We regret to inform you that the next Like a Dragon game nearly starred Kiryu beating up fishermen

With a heavy heart and raspy sigh, I must report that the next Like a Dragon spinoff will not star reluctant protagonist Kiryu Kazuma fishing and fighting other fishermen in a game called Like a Dragon: Tuna. We were so close to greatness.

The Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio boss revealed the news in a recent interview with the PlayStation Blog. RGG Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama was there to chat about the upcoming Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii but took a moment to discuss what could have been. Before the launch of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Yokoyama had an idea knocking around in his head in which Kiryu would become a tuna fisherman and “fight against fishing boats.” The studio opted for Pirate Yakuza, which sees series goofball Goro Majima become a pirate captain instead.

“For quite some time, I wanted to make a game called Like a Dragon: Tuna, where Kazuma Kiryu, as a tuna fisherman, sets off to sea to fight against fishing boats,” Yokoyama told the PlayStation Blog. “Long story short, it never came to fruition, but keywords like ‘ship’, ‘sea’, and ‘fighting’, which had since then been engraved in my head, evolved into the concept of pirates.”

Someone is going to have to go to sea

The fever dream starring a fisherman-fighting Kiryu may be gone, but Pirate Yakuza will surely do its best to compensate. It stars Majima following the events of Infinite Wealth. Cast out to sea with no memory, Majima does what he does best and becomes a swashbuckling pirate — with a ship and everything.

Pirate Yakuza (and, by extension, LaD: Tuna) is a hilarious idea for a spinoff, but it’s arguably not the most bonkers game in the franchise. In 2011, RGG Studio decided to hop onto the then-zombie craze with Yakuza: Dead Souls. It was a non-canon spinoff shooter that starred several of the series’ big shots as they struggled to survive a zombie-ridden Kamurocho. It didn’t receive the success to match its bombastic premise.

Regardless, it’s good to see RGG be a bit silly with its spinoffs again. I’ll mourn for the loss of LaD: Tuna, but Pirate Yakuza is already looking like an excellent replacement. It’ll be the second spinoff game starring a series protagonist since the Kiryu-led LaD: The Man Who Erased His Name. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii sails the high seas on February 27, 2025.