The gameplay trailer for Like A Dragon: Gaiden was finally revealed at Summer Game Fest, giving fans their first look at Kiryu’s new spin-off adventure. Set between Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the title is set to fill the gaps between the two titles - after Kiryu’s faked death and disappearance, but before his mysterious, secluded return as a boss faced by Kasuga and his party.
Despite the game's interquel setting, it looks to expand the Like A Dragon story in ways that will affect both Kiryu's personal story and the overarching story of the entire series. With Kiryu set to return in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, there are already several elements seen in this new trailer that could give hints towards what players can expect in the long-awaited sequel.
Kiryu’s Style Switching Returns
Kiryu is already confirmed to be a playable character in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth alongside Kasuga, but it won’t be his first time interacting with Kasuga’s award-winning JRPG turn-based gameplay as introduced in Yakuza: Like A Dragon. In that title, Kiryu appeared midway through the story as a key boss battle, presenting a huge challenge for Kasuga and his party. Kiryu was limited to waiting for his turn like every other character, but had the unique ability to switch his fighting style as the fight went on. He opened the fight with his unrefined Brawler style, before switching to his heavy-hitting Beast style and quick boxing-like Rush style, all originating in the prequel Yakuza 0. To finish the fight, Kiryu switched to his classic Dragon style, the Komaki-taught martial art that he had mastered throughout the entire mainline series.
With all of this in mind, it’s important to note that Kiryu’s ability to switch styles, unlike Kasuga, could return as one of his unique mechanics in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The gameplay trailer for Like A Dragon: Gaiden shows off Kiryu using two fighting styles, one old, one new. The traditional Dragon style returns, now called the Yakuza style, which could mean it mixes in moves from other styles such as Rush and Beast as well as everything the Dragon style usually includes. Brand new to Kiryu is the Agent style, which looks to include flowing attacks similar to Judgment’s Yagami, in addition to giving Kiryu unique spy gadgets; the trailer specifically shows off Spider-Man-esque electrified binding wires, which can pull enemies in and stun them, and even pull interactable objects into Kiryu’s hands. This style has already been confirmed to include many more gadgets than what has been shown so far, so the expansion of Kiryu's standard moveset seems massive.
With Kiryu likely to use several styles in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, it would make sense for his Yakuza and Agent styles to make a return; while the Brawler style is simply an unrefined version of the Dragon style, the Rush and Beast styles could also be included to round out four styles like he had in Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Being able to throw out various gadgets at enemies during his turns would give Kiryu some very unique options when used alongside his more traditional brute force martial arts.
Tojo Legends Return
At the end of the trailer for Like A Dragon: Gaiden, the game’s digital pre-order bonus was revealed to be the Legendary Fighter Pack, consisting of the classic Yakuza characters Goro Majima, Taiga Saejima and Daigo Dojima. This pack will give players the opportunity to fight these Tojo Clan legends in an underground fighting ring in Sotenbori, Osaka, similar to Yakuza 0’s Bed of Styx underwater coliseum.
While it is disappointing that this pack effectively confirms that these fan favorite characters will not appear in any playable capacity in Like A Dragon: Gaiden, it is noteworthy that these characters will be present in the game at all. In Yakuza: Like A Dragon, their last appearance, Dojima was a keystone of the plot as he ordered the Tojo Clan to dissolve, dismantling the biggest clan in Japan at the time and causing consequences that were explored in the spin-off Lost Judgment. Majima and Saejima, however, were relegated to an out-of-nowhere boss fight which was included primarily as fan service.
While fan service isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the fact Like A Dragon: Gaiden features these three characters could mean they could return in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. After the dissolution of the clan, Dojima started his own private security company, and Majima and Saejima’s fates were unknown. Their inclusion could imply that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is interested in including these beloved characters in a main-story role in Like A Dragon: Gaiden and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, or even as members of Kiryu's party, rather than simply as fan service cameos.
Kasuga’s adventures across Japan and America could absolutely cross paths with Dojima, Majima or Saejima, and their appearances would tie up the loose ends of their stories that players were left with at the end of Yakuza: Like A Dragon. With Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth bridging the gap between the old and new protagonists, players could even see other characters that haven't appeared for a long time, such as Shun Akiyama, return for a hero's sendoff.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is set to release for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S in Early 2024.