# Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a 2025 action-adventure game developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. It is a spin-off of the Like a Dragon series. Taking place after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii focuses on series mainstay Goro Majima, who, after being stranded on an island and losing his memories, now leads his own pirate crew to discover a hidden treasure.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 21, 2025. The game received generally positive reviews from critics.

## Gameplay

In Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, players control Goro Majima as they explore four different locales: Rich Island, a remote island in close proximity to Hawaii; Madlantis, a secret island frequented by criminals and pirates; Nele Island, the base of the Palekana religious group; and Honolulu, previously featured as the main setting of Infinite Wealth.
Similar to older Like a Dragon titles, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii utilizes a beat 'em up combat system. Majima has access to two fighting styles: Mad Dog, which is Majima's signature speed-focused style; and Sea Dog, which allows Majima to wield dual cutlasses and pistols, as well as other pirate tools. A new addition to the combat system is the ability to jump and perform mid-air combos.
Outside of regular combat and exploration, players can also assemble a pirate crew and upgrade their own ship, the Goromaru, which they can use to explore the open sea and engage in combat with other pirate ships. Ship combat takes place in real-time, and players can also board certain enemy ships after depleting their health to battle their crew and defeat their captain.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii features the return of several minigames from previous Like a Dragon titles, such as Karaoke, Crazy Delivery, and Dragon Kart. In addition, a new side activity, Masaru's Love Journey, focuses on Majima recruiting "Minato girls" to hang out with one of the game's characters, Masaru Fujita.
As with other Like a Dragon titles, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii features unlockable emulations of older Sega games, such as the Master System and SG-1000 games Poseidon Wars 3-D, Space Harrier 3-D, Star Jacker, and the arcade game The Ocean Hunter.

## Synopsis
### Premise

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii takes place six months after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024), and features ex-Tojo Clan yakuza Goro Majima (Hidenari Ugaki/Matthew Mercer) as the sole playable character. Through unknown circumstances, Majima has been stranded on Rich Island, with no memories of his past life. After being saved by a local asthmatic boy named Noah Rich (First Summer Uika/Maya Aoki Tuttle), Majima finds himself embroiled in a new conflict, involving both local Hawaiian pirates and ex-yakuza members from Japan. He becomes the captain of a new pirate crew, and sets out in search of a hidden treasure, as well as to recover his memories.
In addition to Noah, Majima is joined by a new cast of characters, including: Jason Rich (Kenji Matsuda/Jeremy Brandt), Noah's father and a former treasure hunter who owns a bar on Rich Island; Masaru Fujita (Ryuji Akiyama/Brent Mukai), a skilled chef who joins Majima's crew; Teruhiko Shigaki (Munetaka Aoki/Daisuke Tsuji), a former Tojo Clan patriarch who volunteered to clean up the pollution on Nele Island; Rodriguez (Ayumi Tanida/Josh Keaton), a disciple of the Palekana religious group; Mortimer (Shunsuke Daito/Matthew Waterson), a charismatic pirate who leads the Mortimer Armada; Moana Rich (Reina Ueda/Jennifer Sun Bell), Jason's middle daughter who helps him run the bar; Naomi Rich (Yoko Hikasa/Monique Burias Shi), Jason's oldest daughter who has an estranged relationship with him; Queen Michele (Romi Park/Debra Wilson), the ruler of Madlantis; Raymond Law (Miou Tanaka/Samoa Joe), the Pirate King who manages Madlantis' Pirate Coliseum; and Spade Tucker (Mugihito/Geoff Pierson), a New York loan shark who has knowledge of the hidden treasure. Returning characters from previous Like a Dragon titles include: Taiga Saejima (Rikiya Koyama/James Kirkland), Majima's sworn brother and fellow ex-yakuza; Nishida (Katsunori Okai/Brandon McInnis) and Daisaku Minami (Hideo Ishikawa/Mark Whitten), former members of Majima's yakuza family; and Ichiban Kasuga (Kazuhiro Nakaya/Kaiji Tang), an ex-yakuza who previously crossed paths with Majima.

