Story Overview

The story of Shenmue begins in modern day Japan and revolves largely around the Chinese martial arts and culture. The protagonist, Ryo, a Japanese student and martial arts practitioner sets out on a quest to find his father's killer and along the way, delves deeper into his father's obscured past and the mysterious organization led by his father's killer who is after a certain mirror which possesses mystical powers that holds a deadly threat to the world.

In his quest, Ryo gradually learns about the true essence of Chinese martial arts and his philosophy eventually evolves down the road. The story consists of 11 chapters which would likely span 5 installments which only 2 of them has been released so far.

For those who are new to Shenmue, merely reading the synopsis from online sources may make it sound mediocre at best. 

This is because the beauty of Shenmue lies mostly in the details and scenarios which I notice very few to none of such information have been made available through online sources. Thus, I have decided to write a detailed synopsis for both Shenmue 1 & 2 to convey the plot in its entirety.

There are many good things about the Shenmue series but the one and probably most vital aspect which I believe many would agree, is the story. The story carries a heavy tone of mystery coupled with cool action sequences and relatable characters.