Goro Majima

Goro Majima (born 14 May 1964) was a Japanese yakuza crime boss who was the patriarch of the Majima-gumi family of the Tojo-kai, president of Majima Construction, and chief advisor to Tojo Clan chairman Daigo Dojima. During the late 1980s, he was well-known as a successful nightclub impresario in Dotonbori, Osaka, running the highly popular Cabaret Grand and Club Sunshine, and being nicknamed the "Lord of the Night" for his showmanship. He later entered the construction industry as another legitimate front for his criminal activities, and, in 1988, he briefly served as a taxation policy advisor to LDP politician Taiyo Matsuzato, inadvertently proposing the sales tax which contributed to the bursting of Japan's bubble economy in 1992.

Biography[]

Early career[]

Goro Majima was born on 14 May 1964, but much of his background is unknown. He joined the yakuza at a young age, befriending Taiga Saejima while working for the Tojo-kai. In April 1985, he and Saejima were ordered to participate in a hit on the Uenoseiwa-kai at a ramen shop, but Kazuo Shibata of the Dojima-gumi forbade Majima from participating due to the Dojima-gumi's hesitancy to claim responsibility for the attack. Majima insisted on being there for his oath brother, so Shibata and his lackeys tortured Majima, and Hideaki Nitta gouged out his left eye. Majima was then sent into exile in Dotonbori, Osaka, under surveillance from Omi Alliance lieutenant Tsukasa Sagawa; he was imprisoned in "the hole" from 1985 to 1986, and he was released to a civilian life in Dotonbori in 1987. His family made him manager of the Cabaret Grand, and Sagawa promised Majima that, if he made ¥100 million yen, he could return to the yakuza.

Return to the Yakuza[]

Managing the Cabaret Grand[]

Dealing with trouble[]

Majima became known as a well-respected showman and host, turning the Cabaret Grand into the most popular club in all Osaka. Majima was immensely popular among clubgoers, but he privately resented being a businessman and preferred the violent lifestyle of a yakuza. On the night of 12 December 1988, he confronted a rowdy customer, Morie Arakawa, when he insisted on feeling up the hostess Maki-chan; Majima politely requested that Arakawa leave, but Arakawa drunkenly attempted to swing at Majima and even emptied a whole bottle of brandy over Majima's head in an attempt to humiliate him. Majima turned the scene into a show by inviting Arakawa to "dance" with him, having his big band play swing music as he dodged all of Arakawa's moves and offered him toilettes and drinks. Eventually, Arakawa tired out, and Majima initially decided to have Arakawa escorted out of the club. However, he ultimately decided that, since the "customer is king" (and he didn't want to destroy Arakawa's life over one night of mistakes), he allowed for Arakawa to stay in the club provided he follow the rules, and had Arakawa pay for everyone's drinks with his credit card, resolving the dispute and causing all the customers to give him a standing ovation and order several more drinks.

Goro Majima 1988 — Majima on 12 December 1988

Majima then returned to his office, where he had his manager Fumiaki Mitsugu give Maki-chan a bonus for her troubles. He then headed downstairs to settle a dispute between the new hostess, Kanae-chan, and the veteran, Sakurako-chan, and he asked the nervous waiter Yushiro Kamoto to call over Kanae. Majima sugar-coated his request that she step up her game and be more friendly with the others, even though she said that Sakurako had tried to play the "seniority card" on her; by the end of the conversation, a reassured Kanae-chan gleefully told Majima that she wanted to live up to his ideal hostess. He then asked Kamoto about what was troubling him, and Kamoto revealed that his father was sick and in need of a ¥500,000 surgery. Majima told Kamoto to take a few days off to be with his father and handed over ¥500,000 to his grateful employee, another act of kindness. Mitsugu then called Majima upstairs, as a customer was taking advantage of Arakawa's purchase of drinks for everyone, and Majima headed to the customer's table to confront him.

Renegotiation[]

Majima Sagawa — Majima talking with Sagawa

When Majima approached the table, he found that it was Sagawa spending lavishly, and he rudely greeted Majima as "Mr. Eyepatch Manager". Majima convinced Sagawa to accompany him to his office to talk, as, while running the club, he intended to keep his yakuza past a secret. In Majima's office, Majima expressed his displeasure about being forced to run a legitimate business, but Sagawa said that Majima must be drowning in money, standing, fame, and women, and that it was ironic that Majima wanted to give away what all men wanted. Majima then handed Sagawa a suitcase full of the week's take, and promised him that he should have the last of the ¥100 million by the end of the month. However, Sagawa told Majima that he would up the necessary tribute to ¥500 million, as he could not afford to lose his cash cow while business was booming. Majima angrily reminded Sagawa that the deal was that he would give Sagawa ¥100 million, and, in turn, Sagawa would convince Futoshi Shimano to let him back into the Tojo-kai. Sagawa told Majima to provide him with another ¥500 million, but Majima called Sagawa a "weaselly rat bastard" and nearly punched him in the face, only to hold his fist back. Sagawa told Majima that he couldn't hit him, unless he wanted to go back to "the hole", and Majima renewed his commitment to get Sagawa his money. Sagawa then asked Majima if he would do a hit to get back in the family, and Majima said that he would. Before Sagawa left, he also had Majima send his top-performing hostess, Noriko-chan, to another club which was dying.

Investigating the Odyssey[]

Majima meeting Sometaro Komeki at the canal

Mitsugu then came in, telling Majima that Noriko-chan had been ordered to another club; Majima told Mitsugu that he had already learned that. However, he suggested that Majima poach Nozomi Hazuki from the Odyssey club, and Majima chided Mitsugu for telling him the obvious; he then set out for Soemoncho to find the Odyssey club and steal its best hostess. Along the way, he was confronted by the elderly martial artist Sometaro Komeki, who told Majima that he felt that his edge as a martial artist had been dulled, and wanted to practice. He then challenged Majima to a fight along the canal, and, in the ensuing fight, Majima easily defeated Komeki. Afterwards, Komeki told Majima that, in fighting him, he recovered some strength he once had, and he said that Majima could discover strength he never knew he had, suggesting that there was a mutual benefit in their fights. He then told Majima that he would be in the city for a while longer, and invited Majima to fight him again sometime.

Majima Hirokumi Yoshino — Majima fighting Hirokumi Yoshino

Majima then decided to search around Osaka for information on the Odyssey, hoping to use such information to leverage the club into accepting Nozomi-chan's departure. Along the way, he beat down the hooligans Isao Nozaki, Takuma Yamaoka, and Hideyori Nagano on the bridge across the Dotonbori canal, took down the yakuza Hirokumi Yoshino, Yasuoka Numata, and Masashi Hirose, beat down the Snake Flower Triad members Shunsho Noguchi, Joben Nagata, and Sadayoshi Kawasaki, the Triads Juro Yamamoto, Shigemori Okuda, and Orinosuke Yamanaka in another fight, the Triads Hyosuke Matsushima, Shizue Onuma, and Katsumoto Kurita in yet another street brawl.

While crossing the bridge from Dotonbori back to Soemoncho, Majima came across the Snake Flower Triad members Oda Furukawa, Arinori Utsumi, and Hokusai Juba harassing the woman Hide Morine, and he intervened and proceeded to beat them down when they insisted on fighting. A grateful Morine gave Majima a slightly battered pristine skin as a token of her appreciation for his heroism.

Majima Matsu Horie — Majima talking with Matsu Horie

Shortly after, Majima ran into his club's barker (hype man) Matsu Horie on the bridge, and Matsu complimented Majima's successful management of the Cabaret Grand, comparing its success to a rocket ship's blast-off. When he mentioned Majima's arrival in Dotonbori, Majima joked that there were no rearview mirrors on a rocket ship, and he then asked Matsu about the Odyssey. Matsu said that, while the Odyssey was the only club in town which could compete with the Cabaret Grand, it had already hit the ceiling, as its clientele consisted of grey-haired high-rollers with expensive tastes, discouraging the younger, less wealthy patrons from coming to the club. He also revealed that Odyssey manager Harumi Yamagata was about to fire his floor manager in order to shake things up at his club.

Majima Yasukazu Iwayama — Majima meeting Yasukazu Iwayama

Majima then decided to make his way to the Odyssey, and, along the way, he beat down the Snake Flower Triad members Yoshi Mikami, Shihi Fukushima, and Tanosuke Ninomiya, and he later beat down the Triads Amane Kawamura, Kinzo Fukuda, and Ryuichi Hirakawa, the hooligans Yoshihito Sekiguchi, Michio Kawamura, and Hiroaki Itoda. While walking down the street, he was accosted by the elderly shogi player Yasukazu Iwayama, who invited him to play a game with him. Majima initially hesitated, as he was a beginner, but Iwayama assured Majima that he would play him as if he was a beginner as well; he still defeated Majima, and he invited him to come back if he ever wanted to play again.

Majima Hirokichi Miyamoto — Majima rescuing Hirokichi Miyamoto

Majima then fought his way past the bikers Manabu Shimada, Taji Sada, and Otojiro Ishikawa, and he confronted the bikers Tarozaemon Mogi, Masaharu Machida, and Tokaji Koike as they harassed the student Hirokichi Miyamoto on a street corner. The bikers chose to fight Majima rather than scurry off, and Majima beat them down, leading to a grateful Miyamoto giving Majima a health drink.

Majima overhearing the conversation about the Odyssey

Shortly after, while walking near the Odyssey, Majima came across a veteran clubgoer, Mitsuzuka Yuguchi, advising the young clubgoer Sadanobu Chinen to go to the Grand instead of the Odyssey. Chinen was confused, saying that the Odyssey had received rave reviews and had beautiful hostesses, but Yuguchi told Chinen that the clientele was the problem, as all of them were "big shot businessmen and A-listers. Old men who could light their cigs with a wad of bills if they wanted." He also warned Chinen that the girls picked up the scent of cash like sharks, and that, if "nobodies" like them went to the club, they would be drowning in their sorrows as they were "passed right up". Majima kept this opinion in mind, as it showed that the Odyssey was facing a serious collapse of popularity in the long-run.

Meeting Mr. Shakedown[]

Majima then defeated the goons Katzumi Seto, Hakuseki Noda, and Ryobe Sega when they attempted to jump him. He also came across the tall and muscular Naoya Kawahashi, Osaka's own "Mr. Shakedown". Kawahashi demanded that Majima hand over his wallet, and Majima lamented that he might be getting too famous for his own good. Kawahashi, who did not recognize Majima, sarcastically asked for Majima's autograph, and suggested that Majima write his own name on it too - "Naoya Kawahashi". Majima laughed off the pretentious muscle man, but Kawahashi angrily snapped back at Majima, claiming to have a crew of 25,000 men. Majima dismissed this, saying that, if Kawahashi had that many men in his "little gang", he could compete with the Tojo-kai. Kawahashi insisted that he was telling the truth, so Majima asked where the other 24,499 men were, and if they had run out of gas on the way to Osaka. Kawahashi then asked Majima why he was asking him so many questions, and said that he was simply in town to have fun, and he needed cash for that. Majima deduced that Kawahashi was "just a kid from the sticks who came to the city for a good time" and was "beating up folks for play money."

Naoya Kawahashi defeated — Majima confronting a defeated Naoya Kawahashi

Majima proceeded to fight Kawahashi in a public brawl, nearly being beaten down several times, but ultimately overcoming the powerful Kawahashi. Majima took the ¥5,250,000 Kawahashi had previously stolen, and he warned Kawahashi that he should be more careful when picking his victim the next time. Kawahashi claimed that he had gone easy on Majima, as he could not shake him down again if Majima was dead, and he told Majima that he was done for the day and would go home for then, although he promised to return. Majima then beat down the goons Munenori Yamane, Tabito Hattori, and Benkei Fukuoka before beating down the goons Hirofumi Fujiwara, Masaharu Miyamoto, and Norio Takada, and the biker Yoshinaka Nagano.

Majima then arrived at the Odyssey, and he decided to take off his eyepatch and wear shades in order to conceal his identity. After the waiter Sumiteru Mura had Majima wait for a vacancy, Majima bided his time and admired the Odyssey's success, while also reminding himself that he would get in quicker if he did not put in a request for Nozomi, the most popular hostess at the club. Instead, he was served by Takako-chan, and he ordered them champagne and asked her about the club, herself, and the other hostesses, hoping to learn more.

Majima Takako-chan — Majima drinking with Takako-chan

Takako told Majima that the club had been drawing fewer customers than the Grand for about a month, and that the management had warned the staff that, if they did not perform better that month, the whole staff would be fined. She also told him about how she wanted skiing equipment, although she politely rejected Majima's offer to buy her the equipment. When Majima asked about the club, she said that the club had around 100 hostesses, but only 40 were active that night, and some hostesses only showed up once a week. Takako then said that many girls quit because of the strict pecking order, and she then mentioned that Nozomi-chan was the most popular hostess. When Majima asked about Nozomi-chan, Takako initially hesitated, saying that hostesses were not supposed to talk about other hostesses, but she summed up Nozomi as "professional", as she appealed to the "bank bigwigs" and politicians who frequented the club by keeping up with their conversations through reading the newspaper and keeping up with the news. She also joked that Nozomi looked lost when younger customers came in, as she was used to pleasing the older customer base.

Majima Yamagata — Harumi Yamagata greeting Majima

Shortly after, Majima was greeted by name by the Odyssey's manager, and his business rival, Harumi Yamagata, who asked if Majima was there for Nozumi, and asked about Majima's roundabout way of doing business (sneaking around and spying on the competition). Majima said that he was willing to make a deal with Yamagata, but Yamagata assured Majima that he could speak with Nozomi herself. Majima said that he would not get very far without Yamagata on board, and he mentioned that Odyssey was skewed towards the grey-haired types; using a baseball comparison, he said that the place was swimming in "home run batters" and suggested that he could use somebody who could "bunt". Majima then offered an intrigued Yamagata ¥10 million and any of his new, younger-crowd-oriented girls in exchange for Nozomi, and Majima promised Yamagata that the deal was honey for both of them. Yamagata commended Majima's ability to get what he wanted without making enemies along the way, but he warned him that, starting the next day, Odyssey would do everything it could to win. Yamagata then covered Majima's tab, and Majima bade Yamagata farewell and called his ecstatic floor manager before deciding to grab some food on Dotonbori Street and go home.

Meeting Fei Hu[]

Majima watching the confrontation at the canal side

Along the way to Dotonbori, Majima beat down the Snake Flower Triad members Mitsuo Inaba, Hitomaro Ikeda, and Shogo Goto, and he also came across a scene along the canal side, where a rod-wielding Chinese man, Fei Hu, was in an argument with a sword-wielding Japanese customer, Momoru Mayeda. Mayeda criticized Fei for selling him a sword for a raid rather than giving him daggers or guns, and Fei said that he was hesitant to sell to Mayeda in the first place due to his lack of appreciation for the Chinese broadsword. He then said that he only dealt with clients he respected, and demanded that Mayeda prove his ability with a sword in order to continue buying from him. Fei managed to defeat Maeda with his rod, impressing the onlooking Majima. Fei then criticized Mayeda for his lack of fighting skills after Mayeda said that he had lost due to having a poorly-made sword; Fei said that he had masterfully crafted the sword himself, but had beaten Mayeda with a piece of lumber. Fei asked that Mayeda not return to his shop again, and Mayeda retorted that he hoped that both Fei and his shop would burn.

Just then, Sometaro Komeki showed up behind Majima, saying that he was merely wandering about in search of a location for their next fight. He then told Majima that the Chinese man was Fei Hu, a local arms dealer and a master of fighting. When Majima asked how Komeki knew Fei, Komeki said that he had known Fei's late father, and that checking on Fei was half of the reason he had come to Dotonbori. Komeki then warned Majima that Fei had taken notice of him, and Majima turned to look at Fei, who told Komeki that he did not trust Majima, as he had an "air of danger" about him. However, Komeki said that Fei should allow for Goro to prove his own fighting skills, and Fei and Majima agreed to have a battle on the canal side. In the ensuing battle, Majima used a baseball bat to defeat Fei Hu, who, along with Komeki, was impressed by Majima's skills.

Fei Hu then invited Majima to visit his nearby shop, Dragon & Tiger, which was outwardly a Chinese restaurant operated by himself and his wife Long Hua. Long Hua introduced herself from behind the counter, and Fei Hu then explained that he hand-made weapons, gear, and parts behind the scenes. Fei Hu also explained that he sent agents around the world to remote archaeological sites to produce historically important weaponry, and that he had an extensive network overseas. Majima was impressed by Fei Hu's operation, and he decided to support the restaurant by asking Long Hua for the house special, as he was hungry.

Majima and Komeki outside of Dragon & Tiger

Majima and Komeki then spoke outside, and Komeki asked Majima to support the business while keeping Fei Hu's trade a secret; he suggested that Majima should keep vigil over them and occasionally buy something and send Fei Hu's agents out on a search. He then told Majima that he was off to the wilderness for training, and told Majima to not let his edges grow dull either.

Pretend boyfriend[]

Majima then returned to the restaurant, where he walked in on Long Hua yelling at Fei Hu for not buying eggs from the local market. Fei Hu apologized, as a weapons customer had stopped him to complain, and he said that he must have forgotten to get eggs. He and his wife then greeted Majima, and Long Hua went back to criticizing Fei Hu, saying that the market the next town over had the best prices for eggs. She then suggested that, while Fei Hu was there, he could also search for equipment for Majima, and, while Fei Hu said that he had never been an agent before, Long Hua told him to "find good things" for Majima and "make lots of money".

Majima Kokoa Okano — Majima meeting Kokoa Aisu

While Majima walked down the street after leaving the Dragon & Tiger restaurant, he was stopped by a flustered young woman, Kokoa Aisu, who asked Majima to be her "boyfriend". Majima was surprised that Aisu had made such a serious request on a whim, and he told her to "back it up a step or six" and explain what she meant. She explained that she wanted Majima to date her and so forth, and Majima (sarcastically) said that he would take Aisu's request as a proposal of marriage and accept. Kokoa then explained that she needed Majima to pretend to be her boyfriend so that her father would stop attempting to find suitors for her, and she also explained that she had told her father that her boyfriend was thin, wore an eyepatch, "a cool ponytail", and had a "dangerous air" about him, like the "blade of a knife", a description which Majima fit. She then introduced herself as "Koko-chan", and Majima introduced himself; she decided to call him "Goro-chan", an intimate term of endearment, in order to keep up appearances. Kokoa then told Majima that she needed Majima to come to dinner with her to meet her father and put on a believable performance as her boyfriend.

Hiroshi Okano meeting Majima — Hiroshi Aisu meeting Majima

Majima reluctantly agreed to help Kokoa, and, when they sat at their restaurant table to wait for Kokoa's father, she told him that she had made up a backstory where her boyfriend was a dentist who liked going out on drives, watching movies, and loved the omelette rice Kokoa made. Shortly after, Kokoa's father Hiroshi Aisu arrived at the restaurant, and he sat with the couple; Majima politely introduced himself, getting off to a good start. Aisu was impressed, saying that the erosion of courtesy in the new generation bothered him, but that he was impressed with Majima's manners. He then asked about Majima's profession, and Majima said that he was a dentist. When he asked how he had met Kokoa, Majima was forced to think of a non-threatening response, considering responses such as them meeting on the street or them sitting next to each other in a movie theater. He decided that either of those seemed too intimate, so he claimed that he had met Kokoa when she bumped into him as she was running with toast in her mouth. Aisu said that Majima's response sounded like something from anime, and Majima conceded that it must have been straight out of a manga; Kokoa said that she had bumped into Majima and dropped her toast, and that she went to Majima's workplace shortly after. Aisu questioned this story, asking why Kokoa would go the dentist's office shortly after eating. Aisu then asked what Majima found so attractive about Kokoa, and a nervous Majima said that he loved Kokoa's omelette rice; however, he came to realize that he must have left the impression that he only loved Kokoa for her cooking.

Hiroshi Okano talking with Majima — Hiroshi Aisu talking with Majima about his daughter

A nervous Kokoa then excused herself to go to the bathroom as Aisu confronted Majima, telling him that he knew he was pretending to be his daughter's boyfriend, and laughing when Majima initially tried to keep up the act. He then revealed that his wife had died when Kokoa was an infant, and that he had been an over-protective single parent of Kokoa for years, realizing that he should let Kokoa choose a husband for herself. Majima also added that he should let Kokoa manage her own affairs, as she wanted to take a stand for herself. Shortly after, Kokoa returned from the restroom, and Aisu - keeping up the act - said that he gave his approval to his daughter's relationship with Majima, and that he had to get going to his hotel, as he was tired. Kokoa agreed to walk her father to the hotel, and she and Majima left the restaurant as well.

Majima talking with Koko-chan outside the restaurant

Kokoa then decided to bid farewell to Majima and thank him for his help, giving him five pieces of fluorite as a token of her thanks. Majima then advised Kokoa to give her real, future boyfriend a proper introduction to her father. Kokoa then ran to her father, but Hiroshi said that he forgot something, and then ran over to Majima and thanked Majima for being a good man, only to invite him to become his daughter's real boyfriend, as he believed that Majima was the ideal man, and could be entrusted with Kokoa's future. He also said that, if Kokoa wouldn't take Majima, he would, shocking and disturbing Majima. Kokoa then ran over to her father, and Majima bade farewell to the strange family and muttered to himself, "This is why I'm single!"

State-of-the-art technology[]

Majima bag phone — Majima trying out Idozuka Teshima's "bag phone"

Shortly after, Majima received a coded alert on his pager meaning "Dragon, Tiger, equipment", suggesting that new equipment must have arrived for him. While walking down the street, he came across a young man, Idozuka Teshima, who was making a phone call from a shoulder bag. Majima walked up to Teshima after he hung up and muttered his dismay that few appreciated the "awesomeness of bag phones", and he asked Teshima how he could chat through his "chunky bag". Teshima explained to Majima that it was a "bag phone", "a fully transportable mobile telephone made possible through state-of-the-art technology." Majima asked why Teshima had a bag phone, and Teshima explained that it meant that the user would not have to be chained to his home or office, but could even set up their workplace in a cafe. When Majima curiously asked about the price, Teshima said that it was more expensive than he could say, and Majima joked that he would have to stick to payphones with the other "peasants". However, Teshima volunteered to let Majima use his bag phone to place his call. When Majima attempted to call, the call did not work, and Teshima realized that the phone had run out of battery, and would not be able to function until after an eight-hour charge. Majima criticized how the phone had run out of charge after just one call, but Teshima said that such was the price of "being on the vanguard of the times." Majima decided that he was no longer interested in using the phone, but Teshima told him that he could quickly recharge it with normal batteries from Don Quixote, and he persuaded Majima to purchase some to help recharge the phone.

Majima and Teshima confronting the defeated thugs

Majima purchased the battery from Don Quixote after beating down the thugs Basho Miyagawa, Isamu Kai, and Atsushi Yoshimoto, and he then returned to Teshima. Teshima thanked Majima for his help, but he began to ache due to his shoulder being weighed down by the bag phone; Majima gave Teshima one of his tonics in order to help him feel better. Just then, the thugs Roka Motohashi and Misao Hamaguchi confronted the two and made fun of Teshima's bag phone, causing Teshima to call them "knuckle-dragging gorillas". Motohashi was angered, and he knocked Teshima to the ground and called him a "yuppie". Majima intervened, saying that he was "first in line" for the phone, and Motohashi called him "cyclops" and then provoked a fight. Majima beat down both of the thugs, who then fled in fear. However, when Teshima invited Majima to use the phone, Majima found that it must have been damaged when Teshima fell, and said that it must not have been in the cards for him to use the bag phone. Teshima told Majima that, since he had been kind enough to buy him batteries and medicine, he would ensure that Majima could have a chance to use the bag phone, and told him to meet him in front of the M Store in Soemoncho West so that he could "make a call in a state-of-the-art experience."

Majima beat down the thugs Kimi Koyanagi, Yoshi Hoshino, and Hirofumi Mizutani, and he then made his way to the M Store, where he found that Teshima had a new bag phone. Teshima revealed that his mother had bought him a new bag phone, and Majima picked up the phone, only to say that he had forgotten whom he was supposed to call. Teshima asked Majima if he was okay, and if he was about to faint, but Majima said that, after all of the fighting, he was unable to remember whom he sought to call. Teshima then told Majima that he was always happy to let him use his bag phone, provided it still had a charge, and Teshima told Majima that the bag phone was just the beginning, and that, in the future, everyone might be able to carry a mobile phone on them and even take photos with it. Majima then bade Teshima farewell, although he said that he was done with tech fads. He then decided to go back to his apartment, beating down the Snake Flower Triad members Senzo Takai, Noriyori Fujiwara, and Yasutake Tamura along the way.

Under watch[]

When Majima reached the alleyway entrance to his home, he found that he had been followed by Odyssey employees Shimpei Shimada, Yohachi Takano, and Shinsaku Komatsu. Shimada said that he and the other employees had not "okayed" the deal Majima had made with Yamagata, and made fun of Majima's "Customer is King" policy, saying that Majima had to bow to him, lick his boots, and shine his shoes. Majima countered by saying that he would always treat his customers well, even licking their boots, but, if he was confronted by "some sorry punk begging to be served", he would be "happy to accommodate." Majima then beat down the three thugs, and he told Shimada that, if he wanted revenge, he should come by his club, where Majima would go on his knees and grovel as much as Shimada wanted.

With the thugs dealt with, Majima returned to his apartment, but, upon looking through the window, he noticed that several men were keeping watch over his apartment, from a rooftop sentry to a man on a barge, and even to an elderly homeless man with a pushcart. After lamenting that Osaka had become a prison, he finally went to sleep. That night, he had a nightmare of how his insistence on helping his sworn brother Taiga Saejima had led to Kazuo Shibata and Futoshi Shimano seeing to his brutal torture in "the Hole".

The next day, 13 December 1988, he returned to his club, where his floor manager told him that Nozomi had arrived with another veteran hostess, encouraging Majima about the result of his meeting with Yamagata. Shortly after, Majima was called to his office to answer a telephone call, and Sagawa invited Majima to grab drinks with him. Majima said that he would rather "down a mug of (his) own piss than suffer through beers" with Sagawa, but Sagawa calmed Majima and told him that he would be waiting for him in Ashitaba Park.

That evening, Majima left his club, and he beat down the Snake Flower Triad members Ryushi Kawakami, Eijiro Fujimura, and Sukenobu Aoki on a bridge, and he also came across another "Mr. Shakedown", Kenji Oe, who told Majima that he didn't like Majima's tone or his face. He then demanded that Majima hand over his wallet, but Majima instead decided to fight, and he easily beat down Oe in the street. Majima took the ¥7,097,749 that Oe had stolen from other passers-by, and Oe said that, while it was back to square one for him, he would come back to take his money back and then some from Majima.

Shortly after, Majima beat down the goons Tenshin Ebara, Tsuneo Omori, and Sosuke Miyoshi, who attempted to jump him on the street. He then made his way towards Ashitaba Park, and he decided to stop at Utahime Karaoke Bar along the way. He ordered and ate fried chicken at the bar before singing karaoke with Ai Haneda, who sang "Shine" with Majima. Ai then complimented Majima's karaoke skills, and said that she had lots of fun listening to Majima.

Hit job from Sagawa[]

Drinking with Sagawa[]

Majima then stepped outside and walked over to the covered food stand where Sagawa was waiting for him; the two of them walked behind the curtains and sat at the bench in front of the food stand. There, Sagawa greeted Majima in a friendly manner and invited him to sit, and he also poured him hot sake, although Majima refused to clink glasses with Sagawa. Sagawa then recalled how it had been two years since they had met, and, the whole time, Majima had always been angry; he commented that it made him wonder why his oath brother Futoshi Shimano had decided to keep Majima alive. He then said that lucky yakuza members were expelled or disavowed, while the unlucky were sent to a black site for a slow death. Sagawa then recalled how Majima had survived a year of torture, so Shimano let him out. Majima said that he was unsure of why Shimano had let him out, and said that being let out and forgiveness were not the same, cautioning Majima.

Sagawa then took a more hostile tone, questioning Shimano's roundabout way of dealing with Majima, and suggesting that it "Could be he just can't get enough of f***ing that a** of yours." When Majima did not respond, Sagawa called him "such a stick in the mud" and then asked him why he was so desperate to get back in the Tojo Clan. He questioned if Majima's motivation was to rejoin his sworn brother Taiga Saejima, as Majima had previously said that he was working hard for Saejima's sake. Sagawa recalled how "18-Counts Saejima" was a legend of his time for his hit on the Uenoseiwa-kai, news of which even made it to Osaka. He then said that it was a small wonder that Saejima was still in prison, and had not yet been executed. Majima broke his silence to declare that Saejima was not the type to die in prison, and that he would come back, although he briefly remarked that Saejima would kill him. Sagawa asked what Majima meant, but Majima dismissed his earlier remark and told Sagawa that he would take any pain or humiliation to get back in the Tojo Clan. Sagawa was amused that Majima was going through all of that effort to carve out a seat in the family for Saejima to return to, calling it a "real tear-jerker of a tale", and saying that he would never throw away his own entire life so he could live for somebody else's sake.

