Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a spin-off from the main Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, released in 2023 by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio as a bridge between the stories of earlier entries and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The player returns to the role of Kazuma Kiryu, who, after years in hiding as "Joryu," once again enters the underworld of Tokyo and Yokohama to protect those he cares about and unravel a conspiracy reaching all the way to the top of the yakuza clans. The story deliberately picks up the loose threads left by previous entries and explains what happened to Kiryu during the years he was officially presumed dead.

In terms of gameplay, the game returns to the action-based combat system closer to the series' earlier entries, meaning real-time combat with several fighting styles that the player switches between on the fly depending on the situation and number of opponents. Besides the main storyline, the game also offers side content in the form of the Akame mini-game island, spy-agency mechanics with gadgets like a hidden camera or a remote-controlled drone, and the classic side quests full of bizarre humor typical of the series. On PS5, the game runs smoothly at high resolution with fast-loading support, which comes in especially handy when traveling between the sprawling and finely detailed districts of Kamurocho and Sotenbori.

The game's atmosphere draws on the contrast between the serious, almost melancholic main story about an aging hero and the lighthearted side activities, accompanied by the series' characteristic musical score combining orchestral motifs with electronic elements and energetic battle themes. Critics and fans alike praised it as a shorter but emotionally dense title that works as a dignified farewell to Kiryu's character as it has existed so far, without losing the series' characteristic melancholic-comic tone. Today it's seen as an important connecting piece in the saga, worth attention also for its self-contained nature, sparing players the need to invest dozens of hours as with the main entries in the series.

Why play it: For fans of Kiryu who want a dignified and emotionally dense farewell without having to invest dozens of hours, Like a Dragon Gaiden is an ideal, shorter chapter in the saga.