Yu Suzuki Introduces Shenmue III: the Story | Video with Text Summary

A new official video has been released featuring Yu Suzuki talking about the story of Shenmue so far. It is the first of a series of videos to promote the release of Shenmue 3 on 19th November and to attract newcomers. And for those of us who are already fans, it also includes some brand new clips from the game!

Here is the video:

As the video is in Japanese only at the moment (official English captions are to be added soon now added - Oct 25), this post contains a summary of the points Yu talks about, along with some new images captured from the video.

The Story So Far...

• In Shenmue 1, Ryo's father is killed by a Chinese man who uses a mysterious martial art.
• In Shenmue 2, Ryo chases him to Hong Kong and meets various people. He ends up in Kowloon where he learns his father's foe has gone to Guilin. Ryo sets off on the trail of the mirror and Lan Di.

The Two Mirrors

• A man named Lan Di turns up in Yokosuka and steals the Dragon mirror.
• There are actually two mirrors, the other being the Phoenix mirror, but Lan Di doesn't know that yet.
• Ryo leaves on a journey to solve the mystery of the twin mirrors.

Where Does the Shenmue 3 Story Start?

• While 18 years have passed since Shenmue 2 in real time, in the game Shenmue 3's story picks up from the next day.

Can Shenmue 3 Be Enjoyed Without Playing Shenmue 1 and 2?

• Yes, Shenmue 3 has been designed so it can be played without having played the first two games.
• For example, there is a movie recap of Shenmue 1 and 2.

Movie recap showing the opening of Shenmue 1: "Unexpected Visitor: the man who suddenly appeared changed Ryo Hazuki's destiny".

• There are flashback scenes scattered through the game.
• You can also call characters Ryo has met in the past games, so even if you haven't played the first two games you can learn about things that have happened before.

Ryo making a call to Nozomi, with a flashback clip from the first game playing at the right.

What Sort of Character is the Protagonist, Ryo Hazuki?

• One thing that fans have always said about Ryo is that he's the world's most oblivious guy with the ladies. Even if a girl takes an interest in him, he doesn't notice to the extent you wonder how blind he can be.

• There's an old-fashioned word in Japanese that describes a youth who's rough and unconcerned about how he appears to others. Someone who's a bit blunt. That's the kind of character I'm wanting to portray for Ryo.

What Sort of Character is the Heroine, Shenhua Ling?

• I want to portray her as a fairly direct and boyish person.

• She lives in the mountains and is full of energy.

How Did Ryo and Shenhua Meet?

• It was a really dramatic meeting. On a path to Guilin on the trail of his father's killer, it starts to rain and the river turns muddy. In the river, a goat [note from Switch: strictly speaking, a white fawn] is carried downstream. Shenhua plunges into the river to rescue it, and Ryo dives in to save her.

What Are Ryo and Shenhua's Objectives?

• Ryo is chasing the mystery of the mirrors as well as his father's killer, and ends up at Bailu village.
• Ryo saves a mysterious girl, Shenhua. Shenhua invites Ryo to stay over at her house, but on returning there her father is nowhere to be seen. They suspect that the Chinese man, Lan Di, has kidnapped him.

Shenhua and Ryo discussing the situation at Shenhua's house.

• So Shenhua is searching for her father, while Ryo is searching for Lan Di and seeking to solve the mystery of the mirrors. Their objectives align.

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