Yakuza is the name of a famous video game franchise, which was first introduced in 2005, and by today has released almost twenty various games, available for all possible operating systems, including mobile devices and consoles.
Yakuza is the franchise, which is basically a three-dimensional fighting game that focuses on the Yakuza, the Japanese Mafia, and how Kazuma Kiryu, the game’s protagonist, manages to navigate this complex gangster-political world.
The plots of all the Yakuza role-playing games took inspiration from yakuza mafia movies. The game’s protagonist is Kazuma Kiryu, a former member of the Tojo clan. When the very first game in the series came out in 2005, fans fell in love with it. For the same reason, the game had sequels, remakes, prequels, and spin-offs.
In addition to Kiryu, the game features more charismatic characters with mind-blowing stories. What’s more, each edition of the game comes with an improved and expanded map showing the game’s area. The game features mini-games such as golf, karaoke, poker, and bowling.
What is Yakuza?
Yakuza is a famous Japanese video game franchise, which saw the light in 2005, and by today has released more than a dozen sequels and spin-offs. The plot of all games is based on the movies about Yakuza, the Japanese mafia.
In terms of visual identity, Yakuza is a pretty conservative franchise, which has only had one logo designed in 2005. Although there is completely no need for any changes, as the logo concept, used by Yakuza, is its perfect graphical representation, and supported by the right color palette, it evokes a sense of power and professionalism, looking distinctive and contrasting.
The Yakuza logo, designed in 2005, was introduced in two versions: the Japanese one, and the English one, and they look pretty different, although featuring the same style and mood. The English version of the badge is set in solid red characters with uneven edges and sharp lines. The title case wordmark looks bold and even aggressive, evoking a fighting mood and looking strong and cool.
As the Japanese version of the badge, it has the inscription written in white hieroglyphics with dark gray shadow, set against a white background with a bold gradient-red circular stroke, with a paint texture.
The bold handwritten logotype from the primary Yakuza badge is set in a custom designer typeface with heavy glyphs and sharpened details. There are no commercial analogs to the font, used in this insignia, but the closest types to the Yakuza one are, probably, Human Race Regular and Forgotten Dream Regular, but with significant modifications of the characters’ contours.
As for the color palette of the Yakuza visual identity, nothing is surprising, as the best shade to represent the Japanese spirit is, of course, red. The deep shade of red in this logo looks powerful and dangerous, making the stylized inscription look even more interesting and distinctive.