Sagawa then told Majima that he would cut to the chase and ask if Majima could kill a human being. When Majima hesitated, Sagawa reminded Majima that he had said he would do anything to get back in the game. When Majima asked if he could just stick to paying Sagawa the ¥500 million, Sagawa suggested that he could scuttle Majima's deal with the Odyssey, essentially strong-arming Majima into carrying out the hit. Majima asked if Majima wanted him to kill as well as to earn, but Sagawa explained that both were important parts of the business, and important for both men. He then told Majima that his target would be Makoto Makimura, whom he described as the leader of a local prostitution ring which was blowing up lately, and who snatched up young college girls and took all of the money they made from their prostitution. He also claimed that Makoto beat girls attempting to leave prostitution so severely that they could never have kids again, painting a picture of an evil man. He then told Majima that Makimura had his girls use telephone clubs to hook their johns, and that the girls at the bottom of his food chain were Majima's best lead. He gave Majima a deadline of two days, after which the target would be on Majima's back instead. Sagawa then nagged Majima, telling him that, if he could get by without killing, he should do it; Majima, despite never having killed a person, said that there was no future for a yakuza who could not pull the trigger, and agreed to do the hit. Sagawa then recommended that Majima finish his drink and try the meatball at the food stand, and he then took his leave.

Munan Chohept Onast[]

While walking out of Ashitaba Park, Majima came across a woman, Naoko Kogawa, arguing with two white-clad youths, Yukako Hirose and Sanjiro Okuma, and begging for them to give her daughter back. The two said that their daughter was with them of her own free will, and warned Naoko that, if she continued to complain, they might have to force her daughter, "Sister Iori", to face atonement for the "sins of the mother." Okuma warned Kogawa that the use of force was, at times, a necessary evil, and warned her to leave the Order alone.

Majima then approached the worried mother, who was initially worried that Majima was from the cult. When Majima looked confused, the mother explained that her 20-year-old daughter, a college student, had been swept up by a cult, and that she had no one to turn to in order to rescue Iori. Majima deduced that Iori was ripe for the picking as a 20-year-old in search of freedom, and he asked Naoko if she was sure that the mysterious people were a cult and "not just a buncha kooks in pajamas," and Naoko explained that she became worried when Naoko's school called and reported that she was missing classes. One morning, Naoko had followed Iori to the cult's building, and, when Naoko confronted her daughter that night, Iori attempted to convince Naoko to join the cult as well. The next day, the cult took Iori away, and Naoko said that she had already lost her husband, and now feared that she would lose her daughter as well. A distraught Naoko then asked if Majima would join the cult in order to get into the building and get her daughter back, and Majima decided to accept and tell Iori that her mother wanted her home. Before Majima left, Naoko warned Majima that he would have to use the cult's lingo to gain entry, and she told him that the cult was called the "Order of Munan Chohept Onast". She also gave him a handmade amulet which she carried for good luck, hoping that it would help Majima on his quest.

Majima then approached Sanjiro Okuma and Yukako Hirose, and he told them that he wished to join the Order of Munan Chohept Onast. An excited Okuma asked Majima if he wished to be chosen, and he then welcomed Majima into the building. He told him that he would be quizzed on what he learned from his visit to the cult in order to gain admission, and he taught him that onast was a word meant to express the feeling of gratitude and appreciation. Shortly after, their conversation was interrupted when another proselyte, Sanzo Asai, was caught running down the hallway by Order disciple Taro Hashimoto, who ordered that Asai be "chastened". Majima expressed concern, but Okuma told Majima that Asai was "wracked by episodic outbursts of manic behavior." Okuma then took Majima to the dojo to watch as the disciples engaged in shooreh pippi, "training to attain higher enlightenment in the path of Munan Chohept Onast." Okuma then explained, "As we accumulate kuliapas, the divine Munan Chohept shall bestow enlightenment and rapture upon us."

Majima observing shooreh pippi — Majima observing *shooreh pippi*

When Majima asked for Iori, one of the disciples mentioned that their name was Iori, and Majima approached her as she performed her ritualistic meditation dance. He claimed to be Munan Chohept, who was bearing grave tidings, but Iori stood and accused him of blasphemy. When she asked how Majima knew her name, he told her that her mother wanted her home, and Iori faintly recalled the name "mother" and said that her head was hurting. Okuma ran over and told Majima that he must not disturb his disciples in shooreh pippi, and that the members of the Order were purging memories of family and "worldly ties" to attain "spiritual purity." As Guru Munan Suzuki was about to make an appearance, Okuma then had Majima perform the munanacho greeting, while telling him that the word for "farewell" was hepton.

Suzuki then spoke to his disciples and asked about their "titherances", and Namboku Tani said that he had contributed five rincho, while Izumi Iwamoto said that she had done better with eight rincho. Okuma explained that one rincho was ¥100,000. When Suzuki asked the distraught Iori what was wrong, she said that she was fine, but lacking in rincho; he warned her that her kuliapaas would be stunted without titherances, and suggested that they engage in "special shooreh pippi" with him to put things to right. Okuma explained to Majima that special shooreh pippi was only reserved for women, and that he wished he could partake in its "grand glory" if he was not a man. Majima was angered that Suzuki got away with stealing money and having his pick of women, and he demanded to meet Suzuki. Okuma said that he could meet the guru if he passed a test, and Majima was able to demonstrate the knowledge of the Order he had acquired from his visit, enabling him to meet Suzuki.

Okuma took Majima to Suzuki's office, where he performed a "benediction" for Majima before Iori walked in, announcing that she had cleansed herself throroughly and was now ready to be a "vessel" for Suzuki's special shooreh pippi. Majima told Iori that she was being conned, and that her mother would be heartbroken, telling her to remember the woman who raised her. Suzuki yelled at Majima, telling him that "awakening the memory of friends" was the worst of all sins. Majima then accidentally dropped the lucky amulet, and Iori recognized it and her mother, leading to her realizing the cult's corruption. She then asked why she would ever want to become one with "that shady old hippie", and an enraged Suzuki yelled at Majima for interfering with his plans and proceeded to fight Majima in his office. Majima easily beat down Suzuki, whose followers them rushed into his room and attempted to perform a shooreh pippi healing ritual, only for Suzuki to yell for them to get him real help.

Majima then brought Iori outside to her waiting mother, and Iori explained to her mother that she had joined the cult because they promised they could bring back her late father, before lamenting that she almost ensured that her mother would also lose her daughter and be left alone. Naoko then thanked Majima, as he had both delivered the message and gotten her back her daughter, and Majima joked that Iori at least had a new pair of pajamas. He then handed Iori her mother's amulet, telling her to keep it, and Iori and her mother thanked Majima and bade him farewell. Majima then returned to his apartment, and he went to sleep for the night.

The next day, 14 December, Majima rose in the morning to investigate the telephone clubs and make some calls to see if he could find a girl in Makoto Makimura's ring. He went to the Teltel Boys Club, and the clerk Motoichi Takagaki gave him room number five for two hours. After 90 minutes of waiting, Majima finally received a call from a college student, Akko Yanai, and he strangely asked him if he had any tattoos. He said that he had the demon lady Hannya on his back, and Akko claimed that she was studying to become an artist, hence her interest. Majima suspected that people with interests in tattoos might have criminal connections, and he asked her if she knew Makoto Makimura. She grew nervous and wanted to leave the call, but Majima claimed to be a freelance writer who sought to write an article on Makimura. She told him to meet her at the Iwao Bridge, and he said that he was wearing shades and a black jacket, and had long hair back in a ponytail.

While leaving the club, Majima was confronted by a strange man wearing only underpants and smiling creepily at him. The man recognized Majima from his visit to the Odyssey, where Majima had seen the man doing strange dances and pelvic thrusts on a stairway near the stage. The man asked Majima about his going to a telephone club first thing in the morning, asking him if he was "real hard-up"; he then said that he was visiting a massage parlor and then the telephone club. Majima asked the man about how he could visit three different "porn huts" in a day, and the man said that his libido had a reputation to uphold, and that he and Majima were in the "same boat", saying that he thought they were "birds of a feather" and could "trade tips". Majima said that he hoped the stranger meant advice, and the stranger said that he hoped they could share information on where the "cutest girls in town" were, and who was good at what shop. He then invited Majima to visit a private video booth to watch softcore pornography there, and he then ran off, leaving Majima with a strange impression.

Majima looking down the street for forgers

Majima then walked past the store manager Soichiro Oyama as he told the frantic customer Suzu Wakatsuki that his store was out of Destiny heart necklaces. After the manager left, Majima walked up to the boy and asked him about his situation. Suzu told Majima that he wanted to buy a trendy necklace for his girlfriend, and Majima said that, just because the necklace was not in stock, Suzu did not have to flood the Dotonbori canal with his tears. He then suggested that he wait until a new necklace could be delivered, but Suzu explained that the necklace's delivery was time-sensitive, as it was for his girlfriend's birthday. Majima then sarcastically suggested that Suzu buy a fake, and Suzu decided that it was a brilliant idea, and suggested that, since Majima looked like he had underworld connections and ties to forgers, he should use his "shady connections" and hook him up with a forger.

Dating Akko[]

Majima then made his way to the Iwao Bridge, where he met up with Akko Yanai, who looked to be on her guard. Majima put her at ease by acting goofy, and he invited Akko out to eat; she decided that she wanted sushi, and she said that, those days, men were considered a bum if they did not have at least ¥50,000 on hand for a date. Majima privately expressed his disdain for Akko's expensive taste, but he agreed to take her out to eat, and they went to their nearest sushi bar.

Majima and Akko sat at the bar, where Majima ordered ¥10,000 worth of the bar's finest, and some sashimi of the day's best catch. Akko then chimed in to make sure that there was some uni and ikura in their order. Majima then asked Akko about her job, and she explained that she had no quotas, as she could work whenever she wanted. Majima then asked about Makoto Makimura, saying that he heard that he had college girls finding johns through telephone clubs, only to sweep in and grab their takes. Akko said that most of the girls only operated telephones to meet up with guys, and explained that Makimura had not once asked her for money. Majima then asked about Makimura's involvement in prostitution, and Akko initially grew suspicious that Majima wanted her for action and not for arranging an interview with Makoto, before Majima explained that he was merely telling her the rumors he had heard. The two then left the restaurant, with Majima paying ¥20,000 for their meal.

As the two left, Akko asked that Majima take her to the game center, and, when Majima asked her if she might meet some rough types, Akko explained that arcades weren not like that anymore, and that they had "super cute stuffed animals and stuff there." The two then went to the SEGA Hi-Tech Land, where Akko asked for Majima to help her win a stuffed animal from the claw machine. She put up the ¥100, saying that she was terrible at the game, and that she just needed Majima's skill. He won her a small plastic dinosaur, and she thanked Majima and suggested that they go somewhere where they could relax and talk more about Makimura.

Majima watching the breaking dance — Majima watching the "breaking dance" showdown

Akko told Makimura that she reserved a VIP booth at the nearby disco, as she had never had a VIP experience there; Majima was initially confused why a girl who had just eaten would want to go dancing. He then criticized her for seeking a free reign on another man's cash, but she told him not to whine, and promised to tell him everything she knew about Makimura. Along the way, they found that the bridge was blocked by a crowd which was witnessing what appeared to be a fight scene. Komeki then appeared and laughed at the notion that Majima was on a date, and said that he was merely out on his "afternoon constitutional" when he bumped into Majima. When Majima asked about the fight, Komeki said that it was unlikely the two men would engage in "fisticuffs", instead saying that they would settle their dispute through the new "breaking dance". Majima then watched the two men pull off insane physical stunts, and the red-jacketed, petite artist A-ReShi told his rival Shiba Yumoto that the bridge was now his. Komeki noticed that Majima watching the fight had sparked a fascination in Majima, as Majima had intended to use the dnace moves as a fighting technique. Komeki then told Majima that he was waiting for their next fight, and, when Majima explained that he was busy at the moment, Komeki joked that Majima was a master in many arenas, and he told him that he was merely teasing Majima, and that their next venue would be Ashitaba Park. He then bade Majima farewell as he finished up his walk.

That night, Majima and Akko arrived at the Maharaja Discotheque Saloon, and Majima paid the ¥30,000 entrance fee and took Akko to the lounge. There, they chatted more, and Akko explained that she had few friends, as most girls did not want to associate with a runaway like her, and, if they did, her parents would kick them out of their house. She then said that, for that reason, many girls in her situation wanted to grab guys and hit the hotels for a place to sleep. Majima asked if Makoto Makimura looked out for girls like her with no place else to go, and Akko explained that Makoto came to girls' rescue in no time flat, and that he was tall as a tree with bear-like muscles who easily intimidated the girls' dates. She then suggested that the two dance, but, when she ran onto the floor, she was confronted by a former date, Hiroaki Fukuda, who accused her of cheating him out of his money during their dates. He also brought up his friends Ryoko Miura and Magohachi Ota and tried to force Akko to dance with him. Majima intervened to stop Fukuda from assaulting Akko, and Fukuda asked if the circus was missing a clown, and told Majima to meet him outside for their own dance.

Fukuda, Miura, and Ota then met Majima on the street, and Majima decided to test out his new moves by break-dancing and using his kicks to beat down his foes. After a short fight, he beat down the three men, and Miura and Ota fled, leaving Fukuda gasping for breath on the pavement. Majima warned Akko to keep her habit of milking guys for freebies in check, and, out of gratitude, she told Majima that Makimura worked as a chiropractor at Hogushi Kaikan in Soemoncho South.

The two of them then walked back to the Iwao Bridge, where Akko told Majima that Makimura had ensured her safety for a while and had saved many girls in danger, including those in trouble with men, or those on the verge of suicide. She also revealed that, if the girls ever found a man with a bat tattoo, they were supposed to inform Makimura right away, although she knew no details other than that Makimura had been looking for the tattooed man for quite some time. She then revealed that another man was waiting on her, and she gleefully bade Majima farewell. As Akko ran away, Majima told her to drop in on her parents sometime.

Majima then decided to head to Hogushi Kaikan, although he thought to himself that Makimura was nothing like what Sagawa had described him as. While crossing the bridge back to Soemoncho, Majima was stopped by A-ReShi, who told Majima that he had witnessed his break-dance battle outside the Odyssey, calling his moves "sick" and saying that his skills were "to the curb". He then invited Majima to join the A-ReShi Crew, claiming that they needed him, and promising that they could all be "Kings of Dotonbori" if Majima would join them, as they would have the chance of impressing entertainment bigwigs and becoming world-famous. He then invited Majima to join his crew in Soemoncho West, and Majima said that he would consider the offer, and also introduced himself.

Majima then made his way into Soemoncho, beating down the hooligans Muneyaki Suzui, Senichi Mizutani, and Makoto Kubo and the goons Sorai Hamada, Momoru Tsukamoto, and Suketsune Nakazawa in the process. He was also jumped by a three-man goon gang consisting of Yorinaga Oka, Heikichi Sonoda, and Toyozo Hayakawa, but he beat them down in the alleyway. Shortly after, he arrived at the Hogushi Kaikan massage parlor.

Hit gone wrong[]

Majima then snuck into the parlor with his unsheathed dagger, but he found that it was empty. He was worried when a girl entered the clinic, but he found that she was blind, and he initially succeeded in hiding from her before she walked back to the door to close it, upon which she bumped into Majima. She was frightened, and she cried for help from the supposed "thief", only for Majima to assure her that he was a customer who had just come in. Noticing a framed photo on the wall of the masseuse, Makoto Makimura (nicknamed "God-Hands"), Majima said that he was aching all over and was in need of the hands of God. He then mentioned that Makimura must be a real wizard, and Makimura said that he was not in at the time, but would be back. When she asked Majima if he would like a massage, he claimed that he felt better, causing Makimura to say that she knew he was a thief all along, and she began to cry out for help before Majima grabbed her shoulders and again assured her that he was not a thief. He then agreed to let the crying girl massage him.

The blind girl said that Majima's back was very stiff, and deduced that he must have not gotten enough sleep recently. When the girl asked for his profession, Majima said that he was a waiter at a cabaret, and the girl said that many in that profession came to the parlor in search of relief, while she mentioned that some workers complained about the owner of the Grand for putting them through such hard work. She also said how she enjoyed her job, as she was able to meet so many interesting clients. Majima then asked her about herself, and she said that she liked to read books in braille and listen to the radio, but that she also liked her job, as it was more than a one-sided monologue. Majima also suggested that the girl would make a good hostess, as she was a good listener. When he asked the girl about her boss, she said that he was very generous, and that she might not be employed, but for her employer's generosity. However, she conceded that the owner had a scary facade, although she said that he often made house calls to clients who were unable to come in to the clinic, and was not scary underneath. She stated that one could not judge a book by its cover, but joked that she could not see the cover anyways.

Shortly after, the girl heard the door open and told Majima - who had just woken up after a brief nap - that the owner had just come in. Majima's eyes fully opened, and he turned over and decided to take a look at the owner to face his target. When the owner came in, Majima did not greet him or smile at him, putting the buff owner on his guard, and leading to him asking about Majima's job. Majima looked at his sheathed knife in his bag, and, when Majima acted with hostility towards the owner, he grabbed a few acupuncture needles from a tray as weapons. The innocent girl said that her boss was a master of acupuncture, and her boss had the girl go out to pick him up some smokes so that he could warm up his needles. Majima attempted to reach for his knife at the owner's behest, and, when Majima called the owner "Makoto Makimura", the owner deduced that Majima had been sniffing around. The owner said that he did not know if Majima was an Omi Alliance axe, but offered him his life if he left. Majima refused to leave, so the owner insisted on fighting him.

In the ensuing fight, Majima easily defeated the owner with little resistance, but their fight was interrupted when several Kijin-kai gunmen entered the clinic and sarcastically asked if they were interrupting. Their leader, Ryobe Oishi, asked if the muscular man was the owner of the clinic, Wen Hai Lee, but the man claimed to be Makoto Makimura. Just then, the girl returned, and the yakuza attempted to kidnap her, as Oishi identified her as the real "Makoto Makimura", confusing Majima. Shiba Akanishi and Yoshiteru Aki began to drag Makimura out of the parlor, and Oishi shot Wen Hai Lee with a silenced pistol when he attempted to intervene. Majima attempted to intervene as well, leading to Oishi aiming a pistol at him. Just then, Lee threw a needle into Oishi's hand, and Lee told Majima to get Makimura away from the yakuza. Oishi proceeded to shoot Lee again, apparently killing him, and Oishi told Majima that both of them would be floating in the canal that night.

Rescuing Makimura[]

Majima proceeded to punch out Oishi and his hitmen Yachi Fujiwara and Kazuma Sakakibara before running outside of the clinic to track down the kidnappers. He found a large man, Tsuramatsu Sugiyama, attempting to force Makimura into his car, but Majima beat down Sugiyama and his henchmen Norihisa Hirano, Kunihiko Sugawara, and Mabuchi Masuda and rescued Makimura. Makimura recognized Majima as the man from the clinic and asked what was happening, and Sugiyama warned Majima that more men would be coming for him and the girl. Majima told Makimura to come with him, and he took her by the hand and ran as three yakuza found the beaten-down yakuza at the getaway car and initiated a manhunt for Makimura.

Majima facing off with Shimei Shimura and his men

Majima then brought Makimura with him as he attempted to sneak his way to Dotonbori Street with her, occasionally hiding with other crowds as groups of yakuza patrolled the streets in search of him. On one occasion, Majima ran ahead and broke the neck of Ichizo Murai, clearing the way for them to move further through Soemoncho. They were later caught by Shimei Shimura, Matsu Kawabata, Kenji Honma, Mitsuzuka Nagano, and Shino Inada and cornered in an alleyway, but Majima beat down the yakuza before they could attack Makimura. He also beat down Togai Sakaguchi, Kensaku Yuasa, and Mokichi Ikegami in the same alleyway, and he brought Makimura with him as he ran further.

Goro Majima facing off with Masaaki Nakamura and his men

They were then confronted by the yakuza Masaaki Nakamura, Tadakuni Yoshikawa, and Sakutaro Sakaguchi, as Majima deduced that they had to fight their way through them. He also fought his way past Motoyasu Otsuka, Sozui Chiba, Norishige Koyama, and Kazushi Hora who attempted to prevent the duo from making their way out of Soemoncho. With these men beaten down, Majima and Makimura made their way to the bridge, planning to escape through another route.

Majima and Makimura Soemoncho — Majima and Makimura in Soemoncho

Majima and Makimura then made their way across the bridge, but found that the exit was blocked, so Majima and Makimura ran down a staircase on the side of the bridge and decided to escape along the canal side. There, they were confronted by Oishi, Yoichi Noguchi, Daisetsu Kinoshita, and Kantaro Matsuo, and Oishi told Majima that he would make sure to kill him and take his "sweet time" grabbing the girl. Majima succeeded in beating down the men and throwing Oishi into the river, but Oishi crawled out, allowing for Majima to interrogate him about who sent him. Oishi said that even he did not know who sent him, and he then passed out.

Majima then took Makimura by the hand and ran with her towards his apartment, and they caught their breath on the main street before Majima took her to his home. Once in the alleyway behind Majima's apartment, Makimura fell to her knees and grabbed onto Majima's leg, crying profusely. Majima initially attempted to shake her off his leg, but she told him that she was scared, and Majima grew more understanding of her predicament and let her hold onto him. He then drew his unsheathed knife and considered killing her to ensure that he could return to the yakuza, but he ultimately decided not to kill her, as his compassion overcame his desire to return to the Tojo-kai's graces.

A Dark Escape[]

Setting up a hideout[]

Majima talking to Makimura at the warehouse

By 15 December 1988, Majima had secured a sofa warehouse belonging to the Odyssey nightclub as a hideout for himself and Makimura. There, Majima told Makimura not to move around or attempt to leave, as she would only wind up injuring herself or putting her life at risk. Makimura asked Majima why she was being targeted, and Majima told her that she must know, as the yakuza were asking for her by name. He also mentioned that the yakuza knew that Makimura was looking for a man with a bat tattoo, and he asked her if it was the case that she was Makoto Makimura and the big man was merely using the name. When Makimura failed to respond, Majima confirmed that she was Makimura. Makimura then asked Majima who he was, and a depressed Majima said that he was a "lost cause", and that he was a "joke of a...hitman," worrying Makimura. He revealed that he had been ordered to kill a "Makoto Makimura", but said that he didn't know that his target was a blind girl. When Majima asked Makimura why she was looking for the man with the bat tattoo, she told him that she didn't want to talk anymore, and that she wanted to see Lee-san. Majima expressed doubt that Lee was alive, but he agreed to investigate and see if he could find him and search for answers.

Majima then left the warehouse, where he met with Yamagata, who had come to check up on Majima and the warehouse. Majima thanked Yamagata for doing him the favor of lending him the warehouse, and, when Yamagata commented that Majima must be a sick man if he wanted to lock a girl in a shed. Majima explained that men were looking for her, and that, if some certain others found out that the girl was in the shed, they would run him out of Dotonbori; he also told Yamagata that Dotonbori only had a vibrant club scene because of the friendly competition between the Grand and the Odyssey, saying that nobody would watch a baseball game if it consisted of one team consistently steamrolling its opponents. Yamagata commended the "lord of the night" for seeing the bigger picture, and he said that he would keep Majima's "private indulgences" to himself at the time, although he reminded Majima that he owed him a favor. Yamagata also suggested that Majima should check out the "cabaret club" scene, as they combined the hourly rates of a cabaret with the top-grade hospitality of a luxury club, and he said that people would laugh at Majima if they found out that the "lord of the night" had never been to a cabaret club. Yamagata then said that cabarets only had a few more years, and that cabaret clubs were the way of the future; he added, "Whoever rules the cabaret clubs rules the night."

Searching for Lee[]

Yamagata then took his leave, and Majima decided to investigate the Hogushi Kaikan to see if Wen Hai Lee was still there. Along the way, Shinsui Kitajima, Tadayuki Sega, and Kaori Tsuji attempted to ambush him, but Majima beat them all down, breaking Sega's neck in the process.

Majima then arrived at the Hogushi Kaikan chiropractor and found that Lee was not there, but he then drew a knife on Liao Jianjun when he entered the clinic. Majima asked the man who he was, and he said that he was just dropping by the clinic to bring clothes to Lee, who, along with all of the other members of the local Chinese community, went to his hospital. The man was suspicious of Majima's intentions, before Majima asked him about Makoto, and the doctor recognized her. He then revealed that Lee was being treated at his secret clinic at the Mahjong Jambalaya parlor, and Majima told Liao that he did not want Lee to know he was looking for him, before punching Liao in the gut and telling him to take a "power nap".

Majima then set about making his way to Mahjong Jambalaya, and he beat down the thugs Tatsuzo Hoshi, Kyuichi Sato, Kazutoshi Mogi, and Reijiro Kawahara along the way. He then entered the mahjong parlor, where he confronted Lee. Lee said that he was wondering when Majima would get there, and that it had taken Majima longer than Lee had figured. Majima asked how Lee knew he was coming, and Lee said that it was a distinct possibility, and that he wasn't just one's average acupuncturist.

Lee then invited Majima to play mahjong with him, and Majima sat and commented that Lee seemed fine for somebody with holes in him. Lee explained that it still hurt, and that he could not move his arm, and said that he would trade with Majima if he could. Lee then deduced that Makimura was still alive, as Majima had come to visit him, and he also deduced from Majima's face that he had never killed before. He then asked Majima what a man who couldn't kill was doing by taking hit jobs, and he asked if Majima had come to him to find himself a way out of getting whacked. Majima said that he had not yet decided not to kill Makimura, but warned that there were others after her, namely the ones who put "air holes" in Lee's body. Majima then asked Lee why the other yakuza wanted Makimura, so Lee suggested that Majima ask his employer. Majima asked if she was a target because she was sniffing around for a man with a bat tattoo, but Lee said that it was hard to say.

Just then, Liao arrived with three men, telling Lee that he had brought help, and that Majima was after him. Lee told Majima that it was nice playing with him, but Majima said that they were not done talking, and that Lee still didn't know whether Majima was on his side or not. Lee said that, if he couldn't tell whose side Majima was on, it was safer to just kill him, as the Chinese in the town did in such situations. Majima proceeded to take down Wang Mingyu, Zhang Shihong, Huang Jingguo, Chen Peizhi, and Yang Mingli, and Lee deduced that Majima was more than a failed hitman. Majima then asked Lee why Makimura was a target, and Lee said that she was not a target because of the man with the bat tattoo. Lee then explained that Makimura had come to Osaka two years earlier and worked as a live-in hostess and in other jobs before being kidnapped by a charming man with a bat tattoo, sold to the Korean mafia, and abused until she was left with post-traumatic psychogenic blindness. Lee then said that he had taken Makoto in six months earlier, and that she only wanted to stop the man with the bat tattoo from causing anybody else the same pain he had caused her. Lee said that he wanted to kill the man with the bat tattoo and rip the bat off of his arm, but he explained that the tattooed man was a small-time thug; he emphasized, "The yakuza hire street punks to do their dirty work, not the other way round." As Majima left, he told Lee that Makimura was inside the Haru Building on Soemoncho Street. Lee said that Majima would likely be killed because of his failure, and Makimura would be killed by the next hitman the Omi Alliance sent, but that there was a way Majima could escape. He warned Majima that he might not like the plan, but Majima said that he was willing to do anything. Lee told Majima that he would reach out to him later, and Majima told him that he could find him at the Cabaret Grand (where he promised to buy him a round of drinks), and formally introduced himself.

Comforting Makimura[]

Majima decided to check on Makimura now that he had found Lee, and, along the way, he bumped into a running man, who said that he needed to get to the convenience store and get lip balm. The man said that it was an emergency, and also complained that his feet were hurting. However, he then ran off, leaving a confused Majima by himself. Majima deduced that the man must have lips like sandpaper if he was that much in a rush, and he then kept on walking.

Majima then returned to Makimura, and he told her that Lee was doing too well for someone who was shot up. Makimura deduced that Majima must have heard her whole story, and he sad that the man with the bat tattoo was not the one hunting her down. Majima then apologized for dredging up bad memories, and he said that, while their situation were hardly the same, he had been through something similar, as he had also gone through torture and also been (partially) blinded. He then apologized for making Makimura feel worse with his story, and he offered to get her something to eat. She asked for takoyaki, so Majima decided to go out and get her the food.

As Majima left, he was attacked by the bikers Naonobu Shirakawa, Shiki Ohashi, Shunsen Shibuya, and Kanezane Matsumura in the alleyway. A crowd gathered to watch Majima fight them, and Majima savagely beat down the bikers as the nearby civilians cheered and clapped for him. By the end, the badly-beaten bikers limped off and begged Majima for mercy.

While walking down the street, Majima came across a shady foreigner selling fradulent phone cards to another man. He accidentally bumped into the dealer as the dealer walked off, and he panicked, telling Majima not to touch or look at his merchandise. Majima thrice asked the dealer if the phone cards were bogus, with the man claiming not to understand Japanese or not to hear Majima the first two times, but apologizing and panicking the third time. Majima calmed him down, and the man promised to make a forged item for Majima if he would keep his business a secret. Majima decided to use the man's offer to craft the heart necklace Suzu Wakatsuki needed for his girlfriend, and the man told Majima to give Suzu his card and tell him to come to his office, saying that he was named Fan-san. Fan told Majima to be discreet, however, joking that the Triads would prefer a dead forger to a famous forger.

