The Best Healing Items in Like a Dragon: Ishin, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Specialty items like Omusubi, Vitality Pills, and Ultra All-Purpose Medicine boost health effectively.
• Cooking dishes in-game with premium ingredients can provide additional health benefits and buffs.
• Strategic use of farm upgrades and friendship bonds can optimize health recovery options in battles.

The formerly Japan-exclusive Like a Dragon: Ishin finally reached the rest of the world last year via its remake, which added a bunch of quality-of-life improvements. The original PS4 game was the first to introduce the style-switching seen in Yakuza 0, as Ryoma Sakamoto switches between his fists, sword, and gun, and the sword and gun at the same time.

It’s not exactly the hardest game in the Yakuza/LAD series, though if players head into big encounters without preparing, they could end up paying dearly for it. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to recover health in the game, with plenty of restaurants, rest stops, and healing items. Whether they’re bought, earned, or crafted, these are the best ones in the game.

10 The Special Omusubi

Divine Grace Wrapped Up in Rice and Nori

• Increase the Shinto Priest Exchange Level to 5 (Priest’s Omusubi), max out friendship bond with Akari (Akari’s Omusubi), and max out Haruka’s trust level (Haruka’s Omusubi).
• Pros: Decent health recovery, can be stockpiled with enough Virtue (Priest’s Omusubi).
• Cons: Takes a long time and a lot of Virtue to make the Priest’s Omusubi worth using, and Akari and Haruka’s Omusubi are only occasionally handed out after completing their bonds.

Perhaps better known as onigiri (or jelly donuts to Pokemon fans), Omusubi are rice balls with a filling inside. It’s basically the rice-based equivalent of a sandwich, and there are a few bog-standard ones in Ishin that’ll recover slivers of health. However, there are some specially-made omusubi in the game that’ll heal more than any storefront riceball.

With 50 Virtue, players can buy specially handcrafted ones from the Priest. At first, they’re nothing special, but if the player fully maxes out his Exchange Level to 5, his Musubi will heal 1,000 HP per serving. Akari the Shrine Maiden and Haruka will offer better riceballs, healing 1,500HP and 2,000HP respectively, but they only hand them out occasionally, and they require maxing out their friendship. It’s RNG, but at least it’s free RNG.

9 Special Vitality Pill

The Best Form of Faith Healing

• Increase the Shinto Priest’s Exchange Level to 3 to make it available on his Exchange list.
• Pros: Will completely max out Ryoma’s health no matter what state he’s in.
• Cons: Can only be bought with Virtue, making it harder to stockpile.

Not that players need to completely top up their friendship with the Priest to get special health recovery items. The Special Vitality Pill becomes available right at Level 3, and will completely max out Ryoma’s health when taken, even if he’s at death’s door. However, it can only be bought with Virtue, not with cash, and it’s 200 Virtue per pill.

That’s still cheap compared to the other upgrades, but it all adds up over time. If players don’t have enough to spare, they can swig some Spirit Sake to earn 500 Virtue at once. That is if they can find it in the pots lying around town or win some at the prize wheel. Otherwise, if they get a gold ball on the Rare Prize Wheel, they can get the Enlightenment Manju, which will give them more than enough Virtue to stockpile these pills.

8 Ultra All-Purpose Medicine

A Rare Prize That Offers a High Reward

• Spend 5 Prize Tickets on the Rare Prize Wheel and get a red ball to win this.
• Pros: Will instantly fill up Ryoma’s health and heat once taken.
• Cons: Requires playing the Prize Wheel multiple times to get the Rare Prize Wheel, then a lot of luck and prize tickets to obtain just one dose.

The Enlightenment Manju can also help the player afford 6 doses of the Special All Purpose Medicine from the Priest’s Virtue Exchange. It’s 500 Virtue per dose, recovers 1,000HP, and gives Ryoma 3 Heat to work with. As powerful as it is, it’s not quite as economical as just stockpiling on its weaker Deluxe equivalent, which can be bought with cash at the pharmacy.

Since the game practically throws prize tickets at Ryoma at every step, players could try their luck at the prize wheels. On top of the Manju and Spirit Sake, it can offer other goodies, like the Ultra All-Purpose Medicine. If players get this from the Rare Prize Wheel, they’ll get to max out their health and heat in one go. Good luck getting more than 1 or 2 of these at a time though.

7 Longevity Pill

Does What It Says in the Title

• Max out friendship bond with the Ecchudo Pharmacy apothecary in Kawaramachi, Rakunai.
• Pros: Will recover more health per dose than any other purchasable medicine, and recover Heat too.
• Cons: Requires completing a friendship bond by testing multiple health-draining meds, and is expensive to buy in bulk.

If players would rather save their Virtue for their farm in Another Life or other upgrades, then they can get their hands on the Longevity Pill from Ecchudo Pharmacy. It offers 1,300HP per dose, and +3 Heat for a bonus. It’s 8,000 mon a pop though and requires testing the apothecary’s experimental medicine.

It’s a substory that’ll see Ryoma take all sorts of drugs as a test, and usually come out worse for wear until the last trial (thank Buddha there’s a Sushi Zanmai around the block from the pharmacy). Once complete, the finalized Longevity Pill will be ready. Despite this rigamarole, it’ll give Ryoma more pep in his step than the cheaper but weaker Deluxe Vitality Pill, which recovers 500HP per dose for 3,500 mon.

6 Refreshing Kakiage

Refreshing Health Bars With Each Dish

• Available after obtaining the Home Cook Kitchen Upgrade.
• Pros: Decent health recovery, and provides temporary status ailment invulnerability.
• Cons: Require significant investment in the farming minigame, only recovers 750HP if players fumble the cooking sections.

