Never Mind, Kiryu Is Probably Still a Virgin

I am inconsolable. Frustrated. Enraged. All I care about is the long-term emotional and romantic fulfillment of Kazuma Kiryu, Like a Dragon series protagonist, but RGG studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama does not care. Because the Kiryu marriage proposal might have been made up, and he’s probably still a virgin.

Alright, let’s back up and break down what the nonsensical paragraph above is actually referring to. Back at RGG Summit Summer 2023, a new clip of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth was revealed, in which Kiryu and dual protagonist Ichiban Kasuga have a heart-to-heart conversation about relationships. During that chat, Kiryu drops what we thought was a bombshell to the series canon — that he had made a marriage proposal to a woman at some point in the past. But in a new interview with One More Game, Yokoyama has all but dismissed that this is even true, and he said we’re never going to hear another word about it in Infinite Wealth:

Yokoyama: With the mention of the proposal, it was very lighthearted and there wasn’t much depth to the answer. He just wanted to go with the flow of the conversation and said “Hey I proposed before” without thinking too much about it. There won’t be further talk about the background of that conversation because it was mainly just out of fun.

It’s not a bail-out to bring back previous female characters like everyone is expecting Sayama Kaoru or other popular female characters, there’s no plan for that. The purpose of the scene is to showcase the interactions between Kasuga and Kiryu and to emphasize that they are growing closer and closer.

The Kiryu marriage proposal was not a narrative revelation for the Like a Dragon franchise after all; it was merely a man in his 50s saying random crap to a guy in his 40s as an act of… male bonding? And although it’s not officially canon that Kazuma Kiryu is a virgin, Yokoyama (who is the current major creative force on the franchise) has put forth as his personal belief in the past that Kiryu is a virgin. One can presume now that that’s still the case in his head.

To be clear, I don’t actually care if Kiryu is a virgin, and someone’s rate or degree of sexual activity has no bearing whatsoever on their character one way or the other. But I really, really love this fictional character, and it’s extremely irritating to me that Yokoyama just has no interest in letting this fictional guy settle down with another human being that makes him happy. I hope Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will at least give Kiryu his family back.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will release in early 2024 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, and PC — and it will not be a love story. Prior to that, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will launch on November 9, 2023 on the same platforms — and it will also not be a love story (but it will have a hostess minigame).