Yakuza 6 Ending Explained, What Happened

Ending Explained, What Happened

Yakuza 6 Ending Explained

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is a twisting narrative full of political conspiracies, crime drama, and emotional reunions. The end of the game can sneak up on you fast if you aren’t following along, and although Yakuza 6 explains all of its many twists, there may be a few things at the very end that leave you perplexed.

At the crux of Yakuza 6’s story is finding out who Haruto’s father is, but in typical series fashion there’s a much larger conspiracy that comes to light because of that, and its easily one of the most far-reaching twists in a Yakuza game yet.

We’ll be covering everything from the final battle of the game, through to the very end of the credits rolls. Of course, it goes without saying that massive spoilers lie ahead, so don’t go any further unless you’ve already beaten the game or you don’t mind the spoilers.

SPOILERS AHEAD! FINAL WARNING!

The Final Confrontation

Yakuza 6 Ending Explained

We’ll explain a little bit of the leadup to the end of the game, just to hone in on the importance of the Secret of Onomichi and how its discovery puts those closest to Kiryu in danger. After the events in Chapter 12 at the Iwami Shipyard, it’s revealed that the secret of Onomichi is a massive World War II battleship called the Yamato Mark II, that’s been hidden away for decades. The ship was built with illicit funds in an agreement between Iwami Shipbuilding and top brass of the Japanese military, and it was the most advanced battleship in the world at the time.  However, it never got its time in the sun as the war ended before it was ever put to use. This conspiracy is tied to a possibly even larger political conspiracy that involves many corrupt top-ranking officials in the Japanese government.

The revelation could stand to threaten the very perception of Japan’s government, which is why Hyozo Iwami and Toru Hirose murdered anyone that learned the secret. Through the events of Chapter 12 Kiryu and the Hirose Family reveal the ship, and in turn, Toru Hirose, patriarch of the Hirose family,  is killed. This event also leads to Tsuneo Iwami killing his father and taking complete control of both Iwami Shipbuilding and the Yomei Alliance, in an effort to become the one in control of the majority of Japan’s Yakuza families.

Minado Daidoji, the admiral turned politician responsible for the Yamato Mark II, orders Tsuneo Iwami to dispose of Kazuma Kiryu, as he now knows too much. In the days after those events, Takumi Someya warns Kiryu that the Yomei Alliance is coming for him and everyone close to him. Kiryu and the Hirose family head to Kamurocho to try and keep Haruka and Haruto safe, as well as ambush Katsumi Sugai, the leader of the Tojo Clan selling it to Iwami. Alas, they learn that their opponents were ready for them, and Sugai is nowhere near his office in the Millenium Tower when Kiryu and friends attack it. Instead, they’ve kidnapped Kiyomi in Onomichi and present Kiryu with a choice to kill Someya or let her die. Presumably, Kiyomi dies and Kiryu and the other swear to take revenge.

This leads to Kiryu and Nagumo hatching a plan to get everyone to go their separate ways in the hopes of staying hidden from Iwami, while secretly the two of them ambush Iwami and Sugai at Iwami Senior’s funeral. The game fast forwards to the event and a huge battle ensues between Kiryu and Nagumo and the Yomei Alliance. It turns out Iwami was able to manipulate the police force and captured Haruka and Haruto, leaving Kiryu at his whim during the fight. At the last second, the others from the Hirose Family swoop in and manage to save Haruka, leaving Kiryu to destroy Iwami in a one-on-one fight.

When all’s said and done, Sugai manages to get a shot off at Haruka, but Kiryu leaps in front of her to take it. Kiryu gets riddled with bullets before punching Sugai, and we’re left with an emotional scene of Kiryu’s life passing in front of Haruka and the other’s eyes. Credits start to roll as  Daidoji passes away, and we’re left to believe that the legendary Kazuma Kiryu has also died…..

Everyone Moves On

Yakuza 6 Ending Explained

After a short credit roll the game skips ahead one month later, to give us a bit of resolution with everyone and see their disbelief at the passing of Kiryu. We see Nagumo comforting Kiyomi and Someya’s daughter, before learning that Kiyomi herself is actually alive. Yuta, Haruka, and the others are in Onomichi, and the effects of Kiryu’s death are still felt by everyone. Then we cut to a scene of Daigo, Majima, and Saejima and learn that the letter Kiryu wrote in Haruka’s hospital room was actually for Daigo, and talked about how he always saw him as a son and wished he’d spent more time with him. Kiryu asks all three of his old friends to not seek revenge, and instead find a way forward peacefully. With a newfound resolve, Daigo steps back into his position as Sixth Chairman of the Tojo Alliance, and Majima and Saejima are both still active leaders of the group.

Next, we see Date and Akiyama and find out that Date was the only one that actually saw Kiryu’s body. Although Akiyama doesn’t know exactly what happened, he does know that there’s no way Kiryu is actually dead, and we’re about to find out what happened.

Kiryu’s Fate

Yakuza 6 Ending Explained

Finally, we’re shown the truth of everything, Kiryu didn’t die in the battle but is incredibly injured and in the hospital under police care. He’s approached by a prominent politician attempting to bribe him with a massive amount of hush money, to stay quiet about the Secret of Onomichi. Instead, Kiryu negotiates with the politician, guaranteeing the release of Daigo Dojima from prison, and promising to “die for them” in return. What this leads to is Kiryu having Date ID his corpse, and telling everyone that he’s actually dead.

All of Kiryu’s friends and family truly do believe that he’s dead, and Date is the only one that knows the truth, alongside a suspicious Akiyama. Through this plan, Kiryu has allowed everyone to live safely, not in danger of being used to get to Kiryu, and it’s also allowed Daigo to stop the impending Yakuza war.

One very final scene is left showing Haruka, Yuta and the others filming Haruto’s first steps at the orphanage in Hiroshima. This scene is more symbolic than anything as we see Kiryu standing just outside the orphanage gate watching the scene. He came to check on everyone one last time, and as Haruto takes his first steps, Kiryu takes his first steps away from his old life. Kiryu is alive and well, but no one can ever know that. Previous Yakuza games showed Kiryu trying to leave the Yakuza life behind to little success, with those closest to him put in constant danger. After the events of Yakuza 6 he’s finally realized the only way to separate everyone from that life is for him to “die,” and this means a new beginning for himself, his friends, and even the Yakuza series itself.