Out of Ryōma’s four fighting styles in Like a Dragon: Ishin, Wild Dancer looks like the most fun. He fights with a sword and his gun at the same time! How can anyone beat that? They can’t. Not in style points anyway. But it isn’t an instant win. Just because Ryōma breaks out both his tools at the same time doesn't mean it'll fit every combat scenario. The drawback to Wild Dancer is in the name: it’s wild and unwieldy.
It can leave Ryōma unstable and open to attack if the player misjudges a move. For example, armored grunts could tank the pistol's shots and retort with a slice or two. But with the right skills, they can stabilize the style, close any openings it would otherwise offer, and make the style more formidable overall. These are the best Wild Dancer skills to unlock as soon as possible in Like a Dragon: Ishin.
4 Splendid Skill: Moonlit Sake
The player can earn more XP and other rewards by mixing up their combat. But this doesn’t mean they can just string combos and taunts together like in Devil May Cry (though this can help). The game also rewards solid sidesteps, and Wild Dancer has some good evasive skills. Perform those sidesteps well, and Ryōma will get a little extra XP to top off the rewards from a good combat section. Even so, there's nothing wrong with making this defense more offensive.
The Splendid Skill: Moonlit Sake spices up the evasion by adding a dodge attack. While it doesn’t do a lot of damage, it’s handy for punishing foes when they whiff their attacks. It can give the player the opening they need to inflict a nasty combo or a grisly Heat Action on the goon. That is if it's done well. The player can't just spill the sake everywhere willy-nilly and expect results. Time this Splendid Skill right, and it'll treat Ryōma right.
3 Essence of Stature
Wild Dancer acts like the Jack of Ryōma’s trades. On top of using the gun and sword at the same time Ryōma can also parry attacks with his pistol. Unlike its equivalent in Brawler, it requires more finesse to use as its timing is much tighter. It's not something the player can just hold the button down for and expect instant results. It’s worth mastering though, if only for this deadly Heat Action.
It lets Ryōma follow up a successful parry with a lethal sword swipe to the neck, before finishing the unfortunate foe off with a shot. If that doesn’t kill them outright, they’ll be left at death’s door. As tricky as it is, the Essence of Stature could be the move that saves the player's bacon or finishes a particularly nasty foe off just in time. So, while the player's trying to get more orbs for upgrades, they should practice that parry. Then they can do this move consistently and without fuss.
2 Rain of Steel and Fire
This other Heat Action is a little simpler to pull off by comparison. It doesn't require any parries, dodges, grabs, or other special situations. The player just needs to lock onto a goon and hit the prompt when it pops up. Then, Ryōma will pop them in the chest with a bullet or two, then leap into the airand cut them down with a sword slash. It's flashy, bloody, and offers a solid chunk of damage.
It can be enough to put down any punk, and bring a significant amount of hurt to any boss too. Although it's a hard-hitting move, the best part about it is that it comes with some deadly follow-up attacks. That is, if the player has the orbs to unlock them. The Squall of Steel and Fire ends in a nasty stabbing attack that's as painful as it looks, but there's a follow-up that does more damage and looks cooler when it connects.
1 Typhoon of Steel and Fire
If the player has Heat to spare, they can turn the Rain into a Typhoon. When they unlock this move, they just have to follow the extra on-screen prompt to add further insult to even more injury. When Ryōma leaps into the air for the Rain's slash, he'll stab his foe instead. Then he'll hit them with a heel kick and a bullet to keep them down.
Aside from looking brutal, bloody, and stylish, it’ll take a hefty chunk out of a boss’ health bar with its extra barrage of attacks. It might even be overkill against regular mooks, as they may go down to the stabbing part alone. But what would the Wild Dancer style be without a wild dance? Just make sure that Heat gauge is topped up to pull it off, or there won't be a rain, squall, or typhoon happening any time soon.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is available for the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.