One of the most frustrating things in my experience, with Yakuza fandom is Majima. Anything that remotely seems polarizing about Majima is considered an OOC without much thought and it's mostly that \*he\*(the yakuza 0 version) will never do such things , completely forgetting about his character.

  
The entire thing with the two jimas kyodai is them suffering and getting played by higher ups in yakuza world. Majima felt like a clown after realising he was controlled by Shimano and we all know about Rubber bullets and Saejima. There core appeal is how they survive these suffering where Majima quite literally becomes a newer version of himself, a metamorphosis into the legendary mad dog and Saejima remains a rather stoic figure.

Majima has many layers to him and none gives a definitive Outlook of what he is completely. Mad dog isn't a majima who's \*faking\* it and \*lord of the night\* isn't real majima. The real majima is something that perhaps only Saejima knows. It doesn't mean the "real majima" is vastly different from the various avatars of Majima we have seen but rather each avatar constitutes each part and forms a bigger picture of a "real majima".

At least, that's what my interpretation of the character is. You are free to disagree with it.

I also think it's annoying to discuss that "oh Majima in 0 was made after 5, so that's why there are retcons" like sure...but I think they can still be reconcilable, not contradictory.

  
With that in mind. Majima and Park is admittedly quite vague mentioned. The structure with 5 is that it's a story of Park ultimately and Majima and Park can't reunite till Park's Tokyo dome wish doesn't get fulfilled. That's the entire structure of the story. But park obviously can't continue this dream and the only way to continue this dream is with Haruka. We don't have any irl chemistry with them, which kinda sucks and I do hope for something in future. Altho, I do understand the grander thematic reason and the awkward position where it is narrative wise as there's a very little window of time where there relationship takes place and unless we get another game set between yakuza 0 and yakuza 1...we are prolly not getting Majima and Park except Kiwami 5 if it happens.

(Atleast for Katsuya, we have RGGO stories about his interaction with Majima. The only park thing I have seen is Majima naming a cat Mirei...which even tho he brushes as a mere coincidence, we know he cares for her.)

  
Now, I don't think Majima marrying Park OR hitting her is OOC even the slightest.

\[ I would like to make it clear that am not wanting to talk of the ethics of their situation. I think both majima and park did mistakes which they both regret. To paint as park a "victim" or Majima "valid" to hit her is NOT my intention. And discussing such matters with modern day Outlook on what happened between a gokudo and a idol in japan in 90s is flawed and doesnt lead to anything meaningful\]

No, just because some takoyaki seller said Majima is a "keeper" and Majima crossed heavens to save Makoto DOESNOT mean his troubled relationship with Park is contradictory to his character.


The obvious question is-  " Why would Majima marry Park after his relationship with Makoto?" I think there are clear parallels with Makoto and Park. They both have similar hair, both have different heritage and an abusive past. What probably happened was Majima found a "new chance" to form a conflicted, unresolved romance with Park and projected his expectations on Park from his precious relation with Makoto.

Two examples support this. Akiyama's story in 4 is pretty much a proto version of 5. It has to do with maximizing your chances to fulfill your ambition when the chance occurs. Akiyama relationship with Yasuko is pretty much motivated by the fact that she looked like eri, his ex, which had a bitter breakup. And so there's a narrative parallel with Majima in this case.

Another is Majima's relationship with Kiryu. A good chunk of this motivation is because Kiryu is a bit of a placeholder for Saejima, his kyodai. 

Mad dog Majima does mellow down, even in 1 where he's a bit of a villaineous.  He spares the Shangri la hostesses which does indicate that Majima does have slip ups with his act.

And so I think it's perfectly rational to assume with seeing Park as a potential for a second chance with Makoto. Majima slipped up and stuff happened.

There's a line Park says that "she couldn't follow the path he went down". I think it's supportive that she didn't know of Majima's mad dog side and he kept it pretty controlled around her. Bt seeing his yakuza side, Park obviously couldn't follow her.


"Why would majima marry Park, an innocent civilians when he left Makoto for that same reason?" Is something that misunderstands 0. 0 wasn't a declaration of lifelong celibacy from Majima. Makoto life was troubled and deeply wronged by mafia and yakuza. From koreans to yakuza and yakuza killing her brother etc. for anything, she didn't deserve to be in contact with Yakuza. That's why Majima left Makoto. It doesnot mean Majima declared to be celibate. Also,idol industry is closely tied with Yakuza business and stuff(goes without saying ig).

Another thing with Majima "hitting" Park is not OOC because it was like 3-4 years post 0's events. Majima was wronged by Park to abort their child without telling him. It was a betrayal.

Majima has had strong reaction with Betrayals(even in 1, he tells he likes honest people to that Shangri la hostesses duh). Majima was betrayed by realizing ueno seiwa was a set up AND was told to betray scarring him. He was "betrayed" by shimano realizing he was a clown for shimano in entire events of 0 and initially, he became suicidal contemplating about his entire life and later on, developed the "mad dawg" and went onto butcher dojima family(or close to it).

It's clear, Majima has a deep problem with Betrayals and IT MAKES SENSE given the magnitude of betrayals he had to suffer making his life a shit. And you are telling me majima "losing" his cool, when he decided to go fully mad dog so that these betrayals(and a lot of other things too like not getting controlled in the yakuza world) won't affect him, gets betrayed(I don't wanna argue whether park was "correct" with abortion but clearly majima was wronged) and loses his cool is OOC? Or does it make him even more sadder figure and more human?

Another is that "Majima and Park had a disturbing age gap". Again, I had said majima is a man of his time and it was 90s that too in japan, a marriage between idol and yakuza. You're telling me that has to follow modern times ethics, huh?

Now, yes the series did make majima more empathetic but 1 had already hinted. Like how they recontextualized that Shangri la moment with hostess to Majima's relationship with Betrayals and weave it with his messy relation of Park OR be it his talk about coldness of yakuza world. The other game simply expanded on these as it was just natural narrative progression of his character.

  
Now there's a bit of a continuity error with Majima saga but I would like to make sense of it.

Majima has a rather love hate relationship with Kansai but it's clear that Majima doesn't have a strong hate for that place that he will avoid it(there's some heavy memories in there for sure). I think, for work, he met Park and Katsuya there and Park quickly made him mellow down his conflicted feelings for Sotenbori. But with their divorce, the bad blood with Sotenbori really contextualised.

 

Making sense of Majima and Park's relationship