Highlights

  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth introduces new playable characters like Seonhee and Tomizawa, adding depth to the party dynamic.
  • Yamai's backstory as a former yakuza leader turned ally makes him a compelling candidate for a playable character in Like a Dragon 9.
  • With powerful physical and elemental attacks, Yamai could bring a unique skillset to the party, making him a well-rounded addition.

One of the ways Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth builds upon its predecessor is by expanding the party with more playable characters. While Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth newcomers like Tomizawa and Chitose were welcome additions, what's more exciting was getting to play as Seonhee for the first time after she appeared as an NPC in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. If Like a Dragon 9 follows a similar formula, it's likely to include an NPC from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth as a playable party member, and there is already an obvious candidate for this role.

The cast of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is full of new and returning characters, as Kasuga's gregarious personality seems to attract both friends and foes alike. As players grow to know these new characters throughout their time with them in-game, it's somewhat bittersweet knowing they may not appear in the series again after this entry. However, one character is too good not to make a comeback in Like a Dragon 9, and has the star power necessary to make for an interesting party member in Kasuga's next adventure.

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Yamai Should Be a Party Member in the Next Like a Dragon Game

Similar to Seonhee in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Yutaka Yamai starts out as an enemy of Kasuga, facing off against his party in battle multiple times as the two are both in search of Akane. Yamai is the leader of the Yamai Syndicate, a yakuza group local to Hawaii that was founded after Yamai fled Japan and the Tojo Clan, having attempted to kill his patriarch. Now, Yamai and his gang are trying to work their way up through the Hawaiian underground against adversaries like the Barracudas and the Ganzhe, who have established themselves as the dominant criminal organizations on the island.

In order to get ahead of the competition, Yamai seeks to find Akane for himself before the other organizations can, which leads him into conflict with Kasuga and Kiryu on several occasions. While he is initially an adversary, his admiration for Kiryu and his impression of Kasuga's strength and commitment ultimately leads Yamai to reluctantly become an ally to the protagonists. As such, Yamai would be a great character to bring back as a potential party member in Like a Dragon 9, and he has the quirky fan appeal to even act as a friendly rival for Kasuga, like how Majima was for Kiryu.

How Yamai Could Function as a Playable Party Member

It's clear from the multiple boss fights against Yamai that he has the potential to be a powerful teammate, and the moves he uses in these battles could give clues as to how a playable Yamai could work in the future. Yamai would likely be a powerful DPS character similar to someone like Seonhee or Zhao due to his myriad of attacks that make use of his signature crowbar. Attacks he uses in his boss fights like Taste of Steel, Feral Lunge, and Keelhauler show that Yamai has the potential to be an agile yet powerful physical fighter.

Not only would Yamai bring some powerful physical attacks to the party, but he also has his own arsenal of dangerous elemental skills as well, which makes him adept at inflicting status ailments and supporting the party as a whole. Bite the Dust and Iron Will are both skills that deal fire damage while also having the potential to Burn the enemy. The combination of powerful physical attacks and status-inflicting elemental attacks would allow Yamai to be a very well-rounded addition to the party, and would likely make him worth including in a team over characters like Zhao or Joongi Han.