It no longer matters whether you believe RPGs should have more romance in them or less; the tender bonds between gamer and NPC have broken their containment in worlds virtual. At a recent event held by Sega celebrating the Like a Dragon series' 20th anniversary, a woman who goes by lala_nyan0617 on X donned a wedding dress and locked arms (er, tried to) with her new (pretend) husband: a cardboard cutout of Kazuma Kiryu from Like a Dragon.
She posted her photos with the Dragon of Dojima on X, stating, "I'm so happy to have met a wonderful person like Kazuma Kiryu. From now on, I'll always stay by your side and support you," according to the site's machine translation.
龍が如く20周年おめでとうございます⟡.·桐生一馬という素敵な方と出会えて、とっても幸せです。これからも貴方の傍でずっと支えていきます。 pic.twitter.com/wxcio93qYVDecember 8, 2025
Okay, it wasn't a real wedding, and plenty of other people showed up with matrimony plans of their own for all sorts of characters; it's all going down at a Japanese fan celebration called the "Weddings, Funerals, and Other Ceremonies Exhibition." Held in Tokyo from Nov. 28 to Dec. 22, the exhibit is meant to "express the essence" of the Yakuza games through "symbolic ceremonies in the drama of life," according to an announcement on YouTube.
Still, it's a fun photo op, and she had the chance to snag both mock marriage and divorce papers, as seen in the video. I don't know if I'd want to be wed to someone who gets into so many bare knuckle brawls, but there's no denying he's a class act. He's in some pretty good games, too.
If you want to get married to a Like a Dragon character (or mourn them at a funeral), another instance of the event is being held in Osaka this coming February.
