This article contains minor spoilers for a scene and location featured in Like a Dragon Gaiden Chapter 3.
Yakuza fans are getting some major Persona 5 vibes from Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
The latest Yakuza/Like a Dragon entry seemingly takes inspiration from the beloved role-playing game with fans noticing some music and user interface elements bearing resemblance. One scene in particular really drove the idea home though, in which protagonist Kiryu Kazuma swings around a bright and colourful casino area in what could be a tribute to Persona 5’s opening.
Kiryu, under his new guise as a secret agent Joryu, gets several gadgets to play with in Like a Dragon Gaiden including the Spider, which ejects a thin wired used to grab enemies and objects from a distance. During a cutscene in Chapter 3, when running through a bright and colourful Las Vegas-esque casino area, Kiryu uses the Spider to grapple and swing around to evade the baddies.
This is very similar to Persona 5’s opening minutes, above, in which protagonist Joker uses his grappling hook to swing around a bright and colourful casino to avoid baddies.
“Joryu thinks this is Persona 5,” said ekbruheee on Reddit alongside a clip of the scene. “This game giving me some Persona 5 vibes,” said Cahosspace02 who posted a similar clip.
Beyond this, one Like a Dragon Gaiden character called Akame has also invoked thoughts of Persona 5: “Akame gives off confidant vibes too,” said OutsideSignificant16. This is referencing the Social Link mechanic in Persona, where players can interact with characters to grow their bonds and get access to stronger abilities in battle, as a similar system applies to her character in Like a Dragon Gaiden.
Akame’s menu and visuals also bears resemblance to Persona 5’s famously striking red, black, and white UI, and the music also has touches of the RPG’s soundtrack. “Reminds me of the gun shop music in Persona 5,” Reddit user longbrodmann said.
Like a Dragon Gaiden is a Yakuza spin-off but the first in the west to drop that branding altogether. Yakuza through Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (and Yakuza 0) released under the title, while the seventh game combined it with the Japanese series’ name as a subtitle to create Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Going forward, however, the series will solely be known as Like a Dragon.
In our 7/10 review, IGN said: “Like a Dragon Gaiden’s combat hits with flash and fury and its story is sharp, but its setting and side activities feel a bit on the stale side.”
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
