# Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
**Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii** is an action-adventure game developed by [Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryu-ga-gotoku-studio) and published by Sega, released on February 21, 2025 for [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5), [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC (Steam).[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cso4F5QfNDs) • [2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) A spin-off of the Like a Dragon (Yakuza) series, it stars Goro Majima as an amnesiac who washes up on a Hawaiian island and becomes captain of a pirate ship, and it returns the series to real-time beat-'em-up combat after two turn-based entries.[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-you-can-teach-an-old-dog-new-tricks/1900-6418336/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | February 21, 2025; PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows/Steam[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cso4F5QfNDs) |
| Developer / publisher | Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio / Sega[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) |
| Protagonist | Goro Majima, suffering amnesia, as a pirate captain; his first playable role since Yakuza 0 (excluding the Majima Saga DLC for Yakuza Kiwami 2)[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) |
| Combat styles | Two: Mad Dog (his classic knife-and-acrobatics style) and Sea Dog (dual cutlasses, pistols, and a grappling hook)[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) • [4](https://thetechnovore.com/2025/02/24/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-pc-and-rog-ally-x-reviewed/) |
| Main story length | About 20 hours, with substantial side content[5](https://rpgamer.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review/) |
| Settings | Rich Island, Nele Island, the pirate stronghold Madlantis, and Honolulu[6](https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/playstation-5/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-537725.shtml) |
| Critical reception | RPGFan 82/100, IGN 8/10, GameSpot 7/10, Eurogamer 4/5, GamesRadar 4/5[7](https://vluxs.com/upload/img/files/83261466242.pdf) |
## Premise and story
The game is set in a Hawaii where pirate ships sail the high seas and roving gangs search the islands for treasure and fights. A young boy, Noah Rich, finds a half-drowned, tattooed man wearing an eyepatch on the beach of his small island village; the stranger has lost his memory but relies on [muscle memory](https://www.edgepedia.org/muscle-memory) to defeat a gang of wannabe pirates. He is Majima, the Mad Dog of Shimano, and he eventually becomes the new captain of a pirate ship.[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) • [8](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii)
Supporting characters include Noah's father Jason, the ship's navigator, and Noah's pet baby tiger Goro, who follows Majima and attacks enemies. The main antagonist is Queen Michele, ruler of Madlantis, a playground for pirates.[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) The story functions as a coda to [Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth](https://www.edgepedia.org/like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth), tying up dangling plot points from that game.[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/)
Majima is voiced in Japanese by Hidenari Ugaki, who has played the role for 20 years, and in English by [Matthew Mercer](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-mercer), whose performance was received as nearly as compelling as the original.[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/)
## Gameplay
**Combat.** The game reverts to the real-time beat-'em-up style the series used before [Yakuza: Like a Dragon](https://www.edgepedia.org/yakuza-like-a-dragon) moved it in a turn-based direction.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-you-can-teach-an-old-dog-new-tricks/1900-6418336/) Majima has two styles: Mad Dog, his classic style built on knife work and acrobatics, and Sea Dog, a pirate style using dual cutlasses, pistols, and a grappling hook against large crowds.[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) • [4](https://thetechnovore.com/2025/02/24/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-pc-and-rog-ally-x-reviewed/) Reviewers described the combat as fast and accessible, though some found it shallow, with button mashing and limited mechanical nuance.[9](https://playeropinion.com/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review/)
**Ship combat and crew.** Sailing between islands brings ship-to-ship battles with cannons, machine guns, and rocket launchers. Players assemble a crew through substories and assign members to positions such as operating cannons, firing machine guns, repairing the ship, or joining the boarding party; defeating a main enemy ship initiates a boarding action that moves the fight to melee combat on deck.[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) • [4](https://thetechnovore.com/2025/02/24/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-pc-and-rog-ally-x-reviewed/) Ship combat divided critics: RPGFan and TechRaptor called it the weakest part of the game, lacking the series' over-the-top Heat Actions,[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) • [10](https://techraptor.net/gaming/reviews/like-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-yarr-kuza) while [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer) wrote that the major ship battles still captured the series' over-the-top combat magic.[11](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review/)
**World and activities.** The game world is split among four main settings: Rich Island, the starting point of the plot; Nele Island, a refuge for former yakuza that also hosts a mysterious religious sect; Madlantis, a bastion of pirates; and Honolulu.[6](https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/playstation-5/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-537725.shtml) Roughly half the game takes place in Honolulu, reusing the map modeled for Infinite Wealth, along with many of its activities; returning minigames include karting races, karaoke, baseball, billiards, and poker, alongside new ones such as the baseball-themed Bang Bang Batting Center.[12](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2025/02/18/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-une-embardee-a-la-fois-absurde-et-familiere_6552730_4408996.html) • [13](https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2025/02/18/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-ps5/) Costume customization, expanded from Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, covers Majima's outfits in both styles and his pirate ship.[14](https://www.rpgsite.net/review/16888-like-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review)
## Development
Pre-order bonuses included an Ichiban Kasuga crewmate set adding Ichiban Kasuga and his pet crawfish Nancy to the crew, plus two of Ichiban's outfits; a Digital Deluxe or Collector's Edition added legendary crewmates, extra ship customization parts, an extra karaoke song, and more.[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cso4F5QfNDs)
## Reception
Review scores included RPGFan 82/100, IGN 8/10, GameSpot 7/10, Eurogamer 4/5, and GamesRadar 4/5.[7](https://vluxs.com/upload/img/files/83261466242.pdf) GamesRadar later ranked it ninth in its list of the best Yakuza games and called it the "most worthwhile spinoff game to date."[15](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-yakuza-games/) Common praise went to the large-scale battles, the crew management system, Majima as protagonist, and the story's connection to Infinite Wealth; common criticisms targeted the ship combat, the recycled Honolulu map and activities, and the short main story relative to the volume of side content.[2](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/) • [5](https://rpgamer.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review/) • [9](https://playeropinion.com/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review/)
## References
1. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii | Adventure Gameplay, SEGA (YouTube)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cso4F5QfNDs)
2. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review, RPGFan](https://www.rpgfan.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii/)
3. [Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii Review, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-you-can-teach-an-old-dog-new-tricks/1900-6418336/)
4. [Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii (PC and ROG Ally X) Reviewed, The Technovore](https://thetechnovore.com/2025/02/24/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-pc-and-rog-ally-x-reviewed/)
5. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review, RPGamer](https://rpgamer.com/review/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review/)
6. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review (PS5), Softpedia](https://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/playstation-5/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-537725.shtml)
7. [Review score compilation, vluxs.com PDF](https://vluxs.com/upload/img/files/83261466242.pdf)
8. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review (PS5), Push Square](https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii)
9. [Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review, PlayerOpinion.com](https://playeropinion.com/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review/)
10. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review, TechRaptor](https://techraptor.net/gaming/reviews/like-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-yarr-kuza)
11. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review/)
12. [« Like a Dragon : Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii », Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2025/02/18/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-une-embardee-a-la-fois-absurde-et-familiere_6552730_4408996.html)
13. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review, Hey Poor Player](https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2025/02/18/like-a-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review-ps5/)
14. [Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Review, RPG Site](https://www.rpgsite.net/review/16888-like-dragon-pirate-yakuza-in-hawaii-review)
15. [The best Yakuza games of all time, ranked, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-yakuza-games/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual PC and computer-platform game titles › Action-adventure titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license