The upcoming Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth could mark the final chapter for beloved series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, according to chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto in a recent interview with The Gamer. This will contain some spoilers, but it will be established almost immediately at the beginning of the game, so nothing you won’t see starting out.
While not explicitly stating Kiryu’s definitive fate, Sakamoto acknowledged the game’s focus on the Dragon of Dojima’s struggles with cancer and tackling his bucket list. He emphasized the series’ commitment to portraying realistic life experiences, including aging and its challenges, hinting that Kiryu’s story may naturally reach its conclusion in Infinite Wealth. However, Sakamoto assures fans that Kiryu’s departure wouldn’t be shrouded in despair.
They claim they didn’t want the story to be so bleak and predictable, but they wanted players to see what they wanted from Kiryu. A sort of redemption where he’s happy in the end. Since they’re shying away from predictable, I’d say he won’t be cured. That’d be a predictable ending, and Yakuza has storytelling that’s too good for that.
“We also don’t want the story to be so bleak and predictable. We don’t want Kiryu to rot away or anything like that or end in that kind of dark tone, so we have a lot of excitement. The story has a lot of hope. It’s what you want to see from Kiryu, right? Turning things around, having hope, figuring out what would be best for him and what would make him the most happy. We try to make it very exciting, and we’re not trying to make anything that’s going to be super sad or disappointing at the end. I hope you’re looking forward to how the story unfolds.”
Hiroyuki Sakamoto
Infinite Wealth also introduces Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist of Like A Dragon 7, as a prominent figure alongside Kiryu. Fans can expect a compelling interplay between the two as they navigate the game’s unique setting of Hawaii. This feels like a way of Kiryu handing off the torch to Kasuga.
Whether Infinite Wealth serves as Kiryu’s swansong or another thrilling chapter in his saga remains to be seen. With its focus on age, mortality, and finding joy in the face of adversity, we are pretty sure this marks the end of Kiryu’s time in the series in a definitive way.
Cancer is a big deal, and the team definitely wouldn’t trivialize it. So Kiryu likely won’t face an ending that has him surviving to see another game.
Comments