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[Mista]

The latest story trailer for Yakuza: Like a Dragon confirmed that Yakuza series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu will make an appearance in the game, but he is just one of multiple returning characters, according to series general director Toshihiro Nagoshi on the latest Sega Nama broadcast.

Here is the snippet:
(Warning: The following content may be considered a spoiler.)

Spoiler

Toshihiro Nagoshi: “Guys like [Goro] Majima and [Taiga] Saejima will appear. Daigo [Dojima] and such… I wonder if that’s it. (Laughs.) The amount of screen time each character has is a bit different. It’d be weird if they were always there, wouldn’t it?”

Ayana Tsubaki: “When you mention screen time, is that to say a there are characters who come and go quickly?”

Toshihiro Nagoshi: “…” (Nagoshi squints and gives Tsubaki a sour look.)

Toshihiro Nagoshi: “The timeline goes on, so no matter what we have to tell stories such as, ‘What happened after the Tojo Clan?’ or ‘What happened to Kamurocho?’ Those parts become connected stories, and even though Kiryu will obviously have a smaller role since there is a new protagonist, we thought it was important to show how he’s doing for fans. Pretending the story up until now didn’t happen just because there is a new protagonist wouldn’t be right, so that’s not the case.”

Gematsu

『龍が如く7』桐生一馬だけでなく、真島吾朗、冴島大河、堂島大吾も登場！名越監督が明かす

主人公の変更、そしてジャンルの変更という2つの大きな変革を遂げた『龍が如く7 光と闇の行方』。先日公開された最新ストーリートレーラーの終わりで歴代主人公・桐生一馬の姿が確認されましたが、新たに真島吾朗、冴島大河、堂島大吾が登場することを、公

gamestalk.net

 

[sublimit]

I wouldn't be surprised if there's a part/chapter where you can also play as Kiryu in order to appeal to those who don't like the new protagonist and the direction of the game.

 

[YukiOnna]

That's good. I really don't like sequels that completely ignore what happened in the past.

 

[Verdanth]

Nagoshi appealing to those diehard fans of the series that were likely to skip this one.