Yakuza fans are not happy right now. Thanks to Sega and Ryu ga Gotoku's refusal to acknowledge the outrage over the casting of actor Teruyuki Kagawa, who has a history of sexual misconduct, Yakuza fans are slowly opening up to a studio that could do no wrong just 12 months ago.
Coupled with the controversial delisting of the original Yakuza 0, and changes being made to the original Yakuza 3 in the upcoming remake, it seems that both Sega and Ryu ga Gotoku are doing their best to turn themselves into cartoonish Yakuza villains in the eyes of fans. Now, they may have made things even worse, as Sega is now going after fan-made Yakuza merch.
Sega is delisting fan-made Yakuza merch from Etsy
Over the past few days, fans selling their own Yakuza-themed merchandise on Etsy seem to be removing their items. A user on Twitter named Miyari claims that the company is behind the Sega Takedown of America, and is claiming IP infringement to justify its actions. Exactly why Sega chose to start taking this kind of stuff down, despite allowing it for years, is currently unknown.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 and the Dark Ties demo are the first Yakuza releases in history to hit “mostly negative” on Steam.
Yakuza fans are making their opinions on Kiwami 3 very clear.
In an effort to get around copyright issues and put their products on Etsy, fans are getting creative with their names. For example, Miari re-listed a bunch of ball plushes designed to look like several yakuza characters as “Crime Guys and Their Stuffed Bird Friends Plush,” a level I aspire to match in my personal life.
Of course, it's worth noting that these fans are selling merchandise featuring characters owned by both Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, so they're within their rights to remove anything they want, at least from a legal perspective. However, it's understandable that so many fans would be upset, especially since Yakuza merch is already severely lacking in Europe and the United States, and these delistings come with zero warning and are potentially affecting many people's livelihoods.
Thankfully, if you're outside the United States, it looks like you're pretty safe, as it's Sega of America that has a beef with fans at the moment. If you're in the United States and plan to sell your own Yakuza merch, this is your warning that you may need to get a little creative with your titles.
- issued
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February 11, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, In-Game Purchases
- developer(s)
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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
