Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Review [SPOILERS]

The story of Like a Dragon Gaiden begins in 2019, just before the events of Yakuza 7 are set in motion. Kazuma Kiryu is dead, as far as the public knows. Unbeknownst to nearly everyone, not only is he still alive, but he is active, working as a secret agent under the alias “Joryu” for the Daidoji Faction. At the end of Yakuza 6, in 2016, the Daidoji Faction, a secretive political organization led by the recently deceased Minoru Daidoji, convinced Kiryu to keep quiet about the secret of Onomichi in exchange for faking his death and releasing Daigo Dojima, Goro Majima, and Taiga Saejima from prison. For the past three years, “Joryu” has been based at an old Buddhist temple, embarking on various secret agent missions with Kihei Hanawa, a member of the Daidoji assigned as Kiryu’s handler and manager. 

In 2019, the Daidoji are sent to the harbor in Yokohama in order to help with a smuggling operation, sending weapons to revolutionaries in Asia. However, the whole scenario was a trap, and the agents are attacked by mysterious masked men that try and fail to kidnap Hanawa. Kiryu goes to Isezaki Ijincho in Yokohama to investigate these mysterious attackers, and finds out that they are yakuza from the Omi Alliance, led by Watase Family Captain Yuki Tsuruno and his lieutenant, Kosei Shishido. This time, they successfully take Hanawa hostage. The Daidoji back at the temple say to abandon Hanawa, but Kiryu refuses, fighting them all off to leave the temple. Tsuruno meets with Kiryu, and his goal was to find out if the legendary Dragon of Dojima was truly alive. He offers to help Kiryu escape the Daidoji, faking his death again and silencing Hanawa. Kiryu refuses to kill Hanawa, and Tsuruno tells him to go to Sotenbori, giving him a small red tiger keychain and telling him to find someone named Akame.

Kiryu arrives in Sotenbori, questioning some of the local homeless before ultimately finding Akame. Akame is an intelligent and charismatic young woman who has built up a network of information through the homeless in Sotenbori, not unlike the Florist of Sai in Kamurocho all those years ago. Kiryu agrees to help Akame expand her network by helping people out in Sotenbori in exchange for her guiding him to the Castle, a massive adult entertainment complex built on a freight ship by the Omi Alliance. At the Castle, Kiryu learns that the red tiger keychain is a pass to enter the Castle’s Coliseum, a large-scale fighting ring that patrons watch for amusement. Kiryu, naturally, excels in the Coliseum, drawing the attention of Kosei Shishido and the patriarch of the Omi Alliance’s Kijin Clan, Homare Nishitani III. Shishido tells Kiryu where Tsuruno and Hanawa are, and Kiryu goes to complete his rescue mission.

Kiryu finds Tsuruno and defeats him in battle, freeing Hanawa. Afterwards, Tsuruno tells Kiryu the true nature of his plan. His boss, Masaru Watase (of Yakuza 5 fame), is set to be released from prison in about a month. After his release, he and Tojo Clan leader Daigo Dojima have agreed to dissolve both the Omi and Tojo, effectively bringing the age of the yakuza to an end. Tsuruno once again asks Kiryu to silence Hanawa, but he refuses again, and Tsuruno is taken to a Daidoji hideout in Sotenbori. Kiryu is ordered by the mysterious Daidoji Boss to kill Tsuruno and the rest of the Watase Family in order to maintain his cover, but he refuses, holding Hanawa at gunpoint. Tsuruno escapes and Kiryu is locked in a cell for three days. Kiryu is released and set to be executed, with Hanawa being forced to pull the trigger. Hanawa can’t go through with it, and the Daidoji Boss says that they have both passed the test, proving the strength of their bond. The Boss then tells Kiryu to go help the Watase Family dissolve the yakuza, as they have paid the Daidoji 50 billion yen for his services.

