Goro Majima is a character from Yakuza series, he makes his debut in the first Yakuza game as one of the main protagonists.
Profile[]
Head of the Majima family, a group directly affiliated with the Tojo Clan.
Once a member of the Shimano Family, his insanely aggressive combat style earned him the nickname "The Mad Dog of the Shimano Family". Although even his own men are reportedly terrified of him, he also brings a kind of purity into the battle, as he appreciates those who can fight well and accept defeat with good grace. He has a strong sense of duty, excellent judgement, and keen instincts.
He lost his eye defending the honor of his blood brother Taiga Saejima. While he is friendly with Kazuma, calling him pet names like "Kazzy", he also views him as his main rival.
Goro has no interest in position or titles, and he even left the Tojo Clan for a while. It was Kazuma who persuaded him to come back, and he now uses his diverse talents to support the clan once more.
Story[]
Background
While much of Majima's personal life is unknown, the furthest scene into the past that he ever appears in has him talking with Saejima about an upcoming hit on behalf the Tojo clan. The plan was to promote the Sasai family to a higher position by launching a hit on the Ueno Seiwa family Patriarch, whom was released from prison and planning to rebuild his clan. Bringing with him a bag containing 6 disposable revolvers, they planned a hit with Majima making protests about not telling Yasuko that both of them are likely to end up in prison for their assassination and Saejima brushing him off.
On the day of the hit however, Majima received a phone call from Shibata to forbid him from going to the assassination as the Dojima Family did not want to hold joint responsibility and letting Taiga going off to make the move that would shake the clan for years to come. When Majima refuses, Shibata summons a crowd of men to attack him. Despite his best efforts, he was narrowly bested and chained. Shibata takes out a knife and stabs Majima in the eye before leaving him at the mercy of Shimano.
Yakuza 0
Majima was held captive in Anagura, the Tojo Clan's personal torture chambers for a year for his defiance against Shimano. Enduring torture everyday, he was let out as a civilian. However, wishing to return to the Tojo in order to welcome Saejima back from prison, he is thrust into the Omi Alliance's Sagawa's hands as he was made the manager of the Grand Cabaret at Sotenbori. Under heavy surveillance by Sagawa's men during all hours of the day, he was thrust into the world of the nightlife making Sotenbori a gilded cage for him. With the promise of returning to the Tojo Clan if he can make 100 million yen in profits for Sagawa and Shimano.
Despite the situation, he was able to make 100 million yen in just a year and received the title of "Lord of the Nightlife". Majima became a popular person in Sotenbori, especially among other cabaret businesses and consumers. However Sagawa raised the debt to 500 million and told Majima to that he can continue with his manager job or accept a job that would instantly put him back into the Tojo clan without needing to make any more money.
The job in question was to "kill a person named Makimura Makoto who lives in Sotenbori", a hit that was asked from Shimano to Sagawa, due to geographic reasons. Majima reluctantly accepts the hit, despite having never killed anyone before, in part due to Sagawa's threats. Sagawa tells Majima that Makimura is a ruthless pimp, forcing college-aged girls to work for him and taking all of their money. Majima is then given just two days to complete the mark.
Majima heads off to a telephone club, and after some time gets a call from a young college-aged woman whom says she knows a Makoto Makimura, succeeding in retrieving information from her of the location of his target.
When he enters Makimura's office, a massage parlor, he takes out his knife and prepares to kill, only to find the place empty. As he's about to leave, a young blind woman walks him and believes him to be a thief. Majima quickly defuses her fear by telling her that he's one of Makimura's patients. The woman, who works for Makimura, offers to give Majima a massage. Majima gets quite comfortable with her, eventually falling asleep as she massages his back. He's awoken by the sound of Makimura walking in, and the two wait for the woman to leave before fighting. While Majima comes out as the victor, several Omi henchmen led by Oishi arrive at the building, also demanding a Makoto Makimura. The woman returns and is forcefully taken away, while "Makimura" is shot and incapacitated. It is then that Majima learns that his target was in fact the young blind woman after all.
Before he lost consciousness, the man posing at Makoto begs Majima to save her. Fighting through a number of Omi yakuza, Majima succeeds in saving Makoto. When they get to safety, she clings to his leg and cries. Majima sees this moment of vulnerability and pulls out his knife. After some hesitation and consideration, he decides to spare Makoto.
