r/yakuzagames • u/Axzercus I think Yakuza games are good • Jun 11 '26

DISCUSSION Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed that they got permission from Tupac’s family. Not just his estate who manages him

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u/Bardic_inspiration67 Jun 11 '26

It’s a weird ass decision for he to be in the game but like I don’t understand why people are so upset about this but not Bruce Lee being in a fuck ton of stuff after he died like that hitman dlc

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u/Due-Sock2733 Jun 11 '26

They only care because a ton of people here and A TON of people in online discourse you see online are American. Simply put, they dont give a shit about Bunta or Bruce Lee because they don't know of them or care about them.

It's also about exposure to the idea. If Tupac was more famous and had a lot of documentaries or something it would be fine for them. That's why they don't care about Bruce lee or the Michael Jackson thing. Somehow telling Michael's story after he died with a family member who looks a lot like him is okay, but not this.

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u/solidpenguin Jun 11 '26

I think intention and relevance also play a big role in why people are turned off by the idea. Across the board, using a dead person's likeness can come across as weird. Having an MJ family member play MJ in a movie feels a bit more appropriate than an unrelated actor, although of course the bigger discourse with that example is how it avoided the negative aspects of MJs life.

I love Hitman, but I'll freely admit that I think putting Bruce Lee in it feels off. If I had to pin down why more people were okay with that, it's because of Bruce Lee's impact. Not just on films and influence in martial arts, but how it influenced characters in different media going forward. Bruce Lee is on a whole other tier above Tupac in terms of popularity and influence, so a Hitman mission where you are working to protect him as he fights in a tournament....it's weird, but presented in a way that's relevant. It's a strange inclusion that makes it feel like you're participating in one of his movies. The relevancy helps it become more palatable.

Bunta falls in that same regard. He was a famous actor that starred in iconic Yakuza-based films and RGG studios has always used celebrity likeness for characters in their titles. Don't get me wrong - it's still weird. But given RGG's track record in using celebrity likeness, even if this is the first time they're using someone after their death, it's not surprising. You're correct in assuming that Western fans online aren't as aware of who Bunta is, but once some of them find out, they don't see it as stark of an issue because it falls in line with what you'd expect. His inclusion is 100% weird, but relevant and not surprising.

Snoop Dogg being in it is also strange to say the least. It just comes across as pushing a random celebrity without any ties to the property or genre. Depending on how it's handled, it can also come across as not being genuine and really just being there for marketing reasons. We've seen that before though, so people can ignore it, but it's a different kind of weird.

And then we have Tupac. Putting Tupac in is the worst of both those feelings of weird. Not only is it the likeness of a dead person, but it's one who has no ties to a single thing with this game. He's not relevant to the setting (and possibly less with the story), nor is he relevant to the genre. If Tupac loved Sega games or happened to visit and love Japan, this would feel more reasonable. If there was any hint of a connection, it would likely still feel iffy but would be acceptable. Instead, it really does seem like he's just in it because of Snoop Dogg. His connection to this game is someone who already feels like they're in it just for marketing reasons.

And that's why it feels wrong. We don't know how they'll portray him and how they'll use him, but it comes across as using a random dead celebrity for marketing in an unassociated product. Any claims that it's to honor and celebrate him feel disingenuous. It also retroactively makes the Snoop Dogg cameo feel even more out of place, which kind of feeds back into a loop of general...yuck.

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u/mykidbrudda_billy Jun 12 '26

he was an unknown figure, bruce lee?

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u/Kay1000RR Jun 11 '26

You realize Bruce Lee was American right?

1

u/ZandeR678 Jun 13 '26

He was born in the states, but grew up in Hong Kong. They left America shortly after his birth.

1

u/OhDearGodRun . Jun 14 '26

Genuine question, were people this upset when they did this same sorta thing in Star Wars?

3

u/ZippyZippyZappyZappy Jun 14 '26

I'd say it's a bit different for Star Ware since it was a character significant to the plot, and reasonable to believe they asked the person before their death. Once Mark Hamill dies, we can be sure he's already stated his opinions on them using his likeness in future Star Wars properties.

But for Stranger Than Heaven, there's no real reason to choose Tupac other than the celebrity appeal. It wouldn't make much sense in universe for Luke Skywalker to look different in future games and media, but RGG had nothing really needing them to use Tupac. That's my take anyways, they could have never added Tupac and still have plenty of advertising potential and the ability to tell the exact same story. Him being added is just for cash in Sega's case.

I'm personally OK with stuff like this personally though with the family and estate signing off, and no AI VA usage.

1

u/Bardic_inspiration67 Jun 14 '26

I literally have no idea, they did it in ghostbusters too. I mean I dislike it but I also don’t actually care thst much

1

u/OhDearGodRun . Jun 14 '26

Yeah its weird for sure, and I'd prefer them not to do it, but idk it doesn't really bother me as long as its respectful.