Sydney man gets Yakuza-inspired tattoo

Almost 12 months ago to the day, GameSpot AU ran a Spot On! blog post detailing a competition that saw Aussie guy magazine Zoo Weekly launch a competition to give away a replica tattoo of the one sported by Yakuza protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. Given how big (and permanent) the tattoo is, many eyebrows were raised around the office and GameSpotters questioned the competition in the user comments box.

For six months Salievski endured four hours of pain every three weeks.

While progress of the competition went quiet for a long time, the magazine has now revealed that Sydney-based martial arts instructor, Fari Salievski, won the prize. According to Sega, the tattoo took around six months to complete, with each session going for four hours and a three-week break left between appointments. Salievski said that although he's had tattoos done before, the first Yakuza-tattoo session sent his body into shock, giving him a fever and the shakes. He told the men's mag, "It’s not about how strong you are or you think you are; the body decides!"

But was it worth it? You be the judge.

Tattoos are for life and, luckily for Salievski, the Yakuza game series doesn't appear to be going anywhere. The fourth game in the franchise to be localised sticks fairly closely to the formula laid out by the previous games and follows mobster Kazuma Kiryu around a fictional Japanese city. This time, he's joined by three other playable characters that bring their own unique missions and stories to the table. As the game goes on, the stories of the four protagonists start to link up, unveiling a bigger conspiracy facing the infamous Japanese mafia clan.

For more information on Yakuza 4, be sure to check out our extensive review.