Majima rents a warehouse from a competitor in the cabaret business to use as a safehouse for Makoto. Needing answers, he begins questioning her as to why the yakuza are after an innocent blind young woman. Though she doesn't know herself, Makoto reveals that she was living with Lee to find a man whom sold her as a sex slave years ago, where she went psychologically blind as a result of the constant trauma before being rescued by Lee. Majima quickly befriends her and tells her about a similar predicament he also suffered from. Majima then meets Lee who figures a way to get them off their backs so they can escape to Kamurocho and find Jun. Lee's plan was to use a body double for Makoto and have Majima or himself perform the task but Majima refuses to let that happen and fights Lee to prevent that from happening.
Majima discards the setup only to find out the next day that the double was murdered anyway at the hands of Homare Nishitani, leader of the Kijin group. Fighting Nishitani in the Grand before he was taken into custody in lockup, he reveals that there were two sides in the conflict and that he was paid by a Tojo benefactor to bring back Makoto before Sagawa's men kills her.
With few options, the three were forced to make an attempt to escape from Sotenboori as Lee was killed by a car bomb planted by Sagawa who learns of Makoto's location through the doctor that help patched up Lee. However Masaru Sera arrives to intercept the three of them and takes Makoto to the Camilla Grove for safekeeping and Majima at the mercy of Sagawa.
Majima then searches for Nishitani who knows about her whereabouts and fights for Biliken at the Bed of Styx arena. There he learns about the information that Shibusawa knew and is already planning to intercept the extraction effort through Jun. As they attempt to escape, Nishitani and Biliken were killed by a cop bribed by Shibusawa and Majima escapes to tell Sagawa where Makoto is held.
Fighting their way through the Camilla grove, Majima and Sagawa reaches the top only to find Masaru Sera and the truth that Makoto holds the deed to the land and Sagawa takes Majima to Kamurocho to take Makoto for themselves.
As he wanders off to find Makoto, he was sent to see Shimano who reveals that Makoto would have given the deed to Majima and in turn Majima would give the land to Shimano and Sagawa as part of Shimano's strategy to consolidate his power with several different groups to establish his influence in the Tojo clan when the Dojima clan loses influence.
Moping about at the revelation that he was being manipulated from the start by Shimano, he fights both Kashiwagi and Nishiyama for information on Makoto's whereabouts as she makes the revelation to make the Dojima clan pay for the death of her brother.
As he goes off to bring food for Makoto after a conversation, she was taken to the Dojima HQ where she planned to sell the land on the condition that the men who killed her brother be executed only to be intentionally nearly killed realizing that they only wanted proof so they can tie up the loose end.
Infuriated at Shibusawa ordering the death of Nishitani and wounding Makoto, he goes on an one-man attack on the Dojima HQ and defeats Awano and Luo Gui. He was stopped by Sera who received the land and Makoto has recovered fully.
As he meets Makoto one last time after saying farewell to Sagawa, he entrusts her with another man albeit bittersweetly.
In the post game credits, Majima meets Kiryu in person for the very first time, and greets him with the enthusiasm of the Mad Dog of Shimano: "Yo.[...] Kiryu-Chan!".
Yakuza
Majima initially appears in Yakuza in the alley behind Serena to find one of his own family members sprawled out on the ground with Kazuma Kiryu standing over him. Delighted over having come across him, Majima catches up with Kiryu, asking about his plans for starting his own family. He openly expresses his envy for how Kiryu is often surrounded by beautiful women (referring presumably to Yumi and/or Reina). Majima decides to "take responsibility" for his family member's attack on Kiryu, striking him repeatedly with an umbrella. Kiryu grabs Majima by the arm and tells him to stop. Majima; disappointed, complies with Kiryu's request before leaving some parting words, saying that Kiryu needs to learn to enforce discipline for when the time comes that he creates his own family.
Kiwami Only: Kiryu responds to Majima's advice, stating that he will discipline his family but will do so his way, with "logical methods". Feeling challenged, Majima asks Kiryu if he's looking for a fight. Kiryu refuses, sternly stating that it would not be logical and apologizes for causing any offence. This angers Majima further, who continues to goad Kiryu into a physical confrontation by striking him across the face multiple times with his umbrella, causing him to bleed, before threatening him with a blade. Kiryu stands calmly and refuses to hit back, asking if Majima is satisfied. Impressed by Kiryu's strong resolve, Majima backs down, telling Kiryu that "this world isn't logical" and that he risks getting himself killed if he refuses to change. The Dragon of Dojima acknowledges that his ideals will never change, regardless of his own personal safety. Majima leaves, exciting himself with the prospect of the two of them fighting each other someday.
