Goro Majima (Japanese: 真島 吾朗, Hepburn: Majima Gorō) is a main character in Sega's Like a Dragon video game franchise, known as Yakuza outside of Japan. He first started off as one of the secondary antagonists of Yakuza, before becoming one of the main playable protagonists of Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Dead Souls, as well as the main protagonist of the Majima Saga of Yakuza Kiwami 2 and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
Introduced as a member of the Tojo Clan and patriarch of its subsidiary group, the Majima Family as well as second-in-command of the Shimano Family, nicknamed "Mad Dog of Shimano", he develops a sadomasochistic obsession with the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. He continually seeks to fight him, seeing him as the perfect rival, but eventually bonds with him across the franchise and becomes an important ally of his. He is also the sworn brother of Taiga Saejima who is one of the protagonists of Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5.
Majima's character is explored in more detail during the prequel Yakuza 0, in which he is a 24-year-old former Yakuza and a playable protagonist along with Kiryu. In this game, Majima has a much more calm and serious demeanor that develops into his standard sadomasochistic one during a war between a number of families in a fight for a patch of land known as the Empty Lot, while protecting the owner of the lot, Makoto Makimura, who serves as Majima's love interest. Majima also appears in the spin-off Dead Souls as well as the crossover Project X Zone 2.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio created Majima as a "clown" character who would contrast his calmer characterization in Yakuza 0, where the localization shifted Majima's character arc so he would not come across as insane.
Ever since his appearance, Majima has been critically acclaimed by many critics and fans alike, with Majima becoming a breakout character in the franchise, due to his crazy antics that had made him popular with the fanbase and even having earned a CD with all the songs Ugaki plays in his karaoke mini-games while topping a popularity poll. His character, story arc, and fighting style in Yakuza 0 were highly praised by critics.
Creation and development According to Scott Strichart, who handled localization and production on a number of Yakuza games, Majima is a bit of a "class clown"—someone with a "joker-esque personality"—which is opposite to his calm demeanor in the prequel. However, he noted that while fans felt that Majima went "insane", the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio said that he "makes a conscious choice to... let loose". This was something the translators found challenging while localizing the game. Strichart pointed out that through Majima's interactions with Nishitani, he gains insight into how someone like that would live. The goal of the localization team was to make Majima and Kiryu more likeable with their changes, although Strichart believed Kiryu was more popular than Majima in Western countries. Strichart said that while fans might miss previous Yakuza characters like Kiryu and Majima, he hoped they would be receptive to Takayuki Yagami, the protagonist from the next game Judgment.
Series' producer Daisuke Sato said that ever since the release of Yakuza 0, Majima has become far more popular, to the point that many developers thought it was possible to create a new spin-off game focused around him.
Appearances Yakuza (2005) / Yakuza Kiwami (2015) Goro Majima first appears in the original Yakuza game as a secondary antagonist, being the patriarch of the Majima Family and a lieutenant of Futoshi Shimano. Nicknamed "The Mad Dog of Shimano" (嶋野の狂犬, Shimano no Kyōken), he takes an interest in the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu because Kiryu refuses to fight him when provoked. This results in Majima spending the rest of the game's plot trying to goad Kiryu into fighting him just for fun.
The remake of the game, Yakuza Kiwami, further explores his rivalry with Kiryu, as well as adding further scenes where Majima stalks Kiryu, aiming to make his rival stronger through new fights. This led to a new system in the remake called the "Majima Everywhere", where Majima attacks Kiryu using a large variety of ways to ensure his rival fights backs. Kiryu becomes stronger each time Majima is defeated, but that also means Majima gets stronger as well, which makes him far more challenging the more he continues to attack Kiryu.
Yakuza 2 (2006) / Yakuza Kiwami 2 (2017) During Yakuza 2—and its 2017 remake, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Majima left the Tojo Clan and forms his own criminal organization, the Majima Construction Company, which ran several construction rackets, along with an underground fighting arena and an illegal casino. Because of the looming threat of an invasion of Tokyo by the rival Yakuza organization, the Omi Alliance, Kiryu convinces Majima to ally with the Tojo Clan once again and provide the Majima Construction Company's support if a war breaks out. Though initially hesitant, Majima agrees after Kiryu beats him in a fight in his underground coliseum. Majima's crew ultimately proves instrumental in defending Tokyo against Omi attacks.
In the bonus episode "Majima Saga" featured in Kiwami 2, Majima's story between the events of Yakuza and Yakuza 2 is fleshed out further, where it is revealed that the Majima Family was disbanded to prevent bloodshed between the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance, following a conflict incited by a Tojo officer, Kei Ibuchi. Majima also later reunites with Makoto during his investigation, where he learns that Makoto has formed a family. After disbanding his clan and leaving the Tojo Clan, Majima and remnants of his family formed his construction company, Majima Construction, takes over Purgatory, and beginning work on Kamurocho Hills.
Yakuza 3 (2009) During Yakuza 3, Kiryu pleads with Majima once more to go back to the Tojo Clan and support the newly appointed Sixth Chairman, Daigo Dojima, as a contingency against any future troubles. Sometime later, Majima is blackmailed by Goh Hamazaki as a suspect in the clan's internal dispute.
