Yakuza 3 came with many new additions to the Yakuza franchise. It is the first time we see Kiryu fully retired from being dragged into Tojo Clan affairs. Instead, a hefty amount of time is spent at Morning Glory, an orphanage Kiryu opened up inOkinawa with his adopted daughter, Haruka.
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Over the course of the game, Kiryu eventually gets dragged back to Kamurocho and yakuza affairs after they show up at his doorstep. Yakuza 3 explores Kiryu's character as we've never seen it before, and it majorly develops over his time in Okinawa. Substories return in Yakuza 3, and they're just as great as always.
10 Mars Fighters In Tokyo
The yakuza aren't the only group that sees spotlights across games. Characters introduced in previous Substories continue their plotline as the games go on. The Mars Fighters are one of these. In Yakuza 2, Kiryu helps them with their comedy routine, ultimately giving them a revelation to swap roles.
While walking around Kamurcho, Kiryu runs into Kitagawa, one of the members of the Mars Fighters who asks Kiryu to find his partner. Kiryu finds him near the homeless area, and after a fight, the two partners are reunited to do comedy together once more.
9 Ramen Shop Trainee
AtKyushu No. 1 Star, Kiryu will enter into a packed house. It turns out the owner is short-staffed because the wife of one of his employees went into labor. Rather than eat, Kiryu offers to help unprompted,to which the owner agrees.
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So, Kiryu dons a metaphorical apron and heads behind the counter. It becomes his responsibility to take the orders of the customers and relay them back to the chef. It's a simple Substory, but one that shows off more of the kind of character that Kiryu is, and his frequency to get into situations you'd never expect him to.
8 Hometown Girl
Hometown Girl is one of the few Substories that feature Rikiya, who happens to be one of the best characters introduced in Yakuza 3. Kiryu escorts Rikiya to Asia, where the two take in a show. Turns out, Rikiya recognizes the dancer as a childhood friend Natsumi.
Later, Kikiya gets a call to help her take care of a stalker, which he and Kiryu do. After, you get dragged around Kamurocho into various fights, before taking on a large group of thugs. Rikiya consoles Natsumi, and she heads back to Okinawa.
7 Morning Glory Hide-And-Seek
Yakuza 3 does a fantastic job of exploring Kiryu's character in a post-yakuza life. Morning Glory Hide-And-Seek is the pinnacle of that. The substory has no fighting, no schemes, just a father playing a game with his adopted children.
It's simple, and it's sweet and shows the kind of man Kiryu truly is. He's one with a kind heart and wants nothing more than to bring happiness to those close to him. It even shows character with the children as well, making sure Kiryu knows who would react poorly to be found early.
6 Watch Out For Renovations
Serena has always been an important part of Kiryu's life, and New Serena continued to be his main base of operations whenever he's in Kamurocho. Eventually, Kiryu pays back the owner when she asks him to tend the bar while she goes out to buy supplies.
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While watching over New Serena, two men from a renovation company show up trying to investigate faculties inside. Kiryu refuses and eventually leads to a fight. The renovation men run off, and New Serena's owner returns. The Substory is special for being one of the few that help out New Serena, something rarely seen in the series.
5 Ghosts From The Past
While it seems to happen a lot, the bombing of the Millenium Tower in the previous Yakuza game hada domino effect for a particular family in Yakuza 3.While in a store, Kiryu will be stalked by a young man. Upon exiting, he reveals a magazine that did a piece on the bombing and is looking for theman behind Kiryu in a photo of the event (even though Kiryu was in Sotenbori at the time).
He figures out the location of the man in the photo, who is the young man's father and is out for revenge. Kiryu intervenes before he can try and kill him. Kiryu beats sense into him, and the father and son reconcile.
4 Silver Screen Dragon
Kiryu finds himself crossing paths with the entertainment industry almost every game, with Yakuza 3 being no exception. While in Theater Square, Kiryu runs into a group of three who need to finish a shoot without a star after they injured themselves.
Kiryu will be dressed up in costume and in charge of memorizing lines and action sequences. Afterward, while changing back into his usual outfit the stage crew will notice his dragon tattoo, and immediately become fearful, though Kiryu remains blissfully unaware. It's a fun, silly Substory and one of the ones that helped cement the tone they would have in the future.
3 Dotting The Eye
Early on in the game, Kiryu and Rikiya will have a discussion about their tattoos, and Rikiya laments on how he could never get his viper finished. While together in Kamurocho, Kiryu will come across the same tattoo parlor that did his dragon, and the two enter to finish the viper.
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However, he will refuse to finish someone else's work. After a fight and interaction outside, the tattoo artist will come out and agree to finish the viper. It gives closure to one of Rikiya's biggest plot points, giving him a depth that other partners seldom get.
2 Another Stardust
Stardust has been a consistently important location over the course of Kiryu's storyline, and the members of it among his closest and strongest allies. After walking into Stardust, Kiryufinds himself in the middle of a conversation where a man is trying to convince Kazuki to open a second location, but is refusing.
Yuya however, is interested in exploring the idea, but Kazuki still doesn't want to hear it. After a few discussions, Kiryu finds out the man proposing the second Stardust is only doing it to take it over. This leads to a fight in the Millennium Tower, where everything gets settled.
1 Murder At Cafe Alps
Murder At Cafe Alps is one of the longest Substories and one that can't be completed until the final chapter of the game. Who doesn't love a good murder mystery? In Yakuza 3, Kiryu gets to put on his detective hat in order to get to the bottom of a murder that happened years ago.
This, in turn, requires you to investigate and gather clues from all around Kamurocho. A ton of characters make an appearance in this Substory, from Yuya to The Florist. Murder At Cafe Alps is one of the most unique Substories in the entire Yakuza franchise, and one of the best Yakuza 3 has to offer.
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