For as little as Majima remembers of his past life in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, it's endearing to see glimpses of what remains. The ex-Yakuza might not remember his time running a Caberet Club in Sotenbori, but the nickname Gorogorogoro-chan sure does ring a bell. He might not recall his time forming Majima Construction either, but when recruiting Alo-Happy to join his pirate crew, his motto remains the same. The Mad Dog might be out of his element in Pirate Yakuza's Hawaii, but the wackiness of its substories are a perfect reminder of both his and Like a Dragon's past, as Majima's time in the limelight once again makes for some fantastic humorous encounters.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, as both a Gaiden game and Like a Dragon game in general, is no stranger to asset reuse. Evidenced by its use of Hawaii as a map following Ichiban's antics in Infinite Wealth, Pirate Yakuza sees Majima encounter many of the assorted characters that made up the previous entry's substories, giving them a second wind through his lens. From the sweaty old man in the Kamulop mascot suit who has once again lost his fortunes, to the segway designer Oka whose Street Surfers (allegedly) no longer spontaneously combust, Pirate Yakuza leans both on Majima's reactions and the new contexts of its substories, making both subtle and overt references to the past.
How Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Justifies Its Wildest Story Beats
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has some of the most absurd story beats of any game in the series, but it justifies them in some unique ways.
How Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Humor Leans Into Series' References
"All's Well That Ends Well"
Getting into a fist fight with animals is a god-given right for Like a Dragon characters, and Pirate Yakuza sees Yasuda return for more zoo antics. Like Ichiban's previous encounters with the ringleader, Majima stops by to see his exhibit of a polar bear, and later, a white tiger, in the middle of Hawaii, both of whom inevitably escape and need to be fought to return to their enclosure. Alongside battling a grizzly out on a treasure hunt, whose title card simply reads "a bear," it's lucky that Majima is tough enough to survive. On the flip side, his other animal encounters go far more smoothly through his fostering of dogs, chickens, and more in Goro Kingdom, named after the lil' tiger himself (who is aptly performed by Ichiban's Japanese voice actor).
New Substories, New Scams
With regard to its more subtle references, Pirate Yakuza introduces a fantastic new substory and scam to boot in "Goro's Heart," where a researcher named Russell tricks Majima and Noah (at least, at first), into thinking that he can understand what animals are saying. Russell translates two chickens in the distance who talk about food, lamenting how tourists don't keep earthworms in their pockets to feed them. Who does keep earthworms in his pocket? None other than Yakuza 3's Kiryu, who can scavenge for earthworms in the yard outside Morning Glory and effectively keep them in his inventory for the entire game. The substory goes on to be one of the wildest in the game, showing that Pirate Yakuza's humor isn't only attached to previous character cameos.
From Ichigo Stans to Majima Stans
Another of Pirate Yakuza's new character substories lets 60-year-old Majima be truly out of his element through a guided tour by Ichigo-chan, a beloved idol who may or may not be scamming her fans. It is in this substory that Majima dishes out some advice from his Cabaret days, reminding her that the "customer is king," while her previous stans decide that they'll stan him now instead, going on to be recruited for his pirate's crew. Among the other members recruited for his crew are a host of old faces, including the ever-present weapons dealer Kamiyama, who, like Majima, seems to never age (so it goes with asset reuse).
Most of the overt references to Majima's past are in his extensive wardrobe options, committing to the many outfits he has worn both in Majima Everywhere and other appearances in the series. Alter-ego Goromi is back in her hostess attire, while headbands like the one from 24-Hour Cinderella are available for Majima to saunter around Hawaii with 80s flair. Majima can put together the most eccentric outfits using a mix and match of series' references, fulfilling Yuki's playful insult in Kiwami 2 where she calls him a "walking crisis" as a fashion statement. When tasked with the absurdity of Pirate Yakuza's substories, however, one can never be too outlandish, as both it and past Like a Dragon entries never shy away from the opportunity to relish the comedy of its circumstances alongside the emotions of its main stories.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
- Released
- February 21, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
