Sega explains why it’s officially ditching the Yakuza name for Like a Dragon

By Tomas Franzese Published September 14, 2022

The Yakuza name is no more, as Sega plans to officially rebrand the series of crime dramas under the franchise name “Like a Dragon” moving forward — a move that became apparent with the reveal of three new games prior to this year’s Tokyo Game Show. Speaking to Digital Trends, a Sega of America representative confirmed the reason for the name change.

“I can confirm the series will be known as “Like a Dragon” moving forward to more closely align with the Japanese name,” a representative for Sega of America tells Digital Trends.

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In Japan, Sega has called the series Ryū ga Gotoku since its inception in 2005, and that phrase is even the namesake of developer RGG Studio. “Ryū ga Gotoku” translates to “like a dragon” in English, but Sega decided to call the series Yakuza when it brought the first game to the West in 2006. Now that the series is more popular than ever and largely moved on from telling stories directly focused on the Yakuza, it makes sense for Sega to give the series a similar title in all regions. Sega localization producer Scott Strichart pointed out on Twitter that 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon foreshadowed the change by naming a chapter “Chapter 12: The End of Yakuza.” Strichart is not involved with the localization of upcoming Like a Dragon titles.

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Three Like a Dragon games are in the works for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Like a Dragon: Ishin will be the first one of them to release, as it launches on February 23, 2023. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name follows later next year, while Like a Dragon 8 continues the mainline series in 2024.

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As a Gaming Staff Writer at Digital Trends, Tomas Franzese reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

All Master System game locations in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

The castle in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

The Like a Dragon series absolutely loves including old Sega titles within the series. In past games, these typically were kept at the various Sega arcades around the different maps, but for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, times have changed and Kiryu can now play some classic games from the past in the comfort of his own hideout. The downside to this, though, is that you have to track down all the individual games if you want to play them. There are a total of 12 different retro games from the old Master System. While you only need to play five to earn the Retro Gamer trophy/achievement, you do need to find and try out all 12 to complete the log in the Akame Network fully. No need to write down passcodes or call a hotline for tips, here's where you can grab all the Master System games in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
All Master System game locations

You can't access the Master System in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name until you get to Chapter 3. At this point, you will have access to your hideout and can enter the room on the west side with the controller icon to find a storage room with a little CRT and Master System. Make sure you actually play each game at least once after collecting them to fill out the log and get your trophy/achievement.
Alex Kidd Miracle World
Take a stroll down Castle Central Street and stand outside the Gambling Hall. On top of one of the pink umbrellas is a grab prompt to snag this cart.
Flicky
Over in Sotenbori, go along the W Sotenbori Footpath on the north side of the river. Once again, keep an eye out on top of the umbrellas opposite the water for a grab prompt.
Galaxy Force
For a simple, and actually logical, way to get your hands on a Master System game, go to Ebisu Pawn on E Shofukucho Street. Galaxy Force will be on sale for just 5,500 yen.
Quartet
Time to get your gambling skills up to par at the Castle casino. Play whatever game you like until you save up 2,500 chips to buy Quartet from the exchange desk.
Enduro Racer
The next set of games is tied to finding specific locker keys, a staple collectible in the Like a Dragon series. For Enduro Racer, you need to get locker key I4, which is on the southeast corner of the Sotenbori River. From the Bishamon Bridge, look to the right for a tree on the upper part of the path along the bank. There will be a grab prompt here to snag this key. Use it on its associated locker to get the game.
Fantasy Zone II
Next, we need to hunt down locker key F4. This one is down south of W Shufukucho Street in the narrow gap between the Gambling Hall and the building next to it. You can fit in but will get the grab prompt as usual.
Alien Syndrome
The final game kept in a locker is Alien Syndrom, which needs the F1 key. This key can't be picked up until at least Chapter 3 when you gain access to the Daidoji Hideout. Once you do, go into the entrance and the key will be lying in the hallway.
Global Defense
The final key is another easy one. In the Castle, go into the Gambling Hall and rack up 2,500 or more points however you like. Take them to the exchange desk and you can get yourself the last Master System game.

Gaming

All Gold Ball locations in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Kiryu listens to a message in his earpiece in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

Every time Kiryu thinks he's out, the Yakuza life pulls him back in. This once again rings true in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, where we follow Kiryu after his last adventure, but before Ichiban takes up the mantle in Like a Dragon and the upcoming Infinite Wealth. Unlike the majority of the games in the series, you won't be running around the iconic Kamurocho, but mostly Sotenbori, Isezaki Ijincho, and the Castle. What remains the same is the numerous side stories and optional tasks that, for whatever reason, always seem to present themselves to the stoic and brooding Kiryu. One of those this time around is the "Gotta Catch Some Balls!" request given via the new Akame Network where you need to locate seven golden balls hidden around the maps. These are well-hidden little treasures in very dense locations, so here's the location of all seven in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
All gold ball locations

The first six of seven balls can be obtained as soon as you have access to the location they're in. The seventh and final one is tied to a Stroll n' Patrol request that only appears later in the game as a reward.
Sotenbori gold ball locations
No. 1: At the southwest end of W. Shofukucho Street, enter the Kiss Shot Billiards & Bar. This ball is one of the prizes you can get by exchanging 777 points, so play a few rounds to save up.

Gaming

Don’t miss Like a Dragon Gaiden’s hilarious ChatGPT side-story

Chot DDT in Like a Dragon Gaiden.

Substories often feature some of the best and funniest parts of the Like a Dragon games, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is no different. From one that crosses over with Judgment to another where players fight a bunch of overweight criminals who call themselves the White Knights, the game is full of memorable side-quests. My favorite substory from Like a Dragon Gaiden -- and possibly the entire series -- stands out because it takes on something that’s been a hot topic in the tech space for the past year: ChatGPT.

AI has been the biggest buzzword in tech industries for the past year; just earlier this week, Microsoft announced it plans to partner with Inworld AI to create game-writing AI technology. There are plenty of controversial and potentially unethical uses of AI that people are wary of and unpacking. Like a Dragon Gaiden’ uses its signature brand of social satire to lampoon AI from a specific angle: by showing how bad AI is at giving dating advice.