After having no prior experience with the series, I'm in the middle of playing Yakuza: Like A Dragon, and it's not at all what I expected, which has turned out to be a nice surprise. Formerly known outside of Japan as Yakuza, the Like A Dragon series has been a long-standing pillar for Sega. Although its acclaim has been well-known to me for quite a while, actually getting into the series is – or was – a bit of a conundrum.

Like A Dragon currently has nine mainline entries and just as many spin-offs, spanning from the PlayStation 2 to modern hardware and practically every platform in between. Although I'm certainly missing out on some amazing games, catching up on the last 20 years of LAD doesn't really appeal to me. Last year, though, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth was released to widespread acclaim, and following it more closely gave me a better idea of what the series is about, or at least what it's become. The series' new protagonist (and a generous sale price) gave me the perfect opportunity to dip my toes in, and I'm glad that my expectations were wrong.

I'm Just Now Getting Into Like A Dragon Thanks To The Ichiban Kasuga Soft Reboot

New Protagonist, Same Beloved Series

The series' big, international transition from Yakuza to Like A Dragon came via 2020's aptly-named Yakuza: Like A Dragon, which sees the focus shift from long-time leading man Kazuma Kiryu to rising star Ichiban Kasuga. Its sequel, Infinite Wealth, was what piqued my interest, but I didn't want to jump in without seeing Kasuga's origin.

Luckily, Sega has just the thing for someone like me: the Like A Dragon Series Starter Pack bundles Yakuza: Like A Dragon and Infinite Wealth at a retail price of $80. Not a terrible deal, considering Infinite Wealth still goes for $70, but it seems to go on sale semi-frequently, and I managed to pick up the series' two newest mainline entries for $40.

Price-tracking websites like PS Deals and SteamDB show that the Like A Dragon Series Starter Pack reaches this 50% discount fairly often.

It's the exact solution I was looking for. I got in on the ground floor of Kasuga's story, and could feel safe in the fact I got Infinite Wealth at a discount even if the series ends up not being my cup of tea. I may be missing some subtle nods or recurring elements, but I haven't felt like coming so late to the series has jeopardized the experience. It's also nice to come into a series that's well-established and has been iterated on, even if Yakuza: Like A Dragon's turn-based combat was a novelty compared to previous entries.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon Is Not At All What I Expected, & I'm Glad It's Not

Like A Dragon Isn't Necessarily A Crime Thriller

Before I started playing Yakuza: Like A Dragon, I had only a general understanding of the series. I was aware of LAD's reputation for mini-game variety, and knew that a big selling point was its slice-of-life segments. I also only had a slight idea of what the series' earlier games were about – Kiryu largely being unable to escape the criminal underworld.

For Yakuza: Like A Dragon specifically, I'd also gathered that its primary gimmick was grafting traditional JPRG mechanics and tropes onto its modern-day setting (the game takes place primarily in Yokohama in 2019). I figured such a famous series deserved as blind of a first playthrough as I could manage, so I started Yakuza: Like A Dragon expecting a significant amount of mafia intrigue and a crime thriller narrative.

There's certainly a healthy dose of Yakuza drama in the very beginning (and I'm expecting it to all come back around eventually), but most of my Yakuza: Like A Dragon journey so far has been entirely unexpected. Most of the early portions revolve around Kasuga becoming homeless as the result of serving 18 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Kasuga daydreams about being a Dragon Quest hero, which warps his perception of in-game combat encounters, but also provides some brilliant ludonarrative harmony where your low-level party must deal with the very real hardships of homelessness.

Scrounging around vending machines for a few yen is Yakuza: Like A Dragon's real-world equivalent to the nonsensical (but still very satisfying) act of smashing ceramic pots to look for rupees in The Legend of Zelda. When it became clear that the game wasn't going to gloss over Kasuga's homelessness or give him an easy way out, I braced for the worst – it would be very easy for a game to punch down on the downtrodden, making jokes at their expense, or suggesting the less fortunate are to blame for their situation.

What has really endeared me to the series, though, is that Yakuza: Like A Dragon does the exact opposite, using Kasuga's odd circumstances to not only sympathize with its homeless characters, but empower and humanize them earnestly. Homeless folks, sex workers, and immigrants are just a few of the demographics that Yakuza: Like A Dragon takes a magnifying glass to, resulting in a lot of feel-good stories where you, playing as Kasuga, get to help and learn about people in difficult situations that aren't uncommon in real life.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon is not all dour and preachy, though. For every heartfelt, life-affirming moment, there's a silly mini-game or mission, like one where you have to help a guy covered in soap bubbles dodge sprinklers and hoses on the way to buy a new outfit so he isn't arrested for public indecency. The game's attempt at a modern-day JRPG is clever from a mechanical standpoint, but its willingness to engage with touchy subjects – and do so deftly – is what's really fantastic and expectation-shattering.

I See Why Sega Wanted To Abandon The Yakuza Name

Like A Dragon Isn't Really About Being A Yakuza

Yakuza: Like A Dragon's unusual story beats are largely possible because of Ichiban Kasuga, who is steadfast in wanting to help those who have been wronged or taken advantage of. He starts the game as a rather ineffective Yakuza, cleverly interpreting his boss' instructions to help the person he's supposed to be shaking down, someone who's fallen on hard times. Even with my limited experience with the series, it seems that Sega moved away from the international Yakuza moniker because it's no longer apt.

The inciting incident may entirely involve organized crime, and I fully expect the Yakuza drama to return throughout, but "Like A Dragon" evokes a more general sense of empowerment. Now that I've played a bit of the series, I understand why Sega is phasing out such a well-established series name. An eager and earnest character like Ichiban Kasuga was never meant to succeed as a Yakuza, and even though I wasn't expecting it, I'm glad Yakuza: Like A Dragon has gone in such different directions.

Sources: PS Deals, SteamDB