To this end, his primary motivation in Yakuza 2 is to defeat series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, the "Dragon of Dojima", who is presented as his premier rival.

[6] The character's popularity with the franchise's Japanese fanbase has encouraged the developers to present Goda in recurring appearances well after his canonical demise during the events of Yakuza 2.

He opined that it may seem cruel at first, but suggested that one's opponent would needlessly suffer if they are not finished off in the most efficient manner possible, and that what Goda learns from his master is in fact an act of compassion.

[9] In Yakuza 2, Goda's initial introduction sees him conspiring with a gangster over the telephone to create chaos in Kamurochō (神室町), a fictionalized version of the real life Kabukichō district in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

In the zombie-oriented spinoff Yakuza: Dead Souls, which follows an alternate timeline, Goda has been expelled from the Omi Alliance after losing his fight with Kiryu, and drifts around before settling down at a takoyaki shop as an apprentice to its cantankerous owner.

and its remake Like a Dragon: Ishin feature Saigo Kichinosuke, the commander of the Satsuma domain's army, whose in-game avatar is identical in appearance to Goda.

A substory mission also involves Kiryu hunting down a revived Go-Ryu Clan, which hired various fake Goda to spread the rumor of his survival and return.

Ryuji Goda has been very positively received, both as a charismatic villain which contrasts Kiryu's more reserved spirit, and for his character development in the spin-off sequel Dead Souls.

[15] Kelly Pask from PCGamesN consider Goda a highlight of the series, an unpredictable villain who relishes in causing chaos and violence for the sake of it, and said that "it feels like a make or break moment for Kiryu’s character" when they finally collide.

[17] Phil Kollar, also from Game Informer, found Goda's motivation for hunting down undead monsters in Dead Souls as an act of honor and reconciliation interesting, since he had a hand in their creation.

[18] Chris Schilling from Eurogamer commented that the depiction of Goda running a takoyaki stall in Dead Souls is an occasion where the series "treats something ridiculous in such an earnest manner that it's impossible not to warm to it".

[19] Conversely, Peter Glagowski from Destructoid said that Kiwami 2 tries to build up Goda as a menacing villain with an interesting backstory, but paradoxically does not afford him adequate screen time; as a result, he found the character to be unconvincing as an "ultimate threat" to Kiryu.

[24] Following the announcement of Goda as the fourth and final playable character for Dead Souls,[25] a large poster of him was erected across the east exits of the Shinjuku branch of Don Quijote, a shop that is featured throughout the series as a tie-in.