Ryu Ga Gotoku announced their next game at RGG Summit 2024, which will star fan-favourite Goro Majima as the protagonist.
This will be the first game in the Like A Dragon series where Majima is the sole protagonist. He previously featured as a playable character in Yakuza Dead Souls and, more memorably, in Yakuza 0.
Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii is technically a Like A Dragon Gaiden game (the Japanese title for the game is Like A Dragon 8 Gaiden Pirates In Hawaii). This will see the adventures of Majima in Hawaii after waking up on a beach with no memory. Specifically, the events in this game is set half a year after “teaming up with Kiryu for a massive battle in the Millenium Tower”, so this all takes place after the events of Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth.
Apparently, Majima gets roped into an adventure, of pirates and yakuza mobs. Helped by young islander Noah Rich, Majima begins his search for his old memories. And treasure.
Similar to Like A Dragon Gaiden, and unlike the mainline Like A Dragon game, Pirate Yakuza will be an action-adventure game. No turn-based combat.
Majima gets to brawl freely just like he got to so in Yakuza 0, on board the pirate ship Goromaru, on the new islands that players get to explore, as well as on the streets of Honolulu as seen in Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth.
As was Like A Dragon Gaiden, Pirate Yakuza allows for style-switching between two styles. In the case of Majima, that two fighting styles are Mad Dog style (Majima’s bread-and-butter knife-based style but now with the ability to jump, a series first) and Sea Dog style (new swashbuckling moveset where he dual-wield cutlasses as well use special weapons).
Another connection Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii has with Like A Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name is the return of one voice actor. First Summer Uika, who lend her appearance as well as voice for Akame returns but in a different role, voicing the child character, Noah Rich.
And it looks like there will also be a decadent hedonic secret island full of neon signs in this game, Madlantis. Something Like A Dragon Gaiden had.
Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii will feature mini-games, of course. Karaoke is back (yes, Majima gets to sing 24-Hour Cinderella again) alongside Crazy Delivery, Dragon Kart (the kart racer mini-game from Yakuza: Like A Dragon) and “Masaru’s Love Journey”. The latter is a new mini-game featuring live-action footage and will feature the recently casted Minato Ward Girls.
Like A Dragon Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii will be out on February 28, 2025 for the PS4, PS5, PC (Steam, Microsoft Store), Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.