Ranking the Yakuza Series: ‘Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name’
Author’s Note: Since this “Ranking the Yakuza Series” began years ago, Ryu Ga Gotoku studio has officially rebranded the Yakuza series by its Japanese title, ‘Like a Dragon.‘
I truly wanted to dislike Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name after my first few hours with the title. While I am a notorious die-hard Yakuza fan, the holdover nature of this title felt a little shoed-in for my tastes, and it quickly became difficult to care about what felt like a placeholder story. Each narrative beat felt tropey and overdone, like restaurants I had eaten at too many times, while each mechanic felt underbaked and lesser than other iterations within the series. There were some fresh features like the Spider Gadget that added some dynamism to combat, but most of the experience was disappointingly derivative and shallow. I was so ready not to cry at the finale to The Man Who Erased His Name, and yet – I did. This game gripped me despite itself and somehow extended an already overwrought conclusion to the protagonist of the series, Kazuma Kiryu’s, arc. By the end, I had found a way to see the good in this game.
Like a Dragon Gaiden features minimalist substories and threadbare side content that truly underwhelms someone like me who has exhausted each mainline Yakuza title, but integrates such progress with main story progression that entails ability upgrades and other enhancements that must be engaged with to be unlocked. Even if the actual doing of the side quests wasn’t memorable, it was worthwhile within the surprisingly combat-intensive segments of the gameplay. Like a Dragon Gaiden also promises to be a stepping stone between Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and the future installment, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, in which both in-game worlds fully collide. What I was not expecting, however, were the tie-ins with the Judgment series, specifically Lost Judgment, and the late-game plot beats of Ichiban’s journey from the turn-based story. These main story tie-ins elevated the experience beyond my initial and ongoing frustrations with other, more dull parts of the narrative.
Ultimately, I will only remember two moments from The Man Who Erased His Name: (1) the discovery of the Castle, a container ship city that you discover midway through the story, and (2) the tearful finale involving Kiryu finding closure with the orphans he has been unable to contact throughout the game. The former manifests proper Yakuza series grandeur, but instead of an impossible underground arena this time, our outlawed forays into degeneracy take place on the high seas away from prying authoritarian eyes. The latter involves an ongoing plot thread that started unspooling as early as the first Yakuza game, but arguably Yakuza 3, in terms of how the role of orphanages impacts our understanding of Kazuma Kiryu. Both plot threads fail to redeem the overall narrative justifications for The Man Who Erased His Name’s existence, but both are also interesting enough to feel important in their own ways – especially by the ending.
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Is the Game Fun?
Like a Dragon Gaiden has some wonderful new combat additions like the Spider Gadget. At the same time, however, the actual city is lacking in side content to the point of feeling like you are merely checking off boxes outside of the main story.
Does the Game Perform Well?
I didn’t hit any severe issues with performance on my Playstation 5. That being said, there were a few physics glitches, dropped inputs, and framerate hitches that took me out of the experience along the way. While nothing prevented progression, it was not the most impressive title in terms of performance.
Does the Game Have A Fitting Art Style?
This midway title isn’t trying to reinvent the Yakuza wheelhouse whatsoever, but what’s here that’s new – the suited up look for Kiryu, the costume design of new villains, the temple atmosphere of Kiryu’s isolation – works well enough to carry the experience on its own when it counts.
Does the Game Have a Unique Story or Premise?
The biggest strength of The Man Who Erased His Name is the premise. That is, Yakuza 6 seemed to be the definitive sign-off for Kazuma Kiryu. This title upends that promise and links it to the other games in the series in meaningful ways that set up the next game, Infinite Wealth.
Does the Game Have Replayability or Lasting Power?
You could play basically any other Yakuza title, save for maybe Dead Souls, and come away with a stronger impression than The Man Who Erased His Name leaves. I’m rather disappointed by this title and don’t think it has much to offer apart from serving as fodder for already die-hard Yakuza fans.
Verdict: 2.5/5
The Man Who Erased His Name isn’t interesting enough on its own to justify itself. It also has flickers of heart and intensity that carry the experience during the one or two moments where the player isn’t just ticking off Akame missions from the mini-map. Far from an essential title, The Man Who Erased His Name is only worth playing if you can’t make it for Infinite Wealth next year.
