In media covering organized crimes, the usual trope is a conflict between honour and moral code vs the actual crime that is committed and Yakuza series is no different from this.

There is a clear paradox in being a Yakuza— On one hand, you have a clear well organized structure with loyalty upfront and a "yakuza way" but the business that the yakuza does is anything but honorable. It's extortion, running prostitution rigs, sex trafficking, kidnappings etc and even the bosses that you devote your life are nothing but a filth of society.

Another question was raised in 2 during the main story and majima saga about what is the correct "yakuza way". If your ultimate way is to earn money, the "hyper rationalist business minded" approach that produces more profit is much better than being a traditional yakuza yapping about honor while themselves being hypocrite.

  
0 and 4(saejima's part)  undeniably is series' greatest attempt at answering what the true yakuza way is and the paradox.

Yakuza games LOVE to present a moral dilemma and showcase our protagonists go through them stress testing their morality and most of the time, the protagonists are VERY admirable with their choices in a hellish world(Majima in 0).

By the end of 0, Kiryu and Majima ended up inventing their own yakuza way in this world. Kiryu tried upholding his moral resolve as much as possible in the world of yakuza while Majima resorted to his classic Mad dog.

Saejima also answers about what it means to be a yakuza and its about the honor, loyalty and brotherhood in 4.

Mine literally joins Yakuza because it's a business with brotherly relations triumphing the rationalist money hungry mindset and try to experience real relationship which he was devoid of.



All of these personalities ended up accepting the paradox. Because that is the world of these people is from the time they were born. Yakuza way is a contradictory way to live a life but these people have been born in this contradiction and they simply accept the way it is. 

There's hardly ever a yakuza character in the series who was an average Joe living a normal job that actively tried embracing this lifestyle. Most of them were from ostracized, discriminated sections of society. Connected to ex yakuza's, yakuza's, orphans, sex/prostitution business, normal people forced to join it, immigrants struggling in the country etc

To them, this paradox way is the only way to live their life.

Ofcourse, Kiryu tries to break this idea and this cycle by living in orphanage aiming for better life for kids of morning glory.

  
How Stranger Than Heaven can answer this paradox even deeper than 0 or 4 ever came close to examining is simply because we see the development of a legend i.e. Makoto Daito. He starts out in the music show business and becomes a yakuza. 

We can see how Makoto approaches this paradox and how he rationalize the criminal deeds of yakuza while creating a world for outcasts to live freely.

Ofcourse, this is just some theory. Maybe Makoto just accepts the status(cuz yakuza clearly existed before him) as it is when creating Tojo clan for people like him, the dehumanised section of society, without questioning the way things are.

  
Or maybe am just yapping and fluffing words.

Stranger than heaven can provide a definitive answer to the paradox of being a Yakuza