After 10 years, Majima and his subordinates attack Makoto Date and kidnap Haruka Sawamura to lure Kiryu so he can face him in the battling cage. When Kiryu arrives, Majima and his crew surround him, and while attempting to intimidate him with a speech, Majima is hit in the head with a baseball from one of the pitting machines. He begins laughing it off, and all but one of the yakuza by his side join in, causing him to respond by beating him, telling him that "was the part where you're supposed to laugh". Kiryu tells Majima to stop, drawing his attention back. Majima admits that he only kidnapped Haruka in order to get his chance to fight Kiryu, causing Kiryu to respond with disbelief at the length the Mad Dog would to just to start a fight. The fight ensues with Majima pulling out his Shadowblade Knife as him and his men attack Kiryu at once. Majima and his men are defeated but he refuses to give up while he can still stand. He notices one of his still-conscious men try to stab Kiryu from behind with his knife, and Majima rushes to get stabbed in his place. He reveals that Kiryu is now his friend and vows to him that he'll be the one to kill him someday. Majima collapses and his men take him away.
Later on, when Kiryu and Haruka are at the Shangri-La hotel, Majima crashes into the building with a truck at high speed, unsettling the building and causing the occupants to evacuate. He once again confronts Kiryu by taking a woman hostage, asking her to become his bitch. She admits that despite her line of work as an erotic masseur, she has a boyfriend. Majima suddenly decides to let her go, admitting that he likes honest people and people shouldn't toy with emotions. Kiryu is once again exasperated by Majima rather extensive means of instigating a fight with him, and surprised that Majima was still alive. The two battle once more and their fight unsettles the already-unstable building even more, with Majima punching Kiryu with enough strength that the weakened floor gives way and they fall through. In the end, Majima is defeated again, though he smiles while acknowledging Kiryu to be a "hardass" before he loses consciousness.
Yakuza 2
In Yakuza 2, with Shimano dead and his family now disbanded, the Majima Family leaves the Tojo Clan due to differences with its then-chairman Yukio Terada, and establish a construction company. With Kage the Florist gone from Purgatory, Majima immediately takes over the secret underground society.
Although no longer interested in the clan, he promises to help Kiryu fend off the Omi Alliance after fighting him once again at the Underground Coliseum.
He later takes on all of the men sent to the town single-handed. Recklessly disarming the bomb in the Millennium Tower, Majima tells Kiryu to finish off Ryuji Goda and the Jingweon Mafia at the final showdown as he proclaims himself as the one destined to defeat him.
In Yakuza Kiwami 2's "The Truth of Majima Goro," side story, Majima is competing against other clan members for young head captain of the Tojo Clan, more specifically Uematsu. When he is dropped off in town by his new lackey Kawamura, he is attacked by a mob, whom he defeats. He suspects that Uematsu planned the attack and heads to Uematsu's office to confront him, only to find him shot in the head. Majima returns to Tojo Headquarters and tells the other clan members that he found Uematsu killed in his office, but a clan patriarch Iibuchi suspects that Majima is trying to put the blame on someone else so that he doesn't get caught for the assassination himself. Majima gets angered and goes to find the Florist, who supplies him with information and evidence that Majima's new lackey was at the scene of the crime before he was. Majima is shocked and asks where he could be and the Florist tells him that Kawamura was last seen in Sotenbori, his old town.
Majima heads for Sotenbori and bumps into his old friend and business competitor of Odyssey. He explains to Majima that Kawamura was frequenting a massage parlor called Hogushi Kaikan. Majima becomes hesitant but ultimately goes into the parlor in search of his lackey. A receptionist greets him and he asks if she has seen or heard of a man named Kawamura. She tell him that he does frequent the massage parlor and gambles on the floor above them, but hasn't caught sight of him recently. He thanks her but before he leaves, she asks him to take a massage course, which he declines. She pouts at him and obligates him to at least receive a massage for the exchange of information she gave him. He agrees and asks for the best massage course they have.