Shortly after, while heading to the supermarket, he found that the running man from earlier had fallen in front of the store, and he overheard the young man talking about how his feet were hurting again. Majima gave the young man medicine, and Majima asked him why he was in such a hurry for lip balm. The man explained that a girl had told him to get her lip balm, and explained that he ran errands for her all the time. Majima said that the girl might be taking advantage of him, but the man said that running errands for her gave him opportunities to get to know him, and that she had even nicknamed him Erran-kun. He then ran off to get the lip balm somewhere else, leaving Majima confused once again. Shortly after, as Majima went to get the takoyaki for Makimura, he was jumped by the Snake Flower Triad members Yakamochi Kamiya, Genichi Utsumi, Yasuhiro Kawano, and Miyoko Nagata, but he beat all of them down.

While walking through Soemoncho, Majima came across an unsupervised little girl he had earlier bumped into while walking past the SEGA Hi-Tech Fun Land, and saw that the thugs Moromao Nishio and Kazunori Tabata were discussing kidnapping her and forcing her parents to pay her ransom. Majima intervened, and he called the kidnappers "scum" and told the little girl that she should heed his warning to stay with her parents next time. Nishio took offense to Majima calling him "scum", and he and Tabata attempted to beat down Majima, resulting in Majima beating down both of them. The shy little girl, Yoko Toyoda, told Majima that she had stayed on the corner because wanted the Chestnut the Squirrel doll from the game center, and she spent time looking at the dolls by herself. Majima asked her if her dad could just buy her a doll, but she said that she didn't have a dad, so a sympathetic Majima apologized for her loss and decided to obtain the doll for her. Majima succeeded, and a beaming young girl said that nobody except her mother had ever given her presents, and she promised to tell her mom all about Majima's help. Majima smiled as Yoko ran off, proud that he had made her day.

Majima then grabbed some takoyaki from a local food stand, and he decided to rush back to Makoto to give the food to her while it was still warm. As he walked across the Iwao Bridge, he came across what appeared to be a statue, and a curious Majima - not recognizing the statue - decided to touch it. Suddenly, he realized that the statue was a street performer, who told Majima that he was a "human statue" and told him to think of his act like a "classy strip club" in which viewers could look at, but not touch, the performer. The performer then introduced himself as Tokokichi; when Majima asked the man what he was doing on the bridge, he described the bridge as the "holy land for street performers," calling it his lucky spot, and saying that he hoped to be a street performer who could inspire little kids to dream big. Majima wished him luck, and he decided to move on and deliver the takoyaki to Makoto in time.

He was again interrupted when the bikers Tasuku Narita, Sozui Ninomiya, Muneyaki Kajiwara, Yasuhide Kuroda, Kosami Yoshikawa, Hachemon Honda, and Utamara Asai attempted to jump him in the alleyway near the warehouse in two separate fights. Majima fought his way through the alleyway, beating down the bikers and defeating them while the takoyaki was still warm.

Majima talking with Makoto about her watch

Majima then returned to the warehouse, where he gave Makoto her food. A grateful Makoto thanked Majima, and she then asked Majima how he lost his eye. He said that he lost it through an injury, "more of an accident", and lamented that his left eye was "totally destroyed". Makoto then said that she had lost her vision because of emotional trauma, so there was a chance that she would one day recover. Majima joked that it was a shame that losing his eye ruined his "handsome face", and, when Makoto asked if Majima was handsome, he said that he was before he lost his eye, and Makoto laughed and said that it was a shame. Majima said that it was nice to hear Makoto's laugh on its way back. He then took notice of a wristwatch Makoto carried, and asked why a blind girl would carry a watch. Makoto said that it played a cute musical tune, but said that it was broken, and that it was one of those things that was too important to throw away. She then said that it was a memento of a time when things were normal, as it used to work before her attack. She then suddenly changed her mind and said that she should throw it out, calling it silly and saying that she needed to become strong by herself. Majima asked her if she was sure, but she said that she was resolved to become stronger, and she left the watch on the couch.

Majima then told Makoto that Lee was well, and was planning to visit the warehouse as soon as he had finished doing something on his part, and, as he got up to leave, he turned and asked Makoto if she knew the name Sagawa. She said that she did not know him, and Majima said Sagawa was likely going after Makoto because someone else had told him to. Makoto then asked if Sagawa was blackmailing Majima, and asked what would happen if Majima kept letting Makoto live. Majima said that he would be fine, and that Lee had come up with some sort of plan which could ensure that both of them would survive. He then told Makoto that he needed to go back to work, and he bade her farewell before stepping outside.

Entering the Cabaret Club business[]

Majima decided to check out the cabaret club in the Hozenji Yokocho alley, as Yamagata had recommended that he do so. Along the way, he got into a street brawl with the bikers Fumiaki Kudo, Hidekazu Nagaoka, Reijiro Ishida, and Hisashi Kanazawa, whom he beat down. He then entered the Hozenji Yokocho alley, where he was greeted by the manager of Club Sunshine, Kunio Youda, who invited Majima into his club and promised to give him his number-one hostess to entertain him.

Majima was surprised that the club was empty apart from himself, and he was soon introduced to Yuki Natsume, the "number-one hostess", who proved to be very shy and awkward. Majima asked her about the club and if she was the number-one hostess, and she said that she was one of only three hostesses working at the club, and that the club had been faring poorly ever since the "Five Stars" began to muscle in on Dotonbori. When Majima asked who the "Five Stars" were, she explained that the "Five Stars" were five business owners who opened new cabaret clubs who used harassment to force rival clubs to shut down. Just then, Majima observed a scene at the entrance as Youda was harassed by the pudgy, red-suited man Kunitaro Hino; Hino told Youda that he had no evidence that he was being harassed, and he demanded that Youda close down his "roach motel" by the end of the day. He also subtly threatened to harm Youda's young daughter in Tokyo, denying that he was making an upfront threat, but saying that they lived in scary times, and that danger might befall her. Yuki explained to Majima that Hino was one of the "Five Stars", owning Club Mars.

After Hino left, Majima approached Youda and asked him what had happened. Youda explained that his cabaret club was once one of the most popular of its kind in Dotonbori, but that the Stars came in with their underhanded tactics such as buying other clubs' girls, harassing their staff, and hiring thugs to use violence to work towards a monopoly over Osaka's nightlife scene. He also said that the Five Stars wanted to use such a monopoly to obtain leverage over big-box clubs such as the Cabaret Grand, which they sought to take down and claim its cash, influence, and personnel network for themselves. Majima deduced that the Five Stars wanted control of the entire city for themselves, but Youda said that he would sooner swallow glass than give in to the Five Stars. Majima said that he would help Youda out, and revealed that he ran the Cabaret Grand. Youda was pleasantly surprised, saying that everyone said that the Grand's owner was a genius. Majima said that it was in his interest not to let the Stars build up any more steam in the cabaret club scene, and formally introduced himself. Youda thanked Majima for his help and expressed his excitement that the manager of the Grand was helping his empty little club, but Majima said that he wanted to check out the cabaret club scene, and considered Club Sunshine to be his classroom.

Youda then took Majima to the backroom and told him that he was going to make Majima the club's manager, while he would work the floor and serve as Majima's advisor. He helped to acquaint Majima with the basics of cabaret club management, and Majima ensured that Yuki, the club's most popular hostess, had a makeover to increase her appeal to customers. Majima then had Yuki, Endo Imada, and Namiko Yoshie get ready before opening the cabaret to customers, and he managed the three girls as they catered to visiting customers, including some unruly ones. He made ¥1,810,000 from his first day as manager, and Youda commended him on his great first day. Majima also told Youda that he had obtained a girl from the Odyssey in his earlier trade with Yamagata, and he had Kirara Yamakawa work for Club Sunshine instead.

Youda told Majima that they might just be able to beat the "bullies" back, but Hino and two guards burst in, and Hino asked, "What bullies, exactly?" He then asked Majima who he was, and Majima said that Youda had asked him to take over operations there; Hino joked that, "It's a wiser choice than letting a dimwit like Youda keep running this dunghill into the ground." Hino's guards asked if they should go about roughing up Majima and Youda, but Hino told them that he found himself curious to see how they planned to claw their way out of the club's hole, saying that he could crush them anytime. Hino then said, "I look forward to being entertained as I watch just how far you manage to crawl after making enemies of the Five Stars." Majima responded by telling Hino, "Bring it, porky. Enjoy watchin' your wobbly little house of cards come crumbling down on top of ya. Hope yer ass is ready to get buried."

Helping out old friends[]

Majima then left the club and decided to go back to the Grand to manage the club, and, along the way, he met an attractive woman whom he attempted to recruit for Club Sunshine. She agreed to work for him if he would get her a designer watch or wallet, so Majima decided to head out to find the gift necessary to recruit her. Along the way, he found Erran-kun sitting in front of the M-Store, and he asked him what was wrong. Erran-kun said that the soles on his shoes had already been worn out, so Majima gave him a pair of sneakers which he happened to be carrying with him. Erran-kun decided that he had to be running off again, and, when Majima said that Erran-kun must like running, Erran-kun said that he had been on his college's track team. He then ran off for his next errand, and Majima decided to continue on his journey back to his club.

Along the way, Majima bumped into Suzu Wakatsuki again, and he gave Wakatsuki Fan-san's business card, but he warned him to mind his manners, as forgers worked on the wrong side of the law. Wakatsuki excitedly thanked Majima for his help, and he then ran off to find the forger. Majima decided that he would check in on Wakatsuki at Fan-san's office to ensure that things went alright, as he still had some concern that an innocent young man like Wakatsuki might get into trouble.

Majima then visited an imported goods store and purchased an Italian wallet for the girl near the club. As he walked down the street, he came across the bikers Sofu Yoshimoto, Tessai Morimoto, and Tsuneari Watabe harassing the passer-by Yoshino Takahashi for money. Majima decided to intervene, beating down the three bikers; a grateful Takahashi gave him medicine as a token of his appreciation. Shortly after, he beat up the bikers Yoshino Yuasa, Sozui Okagami, Koyo Sano, Takehide Shirakawa, Kiyoshi Inage, Iemitsu Yamamoto, and Shunsuke Miyake in a series of fights in Ashitaba Park.

Majima then found Komeki waiting for him in the park, as they had previously agreed that the park would serve as the venue for their next fight. Komeki told Majima that it was time to initiate him in the "Komeki ways", telling him that he would test Majima's mettle with each of his secret arts. Majima decided to start with the "Komeki Warrior Arts", and he easily beat Komeki in the ensuing fight, swiping him to the ground with a sweep from his right leg. Majima was concerned that Komeki appeared to be happy after being defeated, asking him if he took too many jolts to the head, but Komeki said that he felt his old strength returning to him after practicing with Majima. Komeki then noticed that Majima was launching a quick attack after evading his strikes, and Majima decided to call it "Evasion Strike", with Komeki joking that Majima had created an uncreative name for such a maneuver. He then told Majima that he looked forward to their next bout, and told Majima to get out in the world and continue his training.

As Majima walked out of the park, he walked past Fan-san's office, and he decided to check in on Wakatsuki. When he entered the office, he found that the Chinese men were playing five-finger fillet with Wakatsuki's hand and threatened to cut off a finger if he did not reveal how he found their address. Wakatsuki insisted that he had been told the address by the forger, but Zhu Biya, the leader of the three Chinese men, said that none of them told outsiders their address. Majima then intervened and insisted that the boy was telling the truth, but Zhu said that, as Majima had also seen the inside of their setup, he had to die as well.

Majima took down Zhu, Yang Zhengsheng, and Ma Zhiqiang in the ensuing fight, and Fan Peng entered the room shortly after, asking what had happened. Zhu told Fan that someone had told the two Japanese men about the office, and, when Majima asked Fan-san what had happened, Fan admitted that he had forgotten to tell his men that the boy was coming; he then explained to his men about his encounter with Majima and giving him his business card. The three men apologized, but Majima said that there was nothing to forgive, and Fan applauded the "good, good, good" ending. The men then got to work on making the Destiny heart necklace, producing a convincing necklace for Wakatsuki.

Fan-san talking with Majima and Wakatsuki outside his office

Majima, Wakatsuki, and Fan-san then met outside his office, and Majima commended Fan-san for his great work. Fan-san then asked Majima if they were square now that he had produced the necklace, and Majima confirmed that Fan-san was in the clear. Wakatsuki let out a sigh of relief and said that, thanks to everyone's help, he could fulfill his promise to his girlfriend in time for her birthday. Wakatsuki then ran off to find his girlfriend and present her with the necklace, and Majima bade farewell to Fan-san and decided to watch Wakatsuki give his girlfriend the necklace.

Majima watching the happy couple walk off together

Majima watched from a distance as Wakatsuki gave the necklace to his girlfriend Kiho Kitani, who was beaming with happiness, saying that the necklace was "crazy popular" and must have been hard to get. She also said that she heard that stores couldn't keep it in stock, and said that she wasn't sure Wakatsuki would be able to get it. When she asked Wakatsuki how he had gotten the necklace, he said that he waited for a long time, and, when she asked if he had waited all night in line, a hesitant Wakatsuki went along with her story. However, his guilt consumed him and he ultimately, and reluctantly, told her that it was a fake, shocking the onlooking Majima. Kitani said that it was terrible that Wakatsuki had tried to trick her, so Majima decided to intervene to add his magic touch to the situation. He explained to the saddened girlfriend that he had personally seen the lengths that Wakatsuki had went to in order to get the fake, saying that he only wanted to see his girlfriend smile, and that he was nearly harmed and deprived of his fingers in the process of obtaining the fake. While he acknowledged that the necklace itself was fake, he assured the girlfriend that the feelings behind it were real. Kitani's feelings about Wakatsuki changed, and she asked him how a man without fingers could hold her hand. Wakatsuki promised never to lie to her again, and he thanked Majima for his help, and the now-happy couple walked off, pleasing Majima.

Confrontation at the Cabaret[]

Majima talking to Liao Jianjun at the cabaret

Majima then beat down the triads Shumei Kishi, Kyoji Onishi, Akinori Koizumi, and Masashige Satoda before reaching the Cabaret Grand, where the waiter told him that a ragged, short, and Chinese-looking guest was there to see him. Majima knew that the man was not the burly Lee, and he found that the man was the Chinese doctor Liao Jianjun. Liao was mostly drunk and said that Majima was going to pay his tab, and Majima reluctantly agreed. The doctor told Majima that he carried a message from Lee, who did not like to show his face around places like the cabaret. He told Majima to leave the club immediately and head straight to his home, and that Lee would follow him there. As Majima left, Liao shouted, "I love generous Majima-san!"

As Majima left the club, he ran into a large group of yakuza led by Oishi. Majima recognized them as the "wannabe kidnappers" and thanked them for sparing him the trouble of tracking them down. The yakuza, carrying bats, knives, and other blunt weapons were sent to attack Majima after he refused to give up Makoto's location, and Majima beat down Shiki Fujioka, Haranobu Miyajima, Munoto Matsushima, Yasuhiko Morioka, Mitsuhide Tomita, and Ieshige Motohashi, as well as their boss Oishi, and Majima told Oishi that he knew he had questions for him, and that he aimed to get answers. Oishi, shocked that Majima had defeated him and all of his men, was then surprised when Sagawa emerged from the club.

Sagawa asked Majima if he got mixed up in some kind of trouble, saying that it was not like Majima to bust heads on his own doorstep. He then asked where Majima was going, and if he had found Makoto Makimura. Sagawa also said that he heard that Majima had not gone home the night before, and that he figured Majima had tracked Makimura down. Majima said that he was still working on it, and Sagawa told him that, once he found the target, killing Makimura was the quick part, and instructed him to follow "ABC" - "always be in contact," keeping the boss in the loop. Majima said that he would sooner ask a telephone pole for help than ask Sagawa, and he then took his leave.

Crossing words[]

As Majima walked back to his home to meet with Lee, he came across a public spat between two nerdy lovers. He saw a frantic man telling his girlfriend not to give up on a crossword puzzle he had prepared for her, and Majima approached them to ask what was happening. The man showed Majima what he had been telling his girlfriend about, and, when Majima asked if it was a drawing, the man said that it was a crossword puzzle. The girl said that the puzzles were usually easy, but "Ko-kun" made them too hard; the man then introduced himself as Kosaku Nagatsuka, and he introduced his girlfriend as Shizuku Hasegawa. Shizuku told Kosaku that she wanted to quit, but Kosaku told her that she couldn't quit. Kosaku then took Majima aside to explain to him that the puzzle was supposed to read out a marriage proposal, and Majima understood why Kosaku emphasized the puzzle so much. Kosaku then persuaded Majima to help Shizuku solve the puzzle and hear out his proposal.

Kosaku, Shizuku, and Majima then sat down at a table in a nearby seafood restaurant, where Majima sat next to Shizuku to help her with the puzzle. He helped her to write in "mashed" potatoes for what kind of potato gravy was served on (with Majima not knowing what gravy was before Shizuku told him), "popcorn" for the popular movie snack, "shoulder" phone for a mobile phone (thinking to himself that he had seen one such phone before), and "soy sauce face" for the teenage slang for an Asian with a plain face (the opposite of "sauce face"). Shizuku then read out the result of the clues, reading "Let's marry", and asking Kosaku what it meant. Kosaku said that he felt that way about Shizuku, but he was too afraid to ask her himself. She then told him to look into his eyes and ask her himself, and, when he did, she agreed. She then revealed that she knew the answer the whole time, and just wanted Kosaku to ask her himself.

Majima bidding farewell to Kosaku and Shizuku

The three then reconvened outside, where Kosaku gave Majima three pearls as a reward for his help, and said that his crossword puzzle days were done, as, from then on, he would always convey his feelings in his own words. Majima then smiled as the newly-engaged couple walked off, thinking to himself that they probably would have ended up together anyways, but agreed that someone should always say something in their own words, even when one had to "cross words", amusing himself with a pun.

Performance art[]

As Majima walked back over the Iwao Bridge, he noticed that a crowd was watching Tokokichi hold his statue stance, but that Tokokichi was sending physical cues (which Majima called "smoke signals") to summon Majima over. Majima went to Tokokichi and asked him what was the matter, and Tokokichi said that he needed to use the restroom. However, Tokokichi did not want to come to life in front of a child (whom he was afraid he would traumatize), so he asked Majima to distract the crowd as he made a beeline for the pizzeria next to the bridge. The child Utamuro Amachi was weirded out by Majima talking to the statue, and his mother Miyoko Amachi, also believing that the statue was real, told her son not to bother with him. Majima then walked behind the crowd and screamed like a banshee, but the crowd continued to look at the statue, and the boy commented that Majima was weird.

When Majima told the crowd that he had seen a UFO, however, causing them to look up at the sky as Tokokichi slowly crept towards the pizzeria. He was forced to freeze again after the crowd looked at the statue again, and a man in the crowd, Kosho Ikehara, noticed that the statue had slightly moved. Majima created another distraction by starting to sing, temporarily distracting the crowd and enabling Tokokichi to inch towards the pizzeria before the crowd once again looked at him, forcing him to turn around and form a new pose, once again irritating the man.

Just then, a random man, Eiichi Tsuji, shouted at Majima (whom he called "One-Eyed Willy" in a reference to The Goonies) and told him to quit his singing, asking if Majima thought of himself as some kind of "street idol". Majima told the man to trust him when he said that he was not singing because he wanted to, but the man claimed that Majima was prancing around and that he enjoyed "being dumb", and said that he was going to beat up Majima for it. Majima proceeded to beat down his attacker in a public spectacle, allowing for Tokokichi to make his way to the pizzeria bathroom. The boy in the crowd said that Majima looked like "one of those heroes on TV", and the crowd celebrated him. Just then, Ikehara noticed that the statue was gone, but decided to get going now that he had seen a free show, while the young woman Haruka Mitsugi remembered that she had someone to meet, and the mother took her child home for the night.

Majima then met Tokokichi in front of the pizzeria, and Tokokichi thanked him for his help and gave him a staminan bottle as a reward, and he commended Majima for having an air about him which held people's interest, while also saying that he was so mesmerized by Majima's "action-packed performance at the end" that he almost forgot to escape. Tokokichi told Majima that it made him realize how much more he had to grow as a performer, and said that Majima inspired him to work harder. Tokokichi then said that he hoped that Majima would continue to hone his "performance chops", and said that both of them should continue to work hard to bring smiles to people's faces. Majima thought to himself that Tokokichi was an "odd duck", but realized that it wasn't easy to make people laugh or bring them joy, and realized that being an entertainer was as hard as any other business.

Lee's plan[]

Majima then returned to his apartment, and Lee met him in the alleyway, carrying with him a brown paper bag. Lee rhetorically asked Majima how one could deal with pain, and then explained that one had to put their balls to the wall. He explained to Majima that they had to shake off the yakuza soon, lest the yakuza chase them to the grave, and Lee said that they had no time to feel pain until the job was done. Lee then pointed out that the apartment was being watched by four pairs of eyes, and Majima revealed that his client was the man behind the eyes, and that there were also eyes on every road out of Dotonbori. Lee deduced that Majima was a prisoner in Osaka, and asked why he was being watched; Majima explained that he was a yakuza in Tokyo until he crossed the man running his family, upon which his life fell to pieces. He also said that, just because the family was keeping him on a leash in Osaka, they wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he gave them a reason. Lee said that people all had their own baggage, but then said that, for that reason, they should meet up again where Makoto was being kept. He then told Majima to use the secret door in the back of the Hogushi Kaikan clinic to make his way to another building closer to the warehouse; when Majima asked Lee why he had a secret door, he repeated that they all had their baggage. He also warned Majima that the men who had attacked him outside the Grand now knew his face.

Majima was forced to take certain routes to evade Sagawa's watchdogs, and he beat down the thugs Masakazu Kano, Kanko Hanada, and Sotaro Oishi along the way. When he made it to the chiropractor, he noticed Sagawa's watchdog Fumio Inazuma watching him, so he let himself be heard stretching and complaining about his hurting back before entering the clinic. He then found the secret passage behind a bookshelf and used the passage to cross the street before returning to the Odyssey warehouse to meet with Lee and Makoto.

Majima entered the warehouse and found Makoto holding an envelope, and she handed over the envelope to Majima, saying that Lee wanted Majima to have it. Shortly after, Lee arrived, and Majima opened the envelope and found several surveillance photos of another girl. Lee explained that the girl was a con artist who cheated lovers out of their fortunes and was even suspected of murder, and, when Majima still failed to catch on, Lee explained that it was Makoto's body double. He then had Makoto drink a spiked bottle of water which made her pass out, telling Majima that what came next was not for Makoto's ears. He said that they would have to pay the price of Makoto's survival with another's life, and showed that the brown paper bag contained a duplicate of Makoto's work uniform. He then proposed that they remove the fingerprints and face of the victim with acid and dump her in the Dotonbori canal, but Majima insisted that the yakuza would not be fooled, and ultimately refused to take part in the plot.

Lee grew angry and told Majima that killing the other girl was necessary, but Majima still insisted on leaving. Majima asked who Lee really was, and Lee revealed that he had worked as a hitman until six months before, when he rescued Makoto during a turf war with the Korean mafia and adopted her as his daughter, as she reminded him of his own late daughter, who went blind at a young age and died. Majima realized that Lee had been playing "big daddy" to Makoto ever since, and Lee said that he would not let a daughter die before his eyes again. Lee then told Majima that he could not let him leave with knowledge of the plot, and he and Majima proceeded to have a big fight in the warehouse.

Majima ultimately beat Lee down, and he insisted on walking away from the plot, even though Lee continued to insist that it was the only way to save Makoto. Majima took the photo of Makoto's body double out of the folder and tore it in half before a despondent Lee, and he then walked off with the brown paper bag and the manila folder containing the photos.

Majima then sat by himself on a bench with the bag and smoked a cigarette, now quietly panicking about what might happen next: he had refused to carry out the hit on Makoto, yet he was also unwilling to carry out the hit which could save her life. After a long moment of contemplation, he stood up, dropped the bag and the folder in the trash can, and walked back to the apartment, where he went to sleep.

Tug of War[]

The Stolen Idea[]

Fumiaki Mitsugu telling Majima about Lee's call

On the morning of 16 December, three days after he was assigned the hit on Makimura, Majima woke up at his apartment and decided to head to work. While walking across the Bishamon Bridge, he beat down the hooligans Katsumi Miyazaki, Torio Miura, Koji Kubo, and Hidekazu Asano when they tried to ambush him. On Dotonbori Street West, he got into another fight, this time with the triads Isamu Hino, Kingo Ozaki, and Niou Ito. He then made his way to the Cabaret, where his floor manager Fumiaki Mitsugu told him that he had received a call from a "Lee-sama" asking for him to meet him at the Hogushi Kaikan as soon as possible.

Lee watching the news of Makoto's death — Lee watching the news of Makoto's "death"

Majima ran to the massage parlor, taking down the triads Shinsui Kotani, Monzaemon Narita, Ichiyo Takeda, and Moronobu Ishiyama along the way. When he arrived at the parlor, he found Wen Hai Lee watching the news, and an excited Lee smiled at Majima and said, "Lookit you, playin' the hero all by yerself." Majima was confused, and Lee asked him if he "did" the girl from the photos. Majima was still confused, so Lee had him look at the television, which reported the discovery of the disfigured body of the 20-year-old Makoto Makimura in the river. Lee then asked if Majima didn't do the hit, as he confirmed that the killed girl was the one from the photos, and that he had just "confirmed" Makoto's death when the police approached him to identify the body.

Just then, the phone rang, and, when Lee picked it up, the caller requested that he speak to Majima. Lee cautiously handed over the phone to Majima, and the caller asked Majima if he liked his "little present". The caller then told Majima that "she" was officially dead now, and told Majima, "No worries he'll be comin' for your ass, now. You should be thankin' me." He then told Majima that he was over at his club enjoying a drink, and told Majima to meet him there. Majima then put down the phone, and a worried Lee asked how some random man knew about his plan, and how he obtained the uniform. Majima said that he had previously thrown out the bag, and someone must have taken it from the trash can after watching Majima. Lee asked Majima if his boss might have been responsible, but Majima said that his boss had orders to kill Makoto, and deduced that those responsible might have been the other yakuza who had been sent after Makoto, as they had orders to kidnap her. Majima told Lee that the caller said he would be at the Grand, so he sent Lee to look after Makoto as he met the caller.

A Taxing Issue[]

Businessmen confronting Taiyo Matsuzato — The angry businessmen confronting Taiyo Matsuzato

Majima headed for the cabaret that evening, but, along the way, he came across a shouting match between a group of four irate businessmen and a politician, who was backed into a corner by the men. The men berated him for proposing a 3% sales tax, with one calling him a bloodsucker and saying that he would "bleed the whole country dry," another saying, "You gonna pay sales tax on that fancy suit that you're wearin', ya damn bureaucrat? This tax is only made to keep the common people down!", and another one saying that it was his lucky day to run into the man in a back alley. The politician said that the sales tax was "a necessary evil for the sake of the nation's people", but one furious man claimed to represent "the voice of the general populace" in saying that they were angry at the government. Majima then intervened, asking who the men were yelling at, and they called him a "pencil-pusher" who came up with a tax which would start being charged in 1989, charging people a 3% tax for every item they bought. Majima initially shared their anger, calling it "highway robbery", but he calmed himself down and asked the angry men if harming the politician would stop the tax. One of them said that the only way the people could make the government understand their feelings was "direct action", and one said that, "You wanna stick up for this mosquito, then we'll show you the power of the masses too!" Another shouted, "Prepare for the revolution, a**hole!"

Majima proceeded to beat down Natsume Ito, Kakuei Koide, Sosuke Inagaki, and Takakazu Onuma, scaring them off. The politician then introduced himself as Taiyo Matsuzato, and he said that, while he did not have much in the way of rank or power, he was in a position to help steer the country. He had come to Dotonbori for a conference on taxation policy, but he confessed that he was not prepared to face the public about it. Majima told Matsuzato to take some pride in trying to make the country a better place to live, and Matsuzato said that it was daunting to see how unpopular the sales tax was among the people. He also said that he had no idea how the people would react once they found out that the sales tax was only the tip of the iceberg. Majima wished Matsuzato good luck, saying that, even if people were throwing cash into the fireplace, nobody wanted the government to hold out its hand. Matsuzato asked for Majima's help before Majima could leave, asking him to provide him with the average person's views on taxation; he told Majima that, without exaggeration, the fate of the country rested on Majima's shoulders.

Taiyo and Majima discussing the tobacco tax

Majima agreed, and Matsuzato took him to a restaurant to discuss taxation with him. He asked Majima if he knew what taxes were for, and Majima correctly answered that they were for public services. Matsuzato apologized for asking Majima such a simple question, but said that he was correct, as taxes went to education, medical care, the police, fire departments, and so much more. He then asked what should be taxed, and Majima suggested tobacco; Taiyo mentioned that, since the government monopoly on tobacco products had ended three years earlier, there had actually been a small tax on tobacco products. Majima said that, while he smoked himself and did not really want to pay a tax for cigarettes, he supposed that they were non-essential, and said that, if the government had to jack up taxes, the government should start with non-essnetial products; Majima also opined that people might be even more likely to understand a tax on smokes. While, at the time, a pack of cigarettes costed ¥200, Majima said that he believed people would still fork over ¥300 despite their complaints. He said that, at ¥400, he might reconsider smoking, and, at ¥500 a pack, he would quit cold turkey. Matsuzato then asked about a tax on everyday living, and Majima suggested a gasoline tax, saying, "Why not? People with cars are obviously livin' it up here. Why not skim a little more off the top?" Taiyo said that people were likely used to price creep due to previous price hikes related to the fluctuating price of petroleum, and said that a gas tax was a fantastic idea.

