Like a Dragon Gaidenis an interstitial entry in theYakuza / Like a Dragonseries. And because of that, some may be wondering when exactly it happens, and where it placesGaidenon the overall timeline.
While the game’s events make these details pretty well-known, with a few key moments lining up directly with other games, it gets a bit wobbly in other sections. Here’s where, exactly,Like a Dragon Gaidenfalls in the great timeline RGG Studio has built for its franchise.
Note:Spoilers for some preceding entries, includingYakuza 6: The Song of LifeandYakuza: Like a Dragon, follow.
Like a Dragon Gaidenlargely takes place duringYakuza: Like a Dragon
The events ofLike a Dragon Gaidenare set between the ending ofYakuza 6: The Song of Lifeand the upcomingLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This means most ofLike a Dragon Gaidenis happening at the same timeline point asYakuza: Like a Dragon, with a few story beats and plot threads overlapping. (For the record, this means it mostly takes place in this fictional Earth’s year of 2019.)
The story picks up almost immediately fromYakuza 6, with Kiryu—who we now know didnotdie at the end ofThe Song of Life—entering a life of seclusion and solitude, to protect his loved ones. Events start to pick up, eventually leading Kiryu (or “Joryu”) to head to Sotenbori and other locales.
This means that, at several points, Kiryu’s path will veer close to Kasuga Ichiban’s journey inYakuza: Like a Dragon. Without giving it away, there are even some playful nods towards this, as the two protagonists’ paths dance around each other.
By story’s end, you’ll also get some additional beats, teasing how Kazuma Kiryu eventually winds up in Ichiban’s path once again for the events ofLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Yes, there are cameos
As you might know from playingYakuza: Like a Dragon, those paths will eventually converge. The how and why are pretty fun, so I’ll leave that for you to discover.
Outside the overlap of those two games, however, there many more references and cameos. As I wrote inour review,Like a Dragon Gaidenis a game for the long-time series fans, so those with a lot of history will likely enjoy.
