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Ryu Encyclopaedia

Ryu ga Gotoku 0: Place of the Oath

A story of beginnings set in a roaring era

A prequel to Ryu ga Gotoku, the first game in the series. The tale is one that is centred around Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima in their younger days. The setting is 1988 Kamurocho and Sotenbori, in the midst of an unprecedented economic boom. The game recreates those halcyon days by reproducing things such as telephone clubs and discos, as well as the series' traditional game centre, Club Sega, being transformed into Hi-Tech Land Sega. In terms of improvements to the game system, each protagonist has battle actions that change between styles. Furthermore, instead of character growth being achieved through experience points, it is now done using money. With the additions of Kamurocho's Money Island and Sotenbori's Nightlife Island, aiming to raise money, you can make use of money in ways unimaginable in the traditional series.

Story and character correlation chart

Kamurocho, 1988. Kazuma Kiryu, a member of the Tojo Clan's Dojima Family, is collecting debts as always, without a dream or hope to his name. That night, he heads into town with Nishikiyama, his sworn brother; it is there that he receives the ominous news that the man Kiryu had been collecting from has been killed, and the wheels are set in motion.

Kiryu is ordered by Daisaku Kuze, assistant underboss of the Dojima Family, to turn himself in to the police. According to Kuze, the location where the body was discovered is a piece of land - the "empty plot" - which is an important key to obtaining the rights to the Kamurocho 21st Century Redevelopment Plan; the Dojima Family, who are after these rights, don't wish to prolong the commotion any longer than necessary. The innocent Kiryu attempts to clear his name. In this predicament, a helping hand is extended to Kiryu - that of Tetsu Tachibana, president of Tachibana Real Estate and partner of Shintaro Kazama, the man who raised Kiryu.

Kiryu, now an employee of Tachibana Real Estate - which, like the Dojima Family, is in the hunt for the "empty plot" - leaves Kamurocho and is pursued by the Dojima Family as a traitor. Awaiting him is a confrontation with his best friend, Nishikiyama. Knowing what fate befalls traitors, he believes that at least he can save Kiryu from this suffering by killing him painlessly, turning a gun on him. However, Nishikiyama is unable to pull the trigger. Accepting his friend's feelings, Kiryu returns once more to the danger-filled Kamurocho.

Surrounded on all sides, Kiryu finds himself in a further predicament due to attacks from Kuze and the others. In order to ease Kiryu's situation, Tachibana heads to Tojo Clan headquarters and confronts the interim chairman, Takashi Niihara. By exercising his wealth and artful skills of conversation, he brokers a deal to have the Dojima Family leave Kiryu alone. The negotiations are a success, and Kiryu, too, manages to take responsibility and make a promise with Niihara. Afterwards, Kiryu hears from Tachibana that the owner of the empty plot at the centre of the incident is "Makoto Makimura".

Meanwhile, in Sotenbori - Goro Majima, a man who once belonged to the Tojo Clan, is living a supervised life in Sotenbori after undergoing terrible torture for the sin of turning his back on the family's wishes. As he spends his days with no way out in sight, Majima takes a request to commit a murder on the condition that it will allow him to return to the Tojo Clan from Tsukasa Sagawa, boss of the Omi Alliance's Sagawa Family, a group which holds life-and-death power over him. The target's name is "Makoto Makimura". Despite being under considerable strain due to it being his first killing, Majima hardens his resolve and heads for the establishment where the target works. There, he finds a blind woman and a giant who appears to be the assassination target, but the intervention of a third party causes him to fail the job. At a loss, Majima decides to flee, protecting the woman as they go. However, it is her who is Makoto - the target.

The bizarre twist of fate causes Majima to turn his back on the hit request and protect Makoto instead. The plan of Li Wenhai, the giant man he met at the place where Makoto takes shelter, to sacrifice a fake Makoto fails, and Majima plots to escape from Sotenbori with her. However, Sagawa, anticipating his moves, surprises him. Masaru Sera of the Nikkyoren appears and shoots Sagawa, taking Makoto with him. Majima obtains information from a detective known as Billiken and Homare Nishitani, boss of the Omi Alliance's Kijin-kai, determining that she is at Tsubakien's Benten-ya, Nikkyoren's hideout. Majima hurries to Benten-ya, and awaiting him there is Sera, who shot Sagawa. Sera claims that he is not an enemy, and has entrusted Makoto to someone in real estate and sent her to Kamurocho. Yes - she is in the care of Kiryu.

Kiryu and Majima's fates intersect, brought about by the incidents surrounding Makoto Makimura and the "empty plot" case. Makoto is toyed with by the callous intentions of yakuza representing east and west. In order to save her, and to put a stop to the chain of tragedies that have spilled so much blood, the pair of yakuza who will later become known as the "Dragon of Dojima" and "Shimano's mad dog" at last head for their final fights...

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