At the Castle, Tsuruno tells Kiryu that in order for the Omi to dissolve, they have to take out Homare Nishitani III, who the Omi members would likely rally around after the announcement. Kiryu agrees, on the condition that they incapacitate rather than outright kill him. Nishitani overhears them, however, and Kiryu covers for Tsuruno by punching him before escaping the Castle. At the Castle exit, Kiryu has a fight with Nishitani, who realizes that “Joryu” is actually the Dragon of Dojima himself. Kiryu then escapes, and realizes that he must draw Nishitani out of the Castle in order to stop him.

Kiryu comes up with a rather interesting plan to draw out Nishitani. He tells Tsuruno to gather as much money as possible, and he does, bringing 30 million yen. Kiryu’s plan is to have an extravagant night on the town, spending all the money and sending a message of fearlessness to Nishitani. He brings Tsuruno, Shishido, and some other Watase Family yakuza to numerous places in Sotenbori, such as the Cabaret Grand of Yakuza 0 fame, indoor golf, a fancy restaurant, pool, karaoke, and more. The plan is successful, with the Kijin Clan in full force going after them and Nishitani leaving the Castle. Kiryu then plans to hit Nishitani where it really hurts, and takes over the Castle, leaking its existence to the press. 

An enraged Nishitani calls Kiryu and tells him where he is, ready to settle the score. Kiryu and Shishido enter the warehouse that Nishitani is hiding in, battling the Kijin Clan before reaching him. Kiryu battles Nishitani again, meanwhile Tsuruno and the Watase Family have set the warehouse on fire. Kiryu orders Shishido to take the defeated Nishitani with them out of the burning building, but Shishido instead stabs Nishitani to death before they escape. Kiryu is upset about being tricked into assisting with murder, but regardless stays with Tsuruno and co. as Watase’s release day draws nearer. 

Some time later, Kiryu, Tsuruno, and Shishido meet at a construction site to greet Watase as he is released. Watase arrives, and is set to depart for Omi HQ, but Shishido betrays all of them, capturing evidence of Watase’s plan before the initial dissolution. He says that he will leak it and turn everyone against Watase, taking over the Omi Alliance himself. Homare Nishitani III suddenly appears, revealing that Shishido faked the stabbing. Kiryu, Tsuruno, and Watase fight them and numerous Omi members off, but Nishitani stabs Watase in the stomach, as he took the hit for Tsuruno. Suddenly, Hanawa and Akame arrive in a limousine, hitting Nishitani with it. They treat Tsuruno and Watase’s wounds, and head for Omi HQ.

At Omi HQ, the events of the dissolution play out just like they did in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Watase and Daigo announce the end of the yakuza, and a riot breaks out. Kiryu enters the fray, assisting his old friends Majima, Saejima, and Daigo, as well as Ichiban Kasuga and his friends. They successfully defeat the rioting Omi, but Shishido returns and rallies the Omi around him. Although Ichiban and co. have left by this point, Kiryu and the other legendary yakuza fend off the Omi. In the end, it’s down to a final showdown between Kiryu and Shishido. They brawl throughout Omi HQ, with Kiryu emerging victorious, defeating Shishido for good. Shishido is then captured by the Daidoji, who claim to already have Nishitani as well.

Some time later, in 2020, the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon have concluded by this point, with Ichiban Kasuga having battled Kiryu before going on to bring down Ryo Aoki. Hanawa says that he has a reward for Kiryu, showing him hidden camera footage of the kids from Morning Glory visiting his grave. The footage also shows Taichi and Ayako finding the camera, and they believe it as a sign that Kiryu is still alive. They talk into the camera, updating Kiryu on the lives of Haruka, Haruto, and all the Morning Glory kids, who are beginning to grow up themselves. Kiryu is moved to tears as he hears from the kids he hasn’t seen in so long, and starts bawling as he is shown a picture drawn by the now four-year-old Haruto. Hanawa then offers Kiryu a vacation to Hawaii as a reward for all he’s done for the Daidoji. Kiryu accepts the offer, and is given a new ID under the name Taichi Suzuki, which he once used as his alias in Yakuza 5. A post-credits scene shows Kiryu in 2023, entering the Nalala Hill Church in Honolulu, where he said he would marry Yumi Sawamura all those years ago. Kiryu places a ring on the altar and leaves.