### Plot

In August 2024, Goro Majima finds himself washed ashore on Rich Island, a remote island near Hawaii, having no recollection of his past or how he got there. He is awakened by a local asthmatic island boy, Noah Rich. After saving Noah from local pirates, Majima is brought into Noah's home, where the latter's drunken father Jason tells him that he likely got shipwrecked on his way to Nele Island, which is currently under cleanup by the Japanese yakuza. After protecting Jason's daughter Moana from harassment, Majima confronts and defeats the pirates, led by Jack the Collector. Majima takes over Jack's crew and become its captain, recruiting their cook Masaru Fujita in the process. Masaru reveals that he once partnered with Jason, a former treasure hunter who sought after the "Lost Treasure of the Esperanza", an urban myth said to contain treasure and an "elixir of eternal life", capable of curing any diseases. Jason aimed to find the elixir to cure Noah's asthma, but lost his ship during a fixed coliseum match, causing him to lose a lot of money and disappear afterwards. Majima convinces Jason to join the crew, partly for Noah, who yearns to explore the world beyond the island. With a crew assembled, and calling themselves the Goro Pirates, Majima and his new allies set sail to Nele Island.
Upon arrival, Majima is attacked by local Palekana zealots, led by a disciple named Rodriguez. Teruhiko Shigaki, a former Tojo Clan patriarch, steps in to stop the fight. Shigaki explains that after Masataka Ebina's plan to condemn the yakuza to toxic waste exposure fell apart, the former stepped in to continue the clean up plan, run by former Tojo Clan leadership and the Hawaiian State Government, allowing the yakuzas to get proper jobs. Afterwards, Shigaki also tells Majima that his sworn brother, Taiga Saejima, will soon arrive at Nele Island to escort Majima to Japan to assist his recovery. After seeing some yakuzas heading on a yacht, the Goro Pirates head towards Madlantis, a social hub for pirates made on top of a ship graveyard, built by the former corrupt Sage of Palekana, Bryce Fairchild, which is now run under Queen Michele. On route, Masaru reveals that a New York moneylender, Spade Tucker, began appearing in Madlantis, seemingly having new information regarding the Esperanza treasure.
Entering Madlantis, the Goro Pirates find that Tucker is nowhere to be seen, while Majima has a bounty on his head, set by Mortimer, a high-ranking pirate commodore who previously betrayed Jason's crew and caused his loss in the coliseum. After upgrading their ship, Majima enters the Pirates Coliseum and beats one of the Mortimer Armada ships. The crew is then invited to meet Michele, alongside Mortimer, the Pirate King Raymond Law, and Jason's eldest daughter Naomi, who serves as the Queen's right hand and bodyguard. Naomi secretly tells Majima that Michele is aware of Majima's purpose at Nele Island and asks him to help her find a secret hidden on the island.
Noah gets kidnapped by Palekana zealots, forcing Majima, Masaru, and Jason to traverse through Madlantis underground and save him. Wanting answers, Majima and his crew meet up with Naomi in Honolulu, who reveals that the Esperanza treasure was buried somewhere in Nele Island, and that she got her intel from Tucker. Tucker, aiming to find the treasure, has been working with Shigaki to prevent Nele Island from being sealed off by the government. Majima returns to Nele Island and confronts Shigaki, who attacks the group. Shigaki explains that he orchestrated Noah's kidnapping to prevent Majima from leaving Madlantis and Saejima from arriving at the island, as both of them were obstacles to his goal. Shigaki makes amends with Majima, and joins his crew to find the treasure. Saejima arrives at Nele Island and gets into an altercation with Majima when the latter refuses to return to Japan. Saejima is ultimately defeated.
Majima meets with Tucker, who reveals that he found a journal written by one of the attackers of the Esperanza who, after hoarding the treasure, got washed up on Nele Island. There, the pirates found a "village of heretics" within a cave and decided to hide the treasure there. Noah discovers an old man living on the island, later revealed to be Rodriguez's father, who possesses a silver of the Esperanza treasure. Rodriguez fights Majima, then later rallies around the Palekana zealots and attacks the yakuza settlement, forcing Majima, Shigaki and the yakuza to fend them off. They are later saved by Noah, Saejima, and the Goro Pirates. Rodriguez is revealed to be allied with Raymond, who plans to sell off the treasure, but clarifies that he did not know the location of the treasure. Majima forms a truce with Rodriguez and they work together to find the treasure.
Majima decides to help Tucker reach Nele Island through Madlantis, but is confronted by Mortimer and Raymond. Raymond strikes a deal with Majima to beat Mortimer in a coliseum battle to let Tucker pass. Majima and his crew later confront Masaru, who was seen drinking with Mortimer's men. After a brief fight, Masaru reveals that both he and Mortimer were bribed by Raymond to sabotage Jason's ship seven years prior; the former initially took the bribe but later returned it. Masaru later makes amends with Jason. Majima defeats Mortimer in the Coliseum, and the latter is killed by his own men after attempting to get Majima's bounty pulled off.
The Goro Pirates travel to the waters near Nele Island, where they find a hidden entrance into a cave where the Esperanza treasure is located. They then encounter a giant squid, which was responsible for Majima being shipwrecked prior. Majima defeats the squid, and regains his memories in the process. Naomi reports to Michele, who dispatches her armada to take the treasure by force. Raymond discloses Michele's plan to Rodriguez, allowing Majima to beat her armada. Michele flees to Madlantis, but Raymond, who has taken control of the hub in her absence, orders guards to sink Michele's boat, killing her. Raymond kidnaps Moana as a bargaining chip in exchange for the treasure, causing Shigaki and the yakuza to turn against the crew. During the ensuing scuffle, Shigaki accidentally stabs Jason, who is then taken to a Honolulu hospital by Tucker.
Majima returns to Madlantis for the exchange but is captured until rescued by Saejima and Naomi. Majima, Saejima, and Naomi fight through Madlantis and disable its defenses, allowing the Goro Pirates to storm Madlantis. Majima then confronts and defeats Raymond, who is later eaten by a white whale. The crew later reunites with a recovering Jason, celebrates their victory, and agrees to split the findings, with Majima only taking a picture as a memento instead.
Six months later, Majima, now fully recovered, recounts his tale by filming it on a TV set, assisted by his subordinates Nishida and Daisaku Minami, as well as Ichiban Kasuga, and is later visited by Noah. Back on Rich Island, Jason and Masaru research the elixir, which is yet to be found, and theorize that the elixir is ambergris, said to help extend a person's metabolism and help them live longer. Meanwhile, Rodriguez mourns his father's passing as Shigaki watches on. In a flashback, Rodriguez's father, revealed to be the last member of the pirates who attacked the Esperanza and prolonged his life through the ambergris, picks up several ambergris rocks surrounding his home, and dumps them in the sea.
In a post-credits scene, back in Japan, Majima and Saejima muse about their journey, of which it was later revealed that the reason Majima went to Nele Island was to find the elixir for his friend Kazuma Kiryu. The two then visit Kiryu in the hospital, planning to recount their journey to him.

