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Yakuza 8 is now Like a Dragon 8 and it’s getting a Kiryu spinoff prequel

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Ryu Ga Gotoku and Sega have revealed that Yakuza 8, now officially titled Like a Dragon 8, will launch in early 2024 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It’ll feature the return of Kazuma Kiryu, whose appearance will be explained in a new spinoff title: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

The game will star both Yakuza: Like a Dragon protagonist Ichiban Kasuga and series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. This time around Kiryu sports a new, gray hairstyle. According to RGG, this will be the largest game in the series to date. It will feature turn-based RPG combat again and it seems like Kiryu will have his own party to romp around with.

Like a Dragon 8 | Announcement Trailer

RGG also announced a spinoff game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S as well. This will launch in 2023 and show events following Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and leading up to Like a Dragon 8. RGG says that it will be roughly half as long as a typical game in the series and will features a more “classic” Yakuza experience which most likely means it’ll be an action-adventure brawler.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name | Announcement Trailer

Following yesterday’s announcement of Like A Dragon: Ishin! during the September State of Play presentation, RGG announced a February release window for the game. Now, the studio confirmed that it will launch on February 21, 2023.

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It also seems like Sega is dropping the “Yakuza” moniker from the franchise going forward and going with “Like a Dragon.” The latter name is a more accurate translation of the franchise’s Japanese name, as series creator, Toshiro Nagoshi felt that dragons provoke the feelings of strength the series is known for.

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George Yang
George Yang
George Yang is a freelance games writer for Digital Trends. He has written for places such as IGN, GameSpot, The Washington…
I have a problem, but it took seeing myself in a video game to face it
Kiryu and Kasuga stand side by side in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

On January 4, I received an email I had both been anticipating and dreading for months. My copy of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, one of my most anticipated games of 2024, had dropped into my inbox. Usually, that moment would give me a jolt of energy. I love critiquing games that have real substance, and I was still chewing on 2020’s unforgettable Yakuza: Like a Dragon several years later. That RPG tells a thematically rich story about an unlikely hero finding his confidence amid a quest to take on Japan’s criminal underworld.

But the desire to dive into the new game would come with one major caveat: I needed to give up the next three weeks of my life for it.

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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth makes gaming’s best hero even more lovable
Ichiban and Sujimon celebrating.

A good deal of RPG protagonists tend to be on the dark and broody side, if they're not altogether silent. That's usually justified -- they tend to go through circumstances that uproot their lives at best and, at worst, irrevocably ruin them. It would only be natural for that to have an impact on their overall demeanor.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's Ichiban Kasuga has also gone through plenty of tragedy, loss, and hardships himself. And yet, his unbreaking optimism somehow only shines brighter through that adversity. As was the case in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Kasuga continues to be a breath of fresh air in a sea of stoic characters, making him the perfect role model for 2024.
Number one
While I distinctly remember loving Ichiban and crew in 2020's Yakuza: Like a Dragon, it wasn't until I booted up Infinite Wealth that I connected the dots on exactly why. Ichiban has every reason to give up, to give in to the seemingly endless curveballs the world throws his way that are completely beyond his control. From birth, his life has been nothing but tragedies. The faint glimmers of hope or joy tend to only exist as a knife that can later be twisted in his back. Even at the end of his first game, despite being victorious, Ichiban's life is far from improved. In fact, it could even be considered worse.

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The best ways to farm money in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Kiryu and Kasuga grasp hands in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

The game may be called Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but Ichiban will have an empty wallet more often than not during his adventure. Being an ex-yakuza, work isn't exactly easy for him to come by, and things only get more complicated after he travels overseas to Hawaii. This new location isn't cheap, especially if you want to pick up some top-tier gear and weapons or just enjoy the more luxurious restaurants. All your Yen will be converted to dollars when you transition, making it easier to see just how poor you are at all times. Street brawls will get you a few bucks, but you'll need more efficient ways to earn some scratch by the mid to late game. Here are the best ways to farm money in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Best ways to farm money
Different methods for earning dough will open up as you get through the story. Early on, you will have to resort to picking fights, searching under vending machines and cars for loose change, and selling plates to get by, but don't waste too much time grinding these out. You'll open up way more lucrative income streams later on.
Crazy Delivery

If you played the first Like a Dragon, you probably remember the can collecting mini-game. The new version for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth doesn't have Ichiban racing to pick up cans to turn in for cash, but grabbing and delivering food for tips. This is a decent way to score some cash in the early game, especially if you maximize your score with tricks, bonuses, and speed, but it isn't as lucrative as you might think when first doing it. Even though you see a huge cash total getting racked up as you play, that's not actually how much you stand to earn. Instead, your total earnings are converted into points you can redeem for items or straight-up cash at $10 per 2,000 points.
Substories and stores
Substories are not only entertaining but quick and often reward you with a decent chunk of cash in addition to some unique gear. This isn't grindable, exactly, as you will eventually run out of substories, but it's good for a quick cash injection when you need it. Also, that gear you get from them or from shops should be sold as you get new and better stuff to replace the old ones. You can automatically equip the better gear, but you have to make it a point to specifically sell old gear at pawn shops. When there, you have to pick the "Sell gear" option since gear doesn't show up when selling your normal items and junk.
Be a Sujimon master!

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