Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii owes a lot to Like A Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name. Instead of being the next big Like A Dragon game, The Man Who Erased His Name was a more focused entry. It was sold as being a game that would help lead directly into Infinite Wealth, and justify Kiryu’s place in the story.
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Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii, on the other hand, is the next side story title in the franchise. It follows everyone’s favorite cyclopean anti-hero as he goes on his very own pirate-themed adventure. Both games are side stories, and both share a lot of gameplay elements and design principles while diverging in a couple of interesting ways – especially in terms of narrative. This all begs the question: which Like A Dragon side story title is better?
6
Which Game Has The Better Story?
Winner – The Man Who Erased His Name
The Man Who Erased His Name and Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii have similar, yet different, approaches to their stories. Both are side games that are strongly tethered to another title in the franchise. Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii, on the other hand, builds around the plot of Infinite Wealth to craft a separate adventure that is connected to what came before it, yet largely independent.
The Man Who Erased His Name tried to tie itself more closely to the mainline titles, attempting to act as a bridge between Yakuza: Like A Dragon and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Infinite Wealth was clearly hesitant to lean too heavily on anything established in The Man Who Erased His Name which, in retrospect, diminished the impact of certain plot points. However, there is a lot of emotional depth in Kiryu’s journey, which makes up for some of that awkwardness.
Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii, on the other hand, is a fun adventure. It acts as a bit of a character study of Majima at times, and does a great job melding the different versions of him we’ve seen over the years into one. It doesn’t really have much in the way of twists and turns, instead focusing on swashbuckling and seafaring. It is probably the most straightforward plot in the series, though it gives Majima lots of opportunities to shine, which is worth the price of admission itself.
There is some awkwardness with The Man Who Erased His Name’s story, but it pulls out the win with its big, impactful moments. Pirate Yauza in Hawaii has the jolly (roger) vibes, but The Man Who Erased His Name has an ending that will moisten your eyes.
5
Which Game Has The Better Combat?
Winner – Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
The bread and butter of a great action game is its combat. Here, The Man Who Erased His Name has an excellent claim to fame: the Spider Gadget. This device allows Kiryu to fling stun opponents, fling opponents, bounce them off the ground, or use them as a bludgeon to swat away groups of foes.
It is extremely dynamic and can be used to create elaborate combos. If you don’t want to embrace the pure absurdity of it all, you have the classic Dragon of Dojima style that you can fall back on, giving you that classic brawler experience that has made Kiryu so iconic. This is all pretty hard to compete with…
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You will find stylish combat, fancy presentation, and plenty of enemies in all of these games.
…but Majima is even more fun to play as. Not only are both of his styles absurdly enjoyable to use, but switching between them is absolutely seamless. Majima is fast, his attack strings are buttery smooth, and the game has given you a jump button to tool around with – which has a whole slew of enjoyable applications. With the jump button comes a new feature for the series: aerial combos. That’s right, we’re Devil May Cry now.
Oh, and to top it all off, Majima gets the Chain Hook. This tool may not be quite as versatile as Kiryu’s Spider Gadget, but when paired with the rest of his kit, it is pretty damn close. And don’t even get me started on how good the perfect block feels in the Sea Dog style. That technique alone elevates everything. This is the best action has ever felt in the Like A Dragon series.
4
Which Game Has The Better Locations?
Winner – The Man Who Erased His Name
More than most games, the world of every Like A Dragon game feels deeply integral to each title. And in this respect, both of these games provide strong offerings. Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has you exploring the vast city of Honolulu. Additionally, you have two smaller locations in Rich Island and Madlantis. There is plenty to see and do, with a ton of charming substories to complete in the process. Not to mention the fact that you get to sail the vast seas in between these locations, giving the game a grand sense of scale.
However, The Man Who Erased His Name features both Sotenbori and Ijincho. Both are iconic Yakuza series staples. While the beaches of Honolulu make for a fun change of pace, the winding Ijincho alleys and the hustle and bustle of the Sotenbori downtown just have too much charm to deny. Moreover, while you poke around these beloved locations, you inevitably run into fan-favorite characters like Kaito from Judgment! Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is no slouch in this regard, but the winner has to be The Man Who Erased His Name.
3
Which Game Has The Better Minigames?
Winner – Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
What would a Like A Dragon game be without minigames? I’d argue it wouldn’t be a Like A Dragon game at all. And boy, The Man Who Erased His Name has quite a few. You can play darts, shogi, golf, mahjong, poker, and karaoke. Head to the arcade and hammer the buttons and wiggle the stick with classics like Virtua FIghter 2 and Fighting Vipers 2. Head to your hideout and you can play a whole slew of Master System titles. You want more? Well, what about Pocket Racer? That’s right, baby, it’s back and better than ever!
Unfortunately for The Man Who Erased His Name, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii has almost all the same games, but on top of them, it has the best version of the batting cage in the entire series, a cooking game in the form of Goro Goro Kitchen, Infinite Wealth’s delightful Sicko Snap minigame returns, as does Crazy Delivery – with redesigned courses too.
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The Yakuza series is pretty strange on its own, but the minigames take it to a whole new level.
Finally, Yakuza: Like A Dragon’s Mario Kart-inspired Dragon Kart is present in Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii as well. Hell, even the arcade games are better, as Virtua Fighter 3 and Spikeout are present. Sorry, Sonic The Fighters, you just aren’t better than Spikeout.
The only minigames that The Man Who Erased His Name has that Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii doesn’t, is the deeply unsettling Cabaret Club, and the delightful Pocket Racer. I won’t lie, I think the Pocket Racer campaign in The Man Who Erased His Name is quite possibly the highlight of that game, and I would have loved to see it return here, but it isn’t enough to overcome the absolutely killer roster of minigames contained within the hallowed hulls of Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii.
2
Which Game Has Better Coliseum Battles?
Winner – Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
One of the central gameplay elements found in both The Man Who Erased His Name and Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is the Coliseum. Both will have you assemble a crew and lead them into battle against armies of foes. This was pretty novel when it was introduced in The Man Who Erased His Name, but by making your team a pirate crew, Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii has spiced this aspect up considerably.
Now your crew doesn’t just hang out in a club, waiting for you to return from your daily chores, but instead travels the seven seas alongside you. It’s a huge upgrade to the vibes. Moreover, The Man Who Erased His Name’s coliseum consists solely of varying-sized groups squaring off, while Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii adds naval combat into the mix. The Man Who Erased His Name deserves some credit for doing it first, but there is no question about who does it better.
1
Which Game Is Better?
Winner – Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii
The Man Who Erased His Name is a fine game. It gives Kiryu fans another opportunity to walk a mile in his snake-skin shoes. The Spider Gadget is a joy to play with, and opens the way for an expressive combat engine, and if you loved Pocket Racer in Yakuza Zero, you’ll be enamored by the top-shelf Pocket Racer campaign featured in The Man Who Erased His Name. But Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is just a better game in nearly every way imaginable.
Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii uses the formula established in The Man Who Erased His Name as a springboard and builds off of every element. The end result is just a fantastic experience that tops The Man Who Erased His Name at every turn. I’m sorry to say it, but after playing through Majima’s majestic adventure. Of course, some may appreciate the more ground story of The Man Who Erased His Name, and that stellar Pocket Racer campaign could sway others, but I know where I stand. Yo-ho-ho, it’s a Pirate Yakuza’s life for me!
- Released
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February 21, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Engine
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Dragon Engine
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- PC Release Date
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February 21, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
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February 21, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
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February 21, 2025
- X|S Optimized
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Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
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45.03 GB
- Number of Players
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Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
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Unknown
- OpenCritic Rating
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Strong