Yakuza

Yakuza (ヤクザ, [jaꜜkuza]), also known as gokudō (極道), are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan (暴力団, "violent groups"), while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" (任侠団体 or 仁侠団体, "chivalrous organizations"). The yakuza are notorious for their strict codes of conduct and organized nature. They have a large presence in the Japanese media and operate internationally with an estimated 102,000 members.

Divisions of origin

Despite uncertainty about the single origin of yakuza organizations, most modern yakuza derive from two classifications which emerged in the mid-Edo Period (1603–1868): tekiya, those who primarily peddled illicit, stolen or shoddy goods; and bakuto, those who were involved in or participated in gambling.

"Tekiya" (peddlers) were considered one of the lowest social groups in Edo. As they began to form organizations of their own, they took over some administrative duties relating to commerce, such as stall allocation and protection of their commercial activities. During Shinto festivals, these peddlers opened stalls and some members were hired to act as security. Each peddler paid rent in exchange for a stall assignment and protection during the fair.

Yakuza (series)

Yakuza, known in Japan as Ryū ga Gotoku (龍が如く, lit. Like a Dragon), is an action-adventure video game franchise created, owned and published by Sega. The series primarily focus on the yakuza Kazuma Kiryu from the Tojo clan. While Kazuma often assists the Tojo clan, the series has also featured him searching for another way of life in the form of raising orphans. The gameplay of Yakuza has the player controlling Kazuma (or another character depending on the title) in an open world where he can encounter an enemy or perform an activity in the city to obtain experience.

The series originated from Toshihiro Nagoshi's desire to create a new game that would tell the yakuzas' way of life. Nagoshi initially struggled to find a platform for the project, until Sony showed interest in the prospect. The series became a commercial success, selling 7.8 million copies as of November 2014. Strong sales of the games in its original Japanese market has led to the franchise's expansion to other mediums, including film adaptations.

Yakuza (video game)

Yakuza, originally released in Japan as Like a Dragon (龍が如く, Ryū ga Gotoku), is an action-adventure game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 2. Yakuza was released in Japan in 2005, and outside Japan the following year. The story follows a yakuza named Kazuma Kiryu, who, after spending ten years in jail for a crime he did not commit, learns that 10 billion yen has been stolen from the Tojo clan, which the criminal underworld is searching for. He finds an orphaned girl Haruka who is being targeted by the clan, as she is believed to have the key for their lost money, and he resolves to protect her. The game takes place in Kamurocho, which is a realistic recreation of Tokyo's Kabukicho.

Yakuza is an open world action-adventure game with RPG elements: the player gains experience from combat, which can be used to level up Kazuma's stats and increase his fighting capabilities. In order to finance the game's expensive production, Sega contracted a tie-in campaign with famous Japanese companies. A remake of this game, titled Ryū ga Gotoku: Kiwami (龍が如く極, lit. "Like a Dragon: Extreme") has been released in Japanese on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on January 21, 2016.

Species (disambiguation)

Species is one of the basic units of biological classification.

Species may also refer to:

Films

Other

See also

Species (metaphysics)

Species, in metaphysics, is a specific genus-differentia defined item that is described first by its genus (genos) and then its differentia (diaphora). Put differently, it is an item, not necessarily biological, that belongs to a group and can be distinguished from other species in that group.

For example, a human being as a species can be defined as an animal (genus) that can reason (differentia).

The term is derived from the Greek word eidos, which means form in Plato's dialogues but should be taken to mean species in Aristotle's corpus.

External links

Species (Christianity)

Species is an older English word meaning 'external form or appearance'. In Christianity, when the wine is turned into blood, it is believed to literally become blood, which then retains only the species of the wine, meaning the appearance, taste, smell and feel of the wine.