Kazuma Kiryu was supposed to be done. After the emotional, rooftop-shaking finale of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, the Dragon of Dojima had successfully faked his own death to protect his foster children. He was a ghost. A memory. But Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio (RGG) clearly wasn't ready to let their golden boy go, and honestly, neither were we. That’s how we ended up with Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, a game that started life as a DLC concept and morphed into one of the most essential entries in the entire franchise.
It’s a weird one, right? It’s shorter than the mainline games. It’s cheaper. It feels like a stopgap between the turn-based adventures of Ichiban Kasuga. Yet, if you skip it, you're missing the connective tissue that makes the modern Yakuza era actually make sense.
What Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Gets Right About Kiryu
For years, fans debated if Kiryu’s story was being stretched too thin. By the time we hit 2023, he’d survived dozens of stabbings, several explosions, and the literal weight of the Japanese underworld. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name doesn't ignore that exhaustion; it leans into it. Kiryu, now operating under the codename "Joryu," is a man living a hollowed-out existence as an agent for the Daidoji Faction. He’s grumpy. He’s lonely. He’s basically a monk with a license to break jaws.
The game puts us back in the classic brawler shoes. While Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth doubled down on the JRPG mechanics, Gaiden is a love letter to the fans who miss the crunch of a bicycle hitting a thug's skull in real-time. It’s fast. It’s brutal.
The "Agent" fighting style is the biggest curveball RGG has thrown in years. You’ve got high-tech gadgets like the "Spider" wire, which lets you lasso enemies like a noir-style Spider-Man, and drones that swarm the battlefield. It’s a bit ridiculous. It’s very Sega. But it works because it highlights the difference between the "Legendary Yakuza" Kiryu and the "Eraser" Joryu. One fights with honor and raw strength; the other uses whatever tools the Daidoji give him to get the job done quickly.
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Sotenbori is the Star (Again)
Most of the action takes place in Sotenbori, the Osaka district we’ve visited a dozen times before. Usually, recycling a map feels lazy. Here, it feels like coming home. The neon lights of the Dotonbori-inspired canal look better than ever on the Dragon Engine. Because the game is smaller in scope, the developers packed Sotenbori with an incredible amount of density.
You spend a lot of time at "The Castle," a massive, secret gambling barge hidden in the bay. This is where the game’s meat is. The Coliseum returns, and it’s easily the best version in the series. You can build your own fighter clan—the Joryu Clan—and engage in massive team-based brawls that feel like a chaotic version of the old Yakuza 6 Clan Creator, but actually fun this time because you’re controlling Kiryu in the middle of the mosh pit.
The Emotional Stakes Most People Miss
People often ask if they can play Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name as their first game. Short answer: No. Long answer: Definitely not.
This game is a reward for the people who sat through the 80-hour marathons of Yakuza 0 through 6. It assumes you know who the Tojo Clan is. It assumes you care about the Omi Alliance. Most importantly, it assumes you understand the weight of Kiryu's sacrifice at the Morning Glory orphanage.
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There is a specific scene at the end of this game—you’ll know it when you see it—involving a tablet and a video recording. It’s perhaps the most human Kiryu has ever been. He isn't the invincible superhero in that moment. He's just a dad who misses his kids. I’ve seen grown men on Twitch sob during that cutscene. It’s that powerful. It validates the existence of the entire game. Without this "side story," Kiryu’s appearance in Infinite Wealth would have felt unearned and somewhat hollow.
The Combat Split: Yakuza vs. Agent
- Yakuza Style: This is your classic Kiryu. Big swings, heavy finishers, and the ability to use "Resolute Counter" to power through hits. It’s for the purists.
- Agent Style: This is the crowd control king. Using the "Serpent" jet-shoes to rocket across the pavement is addictive.
- Heat Actions: They’re as creative as ever. Taking a selfie while an enemy gets beaten up in the background? Peak Yakuza humor.
Honestly, the balance is a bit tilted. Once you upgrade the Spider wire, you can basically cheese most street fights. But who cares? Yakuza has always been about the power fantasy, and swinging four guys around by their ankles never gets old.
How the Game Fits Into the 2026 Landscape
Looking back from where we are now in 2026, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name stands out as a turning point for how Sega handles the franchise. It proved that "smaller" games can have just as much impact as the 100-hour epics. It showed that there is a massive market for mid-priced, 15-20 hour experiences that don't respect your time any less than a AAA blockbuster.
The game also bridges the gap between the 2019 "Great Dissolution" of the Yakuza clans seen in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. We finally see what Kiryu was doing in the background while Ichiban was busy running a confectionery business and fighting a giant vacuum cleaner. It turns out, he was doing the heavy lifting that allowed the dissolution to happen in the first place.
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The Side Content: Pocket Circuit and Cabaret Clubs
You can't talk about a Like a Dragon game without mentioning the "distractions."
- Pocket Circuit: It’s back. The slot-car racing from Yakuza 0 and Kiwami makes a triumphant return. Watching a 50-year-old legendary hitman scream in agony because his tiny toy car fell off the track is the kind of tonal whiplash only this series provides.
- Live-Action Cabaret: This was a controversial choice. Instead of 3D models, the hostesses are played by real actresses in FMV (Full Motion Video) sequences. It’s a bit jarring at first. Kinda feels like a throwback to the 90s Sega Saturn era. It’s definitely "horny on main," but it’s a quirky experiment that actually grows on you.
Why the Ending Changes Everything
The ending of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is the real reason this game exists. It leads directly into the opening hours of Infinite Wealth, but it does so by stripping Kiryu of his legend. For decades, he was the guy who could fix anything with his fists. By the end of Gaiden, we realize he’s just a pawn in a much larger, more cynical game being played by the Daidoji.
It’s a sobering reality. It sets the stage for his character arc in the subsequent games where he finally has to face his own mortality. If you played Infinite Wealth and wondered why Kiryu seemed so resigned to his fate, this game provides the "why."
Actionable Tips for New Players
If you're picking this up today, don't just rush the main story. You'll finish it in about 8-10 hours and feel cheated. The magic is in the margins.
- Max out the Coliseum early: The money you earn from the Hell Team Rumble is essential for upgrading Kiryu’s stats. You’ll need millions of yen for the late-game abilities, and street fights don’t pay the bills.
- Talk to Akame: The "Akame Network" is the main side-quest hub. Doing "Stroll n' Fight" missions might seem repetitive, but they unlock the best gear in Sotenbori.
- Master the "Spider" wire: In the Coliseum, you can use the wire to pull enemies off the edge or into environmental hazards. It’s the fastest way to clear the "100-man" challenges.
- Watch the Credits: Seriously. Don't skip them. The post-credits scene is the most important five minutes of character development Kiryu has had in a decade.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name isn't just a side story. It’s a necessary confession from a character who spent his whole life trying to be a hero, only to realize that sometimes, being a hero means losing your name entirely. It’s compact, it’s punchy, and it’s arguably the most focused the series has been since Yakuza 0. Whether you're here for the gadgets or the tears, it delivers.
To get the most out of the experience, ensure you've at least watched a summary of Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon (7). Without that context, the emotional payoff in the final chapter won't land with the force it's intended to. Once you finish, move immediately into Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth to see how Kiryu's journey concludes.