Yakuza's Kiryu Will Be Playable in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania

Capcom isnt the only one that can make the most of their IPs. Sega is throwing their own hats into the game as Kazuma Kiryu, the protagonist from the Yakuza game series, has been revealed as a playable character in the upcoming Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania.

Thats a lot of words, so let's back up a moment. Banana Mania is the next game in a popular rolling platformer type game called Super Monkey Ball. Usually, the player rolls around as a monkey in a ball (thus the name) as they try to reach the goal at the end of a precarious stage. Its all very bright and colorful.

Recently, developer/publisher Sega announced that the game will be honoring their other franchise by having Sonic the Hedgehog and his partner Tails as unlockable characters. Choosing them changes bananas on the map into rings and replaces some sound effects with those from the Sonic games. And not long before that, they announced that Beat, a playable character from the graffiti/rollerblading game Jet Set Radio, will also be an unlockable character.

And now: Kiyru, the main character of the Yakuza game series.



Theres no certainty whether Sega will continue to unveil other franchise crossovers. Theres still the potential for characters like Bayonetta, Shenmues Ryo Hazuki, or even Hatsune Miku (they dont own her, but have a long-standing collaboration with the Vocaloid company for her game). Theres still about a month and a half before the game releases, so theres time to reveal more.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania will release on PC and consoles on October 5, 2021.