In Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Kazama Kiryu returns with many new abilities to unlock that best reflect his first steps in this chapter of his life. Whether it is additional attack combos from a fighting stance to powerful finishers, you have many skills to choose from. Several traits you may choose to upgrade affect Kiryu's combat prowess and his interactions with the world.
Three categories are tied to Kiryu's abilities and should be distinct from your stats that define basic traits like total health and attack power. These branching trees are Shared Abilities, Yakuza, and Agent, with the last two referring to Kiryu's fighting styles. You have to purchase upgrades with Yen to unlock abilities, so to engage with side content to earn money fast in Like a Dragon Gaiden.
"A Brilliant Reintroduction" - Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Review
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a wonderful, short adventure that wraps up some of Kiryu's loose threads and tugs on others.
10 Daidoji Evasive Strike
Dodge and Swing
The Daidoji Evasive Strike is an ability from Kiryu's new Secret Agent fighting style in Like a Dragon Gaiden, which focuses on gadgets and precise attacks. This skill lets you press Light or Heavy Attack after a quick step to deliver a fast strike against an opponent. This is a remarkable ability to get first because it helps teach you the ebb and flow of combat early on, letting you dictate fights fluidly.
9 Increase Equippable Gear
The More Tools, the Better
One of the most straightforward abilities to get first is Increase Equippable Gear, which does exactly what you might think in Like a Dragon Gaiden. From the Shared Abilities list, this trait gives you additional gear slots for each upgrade, up to four. Being able to assign more gear to Kiryu increases your versatility, allowing you to have multiple items that boost different combat traits at once.
8 No Reservations
Eat As Much As You Want
Although very expensive, the No Reservations ability adds to your quality of life, allowing Kiryu to eat as much as they want at restaurants even if his health is full. You can try every dish without delay as long as you have money to pay for every meal. This eliminates unfortunate delays you are forced to have between food visits, giving you a chance to fully restore your Health and Heat in one sitting.
There are twelve different restaurants and eateries in Like a Dragon Gaiden, each with a ton of specific food items to try with their unique effects.
7 Agent Gadget: Spider Lv. Up
Spy Kiryu On the Scene
Out of every gadget in Like a Dragon Gaiden, Spider is by far the best way to grapple enemies and toss them around during a fight. Leveling up this spy gear lets you fire more razor wires that can latch onto multiple foes at once. This turns an already strong weapon into something even better, especially when taking on large groups full of low-level threats that could overwhelm you.
6 The Countdown
Only a Matter of Time
The Countdown may seem like a basic ability from the Yakuza fighting style, but this skill can be one of the most reliable tools in Kiryu's arsenal. When knocked down in Like a Dragon Gaiden's early fights, you can activate a counter as you get back up. This prevents enemies from pressuring you too much while Kiryu is on the back foot, giving you a window to swing a battle back into your favor.
5 Ultimate Counter (Damage Up)
Make Them Regret Hitting You
The Ultimate Counter is at the core of either fighting style you prefer, as Kiryu uses the momentum of attackers against them for a devastating counter. The Damage Up this ability makes this tool stronger when you have flashing red health. Being able to make the Ultimate Counter stronger while you're on your last legs makes it easier to recover in tougher fights featuring enemies with multiple health bars.
4 Extreme Heat Mode (Unflinching)
No Going Down Just Yet
Heat Mode in Like a Dragon Gaiden puts Kiryu into their most dangerous state, but the Extreme upgrades like Unflinching take this mode to the next level. This trait prevents you from being knocked down while in Extreme Heat and at low health. The follow-up to this ability, Undying, also prevents you from dying in Heat, so getting the prerequisite early puts you on the path to invulnerability later in the game.
3 Temporary Evasion Boost (Heat Action)
Avoid Danger Quickly
The Agent ability Temporary Evasion Boost activates after a Heat Action, granting Kiryu immunity from attacks during a quick step for a short time. This trait makes up for the slight worry that can arise once you run out of Heat in the middle of an intense fight. The invulnerable state granted with this upgrade allows you to build up your Heat again and cycle back into the same ability for a simple strategy in Like a Dragon Gaiden.
2 Heat Action: Daidoji Essence of Defense Break
Destroy Their Guard
Heat Actions are the pinnacle of your attacks, with Daidoji Essence of Defense Break exclusive to the Agent style. When you press Heavy Attack against a guarding enemy, you enter a quick cutscene where you press button prompts to knock out an opponent instantly. The foe has to be unarmed, but your Spider gadget in Like a Dragon Gaiden should be able to remove their weapon.
1 Heat Action: Essence of Raging Dragon
Take Out Enemies Fast
While Kiryu's new style holds some powerful abilities, nothing can beat the classics, like the Essence of Raging Dragon Yakuza Heat Action. This attack is one of the easiest to activate, only demanding that you press Heavy Attack near an enemy while in a fighting stance. It is an ultimate move in desperate circumstances; the only limitation is that you must have low health to use it.
The best abilities to unlock first in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name will give Kiryu an edge in early fights until you spend more money on other expensive traits.
