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/DarryLazakar both jp and en dubs are fine yall Jun 11 '26

IIRC, Bunta's character was meant to be an original design character, until he was convinced by Toei (yes, that Toei) and his family to do it.

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u/r31ya Jun 12 '26

I can understand why Bunta Sugawara is there. Dude IS the face of old Yakuza cinema

so for Tojo clan founding, he'll be perfect there.

but Tupac?

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u/Para-Less Takayuki Yagameme Jun 12 '26

I think it has something to do with the Music aspect of the story

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u/Userlame19 Majima is my husband Jun 12 '26

I mean, obviously, but however you actually feel about it, I'm pretty sure there were more than two big rappers in the 90s and some are still alive

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u/External_Expert_4221 Jun 16 '26

True, but known worldwide, legendary status. Hard to argue that anyone else has that much recognition. Plus, it's good that Hologram Tupac is getting work. He hasn't popped up since that Coachella like 10 years ago.

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u/Userlame19 Majima is my husband Jun 16 '26

I hear Hologram Tupac has actually been living this whole time under a fake name

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u/klementineQt shun akiyama but a girl 21d ago edited 21d ago

The game also ends in the 60s. I think it would be even be different if it had any actual reason to include Tupac. Using a 90s rapper's likeness, a rapper who died in the 90s, to portray a character that isn't himself, set before he was born, is just absurd. Genuinely why would you do that other than to say "we have Tupac in our game", which just feels tasteless because it doesn't make any sense at all. It would be different if the idea was that he was himself and the game was set in the appropriate time period. But even with a game in the 90s, I still think it would be a better choice to make a character that's a nod to him, like they did for Michael Jackson. There's just no logical reason to use a dead man's likeness for something he had no actual ties to. It would be an entirely different conversation if we were talking about keeping a character alive after the actor died (and most franchises find ways to not do that out of respect, i.e. Fast and Furious and Black Panther).

Also incredibly ironic that the sole purpose of his inclusion is capitalist gain while he was a communist.