Summary
The main stories of theLike A Dragongames are filled with drama, suspense, and action. They’re great and engaging narratives, but they aren’t the parts of the game that some fans remember the most. It’s the side quests - called substories - that stick with players the longest.
Substories inLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Nameare handled by a broker named Akame. It’s a lot easier to track clients down with her patented Akame Network. Now, in this spinoff, there aren’t as many wacky substories as previous entries. Of the many in the game, these are the six that stand out. Some are funny, and some are just good because of the rewards players receive. Also worth noting,Kazuma Kiryu has been given an alias,Joryu, but people still refer to him as Kazuma, just to make things easier to understand. There will be spoilers, but just for the substories listed.
6Investigation Request
“Got A Problem, Ya Cabbage?”
“Investigation Request” will be one of the first substories that players unlock inLike a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. The quest will begin with Joryuspying on some peoplewhen he gets interrupted by an older woman named Etsuko. She is a returning character from the series who Joryu recalls, but it doesn’t seem like she recalls him.
She thinks Joryu is her long-lost love, Juntaro, and is excited to heat up the passion again despite Joryu’s constant rebuttals. Eventually, Etsuko helps break up tensions when Joryu is about to get beaten by a group of thugs. She calls one of them a “cabbage” which might be one of the greatest insults of all time. The cash reward for the mission is decent, but getting to see Etsuko again is the real treat of this substory.
5Liberate The Hammer Man
“My Hammer And I Will Smash The Whole World For You!”
“Liberate The Hammer Man” is a short substory without too many weird things in it, but there is a great reward at the end. The quest begins when Joryu hears rumors that a construction worker, Yuji Nunokawa, is one of the strongest people in Sotenbori. That’s why Akame recommends Joryu shouldrecruit him forthe arena.
Yuji is willing to leave his job, but only if Joryu can pay his million Yen debt to his foreman. It turns out that this foreman wants even more money to let Yuji go as it is all a scam. Once Yuji realizes he is being used, he teams up with Joryu to break free of his metaphorical shackles. After finishing the fight, Yuji says the above line about his hammer, which sounds like it belongs in a Thor movie. Yuji is one of the strongest characters available for the arena, which is why this substory shouldn’t be skipped.
4The Cat-Lovin' Rapper
“She’s My Dawg, I Want Her Safe Too.”
“The Cat-Lovin' Rapper” is another short substory that ends with a new recruit for the arena. Akame mentions that a friend of hers needs help defending some cats around Sotenbori. Upon meeting Katsuwo, he agrees to join Joryu, but only if he helps deal with the Yakuza thugs who are torturing stray cats around the city.
After a few fights, the quest will end with this oddball rapper being the prize. He doesn’t have as good of stats as Yuji, but he isa medic-type character. He will blast some sick beats in the arena to keep everyone’s health up, which is good because players can’t use items during arena matches. The only thing missing from this substory is the ability for players to pet the adorable strays.
3Seeking Advice
“Those Lines Go Straight Into The Garbage.”
“Seeking Advice” is a classic substory setup for this series. Kusano is a young man who hires Joryu for dating advice. After arriving, Kusano says he no longer needs help because hefound an AI on his phonethat is better. It’s called ChotDDT, which is an obvious parody of ChatGPT.
The wild thing about Kusano is that he will listen to any advice the AI gives him, from jumping off a bridge to getting into a fight despite his size. The best parts of this substory are Joryu’s responses to all of ChotDDT’s weird advice. He thinks most of its ideas are garbage. The reward will be close to what players will get for Etsuko’s quest, but that’s not the reason players should invest their time in this substory. It’s worth it for the wacky AI advice Kusano receives.
2Film Assistant Needed
“That’s What I Do In Boomer Terms, Anyway.”
“Film Assistant Needed” is the best substory with a twist that not a lot of players will see coming.Kitayama is a streamerwho specializes in muckbang videos, but he isn’t happy with his viewership. Joryu doesn’t even know what a steamer exactly is, which is when Kitayama fires back with this line calling him a boomer.
Kitayama wants Joryu’s help in filming what he claims to be a haunted apartment filled with ghosts. After trying to look for spirits, Kitayama eventually tries to stab Joryu while his back is turned. It turns out that his plan to become a famous streamer was to murder unsuspecting assistants he hired online. Unfortunately, Kitayama didn’t know he was dealing with the Dragon of Dojima. The cash reward for this one is minimal, just as a footnote.
1End The Destruction
“We’re Detectives, From Kamurocho.”
“End The Destruction” should not be skipped for a myriad of reasons. First, it ties into thespinoff seriesJudgmentwhen Masaharu Kaito comes to Sotenbori. He’s the main character’s assistant in those games. Joining Kaito in his investigation is his Yakuza buddy, Toru Higashi.
They are looking into the disappearance of the homeless around Sotenbori, as is Joryu, which leads to a misunderstanding at first. Eventually, both Kaito and Higashi get kidnapped by thugs and Joryu has to break them out. The reward for this substory is their aid in the arena. Higashi is a decent recruit, but Kaito is the real star of this deal.
