This article contains spoilers for Yakuza 3 and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's 'Surviving Paradise' substory.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth has an abundance of substories ranging from emotionally sincere to comedic or often both, putting Ichiban in some precarious situations throughout his Hawaiian adventures. Infinite Wealth's final substory is one that channels the latter, paying homage to Persona 5's multi-romance Valentine's Day event. As Ichiban gets to know the women around Hawaii through friendly banter and gift-giving, his cheerful personality is mistaken for affection, leading to some disastrous misunderstandings; the 'Surviving Paradise' substory sees these women converge at Revolve Bar, doling out punishment to Ichiban while stirring on a long-awaited reveal.

Before Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's release, preview footage had fans speculating over the identity of Revolve's bartender, a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to Yakuza 3's Andre Richardson, leader of the Black Monday group and antagonist to Kiryu. Much like Kashiwagi of Ijincho's Survive Bar, this was another example of a character from Like a Dragon's past seemingly returning to life after being presumed dead. Both Richardson and Kashiwagi were "killed" in the events of Yakuza 3, the former falling off a roof while the latter was gunned down by a helicopter's turret. The severity of their deaths had fans wondering if these characters were simply doppelgängers, though the events of Infinite Wealth have proven otherwise.

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Surviving Paradise in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

A Surprising Reveal in a Wild Substory

Infinite Wealth's 'Surviving Paradise' substory begins with Chitose seeing a worrying text on Ichiban's phone, sent by a mysterious blonde who praises Ichiban's "passionate side." Knowing of Ichiban's love for Saeko, Chitose takes this to mean that he's been duplicitous, as she begins to chastise him for being "just another tourist looking for a sidepiece." The situation is made worse when the rest of the women Ichiban has met throughout Hawaii come to Revolve looking for him, and upon being made aware of the text, go on to dish out the punishment.

The ensuing cutscene sees the female characters of Infinite Wealth's Hawaii donning weapons ranging from a chainsaw to a rocket launcher, while Ichiban's pleas that the text is a misunderstanding go ignored. He later wakes up in Revolve to see the bartender come in, who had been previously absent during the situation. As the background music changes to its quintessential emotional track, Revolve's bartender goes into a hilarious monologue about his own past; lighting up a smoke, he talks about how he once fell off a hospital roof, and that, despite the severity of things, he now believes that "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Beyond the confirmation of the bartender's true identity being Andre Richardson based on his past, the substory takes yet another turn as he asks to see the text that led to Ichiban's downfall. As Ichiban shows him, Richardson goes on to explain that the message was a "customer outreach" method that he had learned at a seminar, used to try to get people to return to Revolve. Richardson had sent the text as an advertisement, as the message goes on to praise Ichiban's "passionate side" as a singer at karaoke, encouraging him to return for more fun. The "mysterious blonde" was the bartender himself, as Ichiban laments that the message could have gotten him killed.

Kashiwagi of Survive Bar

Alongside Richardson's reveal, one of Kiryu's 'Memoirs of a Dragon' substories gives him a heart-to-heart talk with Kashiwagi at Survive Bar, seemingly confirming his identity as well. Though the two feign their true pasts, it's clear that Kashiwagi is the man that Kiryu had once known and confided in as a younger Yakuza looking to forge his own path. Kashiwagi talks about the importance of being vulnerable, and how the ability to be honest and open up with others is what led to Survive Bar's namesake, as this is what kept him going in life. The moment makes for a touching display that reminds the player of the Ijincho crew's own efforts, as Nanba and the others support and confide in Kiryu while encouraging him to do the same.