Yakuza Kiwami 3 director says “Life at Morning Glory” is now the emotional core of the game – NotebookCheck.net News
Yakuza Kiwami 3’s expanded “Life at Morning Glory” chapters turn Kiryu into a full-time father, replacing early-game brawls with everyday childcare, chores, and WarioWare-style mini-games that flesh out his role as guardian. Director Ryosuke Horii argues this slower, life-sim opening is now the emotional core of the game, deepening Kiryu’s bonds with the orphans to sharpen the impact of his eventual return to the series’ familiar world of conspiracies and clan warfare.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is returning with a fleshed-out, expanded orphanage section, which many fans have found a turnoff for RGG’s crime-driven narrative, central to Kamurocho. However, the director of Yakuza Kiwami 3 is urging players not to skip the game’s overhauled orphanage chapters.
Director Ryosuke Horii says that the first few chapters of the opening sequence, called Life at Morning Glory, are quintessential to the buildup for Kiryu’s return to Yakuza’s underworld, amid clashing political conspiracies and a power struggle in the Tojo Clan.
Morning Glory, as previewed earlier, features Kiryu raising orphans and his adopted daughter, Haruka. The opening sequence throws Kiryu into everyday life and morning chores, where he plays with the orphans and helps them with homework, among other activities, to raise his “Daddy Rank” and deepen his bond with them, all tied together with numerous WarioWare-style mini-games.
In the original 2009 Yakuza 3, Kiryu’s gameplay sequence at Morning Glory, renamed Sunshine Orphanage in the western release, was a mere brief setup for the main story. However, Yakuza Kiwami 3 ups the ante with the opening sequence, which includes mini-games that make Kiryu cook meals, harvest vegetables, help the orphans with homework, sew clothes, go fishing, and catch bugs.
Each orphan now has their own substory, making Kiryu more of a father figure than he ever was in the original Yakuza 3. Horii explained his thoughts about the opening sequences overhaul in a group interview with Automaton and said:
I consider Life at Morning Glory to be the most essential content in the game, and I think players should absolutely not skip it. That’s because the story of the Morning Glory Orphanage in Yakuza 3 was fragmentary. While it did depict the bond between Kiryu and the children, we realized that their story lacked depth.
The motivation behind transforming the opening sequence and adding more content and lore was that Horii is a father himself, and he wants to show players a more nuanced side of Kiryu, contrasting with his over-the-top dramatic feats.
Horii explained, “The reason why Life at Morning Glory is more akin to a life simulation game is that I wanted to depict Kiryu as a father. I think a father is not someone who’s only there to give good advice when something happens.”
Horii continued, “I myself am a father, and I think that a big part of child-rearing is based around interactions you make through daily chores. That’s how you get to build mutual trust and have your kid open up to you.”
Yakuza Kiwami 3, along with its spin-off Dark Ties starring antagonist Yoshitaka Mine, launches on February 12, 2026, on the PS5, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, and PC.
Rahim Amir Noorali – Tech Writer – 663 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2025
I am a UAE-based tech writer who likes to build and benchmark PCs both professionally and as a hobby. I contribute to multiple tech publications, including TechRadar and Notebookcheck, as well as Game Rant, where I focus primarily on news, commerce, and buying guides. When I’m not scouring the internet for the latest in tech stories, you will find me playing a game of Civilization or DotA with friends and frenemies alike while dropping recommendations for Apple TV+’s Foundation to everyone I come across.
