Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Where the Dragon Of Dojima isn't the Dragon Of Dojima

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The Yakuza series rebrand, announced with much fanfare, was supposed to spell the end of long-time protagonist Kiryu Kazuma. The series took its original Japanese name, Like A Dragon, for all territories, and introduced a turn-based combat style and new protagonist. Yakuza was ready for something different. Or was it? Gaiden proves Kiryu’s retirement to be rather short-lived.

There’s no-one quite like the Dragon Of Dojima, and so maybe it wasn’t the biggest surprise when he popped up in Yakuza: Like A Dragon. But how did he end up there after spectacularly faking his death and renouncing the Yakuza lifestyle at the end of Yakuza 6? Like A Dragon Gaiden (‘side story’ in Japanese) seeks to answer that question. Only… it doesn’t. Not really. Well. Somewhat?

Let’s start at the beginning: at the end of Yakuza 6, the Daidoji Clan helps Kiryu successfully fake his death and secure the existence of the Morning Glory orphanage. In exchange, Kiryu has to work for them under a new alias, Joryu. Joryu even fights in the Daidoji style, an all-new fighting style for the series mainly referred to as the catchier Agent style when you select it. This makes Kiryu incredibly quick, even though his attacks are slightly less powerful in exchange. If you enjoy old-school Kiryu, you can use the second fighting style, called Yakuza, which is slower all round but literally packs more of a punch.