'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Ichiban Kasuga and his friends are back in Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. During the recent LAD Direct, fans were treated to a 10-minute video of the upcoming game’s story. Fans already knew it was coming in 2024, but now we also have a concrete date of when that’s going to occur. Until this point, not much was known about the game other than that Kiryu Kazuma was going to make an appearance as a dual protagonist.
The only other information that existed was that the events appear to be taking place in Hawaii, or at least it is one of the areas in the game. Now we can confirm that one of the cities players will explore is Honolulu, Hawaii. But what about the story? Here’s what we’ve learned so far.
Note: This article contains spoilers for Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. If you haven’t viewed the trailer, much of this will be spoiler territory.
Trending
Ichiban’s life goes on a rollercoaster ride in Like a Dragon Infinite’s story trailer
The opening of the trailer was a cute video where Ichiban and the team were producing something for the internet. It’s very comical to see Kiryu holding the microphone, while everyone else also helps. We also see flashbacks through his life after Yakuza: Like a Dragon, such as proposing to Saeko Mukoda.
Ichiban Kasuga explains his backstory and mentions that he’s looking for his long-lost mother, Akane. How did he get to Honolulu, though?
Jo Sawashiro, one of Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s antagonists, asks a favor of Ichiban in the Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth trailer. While he checked in on things with the Seiryu Clan’s acting captain, Ebina, Jo popped up.
Ichiban’s long-lost mother was looking to see him in Honolulu, and so naturally, the protagonist jumped on a plane to go find her. We would learn later in the trailer that many people want the life of Akane in Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, but whether the Seiryu Clan is one of them remained unclear.
The last trailer was such a mystery - we had no idea why Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth’s protagonist was naked on a beach in Honolulu. We only knew that it had occurred. In the trailer, Ichiban gets hijacked and is held at gunpoint. The next we know, we smash cut to the previous trailer’s location.
Ichiban Kasuga breaks out of jail and stumbles into familiar faces in Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth’s trailer
Hanging out on the beach naked wasn’t going to be a good idea, so of course, he gets arrested. Fans see the wild protagonist break out and go on the run, but it isn’t long before a familiar voice pops up - Kiryu.
He’s working for The Daidoji and is the one who does all their dirty work. We’ll also see Yu Nanba and Koichi Adachi show up to help, later in the trailer. We had a feeling Adachi would return, thanks to the footage that was revealed in 2022.
Tomizawa, the man who set Ichiban up, gets saved by the protagonist and yells a very interesting line. He tells Ichiban that they are neither friends nor family, as the two are being shot at. Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth’s story trailer is really doing a lot to set up the who and why of the upcoming game, after being a mystery for so long.
This character ultimately winds up aligning with Ichiban Kasuga, which also lines up with what we saw earlier. It’s very reminiscent of Dragon Ball’s Goku, who befriends many of his foes.
We also get introduced to Chitose Fujinomiya, Akane’s maid. She appeared to be one of the party members as well, judging by the early parts of the trailer and screenshots provided. She seemed to drug Ichiban's drink but was looking for his help, instead of trying to set him up.
It seemed like she wanted his help dealing with the Barracuda gang - where Danny Trejo’s character, Dwight, is the leader. Quite a few people were after Akane’s life, for unknown reasons. It makes Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth feel like a real callback to Yakuza 0/Yakuza 1. In both entries, several factions vied for control over things - whether it was the Empty Lot or the thief who stole 10 Billion Yen.
Instead, it’s a person, and offers more weight, more stakes, as it’s Ichiban’s mother. The Chinese mafia are also looking for her, making it a game of struggling to not only find her but to keep her safe from every villain in Honolulu.
Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth explains how Kiryu is going to exit the franchise
We become privy to a conversation between Tomizawa, Ichiban, and Kasuga during the Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth trailer. Kiryu tells the two what’s wrong with him. Kiryu Kazuma has cancer, and it’s killing him.
It also shows a moment where the familiar faces of Kiryu’s previous adventures return - including Taiga Saejima and, of course, Goro Majima. Kiryu also has a chat with Yu Nanba, who suggests that the Dragon should know when it’s time to tag out. Of course, Kiryu doesn’t want to retire, and instead, wants to use the time he has left on earth to make amends and keep working, moving forward.
We were also introduced to a V-Tuber earlier in the trailer, Tatara Hisoka, who revealed to the world that Kiryu Kazuma never died. This was done via having the Seiryu Clan’s captain, and Jo Shirosawa on her livestream.
It appears that there are forces at work still trying to dismantle the Yakuza once and for all, and quite a few people fancy Kiryu’s life as the greatest trophy of all. There’s no way out of this problem for the team other than to fight.
Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth takes place in both Honolulu and Japan
In the later parts of the Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth trailer, we see just how many allies have returned. In addition to the new friend of Tamizawa, we previously saw Yu Nanba and Koichi Adachi.
The trailer showed that the game will return to Ijincho, where Joon-gi Han and Tianyou Zhao wait for him at SURVIVE Bar. It also appears that Seong-hui, leader of the Geomijul, might wind up joining the fight as well in some capacity.
We also saw, late in the trailer, that Saeko stands alongside the team, meaning she probably comes back to fight as well.
While the purpose of going to Honolulu appeared to be a trap set by the Seiryu Clan, it’s not all doom and gloom for the heroes in Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. It looks like there is still plenty of fun to be had on the gorgeous shores of Honolulu City.
The team will get together and have to sing, drive, and get into crazy misadventures throughout the game. Like a Dragon: Infinite launches on January 26, 2024, and you can learn more about the game’s title in the link above.
