The Yakuza series will see the return of Kazuma Kiryu as its protagonist in the upcoming Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, which has the veteran protagonist adopting a new identity and working with the mysterious Daidoji Faction. Returning to the series' roots as an action-brawler, Like a Dragon Gaiden has a lot in store for fans of the series, as it seeks to bridge the gap between Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. In addition, this game should provide more details regarding the nature of the Daidoji and what they aim to accomplish.
At the end of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Kazuma Kiryu decides to fake his death in order to protect his surrogate daughter Haruka and grandson Haruto from future harm at the hands of his enemies. Like a Dragon Gaiden sees him adopt the name, Joryu, as he takes up a new life in service of the Daidoji Faction. While not much is known about Kiryu's role with the Daidoji in Like a Dragon Gaiden, details from the previous entries in the series can help shed some light on faction and why Kiryu would be working for them.
Everything Known About the Daidoji Faction So Far
The Daidoji name was first introduced to players in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, where former navy admiral and politician Minoru Daidoji played a crucial part in the game's plot. During World War Two, Daidoji had commissioned the Iwami Shipbuilding Company from his native home of Hiroshima to construct a battleship using cheap, illegal labor from Chinese immigrants smuggled into the town of Onomichi by the Saio Triad. When the war ended before the ship could be completed, Daidoji ordered it destroyed in order to cover up his illegal activity. Instead, Iwami hid the ship and used it a means to blackmail Daidoji into helping the company through his political position in the post-war Japanese government.
The conspiracy to protect this Secret of Onomichi grew with Iwami's son, Tsuneo, taking over the company and its bargain with Daidoji after murdering his father and vowing to kill anyone who exposes the secret. Kiryu later uncovers the truth about Daidoji's illegal wartime activities and reveals the Secret of Onomichi, which puts a target on his back. After defeating Tsuneo Iwami, Kiryu decides to go into hiding out of fear for his family's safety from future Daidoji retaliation. However, the passing of Minoru Daidoji ushers in a new successor to the faction who offers to help Kiryu fake his death in exchange for his silence, kicking off the events of Like a Dragon Gaiden.
As a part of their deal, Kiryu goes to work in service of the Daidoji under the name Joryu. However, the next fans see Kiryu in the Yakuza timeline is in Yakuza: Like a Dragon where he acts as the bodyguard of Omi Alliance Captain Masaru Watase. It is not yet known if he was hired as a part of his deal with the Daidoji or if it was done independently, but Watase notably respects Kiryu's wishes to keep his true identity hidden regardless.
The faction also has ties to the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon through the Citizens' Liberal Party, or CLP, in which Minoru Daidoji held a leading position and whose members include Ryo Aoki and Yutaka Ogikubo, two characters central to the game's plot. Daidoji was also known as the fixer for the CLP, using his connections to keep the reputation of the party clean. It's through this party connection that the Daidoji are able to pass along insider info to Kiryu, an aspect of their relationship which may come into play in Like a Dragon Gaiden.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will release in 2023 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