Matsuzato then expressed his fear that further tax increases from 3% might lead to an open revolt, but Majima said that people would gradually get used to "gettin' screwed" as taxes incrementally increased, becoming a normal part of life. Matsuzato asked Majima how high he could see the sales tax going, and Majima theorized that it should go as high as 8%, a number neither too close nor too far from the double-digit 10% threshold. However, Majima warned that an 8% tax would make a ¥100 product cost ¥108, hurting his enthusiasm for buying "pricey stuff". Matsuzato then thanked Majima for his help, saying that he was "a wealth of ideas." Matsuzato then excused himself, saying that he needed to get back to the hotel and prepare his presentation for the tax conference a day later. Majima was then amused that he was in a position to give a man in the business of running the country advice, and he then pondered if it would be his fault if taxes went up.

Meeting Nishitani[]

Majima meeting Oishi in front of the Cabaret Grand

Majima then made his way to the Cabaret Grand, beating up the triads Yoshida Ishihara, Sadanobu Kikuchi, and Seishiro Wakabayashi along the way. He then arrived at the Cabaret Grand, where he found Oishi and his guards waiting for him. This time, Oishi told Majima that his boss was inside, saying that he had received a phone call and "the gift of Makoto Makimura's dead body" from him. Oishi then stood aside as Majima entered the club to meet the mysterious caller.

Majima meeting Nishitani — Majima meeting Homare Nishitani

Majima then entered the club and found that it was almost entirely empty, apart from a rowdy customer who was feeling up Maki-chan and in the company of several other hostesses. Majima showed up just as the girl had agreed to masturbate the man in exchange for a certain monetary charge per minute, and Maki-chan then apologized to her boss as he told Nishitani that sexual contact was prohibited in his club. Nishitani whined and asked the hostesses if they had a scary manager, and, when Majima asked the man what he was doing in the club, Nishitani said that he had rented the whole place out for himself. He then shooed off the hostesses, telling Majima that he didn't want others hearing what they were about to talk about.

The man then introduced himself as Homare Nishitani, Patriarch of the Kijin-kai, and told Majima that he was after Makoto Makimura. He told Majima, "We ain't after Makoto-chan's life. All's we want with her's to have a nice, friendly conversation." Majima was hesitant, but Nishitani told Majima to pass off the murdered girl in the river as Makoto to his boss Sagawa, while he would hand over the real Makoto to Nishitani. He also said that the "braindead chimpanzee" Sagawa wouldn't figure out that the body was a fake, and he promised to carry the secret to his grave.

Majima standing over a defeated Nishitani

Nishitani also said that he was so fascinated by Majima's bravery that he wanted to fight him on the dance floor. Majima reiterated his policy of only serving his customers, so Nishitani called the police and - pretending to be Majima - reported a robbery at the club. He then told Majima that he was no longer facing a customer, but a "robber", and he then drew a knife and challenged Majima to a fight. In the ensuing fight, Majima took down Nishitani after a fight on the dance floor and occasionally up the aisles, and the police then arrived to arrest Nishitani. Nishitani was taken into custody before he could reveal who had given him the order to take Makimura, and Majima told his worried floor manager to deal with the police and get the club ready to reopen and to admit new customers.

Majima then headed up to his office, and, along the way, Maki-chan apologized for her behavior, saying that she thought she could make an exception for Nishitani because "he seemed like he'd be good business." Upon entering his office, Majima found that Sagawa was waiting for him, and Sagawa said that he had been in the club since just after the police busted in. He then told Majima that he thought Majima would call him when the job was done, and, when Majima asked what Sagawa meant, he said that he had seen the news of Makimura's death and commented, "Leaving her floating down the Dotonbori, now that was a bold move." He then asked Majima "what happened to ABC", so Majima said that he had forgot, and had come up to his office to call Sagawa. Sagawa said that there were lots of sticky details on the matter, including the girl's body, and he asked Majima why he caved the girl's face in and left her in uniform. Majima said that it was his first murder, but Sagawa said that he couldn't tell whether Majima was trying to hide who Makimura was or to broadcast it. Majima explained that he had forgotten many of the details, and Sagawa was surprised that Majima was still "in shock", although he recognized that it was Majima's first "murder".

Sagawa then asked what he and the man downstairs were fighting about, and Majima said that it was just another drunken flight. Sagawa told Majima that the man was named Nishitani, and that, while Majima wouldn't know it to look at him, Nishitani was Omi Alliance brass, same as himself. Majima was surprised, but Sagawa explained, "Yep. Omi's got all kinds, but even by that standard, the Kijin Clan are loose cannons. Not exactly team players." He then noted that Majima had been "acting funny" for a while and wondered if Majima was keeping secrets, but Majima insisted that he had told Sagawa the truth. Majima reminded Majima that he could never keep something from him, as he had the scars to remind him what would happen. He then agreed to call Futoshi Shimano to have him readmit Majima into the Tojo-kai, and he told Majima to keep the fires burning and the profits coming to the cabaret in the meantime.

Liao Jianjun running off after giving Majima the painkillers

Majima grew worried that Sagawa would soon grow wise about the dead body, so he decided to return to Makoto to ensure that she could escape. Along the way, Liao Jianjun stopped Majima outside of the club and asked him to bring vital painkillers to Lee, as he claimed that he needed to get to Lee right away, and Majima said that he was on his way there. Liao then ran off back to his shop, and Majima grew worried that Lee was in some kind of medical emergency.

Lee then bumped into the street musician Nariaki Tanioka, who amazed Majima with his massive pile of yen, apparently accumulated from busking. Majima asked the man if he was some kind of "guitar maestro", but the man said that he was actually giving away the money, as he had too much money to handle, and he handed it out to people who listened to him play. Majima joked that the man looked like "a cross between a lounge singer and a used car salesman" and said that the "sleaze" was just "oozing" right off of him. However, the man said that he had become rich from an investment fund with a few friends, and Tanioka then invited Majima to be friends with him and told him of his desire to win the love of women as well. Majima realized that Tanioka was just an awkward "horndog" chasing women, and he sarcastically suggested that he should just try to buy friends. Tanioka took Majima's advice at face value and asked how much it would cost to buy Majima's friendship, and he threw a fistful of money in the air to show how rich he was. Majima took a liking to that move, as he knew that doing so before a fight might distract his opponents and led him be on his way. Tanioka told Majima to visit him again if he was interested in getting rich, and Majima then continued on his path back to Lee and Makoto.

Along the way, Majima came across the triads Naoya Okagami, Hachemon Wakabayashi, and Saionji Narita harassing the Japanese woman Koume Manaka on the Bishamon Bridge, and Majima intervened, challenging them by saying that it appeared that some zoo animals had escaped. The triads took offense and proceeded to fight with Majima, who easily beat them down and rescued Manaka. Manaka, out of gratitude, gave Majima a luxury French wallet. Majima got into another fight, this time with the hooligans Toshimichi Kinoshita, Hokusai Sekine, and Yusuke Mitani, as he walked towards the warehouse, and he succeeded in beating them down and clearing the way to the warehouse.

Failed escape[]

Majima then returned to the warehouse, where Majima delivered the painkillers to Lee. Lee thanked Majima, but said that he did not really need them; this made Majima suspicious, but Makoto interrupted the conversation by asking what was happening. Lee told Makoto that she didn't need to worry, but Makoto expressed her desire to help Lee and Majima fix the problem, saying that she could not stay shut inside while Lee and Majima put themselves in danger for her. Lee then asked Majima about the mysterious caller, and he said that the man's name was Homare Nishitani, and said that the cops had picked him up before he could reveal the reason why everyone was after Makoto. Majima laughed that, even within the Omi, "they can't figure out if they wanna nab ya or just send ya down river." Lee then deduced that Nishitani was the "nabber" and Sagawa was the "killer", and Majima said that Sagawa was their biggest problem, as he said that he was pretty sure that Sagawa was wise to the fact that he didn't kill Makoto. Majima then told Lee to get Makoto out of Dotonbori as soon as possible, but he said that the town was his prison, and that he couldn't leave it. When Makoto asked Majima if he would be killed, Majima said that she shouldn't worry, as he would fight off anyone sent to murder him.

Liao leading the hitmen into the warehouse

Just then, the ragged Liao scampered into the warehouse, and Majima asked if Liao had followed him. Liao then ruefully asked Lee if he remembered the advice he had given to Liao on his arrival in Japan: as it was hard for Chinese people to live in Japan, they always needed to put money first. Lee asked what Liao had done, only to see that Sagawa's four scouts, Tango Ikegami, Manabu Hanada, Ietsuna Fukazawa, and Anzai Shinoda, were following him into the warehouse. A tearful Liao then apologized to Lee, but Fukazawa then struck him in the heart with a crowbar before pushing a bleeding Fukazawa to the floor.

Majima proceeded to take down the four armed men in the ensuing fight, knocking them all unconscious, and Lee lamented to the wounded Liao that he had indeed told him, "Take money over your countrymen." However, he told Liao that, if he went and died, he could not use that money. Majima told Lee that they had to leave, as he knew that Sagawa had not called up those four men and called it a day, but Lee said that, if he left the doctor, he would die. Majima said that the doctor had betrayed him, but Lee said that the doctor was merely following the local Chinese community's rules. He then told Majima that he was going to take Liao to Jambalaya, and told Majima to take Makoto to the Hogushi Kaikan, where he had a getaway van ready.

Majima and Makoto confronting the Sagawa-gumi henchmen

Majima and Makoto were confronted by Sagawa's thugs Shigenaga Koide, Taikan Hiraoka, Tameyoshi Tanimoto, and Hiroyasu Sugihara as they exited the warehouse, forcing Majima to beat them down and prevent them from harming Makoto. He did the same to Yoshihiro Ogawa, Yoriyoshi Kimura, and Michinori Yamada, and, while running down the street, they again came across Takuboku Matsuyama, Iwao Nozawa, and Ichizo Honma, only to beat them down as well.

Majima and Makoto then made their way to the entrance of the Hogushi Kaikan, and Lee met up with them, saying that the doctor would recover from his wounds. Lee then told Makoto and Majima to wait as he got the van started, but, shortly after Lee started the engine, the van exploded, causing Majima and Makoto to fall to the ground, and the street was engulfed by flames. Makoto was knocked unconscious, while Majima looked up to see Sagawa confronting him with a gun. Sagawa told Majima that he was disappointed that he had lied to him, especially as he was on the verge of calling Shimano, but, as Sagawa raised his gun and prepared to shoot Majima, Sagawa was shot in the hand by Masaru Sera, who then approached Makoto. Majima asked who Sera was, but Majima knocked him out with the butt of his pistol and left with Makoto.

Reunion with Nishitani[]

Torture[]

After recovering from his gunshot wound, Sagawa took Majima into his captivity, and he had Tango Ikegami, Manabu Hanada, and Anzai Shinoda torture him in a warehouse in retribution for Majima's betrayal. Sagawa injured himself punching Majima in the face with his injured hand, and he reminded Majima that he had once told Majima that, if he could get by without killing, he should; he then told Majima that he had accepted the hit on Makimura, and Sagawa told Majima that he was about to call Shimano before finding out that Majima had betrayed him.

Sagawa then told Majima that he sympathized with his inability to kill Makimura, telling Majima how, when he was a child, he had taken in an injured sparrow as his secret pet, although his parents refused to let him keep a pet. One day, when Sagawa returned home from school, his parents forced him to watch as they fed his pet sparrow Mametaro to their cat. Sagawa concluded that he shouldn't have lied to his parents, but, before Sagawa could swing a bat at Majima's head, Majima said that he bet that Sagawa was a model son. Sagawa let the bat down and said that he was a "sweet, obedient kid" in front of his parents, but revealed that he killed their cat a day after his pet bird's death. He then warned Majima that he would kill him as well, but said that, before he did, they would "snuff that tidy son of a wh**e who stole Makoto Makimura."

Majima talking to Sagawa about Nishitani

Sagawa then asked Majima if he knew the man who took Makimura, but Majima said that he did not, and asked why everyone was after Makimura if she was not running a prostitution ring. Sagawa said that he wished he could tell Majima, but he had no clue himself, and that his "brother" Shimano had merely told him, "Use Majima to kill a person named Makoto Makimura." Majima was shocked that it was Shimano who wanted Makimura dead, and Sagawa explained that, because of Shimano's orders, killing Makimura was supposed to be Majima's big chance to get back into the Tojo-kai. Majima asked Sagawa why the boss wanted him killing anyone, but Sagawa said that he didn't know, and it might not be his place to know. He then asked Majima if he was sure that he had no clues about "Mr. White Suit", but he pointed out that the man, like Nishitani, did not want Makimura dead. Sagawa asked if Majima was talking about the same Nishitani as the patriarch of the Kijin-kai who made a scene at the cabaret, and Majima revealed that Nishitani had come to the cabaret to tell him that he owed Nishitani Makimura since he went and made Majima a "stand-in body". Sagawa was surprised to hear that Nishitani got Majima a body double, and he said that he would like to go drop the hammer on Nishitani and get him to spill the girl's location, but he lamented that he was "still cooling in the tank" after being arrested. Majima decided that, even if they couldn't get at Nishitani, his men probably knew something, so Sagawa told Majima that the Kijin-kai offices were on Dotonbori Street East at the Third Namiki Building, on the third floor. Sagawa then asked Majima if he was hiding anything from him about Nishitani, but Majima said that there wasn't. Sagawa began to tell Majima what would happen if he found out that Majima was lying, but Majima predicted that Sagawa would kill him, and Sagawa commended Majima as a quick learner.

Erran-kun's last errand[]

Majima finding Erran-kun on the ground again

As Majima left the building on the morning of 17 December 1988, Majima came across Erran-kun again sitting in front of the convenience store, again in pain because of an errand. He told Majima that, this time, he was asked to deliver an absorbent sheet to the girl he was trying to hit on, and said that the girl had plans and wanted Erran-kun to fetch her the absorbent sheet before it was too late. Majima agreed to deliver the sheet, and Erran told Majima that the girl was hanging out on the canal-side footpath on the Dotonbori side.

Majima kicking Kensaku Katayama from the bridge

Majima crossed the Bishamon Bridge, beating down the triads Yoshino Matsuura, Doi Sakai, Teinosuke Toda, Kensaku Katayama, and Shirosama Honda in a public fight. Majima used his break-dancing moves to take down several of the triads, and, when faced with the last triad - Katayama - Majima made a spectacle of kicking him into the air and off of the bridge, with Katayama falling into the canal below. With the triads dealt with, Majima was free to use one of the stairways on the bridge's side to walk down to the polluted footpath to search for the object of Erran-kun's affection.

Majima found the girl Emiri Okazaki waiting in an alleyway, and he gave her the absorbent tissues. She showed no concern for Erran-kun, causing Majima to suggest that she should treat him better and not have him continue to run draining errands for her. Just then, her boyfriend Tomo-kun ran over and said that he was beginning to sweat (alluding that they had just had sex), and Tomo told Emi-chan that she needed to whip Erran-kun into shape with some "tough love" so that he was never late again. Majima was angered that Tomo-kun and Emi-chan would take advantage of Erran-kun so severely, but Tomo said that Erran-kun was reliably "quick, courteous, and free", and that he didn't know that Emi-chan and Tomo-kun were an "item". Majima told them that Erran-kun had run his last errand for them, but an angry Tomo-kun told Majima that he could be his new errand boy. Majima insulted Tomo back, so Tomo, ignoring Emiri's pleas to join her in going to the movies, decided to pick a fight with Majima. Majima easily beat Tomo down, and Tomo agreed to never send Erran-kun on errands ever again. Tomo then ran off, and Emiri followed him, worried that he would abandon their plan to go to the movies. Erran-kun arrived shortly after, and he asked if Majima had delivered the tissues in time. Majima decided to tell Erran-kun the truth, saying that Emiri was in a relationship. Erran-kun revealed that he knew, as he had seen her walking with a "handsome looking guy" the other day, but acknowledging that he was in need of a reality check. He decided that he would no longer run errands for Emiri, and he told Majima, "If there's anything I can do, I'll be happy to do it. For you, I'm willing to run anywhere!" He then ran to the entrance of the footpath, where he would wait until Majima would give him a task.

Yoko holding her blue Chestnut the Squirrel doll

Majima then continued his journey into Dotonbori, but he bumped into Yoko Toyoda once again as she waited outside the SEGA Hi-Tech Land. She called him "sir" when she greeted him, so Majima suggested that she drop "the 'sir' thing", as it made him feel old. He then asked what she was looking for, and she said that she was looking at the blue Chestnut the Squirrel doll. When Majima began to lecture her about staying out by herself, she said that she had no father to give her gifts, and said that her mother said that there was no money for "fribalous things". Majima quickly went into the game center and won the doll, and he then gave the doll to an overjoyed Yoko. Yoko asked Majima if he would be her "daddy", explaining that he bought her gifts like a father would, and she also added, "And you look old enough to be a daddy, so you're just like a daddy to me!" Majima decided not to protest at his new nickname, and a happy Yoko told Majima that she wished he could be her real "daddy". Majima told her that he was getting mixed feelings, and had her run back home to her mother.

Searching for Billiken[]

Majima then made his way to the Kijin-kai offices, defeating the yakuza Gesshin Miyata, Masakado Nagano, and Takuji Hatakeyama outside the building. He then entered the building and took the elevator to the third floor, where he was instantly recognized by the guards. When they asked Majima what he was doing there, Majima asked, "Yo. Where's Makoto Makimura at?" The leader of the thugs, Kagetoki Konno, asked if Majima had brain damage, so Majima asked if a buddy of Nishitani's had taken the girl. The thug said that he had no clue what Majima was on about, and said that, even if he did, he still would not tell Majima. He then berated Majima for disrespecting the men for coming to a yakuza office as if he was asking for directions, so Majima asked if he should let his fists do the asking.

Majima proceeded to fight the three yakuza, each of whom wielded swords against him, and he took down Konno, Keita Nishio, and Tokutomi Adachi in the ensuing brawl. He then interrogated Konno, who told Majima that he didn't know where Makimura was, saying that the clan believed that Makimura had been with Majima the whole time. Konno then told Majima that the boss never told him anything about the girl or why he wanted her, and he suggested that Majima ask Nishitani. Majima believed this to be a joke, but Konno said that he was not joking, and suggested that he ask the detective Billiken, who served as Nishitani's liaison with the police, to sneak him into the jail to speak to Nishitani. He then said that Billiken hung out on Bishamon Bridge, and Majima then told Konno that he knew why Nishitani never clued in his men on anything: "You run your mouths soon as somebody slaps ya around." He then knocked out Konno and set out to find Billiken.

Takeo Aoki attacking Majima in the street

As Majima left the Kijin-kai office, he was confronted by a gang of Kijin-kai yakuza led by Takeo Aoki, who attempted to take a swing at Majima, only to miss. Majima proceeded to take down Aoki and his henchmen Kotaro Taniguchi, Tsunayoshi Kurosawa, Toshikuni Nagashima, and Yataro Kubota in a public street brawl, leaving them all on the pavement, gasping for breath by the time he was done.

Majima then came across Yoko again, and she asked him (whom she called "Daddy") for another plushy doll. After several attempts at getting the doll, Majima became frustrated and instead decided to spend time playing a racing game, Out Run. Majima spent several minutes playing at the arcade before deciding to search for Billiken at the Bishamon Bridge, the next step to finding Nishitani and tracking down Makimura.

Meeting Billiken[]

Majima then traveled to the Bishamon Bridge, where he found Billiken smoking on the side of the bridge. Majima asked if the man was Billiken, and the man turned around and asked, "Hmmm? Who're you, slim?" Majima introduced himself, and said, "Word on the street is that if I ask nice, you'll let me in to see Nishitani in the can." He then explained that there was something he had to get into jail and ask Nishitani about, whatever it took, and, when Billiken asked Majima if he was Nishitani's buddy. Majima said that Nishitani was his enemy and an "a**hole", so Billiken asked if Majima thought he would let an enemy of Nishitani into the jail. Majima explained that he would not lie to a man whom he believed would see through any lie, but, when he offered to bribe Billiken for entry, Billiken told Majima to have some class and not resort to bribery. Majima then asked Billiken what he wanted, so Billiken, after a short pause, decided to invite Majima to drink with him on a pleasure barge touring the Dotonbori. Majima asked if they were "drinkin' on some historical tour," but Billiken told Majima to shut up and get on the boat.

Majima meeting with Billiken on the boat

Majima and Billiken met aboard the pleasure barge, where Billiken asked Majima about his relationship with Nishitani. Majima said that Nishitani was his enemy, but Billiken asked what kind of enemy he was, as some enemies one wanted to kill, and others were ones whom one might have befriended if things had been different. Majima asked Billiken if he knew Nishitani, and Billiken told Majima that he had known Nishitani since he was practically a baby, and told Majima about Nishitani's life. He said that he was shoplifting as an infant, picked pockets and swiped stray bags during kindergarten, had done shakedowns in elementary school, and was breaking into cars by middle school. Majima then guessed that Nishitani was committing armed robbery by high school, but Billiken said that Nishitani had actually stabbed a man to death by then. Majima then asked what compelled a detective to serve as a point man for someone like Nishitani, but they were interrupted by a sudden lurch. The floor began to sink, and Majima panicked before realizing that the floor was travelling down an underwater elevator shaft.

Bed of Styx[]

Majima asked Billiken where they were going, and Billiken said that they were going to the Bed of Styx. Billiken said that some tunnels had been built during World War II for some reason (possibly as air raid shelters), and said that he had made a few changes after conning some rich people into renovating the tunnels for him. Majima joked that the place had a cheery name, but Billiken said that places like the Bed of Styx had no business being cheery, and told Majima that it was the place "where criminals become executioners."

Billiken then opened the vault door, showing Majima to a packed arena which featured criminals fighting each other to the death. He told Majima "This world's fulla criminals the law can't touch. Killers without the evidence to nail 'em. Terrorists walkin' free 'cause they're friends with the right politician...We take guys like that from around the world, and we throw 'em down here." He then explained to Majima that the people in charge of the arena released the criminals after a year if they could survive the fighting, and said that there were no rules at all, allowing the fighters to cheat all they could and even kill the other fighter if they wished. Majima concluded that Billiken was letting convicts carry out each other's death sentences, sarcastically calling it "real classy". Billiken retorted, "All in the name of atonement and world peace, kid." Majima then asked how the audience factored into it, and Billiken said that, as there were no other venues to watch men fight for their lives, the customers were willing to pay lots of cash to watch it. He then added, "Hey, don't knock it. This is just an underpaid cop's little thing on the side."

Billiken inviting Majima to fight in the Bed of Styx

Billiken then told Majima that, as the convict lineup hadn't changed in a while, the matches were getting stale, and the audiences were starting to get bored. He then suggested to Majima that, if he spiced up the ring a little, it might be the shot the place needed. Majima asked Billiken if he was asking him to fight, and Billiken said that nobody was asking for Majima to stay in the Bed of Styx for a year, but asked him to win against three or so men, which would be plenty. He then promised to take Majima to Nishitani after.

Majima proceeded to enter the ring, where he first came up against the cannibalistic "killer clown" Ginger Chapman. Majima took down Chapman after a short fight, after which he went up against "the pleasure-killing practicioner" Doctor Kirihito. Majima took down Kirihito as well, upon which he came up against an even stronger opponent, "the world champion of 'accidental' in-figth deaths, the reaper of the ring, immune from the law..." Dead Puncher. Majima was able to take down Dead Puncher after a grueling battle, after which he was cheered on by the announcer as "the birth of a new legend." Billiken congratulated Majima and invited him to come back to the Bed of Styx if he ever wanted to make more money from underground fights, but Majima told Billiken that it was time for him to come through on his end of the bargain.

Billiken telling Majima the truth about himself

Majima and Billiken then met back up on the bridge, where Billiken told Majima that dirty water served the purpose of covering up what lay underneath, and told him how the stabbed and disfigured body of a high school girl had turned up in the water years back. She came from a single-parent home and a caring father, only for a "street punk minor" to assault her and murder her. The boy was released without charges, as he was a minor when the crime was carried out, only for a teenager named Nishitani to kill the boy in retribution. Billiken then said that the victim's father had taken Nishitani into his care ever since Nishitani was just "an ankle biter", and the old man went on to build the Bed of Styx to deal with criminals like his daughter's murderer, and said that the old man was now Nishitani's liaison with the force. Majiam realized that Billiken was the girl's father and Nishitani's foster father, and Billiken then led Majima to the jail to meet Nishitani.

Visiting Nishitani in jail[]

Shigematsu Taniguchi letting Majima into the cell

Billiken then took Majima to the local jail, where he paid the guard Shigematsu Taniguchi more than usual, as he remembered that Taniguchi's daughter was preparing to go off to college. Taniguchi then let Majima into Nishitani's cell after patting down Majima, and Billiken and Taniguchi then walked off to give Majima and Nishitani their privacy. Majima found Nishitani sleeping on the floor, and, when Majima attempted to wake him, his cellmates stood up and prepared to defend their boss.

However, when Nishitani woke and realized that it was Majima who was visiting him, he had his men stand down and asked if Majima got caught shoplifting. Majima said that he had come to meet with Nishitani, and Nishitani laughed about their fight and lamented that he was arrested before they could finish it. He then insisted that he and Majima pick up where they left off, comparing the fight's premature ending to a rainy day ruining a bseball game. Majima attempted to redirect the conversation, saying that Makoto had been taken, and that she had been taken by a man in a white suit. Nishitani said that he had no friends like that, but he had "a pretty good hunch", and that the man was likely a third party. They were briefly interrupted by the guard's return, but Nishitani had the guard go off to grab them drinks. He then explained how his uncle's jail was the safest safehouse in all Japan, as no weapons could make their way inside. Majima attempted to continue his interrogation of Nishitani, who refused to tell him more, so Majima threatened him with an even greater beatdown. Nishitani told Majima that he was getting his hopes up, and both of them ultimately decided to finish their fight from earlier.

Majima defeated a knife-wielding Nishitani once again, and a winded Nishitani offered Majima a job with his organization, only for Majima to politely decline. Majima then sat on the floor with Nishitani, and Nishitani explained that Makoto's third group of hunters was "a pack of wolves" who called themselves the Nikkyo Consortium. Majima said that he hadn't heard of them, but Nishitani explained that "they ain't the sort of operation that's flashin' the Tojo crest. Whole thing's underground." He then told Majima that the man in the white suit must be Nikkyo's president Masaru Sera, and said that, a few days ago, he had received word that Sera had his pack in the neighborhood. Majima then revealed to Nishitani that his kill order had come down from his own boss, Shimano, and Nishitani said that, as long as they were talking Tojo, he had another tidbit for Majima. He revealed that the man who hired him was a Dojima-gumi lieutenant named Keiji Shibusawa, and Nishitani concluded that Sera's Nikkyo Consortium, Majima's Shimano-gumi, and the Dojima-gumi - all Tojo Clan subsidiaries - were after Makoto. Nishitani warned Majima that Nikkyo did the kind of work that the Tojo-kai didn't want their names on, comparing them to the CIA in America or the Soviet KGB. He explained to Majima that his boss merely wanted him to bundle Makoto up and ship her over, and he told Majima that, if he sided with him, he would never have to worry about hurting Makoto. Majima said that, as he couldn't kill Makoto, he had a responsibility to keep her alive. Nishitani lamented that he had only just met a man like Majima, and he told Majima that the Nikkyo Consortium was based from the Camellia Grove traditional and historic dining and lodging district, specifically from the Benten Inn. Nishitani volunteered to take Majima there, and he then called for Billiken and the jailer.

Nishitani after being shot — Nishitani confronting the jailer after being shot

However, they found that neither of them was in sight, and Nishitani also found that the cell door was unlocked. He and Majima entered the hallway, where they heard a gunshot and, soon after, saw Billiken stumble around the corner and collapse in the hallway. They then saw the jailer holding a gun, and the nervous jailer said that he needed the money to put his daughter through college. He also explained that the "Tokyo types" would pay him a hundred times more than what Billiken slipped him, and, when Nishitani began to walk towards him, the jailer shot Nishitani in the chest. Nishitani told himself that, if one caused mischief for long enough, it would come back to bite them, and he told Majima to leave as he - still standing - confronted the jailer. The jailer shot Nishitani twice more, but ran out of bullets, and Nishitani slowly crept towards the jailer and then lunged at him as Majima made his way to the door. Majima lingered before Nishitani bade him farewell, and, as Majima closed the door, he heard Nishitani beat the screaming jailer to death before succumbing to his own gunshot wound.

The Camellia Grove[]

Reporting to Sagawa[]

Majima bumping into Sagawa on the street

Majima then hurriedly ran back into Dotonbori, hoping to avoid being murdered by Sagawa's men for temporarily leaving the neighborhood. However, he bumped into Sagawa along the way, and Sagawa asked him, "A little bird tells me you strolled out of Dotonbori for a hot second today?" Sagawa then slyly and sarcastically said that this got him thinking that somebody had popped Majima, and that he though he wound find Majima "bobbing in the river" as a result.

