It looks like Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is well underway in the development of the next entry in the famous Yakuza franchise. The first official images of Yakuza 8 have made their way online, and it appears that several characters from the previous entry will be making their return for the sequel. The images were first shown by well known Japanese publication Famitsu, as well as a special behind the scenes video of the studio from YouTuber and MMA fighter Mikuru Asakura, which gives us a brief tour of the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.

The off-screen screenshots are the first peak at Yakuza 8 (part of a behind-the-scenes YouTube video)

Article states that the game will feature a new town; Ichiban has his hair tied back instead of an afro

Also, it appears Mirai Asakura (MMA fighter/YouTuber) will be in Y8

— Nibel (@Nibellion) July 19, 2022

According to the video, Asakura states that in addition to some of the returning characters from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, he himself will also make a appearance in the title. What capacity his role will be in the title was not mentioned, but it’s not the first time that Yakuza has taken real life Japanese celebrities/athletes and thrown them into the mix. The main protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, will also be coming back, albeit with a bit of a makeover. He now has his hair tied back in a tie as opposed to this iconic wild hair from the previous entry.

Other than the new hairstyle, the images don’t really reveal anything major in terms of story or gameplay. Studio Director Masayoshi Yokoyama did state a while back that the game would take place a few years after Yakuza: Like a Dragon, so it makes sense if some of the characters have changed a bit. Yokoyama also mentioned that Yakuza 8 will retain the JRPG turn-based combat that was introduced in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. This doesn’t come as a major surprise as Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s combat was most welcome by the fanbase, despite being a major departure from the beat-em-up style the series was used to for several years. Hopefully Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will have some more information for us in the foreseeable future, but for now, this behind the scenes video give us some nice insight to how the studio produces their titles.