I really enjoyed Like a Dragon Gaiden because of just how much it packed into its shorter runtime. Although the game isn’t nearly as long as a mainline Yakuza entry, it still has a deep and interesting story that adds further context to the games it surrounds. The new characters introduced in Gaiden fit very well into the overall story, especially Tsuruno, Shishido, and Akame. Gaiden also has plenty of things to do throughout Sotenbori, such as numerous side quests and minigames. Side missions and substories are done through the Akame Network, allowing you to earn money as well as network points, which are both used to acquire items and upgrade Kiryu’s abilities. These side missions are mostly quick, but they bring a good amount of life to Sotenbori, giving you more things to do beyond just the main story. 

Easily my favorite substory was entitled End The Destruction, in which Kiryu is sent to find the source of homeless hunts occurring in Sotenbori. On this mission, he encounters none other than Masaharu Kaito from the Judgment games, who is also investigating the attacks along with his aniki, Toru Higashi. For reference, this would be occurring between the events of Judgment and Lost Judgment. Kiryu battles with Kaito, who was given false information that Akame was behind the attacks. Kaito and Higashi are captured by the real perpetrator, and Kiryu saves them, before all three successfully bring down the responsible punks. Although it’s just a pretty short little side quest, I found it really cool that the worlds of Yakuza and Judgment were further connected through Kaito meeting Kiryu. 

I also greatly enjoyed the gameplay of Like a Dragon Gaiden. The game brings the full open world exploration that Yakuza is known for, with plenty to do in Sotenbori. Gaiden also introduces new combat mechanics, with Kiryu being able to choose between two different fighting styles, Agent and Yakuza. The Agent style is faster and better for taking out large swaths of low-HP enemies. This style also allows Kiryu to utilize his secret agent gadgets, the Spider grappling hook, the Hornet attack drones, the Firefly cigarette bombs, and the Serpent rocket shoes. All of these gadgets are integrated seamlessly into the game’s control scheme, and they bring extra depth to combat. I particularly found the Spider to be useful for taking out large groups of enemies. It is also useful for grabbing out of reach items in the overworld. The Yakuza fighting style, meanwhile, is all about power, with Kiryu being able to charge stronger blows to land on his enemies. I found this style much more effective in one on one combat against stronger opponents such as bosses. Another mechanic I enjoyed was that of character customization being available in the main story. Limited to Premium Adventure in previous Yakuza games, Gaiden allows you to buy various clothes and accessories for Kiryu, giving him different looks which do carry over into the game's cutscenes. 

Another gameplay feature in Sotenbori is that of cabaret clubs, which feature a sort of dating sim minigame where you talk to the hostesses and raise your affection with them. These are done through full motion videos of actual actresses as the hostesses. This is one of the main reasons that the game has such a large filesize despite its short runtime and lack of different locations. The minigame is pretty immersive, and the FMVs do a good job of showing the actual personalities of the hostesses as you get to know them. Additionally, there are numerous other minigames returning from previous Yakuza games, such as golf, pool, darts, karaoke, and more. 

In conclusion, I found Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name to be very enjoyable and substantive, packing a lot of lore and content into a shorter game. Despite it not being as long as, say, Yakuza 5, it had an intriguing story and a lively world to explore. The story is also pretty important in terms of overall Yakuza lore, and I thought it was very cool to see the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon unfold in real time from a different perspective. It also sets up Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth quite nicely, and I look forward to playing through that game sometime in the near future. As far as Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name goes, I would easily recommend it to any Yakuza fan, as it is arguably essential to continuing the story of Kazuma Kiryu.