At a glance, one would think that Yakuza 0 is nothing more than an extremely serious drama about life in the yakuza. And it certainly is — however, the game is so much more than that simple definition. Yakuza 0 is a brilliant combination of everything people expect in a video game — especially when it comes to fun. It wraps it all in a package that should seem completely at odds with the serious tone of the main story, yet is anything but.
A great example of this is Real Estate Royale, an absolutely bonkers side quest that's somehow critical to unlocking the full potential of Kiryu's fighting abilities. A big part of this virtual real estate management is hiring advisors that can increase the quality and revenue of each property. Choosing the best advisors can make developing properties an absolute breeze.
Updated on August 27, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Yakuza 0 does a brilliant job of making the most menial activities a ton of fun. This is the case with Real Estate Royale, which turns the seemingly laborious task of getting rent from properties into something wildly engaging. Players love getting into "property disputes" and raking in a steady income. To make the most of this minigame, proper advisors should be used to appreciate the value of each property so that it provides increased dividends with each successive collection run. Here are the Yakuza 0 advisors that players have access to in the game, ranked in order of how effective they are.
Tomomi Takeda
- Rank: 1
- Specialty: Eateries & Retail (Slight)
- Pay: 400,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Available from the start
Early on in Real Estate Royale, players won't have a ton of money to splurge on this side activity. After all, this management simulation can be rather complex early on, and players will need their fair share of time to come to grips with how Real Estate Royale works before they can invest even more in the various properties around Kamurocho.
As a result, players should stick to cheap staff with manageable salaries early on before settling on more valuable investments. Money intake exponentially increases over time, so players will naturally be able to move on to bigger and better prospects indeed. Until then, using advisors like Tomomi Takeda is okay for a short while... but players will definitely need to upgrade after a point to make the most of Real Estate Royale.
Hiro Chiba
- Rank: 1
- Specialty: Entertainment & Pleasure (Slight)
- Pay: 480,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Available from the start
For the most part, the starting advisors in the game cover most of the specialties in Real Estate Royale, with the sole exception of Commercial specializations. Thankfully, one particular substory will ensure that players have this area covered in due time as well.
Until then, players are better off using advisors like Hiro Chiba for other properties that they're more suited to. There's no denying that using such low-level advisors can make for slow progress, but it's only after players progress through the game and complete some substories of their own that more promising members of the staff will start appearing to help Kiryu out.
Masochistic Man
- Rank: 2
- Specialty: Commercial
- Pay: 2,200,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Complete the substory "How to Train your Dominatrix"
The substory where Kiryu needs to teach a dominatrix how to do her job is easily one of the most hilarious moments in Yakuza 0. This hilarity has another bonus at the end in the form of a Yakuza 0 advisor who will prove to be a massive help in the early goings of Real Estate Royale.
While his expertise in corporate building management definitely helps, this usefulness ends up waning a bit as the player ends up getting better and more competent advisors over time. That being said, it takes quite a while before the player can get a higher-level advisor who's just as much of an expert in corporate building management. This makes the Masochistic Man's relevance quite notable early on.
Krazy Kyo
- Rank: 2
- Specialty: Entertainment
- Pay: 2,800,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Complete the substory "Damned Yanki"
It's hilarious to think of a group being the face of hooliganism, yet lacking a hardcore attitude themselves. This is exactly what happens with the Yokomichi Silvers in Yakuza 0. In a side-splitting turn of events, Kiryu must aid this group in making a public appearance, portraying them in a hardcore light.
Completing this substory allows players to use one of the members of the Yokomichi Silvers — Krazy Kyo — as an advisor. His expertise in the entertainment industry is welcome, especially since advisors who are better than him are far too costly to rely upon early on. As a result, Krazy Kyo will definitely become the go-to advisor for many players when it comes to the Entertainment sector for quite some time.
Mama-san
- Rank: 3
- Specialty: Eateries
- Pay: 7,200,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Order the best whiskey at Earth Angel
Players should make an effort to go to Earth Angel in the Champion District after unlocking Yakuza 0's Real Estate Royale. In doing so, they will be rewarded for this effort with an advisor who specializes in restaurants and eateries. It also helps that this character is a recurring one across the series that fans love, despite her brief and relatively unimportant appearances... barring a few exceptions, that is.
