The Best Shooting Games in Japan, Ranked

Important takeaways

• Japanese video games with guns can reflect influences from Western cinema and are often set in Japan.
• The games here not only come with great gameplay but are well integrated into their Japanese setting.
• Games like Gal Gun, Sin & Punishment and Yakuza: Dead Souls offer unique and sometimes humorous experiences involving weapons with a Japanese background.

Japan is a relatively safe country because its gun laws are strict. This means that when a gun is placed in a piece of media, it matters. For example, weapons that are drawn Yakuza comics tend to create major trials because of how illegal and dangerous they are.

Their rarity in Japan may be why so many games made there have them as they are almost like fantasy weapons. Influences from Western cinema may have also shaped the Japanese development landscape since the early 80s. These games in particular not only feature guns, but they take place in Japan, mostly around the Tokyo area. They will be ranked according to their quality and how integrated they are in Japan.

Honorable Mention – Call of Duty: World At War

Call of Duty: World at War is not entirely set in Japan as the game gave players two fronts to fight on during this Second World War excursion. One set of heroes fought in the Pacific theater against the Japanese while another squad joined the battle in Russia. Both sides of this war are not equally represented in Second World War games like the European Front is. This gives this Call of Duty occupy a special place in the franchise.

The Japan campaign was quite tropical as the levels were designed around island hopping. It was usually pretty intense too with flamethrowers as a devastating weapon. While not a highlight of the series, again, it can be credited for including the Pacific Theater as a setting along with the zombie mode that has continued to this day.

5 Mad Gun returns

Love is a powerful drug

• Developer: Inti Creates
• Publisher: PQube
• Release date: February 12, 2021 (NA)

Crazy Gun was originally released in Japan in 2011 and the remastered version came to North America in 2021. Based on the subject matter, it's easy to see why a game like this originally didn't make it over. The game stars a young teenage boy in Japan who gets hit by Cupid's arrow, causing all the girls in his high school to flock to him.

These girls are crazy with love, so players have to shoot them down with what translates into extra doses of love, sending them to the ground on their knees. It's a fun concept for an on-rail shooter that replaces monsters or soldiers with thirsty high school girls. It might not be a shooter for everyone, but there are laughs to be had with the silly premise. Also, the developer, Inti Creates, is a solid one that has worked on a plethora of great titles including Mega Man Zero series for Capcom.

4 Sin & Punishment

Japan's future is filled with mutants

Sin & Punishment is another game that was originally exclusive to Japan when it launched in 2000 for the N64. The funny thing is that most of the text may have been in Japanese, but the spoken dialogue was in English just like in Resident Evil game. Also like Resident Evilthis dialogue is incredibly cheesy and not well delivered, which adds to the fun.

The game itself takes place in Japan's then-future, 2007, where a young set of rebellious teenagers battle mutant creatures and oppressive soldiers. Players have a bit more control over their avatar in this on-rail shooter as they can see their character and shoot around to avoid objects or attacks. It's a short experience and it's in the Switch's N64 digital collection so it's worth an afternoon of your time.

3 Yakuza: Dead Souls

The dead infiltrate the mob

Yakuza: Dead Souls is one of the strangest spinoffs in the series. It takes place around normal haunts like Kamurocho in Japan but with a big twist. A zombie outbreak has occurred and instead of killing them like in the main games, players will be given a large amount of weapons from pistols to assault rifles. There are also multiple playable characters, such as the ever-entertaining Majima, giving players alternate perspectives in the story.

Players can expect to see the same wacky humor as the main games, but it lacks a lot of side content in an open world structure. It might not be as tight an experience as the main games but it's still an absolute must for die-hard fans. Fabs of zombie games might also want to give it a shot which can then get into Yakuza the series as a whole at the end of it.

2 Binary domain

The Terminators invade Japan

Binary Domain is well ahead of the times where robots have integrated into modern daily activities from shopkeepers to housework. However, there are still bugs in the system, and that's where the game begins. After an incident causes a group of robots to malfunction and rebel against humanity, a group of soldiers is sent to Japan to fight back. Think about it as well The Terminator meets Yakuza as Yakuza team worked on this, which means it can be as cheesy as it is badass.

Players will lead this squadron with Dan and in each mission players can choose two teammates to accompany him into battle. It's a third-person cover shooter with squad-based mechanics. The better the instructions the players give their squad, the more they will like Dan and in turn they will unlock bonuses. Certain skills and weapons can be unlocked and upgraded, giving players many ways to shred these killer robots.

1 Ghostwire: Tokyo

Fight demons with finger weapons

Ghostwire: Tokyo is a first person shooter but one that fought with magic and not with guns. It's also the most authentic Japanese experience on the list because it literally takes place in Tokyo. Parts of the city were sealed by ghost magic, and players gained the ability for magic and psychic powers by fusing with a deceased ghost hunter.

Players can harvest the elements of wind, fire and water which have distinct control patterns. Water magic, for example, has a short range, but it is strong. In addition to magic, players can also throw talismans at enemies or shoot a magic bow and there is a skill tree in Ghostwire: Tokyo for. While parts of the city are locked, areas will open up over time as players progress through the story or complete side quests. To experience modern Japanese city life without the bustling crowds, Ghostwire: Tokyo is a must play.