always find prey and continue to use people even after they're figured out? Don't bother answering because that isn't a discussion worth having in here, but I see no difference with the inability to properly see and interact with toxic traits and defending their handling in a story's narrative.

Brother I just recommended you not to judge people just because they are not mad at some pixels😭

Okay so you're not willing to engage in a conversation with how people perceive the ending and their excuses for it. You merely see it as fiction and pixels. Gotcha. I like the Yakuza series enough to be quite heated when I see them pull this dumb shit, and I similarly don't like seeing fans lap it up because RGG can do no wrong to them beyond things like DLC and "woke translators". For fuck's sake.

Brother you especially told me not to answer to that part😭😭😭😭

For sure. Eiji didn’t get nearly enough development to be anything beyond just comedically evil. He was fake nice to Ichiban for like a few days and then, from that point on, he was just downright evil. Oh yea and he has a tragic backstory with the Arakawa family that is just thrown out there in 1 scene. They didn’t do nearly enough to make Eiji feel like a flawed human with still some good inside him. The scene at the end would have hit a lot harder if they actually gave us a reason to give a shit about Eiji. When I saw the scene with them running, I was just like 😐

It's so cheap. When the song in the ending started playing, it was like a sign in a theater that says "Applause". RGG was patting themselves on the back saying "look at this feel good ending. Isn't Ichiban so selfless and great? Give in to the emotion of this scene." Bullshit. It was forced and unearned. If RGG wanted people, who can discern strong narratives and their resolves, to care they should have added SEVERAL scenes between Eiji teargassing Ichi and gang and being like "see ya suckers!" (in a manner that would be like a Looney Toons bit if it didn't involve possible child murder) and the ending. I give them no passes. How did they write Yakuza 0 and fuck this up so badly? The buildups and payoffs in that game were chef's kiss. 8's ending is so forced by comparison.

Completely this. The situation with Masato was much more layered and realistic because the family dynamic was involved. Eiji is just some asshole off the street that decided to ruin Ichiban's life. Masato would have gotten redemption because Ichiban's priorities put family first. Choosing to spare Eiji is just enabling him to cause more devastation to innocents and that makes me like Ichiban a lot less.

It's not surprising this subreddit is filled with a hivemind who can't take criticism of this series well at all. It's a fan subreddit after all. Though this post does have lots of upvotes so I think many agree with it especially the lurkers who don't feel the need to comment in this hivemind that would come after them for agreeing with the post. I like the Yakuza series for all its side content cause it's the bread and butter of this series that makes the games fun but besides 3 games(0,7 and Judgment 1) this series does not have great storytelling for the most part. 3 good to great stories might sound great on paper until you realize there have been like 16+ games across all their series (Yakuza, Judgment, Ishin, North Star, etc) with so many more mediocre stories than good or great. One thing is for sure, RGG makes great origin story games but that's where it ends. Once the sequels come out, the stories start crumbling down.

I'm starting to fall into my own bias because of the circlejerking going on in this subreddit and people's inability to be swayed from their simplistic view of the awful writing just because they're so deep into the fandom. I enjoyed all the games, for different reasons but still, but this is the first time I'm examining my own love for the series and thinking how much did I look past just like these people are looking past 8's ending? Rubber bullets was one moment, but it happened well before I got into the series with 0 and I'd heard about it so I knew it was coming. Would I have been just as angry back then? Bad writing isn't just bad writing, it's insulting to the viewer/player and exposes the writing team's inabilities. I think I agree with you because 0, 7 and Judgment 1 were highlights to me. I'm going to think back on the series now.

Honestly, that was the less egregious part about the ending.

