Yakuza as a series has a very mixed bag mindset in a few ways outside of social progressive exceptions, where it tends to be solid. Fight against the bad capitalists for the good, decent community loving capitalists. Beat up the striking workers, because our boss is a true auteur even if he's abusive to the staff (it's because he cares so much!). Evict the squatters, who abuse those disgusting anti-real estate firm squatter protections. Everyone is capable of redemption, but the redemption is just sometimes the person going "ye I'll do better" and feeling bad about past wrongs without actually changing the conditions or layout of power. Solve financial concerns with the kind zero interest banker who totally exists (akiyama's pretty based though). The CIA is bad and military and financial interests advance at the expense of ordinary people, but just have the good parts of the CIA help you fight the bad weapons dealing parts of the CIA.
I think the recent Yakuza 7 is a good example. It's very sympathetic towards homeless people, sex workers, and the like, but also towards pimps (sure he's verbally abusive towards his employees and his places have terrible health standards, but uh he genuinely cares!) has a large small business type version of local community groups, anti-activists (tbh this one too is kinda based, the activists are just liberal moralists that ignore all material concerns of the working class communities).
It's kinda a liberal humanist game in some ways, or the Japanese equivalent. It's often pretty good on being open minded and accepting of unusual or uncommon personal circumstances.
Yakuza as a series has a very mixed bag mindset in a few ways outside of social progressive exceptions, where it tends to be solid. Fight against the bad capitalists for the good, decent community loving capitalists. Beat up the striking workers, because our boss is a true auteur even if he's abusive to the staff (it's because he cares so much!). Evict the squatters, who abuse those disgusting anti-real estate firm squatter protections. Everyone is capable of redemption, but the redemption is just sometimes the person going "ye I'll do better" and feeling bad about past wrongs without actually changing the conditions or layout of power. Solve financial concerns with the kind zero interest banker who totally exists (akiyama's pretty based though). The CIA is bad and military and financial interests advance at the expense of ordinary people, but just have the good parts of the CIA help you fight the bad weapons dealing parts of the CIA.
I think the recent Yakuza 7 is a good example. It's very sympathetic towards homeless people, sex workers, and the like, but also towards pimps (sure he's verbally abusive towards his employees and his places have terrible health standards, but uh he genuinely cares!) has a large small business type version of local community groups, anti-activists (tbh this one too is kinda based, the activists are just liberal moralists that ignore all material concerns of the working class communities).
It's kinda a liberal humanist game in some ways, or the Japanese equivalent. It's often pretty good on being open minded and accepting of unusual or uncommon personal circumstances.