As Majima waits on the futon for the massage, a young woman walks in and introduces herself as Tateyama Makoto. Majima, recognizing the voice, turns to look and sees that it's Makoto and retreats his face into the folds of his arms in hopes of hiding his face from her. She proceeds to massage him and he grunts in pain from the amount of pressure she applies to his feet. As she approaches closer to him to massage his arm, he turns to glance at her wrist, which is equipped with her watch. He is shocked to see her wearing it and she takes notice of it, asking if he is worried about her wearing a watch. He nods no and she proceeds to tell him about her life. She tell him of how she used to be blind and how a man saved her and returned her watch back. Her old wristband had to be replaced by a new blue one because it was worn out, but she likes the older one better. Ever since she got her watch back, she has gotten married and had a child, something that she has always wanted. Majima listens intently as she tells him that she has stayed in this town ever since because this town holds meaning to her and the man that saved her many years ago. She continues to work at the parlor in hopes of meeting him once more and thanking him properly. As Majima ups and leaves, she stops him and gives him her business card. She looks at him and asks if they met before and Majima, in order to hide his identity from her, nods his head no. She is apologetic for the mistake and he looks at her watch. He then looks up at her for one last time and turns to walk away. She asks if his body felt better after the massage and he whispers to himself that thanks to her, she took 18 years of pain out of him. She thanks him and he leaves.
In the final scene with Makoto, she is on a plane with her family and searches for her passport. As she digs around in her purse, she finds a gift box that she received from her receptionist who told her that someone left it for her at the massage parlor. She opens the contents to find a wristband for her watch that is very similar to her old one. She is exasperated and wonders who could've known about this. She then flashes back to talking to Majima at the massage parlor about her life and finally makes the connection that Majima was her savior 20 years ago. She cries and thanks him for finally letting her life feel complete and free of worries and switches her wristband to the one that he gifted her.
Yakuza 3
In 2007, with the Jingweon Mafia and the Omi Alliance dealt with, Kiryu meets with Majima at the top of Millennium Tower. Kazuma pleads with him once more to go back to the Tojo Clan to support the newly-appointed Sixth Chairman, Daigo Dojima, as a contingency for any future troubles. Majima, reluctant at first since his construction company is now his responsibility, becomes intrigued by Kiryu's idea that he would be able to run amok and cause chaos for the survival of the clan. Majima then explains that he is only swayed by the strong, and implies that he will only accept this favor by force. After their fourth battle in the series, Majima loses and promises Kiryu he would return to the Tojo clan, leaving him to wonder what he had got himself into.
In 2008, suspected of betraying the Tojo Clan over the resort deal, Kiryu heads to Purgatory to meet with Majima to get his side of the story. Greeted by his large entourage of yakuza soldiers, Majima asks Kiryu to follow him to the now-defunct Underground Coliseum where they could talk quietly. Before Majima can answer any further questions, Kiryu must beat him first in the first official coliseum fight since its closure two years ago. After losing once again to Kiryu, he reveals that he got involved for Daigo's sake and that he was also set up by Goh Hamazaki as a suspect of the clan's inner dispute.
After saving Kiryu from Land Minister Suzuki's private army outside of the Diet Building, Majima offers to send his family in Okinawa as assistance, which Kiryu refuses. Majima wishes him luck and tells him not to be beaten by Mine and the CIA as he's the one going to kill him someday.
In Yakuza 3, his construction company commissioned a large office tower project named Kamurocho Hills at the north part of town.
Yakuza 4
In 2010, the Majima Family has moved to the old Kazama Family office in the Millennium Tower. Majima follows the trail of Yasuko Saejima, determined to protect her for his old friend, Taiga Saejima.Majima sent Minami to track Yasuko as Lily at Elise. As Akiyama defeats Minami,Majima approaches in. Majima tells Akiyama the reason he came after Yasuko is one Majima should protect for amends what he didn't back in 1985.
Majima aware about Saejima's arrival to Kamurocho sending Minami to send Saejima to meet him. Majima finally meet Saejima after Saejima defeats Minami and other members. Majima insist Saejima to follow him as Saejima wish to know. Majima is later reunited with Saejima at the batting cages where they fight before reminiscing. Majima recounts the story of how he lost his eye to Saejima, and Saejima comments that Majima's Kansai speech has improved while telling him that Shibata was ultimately murdered.
Majima is later arrested to keep him from being an obstacle in Munakata's plan. Majima tells Kiryu that he is only one who Majima got and warn that Yasuko in danger. Majima begs Kiryu to help Yasuko before getting into the police car.
