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Like a Dragon Gaiden. A man in a horned mask.

Do You Need to Play Other Yakuza Games Before Like a Dragon Gaiden?

Like a Dragon Gaiden sees the return of long-time series protagonist (and sometimes co-protagonist) Kazuma Kiryu. But if you’re thinking of tackling the game, you’ll want to know, do you need to play other Yakuza games before Like a Dragon Gaiden?

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Here’s Whether You Should Jump in With Like a Dragon Gaiden

Do you need to play other Yakuza games? You don’t absolutely have to, but I would recommend that you do. The game makes some effort to get new players up to speed with exposition and flashbacks but you’ll miss out on a lot if you haven’t played at least Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life before playing Like a Dragon Gaiden.

Early on there are plenty of nods to other titles, such as the ‘tribute’ fighters in the colosseum. And there’s also mention of a fuzzy-haired guy who got shot, being healed by the homeless camp’s doctor. But unless you’ve played Yakuza: Like a Dragon, you’ll just be scratching your head.

Related: Is Goro Majima in Like a Dragon Gaiden?

Then there’s Kiryu himself. The game talks about the orphanage he had at one point run and makes it clear that the continued welfare of the kids there is his only real motivator. But unless you’ve seen him with Haruka, his adopted daughter, that won’t have as much impact as the game wants.

As you progress through the game, Like a Dragon Gaiden relies more and more on you knowing about previous titles, including appreciating the journey of Like a Dragon protagonist Ichiban. But if you’ve not played Yakuza: Like a Dragon you won’t know who the hell Ichiban is.

So, the answer to do you need to play other Yakuza games before Like a Dragon Gaiden is no, not exactly, but the game won’t be half as impactful if you haven’t played the sixth and seventh games.


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Author
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Chris McMullen
Chris McMullen is a freelance contributor at The Escapist and has been with the site since 2020. He returned to writing about games following several career changes, with his most recent stint lasting five-plus years. He hopes that, through his writing work, he settles the karmic debt he incurred by persuading his parents to buy a Mega CD. Outside of The Escapist, Chris covers news and more for GameSpew. He's also been published at such sites as VG247, Space, and more. His tastes run to horror, the post-apocalyptic, and beyond, though he'll tackle most things that aren't exclusively sports-based. At Escapist, he's covered such games as Infinite Craft, Lies of P, Starfield, and numerous other major titles.