Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

Background

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (originally known as Sega's CS1 Team until the release of Yakuza: Dead Souls) is a Japanese video game developer/production studio and a subsidiary of Sega and their Sega CS Research and Development No. 1 division, founded on August 31, 2011. The studio is best known for developing the popular Like A Dragon series (formerly known as the Yakuza series) of games since Yakuza 5, which was released in 2012. The studio's name is derived from the Like A Dragon series' Japanese name, Ryū ga Gotoku. The studio has also developed the studio's debut title, Binary Domain, the Like a Dragon spin-off series Judgment (Judge Eyes in Japan), Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise (a brawler based off the popular manga with elements from the Like a Dragon games), and recent Super Monkey Ball games starting with Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD.

Contents

1st Logo (February 16, 2012-August 8, 2013)	2nd Logo (December 5, 2012-)	3rd Logo (November 9, 2023-)

1st Logo (February 16, 2012-August 8, 2013)

Visuals: There is the black painted Japanese text (龍が如くスタジオ), translating directly to "Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio". "Studio" is in red, with the first character (龍) being larger than the rest.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on Binary Domain, Kurohyō 2: Ryū ga Gotoku Ashura hen for PlayStation Portable, Ryū ga Gotoku 1&2 HD for PlayStation 3 and Wii U, Yakuza 5 (also shown in the English version), Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Yakuza 0, Ryū ga Gotoku: Ishin!, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2.

2nd Logo (December 5, 2012-)

Visuals: On a white background, there is a crude-looking black painting square, with a single white kanji inside (龍, translating as "Dragon"). Below, there is the text "RYU GA GOTOKU" (with the first letter of each word being slightly larger), and "STUDIO" in a thinner, spaced-out font.

Trivia: This logo was created to make appeal to the worldwide audience.

Variant: An inverted variant exists, with a white logo on a black background. It may also be seen on the title screen of Ryū ga Gotoku Online.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on most of the studio's games starting with Ryū ga Gotoku Online and Judgment, and including the remastered versions of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5. The inverted variant can be seen on Yakuza: Like A Dragon.

3rd Logo (November 9, 2023-)

Visuals: A blue background with blue and orange lights can be seen and a flame appears leading to the scene transitioning to the camera zooming out from the iconic Ichiban-gai gate in Kamurocho (the series' equivalent of Kabukicho, an entertainment district in Shinjuku) accompanied by still photos of the gate. The photos appear in a film strip style and move upward. Images of characters from various games in the series (Yakuza remastered 3-5, Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon) appear in the same film strip style moving downwards. More characters flash on the screen ending with the series' original protagonist Kazuma Kiryu ripping off his jacket and shirt and his dragon irezumi is shown. There are black and white splats on the screen which transition to various characters wiping in (the characters are as they appear in Yakuza 6, Yakuza Kiwami 2 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon- Kiryu, Majima, Saejima, Akiyama, Adachi, the 2nd Han Joongi, Daigo Dojima, Zhao, Saeko and Seonhee) as the camera zooms out and the new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga throwing a punch which transitions into a fiery explosion. The same characters and a few others (Nanba, Watase and Ryuji Goda) appear in flames of different colors which end with a transition of Kasuga jumping. The flames rotate on a platform and gradually extinguish in the shape and outline of the inverted version of the 2nd logo (the logo in white on a black background) and as the camera zooms out, the screen flashes with fire to fully form the logo and the flames go out.

September 5, 2022: The characters appearing in the first part of the logo are majorly from the remastered versions of Yakuza 3-5, (Tamashiro, Kiryu, Saejima, Akiyama, Tanimura, Joji Kazama, Mine, the hostesses, Haruka and Kanda).
November 9, 2023- present: Characters from Like A Dragon Gaiden (Tsuruno, Shishido, Homare Nishitani III and Akame) appear in the first part.

Technique: CGI alongside 2D computer animation.

Audio: The opening of Raise Your Shoes by Splasher

Availability: Seen in Like A Dragon Gaiden and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.