Originally released in 2018 and given the remaster treatment for next generation consoles in early 2021, Judgment was a successful spin-off of the legendaryYakuza franchise. Featuring new protagonist Takayuki Yagami as a disgraced lawyer-turned-detective, the game follows Yagami as he and a small group of associates track down an eye-gouging serial killer while slowly revealing a larger conspiracy involving the government, law enforcement, rival Yakuza gangs and an experimental new Alzheimer’s drug. In the grand tradition of the Yakuza series, there are also hundreds of thugs to beat down, stray cats to round up, hostess clubs to visit, and tons of retro SEGA arcade games to while away the hours. With the release of sequel Lost Judgment right around the corner, let’s catch up on how the adventures of Yagami and gang wrapped up in the original Judgment.

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Central to Judgment’s plot is a complicated conspiracy involving AD-9, an experimental Alzheimer’s drug created by a scientist named Yoji Shono at the Advanced Drug Development Center (ADDC). The ADDC is on the verge of being shut down and sits on a valuable piece of land which is being sought after by the Yakuza Kyorei Clan, who are gobbling up the surrounding real estate with the backing of a powerful financier. In an effort to quickly advance his research beyond the lab, Dr. Shono performs an illegal trial on a human patient, resulting in their death. During his efforts to cover up the crime, Shono commits additional heinous acts, including framing an innocent janitor and truck driver named Shinpae Okubu and murdering Okubu’s wife, Emi Teresawa. Okubu’s arrest for the crime just hours after his acquittal for a previous murder charge is what led Yagami to quit his job as a lawyer and turn to detective work, which is where the action picks up at the beginning of the game.

A couple of years later, unaware of the lethal effects of AD-9, the head of the ADDC, Ryusuke Kido, announces the development of the drug to the press and the world. In doing so, he gains the attention of the Japanese government, who puts the ADDC shutdown on hold and places them under the direction of the Ministry of Health, opening the coffers for funding. All of this puts Vice Minister of Health, Kaoru Ichinose, in a position of power with almost limitless funding, which he abuses by having Shono continue his illegal research on human subjects - primarily, members of the Kyorei Clan.

Additionally, Ichinose enlists the assistance of police detective Mitsuru Kuroiwa and Yakuza captain Kyohei Hamura to kidnap and dispose of Shono’s victims, whose eyes must be removed since they turn a telltale bright blue upon their death. As part of their roles in the conspiracy, Kuroiwa and Hamura also murder ADDC Vice Director Toru Hashiki for pushing doubts regarding AD-9 and also kill prominent lawyer Masamichi Shintani for nosing around the truth behind AD-9. They also attempt to frame a dirty cop, organized crime detective Kazuya Ayabe, for Shintani’s murder. All of this is silently aided by chief prosecutor Kunihiko Morita, whose brother couldn’t live with the strain of their mother’s dementia, and killed her and then himself. Suffering the guilt of his familiar trauma, Morita abets the AD-9 murders in hopes that Shono will finally discover a cure.

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Image Via Sega

Having unraveled the threads of the conspiracy (and stopped a panty thief and helped a wig-wearing idol regain his confidence amongst other ridiculous side quests), Yagami returns to the courtroom as Ayabe’s defense lawyer. With Minister Ichinose on the stand, Yagami lays out the entire case against him, revealing his discoveries with regards to the supposed “serial killings” and how they were actually part of the conspiracy headed by Ichinose and Dr. Shono. Captain Hamura is brought in to testify, and reveals his role in the crimes, confessing to the murders of Hashiki and Shintani and implicating Detective Kuroiwa. Fearful that Kuroiwa will act as a witness, Ichinose signals a henchman to assassinate the detective. Yagami and his friend Kaito rush to the Kamurocho district to prevent the killing, but upon arriving discover that the attempt has failed. They learn that Kuroiwa is en route to the ADDC to eliminate Dr. Shono for what he regards as a betrayal.

Upon arriving at the ADDC, Yagami and crew find the building full of police officers, who they must evade and fight to reach Kuroiwa. When they finally reach him, they’re able to stop him from killing Shono, and Yagami and Kuroiwa engage in an epic one-on-one battle where Kuroiwa does his best Final Fantasy boss impression by refusing to die. After losing to Yagami, Kuroiwa engages in a last-ditch attempt to kill Dr. Shono, but is shot full of lead by his fellow police officers, putting an end to his reign of terror. Yagami then confronts Dr. Shono with the truth regarding the exposure of the conspiracy and his role in the murders, but Dr. Shono has one last ace up his sleeve. Claiming that he has successfully produced a non-lethal version of AD-9, Dr. Shono injects himself as proof. His self-proclaimed victory is short lived however, since the injection kills him. As he dies, his eyes turn the pale blue of AD-9 victims, putting the last piece of the puzzle in place for Yagami.

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Image Via Sega

All's well that ends well, as the various players in the conspiracy receive the comeuppance they deserve. Captain Hamura, Ichinose and Morita are all arrested, and the ADDC is designated for shut down. The Kyorei clan will lose the millions of yen they had invested as part of their land grab. On the flip side, Detective Ayaba is cleared of all charges, and Okubo is set to be released from prison, innocent of the crime of murdering his wife. Receiving a call about a missing cat, Yagami decides to resume his work as a private investigator, which will presumably lead directly into the events of Lost Judgment.

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