Players control three new characters in Yakuza 4 : Shun Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, and Masayoshi Tanimura. Each character has their own distinct fighting style, with simplified move sets and personal flourishes. Akiyama excels at taunting, Saejima can use his immense strength to lift heavy objects, while Tanimura can counterattack and chain combos into HEAT actions.
The game takes place primarily in the fictional Tokyo district of Kamurocho, with newly accessible areas such as rooftops, an underground mall, and a sewer system. As in previous Yakuza games, side stories and mini-games can be discovered by exploring the streets and entering businesses. The hostess clubs and massage parlor also return from Yakuza 3 , with only the Answer x Answer arcade game and theme song "Butterfly City" being cut from the western release of Yakuza 4 .