Majima revealed that he had hit the jail to meet up with Nishitani, but Sagawa then choked Majima and forced him into a nearby building, where he reminded him, "Dotonbori's not your backyard, yeah? It's your cage! Your CAGE!" He then told Majima that, when one stepped out at a hotel, they would let the front desk know, and he asked who Majima thought he was when he tried to leave his "cage" without a word. He then asked where Majima was rushing off to, and Majima claimed that he was "naturally" coming to report to Sagawa. Sagawa then let Majima go, and Majima told a gasping Majima that it would break his heart to kill him in the abandoned building.

Sagawa and Majima taking a taxi to the Camellia Grove

Sagawa then asked Majima if his meeting with Nishitani had resulted in him finding out Makimura's location. Majima told Sagawa that he learned that the man in the white suit had nothing to do with Nishitani, but was Masaru Sera from the Nikkyo Consortium. He then explained to Sagawa, "They don't fly clan colors, but they're on team Tojo." Sagawa was confused that Nikkyo was on the same team as Shimano, and Majima explained that Nishitani was also on Tojo Clan payroll, from someone in the Dojima-gumi. Sagawa was impressed, saying that Nishitani was not an easy nut to crack, and he then asked Majima what he had done to Nishitani. Majima simply commented, "This and that...", and Sagawa then returned to the original topic by deducing that Makoto was popular among all the Tojo men. He then asked where she was, and Majima said that she was at the Benten Inn in the Camellia Grove, where the Nikkyo Consortium was holed up. Sagawa cryptically said that, "A girl like Makoto Makimura shuffling around wailing and sobbing's not gonna get a second look in the Grove," and told Majima that he would understand when they got there. Majima was perplexed that Sagawa wanted to come with him, and Sagawa asked Majima, "You see a lot of people send their dog out to walk itself? F*** no, right? If you leave Dotonbori, it's with me holding the leash. Understand?" Majima then decided he was ready, and the two men drove off in a taxi to find the Benten Inn.

Arriving at the Camellia Grove[]

The taxi took Majima and Sagawa across a bridge to the Camellia Grove, and they then disembarked from their taxi and walked up the street towards the Benten Inn. Along the way, Majima noticed several prostitutes sitting in pink-lit houses, and an elderly prostitute, Tokiyo Henmi, called over Sagawa and offered him a special rate. However, Sagawa greeted the "granny" and said that the two men were in Camellia Grove for one girl in particular. Henmi playfully called Sagawa a "tease" and let him walk on with Majima. They then headed to the towering Benten Inn, where Sagawa and Majima decided to split up; Sagawa would investigate from the left side of the building, while Majima would take the right side. Sagawa flashed hiis pistol to Majima, saying that he would take down anyone he saw, whether they were Nikkyo thugs, Sera himself, or Makoto. Majima warned Sagawa not to run out of bullets, and he proceeded to head down the right hallway.

Brawl at the Benten Inn[]

Shortly after arriving, Majima was confronted by three Nikkyo thugs, and their leader Anzai Tashiro knew Majima's name and told him that Sera had no quarrel with him. He then invited Majima to leave the inn with his life, but Majima refused; Majima then gave the thugs an ultimatum: "...Decide if ya wanna fork over Makoto or get yer asses beat!" Tashiro responded, "I decline both your generous offers," and he told his men Matsudaira Ishizuka and Yoshiaga Iijima not to bother going easy on Majima and teach him not to mess with Nikkyo. This began a major brawl as Majima beat down the three Nikkyo thugs and moved deeper into the inn, facing new groups of Nikkyo thugs every time he turned a corner.

Geishas preparing to ambush Majima — The *geishas* preparing to ambush Majima

Majima proceeded to take down Yunosuke Kurosawa, Kiyonobu Miyata, Shigetaka Murakami, Heizo Kojima, Tomomi Aoki, Matsu Takei, Atasuke Mizoguchi, and Tsuramatsu Nagashima in the next room before heading up the stairs and fighting Maresuke Matsuyama, Botan Muramatsu, Akinari Saeki, Naoya Okano, Seika Nishioka, Tameyoshi Hoshi, Eizan Nakajima, Teijo Kai, Yosai Iwai, Tadayuki Kamada, Eiichi Tsutsumi, and Toru Kuroki on the next floor. After advancing into the next room on that floor, Majima was surprised to find a room full of geishas, only to find that they were all male assassins. He beat down Yoshimitsu Kaai, Motoki Miyagi, Soseki Okamura, Shozo Iwata, Seishiro Mizoguchi, and Kokei Seki, but, upon advancing into the next room, he found more Nikkyo men after tearing through a screen door. He took down Kaneie Kodama, Shuji Shinozaki, Toyozo Fujisawa, Tadayoshi Takenaka, Takanori Terada, Kokei Yamaoka, Norishige Matsuoka, and Kinji Shibuya, and, when he advanced into the next room, he found it initially empty. However, several more Nikkyo thugs appeared using turning doors, and he took down Kazuma Kudo, Tanyu Ouchi, Matabei Nagano, Kenichi Nishiyama, and Chuichi Ide. However, more Nikkyo henchmen arrived, including more disguised geishas, and Majima took down Fujio Kai, Jotaro Umeda, Mikio Hosokawa, Sojuro Hamano, Tokuma Honda, and Jakuchu Sakai. He then advanced to the next room, and he faced the swordmaster Sosuke Hiramatsu before taking him down after a grueling fight.

Confronting Sera[]

Majima then burst through the next door, finding the entrance to the courtyard. There, he found that the white-clad Sera was waiting for him, his back turned to the door. Sera turned and told Majima, "Impressive work, getting this far against Consortium men. I can see why you were one of Shimano's favorites." Majima then demanded to know where Makimura was, and Sera revealed that he had just placed her in the care of a colleague. Sera assured Majima that Makoto was safe, and he told Majima to trust that he was not his enemy. Majima ridiculed Sera for sicking his "clowns" on him and then claiming to not be his enemy, but Sera apologized and said that he needed to test Majima's resolve. Majima asked what Sera meant, and Sera reminded Majima that the Nikkyo Consortium was not the only organization after Makoto, and said that he was confused why Majima was interested in saving Makimura. He then asked if Majima was in love with her, but Majima grew defensive. Sera then said that he could not simply let Majima try and save Makoto by himself, and, when Majima asked how he had done on Sera's test, Sera said that he needed to ascertain Majima's resolve by fighting him himself. He then told Majima that, if he was willing to protect Makoto Makimura with his life, he would have to prove it by defeating him in battle. Majima asked Sera if he would also tell him Makoto's location if he won, and Sera agreed.

Majima proceeded to engage in a grueling battle against Sera, succeeding in beating him down after an intense fight. He then asked Sera to follow up on his promise, and Sera decided that Majima's determination to keep Makoto safe was "painfully clear." Majima then asked who Sera passed Makoto off to, and Sera revealed that he had given him to a real estate agent, puzzling Majima. Sera explained that, unbeknownst to Makoto, she was the holder of a deed to an incredibly valuable peace of land, the "Empty Lot", which was worth ¥1 billion. He said that it was in a city that Majima knew well, and Majima correctly guessed that Sera meant Kabukicho, Tokyo. He then deduced that Sera's allies had taken Makoto to Kabukicho, and said that the Tojo-kai must have "gone to sh**" since he was gone, as it took them "an army of yakuza to pry the deed outta the hands of a blind girl by force." Majima then asked Sera how a real estate agent could protect her, and Sera explained that, "This particular firm is...unorthodox. As long as Makoto is in their custody, she will be safe." Sera then asked what Majima's next step was, and he said that he would "obviously" head down to Kabukicho. Sera cautioned Majima about Sagawa, saying that Sagawa would attempt to kill Makoto by any means, and that death would be following at his heels if he ever went to Kabukicho.

Sagawa reading the real estate agency's business card

Sera decided to test Majima by handing him a gun and telling him to kill him if Majima couldn't trust him; Majima initially aimed at Sera, but he hesitated and ultimately decided to trust Sera Majima decided that he would be off, and he told Sera that, if anything happened to Makoto, he would "drag" Sera "to Hell". Sera swore that he would protect Makoto with his life, and, as he told Majima, "You stay in Dotonbori and keep Sagawa...", he was suddenly shot in the back by Sagawa. Sagawa commended Majima on the "combo" of Majima taking Sera's gun and allowing for Sagawa to shoot Sera in the back, and he then ruffled through Sera's suit pocket and found a business card. He discovered that Sera's contacts were Tachibana Real Estate, and that the name on the business card read "Kazuma Kiryu". Sagawa told Majima that it was time to let him out of his cage, and they set out for Kabukicho.

Arrival in Kabukicho[]

By the night of 18 December 1988, Sagawa had set up his base in an apartment in Kabukicho, and Majima had been unsuccessful in scouring the streets for any sign of Tachibana, Makimura, or Kiryu. He came across the Taihei Association enforcer Sadahige Ebara and his men beating down a debtor, and, while the man begged for Majima's help, Majima abandoned the man to be savagely kicked by Ebara and his men after noticing a Dojima pin on the debtor's suit jacket. He then walked around the corner and into the apartment where he and Sagawa were based, intending to give another report to Sagawa.

Sagawa's revelations[]

Majima reporting to Sagawa at the apartment

Sagawa asked Majima if he had gotten a lead on Tachibana, but Majima said that he couldn't find anything while scrolling around, adding, "I ain't heard so much as the 'T' in Tachibana." Sagawa accused Majima of not trying hard enough, and reminded him that the only way Majima would live to see another day was if he would put a bullet in Makoto. Sagawa warned Majima that, since it had been a full day since Makoto left Dotonbori, they might soon lose their chance to find her. Sagawa then lamented how he was stuck with the "sardine treatment" in the apartment, as an Omi lieutenant walking through Kabukicho would cause "a thing", and Majima then asked Sagawa why he did not involve Shimano in the search.

Sagawa explained that he could not show any weakness to Shimano, as the hunt for Makimura was a joint operation between the Omi Alliance brass and Shimano. Sagawa explained that the Omi Alliance had a deal with Shimano to buy the Empty Lot from him for ¥10 billion, as the Omi had their eyes on the prize - Kabukicho - the cornerstone of the whole Kabukicho Revitalization Project. He then added that, if the Omi got their hands on the Empty Lot, they could snatch the "whole fat slice" of Tojo turf right out from under them. The Omi Alliance could then flood into Kabukicho with ground troops and make the ¥10 billion back in no time, surprising Majima. Sagawa told Majima that Shimano's endgame was to use those Omi troops as muscle to take over the Tojo-kai for himself, giving the Omi a slice of Tokyo in exchange for being placed on the Tojo throne. When the time came, Shimano and Omi would work out how to divide Kabukicho, and Sagawa feared that, if he showed weakness to Shimano, Shimano could use it as leverage down the line. He then revealed that Shimano himself had picked Majima as the hitman to kill Makoto, but a dumbfounded Majima asked why Shimano would want to kill Makoto if he needed her to give him the deed to the Empty Lot. Sagawa added that the entire Omi leadership had somehow decided to go along with Shimano's plot, and he said that he would likely receive the Omi half of Kabukicho should the plot work out. Majima then confronted Sagawa about his previous statement that Shimano kept him out of the loop about the hit on Makoto, and Sagawa said that he was giving information to Majima on a need-to-know basis. He then stressed the importance of finding Makoto before the day was through, and he directed Majima to investigate the Golden Gai neighborhood, where Tachibana had recently been active.

Investigating the Golden Gai[]

Majima then set out for the Golden Gai, and, along the way, he was jumped by the triads Ringo Matsuo, Ryu Kurita, Motoichi Aoyagi, and Shojiro Sugimura before beating them down. Upon arriving in the Golden Gai district, he was ambushed by the triads Rei Nozaki, Eiji Kano, Kenji Yagi, and Hokusai Amano, but he defeated them as well. He then bumped into the local resident Takakazu Shinobu, and he assured him that he was no yakuza before asking him about Tachibana. Shinobu said that Tachibana had not been in the area recently, but the area had instead been crawling with yakuza land sharks.

Disappointed with the lack of a lead, Majima decided to sniff around further, and he came across the hooligans Ieshige Naito, Shumei Tsuda, and Eitoku Sega harassing the local resident Shigemori Tajima in a vacant lot. Majima decided to intervene, and he beat down the three hooligans before earning Tajima's thanks.

Reunion with Shimano[]

Majima was disappointed by the lack of leads in the district, so he decided to walk out. He was confronted by a gang of Shimano-gumi enforcers led by Gonshiro Ogino, who expressed his surprise that Majima had returned to Kabukicho and was not floating in a ditch in Dotonbori. Majima said that he was in a hurry, and would be sure to make a "house call" the next time he was in the neighborhood. Ogino coldly said that Kabukicho's streets were off limits to Majima, and said that he did not recall hearing the boss give Majima permission to walk free. Majima tauntingly responded, "Just kinda surprised the family boot lickers are givin' me lip. How d'ya figure you outrank me?" Ogino angrily said that he outranked Majima the day Majima "straight up defied the family," and he and his men then got ready to give Majima a beating. Majima proceeded to take down Ogino, Masaru Tahara, Tetsu Takase, Sosa Komori, and Eitoku Kurasawa in a street brawl, humbling them.

Majima confronting the defeated Shimano thugs as Buncho Hashimoto arrives

Just then, Buncho Hashimoto arrived with Hideki Komuro and a few other men from the Shimano family. Hashimoto addressed Majima, telling him, "I hope you'll cut the young blood some slack. I'd like to make up for their rudeness by escorting you somewhere." Majima insisted that he was busy at the moment, but Hashimoto explained that Patriarch Shimano wanted to see him. He then said that, if Majima's current business was more important than meeting Shimano, he would leave Majima to it, but he said that he and Majima probably both knew the answer to that question.

Majima was then taken to meet Shimano, and the two sat at a table as Shimano ate dinner. Shimano jokingly asked if Majima had given up drinking since last they saw each other, and, shortly after, Sagawa arrived in the room, telling Shimano that his invite was "awful sudden". Shimano then asked what brought Sagawa and Majima to Kabukicho, and Sagawa told Shimano that he must know if he invited them to a fancy dinner. He then explained that they were pursuing Makoto, who had fled to Kabukicho with the help of Tachibana Real Estate. Shimano called it a "helluva plot twist", but assured them that everything was going according to plan.

Sagawa and Majima were confused, and Shimano excitedly told Majima that the whole reason he had sent him to kill Makoto was because he knew that Majima wouldn't do it. He then explained that he wanted Majima to go against his orders and hide the girl instead, and Sagawa asked for an explanation as well. Shimano told them about how the "Empty Lot" was a "sh** stripe of land sandwiched 'tween Shichifuku Street and Taihei Boulevard. And right now it's got the whole f****n' Tojo Clan by the b***s. Dojima's been pouring f***tons of money into this Kabukicho Revitalization Project. And that Empty Lot's got the power to s**t the bed on the whole deal." He then revealed that, if Dojima scored the land, Tojo profits would go through the roof, and Dojima was guaranteed the title of Chairman on Nihara's retirement. Shimano reported that, even then, Kazama was trying to put a hard stop on that, and he was the main obstacle standing between Shimano and control of the Tojo Clan. He then explained that Kiryu of Tachibana Real Estate was one of Kazama's men, and that Kazama was using his Tachibana pawns to fight Dojima by proxy. Sagawa laughed and said that Shimano couldn't cast stones, as he used to be a Dojima subsidiary boss himself, and said that he couldn't just turn his guns on Sohei Dojima.

Sagawa congratulating Majima on his ability to not kill Makoto

Sagawa then asked Shimano why he had sent Majima to not-kill Makoto, and Shimano explained that he wanted to earn Makoto's trust by making her fall in love with Majima and be more conducive to selling the Empty Lot to him, and he also said that he wanted to flush out all of his future opponents within the Tojo-kai and deal with them before he became chairman. He added that he had a new enemy in Masaru Sera, whose role in the conspiracy he did not discover until Majima's showdown with Sera at the Benten Inn, and he said that Sera recently tagged up in Kabukicho. He decided that he could use Nikkyo to prod at Kazama, and he told Majima that he no longer had to kill Makoto, instead sending Majima to retrieve Makoto so that he could buy the Empty Lot from her for ¥1 billion. He then promised to reinstate Majima into the Tojo Clan and throw in the girl as a bonus. Sagawa said that they couldn't find Makoto, so Shimano told them that, if they found Kiryu's sworn brother Akira Nishikiyama, they could have him lead them straight to Kiryu and then to Makoto. Sagawa told Majima that he must be happy, as everyone would benefit from Majima's success.

A dejected Majima then left the Shimano-gumi office, depressed that he had been fooled and used the whole time, and he bumped into Kozue Ozaki as Ozaki and his friends Nobuharu Kuno and Taikan Tominaga left a pachinko parlor. An angry Ozaki approached Majima and attempted to pick a fight over Majima not apologizing, and, while Kuno and Tominaga warned Ozaki not to mess with a yakuza, Majima led Ozaki knock him to the ground and punch and kick him. Majima said that he would take whatever Ozaki gave him, so Ozaki began to wildly kick him, and Kuno and Tominaga decided that they also wanted turns at kicking Majima. Majima took a beating all night long, and, when he got up, he decided that moping wouldn't get him anywhere, and he resolved to find Makoto and start with Nishikiyama at the Kazama-gumi office.

Investigating the Kazama-gumi office[]

Majima arriving at the Kazama-gumi office

Majima then arrived at the Kazama-gumi office on Tenkaichi Street, where he planned to confront Nishikiyama and track down Kiryu. He took the elevator to the main office, and he was promptly confronted by the rookie thugs Jomei Tsukuda, Roka Sumida, and Eisen Nakazawa. Tsukuda believed that Majima was trying to prank him by pretending to be Nishikiyama's friend, and he angrily demanded that Majima leave. Just then, Kazama-gumi captain Osamu Kashiwagi entered the room and identified the visitor as Goro Majima, intimidating Tsukuda. Kashiwagi told his men that Majima had fallen off the map three years earlier, and was amused that Majima had shown up to his office. He then asked what his business was with Nishikiyama, but Majima responded, "None of yours," leading to Kashiwagi asking if there was some reason he should listen to Majima. He then told Majima that he had been erased from the Tojo Clan, and said that he was not welcome at his office. Kashiwagi firmly said that he would not give either Nishikiyama or Kiryu to Majima, and Kashiwagi decided to challenge Majima to a fight outside. Majima agreed, and they met on the roof.

Majima confronting Kashiwagi — Majima confronting Osamu Kashiwagi

Majima asked where they were, and Kashiwagi explained that they were on a building he looked after in exchange for free reign there and an excellent janitorial staff which would even tidy up a dead body in no time at all. Majima tauntingly laughed and asked Kashiwagi if he still wanted to fight him alone, or if he wanted to call in the cavalry; Kashiwagi told Majima that he always wanted the chance to try Majima one-on-one. He then added, "To be honest, the prospect's had my heart racing since you walked in...Call it a yakuza's nature." He then challenged Majima to come at them, and the two proceeded to engage in a grueling battle. Kashiwagi proved to be a strong opponent, but Majima ultimately succeeded in taking down Kashiwagi in a rooftop fight.

Majima interrogating Jomei Tsukuda in front of a defeated Kashiwagi

Just then, a worried Jomei Tsukuda ran to the roof, finding his boss on the floor. Majima threatened to dig out Kashiwagi's left eye unless Tsukuda gave up Nishikiyama's location, and a frightened Tsukuda told Majima to try the Serena Executive Lounge. He explained that it was a bar on Tenkaichi Street, and that Nishikiyama was a regular there. Majima then headed out to track Nishikiyama down at the bar.

Confrontation at Serena[]

Majima then made his way to Serena, where he awkwardly entered the bar without greeting the "mama", Reina Tsuru, instead taking a seat on a leather couch and eventually complimenting the bar. He then asked her if Akira Nishikiyama often came there to get his drink on, causing the only other patron in the bar, a male, to halt the process of leaving the bar. The man then turned around and asked who Majima was, and Majima identified himself before asking the man who he was. He asked Majima what would happen if he said that he was the man Majima was looking for, but Majima - deducing that the man was Nishikiyama - said that he was not looking for Nishikiyama, but for Makoto Makimura. He then added that she was with Kiryu from Tachibana Real Estate, and that he needed someone to lead him to Kiryu. Nishikiyama then paused and recalled how he had heard about Majima from three years earlier, saying, "I heard he screwed up so royally, they carved out an eye and erased him."

Majima confronting Nishikiyama — Majima confronting Akira Nishikiyama

Nishikiyama then asked if Majima was back in the Tojo Clan, and, when Majima responded negatively, Nishikiyama asked him why he was after Makoto. Majima said that he wanted to protect her, and he then asked Nishikiyama where his sworn brother was at, and where he had Makoto hidden. Nishikiyama attempted to pull a gun on Majima, but Majima slapped it from his hands, and Reina exclaimed, "Nishikiyama-kun!" Majima warned Nishikiyama that he could not beat him, but Nishikiyama said that he would die before he would sell out his sworn brother. He then angrily told Majima that he was not backing down, setting off a bar room brawl.

Nishikiyama fighting Majima — Majima kicking Nishikiyama

Majima and Nishikiyama proceeded to engage in a violent brawl, with Majima gaining the upper hand. Once, Nishikiyama pinned Majima against the bar, where Reina smashed a bottle over Majima's head. Majima quickly recovered, and, when Reina attempted to toss a bottle of medicine to Nishikiyama, Majima grabbed it in mid-air and drank it down himself. He then mustered his strength and defeated Nishikiyama, and Reina ran to Nishikiyama's side to comfort him.

Majima confronting a defeated Nishikiyama

Majima then demanded to know Makoto's location, and Reina, hoping to look after her beau Nishikiyama, revealed that they didn't know, as Makoto had run off, and both Nishikiyama and Kiryu were looking for her. Tachibana said that she had fled three hours earlier, right after her brother was killed, and, when Majima asked for clarification, Nishikiyama revealed that Makoto was the sister of the late Tetsu Tachibana (the President of Tachibana Real Estate), and that she and Tachibana were the children of a Second Sino-Japanese War orphan. Nishikiyama also revealed that Makoto had come to Japan to search for her brother, who had stowed away there years earlier, and that this was the whole reason she was in Osaka. After her brother's death, Makoto had run off, despite being blind. Majima then asked Nishikiyama where they had last seen her, and they revealed that she had hidden at West Park. He then curiously asked Majima if he was telling the truth when he said that he sought to help Makoto, and Majima answered affirmatively; Nishikiyama told Majima that he thus had to help them find Makoto, saying that, if anything happened to her, Tachibana would beat on him (Nishikiyama) and Kiryu from the afterlife.

Searching for Makoto[]

Majima decided to set out on a search for Makoto, first heading to West Park and tracing her likely footsteps from there. Suddenly, it occurred to him that she might be at the Empty Lot, so he made his way to the vacant lot at the address Shimano had earlier described. Along the way, he found the triads Kanezane Yamamura, Yoshinaka Miyazaki, and Suzu Iijima beating on the businessman Mareo Banno, so he decided to intervene and took down the triads before a grateful Banno thanked him.

Majima meeting with Makoto on the rooftop

Majima then arrived at the Empty Lot, where he noticed a figure standing on a rooftop. Majima was surprised, and he made his way to the rooftop to confront her. He recognized her as Makoto, and she turned and told him, "I thought we might meet again." Majima was surprised to see her without a cane, and she revealed that, ever since her brother's death, her sight had begun to return to her, and she could now see the outlines of people. She then told him of how she had felt her brother's dead body in the lot below, and that the Dojima family had murdered him "for a barren patch of dirt." Majima warned her not to go down the path of revenge and get desperate, adding that the situation had changed, and that his boss was no longer looking to kill Makoto. He then suggested that she offload the Empty Lot to Shimano and be over with it, and he promised to stay beside Makoto and keep her safe. However, Makoto lashed out and said that her safety was pointless, and told Majima that, if he wanted to help her, he could help her by killing the three Dojima lieutenants, offering to pay him ¥1 billion. When Majima hesitated, Makoto reminded him that Majima had once agreed to kill her.

Makoto's revenge[]

Dinner date[]

Makoto then decided to walk off to seek revenge, saying that she was fine on her own, only to trip over a crack, and for Majima to help her up, despite her initial protest. He then convinced her to grab takoyaki with him, and promised that, if she still wanted him gone after their meal, he would leave. Makoto reluctantly agreed, although she initially believed that Makoto felt that she was only angry because she was hungry. The two then left the building, and Makoto asked again if they were really getting food, to which Majima confidently said that they were, and they walked off together.

As Majima and Makoto walked, Makoto occasionally tripped and fell, but Majima walked slowly to allow her to catch up. After Majima found that his usual takoyaki stand was incredibly busy, Makoto suggested that they head to another stand in a crowded plaza she had been to, and Majima deduced that she meant a stand in Theater Square. There, they were greeted by a sweet elderly chef, Ichiho Ushijima, who, despite Majima's stern attitude, warmly complimented Majima as a "gentleman" for taking a leaf from Makoto's hair. She then asked Makoto, "He's a keeper, huh?" Makoto responded that Majima was a keeper, as, "He's been through terrible things for my sake, yet he's still trying to help me. If not for him, I'd never have made it this far..." Makoto then complimented the smell of Ushijima's takoyaki, and the kind Ushijima offered to throw in an extra takoyaki for free.

Makoto and Majima then sat at a park bench to eat their food, and Makoto said that Osaka might have met its match in Kabukicho's takoyaki. Majima said that it showed how much of the world Makoto had yet to figure out for herself, and he then asked how Makoto planned to get revenge on the Dojima family. She said that she couldn't tell Majima, so Majima told her not to be "stupid" and to tell him, reasoning, "'Sides, even if I helped you do it, soon as you make a move on them, the family wouldn't relent till they made hell look downright cozy. And, they'd get ya eventually. At that point, I couldn't even begin to tell ya what they'd do." Makoto reminded Majima that she had told him to let her worry about herself, and she told Majima to think on whether he wanted to help her or not. Makoto then decided to offer Majima the second round of takoyaki, but Majima, worried about Makoto's poor eyesight, offered to get the next serving, telling her to wait for him.

Majima then returned to Ushijima's stall, and she remembered him as "the gentleman from before". Majima said that she made excellent takoyaki, and he asked for one more. Ushijima said that Majima could take as many as he wanted on the house, and, while Majima was surprised by Ushijima's generous offer, he said that he would only like one at the moment, and he promised to come back another day to buy some more. When he returned to the park bench, however, he found that Makoto had gone missing, and the homeless man Koyo Sasaki demanded the takoyaki. He then told Majima that the girl who just left asked him to give Majima a message, telling him to meet her the next day at 5:00 PM on the roof above the Empty Lot. Majima agreed, and the man revealed that Makoto promised him that he could have her takoyaki if he delivered the message, so Majima reluctantly gave him the food and went back to his apartment to sleep.

Meeting at the Empty Lot[]

Shigochiyo Yoshihara and his men confronting Majima

On the evening of 19 December 1988, Majima set out from his apartment to meet with Makoto. Along the way, he defeated the triads Yoshida Ozawa, Haruko Ogino, Okitsugu Shimazaki, and Yasotaro Kuwahara in a street brawl. He then reached the Empty Lot, smoking a cigarette as 5:00 PM passed. When the door opened on the rooftop, he was surprised to see a group of Shibusawa-gumi enforcers led by Shigochiyo Yoshihara walk in. Yoshihara revealed that they came from Shibusawa, and confronted Majima over wasting the money they spent on hiring the Kijin-kai. Majima asked them if they "did" Nishitani, and Yoshihara said that Majima had been a thorn in the family's side for too long. When Majima asked waht they did with Makoto, Yoshihara said that she had voluntarily reached out to their boss to give her land to him, and, when Majima expressed his shock that Makoto herself contacted Shibusawa, Yoshihara tauntingly asked, "Bitter that you got dumped?" He then suggested that Shibusawa was likely serving Makoto to Dojima on a platter at the moment, and he added, "I tell you, women are scary things. She even went out of her way to let us know you'd be here. Said she was tired of you followin' her around like a lost puppy." When Majima asked where Makoto was, Yoshihara responded, "Don't see why you'd care. The only place you're going is off this roof and into a little box."

Majima proceeded to engage in a rooftop brawl with Yoshihara, Joji Nakai, Kyuso Tsutsui, Sanetomo Fukuoka, Rintaro Ogawa, Yosuke Ohira, Genjo Sakaguchi, and Mitsuzuka Abe, beating all of them down, despite facing several men with bats and knives. Majima threatened to kill Yoshihara and his "buddies" if Yoshihara did not give up Makoto's location, and he admitted that she was in Roppongi, on the rooftop terrace of the Sebastian Building. Majima then set out to make his way to Roppongi to rescue Makoto, who was in imminent danger. Along the way, Majima took down the delinquents Tatsui Nagano, Ikki Nakatani, and Atsushi Machida, and he made his way to a taxi and drove off to Roppongi.

