I'll just add memories and such to this thread rather than make a new one. So here it goes, I've got a lot to say so I'll try and condense it.
Some of this may seem lame, but just give me a chance.
The town I live in only just in recent years had its closure of its last video store, it was a place I frequented as a kid, and I often rented video games on weekends. It was my final year of highschool, or my first year out in 2006 or 2007, can't recall for certain, I noticed the game titled, Yakuza. I wanted to try it badly, but sadly I never did. Time went on, sequels came out in the series but I never got my hands on them. Eventually I forgot about the series until 2023.
As someone who is heavily involved in gaming communities, I take notice of a popular game. One that stood out had a crazy character with a mop for hair. I'd later learn this character was Ichiban, but at the time he lured me in and that's all that matters. I saw he was from a series called Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It sent me back to those years of wanting those old games, so I decided to look into them again. A kind friend gifted me $50 on Xbox and I decided to take the plunge after second and triple guessing if I'd like the games or not, and I purchased Like a Dragon Gaiden: the Man Who Erased His Name. I played and became hooked. I decided to purchase other games in the franchise as they were heavily on sale due to a new release. Soon I had all but two of the games, the newest release Infinite Wealth, and Like a Dragon: Ishin!.
Mid March, a sale went on, I saw it was 75% off and I questioned if I should buy it or not, but the game called out to me heavily, way more than the others had. I couldn't explain it, I'd wanted it more than any of the others. I'd skimmed through game play videos, it just felt like I needed it. It took place in old Japan, and I wanted the ability to walk around old Japan. After questioning for a few days, March 22nd rolled around and I decided to purchase it. I didn't realize this purchase was the beginning of something extraordinary.
It may seem confusing where I'm going with this, but this game was one thing that led me to find myself. The series itself, doesn't mean anything to my past lives, except one in particular. Just the inital draw to the games was an unrelated topic that would help me find myself. With that backstory out of the way, I'll carry on to the past life discovery in comments below.
In March 2024, I began getting several signs leading me to who I was in my past life.
I played Like a Dragon: Ishin! on March 23, and the entire time I played I had a weird feeling. The story they were painting felt incredibly familiar to me, yet some things felt wrong. The game showed Ryoma returning from training from Edo, and returning to Tosa. In game he's greeted unfavorably, and thrown into a cell. He's met by his adoptive father, Yoshida, and later meets with his brother Takechi. In time, it's explained there is a plan to rid Tosa of the hierarchy of goshi and joshi. The three plan to clean up Tosa together in the form of a Liberal party that will absolve the class system set between ranks.
During a meeting at the castle in Tosa between Ryoma, Takechi, and Yoshida, an assassin enters and kills Yoshida. The assassination is blamed on Ryoma, and Ryoma then hurries out of the castle to evade being captured. In the process, Takechi becomes wounded, and at a temple the two part ways with Ryoma jumping off a cliff to escape and Takechi staying behind. Ryoma exclaims to want to find justice by seeking out the real murderer, and so ends Chapter One of the game.
I have never read, or even known about the history of Ryoma Sakamoto, nor did I even know he was a real person. When I began playing I didn't know at all. I assumed this game was a complete work of fiction at this point, so as I played I wasn't sure why I was getting the feelings I was getting. It was peculiar. Why was I feeling like the story was wrong? Why was I feeling a sense of déjà vu? Why did I feel so strange when I heard the name Sakamoto Ryoma being spoken? I didn't understand any of my feelings.
As I played, there were things I felt were wrong from the very start. The training in Edo didn't seem incorrect, however something felt off about how it was portrayed. I can't say much about why or how at this point, because I honestly don't know what feels off about it at this point in time. The story of imprisonment, the meeting of Takechi, and Yoshida felt incredibly wrong. I felt like Ryoma was not being involved enough. It showed Ryoma had no knowledge of anything going on, or the planning involved in removing Yoshida, but I feel this was not the case. The meeting at the castle felt incredibly wrong. The shock Ryoma had of knowing Yoshida would die, the assassin, how it was carried out all felt very incorrect. When escaping the castle, admittedly I wasn't paying much attention other than not dying in game, so I lost focus here, however later on things again felt very incorrect. Meeting at the cliff edge, and telling Takechi he should stay and reform the people of Tosa, that he wouldn't die, etc., felt incredibly strange. How Ryoma disappeared, escaping from an accused assassination. It felt off. I feel like something terrible happened around the time of the escape, but I feel like much was left out and not shown, and instead fantasy was filled in.
I felt weird about all of this because how did I know? This game's just all fantasy written for a good video game story? Wasn't it? I didn't yet realize that it was all really based off of a true story, but loosely.