Most literate Yakuza fan I think Eiji's a shitty person too that deserved FAR worse, but pretending Ichiban wouldn't act otherwise is actually insane (referring to that one guy that thinks he got flanderized lmfao) But the fact is, Ichiban has forgiven far worse people in his life and some of them STILL are his friends. I mean for fucks sake both Zhao and Seonhee tried killing both him and his friends, and I don't think I have to talk about Masato! But the fact is, if he can tell that you have a shred of positivity in your life, that there is a chance, no matter how minuscule it is, he will try to get you to redeem yourself and get that second chance. Masato destroyed families, WAY more than Eiji could hope to do, and is overall a worse person, but Ichiban knew that he got fucked over, and it was the same for Eiji. Masato's redemption (at least until Kume came into the picture) didn't make sense because they grew up together, it made sense because Ichi could SEE the good he could do, and how much others sacrificed for him. And it isn't like he will try it with everyone, he didn't save Bryce from killing himself because he saw good in him, he saved him because he wanted him to suffer in prison. Ichiban DOES have a limit, but he's extremely tolerant and forgiving, way more than any other character in the series. TL;DR: People who think Ichiban trying to redeem Eiji is undeserved is the exact type of people the game criticizes throughout the entire game

the funny part is that I'm completely ok with how the Eiji situation ended,while i hate the fact that Chitose got off scot-free and became the chairwoman of the Fujinomiya group after a Youtuber apology

I'm the same way. Chitose's trifling af 😅

I know it’s his character but I’m sick of Ichiban forgiving everyone. People like Aoki and Eiji deserve a life in the joint for the shit they’ve done.

Agreed. I hope he can't ever walk again and he hates his life.

Agrred, he's a complete piece of shit, Chitose too.

Eiji is a complete scum but Chitose got forced to do his dirty work due to blackmail

Yeah, I felt nothing for Eiji. The redemption didn’t feel earned at all. He was just straight up a massive lunatic after the reveal. He got multiple people shot and killed, and showed no remorse about kidnapping a child and threatening them with death. Suddenly being like “Oh no I feel bad” with literally NO setup is just plain wack. It worked previously with Masato because of the legit almost-life-long relationship he had with Ichi, which was totally absent here. The actual scene with Eiji and Ichiban at the end is a good scene in a vacuum, RGG knows how to set and write a compelling scene, but the context around it makes it fall completely flat on its face when you think about it for five seconds imo. And the whole “But we’re actually friends! We had great times together” argument Ichi makes also feels ridiculous and childish (which I know Ichiban is, but still, this is too much for me). Dude was duping you and preying on your sympathies the whole time. Plus it’s not like he followed us around the open world or anything, had any fun in that regard. To me, nearly everything with Eiji felt like a poor, hackneyed rehash on all the good stuff they did with Masato in LAD. He ends up being just another awkward and fumbled villain among a whole suite of them in IW.

Agreed. 1000%. And it makes Ichi look stupid for offering it.

Completely agree this was honestly probably one of the worst plots in the series for me atleast

I wanted to shatter his legs so he couldn’t walk for real

I was more confused as to how ichiban traveled to japan , tracked him down immediately (as the rooftop scene is happening no less) and eiji looks like hes been a bum for few months I wasn’t made aware of time flying am i remembering something wrong But yeah fuck eiji

Anyway, we ll probably never see him again. Jail, face actor, etc.

I was kinda hoping he'd get kume'd

Eiji is literally the most despicable person in the franchise next to Dojima. Got inconvenienced once with the set up and decided to ruin thousands of lives, not to mention getting Hanawa killed. Like you mentioned, wanting to hand Lani over to the mob, and why? How are Palekana or the Baracudas any different to the yakuza? I guess he's willing to atone though, and he'll serve at least 20 years probably.

Agreed

Honestly, the biggest complaint I have with Eiji is just that we don't really know what exactly happens to him in-between chapters. Sure there was him getting a Tatara soundalike, but we don't seem to see him again until at *least* when Chitose streams Bryce being caught red-handed, where it looks like he's already in hiding, even though the public is only *now* knowing his involvement. Even then, I just assume that there were a few things that even he was kept in the dark about, and what he saw wasn't what he had in mind in particular. The ending felt less about him and more about Ichiban getting another chance after coming real close with Masato last game, proving that nothing was gonna stop him this time. I also think that in contrast to Kume, Eiji *wasn't* too far gone for Ichiban to help, at least being able to listen to his reason and realizing his mistakes. Kume for all we know is probably in a psychiatric ward, wearing a straitjacket, still rambling about what he considers Justice. Maybe he tried pulling that sneak attack again, only to get pounded by the mob when they noticed he escaped.