Rooftop battle[]

Majima confronting the Dojima family thugs

Majima arrived at the Sebastian Garden Place that same night, and he took the elevator to the rooftop terrace, intending on confronting the Dojima family by himself. When he reached the terrace, the Dojima thugs Gesshin Miyamoto and Tokimune Uchida were surprised to see Majima, with Uchida saying that he thought that the other thugs had already taken out Majima. Majima told them that he was done talking, and added, "Don't got the time to waste on trash." When the men refused to step aside, Majima yelled, "I said step aside, a**holes!" He then proceeded to engage in an all-out brawl with the Dojima thugs, taking down Miyamoto, Uchida, Masashi Satoda, Mokichi Kawamura, Seishiro Tadokoro, Yunosuke Oki, Sanraku Takai, Masami Fukuhara, Shusake Niwa, and Motonobu Kanamori.

Majima then burst into the terrace where Makoto was meeting with the Dojima brass, and, as Makoto turned to see Majima running for her, Sohei Dojima's bodyguard Lao Gui shot Makoto once with his silenced pistol, and a group of Dojima guards stepped in front of Majima to prevent him from making any sudden moves. Dojima, Lao Gui, and the Dojima lieutenants Keiji Shibusawa (who had just been appointed a Captain), Hiroki Awano, and Daisaku Kuze then left aboard a helicopter.

An angry Majima was then surrounded by twenty guards, and he tore off his suit and warned the thugs, "I'm takin' every last one of you...straight to the pits of hell. Nobody leaves alive!!" Majima proceeded to defeat the guards Tokimune Ishiyama, Masanobu Hotta, Yoshii Takizawa, Kimitada Tokunaga, Saburo Nozaki, Minoru Tezuka, Shunen Nakagawa, Tabito Sugita, Iemochi Ishiyama, Kiyomasu Takaki, Kenkichi Kaneda, Sukeyasu Takamatsu, Michihiro Machida, Eikichi Usui, Tadataka Ninomiya, Matabei Horikawa, Sukenobu Sonoda, Tokaji Tsuchida, and Sotan Ochiai before taking down the large guard Yoshiaga Senda.

With all of the guards beaten down, Majima walked over to the wounded Makoto and fell to his knees in despair. He asked her if she recognized him, and told her to wake up, and a weak Makoto opened her eyes and apologized to Majima, tearfully admitting, "I couldn't do...anything on my own. I just...caused you...more trouble." She then lamented how she was "stupid" and how all she had was the Empty Lot, and Makoto then passed out from her blood loss. Their brief reunion was interrupted when Sera and a throng of Nikkyo men arrived to retrieve a wounded Makoto, and Sera told his men that they couldn't let Makoto die. Majima was surprised to see Sera alive, and Sera told Majima that, if he wanted to help Makoto, he would have to come with him, rhetorically asking Majima if he thought that he could protect Makoto alone.

Taking on the Dojima family[]

The Hospital[]

Majima then escorted Makoto to the hospital, where he fell to his knees before the doors of Makoto's hospital room as Makoto's emergency surgery was about to take place. Majima had a change of heart from earlier, promising to give her revenge or whatever else she wanted, as long as she didn't die. Not long after, the doctor, Ine Hashira, reported to Majima that the surgery was a success, but said that Makoto was still unconscious, and might "wake in an hour, a week, or never." Just then, Sera arrived, and he told Majima that Makoto would need to be moved somewhere more secure, explaining that the Dojima family would likely try to finish the job once they found out that she was still alive. Majima decided that there was something he had to do in Makoto's place, and that he would not let the darkness consume her. He then told Sera to do whatever it would take to get Makoto back awake, and he set out on the path of revenge. He returned to his apartment and readied himself, and he then made his way to the Dojima family offices.

Along the way, Majima came across the delinquents Kozue Ozaki, Nobuharu Kuno, and Taikan Tominaga on the street, and Ozaki and his friends taunted Majima about the last time they met. Majima turned and gave them a grave look, and Ozaki told Majima, "When you see us, you bow your head, fool." Ozaki then demanded Majima's wallet, and, when Majima refused to talk back, Ozaki asked, "Too busy pissing your pants to talk?" Majima sent Ozaki flying with a swing to the face, and he then sent him into the air again with a kick. He then punched Taikan in the gut before he could intervene and socked Nobuharu in the face as he attempted to grovel for forgiveness.

As a crowd gathered to observe the fight scene in shock, Sagawa approached Majima and asked, "What the hell are you picking on street trash for, Majima-san?" Majima told Sagawa that he had somewhere he needed to be, and, when Sagawa asked where that was, Majima said that he was headed to take on the Dojima family. Sagawa was surprised, and asked if they had the girl at their office, but Majima revealed that "Makoto Makimura's down", and he told Sagawa to tell Shimano that the Empty Lot was now nobody's land. Sagawa barked at Majima that he needed answers, but Majima told Sagawa to take his hand off him, and said that he was done taking orders. He then told Sagawa to leave the girl alone, and he warned that he would be in the way of anyone who wanted to mess with Makoto, including Shimano himself. Sagawa then realized that Majima was intending to take out Dojima by himself, and Majima silently walked off, leading to Sagawa shouting at him, "That girl's driven you off the deep end, Majima-chan! You've got the eye of a mad dog!" This was the first occurrence of someone calling Majima by what would become his later widely-known nickname, the "Mad Dog of Shimano". As Majima walked off, Sagawa silently remarked to himself, "Son of a b**** finally busted outta his cage."

Attack on the headquarters[]

Majima confronting the thugs at the Dojima family office

Majima took a taxi to the Dojima headquarters, and he single-handedly fought his way through the building's many levels. He took out Naonobu Minami, Kamatari Kunieda, Toshimichi Imada, Ryoko Horie, Hisato Morino, and Rikiya Nagamatsu in the main office before Juzaburo Nakamura, Kazuhiko Satoda, Shinsui Shimizu, Manobu Takemoto, Kunio Kimura, and Tomeo Ikeda entered the room. The men were amazed at Majima's tenacity, but Majima told the "meat sacks" to get out of his way, saying that they wouldn't even add to his body count. He proceeded to clear the room by taking down all of the Dojima henchmen, and he then made his way into the hallway, where he took down the large thug Amane Yoshii and the other enforcers Bussho Shintani and Heizo Kawasaki. Majima then made his way up the fire escape, taking down the thugs Eishi Kato and Shunsho Morita before reaching the next floor. There, he broke into the office where Gennosuke Utsumi, Yodo Shirakawa, Jotaro Nakamoto, and Yoriyuki Shimazaki were waiting for him, and he survived Utsumi's gunshots before taking down all four men. He then headed up another staircase and into a red-carpeted floor, where he faced Noboru Hamano, Toshikuni Nishimoto, Rintaro Yamagishi, Sugita Hatanaka, Shigetaka Kitajima, Hidehira Hasegawa, Ken Saita, and Inejiro Nitta. He took down the katana-wielding Hamano before beating down the gunman Nishimoto and using his shotgun to mow down many of the other yakuza. Upon entering the next room, a dojo, he found Akihiro Iguchi, Bunjiro Mukai, and Shozaburo Takashima waiting for him, and he took down the gunmen Mukai and Takashima before taking down the heavy Iguchi.

Fight with Awano[]

Majima fighting Awano — Majima fighting Hiroki Awano

With the guards taken down, Majima burst into the next room, where he was confronted by the Dojima lieutenant Hiroki Awano. Awano recognized Majima as "18 Counts" Taiga Saejima's sworn brother, and he suggested that Majima might have seen him around. Majima responded, "Yeah. Kinda sad to see a guy like you end up as a meat shield for a guy like Patriarch Dojima." Awano then asked Majima if he was there to take revenge for the girl, saying, "Ha. You rolled up to the lion's den, punched your way through Dojima HQ just for that? Guess the thought of livin' wise never crossed your goddamn mind." Majima responded, "A yakuza tryin' to live the safe and comfy life is the only dumba** in the room." Awano told Majima that, in the age they lived in, cash money was the true king, and the yakuza had to adapt to that and evolve. He then told Majima, "Hardly matters if your philosophy or mine's the right one. Bottom line is, you're a goddamn dinosaur." Majima then invited Awano to fight him rather than justify his "weak-a** way of living", and Awano conceded that, every time he came across "a red-blooded type," his brain started spinning up the speeches. The two men then tore off their shirts, and Awano said that golf, women, and expensive liquor didn't matter to him, as he had joined the yakuza because he liked hitting people. He said that he ultimately tired of bloodying his hands and would rather bathe in cash, but said that living the easy life was often not as fun, and Majima promised to end the Dojima family's rivalry with Makoto that night.

Majima proceeded to engage in a brutal fight with Awano, ultimately beating him to a pulp. Majima complimented Awano, saying that his strength might have gotten him somewhere, and Awano lamented that a man like him would never have gotten a sniff at the top. He then said that, maybe if he was more like Majima - more of a "balls-first idiot" - maybe then he could have had the life he dreamed of. Majima told Awano that he hadn't exactly been the "oblivious fool" himself, and that he had seen a few men who both lived and died like idiots, thinking of Wen Hai Lee and Homare Nishitani. However, he said that, "...That bats*** crazy lifestyle...I'd say it made 'em some of the finest bastards I've ever known."

Taking down Lao Gui[]

Awano then laughed and told Majima, "Lucky...you lucky f***," but their conversation was interrupted when Lao Gui entered the room and aimed a silenced pistol at Majima. As Lao Gui shot his pistol, Awano stood on his feet to absorb seven bullets, having had a change of heart. A bleeding Awano asked, "The hell you doing...? Two guys in here talkin' 'bout some serious sh**...Outsider like you can stay the f*** outta it!" He then charged at Lao Gui, only for Lao Gui to impale Majima with six of his throwing needles.

Majima's showdown with Lao Gui and Sohei Dojima

Dojima then walked up behind Lao Gui and told Majima, "Never expected Shimano's little project...to come back around and try to bite me. Majima." He then accused Majima of wasting Awano, and said that he would have to cap Shimano as well. Dojima then explained to Majima that the man before him was the most expensive hitman in Asia, and he added, "Long as I've got the cash and the access to him, I can end any life I choose. That's what real power is." He then told Lao Gui to deal with Majima and not to get careless. As Dojima returned to his office, Majima warned him, "I'm draggin' you to hell's deepest ditch, Dojima!"

Sera's intervention[]

Majima and Lao Gui proceeded to have an intense battle in the main room, with Majima dodging Lao Gui's throwing needles before fighting off his kung fu, his swordsmanship (accompanied by his pistol), and his throwing needles. Majima threw Lao Gui down before Lao Gui's open office, kneeing Lao Gui in the face to break his nose, and taunting Dojima after he fired a potshot at him from his office. Just then, Masaru Sera arrived, and he asked what Majima planned to do with Lao Gui and Dojima. Majima intended to carry out Makoto's revenge on her behalf and prevent the Dojima family from ever coming after her again, but Sera warned Majima that, while Makoto might initially thank him, she would never think of him the same way if he actually killed the two men. An angry Majima buried his knife next to Lao Gui's ear to frighten him, and he then asked what he should do.

Sera then revealed that Makoto was being taken back to the hospital by the Kazama-gumi and Kashiwagi as they spoke, and that Makoto had regained consciousness; this even caused Dojima to be surprised that Makoto was still alive, and Sera gloated that Makoto had signed over the Empty Lot to him, with the asking price being ¥100 billion. This destroyed Dojima's hopes of acquiring the Empty Lot and becoming the next Chairman of the Tojo Clan, and Sera declared that, "The age of the Dojima Family has ended." Sera then told Majima that the Dojima-gumi would no longer have unrivalled power within the Tojo-kai, and he told Majima that he would use Lao Gui as leverage against Dojima, as Lao Gui had committed several murders at Dojima's behest, and his testimony could end Dojima overnight. The Dojima-gumi would then be bridled by that insurance policy, and he then suggested to Majima that a quick death would be too lenient for Lao Gui, when they could instead send him to the same "Hole" that Majima had only recently come out of. Sera then declared that Makoto Makimura would never be threatened by the Dojima Family again, and told Majima that he had saved her. Majima accused Sera of using him, just as Shimano had done, but Sera said that Majima had already crushed the Dojima family by the time he had arrived at Dojima's office. As Majima left, Sera asked Majima to bring Shimano a message for him, giving Majima a pistol and instructing him to tell Shimano to take responsibility for betraying the Tojo-kai.

Returning to Shimano[]

Majima walking past Sagawa in the Shimano-gumi offices

Majima promptly travelled to Shimano's office, where he found Sagawa waiting for him. Sagawa told Majima that Shimano was talking to the head of Omi Alliance headquarters, Kenkichi Ogami. Majima was shocked to hear that the head of Omi HQ was there, and Sagawa explained, "They're hammering out the details of the Omi's big Tokyo debut." Majima told Sagawa that he bore bad news, and that the Empty Lot was now the Nikkyo Consortium's, and that there was "No room left in Kabukicho for you guys to weasel in." Sagawa then noticed that Majima was carrying a gun, and he asked him, "After you cap Shimano, I guess everything ends up nice and tidy, huh?" Majima proceeded to walk towards the door, but Sagawa interrupted him by asking him, "Hey...We had some fun, right?" He then lamented, "Put through hell by a little blind girl, and this's where it wound us up, but still. Life's a crazy ride like that, huh?"

Majima proceeded to walk down the hallway and open the sliding door to Shimano's office, where Shimano was surprised to see Majima. Majima reported, "Boss. Sera from the Nikkyo...He asked me to give ya a message." Shimano noticed the gun and slowly asked Majima, "Yeah?" Majima explained, "Somewhere in the Tojo Clan...there's a traitor working with Kansai. He wants the guy trying to sell the Empty Lot to the Omi Alliance found...and he wants the Shimano Family to do it." Shimano grew angry with Majima's passive-aggressive accusation and asked him, "You gonna walk in here and talk like that to me, Majima?" Majima responded, "Sera...He wants to believe you're innocent. But he's gonna need proof." He then handed Shimano the handgun after briefly aiming it at him, defusing the tense moment. Shimano responded, "That bein' the case...You'd be willin' to die for me, right?" Majima responded affirmatively, and Majima requested that Shimano tell Saejima that Majima was sorry. Shimano grunted and quickly re-aimed the gun at the Omi envoy and shot him in the forehead, killing him. Shimano then quipped, "He's got my answer. The Empty Lot and the head of Omi HQ ain't got a damn thing to do with me."

Shimano told Majima that he would drop him some wisdom, and said that, if one was looking to climb the ranks, they would need to think one step ahead. He then said that, if one wanted to look down from the top, it was the endgame that mattered; "Rulin' the world don't mean sh** if you lose it the next day." The then assured Majima that Kazama and the Nikkyo's time wouldn't last long, and swore that, ten years from then, it would be the Shimano-gumi calling the shots. He then added, "After all, I got a weapon like Goro Majima on my side." Shimano remarked, "They say if ya really love yer kid, send him out to see the world. Wouldn't ya say, Majima?"

1989[]

Farewell to Sagawa[]

By January 1989, a month later, Goro Majima had decided to commit to living the crazy, carefree yakuza lifestyle that Nishitani and Awano (and Wen Hai Lee, although not a yakuza) had inspired him to live. One afternoon, he met with Sagawa in an alleyway while dressed in an open shirt, and Sagawa laughed and commented that Majima must be wearing the tackiest shirt he had ever seen. Majima responded, "Get off me. My mind's made up. Right, wrong...Nobody's got a clue what the difference is in this town. So I'm gonna have more fun...and live crazier than any of 'em." Sagawa was amused, saying that he had Majima pegged for "the straight and narrow type." He then laughed and said that he was all for Majima's change, and he offered Majima a cigarette.

The two men then reminisced as they looked at the sky, with Sagawa telling Majima, "You and I went on one hell of a ride. But now we're colleagues, and I've got your back. You ever want to hit up Kansai, just drop me a line." Majima told Sagawa that he would have to pass, saying, "If I never see your ugly mug for the rest of my life, I'm good." Sagawa laughed and said, "No doubt. Well, we've both got plenty of enemies. Let's see just how much life we've got left." Majima himself laughed and told Sagawa, "Guy like you is damn near immortal." Sagawa grinned and said, "Maybe so," and Majima told Sagawa, "Well, see ya," before turning to leave.

Majima stopped himself as he was about to leave the alleyway, remarking, "Much obliged, Sagawa-han." Sagawa was surprised, saying, "Huh? Did I hear that right?" Majima remarked, "You never gave up when sh** hit the fan. You're tenacity incarnate, man. Watchin' you, I figured out how important hangin' on really is. So I'll be tenacious too. Goro Majima is gonna live his own way." Sagawa laughed and told Majima, "Go nuts, tiger." Majima then turned and left, and a dejected Sagawa remarked to himself, "Catch you on the flip side, Majima-chan." Seconds later, a calm Sagawa was executed by the Omi Alliance hitmen Kojiro Nagaoka, Joji Samejima, and Jotaro Hamamoto where he stood.

Unrequited love[]

Majima coming across Makoto on the street

As Majima walked down the street, he came across his fellow Shimano-gumi henchmen Sadao Kanda and Ukon Yamashina harassing a recovered Makoto Makimura and her friend. He interrupted the situation and stared into Makoto's eyes for a moment, but Makoto failed to recognize him, asking, "Wh-What is it?" Sadao then proposed that he and Ukon shoot a video of Makoto after they get a turn, and he invited Majima to join in. Before Sadao could ask Makoto if she knew who their boss was, Majima knocked out both of them, surprising Makoto, who still failed to recognize him, as he had not yet spoken a word, concerned that Makoto might recognize him and be dragged back into his life, which he acknowledged was full of danger.

Majima talking with Tateyama — Majima talking with Kiemon Tateyama

Shortly after, Makoto's friend returned with Doctor Kiemon Tateyama, Makoto's doctor (who had helped her recover from her blindness), and Tateyama mistakenly believed that Majima was the man harassing Makoto. Makoto told Tateyama that Majima was not her harasser, and Majima dragged Tateyama aside and calmly asked him if Makoto was his girl. Tateyama tensely said that Makoto was his patient, but Majima, after several attempts, finally convinced Tateyama to open up to him and reveal that he had feelings for Makoto, whom he loved not just as a doctor to his patient, but as a man to a woman. Tateyama was defensive early on, clenching his fists and warning Majima not to touch Makoto, but he ultimately calmed down and told Majima that he hadn't told Makoto about his feelings yet. Majima told Tateyama to hurry up, and he told Tateyama that he had better keep her safe. He then walked off, leaving Tateyama confused, and Tateyama returned to a dumbfounded Makoto and persuaded her to go out with him, starting a relationship which would eventually evolve into a marriage. A heartbroken Majima then walked off, accepting that he could never have Makoto in his life.

One day, however, Makoto returned to her brother's grave site at the Empty Lot in Kabukicho to lay flowers for him, and she lamented how she had never learned the name of her rescuer. She then heard a musical tune from under the soil, causing her to remember her old watch. She dug up the small patch of dirt where the noise was coming from, and she found a wrapped-up wristwatch, identical to her old one. She then cried as she thanked her unnamed protector for leaving the watch for her, and Majima, who had been waiting nearby to ensure that Makoto found th ewatch, then walked off. He stopped in the street after coming face-to-face with his previous rival, Kazuma Kiryu (whom he had never tracked down during the Empty Lot dispute), and he goofily and happily shouted, "Yo...Kiryu-chan!"

Taking on Club Mars[]

Majima then returned to Osaka, and, upon entering his office at Club Sunshine, he was intrigued when he found that one of the hostesses had left their radio on, and he listened in with disbelief as the radio host Dolce Kamiya read out postcards from his listeners and gave them advice. He was taken aback by all of the "drivel" mentioned in the radio show, but grew interested when Kamiya mentioned that he would give out ¥10 million to people who tuned in to his show. Just then, Yuki Natsume entered the room and asked if Kamiya was still on the air. Majima reprimanded her for leaving the radio on, but she expressed how she loved Kamiya's show, and how she wanted to write a postcard to him. Majima said that he bet he could write something more interesting than waht most people wrote down, and Yuki told Majima to put his money where his pen was. She then left, and Majima decided to pen a postcard using the pseudonym "Gorogorogoro-chan", writing about how he had helped solve that crossword puzzle that the man he had met used to propose to his girlfriend. Yuki then agreed to mail the postcard for Majima, who then decided to return to managing the club.

Majima then decided to give special training to Yuki to help improve her performance, and he sat down with her to have a practice conversation. He persuaded her to open up to her customers and to tell them stories rather than appear nervous, and he said that the oldier clientele would probably enjoy her babbling on about her bonsai tree. An encouraged Majima decided, "Yuki-chan, you're gonna be our older customer specialist. Every grandpa who walks in here is gonna get assigned to you!" With Yuki more confient in her skills, Majima opened up the club for the day, raking in hundreds of thousands of yen in new profits, and having Kirara Yamakawa make her debut.

As Majima had over ¥700,000,000 saved up, he decided to invest in expanding his business. He bought expensive partnerships with Salon Salary Man, Izakaya Naniwa, Iiko Massage, and Salon Rose, the latter of two were located next door to Club Mars itself. On the way back to his club, he also came across Club Mercury, another rival club. He was then ambushed by the criminals Munoto Takeshita, Koetsu Shimomura, Ikemoto Kishi, and Toshiyuki Ochiai as he walked through an alleyway, and he succeeding in taking down all four men.

While walking down the street, Majima came across the attractive woman Ume Shima, and he offered her a place at Club Sunshine. She said that she was not into being a hostess at the moment, but said that she might change her mind if Majima bought her a gift. As Majima went to find the imported luxury goods store, he came across the triads Nobuhisa Kawamura, Sozui Furuda, and Kosaku Fujita harassing Yorinaga Wakuri on a bridge, and he intervened and beat down the triads to rescue Wakuri. A grateful Wakuri gave Majima a toughness medicine as a reward for his help.

Majima then came across Akemi Mori, the first prospective hostess he had met back in December 1988, and gave her the imported Italian wallet he had bought, recruiting her to his club. As he walked through an alleyway, he came across the goons Nobuhiko Satoda, Tsunayoshi Honma, and Maresuke Tadokoro harassing the young woman Ichi Kibe, so he decided to intervene. He insulted the three criminals before beating them down, rescuing a grateful Kibe. He then returned to Ume Shima and gave her a luxury watch, recruiting her to his club as well.

Majima proceeded to have a street brawl with the triads Narihira Senda, Norihisa Omori, and Norogumi Mizoguchi, taking them down as he walked across the bridge to Soemoncho. Once there, he found Naoya Kawahashi walking the streets and searching for him, so he decided to cut his losses and instead enter the Maharaja Discotheque Saloon. He proceeded to dance poorly during a solo dance challenge, upon which he left. As he left, he came across the mysterious trader Bob Utsonomiya, from whom he purchased several rare items.

Majima then returned to Club Sunshine, where Youda congratulated him on taking 500 of Club Mars' customers. Youda then suggested that they check out Club Mars and see if Hino was planning anything, so Majima agreed to go along with him. They watched as the hostess Ai Uehara left the club with Misao Tabata, followed out by Hino, who - after Tabata had left - criticized Tabata for spending very little at the club despite being seated with the club's number-one hostess, Ai. Ai protested, saying that Tabata was a long-time regular who was struggling with his finances that particular month, but Hino told her to cry him a river and declared, "Businesses don't run on kindness to poor parasites!" He then told the waiter that they would need higher-end liquor and a pimped-out (possibly gold leaf) interior to revamp the club's image. Youda explained to Majima that Hino had spent a small fortune on attracting girls from other clubs, setting the bar with hs talent in the process. Hino then said that Ai only joined Club Mars because she simply wanted to work at a cabaret club, and said that she might be a great addition to Club Sunshine, as he said that Yuki and the others were a bit "plain"; Majima warned Youda not to talk like that in front of Yuki, or else he would be "dead meat". Hino overheard Majima and Youda's conversation and sent his waiter to "exterminate" the two men. The waiters Isei Yamakawa, Seitaro Oshiro, and Kaii Nagaoka attacked Majima as Youda moved to a safe distance at Majima's behest, and Majima took them down and left with Youda, determined to finish off Club Mars.

Majima then bumped into the attractive woman Hiroko Shinkichi at the Bunzaemon Outdoor Mall in eastern Soemoncho, and she requested a designer scarf in order to convince her to become a hostess. As Majima went to pick up the designer scarf from the store, he was called over by a young man hiding behind a column. Majima reluctantly agreed to come over, only to be surprised to see that the man wasn't wearing any pants. The man then demanded Majima's pants, but, when Majima refused to hand them over, the man insisted on fighting Majima for them. Majima beat down the young man in the street, and the young man apologized, revealing his name to be Toru Shibazaki, and saying that his bontan pants (a trendy pair of pants he wore for school) had been stolen by a thief, the "bontan hunter", who beat up older students and took their pants as trophies. Majima was intrigued when Toru revealed that the "bontan hunter" was an elementary school student, and Toru asked Majima to track down the "bontan hunter" to Magutako. Majima said that he couldn't think of a reason why he would want to help Toru and told the boy to forget that he had ever seen him, but Majima privately planned to investigate.

Majima then visited La Marche, the imported luxury goods store, and purchased a luxury Italian scarf for Hiroko. After doing so, he returned to the outdoor mall and resented Hiroko with the scarf, persuading a delighted Hiroko to agree to join his business as a hostess. He also came across Mitsuko Yasumoto, who demanded a high-end accessory such as a ring, a necklace, or a bracelet in exchange for her services at the cabaret club. Majima went to La Marche and purchased her an Italian necklace, and she then agreed to work for Club Sunshine.

Majima opening his club with his new cast

Majima proceeded to return to his club with Ume, Hiroko, and Mitsuko added to the roster, and he learned how to approach his hostesses when they requested his help, how to analyze their signals for help (such as motioning for a new towel, a change of wine glass, or a farewell for the customer), and how to boost the morale of his customers and hostesses through gifts and encouragement, respectively. By the end of the session, Club Sunshine had accrued 1,000 fans from the Club Mars area, and Youda congratulated Majima on the club's success. He predicted that the club would match Club Mars' fan count soon, and Youda also warned Majima that he doubted that Hino would just sit around and do nothing in the meantime.

Majima and Youda finding Ai Uehara outside of their club

Just then, Youda and Majima heard a woman screaming outside, and they rushed out, anticipating that Hino was striking back. They found three men harassing Hino's star hostess, Ai Uehara, with the men shouting that they had been scammed out of all their money at Club Mars. Majima witnessed the old man Yasunari Takemoto accuse Ai of having a hand in his wife and children leaving him because of the club bankrupting him, and Majima was shocked to hear that people were made poor by a cabaret club. Youda explained that Hino extended predatory "loans" to customers and bankrupted them if they could not pay him back, and said that Ai could not have known about Hino's practices.

Majima decided to intervene, as he said that he had no respect for men who would gang up on a woman. He told the men that they should be ashamed, and told Takemoto that he would have also ditched him if he was Takemoto's wife. Tobei Miyauchi responded by telling his fellow disgruntled men that they would kill Majima first and then kill Hino, and the three men proceeded to turn on Majima. Majima took down Takemoto, Miyauchi, and Katsuyoshi Tanikawa in the ensuing alley fight, and Youda looked at Majima in amazement, while Yuki ran outside to inspect what had happened.

Yuki looking at the beaten-down attackers

Yuki was surprised to see several knocked-out men on the ground, and she asked Majima if he was beating people up again. Majima asked her why she always assumed it was him, but admitted that he was guilty as charged that time, and explained that the "bozos" were making a racket in front of the club, demanding his intervention. Yuki called Majima a monster for beating the men up, but Ai then ran to Majima and said that Majima was not a monster. Yuki asked who the woman was, and, when she introduced herself as Ai from Club Mars, Yuki asked Majima what they were going to do about her. Majima explained that he had rescued Ai from the beaten-up men, causing Yuki to question why he would help Ai, whom she theorized might be an "enemy spy" who was plotting against Club Sunshine. Ai revealed to Majima that she was carrying a message from Hino, and she told him (in Hino's words): "I've allowed you to exist out of the kindness of my heart until now, but I grow tired of your buzzing, insects. If you're challenging the Five Stars, there will be no mercy. It's high time I destroyed you. Let the tears of defeat begin to fall." Majima guessed that the message was Hino's declaration of war, and he said that, if Hino had a death wish, he would be happy to grant it. Youda agreed, saying that they should show Hino that they wouldn't bow down to the Five Stars. Majima commended Youda for "growing a pair", and Youda said that Majima had perhaps began to rub off on him.

Ai began to giggle at the sight of Majima, Youda, and Yuki preparing for a fight, and Yuki angrily asked Ai why she was laughing. Ai said that she was happy to see such a harmonious workplace environment, and expressed her jealousy, saying that all of the girls at Club Mars were wound up tight, and that Hino never treated them like people. She then announced that she had to return to Club Mars before Hino "blew a socket", and Majima told her to stay out of trouble and not get attacked again. Before Ai left, she asked why Majima had helped her, and Majima explained that she was just working hard at her club and had nothing to do with the lines in the sand, and he wouldn't let a girl get attacked in front of him as he twiddled his thumbs. Youda said that Ai was cute, and that he wished she was his daughter. Majima commended Ai for having a sparkle in her eyes, causing a jealous Yuki to say that her eyes also sparkled. Youda conveniently excused himself, saying, "Boy, it's chilly out today," and Majima decided to follow him inside, causing a jealous Yuki to follow them and yell, "What!? Hey, see if my eyes ever sparkle for you again!"

