Cultural Heritage in Yakuza 0: Representing Japan's Bubble Economy

Yakuza 0, released in 2015 and set in Japan in 1988, is examined as a repository of cultural heritage from the country's bubble economy. The study argues that the game's tangible and intangible elements amount to an authentic representation of late-1980s Japanese culture, and that this representation merits recognition in the same spirit as UNESCO-style heritage frameworks applied to digital media. The research draws on cultural heritage theory and prior scholarship on game-based representation, while noting that the Yakuza franchise has received limited attention in English-language academic work.

The analysis is grounded in the historical context of Japan's bubble economy, in which bank lending rose from roughly 135 to 376 trillion yen and asset prices inflated dramatically. Tangible heritage is assessed through ludoformed landmarks such as Kamurochō and Sotenbori, along with in-game objects including expensive dining and telephone cards. Intangible heritage is examined through the empty-lot land-acquisition storyline, characters' lifestyles, and minigames such as the Maharaja disco, karaoke, and arcades. Across these elements, the authors conclude that the game's world design accurately replicates real-world counterparts and functions as a kind of time capsule of everyday bubble-era life.

The study is candid about its boundaries. Its narrow focus on the bubble economy means that other cultural dimensions central to the franchise, including irezumi (tattoos), loyalty, honor, and hierarchy, are not analyzed, and character analysis was excluded from the methodology. The work also offers no in-depth comparison with other titles in the series. The authors therefore recommend further research on the wider Yakuza catalogue and on the cultural impact of these games, positioning this study as an initial contribution to a largely unexplored area.