As goofy as Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is, producer and chief director of the Yakuza series Ryosuke Horii reveals that his favorite parts of the spin-off title are where protagonist Goro Majima interacts with those younger than him (which is almost everyone by now). After being in the company of muscly men like Kazuma Kiryu for so long, the presence of youth causes Majima to show his more vulnerable side.
According to a GAME Watch interview, one of Horii’s favorite parts of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is when Misaki, the daughter of Jason Rich’s treasure-hunting buddy Namioka, vows to avenge her father’s death at the hands of the Devil Flags, with the help of Majima and the crew Horii explains that the serious tone was intentional as it juxtaposes the more lighthearted nature of the spin-off’s main story. Majima’s quest to aid Misaki shows his willingness to help others and how adamant he is about letting her fulfill her dream of revenge.
“We decided to make the side stories a little more serious rather than just depicting fun stuff, and I feel this was the right direction to go in. It created a good balance that helped ground the cheerful atmosphere of the journey.”
But Misaki’s role in drawing out Majima’s kindness pales in comparison to that of Noah Rich – the asthmatic young boy who saves an amnesiac Majima at the start of the game. As the son of Jason Rich, a retired treasure hunter, Noah looks up to Majima as a father figure. As such, Horii explains how Majima finds it important to never show his uncool side to Noah and to push the youth to follow his dreams (something Jason Rich gave up on when he was younger). According to Horii, these were the most important parts of portraying Majima’s character in the game.
In exchange, Noah gives Majima something more than treasure to strive for. Since many pirate stories feature protagonists who are obsessed with material wealth, Horii wanted Majima to have a deeper motivation that players can relate to. After consulting with writer Tsuyoshi Furuta, it was decided that Noah would be the perfect catalyst, leading to his addition to the story. Noah’s sickness is what drives Majima to search for the Lost Treasure of the Esperanza – a treasure that includes a mythical elixir capable of curing any disease.
“Majima is not the type of person who is strongly attached to money or power. I thought that if there was no solid motivation to become a pirate other than collecting treasure, it would be difficult for players to empathize with him. I thought about what kind of motive would be good for Majima, so I decided to make him act for someone else. Majima showing the outside world to the boy who helped him and making his dream come true fits with the themes that have been important throughout the Like A Dragon franchise.”
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is out now for the PC (Steam), PS4/PS5, and Xbox One/Xbox Series X|S.