Majima gifting the pink Bunchan to the doll girl

Majima then came across the young Yoko Toyoda as he walked past Club SEGA, and he decided to win her the pink Bunchan doll from the claw machine. After a few tries, he succeeded, and he gave the doll to the young girl, who was ecstatic. A curious Majima asked her why she was so enamored with dolls, and she explained that she was all alone when she was home, and that having her squirrels with her made it feel like she was having friends over. She then beamed that, "And now Bunchan gets to join the family!" She then told Majima, "Thanks for everything, daddy! I'm going to take such good care of them!" As the girl ran off, Majima hoped that her tea party was now complete, and that she would stay at home from then on.

Majima training Yuki again — Majima training Yuki

Majima then returtned to his club, where he decided to redouble his efforts to take on Club Mars. He held a special training session with Yuki to attempt to improve her conversation skills, helping her gain confidence in herself. When Majima asked Yuki about herself, she revealed that she was 23, went to all-girls schools her entire life, had never had a boyfriend before, and dreamed of a "prince charming" riding into her life (while also worrying that she wouldn't be able to please him). By the end of the chat, Yuki felt more confident in herself and her ability to conversate.

Majima went on to open the club again, once again drawing in new customers, and he continued to train Yuki. During their next training, she admitted that she read self-help books, as she said that she had read that men had a weakness for meat and potatoes. She also expressed her shyness around men, so Majima suggested that she pretend that every customer was him, as Yuki said that she found it easy to talk with Majima. After the session, Majima once again opened the club, raking in hundreds of new customers. By the end of that session, he attained a total of 1,819 customers (winning over 415 new customers that session alone), surpassing Club Mars' 1,500.

Youda telling Majima about cabaret club battles

Youda celebrated the club's newfound success with Majima, but both of them anticipated that Hino would attempt to respond. Just then, Yuki arrived with news that Club Sunshine had received a challenge from Club Mars, challenging Majima to fight it out with Hino in a "cabaret club battle". A worried Youda fell to his knees, and Majima asked if Youda knew about cabaret club battles. Youda explained that it was the Dotonbori cabaret industry's rare but terrifying method for clubs to duke it out, in which two rival clubs opened at the same time and competed to see who could make more money. Youda then explained that the loser would risk being closed down, as many customers chose clubs based on the results of a recent battle. Youda then said that he did not want to lose Club Sunshine, but said that, if the club backed down, there would be no future for Dotonbori's cabaret clubs. He then resolved to end the Five Stars' reign of terror, and Majima and Yuki also resolved to fight the cabaret club battle, although Yuki comically said that she would work as much as her salary would cover.

Majima then set up his club's lineup for the ensuing battle and told Youda that he was ready to open the club. Shortly after, Hino and Ai arrived, and Hino insulted his rival's "ant farm" and said that the defiant Majima had no grip on reality. Hino then lectured Majima about how money was the most important thing in the world, saying that, if one had money, they could have anything, such as expensive liquor, great food, and attractive women (or more customers, if he paid them). Majima said that running a club took more than the cash one put in it, angering Hino, who taunted Majima one last time before returning to his club to begin the battle. In the ensuing showdown, Majima won with a profit of ¥9,865,000, while Hino narrowly lost with ¥9,830,000.

Meeting the Five Stars[]

Hino confronting the Club Sunshine staff after his defeat

Hino and Ai then returned to Club Sunshine, where a defeated Hino fell to his knees and expressed his disbelief at his defeat. He shouted at Majima, "This can't be happening! You guys are flies! Dung beetles! I don't lose to mere insects!" Majima told Hino to be a good sport, and joked that he had been "stung". Hino said that he could not have been responsible for his own defeat, so he turned to Ai, called her worthless, and fired her, saying that he would use her pay to recruit girls twice as good as her.

Just then, four men (Takeji Tsukiyama, Morie Kanehara, Kawanari Mizumura, and Toshikazu Kizuka) and one woman (Kotomi Asakura) arrived at the club, and Tsukiyama introduced himself to Majima as the founder of the Five Stars, before having the others introduce themselves as well. Kizuka then introduced himself as the owner of Club Jupiter and warned Majima that he would be in a world of pain if he tried to mess with the Five Stars, Mizumura introduced himself as owner of Club Mercury and asked for Majima to go easy on him, Kanehara introduced himself as the owner of Club Venus and suggested that nobody could forget a face as "fabulous" as his, and Tsukiyama revealed that he owned Club Moon. Majima said that it was good to finally put names to faces, and Tsukiyama commended Majima for his well-earned reputation. He then added that Club Sunshine was vastly inferior to Club Mars in terms of financial and operational resources, but acknowledged that Majima managed to win in spite of his circumstances.

However, Tsukiyama added that Hino was merely the "pinky" of the Five Stars, and said that it was both embarrassing to call Hino his peer, and that Majima bragging about winning against such a "burn-out" showed how weak he truly was. He then told Hino that he had no more need of his services, and Hino ran off, saying that he didn't want to die. Tsukiyama then tasked his assistant to take care of an unspecified task (possibly Hino's murder), but, when he offered to make Kotomi the new fifth member of the Five Stars, she politely declined, saying that she was better suited to serving as Tsukiyama's personal assistant. He then offered Majima a chance to join the Five Stars, but Majima refused, saying that he would be kicked to the curb the second he disagreed with Tsukiyama, and adding that he would not join the Five Stars for a truckload of cash. Tsukiyama decided to bid Majima farewell and warn him of the consequences of taking on the Five Stars. Yuki then commented to Kiryu that, while the assistant might be pretty, she seemed creepy. Youda then expressed his happiness at their victory, and Ai then asked if she could join Club Sunshine, as Hino was gone, and she had a feeling that Club Mars would not reopen anytime soon. After briefly considering it, Majima decided to allow her to join the club after poking fun at Yuki (with Youda and Majima joking that they finally had a beautiful lead hostess, and not a "plain" one), and Youda then told Majima that their next step would be to take on the other of the Five Stars.

Club Jupiter[]

Majima recruiting Erranda — Majima recruiting "Erranda"

Majima then left the club, where he saw Emiri Okazaki, Erran-kun's unrequited love, standing outside. She confronted Majima, saying that he had gotten her into lots of trouble, and revealing that Tomo-kun had dumped her. Majima asked a crying Emiri why she would care so much about a "low-life ex-boyfriend" like Tomo-kun, and said that, while Emiri didn't have much of a personality to speak of, she had a "pretty enough face" and could likely find another boyfriend. She said that Majima wasn't helping, but he said that his words weren't meant to help. Emiri then digressed and said that she had business with Majima, suggesting that he could make things right with her by hiring her as a hostess at his club, as she now had to spend her own money for her pleasure, and she was short on her rent money. She then told Majima that her name was "Emiri", and Majima decided to punish her for her previous behavior by nicknaming her "Erranda", while agreeing to hire her.

As Majima walked out of the alleyway, he came across the goons Ichiyo Moriyama, Hiro Shoji, and Yoshitaka Fukushima harassing the civilian Kuma Ito. Majima decided to intervene, beating up the three goons and forcing them to beg for mercy. A grateful Ito gave Majima a carved wooden bear as a token of his appreciation, and Majima then left the alleyway to find businesses to partner with, hoping to erode Club Jupiter's business. Along the way, he took down the hoodlums Tenshin Takahashi, Masami Matsuda, and Taji Ishizuka in a street fight. Majima went on to pay for partnerships with Maido Diner and Kawachi-ken before heading to Ashitaba Park to search for more partners. Along the way, he took down the bikers Tokimune Miyagawa, Torajiro Fujimura, and Akira Kurihara, and he then purchased Misuta Realty and the Mikado Restaurant.

Majima then walked into the park itself, where he came across an awkward spectacle. He saw a mother and son talking as a man watched them from the other side of the park, and, when the mother decided to take her son home, the son asked Majima if he could throw his baseball - which was on the ground next to him - to him. The strange man began to ask if he could throw the ball to the boy, but Majima had already thrown the ball to the boy by then. Majima noticed that the man was distraught, and he asked him if he wanted to throw the ball. The man said that he wished he could have played catch with the boy, even if it was one throw.

Just then, the mother and son approached Majima and thanked him for tossing him the ball, and Majima encouraged the boy, saying that he could one day become a professional if he kept up his practice. The mother and child then left, and the man, deciding that Majima was no threat to him, explained to Majima that the two "strangers" were actually his wife and son, and that they couldn't recognize him, as, six months ago, his face was surgically altered. He revealed that it was yakuza-related, and that the "real" him was officially dead; he had since lived under the name Keigo Akatani with a new face and identity.

Keigo Akatani leaving the park — Akatani leaving the park

Akatani said that he initially reacted with shock whenever he saw his new face in the mirror, and that he had long fought the urge to kill himself due to the inability of his friends and family to recognize him. Majima asked why the man didn't try to talk to his family, but Akatani said that he didn't think that they would believe his story, nor could they accept him with a stranger's face. The man then thanked Majima for his sympathy and asked for his name, and he said that it would be nice to chat with Majima again sometime; meanwhile, he decided that he had to be going.

Majima talking with Komeki at Ashitaba Park

While in Ashitaba Park, Majima decided to meet with Komeki, who decided to teach Majima the "Komeki Mind Arts". Komeki told Majima that willpower supported a warrior in battle, and that, when two equal powers clashed, the one with more sheer force of will usually prevailed in the end. The two then had a practice fight, and Komeki explained that the secret to his "mind arts" was reading the movements of an opponent and wearing down their will to fight. Majima said that he was picturing a Bodhisattva's hand while blocking Komeki's blows, causing Komeki to ask Majima if he was a man of faith; Majima responded that he had, in fact, first seen the hand on a yakuza's back tattoo, and that he marvelled at how soft the hands were. He then decided to call his move "Enlightenment", and Komeki said that it was fascinating to witness new discoveries as they battled, before saying that he looked forward to their next bout.

Majima went on to intervene in a scuffle between the bikers Kiyonaga Fukumoto, Yoshimi Oikawa, and Takeshi Kawata and the civilian Nori Yokoi, whom they were trying to rob. Majima beat down the bikers, earning Yokoi's thanks. He then found that Akatani was back at the park, and they noticed his son Yusuke Akatani standing by himself; Akatani explained that the boy's mother must be at work. They decided to approach the boy and ask what he was doing, and the boy said that he was just watching ants on the ground. Yusuke lamented that he used to play in the park with his dad, but said that he could not talk about his sadness to his mother, lest she be beset by depression. Akatani then asked if he and Majima could join him in watching the ants, and they stood together until the boy deduced that his mother must have gotten home, upon which he bade them farewell.

Akatani then thanked Majima for making it possible for him to spend time with his son, and the man walked off. Majima noticed that two men wearing yakuza-style suits were watching Akatani as he left, so Majima asked them if they were waiting around for some reason. The two men ran off without telling Majima a word, and Majima went on to go around the area to pay for partnerships with Yakitori Kabachi, the Nishihori Rice Shop, Hyotan, and Sushi Toki.

Kazushige Masuda picking a fight with Majima

As Majima walked away from Sushi Toki, the bosozoku biker Kazushige Masuda picked a fight with him, and Majima proceeded to defeat Masuda and his henchmen Taro Kuroki, Shijo Watabe, and Nichiren Oki in the ensuing street brawl. He then bought a partnership with the Bunza Theater and Smart Ball in the Bunzaemon Outdoor Mall, helping to boost his club's fan count, and pose a threat to Club Jupiter.

Majima promptly returned to his club, where Youda reported that they now had more than 800 fans from the Club Jupiter area. He then reminded Majima that the owner of Club Jupiter was Kizuka, the tough-looking man from the other day. He then mentioned that Club Jupiter did the "dirty work" for the rest of the Five Stars, and, when Majima volunteered to scope out Club Jupiter, Youda warned him not to get caught like last time. Youda said that he had work to finish before the next day, so Majima decided to leave by himself. Just then, Ai and Yuki volunteered to accompany him, with Ai saying that Majima would protect her. Yuki asked Majima if he would protect her as well, but he jokingly paused before saying that he would, causing Yuki to call him out for having to think about it.

Majima, Ai, and Yuki then went to scope out Club Jupiter, where they found Kizuka talking to his henchmen Kiyomasu Muramatsu and Yoshida Matsuyama; the two men bragged about their latest extortion, in which they had confronted a business owner at his work and forced him to pay up, while Matsuyama kidnapped the man's wife and kid as leverage. Just then, Hirokazu Saeki arrived and reported that Tsukiyama wanted them to take care of a customer on Club Moon's blacklist, and Kizuka briefly lamented being forced to do Tsukiyama's dirty work before sending them off to visit a rival club before bringing Tsukiyama's customer to the torture room. Yuki told Majima that they should consider calling the police, as Kizuka mentioned torture, but Majima said that the police would only arrest the henchmen and not Kizuka himself. Ai then noticed the hostess Saki Hatsumi leave the club to talk with Kizuka, and she told Majima that Saki was nicknamed "Busy Bee Saki" for having a long, uninterrupted attendance streak at Club Jupiter. Saki told Kizuka that many of the other girls wanted time off, but Kizuka told her to relay to them that, if they didn't have the stamina to do the job, he didn't need them at his club. Majima was fascinated when Ai said that anyone in the nightlife industry who had not heard of "Busy Bee Saki" was a poser, and he, Ai, and Yuki then decided to return to report to Youda.

Majima finding Youda beaten on the floor

There, they found that Youda was on the floor, badly beaten, and Youda said that three men in black had attacked him and told him that his club couldn't interfere with Club Jupiter's business. Majima deduced that the men had been sent by Kizuka, and he announced that he was headed to Club Jupiter to avenge him. Youda responded by begging Majima not to seek vengeance, as he wanted him to defeat the Five Stars fair and square, so that their struggle would have meaning. Youda then said that his end was near, and Majima cried out in pain when Youda's eyes shut. However, he heard Youda begin to snore, reassuring him that Youda was still alive. He then told Ai and Yuki that they would beat Kizuka and Club Jupiter fair and square, and an unconscious and dreaming Youda muttered that he couldn't eat more food, because he was full.

Majima then talked to Ai on thte stage, and she suggested that Majima give the club a makeover, as she could set him up with the interior designers from Club Mars. Majima agreed, renovating the club to have a chocolate theme. He then proceeded to open the club, supervising its increasing success among former Club Jupiter fans. Soon, the club reached 2,090 fans from the Club Jupiter area, and it was then that Saki arrived at the club to warn Majima and his friends that they should run immediately. Majima refused to heed her advice, and he was soon confronted by Muramatsu, Matsuyama, and Saeki, who told Majima that he had angered their boss, and said that they would rip his head off and serve it to Kizuka on a platter.

Majima standing over Kizuka's defeated thugs

Majima then proposed that the thugs take their dispute outside, where Majima proceeded to beat down the three of them. Saki then apologized to Kiryu, saying that she did not believe that Kizuka would resort to something that underhanded. She revealed that Kizuka was a good person back in the day, leading a biker gang, but never resorting to dirty tricks like ambushes or blackmail. She also said that, when she was attacked by thugs one time, Kizuka drove into enemy territory to rescue her. Saki lamented that everything changed after Kizuka joined the Five Stars, and said that the Five Stars had made Kizuka their "dirty work specialist". She admitted that she wanted to pull Kizuka out fo his downward spiral, motivating her to stay at his club. Saki proceeded to bid farewell to Majima, saying that she needed to get back to her work before she was late (which would ruin her impressive attendance streak), and she ran off. Youda said that Saki was straightforward and cheery, and said that he wished he had a daughter like her.

After managing the club for a few sessions, Majima saw to it that his club took 3,240 fans from Club Jupiter's area, surpassing Club Jupiter's 3,000 fans. Just then, Saki returned to the club to tell Majima of Kizuka's plans for a cabaret club battle, and said that Club Jupiter would win as long as she was there. Youda countered by saying that Ai could take on all of Club Jupiter's hostesses by herself, and he told Yuki to pull her weight as well. He then had the club open one more time in order to attract more fans before answering the challenge, as well as to let his best hostesses have some time off before the showdown.

When Majima was ready for the challenge, Kizuka and Saki arrived, and Kizuka taunted Majima about not coming to his club for revenge after Youda's beating. Majima told Kizuka that he didn't bruise easily, and insisted on getting to the cabaret club battle, assuring Kizuka that the underdog would overcome him. At the end of the battle, Club Jupiter had won ¥18,650,000 to Club Sunshine's ¥13,440,000, but Kizuka told Majima that he would give him another try, as he wanted to toy with Majima some more.

Majima - embarking on a comeback - gave Ai a special training tession, during which she talked about her solitary nature, her love for Turkish food (especially kebabs), her distaste for badmouthing, and her appreciation for Majima's positivity. He then trained Yuki, who revealed that she had just graduated college, and had only been working at Club Sunshine for six months. She expressed how she was socially awkward, but Majima reassured her that he would rather hire an honest girl over "a buncha smooth-talkin' succubi any day of the week." She also revealed how Youda had first met her as she was standing by herself in a park at night, and how Youda had seen promise in her and recruited her as a hostess. She then expressed her belief that the club allowed her the chance to grow up before looking to her future.

With Ai and Yuki's customer service skills improved, Majima decided to take on Kizuka for a second time. This time, Majima oversaw his club's victory, earning ¥24,750,000, while Club Jupiter won ¥16,550,000. Kizuka could only laugh to cope with his defeat, and he then angrily challenged Majima to a fistfight to settle their score. Majima insisted that they had already held their cabaret club battle, but Kizuka said that he had never liked cabaret club battles in the first place. He then challenged Majima to meet him in front of the club to fight like real men.

Majima proceeded to take down Kizuka in the ensuing brawl in the alleyway, and Kizuka nervously laughed as he lamented losing both with his club and his fists. Majima acknowledged that Kizuka was a real bruiser in the ring, and Kizuka admitted that fighting had always been what he was good at, and that running a cabaret club was never his thing. He told Majima that they were cut from the same cloth, and revealed that Tsukiyama had dragged him into the Five Stars because of his "expertise" in violence. He said that Tsukiyama was a mad genius who was a great money-maker, and said that his own life had turned into trying to stay on Tsukiyama's good side. He decided that his defeat by Majima put an end to his old, depressing life, and he thanked Majima for setting him free. Kizuka announced that he would go far away rather than wait for Tsukiyama to take him out, and he said that he would shut down Club Jupiter rather than run it under Tsukiyama's thumb.

Kizuka then apologized to Saki for putting her through drama, and persuaded Majima to let Saki work for him and live out her dreams. He also apologized to Youda for sending men to beat him up, and he then bade farewell to the staff of Club Sunshine. Saki then asked Majima if he was serious about hiring her, and Majima confirmed his earlier judgment; Saki then happily noted that Ai - whom she recognized - was the number one girl in the Dotonbori cabaret club "Perky Girl" division. Majima jokingly asked Yuki if she had a rank in the cabaret club division, but Yuki said that one could not measure the value of a person based on some leaderboard. At the same time as Majima and his friends entered the club, Tsukiyama had Kotomi contact a specialist to take out Kizuka.

Club Venus[]

Majima proceeded to go out on another partnership drive, buying partnerships with the Kokusai Ghetto Theater, Ashitaba Barber, Sushi Tsuru, Katsu Kin, The Megalopolis, Exodus, M Zoku Dotonbori, Hammurabi Records, and Izakaya Ryoshimaru. Along the way, he was attacked by the Omi Alliance henchmen Kunio Hirai, Hiroaki Kurihara, and Toichi Yanagida, but he succeeded in taking them down in a public brawl before going on to purchase Cakes Marianne and Gyu-masu.

Majima confronting the defeated Yamakawa and Osaki

Majima later came across Yoko Toyoda in front of Club Sega, but he grew worried at the sight of her bawling her eyes out. He found that the Bunchan doll he had won for her had been sliced and mangled, and he asked the girl what happened. She said that her mom was going to be killed, and that "scary men" had come to take her money and took her away, adding that she believed that they were down by the river. Majima found the two men, Tsukasa Yamakawa and Tetsui Osaki, demanding ¥13 million from Yoko's mother as repayment for the ¥1 million loan they had extended to her, and they threatened to sell both her and her daughter into sexual slavery. The woman was distraught, as her daughter was the only family she had left, and Majima arrived with Yoko just as the loan shark boss decided to kidnap Yoko from the arcade. Majima insulted the men for tearing up Yoko's doll and for preying on defenseless women, and he told them to hurry and put their hands up so that he could start beating them. He proceeded to take down Yamakawa and Osaki following a brief fight, rescuing Yoko and her mother.

Majima bidding Yoko and her mother farewell

Yoko then beamed to her mother that Majima was the man she called "daddy", and that he was the man who bought him all the dolls. The woman told Majima that her daughter talked about him all the time, and Majima then introduced himself to her. The mother thanked Majima for all he had done for the family, and she gave him a security wallet as a token of her appreciation. Yoko then lamented that she failed to live up to her promise to keep all of her dolls safe, but Majima told Yoko that he could still feel Bunchan's heartbeat, and said that he himself was living proof; he told her, "One eye's gone, but I'm doin' just fine!" This reassured Yoko, and Majima also said that, since she was still clutching Bunchan tight, the doll looked pretty happy. The girl then thanked Majima before he bade them farewell and returned to his hunt for more partners.

Majima proceeded to buy a partnership with Pachinko Winde West, Sokyu Cinema, and the Dotonbori Kabuki Theater before running into the bontan thief, Ryuji Goda. Goda demanded that Majima hand over his pants (despite Majima explaining that they were tuxedo pants and not bontan), and Majima recognized him as the bontan thief from Toru's description. Goda decided that it would be more fun to tear the pants from Majima, saying, "Peelin's better'n stealin'!" However, Majima proceeded to defeat Goda in the ensuing fight, and Goda's classmates Toyonobu Tsujihara and Hiroya Furuya ran up to him and expressed their shock that Goda had been beaten. The two other children apologized, saying that Ryuji was stealing the pants for them, and they explained to Majima (as Goda slept on a neighboring bench) that Goda was still in elementary school (he was a sixth grader), and that he was their classmate.

Majima was shocked to hear of a sixth grader ripping off the pants of high schoolers twice his age, and the kids explained that Ryuji was avenging their mistreatment at the hands of the "delinquent kids" of Doton North High. They added that the kids of Doton North beat up younger children and took their money so that they could not tell their parents, and one of the kids admitted that most children, including themselves, had long shunned Goda. When Majima asked why the kids had shunned him (apart from being "downright intimidating"), they explained that the children were afraid upon hearing that Ryuji's dad was a yakuza, but Majima said that many kids' parents msut be yakuza. However, the kids explained that Ryuji's father was "some big shot in the Omi Alliance". They also added that the principal and the school's teachers always kissed up to his father, Jin Goda, and that nobody - including the students - wanted to mess with Goda. Just then, Goda got up and asked what his classmates were talking about. When they said that Ryuji had picked on the Doton North students for harassing the girls in their class, Goda vehemently denied it, saying that he just didn't like the arrogance of the Doton North kids. Ryuji said that the Doton North students looked down on him, and he resolved to be a bigger man than his father, and said that he could not accept losing to "some stranger off the street." Majima told Ryuji that it sounded like a personal problem, so Ryuji retorted by saying that the only bontan he now wanted to steal was Majima's, and shouted, "I won't rest until I rip those pants off your a**!"

Majima then bade farewell to the "Bontan Hunter", and he purchased partnerships with Fuguta, Crepe Cats, and Yakitori Torikko. He then came across the triads Murai Ando, Munemori Tsunoda, and Daisetsu Honda harassing Hidekazu Kobe, and he decided to intervene and help the young man. After beating down two of the triads and kicking Honda off the brigde, Majima received Hidekazu's thanks.

Majima proceeded to return to the cabaret club, where Youda congratulated him on winning more than 1,500 fans from the Club Venus area. Youda told Majima that Club Venus was run by the "pretty boy" and former host Kanehara, who was said to use his looks to make girls do whatever he wanted. Just then, Youda's new secretary Chiyuki Oishi asked where she could find the customer data and financial information, so Youda pointed her to the appropriate room. Youda then told Majima that he hired Oishi the other day after seeing her impressive resume, using her for administrative work. Majima told Youda that he would get back to him when he was ready to scope out Club Venus; before then, he tuned into Dolce Kamiya's show and heard Kamiya reading out "Gorogorogoro-chan"'s postcard about the crossword puzzle proposal; he was tantalized by the cliffhanger ending, as Majima did not reveal whether the girl accepted the man's proposal in the end, but he said that he would like to propose to someone in the same way, and asked for any listener who wanted to volunteer to marry him to send him a postcard. Majima went on to write another postcard, this time about the forged heart necklace incident, and he entrusted the postcard's delivery to Yuki.

Kanehara confronting the Club Sunshine staff

Majima then returned to the main room and told Youda that he was ready to scope out Club Venus. However, their conversation was interrupted by maniacal laughter, and Kanehara entered the club. Kanehara was surprised when Majima showed no sign of remembering him, and Majima jokingly asked if he was "Omar Ishikawa", a random name he had invented. Kanehara initially went along with it before Kanehara snapped at him and asked if he was trying to make a comedian of him. Majima said that the name worked for him, and Kanehara angrily spelled out his name to Majima. Youda said that he knew who Kanehara was the moment he walked in. Kanehara then revealed that a "little birdie" told him that Majima was preparing to scope out his club, and Chiyuki then returned with the club's information and gave it to Kanehara, revealing that she was a spy. Kanehara then said that the "seedy little club" was fitting for Majima, but Yuki objected, saying that, while the others might be, she was not seedy. Kanehara then attempted to make overtures to Yuki, saying that he could pay her three times what she made at the club, and give her the "pleasure" of sleeping with him. However, she said that he was the furthest thing from her type, bluntly rejecting him.

Chika joining the conversation — Chika Arimura joining the conversation

Just then, Kanehara's best hostess, Chika Arimura, arrived and asked if Kanehara had found a new girl to toy with. She joked that he had done so only moments later after manipulating another girl into doing his dirty work, and Kanehara commented, "Oh, you mean Oishi spying for me? Well, she might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but she was the right tool for the job, this time." Ai explained to Majima that Chika was the top hostess at Club Venus, and Ai said that the rumors that Chika was going out with Kanehara apparently turned out to be true as well. Kanehara told Chika that women were like pawns, and that it was important to move them into the right positions to make sure they filled their potential. Chika then deduced that Kanehara would throw away a girl without a second thought once she was of no more value to him. Chika asked if Kanehara would ever throw her away, but Kanehara said that he would keep her as long as she was his number-one hostess. Kanehara then left with Ai, leaving Majima with a warning, and flirting with Yuki one last time.

Majima proceeded to hold a special training session for Saki, who told him a bit about her lifestyle. She rested completely on her days off in order to have a clear work-life balance and ensure that she was energized for her work days, and she also told Majima that she ran long distance events with her middle and high school's track teams. She also revealed that she went jogging every day, played tennis, and occasionally went hiking with her friends. She impressed Majima when she revealed that she used to cook for her brothers, and that she excelled in making fried chicken; Majima said that she would have to make him fried chicken sometime.

Majima talking with his friends about Club Venus

Majima also began to compete with Club Mercury, acquiring 1,000 fans in the Club Mercury area. Majima then asked Youda what he knew about Mizumura, but Youda looked troubled and said that he knew nothing about Mizumura. Majima asked Youda why he was such a wet noodle, and said that he would holler when he was ready to check out Club Mercury. He then proceeded to talk with his staff about Club Venus, and their conversation was again interrupted when Kanehara maniacally laughed and entered the club.

Kanehara was happy to see that Majima remembered his name this time around, and he then asked Yuki if she was ready to become his lady. Yuki repeatedly rejected his advances, even when he continued to state that no woman had ever rejected him before, and he threatened her by saying that it would be sad if she wasn't at the club anymore. Yuki said that she wouldn't let Kanehara intimidate her, and Majima and Youda promised to protect her, while Ai gleefully added that she would serve as Yuki's bodyguard. Majima went on to continue sapping customers from Club Venus until Chika came to his club to deliver him Kanehara's challenge for a Cabaret Club battle, and to warn Yuki to leave as soon as she could, as she revealed her fear that Kanehara might plan to kidnap her. Majima accused Kanehara of trying to sabotage Club Sunshine by removing Yuki from the picture, and, while Chika said that she didn't want to see any more girls get hurt, Yuki refused to be intimidated. Chika then left, and Majima commended Yuki for standing her ground.

Majima and Kanehara preparing for their cabaret club battle

That same afternoon, however, Youda sent Yuki out to purchase vinegar, and she was accosted and abducted by three men in the process. Majima and Youda grew worried about Yuki's absence, but Youda theorized that she might be out getting a snack, as she loved desserts. Just then, Kanehara arrived after letting out his signature maniacal laugh, bringing Chika with him. The two of them traded insults before Kanehara asked if somebody was missing from Majima's club, revealing that he had ordered Yuki's kidnapping, as the customer data showed that Yuki was the most popular hostess at Club Sunshine. Youda asked Majima what they should do, but Ai said that, if Yuki was in their shoes, she would want them to stick around and fight, and she encouraged Majima to win and get Yuki back. Unfortunately, Club Venus won the first battle with ¥26,450,000 in sales to Majima's $23,195,000, but Kanehara decided to give Club Sunshine another shot, as he enjoyed toying with them.

