Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - What We Know So Far

Sega has announced not one, not two, but three upcoming entries in the franchise formerly known as "Yakuza." The series received a name change to make the branding consistent across markets. Therefore, the trio of impending releases bear the following titles: "Like a Dragon: Ishin!", "Like a Dragon 8", and "Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name." 

Beyond the name alteration, the "Like a Dragon" timeline may spawn its own confusion. "Like a Dragon: Ishin!", for example, is a remake of a spinoff title that never came to Western audiences. Meanwhile, "Like a Dragon 8" is the sequel to 2020's "Yakuza: Like a Dragon," and "Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name" is a follow-up to "Yakuza 6: The Song of Life," but it precedes the events of "Like a Dragon 8." Fortunately, players have plenty of time to figure out what's going on before "Like a Dragon Gaiden" launches.

At the moment, the only detail Sega has shared regarding the release date for "Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name" is that it will arrive sometime in 2023. With "Like a Dragon: Ishin!" scheduled to launch on February 21, 2023, "Like a Dragon Gaiden" will likely turn up later in the year to give "Ishin!" some elbow room. 

"Like a Dragon: Gaiden" will land on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Windows — good news for everyone except Nintendo Switch owners. The exclusion doesn't come as much of a surprise. According to executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama, the "Yakuza" games might never come to Nintendo Switch due to the console's family-oriented reputation in Japan (via GameSpot). Still, with both current and last-gen consoles and PC included in its release, there will be plenty of options for players to get their hands on "Like a Dragon: Gaiden."

Sega debuted an announcement trailer for "Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name" during Ryu Ga Gotoku's 2022 Summit. The sequences kicks off by indicating the title's summer 2018 setting. It then shows that Kiryu, who previously gave up his name, is now called Joryu and that he seems to be staying in a monastery of some kind. This quiet life far from the crime-filled Yakuza scene that he left behind doesn't seem like it will last, however.

Near the end of the trailer, a mysterious man approaches Joryu, stating that he has a job for him to fulfill — one that requires him to escort an unknown person. The man also reveals that "Joryu" is actually a codename. For now, these are the only details available regarding the events taking place within the game, but Sega said in the description box that more information is on the way.

The original "Yakuza" entries that follow the story of Kazuma Kiryu are action-adventure games with some real-time, brawler combat. However, the arrival of "Yakuza: Like a Dragon" shook up the series by introducing RPG elements and a turn-based form of combat. So, where does "Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name" fall on this spectrum?

According to the developers, "Like a Dragon: Gaiden" will serve as continuation of the real-time combat that players grew accustomed to over the years. While "Like a Dragon 8" will maintain the turn-based RPG format, "Like a Dragon Gaiden" will feature an action-adventure style of play closer to what the "Yakuza" series is known for. Additionally, the installment will be roughly "half the size" of a normal "Yakuza" title, falling somewhere between "a DLC side story" and a "full-sized game."