When starting out in Ishin, players should save as much Virtue as they can, and pile it all in upgrades for the Another Life farming minigame, from the field capacity to the kitchen. It’ll allow them to grow a ton of fruit and veg for fulfilling orders, making a ton of cash and a ton of dishes that could fix Ryoma up in a pinch.

For example, the Refreshing Kakiage requires the Home Cook Kitchen Upgrade, then an Octopus, 4 Burdock Roots, 1 Onion, 1 Green Onion, and 1 Ginger root. If they cook it successfully, it’ll recover 750HP and make Ryoma briefly immune to status ailments. Then, if they do each cooking section perfectly, it’ll become a premium dish and recover 1,500HP.

5 Refreshing Vegetable Salad

The Handiest Dish for Vegetarian Runs

• Available after obtaining the Home Cook Kitchen Upgrade.
• Pros: Will recover double the health if made perfectly, provides an elemental attack boost, and ingredients don’t take long to grow.
• Cons: Require significant investment in the farming minigame, only recovers 750HP if players fumble the cooking sections.

The issue with cooking dishes is that they require a lot of work to stockpile compared to just buying pills or ducking into restaurants. They must grow a ton of fruit & veg and go fishing regularly. However, some dishes are easier to stock up on than others, like the Refreshing Vegetable Salad.

All its ingredients can be grown in bulk on the farm, requiring 2 Turnips, 2 Eggplants, 2 Onions, 2 Carrots, and 3 Spinaches. If done perfectly, its premium version will recover 1,500HP and increase Ryoma’s elemental attack power. However, if they mess up, they’ll have to make do with 750HP instead.

4 Revolutionary Croquettes

Revolutionary Recovery

• Complete Substory #58 and befriend the Revolutionary Chef to unlock the recipe.
• Pros: Recovers a decent amount of health and heat, and ingredients don’t take long to grow.
• Cons: Substory doesn’t appear in the game for a while, and cooking takes time.

Quick dishes like the Vegetable Salad and Katameshi will come in handy for befriending the Revolutionary Chef. He requires a regular delivery of Ryoma’s home-cooked meals until he’s pleased enough to produce his own tasty dish, the Revolutionary Croquettes. He’ll also share the recipe with the player if they want to make their own.

It’s worth cooking too. With 2 packs of Udon Flour, an Egg, 3 Potatoes, a Carrot, and a Cucumber, Ryoma will cook a dish that’ll recover 1,500HP and +2 Heat. It’s a hard dish to make perfectly, but if they do, it’ll max out Ryoma’s health instead. It’s a lot of work that results in a strong reward.

3 Shrewd Castella

Requires Shrewd Thinking to Make Consistently

• Available to cook after obtaining the True Chef Kitchen Upgrade.
• Pros: Offers double the average health recovery if done perfectly, and will increase EXP gain temporarily.
• Cons: Requires a lot of ingredients to make, and it’s hard to perfect it.

The Shrewd Castella doesn’t require maxing out friendships, but it does require the True Chef Kitchen Upgrade to unlock the rest of Ryoma’s recipe list. It also requires 3 packs of Honey, 2 Udon Flours, and 15 Eggs per dish. Even with a fully upgraded chicken coop, players will have to buy a ton of eggs in town to make it.

It’s tricky to make too, as its cooking sections require tight timing. Getting it done will only recover 1,000HP, and temporarily increase the amount of EXP Ryoma gains from battle. If players master the cooking sections enough to make Premium Shrewd Castella, it’ll recover a beefy 2,000HP. Which would make it a handy lifesaver if players ran out of other items.

2 Food Be Thy Medicine Box

The Healing Power of Homemade Bento

• Available to cook after obtaining the True Chef Kitchen Upgrade.
• Pros: Provides regenerating health to go with its decent recovery, can max out health if done perfectly.
• Cons: Requires cooking 3 other dishes to make 1 box

The True Chef Kitchen Upgrade will also help players make full bento sets, where they can combine completed dishes with others to produce a beefy pick-me-up. If players have the time to make 1 Refreshing Kakiage, 1 Tekka Stew, 1 Refreshing Vegetable Salad, 5 Broad Beans, and a Cabbage, they can make the Food Be Thy Medicine Box.

It’ll provide 1,500HP if done right, and max out Ryoma’s health if done perfectly to go premium. Still, that’s a lot of cooking to get the same perks as the Revolutionary Croquettes. Only instead of boosting Ryoma’s heat gauge, it’ll make him regenerate his health for a while. That way, if they get knocked down after eating it, they can recover that lost health in a jiffy.

1 Unagi Mabushi

For the Warrior on the Go

• Available at Kamatora, South Karasuma Street, Rakunai.
• Pros: Decent health recovery, reasonable price, easily stockpiled.
• Cons: Only available at Kamatora.

But what if players don’t want to spend their whole session cooking up stuff? What if they just want to buy a bunch of healing items before pressing on with the story, substories, Battle Dungeons, etc.? Most restaurants will recover Ryoma’s health on the spot, though that won’t help them if they’re locked in a combat encounter with nothing in their inventory, and the different pills can only recover so much per dose (usually 500HP).

Luckily, the game offers the Bakumatsu era equivalent of takeout. They can pop into Kamatora in Rakunai, where they can buy dishes to scoff later. Their meals will recover at least 1,050HP each time for less than 2,000 mon, with their best dish being the Unagi Mabushi. It’s an eel-based rice bowl that’ll recover 1,500HP for 1,980 mon per serving. With enough mabushi in their inventory, players will be able to stay in the fight for longer.