While Mama-san might seem rather valuable in this regard, keep in mind that restaurants net the least amount of income in Real Estate Royale. Therefore, players should only use Mama-san when they have the surplus funds to afford her. Otherwise, she just ends up being a waste of hard-earned cash early on. It's a shame, especially since Mama-san is such a fun character whom players would love to interact with frequently.
Marusa Marui
- Rank: 3
- Specialty: Commercial
- Pay: 8,800,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Complete the substory 'The Tax Lady'
As the player progresses through Yakuza 0's Real Estate Royale, they'll unlock a substory featuring an intriguing woman and humor along the way. Marusa Marui is a tax investigator who's keeping tabs on the real estate office next to Kiryu. After she asks Kiryu for help, Kiryu ends up caught in a hilarious turn of events. He's forced into pretending to be Marui's partner, before distracting the person being investigated as the investigator looks for evidence in a rather crude fashion.
After finishing this substory, Marusa ends up joining Kamurocho Real Estate as an advisor. She has a ton of expertise in office management, easily deposing Krazy Kyo as the best expert in this regard. That being said, she's also a pretty expensive hire, so players should ensure that they have the funds to spare before splurging it on her valuable advice.
Fortune Teller
- Rank: 4
- Specialty: Entertainment
- Pay: 28,000,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Complete the substory 'The Visionary Fortune Teller'
In order to unlock the substory that nets this character, the player needs to finish Majima's substory Rise of a Dragon first. After this, a mysterious fortune teller will appear in Kamurocho. Kiryu can meet this figure in Senryo Avenue and initiate a substory that feels quite mysterious.
After finishing this substory, the fortune teller will appear near Kiryu's office and offer her services as an advisor. She's a respectable Rank 4 advisor; however, her usefulness abates somewhat when players realize that they can pay just a few million more to enjoy the same level of expertise in the entertainment industry at a higher rank. Regardless, her substory is still pretty intriguing, especially for long-time fans of the series who are familiar with pretty much everything she mentioned regarding Kiryu.
Media King
- Rank: 4
- Specialty: Retail
- Pay: 27,000,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Defeat the Media King
Similar to the fortune teller, the Media King suffers as an advisor. This is because he's unlocked at a time when there's a way better alternative, one who is also an expert in managing supermarts and the like. However, don't let that take away from the fact that the Media King is a pretty great advisor in his own right.
The Media King is also the last advisor in Yakuza 0 that is unlocked, as he becomes available after the player manages to conquer all the territories in Kamurocho. Unfortunately, this renders his services quite unnecessary. That being said, he's a jack-of-all-trades and falters only when it comes to the pleasure industry — a base that is covered by the next advisor on this list.
Pleasure King
- Rank: 4
- Specialty: Pleasure
- Pay: 26,000,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Defeat the Pleasure King
The Pleasure King is easily one of the more memorable members of the Five Billionaires. His manipulative personality is completely hidden by his deceptively sweet veneer. This makes the act of beating the Pleasure King all the more satisfying, and the fact that he joins the Kamurocho Real Estate and offers his services as an advisor is the perfect icing on the cake.
His expertise in the pleasure industry is second to none — obviously enough. This makes the Pleasure King extremely valuable when it comes to leveling up these high-revenue properties. Since no other advisor is as familiar with the Pleasure industry, it goes without saying that players will be using his services for quite some time indeed.
Miracle
- Rank: 5
- Specialty: Retail and Entertainment
- Pay: 48,000,000 yen
- How To Obtain: Complete the substory 'Miracle in Maharaja'
The idea of hiring a character heavily inspired by Michael Jackson as an advisor for Kiryu's real estate venture sounds like the most insane thing in the world. As always with this series, one of Yakuza 0's strongest points is its high frequency of surreal humor.
In a way, it only makes sense that Miracle Johnson ends up becoming an advisor in Yakuza 0 for Kamurocho Real Estate. Similarly, the fact that he's the most efficient and expensive advisor is also not surprising in the slightest. To net Miracle as an advisor, the player needs to accomplish two substories featuring this character — Miracle on Tenkaichi Street and Miracle in Maharaja.
Yakuza 0 is available now on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC