Kure 1929

Kure in Hiroshima, in 1929, is the second era of Stranger Than Heaven, a yakuza-run naval port where Makoto Daito joins the Iwaki Family and becomes known as the "Red Oni." Previews showed it under snow, with a fight arena and a masked killer.

0:00 Kure, Hiroshima, in 1929 is the second of Stranger Than Heaven's five eras, set fifteen years after Kokura: a port town of waterways, hillsides and winding backstreets that SEGA says is "beginning to reflect a more modernized Japan." The store page calls it a port "dominated by Japan's largest naval arsenal" and heavily influenced by yakuza. Here Makoto Daito joins the Iwaki Family, Hiroshima's strongest organization, and earns the name "Red Oni," respected and feared among the families. The family's grand boss is Genzo Iwaki, played in CG by the late film star Bunta Sugawara. Previews of October 2026 showed the city under snow, with a fight arena and a masked serial killer to hunt. The clip is SEGA's In-Depth Look at Kure.

Quick facts

Year	1929, the second of five eras
Place	Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture
SEGA's description	A port run by Japan's largest naval arsenal and by yakuza
Makoto	A member of the Iwaki Family, called the "Red Oni"
Characters	Genzo Iwaki, Tetsuya Hama
Weather in previews	Snow (October 2026 build)
Side content shown	A fight arena, a masked serial killer
In-Depth Look video	Oct 1, 2026

Sources: SEGA on Steam, Oct 1, 2026; Steam store page, as of Nov 3, 2026; Xbox Wire, May 6, 2026; Game Informer, Oct 21, 2026.

What happens in Kure?

Makoto, now an adult, makes his name in the yakuza. Xbox Wire's account of the May 6, 2026 broadcast says yakuza organizations control the city and that Makoto establishes himself with them as part of the Iwaki Family. Director Mikinobu Abe told Game Informer that joining the Iwaki family is a major part of the story. The official cast page names Tetsuya Hama (Yasukaze Motomiya), a young Kure yakuza and Iwaki's right-hand man. Makoto has bleached hair in this era, and Abe pointed to a Tokyo Game Show cutscene between Makoto and Hama for hints about why, without saying more. The full story is on Story.

Why is Makoto called the Red Oni?

SEGA has said only that Makoto becomes known as the "Red Oni" in Kure, a name both respected and feared among the families. An oni is a demon or ogre of Japanese folklore. How he earns the name had not been shown as of Nov 3, 2026. More on Makoto Daito.

Why Kure?

0:23 Abe gave two reasons, per Game Informer: Toei's yakuza film Battles Without Honor and Humanity is set there, and as a military port it was full of foreigners. The link to that film runs through the cast: Bunta Sugawara starred in it, and during Tokyo Game Show 2026 SEGA released a trailer styled after the films, made with Toei and using music from the film series. The clip is that collaboration trailer, opening on Toei's and RGG Studio's logos, with title cards in the films' style.

A gray winter sky over a low-tide canal with wooden posts, an arched stone bridge with lamps, and industrial cranes above the rooftops. — Snow falls over a stone bridge across a canal, with brick warehouses and harbor cranes behind in an official Steam store screenshot of Stranger Than Heaven RGG Studio and SEGA

SEGA's screenshot does not name the city it shows, a snowy canal below harbor cranes.

What can you do in Kure?

5:46 The October 2026 preview build let writers roam Kure freely. IGN found it under snow. PCGamesN and Game Informer described a fighting arena where Makoto bets on himself against tougher opponents and can then rematch beaten foes under handicaps, such as a time limit or no weapons, for more money. A masked serial killer roams the streets as an optional fight, which Game Informer's writer called the toughest of the preview. Kure was also the second encounter in the Summer Game Fest 2026 combat demo, fought with weapons. Every activity is on Minigames and Side Content. In the clip, from IGN's Oct 21, 2026 preview of the pre-release build, Michael Higham reaches snowy Kure and its pit fights for money.

The real Kure

Kure was one of the Imperial Japanese Navy's great ports. The Yamato Museum there calls it the naval port where the battleship Yamato was built, home to Japan's largest naval arsenal; Yamato, launched in 1940, was 263 meters long and sank on Apr 7, 1945. Kure was heavily bombed late in the war and occupied by the British Commonwealth Occupation Force from 1946 to 1952. The game's makers say they favor "convincing lies" over historical accuracy (Five Eras and Cities).

Frequently asked questions

What year is Kure in Stranger Than Heaven? 1929. SEGA sets Stranger Than Heaven's Kure fifteen years after Kokura (1915); one preview's "1919" is a mistake.

What is the Red Oni in Stranger Than Heaven? "Red Oni" is the name Makoto Daito earns in Kure as a member of the Iwaki Family, respected and feared among the yakuza families. Stranger Than Heaven had not shown how he earns it as of Nov 3, 2026.

What is the Iwaki Family? The Iwaki Family is Hiroshima's strongest yakuza organization in Stranger Than Heaven, led by Genzo Iwaki, whom the late Bunta Sugawara plays in CG. Makoto joins it in Kure.

Is there a fight club in Stranger Than Heaven? Yes. Stranger Than Heaven's Kure has a fighting arena where you bet on yourself and rematch beaten opponents under handicaps for bigger payouts, according to the October 2026 previews.

Is Kure a real place? Yes. Kure is a real port city in Hiroshima Prefecture, famous for its naval arsenal, where the battleship Yamato was built. Stranger Than Heaven's 1929 Kure is modeled on it.