Shenmue Dojo Blog

Shenmue Real Locations Chapter 2 ~ Hong Kong ~ In this blog post, I’m continuing the series about the real-world locations featured in the Shenmue series—including places that Yu Suzuki hasn’t yet been able to include in the games, like Miao Village, Baisha, Shanghai, Suzhou, Luoyang, and many others. I’ve already written posts about Yokosuka and the boat journey. Yokosuka Blog post: https://www.shenmuedojo.com/forum/index.php?threads/shenmue-real-locations-chapter-1-yokosuka.4698/ Boat to Hong Kong Blog Post: https://www.shenmuedojo.com/forum/index.php?threads/shenmue-real-locations-chapter-1-5-the-boat.4957/ Now, we’ve arrived in Hong Kong—a unique and unforgettable part of Ryo’s journey. Let’s explore it further. ~ Where is...

Body Check and Reverse Body Check are the same move? Since the release of Shenmue III, I've seen many people, even within the Shenmue community, claiming that the Body Check and Reverse Body Check are the same move, with some even presenting it as a fact—almost as if Yu Suzuki had lost his mind. Are the Body Check and Reverse Body Check really the same move? Did Yu Suzuki truly make a mistake by adding the Reverse Body Check in Shenmue III? In this blog post, I'll take a closer look at these questions. ~ Body Check and Reverse Body Check ~ The Body Check and Reverse Body Check are different moves from the Bajiquan fighting style. In the Japanese dub of the game, Master Sun explains that the Body Check is Bajiquan's...

To open the brand new Shenmue Dojo I will talk about the Shenmue anime and the things we can expect to see. I saw the two new trailers of the anime and it is now clear to me that the anime will be a new take on the Shenmue franchise. Yu Suzuki is the executive producer of the anime & he shared many pages of the original material with the anime team, we will probably see scenes that were cut from the original games. An example of this come from a long time ago. Yu Suzuki commented that Ryo's scar is from the last match of the tournament, this is not in the game. We will see this tournament in the anime? From what we saw in the trailers it looks like we will see this tournament in some capacity though how much remains to be seen at...

~ Will Ryo Get His Revenge? ~ On September 13, 2020, GameRant published an article titled "Shenmue fans still need answers to these questions” I’ll explore not only the 10 questions from GameRant but also introduce more questions for us to discuss. I decided to kick off this series with the compelling question: "Will Ryo Get His Revenge?" At the beginning of the first game, Lan Di claims that Ryo's father (Iwao Hazuki) killed Sunming Zhao (Lan Di's father) in Mengcun, but we’re left wondering if that’s actually true. Lan Di then kills Ryo's father right in front of him, sparking Ryo's quest for revenge. He is driven by the desire to avenge his father. In Shenmue III Ryo had his first real battle against Lan Di. Ryo showed...

Shenmue I x Shenmue III ~ Similarities between Shenmue I and Shenmue III ~ Shenmue III is a calm and relaxing game that reminds me a lot of the first game in the series. In today’s blog post, I’ll talk about all the things in Shenmue III that bring back memories of Shenmue I. Shenmue III shares many similarities with the original game, which I find beautiful and deeply resonant. ~ Slow Pace ~ Shenmue III adopts a deliberate, slow-paced style similar to the first game, which I really appreciate. The nostalgic Shenmue I vibe resonates with me, especially after the chaos in Kowloon. The slower pace in Shenmue III fits perfectly within the narrative, and I believe Shenmue IV will likely mirror the pace found in...