Yakuza 4 leans on retailers in mid-March

The Dragon of Dojima is ready to take flight again, as Sega today announced international release dates for Yakuza 4, the latest installment in its PlayStation-exclusive organized crime action series. North American gamers will be able to reacquaint themselves with Sega's take on the Japanese Mafia starting March 15, while European players will need to wait until the game launches there on March 18.

In this latest installment, main character Kazuma Kiryu is joined by equally pugnacious combatants Masayoshi Tanimura, Shun Akiyama, and Taiga Saejima. Each of the four playable main characters has a distinct narrative, with each backstory carrying a connection to the game's Tojo clan.

Sega localized Yakuza 1, 2, and 3 but elected to skip the westward migration process for series spin-off Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan!, which was released in Japan in 2008. A fifth installment set amidst a zombie apocalypse, Ryu ga Gotoku: Of the End, is expected to launch in Japan in March. Global releases for that game have yet to be announced.

For more on Sega's latest, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Yakuza 4.