Yakuza: Like a Dragon, or Ryu ga Gotoku 7: Hikari to Yami no Yukue in Japan, is the next title in the Yakuza series. The game will feature a brand new protagonist and location for the first time in the series.
During the recent Sega Nama broadcast, General Director Toshihiro Nagoshi confirmed that many past characters would make an appearance.
Confirmed to appear in the game are Kazuma Kiryu, Goro Majima, Taiga Saejima, and Daigo Dojima. Kiryu was previously the main protagonist of the previous Yakuza games, but his role has been reduced.
This small handful of characters are not the only ones to return. Nagoshi also said that “others” would return, which means that there are more surprises in store for the newest Yakuza series. It’s unknown if these characters will only have a small cameo or if they’ll play a larger part of the story.
According to the official YouTube announcement trailer: “Yakuza: Like a Dragon introduces a new main protagonist for the first time since the series’ inception over a decade ago — Ichiban Kasuga, a low-level yakuza member looking to prove his self-worth, and follows him and his motley crew of unlikely allies as they attempt to rise from rags to riches in this modern human drama.”
The series is considered a soft reboot to the entire Yakuza series. It will take take place within the new region of Ijincho in Yokohama.
The new series stars Ichiban Kasuga, whose history is similar to Kiryu’s. Kasuga went to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, thinking it would make him more powerful. Unfortunately, his time in jail had the opposite effect. When he was released, no one remembered Kasuga’s sacrifice. What begins as a story about a starry-eyed man willing to do anything for his superior turns into a story of revenge.
Not only are the story and characters mostly new, but there’s a brand new company system. The Dragon combat system went through a huge overhaul that combines action with a turn-based RPG system. More information about the gameplay is slowly being released.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon will launch in Japan first on January 16, 2020, for the PlayStation 4. A Western release is expected sometime in 2020, but the official date has yet to be confirmed.
