Yakuza is a beloved series that captured many fans with the release of Yakuza 0 and has never looked back since. With its rebranding to Like a Dragon, fans are now witnessing this series’ dominance in its entirety as they’re treated to a truckload of mainline entries and glorious spinoffs.
Related
Yakuza: 5 Games That Deserve A Remake Or Re-Release
A few of the Yakuza franchise’s games still deserve a second chance. These titles could be fit for a remake or re-release.
The game also features both turn-based and real-time combat, with these battle systems being pushed to their very limit in fights against ridiculously powerful bosses. Some of the hardest foes in the Yakuza series are no joke and are downright impossible to defeat without a ton of healing items.
8
Tsuneo Iwami
Tackling The Final Boss Without Any Healing Items Can Be A Huge Pain
- Released
-
April 17, 2018
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Yakuza 6 is a fun game that was supposed to mark Kiryu’s final adventure in the series, only for Infinite Wealth to take over in this department instead. However, this title is still great and features themes of old things and people being replaced by a new generation, which ties perfectly with Kiryu’s current position in the Yakuza world.
While the final boss may be somewhat of a disappointment, Tsuneo Iwami can still shock players with his immense strength. It’s a challenging final boss, and players without enough recovery items will be left frustrated after losing this battle and having to go all the way back before the ending gauntlet begins to restock.
7
Futoshi Shimano
Giving Mr. Shakedown’s Moveset To The Game’s First Boss Is A Brutal Decision
- Released
-
August 29, 2017
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Strong
While Yakuza Kiwami was mostly an improvement over the original game, there are some areas where this game falters. Removing Shimano’s original moveset and replacing it with Mr. Shakedown’s attacks is lazy and makes the game’s first boss a nightmare to deal with.
Yakuza 0 players may be experienced enough to read these slow moves and dodge them accordingly, but newcomers to the series will be left frustrated after being blown away by the sheer knockback and damage of his attacks over and over again. It’s an unnecessarily hard boss fight that doesn’t do justice to the many great boss encounters that Kiryu will participate in after this underwhelming encounter.
6
Lau Ka Long
His Bladed Attacks Can Be A Nightmare To Deal With
Action-Adventure
Beat ‘Em Up
- Released
-
September 5, 2006
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ // Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, Violence
In both Yakuza and the Kiwami remake, Lau Ka Long is an intimidating foe who shouldn’t be underestimated. The fact that Kiryu himself is rattled at the prospect of facing off against this foe proves just how much of a worthy challenge he is
Related
5 Unique Crime Games That You Should Try
Whether from the perspective of those committing crimes or investigating them, these titles take players on a fascinating journey.
While his unarmed moveset is relatively easy to deal with, players will find themselves struggling when he uses a polearm and dual swords in various phases of his boss fight. Players must ensure that their dodging is on point since a single hit from these bladed weapons can spell disaster for Kiryu and shave off a ton of his health bar as he falls helplessly to the ground.
5
Man In Black
Once The Knife Boots Come Into Play, Kiryu Will Be In For A World Of Hurt
Action
Adventure
Beat ‘Em Up
- Released
-
August 28, 2018
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
Yakuza Kiwami 2 boasts one of the greatest antagonists in video game history who is fought against three times, with each encounter being quite riveting in its own right. However, in terms of pure challenge, most people agree that Ryuji is overshadowed by an assassin clad in black who is downright annoying to deal with.
His first phase is easier to deal with because of Kiryu’s ability to block most of his damaging attacks, only for him to reveal a set of knives in his boots that kickstart the second phase. Players who don’t dodge his deadly attacks in this phase will see Kiryu fall on the floor over and over again as he’s unable to deal with the ferocity of the Man in Black.
4
Seishiro Munakata
His Pistol-Wielding Goons Make The Battle More Complicated Than It Needs To Be
- Released
-
March 15, 2011
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
Regardless of the many missteps in Yakuza 4‘s plot, fans forgive these problems for the epic confrontation at the end of the game. Seeing the protagonists decked out in black suits as they head to the top of the Millennium Tower for the final fight is a blast.
While the other three protagonists have relatively straightforward fights that aren’t too tricky, the same can’t be said for Tanimura. He must face off against the corrupt commissioner of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, who comes to the battle with his lackeys. All of them wield guns, making this fight a frustrating affair as Tanimura struggles to take out the gun-toting policeman before giving Munakata a piece of his mind.
3
Kyohei Jingu
His Boss Fight Is Made Significantly Harder In The Kiwami Remake
Props should be given to Yakuza Kiwami for increasing the difficulty of the fight against Kyohei Jingu, even if the fight itself can be frustrating. In the original game, Jingu takes potshots from afar and runs away whenever Kiryu comes too close, preferring that his bodyguards engage him in battle instead.
Related
8 Open-World Games With the Best New Game+ Modes
These open-world games stay fresh and exciting thanks to what their New Game+ modes offer.
However, in Kiwami, Jingu’s moveset is more flamboyant and lets him use his pistol in creative ways to take Kiryu down. This is frustrating for obvious reasons, and players must have a decent hoard of restoratives to power through these gunshots and deal enough damage to Jingu to win this encounter.
2
Goro Majima & Taiga Saejima
A Huge Difficulty Spike That Will Leave Players Tearing Their Hair Out
- Released
-
November 10, 2020
- ESRB
-
M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- OpenCritic Rating
-
Mighty
With a shift to turn-based combat, Yakuza: Like a Dragon encourages players to check out the optional combat arenas and switch jobs to make their party as strong as possible. However, after reaching Sotenbori and launching an assault on the Omi Headquarters, Ichiban and his group will be stopped in their tracks by two of the most legendary Yakuza in the series.
Both bosses are Level 50 and no joke, with Majima joining the fray first as he attacks the party along with his afterimages. The battle becomes even harder after his clones are taken out, with Saejima joining the fray to add to the player’s despair. Ichiban must be buffed and kept at high health at all times since the Heat Move this duo pulls off can end the battle in a single hit if Ichiban isn’t protected from this powerful attack.
1
Every Amon Fight
The Hardest Fight In Every Yakuza Game By A Country Mile
- Appears in every Yakuza/Like a Dragon Game
Every Yakuza game rewards players for completing each respective game’s substories by letting them take on the ultimate challenge. Jo Amon is usually the superboss that fans face off against in a battle for the ages, although other members of the Amon Clan join the fray in spinoff titles and titles with multiple protagonists.
As one would expect, every Amon fight is no joke and will force players to adopt different strategies to deal with these imposing foes. From summoning drones in battle to filling up empty item slots with faulty restoratives, there’s no end of odd strategies that the Amon clan will implement to come out victorious in these hard-as-nails battles that serve as the ultimate challenge in their respective Yakuza games.
More
Yakuza/Like A Dragon: Best Cities In Sega’s Franchise
The Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise has explored several cities over the years. These are the best of the bunch.