Summary
- Substories in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza focus on beating thugs in wacky adventures through story-driven quests.
- Finding Dark Instruments through tough battles with Devil Flag Pirates enhances Sea Dog stance in the game.
- Engaging in mini-games, collecting fortunes, and completing side quests like Aloha Links add depth and rewards to gameplay.
Like other entries in the series, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has specific side quests called Substories. These are typically wackier adventures in the game and are more focused on story than gameplay mechanics, typically boiling down to beating up a bunch of thugs. That’s how most of the game goes anyway as this is a modern brawler.

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The story alone is worth tackling these Substories anyway. There are bigger side quests in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii though which can start in the first few hours and last until the end of the game. These are the ones to look out for, which have some of the best rewards hiding behind them.
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Collecting Dark Instruments
Summon Like The Best Of Them
Finding the Dark Instruments will take a long time and it’s without a doubt the hardest side quest in the game. Players will come across a young girl, Misaki, who is crying over her dead father who was just murdered by the Devil Flag Pirates.
Players need to fight enemy ships from this armada, collect their flags, and then these flags will open up new areas. After defeating the boss of each region, players will be rewarded with a Dark Instrument. The first one, for example, is a violin that can summon sharks. These Devil Instruments make the Sea Dog stance better in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii as they are tied to the Madness Gauge and are quite powerful with four to collect in all.
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Finding Recruits
Building Up Your Ship’s Crew
Players will eventually unlock the power to get NPCs to join their crew in Chapter Two. They are mostly scattered around Honolulu and require a variety of things before joining. Obispo, for example, wants players to eat at his restaurant, Tropical, five times.
Once they do, he will join the team. Another character, Kazami Evolution, will join the party once they have collected ten CDs. Recruits in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii can be placed on the ship and will help boost attack power during combat, and they can level up too.
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Go Through Mini-Games
There Are Many Exclusive Shops
Most mini-games in are tied to Substories and many are mandatory the first time through. They can be a lot of fun to play and there are rewards for some too. NPCs who control these mini-games will have shops set up with exclusive items like clothing or recruits, and the latter of which is most important.

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For example, players can engage with Dragon Kart, which is a spin on the Mario Kart franchise. There is also Crazy Delivery which is like Crazy Taxi but on a bike and Sicko Snap which is like a stranger version of Pokemon Snap.
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Finding Fortunes
It’s A Big City
The very first Substory in the game is called Kamulop, Fortunes Unfolded, which is mandatory, and it will have players defend a large mascot named Kamulop. After this brief Substory, Kamulop will explain that there are fortunes all over town. These will look different from other objects on the ground as they will glow with a golden hue. Each fortune is different with an attached point value. With points, players can buy things in Kamulop’s shop similar to the mini-game shops. It’s just a lot more arduous to collect bonuses like recruits this way but important nonetheless.
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Aloha Links
Collect Friends With A Wave
Aloha Links will be unlocked once players reach the Revolve Bar for the story. The bartender, Kei, will download an app for Goro called Aloha Links. All players have to do is wave at NPCs around town, which will unlock their friend profile on the app. Some NPCs require more effort, like drinks to sustain their health, or animals need food. It’s a long side quest to complete, but players can get some good early rings in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii out of it, and Kei and her boss, Andre Richardson, will unlock as recruits.
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The Vocational School
Gain Knowledge And Points
The Vocational School is tied to a Substory that requires players to pass one quiz, which is not that hard to pass for those with a general knowledge level. Once finished, the rest can be taken at any time and are not tied to a direct Substory.

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The quizzes range from facts about Sega games to oceanography. They are kind of hard to take without guides and they are costly. However, taking them is a good way to rack up points to unlock skills in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.
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Goro Kingdom
Collecting And Caring For Animals
Animals can be fed all over Honolulu for the Aloha Links side quest. Then some animals can be recruited for the Goro Kingdom ranch back on Rich Island. They will be marked with a paw print on the Honolulu map. Once rescued, players will have to feed them outside of the dock area on Rich Island.
The rewards are minimal, mostly focused on cooking ingredients like eggs or meat, but it is fun to watch a hardened criminal like Goro feed a bunch of cute animals like chickens and dogs.
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Diamond Head Bounties
A Great Way To Get Cash
Players can start to collect bounties around Honolulu, which expands beyond to other islands. The Diamond Head is tied to the story and once visited, players will start to see handcuff icons appear all over town. Their bounty amount will be listed as well as their difficulty level.
There are A LOT of criminals to go after in the game, so it is tedious, but it’s also the best way to earn money. Turning Goro into a bounty hunter is not the weirdest thing in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii after all as he does become an honest-to-goodness pirate captain.
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