Yakuza 5
At the start of Yakuza 5, Majima was in negotiations with the Sapporo branch of the Omi Alliance under orders of Daigo Dojima to help prevent the increasing possibility for war between the two Clans. In spite of his claims for peace, Tsubasa Kurosawa sent some assassins to kill Majima mid-negotiation. Majima survives, but was wounded. Local newspapers would report Majima as dead under Kurosawa's command, as to help demoralize the Tojo and incentivize Kiryu to attack Kurosawa's inter-Omi Alliance rival Masaru Watase. In reality, Majima would retreat and heal at the Millenium Tower Tojo Clan HQ. Majima would then make contact via letter with his ex-wife Mirei Park and old buddy-now-Omi Alliance chief member Naoki Katsuya, though this was a part of Katsuya's plan to expose an unknown traitor (Kamon Kanai) from within Katsuya's ranks. However, during the finale the Millenium Tower gets taken over by Kurosawa's men and succeed in capturing Majima, who force him to fight his sworn brother Saejima Taiga under threat of having a sniper (Baba) kill Haruka mid-concert at the Tokyo Dome. He complies at first mostly to save Haruka and as an excuse to fight Saejima again, but soon they both turn on Kurosawa when Baba gets beaten down in his sniper's perch and Daigo Dojima comes to save the two brothers.
Yakuza 6
Goro is seen with Saejima at the hospital in ensuring the safety of Daigo after Kurosawa's failed attempt at seizing power for his son. However police come to arrest Saejima for escaping, during the events where Kiryu was arrested. Sugai made a move that resulted in all of the Tojo clan's head being arrested for their involvement in the Little Asia fire, leaving only Sugai and Someya in actual control and Majima in jail with Daigo.
They do not make an appearance until the end of the story where they talk to Daigo about making a counterattack against the Yomei Alliance, but Daigo does not respond to their calls for war. As Kiryu's will requested for Daigo not to swear revenge. The three men agree to form an pact with the Yomei Alliance, which is now headed by Kanji Koshimizu after Heizo Iwami's death and Tsuneo Iwami's imprisonment.
Yakuza Dead Souls (Non-Canon)
During the events of the zombie spinoff Of the End (Dead Souls in English), Majima is watching old zombie films in his flat in Millennium Tower when it is put under quarantine. He escapes the tower only to receive a phone call saying that he is late for the grand opening of Kamurocho Hills, a skyscraper he helped to construct throughout the series. He arrives only to find that it too is under quarantine, and that he must protect the people holed up inside the tower from the zombie invaders. He helps to evacuate the refugees to Purgatory, but in the process gets bitten by a zombie.
He fears he may soon become one, a fear that is reinforced when Kiryu and Asagi (a female SDF soldier) remark that his eye has started turning red. In despair, he walks over to the Champion District, where he finds an abandoned Sauna. Thinking he may be able to "sweat out" the zombie toxin, he decides to visit.
He is not seen again until the end of the game, where it is revealed that the zombie who "bit" him was in fact previously a toothless old man and thus did not manage to break his skin. It is also revealed that the reason his eye has turned red is because he was suffering from hay fever.
Project X Zone 2
Along with Heihachi Mishima from Tekken series, he saves Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey from the Ace Attorney series from B.O.W.S' (Resident Evil) attack. He asks who is responsible for the Thanatos attack, and Heihachi tells him Shadaloo is the main organization responsible for the attack in Kamurocho.
Crossover Appearances[]
Project X Zone 3: War of Infinite Worlds
Majima appears as a Pair Unit teaming up with Kazuma Kiryu.
Project X Zone 3: Sacred Destinies
Majima appears as a Pair Unit teaming up with Kazuma Kiryu.
He is one of the characters from Sega side.
Majima is one of the guest characters of the game.
Trivia[]
- Majima is the only character in the Ryu ga Gotoku series who's been a standard boss, a final boss, an A.I buddy and a playable character.
- Yakuza 6 is the first Yakuza game (barring Zero) not to feature Majima as a boss.
- It's presumed that Majima struggles with pollen allergy. However, since this has only been shown in Yakuza: Dead Souls, it's possible that this is non-canon.
- His signature weapon seems to be a tanto, which he handles with immense grace and agility despite seemingly having no proper training with it. While not relying on it in combat, Majima uses it in tandem with his own punches and kicks. His final unlockable "Mad Dog" Fighting Style in Yakuza 0 has him use it for the first time in combat, and while bringing it out, he will laugh maniacally as he adopts his Mad Dog persona.
- Even more disturbingly, the fourth game reveals it's the same weapon he lost his left eye to.
- He ranked 1st place in the fan most favorite characters poll according to Sega due to being comic relief.
- Majima appears to be a fan of baseball and a proficient batter. In Yakuza 4, he fights Saejima in a batting center, even referring it as "our old playground". His Slugger attack in 0 also emphasizes this.
- He also appears to have a sense of care for the environment. In Yakuza 4's 1985 flashback, he told that a yakuza should also care for the environment, in response to Taiga's complain about the hot weather.