Other actual locations reproduced in the game series include Dotonbori and Shinsekai, Osaka (as 'Sotenbori' and 'Shinseicho' in-game, respectively, for Yakuza 2, 5 and 0) Kokusai Dori and the surrounding downtown area of Naha, Okinawa (as 'Downtown Ryukyu' in Yakuza 3) Nakasu, Fukuoka (as 'Nagasugai' in Yakuza 5) Susukino, Hokkaido (as 'Tsukimino' in Yakuza 5) the Nishiki district of Sakae, Nagoya (as 'Kineicho' in Yakuza 5) Onomichi, Hiroshima (in Yakuza 6) and Isezakichō, Yokohama (as 'Isezaki Ijincho' in Yakuza: Like a Dragon).

The Yakuza / Like a Dragon game series is set primarily in the fictional district of Kamurochō (神室町), which is based on Kabukichō, an actual red-light district of Tokyo.

Strong sales of the games in its original Japanese market has led to the franchise's expansion to other media, including film adaptations. The franchise has become a commercial and critical success, and as of 2021, Sega has reported that the video game series has sold a combined total of 19.8 million units in physical and digital sales since its debut in 2005.

The gameplay of Yakuza / Like a Dragon has the player controlling Kiryu (or another character, depending on the title) in an open world where he can fight random groups of punks and gangsters, take on side missions and activities to earn experience and money, learn new moves from non-player characters (NPCs), eat and drink at various restaurants, visit hostess and cabaret clubs, craft items, and engage in a variety of mini games such as golfing, bowling, batting cages, video arcades, karaoke, and gambling games including poker, blackjack, Cee-lo, and Koi-Koi. While Kiryu often finds himself working with the leaders of the Tojo Clan to thwart conspiracies aimed against them, the primary theme of the series is his desire to leave the yakuza for good and start over by raising orphans and trying to assimilate into civilian life. The most frequently featured protagonist is Kazuma Kiryu, a reformed yakuza associated with the Kanto-based Tojo Clan. The storyline premise for each franchise installment is typically a crime drama, with plot lines inspired by yakuza films and pre-millennial Japanese crime dramas. The franchise incorporates elements of the action-adventure, beat 'em up, and role-playing genres. Yakuza, also known as Like a Dragon, is a Japanese video game franchise created, owned and published by Sega.

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