## Development and promotion

Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was developed as a standalone expansion to Infinite Wealth, following the success of the spin-off title Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. According to Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's director Masayoshi Yokoyama, the concept of Gaiden was a gamble due to its more compact size and scale, but due to its positive reception, it allowed the team to develop the series more deeply. Yokoyama thought about writing a story depicting Goro Majima as a follow-up to Infinite Wealth, and chose the pirate angle as a way to do things differently than how the team usually did.
Development started shortly before the release of Infinite Wealth, and was first hinted at by Yokoyama in December 2023. Yokoyama estimated the main story to be 1.3-1.4 times larger than that of Gaiden, while the adventure section is much bigger due to the addition of new locations. Hawaii was chosen as a primary location as the team did not want to stop using the setting after just one game.
In May 2024, RGG Studio hosted a "Minato Girls" audition, similar to past games' audition contests, where the winner(s) would be chosen to appear in the then-unannounced new Like a Dragon game, in addition to performing promotional activities. The final five winners were announced on July 19, 2024. During the same month, the studio confirmed that they would reveal their new game at Tokyo Game Show 2024.
In September 2024, RGG Studio hosted their RGG Summit 2024 livestream event, where they revealed Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii for the first time, introduced the game's voice cast, and talked about the combat system and new activities. In October 2024, the studio released a second trailer detailing the naval combat system, while also confirming a new release date of February 21, 2025, moved up a week from its original date. The English and Chinese voiceover dubbings were included in a launch day patch for the game.

## Reception

Aggregate scores :
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | PS5: 79/100 Win: 81/100 XSXS: 89/100 |
| OpenCritic | 84% |
Review scores :
| Publication | Score |
| Digital Trends | 3/5 |
| Eurogamer | 4/5 |
| GameSpot | 7/10 |
| GamesRadar+ | 4/5 |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5 |
| IGN | 8/10 |
| NME | 4/5 |
| PC Gamer (US) | 70/100 |
| PCGamesN | 9/10 |
| PCMag | 4/5 |
| Push Square | 7/10 |
| Shacknews | 8/10 |
| TechRadar | 4.5/5 |
| Video Games Chronicle | 3/5 |
| VG247 | 5/5 |
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. OpenCritic determined that 86% of critics recommended the game.