Chapter 13: Crime and Punishment – The Betrayal of Jun Oda and the ‘Empty Lot’ Revelation
Chapter 13: Crime and Punishment is a key moment in Yakuza 0. Kazuma Kiryu tries to save Makoto Makimura from Sotenbori. At the start, Kiryu joins forces with Masaru Sera from the Nikkyo Consortium, a group within the Tojo Clan. The chapter also reveals that Tetsu Tachibana is a ‘war orphan’ from China, and his main goal in joining the Japanese underworld is to search for his sister.
The tension increases when the Shibusawa Family ambushes Kiryu and Makoto on the highway. Kiryu must protect Makoto from yakuza bikers and a helicopter attack. They manage to escape to an abandoned construction site, where the main plot twist is revealed. Makoto sees Jun Oda’s bat tattoo and realizes he was her former captor. He had sold her to the Korean Mafia, which caused her to lose her sight.
Oda betrays the group because he wants to keep his position as Tachibana’s right-hand man. He fears that if Tachibana finds out about his past crimes, their relationship will end, so he decides to kill Makoto in Osaka. Kiryu and Oda fight, showing their different beliefs. Although Oda is skilled with tonfa weapons, he loses. In the end, he tries to make up for his betrayal by staying behind to delay the Shibusawa Family.
The chapter ends with Keiji Shibusawa executing Jun Oda after Oda tries to bargain with information about the ‘Empty Lot.’ In the Director’s Cut, extra scenes like the ‘Peace Finance’ moments give more background on Oda’s moral decline. By the end of Chapter 13, it is clear that Makoto Makimura is the true heir to the ‘Empty Lot,’ making her the main focus in the Dojima Family’s fight for power.
