Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Will be Much Larger than Like a Dragon Gaiden

Prepare for a swashbuckling adventure! The upcoming Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii promises to be significantly larger and more ambitious than its predecessor, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. RGG Studio's announcements at RGG SUMMIT 2024 revealed exciting details.

Majima's Pirate Adventure Sets Sail in 2025

A Grander Scale for Pirate Yakuza

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is shaping up to be a massive undertaking. RGG Studio president Masayoshi Yokoyama confirmed the game's world and story will be 1.3 to 1.5 times larger than Like a Dragon Gaiden. This isn't a simple expansion; it's a completely different scale of adventure.

Yokoyama hinted at the game's expansive scope in an interview with Famitsu: "We don’t even know the exact area of the city itself," he teased. "Of course there’s Honolulu City, which appeared in [Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth], and there are various stages, such as Madlantis, so I think the game volume is much larger than [Like a Dragon Gaiden]."

The game's content is equally impressive. Expect the series' signature brawling combat, alongside a wealth of quirky side activities and mini-games. Yokoyama suggested the traditional "Gaiden" label as a smaller side story is becoming obsolete, hinting that this title will rival mainline entries in scope and substance.

The Hawaiian setting provides a unique backdrop for Goro Majima's unexpected pirate journey. Voiced again by Hidenari Ugaki, Majima's adventure is shrouded in mystery, even to the voice actor himself: "The information about the game has finally been announced, but there are many other elements and there is still a lot of information I want to tell you," Ugaki commented. "I have a tendency to talk a lot about various things, but I’ve been told not to say anything, so I’m not completely satisfied yet."

Further intrigue comes from voice actor First Summer Uika (Noah Ritchie), who teased a live-action scene featuring Ryuji Akiyama (Masaru Fujita). Akiyama added cryptic details: "there was one interesting recording scene, and when I went to the toilet to relieve myself, there was an aquarium in front of me with a clownfish in it… Also, there were really a lot of beautiful women at the recording… It’s not a love reality show, but with a scene like that, there’s an excitement that makes you mistakenly think you’re popular."

This "beautiful women" comment likely refers to the "Minato Ward girls," who will appear in both live-action and CG form. Ryosuke Horii commented on the auditions held earlier this year: "I was glad that many of the people who appeared without knowing what kind of role they would play had a love for the series and a passion to work with us." For more on the auditions, see our related article.