Maverick platinumed Yakuza Kiwami. He tried beating Majima during the first fight over 10 times before giving up. He easily did it during New Game+, then went back to do it on a fresh playthrough.
Is Beating Majima in Your First Fight Possible?
Beating Majima the first time you encounter him in Yakuza Kiwami is possible but tricky. It requires a solid grasp of the battle system, which you likely don’t have yet at this stage of your playthrough. The Mad Dog style Majima uses in this fight is very volatile, though, which makes it even more of a struggle.
Is It Worth the Effort to Defeat Majima The First Time?
In my opinion, it’s definitely not worth the effort or the frustration.
From a gameplay perspective, Majima is a lot stronger in this encounter than what you can expect after. He does more damage, uses a more unpredictable style and has a lot more hitpoints than in future fights. Defeat during this fight does not mean your skills are not enough to beat him during the following fights.
From a story perspective, there is very little payoff to beating him during this fight. There is only a small dialogue change (listed below) and no special recognition from Kiryu or Majima. If you want, you can easily do it yourself in New Game+, since you keep all of your stats and styles (and items, though you likely will not need them).
Changed Dialogue for Beating Majima in Your First Fight
The screenshot above shows the only part of the dialogue that changes if you win this fight. After that, the conversation goes the same way as if you had lost.
Kiryu will lament his own weakness, Majima does not recognize his strength. You’re the one out of breath although you won, Majima seems unphased. Our dear Goro-kun even goes as far as to still call us just another punk in the streets.
Not exactly the payoff you would hope for when victory is a struggle that is likely to take you quite a few tries, in my opinion.
How To Defeat Majima During Your First Fight
Recognizing the end of long combos and attacking him in the back at the end of them (no long combos of your own!) can work. You can also stunlock him in Rush mode, but even then it is going to take a long time. Video credit for this goes to ImperialRoads: