It is the first entry in a series of first-party Japanese mahjong games on Nintendo systems, with sequels on the Famicom,[1] Game Boy Advance,[2] DS,[3] Wii,[4] Wii U,[5] and 3DS.

[6] As one of the four original Game Boy games available for the Japanese launch of that system on April 21, 1989, Yakuman was released alongside Alleyway, Super Mario Land, and Baseball.

[7] Japanese mahjong is a four player tile-based game where the goal is to take points from other players by drawing and discarding tiles until a winning hand is made.

[9] The Yakuman Player as seen on the cover art appears as a collectible sticker in Super Smash Bros.

[citation needed] He appears again, as a spirit, in Super Smash Bros.