I started 3. Did they change the voice actor for Kiryu? I'll have to check. The character models are also different. The graphics are better but the characters look a bit off.
The graphics in 3 are not better lol. They are just different. Completely different and older engine.
3 is the oldest game that you can play on a modern console. Great game but it is showing it's age a little.
Yakuza 0 came out in 2015. Kiwami came out in 2016, Kiwami 2 came out in 2017.
Yakuza 3 came out in 2009, Yakuza 4 came out in 2010 and Yakuza 5 came out in 2012.
So the Yakuza Remastered set which dropped in 2019 has remasters of 3, 4 and 5, upscaled to 1080p and running at 60FPS, but they are the same games, not remade.
Whereas Kiwami and Kiwami 2 are complete modern remakes of the first two games.
I played Ishin and loved it, but I don't think it's mandatory. Much better to play 0 through 7 first.
Just finished Gaiden yesterday and loved it. Ready for Infinite Wealth to drop in January!
And no, Kiryu has always been voiced by Takaya Kuroda, including in 3.