All Like a Dragon: Ishin combat styles explained

In Like a Dragon: Ishin, Ryoma Sakamoto has a set of incredible combat styles. Set in the late Bakumatsu era, the age of Samurai was met with the more modern invention of the pistol. Players who take part in this epic battle have four combat styles they can choose from, and for most of the game, you can use whichever one you prefer.

Whether you want to punch people, shoot them, or cut them down with a katana, the options available are all quite strong. If Ryoma Sakamoto is going to find the Tennen Rishin user who killed his father, he'll have to use all the tools at his disposal.

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Which combat styles can Ryoma Sakamoto use in Like a Dragon: Ishin?

Ryoma Sakamoto will have access to all of his combat styles at the beginning of Like a Dragon: Ishin, but he will be introduced to them over the course of the game's intro. The styles available to him are Brawler, Swordsman, Gunman, and Wild Dancer.

You can use these as you please, and there's no one answer to which combat style is the best for Ryoma in Like a Dragon: Ishin. As you fight in a style, you gain exp in it, which gives you skill orbs that correspond to that weapon style. You also get grey orbs, which drop when you level up. You can use those in all combat styles.

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1) Brawler style

The brawler style speaks for itself. It’s all about punching your enemies in the face in Like a Dragon: Ishin. Fans of Yakuza 1/Kiwami will be reminded of this, as it also has facets of the Beast Style. Besides classic, fast melee combat, you can equip nearby objects and smash them over your foes.

Some of these items are incredible, and it's satisfying to punch your opponents. While it is one of the more reliable combat styles, it feels weaker than the other weapon-based styles Ryoma uses in Like a Dragon: Ishin.

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2) Swordsman style

In the classic katana style, Ryoma Sakamoto draws his sword and cuts down foes with slow, brutal efficiency. In Like a Dragon: Ishin, he has mastered the Itto-Ryu sword fighting style. This skill tree helps boost your damage and unlock devastating skills to activate.

While the Katana style is slower than Wild Dancer or Brawler, the charge attacks it can deal can break down defenses and cut a foe's health bar down to nothing in a hurry. It has heat attacks that can strike a foe coming at them from behind or when they're down.

There's no mercy from Ryoma in this combat style. Between the skill tree and upgrading your katana at the blacksmith, you can easily use this style to defeat several foes.

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3) Gunman style

Sometimes, you just need a pistol. It's not incredibly accurate at a distance with the basic attack, but it's fast and deals solid damage. This combat style's strong attack will burn some of the ammo you have equipped to deal slower charge shots that knock Ryoma back.

You can also unlock powerful special ammo shots, like the Flame Rounds, that trigger useful special effects. There will be battles in Like a Dragon: Ishin where your skill with a firearm will make things significantly easier as well.

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4) Wild Dancer style

My favorite combat style in Like a Dragon: Ishin is the Wild Dancer style. This reckless, fast-paced martial arts style combines Ryoma Sakamoto's blade and gun into one stance. He can spin and fire rapid shots or do a flurry of strikes while darting around from foe to foe.

This style is a bit more complicated, and you have to learn when to dodge and strike. In fact, while striking with this stance, you can use dodge to spin away and follow up with an attack to dart back into range. This is the best stance for multiple enemies, but some players choose to use it for the whole game, thanks to how flashy and fun it is to use.

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All combat styles in Like a Dragon: Ishin are worth putting effort into, and learning which to use in the right situation will be a key to success as the Bakumatsu era comes to a close. You can read our review here.