Yakuza 4 (2010) In Yakuza 4, Majima follows the trail of Yasuko Saejima, determined to protect her on behalf of Taiga Saejima. Majima tells Shun Akiyama of Sky Finance that he is looking for Yasuko to protect her and to make amends with Saejima. On his way to see Majima, Kiryu, having returned to Kamurocho, witnesses Majima's arrest and calls out to him. Majima tells him that it was Daigo Dojima who set him up. Afterwards, Majima is released from prison and joins Kiryu in welcoming Saejima back to the Tojo Clan.
Yakuza 5 (2012) In Yakuza 5, Majima is in negotiations with the Tsukimino branch of the Omi Alliance under Dojima's orders to help put a stop to the rising tensions between the two clans. Despite his claims he wants peace, Tsubasa Kurosawa orders assassins to kill Majima mid-negotiation, which he survives, but is kidnapped. Majima reveals that the reason he was unable to resist Kurosawa was the threat to Haruka at her debut concert as an idol.
Yakuza 0 (2015) The prequel Yakuza 0 provides additional backstory for Majima, presenting a different and much more controlled version of the character years prior to his first appearance. It is revealed that he was thrown out of the Shimano Family for attempting to aid his sworn brother Saejima in an attack on the Ueno Seiwa Clan, which landed the latter in prison with the death penalty. Majima was tortured for a year and his left eye gouged out, after which he was handed over to Shimano's sworn brother Tsukasa Sagawa in the Omi Alliance. Sagawa forces Majima to manage the Cabaret Grand in Sotenbori, Osaka, where he is nicknamed by the locals the "Lord of the Night" due to his managerial acumen and proven success in turning the club's fortunes around. Wishing to return to his yakuza roots, Majima gets the opportunity to make a comeback by killing a blind masseuse known as Makoto Makimura. However, he accidentally bonds with Makimura and is unable to kill her. Working to protect her, he learns that Makimura is caught up in the dispute for the "Empty Lot," a piece of real estate in Kamurocho sought by members of the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance for its importance in a hugely valuable real estate deal. Majima manages to protect Makimura and rejoins the Shimano Family, but he distances himself from her as he returns to his yakuza life, hoping Makimura enjoys a peaceful life instead.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2016) In Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Majima plays a minor role in the story. Following the events of Yakuza 5, when a fire breaks out in Little Asia and destroys it, Majima and Daigo are arrested by the police on suspicion of having orchestrated the event. In 2017, Majima, alongside Saejima and Daigo, are released from prison after Kiryu made a deal with an unnamed politician in exchange for his silence in the Onomichi scandal, as well as his service to the Daidoji faction. The three of them, unaware of Kiryu's survival, proceeds to carry out his will and forms a partnership with the Yomei Alliance in Hiroshima.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020) / Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023) In Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, it is revealed the Tojo Clan was targeted by the new Governor of Tokyo, Ryo Aoki. Majima, Saejima and Daigo met with one of the family captains, Masumi Arakawa, to discuss a plan. Arakawa would pretend to betray the clan and leak secrets to the police, while the other three escape and go into hiding. Arakawa would join the ranks of the Omi Alliance, where he would become its acting captain after Masaru Watase was arrested for an unrelated incident. Majima attends a private meeting in Omi Alliance HQ, where Watase would make his first appearance following his release, and announce the dissolution of both the Omi Alliance and Tojo Clan, alongside Daigo. Prior to the meeting, Majima and Saejima encounter Ichiban Kasuga and his party, and dueled with them out of boredom. Arakawa and Daigo stopped them, and informed Kasuga of their plan. The next day, Watase arrived at the Omi HQ, and proceeded to make his announcement, inciting a riot among the Omi members. Majima, joined by Saejima, Arakawa, and Kasuga and his party, battles the rioting Omi members. Amidst the fight, Kiryu makes an appearance as Watase's bodyguard, to Majima's excitement.
After the team defeated the Omi members, Majima, Saejima, Daigo, Watase, Kiryu, and Watase Family captain Yuki Tsuruno left the premise, but they were stopped by Watase's lieutenant Kosei Shishido, who was against the dissolution plan. An enraged Shishido rallied the remaining Omi Alliance members to surround them, but ultimately he was defeated by Kiryu and detained by Daidoji agents. Sometimes later, Majima, Saejima and Daigo attended Arakawa and Aoki's funeral. The latter offered Kasuga a chance to join his new security firm, formed alongside Watase, but he declined.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024) Some time after establishing the security firm is formed, Majima, Saejima and Daigo were forced to close their business, as members of the firm were gradually exposed by the VTuber Hisoka Tatara for their criminal pasts. With their reputation in ruins, the trio retreated to a remote village where they became fishermen, living out their lives in complete isolation from the world. In December 2023, the trio were visited by Kiryu, who revealed to them that he had cancer with only a short time to live, while also telling them of his ongoing mission to support Kasuga, who was in Honolulu, Hawaii at the time. Kiryu requested the trio to lend their strength in supporting Jo Sawashiro and taking down the Seiryu Clan chairman Masataka Ebina, but they refused. Afterwards, Kiryu mocked their pride, triggering them into fighting him and his allies. In the ensuing fight, the trio begged Kiryu not to throw his life away, but he left them behind.