Summary
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthlives up to the claim that it is the largest entry in the franchise, with multiple expansive maps to explore, tons of side activities, and a wide cast of playable characters. As impressive as the scale ofLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis, it sets a concerning precedent that the next mainline game will have to grapple with. It will be tough forLike a Dragon 9to surpassInfinite Wealth’s scale, especially when it comes to the growing cast of available party members.
TheLike a Dragonfranchise is set up for a bright future after the success ofInfinite Wealth, with developerRyu Ga Gotoku Studio already teasing upcoming projects. While it’s unclear if their next game will be a remake of a game likeYakuza 3orLike a Dragon: Kenzan, another entry in theJudgmentseries, or anotherLike a Dragon Gaidengame, it’s clear thatLike a Dragon 9will be happening at some point in the future. When the time comes for Kasuga to set out on his next adventure, a tough decision will have to be made about how to deal with an ever-growing party size.
Like a Dragon’s Cast of Party Members is Getting Too Big
There are a total of 10 playable characters that players can include in their party spread across two different parties headed separately byKiryu and Kasuga. Building on the previous title,Yakuza: Like a Dragon,Infinite Wealthadds three new party members in Tomizawa, Chitose, and Seonhee, along with Kiryu who is playable for the first time since the series' change to turn-based combat. The only playable character removed fromLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthwas Eri, who was an optional party member in the previous game, butLike a Dragon 9might have to make more cuts.
The reasonLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthcould get away with including so many new playable characters was due to having two separate parties, one headed by Kasuga in Hawaii and the other led by Kiryu in Japan. WithLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthlikely being Kiryu’s last appearancein the series, it’s unlikely thatLike a Dragon 9will follow a split-party system like this game. With this design in mind,Like a Dragon 9is going to have to make some tough decisions about whom to keep and who to cut out of Kasuga’s playable party.
How Like a Dragon 9 Could Solve its Potential Party Size Problem
Without making any cuts to the party roster, the number of potential playable characters inLike a Dragon 9could end up being too big to be manageable. There will probably be new additions to the game that will become party members, similar toTomizawa and Chitose inInfinite Wealth, as well as a past character who becomes playable for the first time, like what happened with Seonhee. Too many playable party members might make the cast feel bloated and lessen the amount of attention each one is given, with all characters suffering as a result.
To avoid this issue,Like a Dragon 9is going to have to make some cuts to the current roster of party members, potentially running the risk of cutting some players' favorites. It would be unfortunate for Tomizawa and Chitose to only appear inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but they seem like more likely cuts than establishedcharacters like Adachi, Nanba, and Saeko. The most likely playable characters to be cut are Zhao and Joongi Han, since they both have other important things going on separately from Kasuga’s antics and are kind of afterthoughts inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, joining the party as late in the game as they do.
