In December, 1988, two unlikely figures from the Yakuza world, Kazuma Kiryu of the Kantō region and Goro Majima of the Kansai Region, have suddenly found themselves getting involved in the terrible events of the so-called “Vacant Lot” dispute, which is the centrepiece of power struggle for all the dark organizations across Japan.

Sunshine Orphanage is on a land that is owned by Shigeru Nakahara, the boss of a local yakuza clan or bōryokudan, known as the Ryudo Family Nakahara is under pressure from the country’s government to sell the land, which is planned to become a seaside resort.

The game begins with Shun Akiyama, a loan shark infamous for giving out interest free loans with no collateral, going to collect several debts. He is sidetracked at one point and is involved in a quarrel at a bar, where he beats a medium ranking member of the Ueno Seiwa Clan, Ihara.

For the first time in the series, the game features five distinct locales across Japan. First of which will be returning from previous games is Kamurocho (a.k.a. Kamuro City), a fictionalized yet realistic recreation of Shinjuku’s red-light district, Kabukichō.

The game follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu, a yakuza whose life changes when his boss, Sohei Dojima, attempts to violate Kazuma’s childhood friend, Yumi. When the yakuza boss is murdered by Kazuma’s best friend, Akira Nishikiyama, Kazuma accepts blame for the murder, and is imprisoned for 10 years.