Tokyo Game Show 2024

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Fuse Pirates and Yakuza in Fun New Romp

And here I was always wondering if ninja-pirates or pirate-ninjas were stronger. Turns out the real answer is pirate-yakuza.

In 2024, fans of the Like a Dragon franchise once again took on the role of Ichiban Kasuga and were transported to the foreign local of Hawaii in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. So what if the Like a Dragon franchise were to return to Hawaii, but with Goro Majima at the literal helm? Well, you get the pirate-yakuza game Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. As silly as that sounds, seeing your favorite characters dress up as pirates is amazing. Tokyo Game Show 2024 gave fans a chance to experience the game hands-on.

When I looked at Infinite Wealth at the Tokyo Game Show 2023 I noted, “It's almost jarring seeing the characters from the Like a Dragon franchise outside of the gritty streets of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya, Japan, and placed in sunny Hawaii.” But, with the game out and the idea of surfer brah yakuza in the Like a Dragon franchise, the new Pirate Yakuza doesn't feel out of place. Instead, it feels like an extension of the absurdity in that now we have fan favorite character Goro Majima running around as not only a Hawaiian-shirt-wearing yakuza, but also a full-blown pirate.

Granted, Majima isn't always running around dressed as a pirate. Rather, the opening of the Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Tokyo Game Show 2024 demo has him generally enjoying the island state. Or, at least for the side content preview section of the demo. While I only spent a few minutes in this section, it's fun seeing a generally dapper-adjacent yakuza running around Hawaii.

I also noticed many returning features from Infinite Wealth in the Hawaii section of the Pirate Yakuza demo. These include the Hawaiian thugs and mini games like food delivery or kart racing. However, the few combats encounters I had while in Hawaii reverted Pirate Yakuza's combat to a more traditional open world combat system for the series and not the turn-based combat from Infinite Wealth.

It's in the combat where some of the absurdity of Pirate Yakuza starts to shine. While you still have special attacks or overcharged combo attacks, once you build up a specific combat gauge Majima goes from wearing a Hawaiian shirt to wearing a full pirate outfit and wielding a cutlass and flintlock pistol. It's wild seeing this in a game series that takes certain aspects about itself seriously. And yet, after seeing the combat in Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza is a great addition to the franchise's more absurd combat.

But, as fun as some of the ancillary aspects of a Like a Dragon game are, if the story isn't there, it's hard to justify what's going on. Pirate Yakuzadoesn't seem to disappoint in this regard, either. During the demo, Majima and his crew travel to a secretive pirate cove called Madlantis where we're introduced to Queen Michele and are tasked with meeting a pirate named Keith. While this appears more like mid-early game content, we get a certain level of scale regarding the story. Firstly, if Madlantis is featured so prominently in the demo, we can assume we'll be returning here often for major story beats. Secondly, it's revealed Keith and Majima had a go at each other before their meeting in the demo. This made me curious about what happened between the two characters to create such animosity between them. And having a base understanding for Like a Dragon games, Majima is likely going to be taken on a grand adventure undercovering the goings on with Madlantis, Queen Michele, and Keith.

I'm curious what Pirate Yakuza will bring on its release, especially with Madlantis. And while I didn't have the chance to explore the minigames or side content in depth, I hope we get more than what was in the demo. So, if you want some high seas action in your Like a Dragon games,Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is something you'll want to check out.