Lost Judgment: The Kaito Files shines on a beloved side character, but is missing the series’ core

Playing through both Judgment and Lost Judgment in 2021, I quickly fell in love with the main cast of Yagami, the Yagami Detective Agency, and Genda Law. Each time the credits rolled I wanted more time to spend with the characters. Throughout each game, there was one character whose background I really wanted to learn more about: Kaito. The working partner and best friend of series protagonist Yagami, I found Kaito to be charismatic and loyal, but we never really learned much about his character over the past two games. The Kaito Files, which takes place after the events of Lost Judgment, gives us a level of intimacy that explores more of Kaito’s past life, but it also shows how much this series relies on Yagami as the central character. 

Absentee

Yagami is out of town on business, meaning that Kaito is the one in charge of running the Yagami Detective Agency. Until, that is, a man comes offering millions of yen to find his missing wife. She happens to be Mikiko, Kaito’s ex-girlfriend of almost twenty years. This opens the curtain to Kaito’s past life in the yakuza and the sacrifices he made during that time. 

Kaito may not be as sharp as Yagami, but this story shows that he can handle his own. Instead of the abilities that we used as Yagami, RGG Studio implements mechanics that make sense for Kaito and the person he is. Being big and broad, he uses his primal focus, which gives him a keen sense of smell and hearing. It does play off a stereotype of Kaito being menacing and intimidating like a beast, but it doesn’t feel like an insult, as this is what Kaito does to succeed as a detective. 

In combat, things aren’t very different from Yagami. Kaito too has different stances to approach fights. His bruiser form is on the offensive side, able to dish out major damage. His tank stance is more defensive, allowing him to absorb a lot of damage. The trade-off is that his movement feels slow and clunky. Because the difficulty was never super challenging, I didn’t feel inclined to use Kaito’s tank stance over his bruiser. In short, combat keeps all the fun things and suffers from the same problems as its predecessors, specifically locking on to targets. The tool is available, but it feels too loose and inconsistent if there are too many enemies around. 

Going into The Kaito Files, I had theories about where this new story was going to take not just Kaito, but Yagami and the rest of the cast that fans of the series have come to know and love. Mainly because this may possibly be the last Judgment game, due to a legal dispute. Yagami’s likeness is based on his Japanese voice actor and the agency that represents him doesn’t want to see either Judgment game release on PC. Apparently, SEGA is refusing the agency’s demands, making fans assume the worst for the franchise. With this in mind, going into The Kaito Files I couldn’t help but theorize that this is the final piece of the series.

Is this the end?

This context made me wonder if The Kaito Files was a way to test out the potential of Kaito starring in the lead role of a hypothetical third Judgment game. It’s ironic to think such a thing, as The Kaito Files only cements the idea that Kaito doesn’t work as a main protagonist long term. Kaito plays the part of a loyal friend who will help the ones he loves really well, but outside of that there isn’t much more to him. What makes The Kaito Files so great isn’t learning about him. Rather, we get to meet new characters who are more interesting than he is. More specifically, Mikiko and her son Jun. Kaito even feels relatively out of place throughout most of this story. His primary plotline is deciding whether or not he was going to try to get back together with Mikiko. The story doesn’t do the best job at tackling Kaito’s feelings on the matter. Granted, she is married and Kaito makes it clear that he doesn’t want to homewreck her relationship. However, he never even recognizes that he still has feelings for her, making the conflict feel weightless.. Kaito reminisces on their past relationship, but he never shares his thoughts with anyone. This lack of drama makes the conclusion feel lukewarm whatever choice you make.  

Don’t get it twisted, I will always take more Judgment and The Kaito Files is a great additional story. It is just a bit disjointed and the narrative isn’t as tight as the two mysteries before it. However, I got this void filled with Kaito even if it made me learn that this series won’t, or at least shouldn’t, exist without Yagami in the spotlight. Outside of Kaito, most of the main cast, including the series’ main protagonist Yagami, have no significant part in it. Everyone was in a good place at the end of Lost Judgment.  Returning to this world for one character feels like a disservice to an already nicely tied bow.

After The Kaito Files ended I simply thought to myself, do these characters need another game? Are their stories more or less over?  Regrettably, I think the answer is yes. There is always a way to justify the need for another story to unfold, but for Yagami, Kaito, and the rest of the characters we’ve come to know and love throughout these two games, I think it may be time to close the curtain. I just wish things were wrapping up with Yagami in the picture, as he is the one who brought this great series forward. Selfishly, I hope this isn’t the end for the Yagami Detective Agency, but I don’t want to be given a new puzzle without having each part to complete it.