First, Yakuza players could only jog around their cities. Then Yakuza 0 gave them a Sprint…that would eventually run out until they got upgrades. Then, later games made it a permanent function. This included its spin-off game, Judgment, where its detective hero Takayuki Yagami has to solve crimes around Kamurochō.
For fun, it ended one chapter with a scene where he escapes the yakuza by fleeing on a skateboard. That gave the developers an idea for its sequel, Lost Judgment. Whenever Yagami runs on the road in that game, he can pick up his skateboard and get to places quicker, get Skate Points, and glide past goons to avoid unnecessary encounters. He can also do tricks, race other skaters, and get a variety of boards. But how well do they stack up against each other? Here are the results.
9 Blue Tribal
This is the bog-standard board Yagami gets when Sugiura accidentally buys two instead of one for himself. It leads into the game’s first Side Case, which is basically a tutorial for how the board works.
It does the job well enough, as it has fair handling and is quicker than sprinting. But it is pretty sluggish compared to every other board in the game. Once the Skaters School Story Section opens up, players will need to pick up a new one to keep up with the pace.
8 Skull Bass
This nifty board can be picked up from Deco Rush for ¥50,000 and is a little quicker than the Blue Tribal. Though not by much. Its top quality is its handling, as it’s better at turning tight corners.
This comes in particularly handy for the Skate Park missions, where one wrong turn could lead to Yagami getting stuck against ramps or grind rails. These missions are on the clock, just like the classic Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games, so every second counts. So, having a board that turns better would help there, and the Skull Bass will come in handy until the player can get better boards.
7 Yellow Lizard
The Yellow Lizard isn’t the fastest or best handling board. Its big skill is its acceleration, as it reaches its top speed much quicker than the prior boards. Which is not to be sniffed at, particularly for those early Race Missions.
But it’s not really worth getting. It costs 20,000 Skate Points to get from the Skateboard Exchange, which takes a few Skate Park sessions and Races to earn. Points best saved for Skill Books, Play Passes, Free Pass Vouchers, and the other goodies on offer. Particularly when it has a better equivalent elsewhere.
6 Green Lizard
It’s like the Yellow Lizard, but green! It has even better acceleration than its other reptilian counterpart and doesn’t require grinding skate missions or rolling around town to get. Just a healthy amount of yen.
The board costs ¥50,000 from Ebisu Pawn in Kamurochō. On the one hand, that’s a pretty penny. But on the other, that can be earned pretty quickly through a Side Case, School Story segment, or elsewhere. Still, while it’s the quickest to get to speed, its isn’t the fastest board around. Look out for better options.
5 White Horse
The White Horse trades in quick acceleration for high speed. It may take longer than the Lizards to go fast, but it zips by quicker than both of them once it reaches its limit. Just offer up 50,000 Skate Points at the Skateboard Exchange, and Yagami will speed through the races and skate park.
That said, its high speed means its handling isn’t so grand. Plus, it has that same issue as the Yellow Lizard: it’s bad value for Points. Why spend them on a board when there’s a better, redder version hidden elsewhere going for cash? Unless the player has points to spare, they're better off looking further around Ijinchō.
4 Hover Drive
It’s way past 2015 now, and society still doesn’t have the hoverboards Back to the Future 2 promised. Not proper ones anyway. But players can ride one in spirit via Yagami's Hover Drive, which has two perks: quick acceleration and top speed.
Unfortunately, it has very wobbly handling, which makes control a bit of an issue. Plus, players will need a credit card to ride this train, or at least a debit or gift card, as it’s part of the Detective Essentials DLC pack. That pack does come with other goodies, like extra skins for Ranpo the dog, and more Girlfriends. But $10.99 on its own is a bit much if players just want to turn Yagami into Marty McFly.
3 Red Horse
Take the White Horse’s speed, kick it up a notch, and color it red. That’s basically what this board is, including the similar drawbacks with handling. Yet it’s a better bargain than its white counterpart at ¥50,000. Players can't be blamed for missing out on this one, as it’s not available at any of the pawn shops.
Instead, they have to go to The Bee in Ijinchō, which is a bar. It has a Darts Shop, which offers the Red Horse alongside a fresh set of darts for the Girls' Bite, and some extra gear. It's a solid board to go for, as the next two take more effort to get.
2 Black Drop
The Red Horse has one perk, while the Hover Drive has two. How about a board with three perks instead? The Black Drop has better handling, improved acceleration and top speed all in one board. It has all a virtual skater could want from the game. All they need to do is get used to the extra speed, and the Skater School Story is as good as done.
It takes some luck to earn though. Once cannot just ‘buy’ the Black Drop. Instead, they have to use 36,500 Chips at the Heaven’s Door Casino's Prize Exchange. If the player has mad cash already, they could probably convert that to chips from the off. Otherwise, they’re going to learn how to play poker, blackjack, and roulette the hard way to get this board.
1 Purple Drop
The Purple Drop is essentially identical to the Black Drop in every way except looks. Same perks, same learning curve, same cinching of the Skater Story. It doesn’t require gambling to get. Just grinding, figuratively and literally. It costs 100,000 Skater Points and is the most expensive item at the Skateboard Exchange.
The best points earner are the races, which offer plenty of tracks and plenty of points to stack up. But the player has to come in first to keep what they've picked up, unlike the Skate Park. While the Red Horse isn’t the best board, it may be the most reliable one until the player earns that 100,000th point for the Exchange.
Lost Judgment is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Amazon Luna, and PC.