Majima getting ready for his second battle with Kanehara

Majima proceeded to hold a special training for Ai, discussing about her personal life, and she revealed that she had only dated one man before, and that he dumped her for being less social than he thought she would be. Majima reassured her of her talents, causing her to say that she wished Majima was her boyfriend. Majima then decided to reopen the club and challenge Kanehara a second time. Again, Kanehara pulled dirty tricks by stealing Club Sunshine's customers, and he won with ¥27,950,000 to Club Sunshine's ¥24,045,000. However, Majima immediately issued another challenge, this time winning with ¥32,870,000 to Club Venus' ¥26,700,000, and causing Kanehara to storm into Club Venus and lament his defeat.

After Chika attempted to calm Kanehara, Kanehara scapegoated her for his club's defeat and decided to break up with her, saying that he did nothing wrong, and that Chika was no longer useful to him. An irate Kanehara then demanded that Majima come out and fight him to settle their score, but Majima easily floored Kanehara after a fight in the alley. Kanehara called Majima a loser, but Majima said that Kanehara was treating everyone like pawns, making him the real loser. Just then, Tsukiyama arrived with Kotomi and insulted Kanehara for his failure, telling him to begone from his sight.

Kanehara - scared for his life - ran off, and Majima said that Tsukiyama should be embarrassed to lose another crew member. Tsukiyama said that he hardly cared about the Five Stars, saying that he knew that he would eventually have to get rid of Kanehara because of his conceit, and he said that he had a gut feeling that he would soon fight Majima himself. He then left with Kotomi, and Chika apologized to Majima about Kanehara. Majima extended Chika an offer of employment, saying that she no longer had a boyfriend, and that working at Club Sunshine would bring a smile to her face. Chika smiled when she recognized Majima as the owner of the club, and Majima told her that her smile was like the sun busting through clouds.

Majima, Youda, Ai, and Chika then decided to enter the club, where Chika would work from then on, but Ai expressed her hunch that they might be forgetting something. However, Majima was unable to come up with any suggestions, and Ai reasoned that it must not be important if she had already forgotten about it. Sure enough, Yuki was gagged and tied up on the roof of Club Sunshine, having been returned to Majima by Kanehara after his defeat, and she would ultimately have to wiggle out of her bonds and free herself before rejoining the roster.

Club Mercury[]

Majima partnering with Hibiki Otsuki — Majima partying with Hibiki Otsuki

Majima then told Youda that he was ready to check out Mizumura's Club Mercury, but a nervous Youda decided to pass. Just before Majima left, Yuki asked him to buy her some vinegar for her chirashi while he was out, and Majima agreed. Majima went out on the town and was unable to find vinegar, but he was encountered by a hostess, Hibiki Otsuki, who asked if he was looking for something, and if he wanted to party. Majima said that the whole town seemed to be sold out of vinegar, but she said that there was some vinegar in the club, and she offered to give him the vinegar for free if he would party with her.

Majima agreed to join Otsuki, only to drink watered-down alcohol with her. Otsuki then said that she had one more thing for him before he left, and, while Majima thought she was referring to her breasts, she instead told him that he had to pay the bill. to be confronted with the check by Naonobu Iwai, who told him that the bill was ¥100,000. Majima said that there must be a mistake, but Iwai said that the establishment charged ¥100,000 for that drink, and Majima refused, calling it highway robbery. Iwai warned him that they might have to resort to more uncomfortable methods if Majima insisted on not paying, and Majima was taken outside and confronted by Iwai, Masaaki Hoshi, and Eisaku Nakajima. Majima beat down the three men, only to come to the realization that he had just visited Club Mercury.

Majima then returned to Club Sunshine and demanded that Youda stop going all "mumblemouth" when he mentioned Club Mercury. Just then, Mizumura himself entered the club and said that, if Youda did not want to talk about his past, then he would. Mizumura commented that Youda had a nice club going on, and Youda criticized Mizumura for ripping his customers off, something which Youda believed Mizumura would never have done before. He then asked Mizumura if it was too late to turn back and teach himm more about how to run a club, just like in the old days, but Mizumura said that people change, and that they could not go back to the old days. He then said that he just stopped by to thank his customer, saying that he was sure that Majima really enjoyed his drinks. Majima berated Mizumura for his racket, but Mizumura conceded that the Five Stars were evil, and said that it was not always right to fight against evil, warning Majima to not challenge the Five Stars if he wanted to live peacefully in Osaka.

Just then, Hibiki arrived and said that she was worried about Mizumura walking around by himself, and he then left, telling Majima that he hoped he would not need to see him again. Youda then revealed to Majima that Mizumura had taught him the basics of running a club, that he was strict yet enthusiastic, and that he and Mizumura used to talk about their dream of building up Dotonbori's nightlife scene together. Youda said that, while Mizumura was his mentor, he had since joined the Five Stars and was nothing like he used to be. Majima thanked Youda for opening up to him and said that they needed to be a team if they would be together for the long haul. Yuki then interrupted their conversation to demand vinegar, but Majima told her that he forgot.

Majima proceeded to reopen the club, soon surpassing 2,000 customers. Youda congratulated Majima for their club's recent successes, but their conversation was interrupted by Yuki, who demanded that Majima go out and fetch her some vinegar, as they were unable to make sushi last time because of Majima's failure to get vinegar (she said that the hostesses were forced to have a "rice ball party"). Majima agreed to go out and fetch some vinegar, as he was willing to take the risk that the Five Stars might retaliate against him.

Majima was again unsuccessful in finding vinegar, so he sat by himself on a public bench and lamented that the club's manager was being sent out to do chores. Just then, Majima noticed Club Mercury's star hostess, Hibiki, looking for vinegar to make inarizushi for Mizumura. Hibiki recognized Majima and sat with him, and she was amazed that they were both looking for vinegar. When Hibiki said that inarizushi was Mizumura's favorite, Majima observed that she must have a soft spot for Mizumura, and she said that Mizumura was "suave and cool" and supported her despite her short working hours. When Majima asked her about her situation, she revealed that she took care of her younger brother and was always tired, yet Mizumura still kept her around. She also explained that, after Mizumura's wife (his partner in running Club Mercury, then just a cabaret) passed away about a year ago, he needed further outside help to run the club, and Tsukiyama invited Mizumura to join the Five Stars and convert the cabaret into a cabaret club. Hibiki said that, in spite of this, she still owed Mizumura a debt for taking care of her. Majima asked why Hibiki would tell Club Mercury's competition about Mizumura, and she suggested that she might have been talking to herself; Majima joked that it was a "helluva soliloquy". Hibiki then suggested that Majima could free Mizumura from the Five Stars' curse, and she bade Majima farewell before he could respond.

Yuki complaining to Majima about the vinegar

When Majima returned to Hozenji Yokocho, he found Mizumura confronting Youda in front of his club, and Youda swore to defeat Mizumura and his corrupt methods. Mizumura commended Youda for his bravery before leaving, and Majima then returned to Youda, who was determined to reopen the club and get more customers rolling in. Just then, Yuki arrived and asked if Majima had found her any vinegar, but he again admitted that he had forgotten, causing another argument.

Soon after, Club Sunshine reached 4,000 fans, and Hibiki then arrived, causing Majima to joke that he didn't stock vinegar at his club. Hibiki said that she had found a shop the other day that stold lots of vinegar, and she then delivered Majima a challenge to a cabaret club battle from Mizumura. Hibiki left before Yuki could ask her where she had found the vinegar, and Yuki then warned Majima that Hibiki was eating him out of her hand, saying that she would be a tough opponent.

Shortly after, Mizumura arrived, annd Majima was impressed that Youda was fired up and ready to take on his old boss. Mizumura said that it would be the end of the road for Club Sunshine, and Hibiki warned Club Sunshine that Mizumura used to be nicknamed "the Lion of the Cabaret". In the ensuing cabaret club battle, Mizumura lived up to his nickname, narrowly defeating Majima with a profit of ¥33,580,000 to Majima's ¥32,650,000. Youda told Mizumura that he would still not give up on fighting for what was right, so Mizumura decided to keep on battling Club Sunshine until Youda saw the light. Majima immediately challenged Mizumura a second time, defeating him ¥31,130,000 to Mizumura's ¥29,080,000.

Mizumura bidding farewell to Club Sunshine

Mizumura commended Youda, saying that none of his apprentices had yet surpassed him, and he said that he was glad to have lost to Youda, enabling him to close down his club in peace. Youda said that Mizumura didn't have to do that, and that they could still work together. However, Mizumura said that he had gone too far down a different path, saying that, after he lost his wife, he tried every dirty trick in the book to protect the club. Before his wife died, Mizumura promised her that, as long as he lived, he would keep the club running. Mizumura explained that it was difficult for an old man like him to run the club without any help, and, after his club quickly declined and nearly went out of business, Tsukiyama reached out to him. Mizumura lamented that business was good as long as he did what Tsukiyama said, and that he had sold his soul to the devil. He then decided that it was time for Club Mercury to end (adding that it had been time for a while), and said that, when he joined his wife in heaven, he wanted to apologize to his wife. Youda apologized for saying hurtful things to Mizumura, but Mizumura applauded Youda for being an honest man, said that he reminded him of himself back in the day, and said that he was confident that the future of Dotonbori's entertainment district was in good hands. Mizumura then asked Majima to let Hibiki work at Club Sunshine in spite of her conflicted schedule, and he thanked Hibiki for everything she had done to him and told her to take care of her younger brother and mother. Mizumura then told Club Sunshine, "Well then, it's time for this old soldier to turn in his combat boots. We may not see each other again." After Mizumura left, Majima said that Mizumura was cool, and Youda said that he really looked up to the man. Hibiki then flirtatiously thanked Majima for hiring her, and Youda suggested that they get to work. Meanwhile, Tsukiyama had Kotomi make arrangements for Mizumura's death, and prepared to face Majima himself.

Club Moon[]

Youda then told Majima that Tsukiyama's Club Moon was the last of the Five Stars, and warned Majima that it had always set the bar. Majima decidded to get to work sapping its fans, and, as he left his club, he ran into Yoko Toyoda's mother, who thanked Majima for his help. Majima asked how the "little scamp" was doing, and she said that her daughter talked about Majima non-stop, often asking, "I wonder what Daddy's doing today?" Majima joked that it might just be a phase, but said that it was good to hear that she was doing well. He then asked the woman about her loan, and she said that she was barely making a dent on the interest. A sympathetic Majima suggested that the woman come work for him, saying that his club's pay beat any nine-to-five, and told the woman, "You'll be able to pay down their loan with a little extra to cover some new dolls." He decided to make her professional name "Dolly", as he knew her daughter only as the "doll girl".

Majima fighting the goons in Hozenji Yokocho

Majima was ambushed by the goons Sotaro Tajima, Ryunosuke Mizutani, and Nobuhito Soma as he left the Hozenji Yokocho alleyway, but he beat them down. He then went to Dotonbori to buy partnerships with Ka-en Restaurant and Hama-don, and he then beat down the triads Reizo Shibata, Seibei Yamaoka, Ogai Sakata, and Tadasuke Furuya when they tried to ambush him. Majima went on to buy partnerships with Fuguno Sakai, Namidazaka Bar, New Garcia, Tetsuji's Tripe, Yokohori Theater, and Akantare, acquiring thousands more fans.

Majima ran into Nariaki Tanioka playing his guitar after turning the corner from Dotonbori Street, and Tanioka invited Majima to hear out his investment fund strategy. He explained that he invested clients' money in businesses and paid them back with a share of the profits, while charging them a commission for managing their money. Majima asked if the fund was thus made up of loan sharks, but Tanioka explained that they made their money off investments instead of interest, causing Majima to say that they must be gamblers instead. Tanioka said that they only made bets they would win, and he revealed that he knew about Majima's booming cabaret club business, suggesting that Majima fit the bill as an investor. Majima said that he understood why he would invest cash, but he asked if this meant that others would invest in his business as well. Tanioka said that they ran a mutual investment trust, saying that he could pair him up with a certain real estate man in Kabukicho whom he called "K-san", and they would be able to fund each other's businesses in exchange for a commission from the fund. Tanioka then gave Majima ¥10,000,000 to help him invest, and told him that, when he was flush, he should invest it back with the fund.

Majima then decided to look around for more businesses to invest in, but, along the way, he was attacked by the Omi yakuza Tetsuhiko Yamashita, Gennosuke Tashiro, Takakazu Oshima, Kiyohira Kubo, Izo Sakata, and Fumihiro Tanimoto, beating them down, even as they used knives to attack him. After walking across the Iwao Bridge, he found a severely beaten man laying next to the bridge. Majima gave the man a medicine drink to help him recover and stand, and he asked the man why he was beaten up. He said he was beaten up because he dreamed of walking across Iwao Bridge, and Majima sarcastically responded, "Oh right. A grand ol' dream like walkin' across the bridge sure does explain why ya got beat to an inch of her life. Except not really!!!" The man said that he was unable to cross the bridge because of the stajun he was wearing. Majima asked what a stajun was, and the man said that he was not with the times at all, and explained that it was short for "stadium jumper", which was called a "varsity jacket" in the West.

Majima asked why the jacket prevented the man from crossing a bridge, and the man explained that, if one wore it and popped its collar, punks came out looking for blood, as they saw men dressed like him as "big shots". Majima thought to himself that the jacket did say "Bring on the Fights", and the man revealed that he had been beaten up eight times while trying to cross the bridge. Majima said that plenty of other men in such jackets must have been able to cross the bridge without getting beaten up, but the man said that either he had a face which angered people, or it was his destiny to be beaten up. Majima began to understand why Suda was on the pavement, and, while he suggested that the man take off the stajun, the man refused, saying that it was his dream. The man then introduced himself as Suda, and he persuaded Majima to accompany him across the bridge and fight off anyone who tried to jump him as he proudly strutted.

Majima and Suda meeting at the end of the Iwao Bridge

As Suda and Majima began to walk across the bridge, the thugs Yoshino Fukuhara and Hisanobu Ideguchi took notice of Suda and decided to jump him, believing him to be an arrogant punk. Majima recognized what Suda was talking about, but added, "Cant tell if it's that stajun or you that's drawin' all this aggro, though." He then decided that the punks were "gonna pay the toll to the troll," and the two men beat down Fukuhara and Ideguchi. The bikers Kyoden Furuya, Shunen Ishizuka, and Takeo Inagaki then arrived to jump Suda, but Majima beat them down as well. The hoodlums Yukinaga Sakurai, Ichiyo Sugano, Tsugiharu Matsunaga, Yasuhide Toyoda, and Yoshimochi Taguchi also tried to join in, but they were beaten down as well.

Majima and Suda then made it to the end of the bridge, where Suda celebrated making it across the bridge in his stajun, and thanked Majima for his help. He then gave Majima a token of his appreciation, and he said that he would never forget that day. Majima said that Suda must be an odd man for making cruising around in his jacket important, but the man said that other people would never understand how much the experience meant to him. He then told Majima that he owed him a life debt, and he decided to head home and eat something. Majima wished him good luck on the bridges, and he thought to himself that Suda's philosophy of achieving one's dreams made him a real man. However, he was amused when he saw another group of punks insult Suda for trying to be funny with his stajun.

Majima was confronted by the yakuza Keizo Inaba and his henchmen Kazuhiko Nakamoto and Saburo Yamagami as he walked past Inaba on the street, triggering a street brawl. Majima proceeded to serve the Omi Alliance henchmen a severe beating, and he recalled that he still had unsettled business with the Omi: returning the pants that Ryuji Goda had stolen from Toru Shibazaki.

Majima returned to Dotonbori Street, where he gave Toru back his bontan pants. Majima realized that Ryuji had attempted to jump him as well, but that Ryuji had sent him to return the stolen pants to Toru. Toru was surprised that ryuji had jumped Majima despite him not wearing bontan pants, but Majima said that it was a story not worth repeating. Toru then thanked Majima and announced that he would get a group of friends together to settle their accounts with the "Bontan Hunter", and, while Majima warned Toru against doing so, Toru said that the thief wouldn't stand a chance against superior numbers. Majima then decided to check out Magutako to see what would happen between Toru and Goda.

Along the way, Majima came across an attractive woman, Harumi Murano, on the street. He invited her to join his cabaret club, and she said that she would do so if Majima bought her a designer brand name purse. Majima visited Le Marche in Soemoncho and brought her back an Italian purse, and Murano gleefully decided to join Club Sunshine, also introducing herself to her new boss.

Majima then headed over to Magutako, where he found Ryuji Goda overlooking several beaten-down punks (including Toru) from atop a park bench. Majima asked if the boy had beaten them down by himself, but the boy responded, "Hmph. Just a buncha mooks. Don't matter how big a swarn they make, they're still worthless." He then said that it had been a waste of time, and told Majima that he had to get home and do math drills for homework. Majima then asked the young man's name, and he told him that he was Ryuji Goda. Majima thought to himself that Goda was a monster, calling him a "dragon in the makin'" and predicting that their paths might cross again.

Majima then returned to Hozenji Yokocho, and, along the way, he stopped the goons Yoshi Takagi, Junzo Sakai, and Naosuke Koido from beating down on the civilian Ikku Noyamano. He took down the three goons, and a grateful Noyamano gave Majima a silver plate to show his gratitude. With the trouble on his doorstep resolved, Majima then returned to his club, where Youda congratulated him on surpassing 2,000 fans in Club Moon's area.

Majima then suggested to Youda that they should scope out Club Moon, and Ai and Yuki volunteered to accompany the two men, with Yuki saying that she couldn't sit by and let Majima handle the last of the Five Stars by himself. Ai said that she always wanted to see what Club Moon looked like, and Majima agreed to bring the two girls, although he said that he would pull them both out if they were met with trouble. Majima and Yuki used the same telephone pole as a hiding spot as they spied on the club, but they were surprised when Club Moon's top hostess Mana Sakura - herself hiding behind an advertisement board - suggested that they go inside Club Moon and take a look. Ai recognized Mana as Dotonbori's best hostess, and Mana thanked Ai for her "splendid introduction". Majima asked Mana why she was spying on them, but she correctly guessed that they had been themselves spying on Club Moon. Majima also asked why she was prepared to let them see inside the club, and she said that Tsukiyama had asked her to do so. Majima predicted that Tsukiyama had already beaten them to the espionage angle, so he decided that they should rush back to the club. Before they left, Ai warned Majima that Tsukiyama would be a hard enemy to beat.

Soon, Club Sunshine worked its way to 8,830 fans, causing Kotomi to visit the club and ask him to meet with Tsukiyama at the Cabaret Grand. Youda and Yuki warned Majima that he might be walking into a trap, but Majima insisted on going, and left the club under Youda's care. Kotomi walked Majima to the Cabaret Grand, which he found had been rented out by Tsukiyama, and Tsukiyama greeted Majima by insulting the uncomfortable seating. When Majima sternly asked why Tsukiyama was there, Tsukiyama asked Majima if the "customer is king" rule did not extend to him as a customer, but he rejected Majima's offer to drink with him. Tsukiyama said that the purpose of his visit was to pay his respects to Majima for taking out the other Five Stars, and he announced that he intended to take down both Club Sunshine and the Cabaret Grand. When Majima asked what Tsukiyama had against the Grand, Tsukiyama said that he might rreveal that to Majima should Majima be able to defeat him in a cabaret club battle.

As Tsukiyama and Mana left, Kotomi warned Majima to prepare to face the consequences of continuing to oppose Tsukiyama, saying, "The streets are dark when the moon is young...try not to drown." Majima returned to Club Sunshine and told Youda and the others what had happened, and Youda guessed that Tsukiyama had organized a chokehold on Dotonbori's cabaret clubs with the ultimate goal of taking down the Grand. Yuki asked what the assistant meant with her poetic warning, so Majima called her naive; Yuki said that she wasn't naive, but that she didn't know what she didn't know. Ai then guessed that the cryptic message was a threat, saying that they had to watch their backs. Majima told them that all that was left for them to do was to take down Tsukiyama, and all of Majima's best hostesses appeared one-by-one and swore to aid Majima in the final battle. Majima addressed them, teling them, "Alright, people! Club Sunshine is about to open for business, so let's go real big today!"

Majima and his hostesses then worked towards surpassing 10,000 fans, upon which Mana arrived and gleefully and innocently told Majima that they were about to go head-to-head. She said that Tsukiyama believed that Majima was a bit ahead of schedule to go up against club Moon, and Majima told Mana to tell Tsukiyama that overconfidence was going to come back and bite him in the rear. Mana then wished the club good luck, and she returned to her club to deliver Majima's message. Youda then suggested that Majima sort out the staff lineup and get ready before they took up the challenge.

Club Sunshine readying themselves for the battle

Majima then decided to challenge Tsukiyama to the competition, and, when Tsukiyama arrived, Majima confronted him and told him that the Five Stars would be defeated that day. Tsukiyama responded that losing to Majima would be unfathomable, but Majima said that nobody was a winner or a loser until they put everything on the ine. Tsukiyama responded, "You strive to pluck the moon from the sky, but all you shall ever grasp is its reflection upon the water." The two men then agreed to start their first cabaret club battle.

Majima and Tsukiyama proceeded to battle, but Tsukiyama used dirty tricks to steal Club Sunshine's customers and tire out its hostesses. He won the first battle with ¥53,850,000 to Club Sunshine's ¥35,880,000, but Tsukiyama said that the clouds had still not lifted from his heart, and he decided to continue torturing and humiliating Club Sunshine with further challenges. Majima repeatedly challenged him, and, the second time, Club Moon won ¥46,250,000 to Club Sunshine's ¥26,190,000. Majima grew desperate, so he decided to go on a recruitment drive.

Majima confronting Tsukiyama at his club

Majima proceeded to visit Bob Utsonomiya at the Hozenji Yokocho temple across from Club Sunshine, where he recruited the hostesses Koizumi Yuuma, Chizu Chiho, Akina Nagaoka, Junko Ara, Seiko Shintani, Shizuka Nagano, Kiyoko Takamoto, Shiho Hagiwara, and Marilyn Kitabayashi. He then challenged Tstukiyama a third time, but he was again defeated ¥41,965,000 to ¥51,050,000. On his fourth try, however, Majima won with ¥52,330,000 to ¥50,150,000, and his victory boosted his club's total fan count to 35,439 people.

The crew of Club Sunshine then realized that they had won, and Majima confratulated them for working as a team and winning; even Mana congratulated them. Majima commented that all of Club Sunshine's hostesses had barely scraped by with everyone in the club against Mana alone, saying that she was "kinda scary". Tsukiyama insisted that he fight Majima himself, refusing to accept defeat, so Majima agreed to fight him in the alley. Tsukiyama was a quick-moving and fast-punching foe, but Majima succeeded in taking him down after an intense fight.

Majima talking to Tsukiyama in the alley

Majima then asked Tsukiyama to tell him why he wanted to take down Dotonbori's cabaret club scene and the Grand, and Tsukiyama revealed that, years before Majima had become the Grand's manager, his own (single) mother had worked at the club to provide for herself and her son. One day, his mother was fired after being wrongfully accused of theft, when, in fact, it was the corrupt bookkeeper who had been embezzling the money. His mother was blacklisted for being an accused thief, so she figured that the only way she could provide for her son would be to take out a life insurance policy and kill herself. Tsukiyama explained that this was why he had a lifelong hatred of the Grand, and why he had put together the Five Stars. Mana then invited Tsukiyama to get a drink with her, explaining that Tsukiyama would waste the life his mother had given him if he preoccupied himself with revenge, and that he should live a little and laugh a little rather than live a life of sadness. She then explained that places like cabarets and cabaret clubs existed so that people had a place to be happy and to smile, and Majima added that Tsukiyama and the Five Stars had driven several people out of their jobs, subjecting them to the same pain felt by his mother. Tsukiyama lamented that he had known this going in, and Majima said that cabarets and cabaret clubs existed to get rid of pain, sadness, and regret, as one could drink to forget and have someone to talk to. Majima then persuaded Tsukiyama to join him for a drunk at Club Sunshine, and his staff and Mana happily agreed to oblige him.

Defeating Kotomi[]

Majima kneeling before a wounded Tsukiyama

Just then, Kotomi shot Tsukiyama in the back with a handgun, and, when Majima asked what Kotomi was doing, Kotomi thanked Tsukiyama (dropping the honorific "-san" from his name) and said, "Truly...it was only in the end that you became useless." Yuki was surprised to see Kotomi betray her boss, but Kotomi said that she was only his assistant until then, and that, if she could not earn any more from Tsukiyama, she had no further need of him. She then revealed that she was using Tsukiyama as a revenue stream, and said that none of the Five Stars had any business sense.

Majima confronting Kotomi and her elite bodyguards

Kotomi then said that, if she got rid of Majima, there would not be anyone else to stand in her way, and her four elite bodyguards then arrived. She ordered her guards to kill Majima and everyone else, but Tsukiyama persuaded her to spare the hostesses, as they were innocent; Kotomi said that Tsukiyama had grown soft, but she agreed. However, in exchange, she demanded that Majima come to the Cabaret Grand to face the consequences of interfering with her profits. After Kotomi and her men left, a wounded Tsukiyama asked Majima for one last favor: to help Kotomi see the light and pull her back from the brink. Majima agreed to give her a lesson she wouldn't forget, and he then had Tsukiyama sent to the hospital to treat his serious wounds as he and Youda discussed the situation. Youda said that, as long as Kotomi was around, Dotonbori's entertainment district would be under a dark cloud. Majima agreed, saying that he couldn't let the Grand become her personal hangout, lest he lose his customers. Youda then exhorted him to defeat the "madwoman" and come back alive, and Majima set out to bring her to justice.

Majima facing off with Kotomi's bodyguards

Majima then arrived at the empty Cabaret Grand, where Kotomi greeted him from a staircase and told him about her philosophy that money was everything. she then explained that, as Majima stood between her and her happiness, he would have to die. when Majima asked Kotomi if she thought that money would make her happy, she said that one could do anything, have anything, and buy anything. She also added that her bodyguards were professional fighters and martial artists, and that she could buy their services. Majima told Kotomitha t, if she thought she could buy anything with money, then she was a "sad woman." Kotomi then ordered her guards to kill Majima, saying that all of Dotonbori's clubs and cabarets would soon be hers.

Majima standing over Kotomi's defeated bodyguards

After an intense battle, Majima was able to take down Kotomi's bodyguards Chomei Tomita, Ichiyo Yamagishi, Sofu Nishio, and Seishiro Kaai, surprising Kotomi. Majima explained that "Muscle ya gotta pay for ain't worth a damn," and, when Majima threatened to give Kotomi an earful for all the crimes she committed, she pulled a gun on him and told him not to come near her. She said that she was so close to taking all of the money funneled into Dotonbori's nightlife scene for herself, and she prepared to kill Dotonbori's "King of the Night".

However, Tsukiyama and Mana arrived, surprising Kotomi and Majima alike. Kotomi asked Tsukiyama if he had come there to ridicule her, but he said that he had come to help her, even though she had shot him. Tsukiyama said that Kotomi had done so much for him over the years that it was enough to make up for the pain she was causing him then, and he said that, while Kotomi had used him, he still appreciated her. Kotomi deduced that Tsukiyama wanted a cut of her profits, but Tsukiyama said that he did not want money, and only wanted Kotomi to start over with him. Tsukiyama resolved to start from scratch, build a new club, and focus on the customers instead of the money. Kotomi hesitated, saying that it was too late to turn back, as money was all that mattered to her. She then said, "If only I'd had the money...my sister would still be alive! Money...is everything!" She then told Tsukiyama that, in the next life, she might be able to look past money, and she prepared to shoot herself.

However, Majima knocked the gun away from her just as it fired, saying that he was looking out for something more valuable than money. Tsukiyama told Kotomi that, no matter how much money he accumulated in his lifetime, he could never buy Kotomi back, causing Kotomi to break down in tears. She then sat with the others and explained to them how her sister had died because her family could not afford the surgery, motivating her to pursue money, security, and happiness at any cost. Tsukiyama then proposed that he and Kotomi turn themselves in to take responsibility for their crimes, and Majima encouraged them to set things straight. However, he told them that, once they paid their debts to society, they should build the greatest club ever. Kotomi said that she wanted to build a place like Club Sunshine, where the girls, the customers, and the staff were always smiling, and said that it earned its name, "Sunshine". She then asked Majima if he thought she could turn her life around and be happy, and Majima told her that he had always said that a woman's smile was more powerful than her tears.

Majima then returned to his club, where the girls were joyfully talking with each other, and Mana announced that she had made a snowman of Majima, with Chika guessing that she had used the ice machine. Majima found that the mood was high at the club, and Youda gleefully told him that he had arrived just in time. Mana told Majima to make that day another great one, and Majima had all of his star hostesses gather around and cheer "Club Sunshine!"

Majima then returned to his office, where he heard Dolce Kamiya read his postcard about the forged heart necklace, saying that "Gorogorogoro-chan" might not want to share his forgery on the radio, but saying that the purity of love in a couple was worth its weight in gold, especially "fool's gold". He congratulated Majima on making it onto the show for a second time, and said that, if Majima made it a third time, he would receive a multi-million yen reward. Majima again celebrated making it on the air, and he decided to write another postcard.