Sega recently updated their official blog with new screenshots and information pertaining to the five main characters you will play is.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen an official Yakuza (Ryo Ga Gotoku in Japan) update here in the states. After Yakuza 4 in 2011, all we’ve seen is a single spin off title while Japan has gotten three spin offs and a prequel. Fortunately for us, Yakuza 5 was announced for a worldwide release before the end of the year.

The recent blog update included a collection of new screenshots, and some brief overview on the five characters you will be playing as. While, the information isn’t exactly new, seeing as Yakuza 5 has actually been totally available to us, albeit in a different language, since 2012, it’s still awesome to read, in English, the story we’ll be facing.

The five characters you’ll be playing as are Kazuma Kiryu, the protagonist of the series and all around badass, Taiga Saejima, the playable escaped convict from Yakuza 4, Haruka Sawaruma, Kiryu’s ward and adopted daughter (also the first playable female character in the series), Shun Akiyama, the lovable loan shark from Yakuza 4 and Dead Souls, Tatsuo Shinada, a new character for the series.

While there is no set date as of right now, Yakuza 5 should hopefully be released as a digital download for PlayStation 3 before the end of the year.

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