Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii was revealed in September 2024, and its wild premise, which centers around Goro Majima leading a pirate crew, has led to some amount of confusion. Indeed, some fans have questioned exactly how Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii fits into the Like a Dragon series and wondered if the game is canon. Those points are easily clarified by looking towards Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Japanese title, and players may be puzzled by why something closer to the Japanese name was not maintained for the game's English-language release.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega directly addressed the status of Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii during the Like a Dragon Direct that occurred on January 9, 2025. While that address officially put any questions about the game's place in the series to bed, those questions might have been avoided altogether if its Japanese title was better known.
Why Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Players May Want to Try Its English Dub
While Like a Dragon fans may be planning to play Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii with Japanese audio, they may want to consider trying its English dub.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Japanese Title
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's Japanese title is Ryū Ga Gotoku 8 Gaiden: Pirates in Hawaii (龍が如く８外伝 Pirates in Hawaii), which essentially translates to Like a Dragon 8 Side Story: Pirates in Hawaii. This name makes it very clear that the forthcoming game is a canon story that is directly connected to Like a Dragon 8, which is known as Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in the West, and it is not just some wacky one-off.
As previously mentioned, this point was emphasized during January's Like a Dragon Direct, where a voiceover track indicated that "yes, this game is canon" when covering Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. While this line may have only been included to set up a pun on "cannons," which play an important role in Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii's naval battles, its presence seems to suggest that the developer and publisher are aware of the confusion surrounding the game.
Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is a Like a Dragon Gaiden Game
With respect to why the game's title was changed when translated into English, it was presumably an attempt to make it feel more accessible to gamers who are not already invested in the series. Indeed, the connection between Like a Dragon games and Yakuza games may still be confusing to many in the West, and putting "yakuza" into the title may serve to alleviate that confusion. Additionally, "gaiden," which can be translated to "side story" here, does not mean much to most English speakers, which may be why it was dropped completely.
That said, it seemed that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega were attempting to establish the term "gaiden" in the West with the release of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Ryū Ga Gotoku 7 Gaiden: Na wo Keshita Otoko in Japanese. Just like Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, The Man Who Erased His Name is a shorter side story that is directly connected to a mainline Like a Dragon entry, and "gaiden" was used to present that fact. It seems sensible that the developer would then try to solidify that naming convention by giving the forthcoming entry a name similar to the Japanese title, such as Like a Dragon Gaiden: Pirates in Hawaii, though that is obviously not what occurred.
At this point, readers may understand that this series' approach to English titles has been a bit messy over the years. Indeed, the transition from Yakuza to Like a Dragon, which began to occur with the release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon in 2020, has not been perfectly smooth, and it seems that there may still be some kinks to address.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is Canon
While it may not be cleanly communicated by its English title, players can be confident in the fact that Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is canon and has a real place in the Like a Dragon universe. Perhaps that fact will be clearer with the next Like a Dragon side story, which could mark the return of "gaiden" in the title. Regardless of how Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and Sega ultimately decide to move forward with English names for Like a Dragon games, one thing is all but guaranteed: there are many more Yakuza stories on the horizon.
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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
