Sega has announced that Kiryu from the Yakuza franchise will be joining the guest roster in the highly anticipated Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. Kazuma Kiryu can be unlocked in the game through normal gameplay and does not require any microtransactions. A trailer was released that showed off Kiryu inside the classic monkey ball rolling through courses.
Kazuma Kiryu is one of the main protagonists of the Yakuza series. He has been the protagonist for the majority of the games while also having cameo appearances in games like Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Kiryu joins Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania as the third guest character. Sonic and Tails from the Sonic the Hedgehog series and Beat from the Jet Set Radio series are also in the game as guest characters.
Similar to the way other guest characters function, the game slightly weaves in references to the Yakuza series when playing as Kiryu. Instead of collecting bananas, Kiryu grabs Staminan X, which is an item found in the Yakuza games that can replenish health and heat. The trailer also has classic Yakuza music playing in the background, so it can be safely assumed that the soundtrack will be different for Kiryu, as it will be for the Sonic characters and for Beat.
From the streets of Kamurocho to the slopes of Jungle Island, Kazuma Kiryu rolls into Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania!
He’ll be free to unlock as a playable character on all platforms through normal gameplay at launch!#SuperMonkeyBall #BananaMania #KazumaKiryu pic.twitter.com/PMoDdaX7a2
— RGG Studio | Like a Dragon & Yakuza Series (@RGGStudio) August 18, 2021
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is a remake and combination of the first three Super Monkey Ball games that will include a new story mode. It will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation4, and PS5 on October 5.
