Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1’s Ending, Explained

Warning: The following article contains major spoilers for Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1.

Like a Dragon: Yakuza just brought its first season to a close with a finale jam-packed with underworld action and intrigue. It’s a lot to take in, so to help you wrap your head around it all, we’ve explained the biggest plot points from Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1’s ending below.

Why Did Nishiki Become the Devil of Shinjuku?

Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1, Episode 6 unmasks yakuza-stalking serial killer the Devil of Shinjuku as Dojima Family patriarch Akira Nishikiyama. Why was Nishiki preying on his fellow gangsters? Revenge. As depicted in Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1, Episode 5, “Despair /Hope,” Nishiki’s sister, Miho, died in 1995 because of a match-fixing scheme cooked up by then patriarch Sohei Dojima. Dojima wanted series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu to throw his next bare-knuckle boxing match, and (through his cronies) convinced Nishiki to drug Kiryu in exchange for a life-saving black market kidney transplant for Miho. That’s not what happened, though.

Related: Why Did Kazuma Kiryu Go to Prison in Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1?

Instead, Kiryu won the fight and Miho died – but not before Nishiki learned that the black market operation was a ruse, and his own kidney could’ve saved Miho. Grief-stricken, he gunned down Dojima, however, Kiryu took the blame. This left Nishiki free to climb the Dojima Family ranks while simultaneously planning the downfall of those he blamed for Miho’s death. It turns out that’s pretty much everyone in the Kamurochō district, which is why (as the Devil of Shinjuku) Nishiki manipulates Aiko Sawamura and her boyfriend into stealing 10 billion yen from the Ohmi Alliance. He knows this will spark a gang war between the Ohmi and his organization, the Tojo Clan, wiping out both and devastating Kamurochō itself.

Why Does the Yakuza Gang War Stop When Yumi Arrives?

Fittingly, Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1 saves its biggest set piece for last: a massive brawl between the Tojo Clan and their Ohmi Alliance rivals in the heart of Kamurochō. But this outsized dust-up comes to an abrupt halt when Yumi Sawamura, her sister, Aiko, and niece, Haruka, arrive on the scene in a white van. What about this unlikely trio is enough to prompt an underworld ceasefire? The 10 billion yen Yumi unloads from the back of the van! It’s the Ohmi Alliance’s missing slush fund that Aiko and her boyfriend swiped in the flashback opening of Episode 4, “Betrayal / Promise,” and the reason everyone is fighting. By presenting it to the Ohmi Alliance chairman, Yumi gives him and his outfit a way of avoiding further bloodshed without losing face – and honors a deal she and Kiryu made in Episode 4 to find and return the money.

Does Nishiki Die After He Loses to Kiryu?

Apparently not. Although Nishiki is gravely injured after his climactic showdown with Kiryu in Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1, Episode 6, it’s implied that he’s still alive when the credits roll. True, Nishiki loses consciousness – and he’s covered in blood – but Kiryu hauls him to a team of paramedics, who load Kiryu’s childhood pal into an ambulance on a stretcher. That’s right: on a stretcher, not in a body bag. Could Nishiki still die of his wounds? Absolutely. But for now, he’s hanging in there. This marks a major departure from the narrative of 2005 video game Yakuza and its 2016 remake Yakuza Kiwami, which both depict Nishiki dying at the end.

Related: Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1: What Does Gokudo Mean?

What’s the Deal with Kazama’s Tattoo in the Final Scene?

Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1 ends on Kiryu shaking with rage after discovering that his adoptive father, Shintaro Kazama, has a dragon tattoo on his back. Why is that such a big deal? Because several scenes earlier, Nishiki reveals that his birth parents and Kiryu’s died at the hands of the Dragon of Dojima: a legendary fighting champion and Dojima Family enforcer. Kazama inks out him as the Dragon, and thus the guy responsible for making Kiryu, Nishiki, and Miho orphans (and likely Yumi and Aiko, as well)! Expect this bombshell to factor into future Like a Dragon: Yakuza episodes in a big way, assuming Amazon MGM Studios green lights Season 2.

Does Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1 Have a Post-Credits Scene?

Nope, Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1, Episode 6 doesn’t include any bonus material following its cliffhanger ending. That said, the closing credits are different from those of the previous five installments, as they feature photos of the cast alongside their names.

All six episodes of Like a Dragon: Yakuza Season 1 are currently streaming on Prime Video.