I didn’t expect to love “Infinite Wealth” as much as I did. I’d liked the first “Like A Dragon” but didn’t fall head over heels, but I was enamored by the Hawaiian setting, the combat and the cast of memorable characters.
All party members were pretty equal in terms of skill (as the various jobs make everyone somewhat useful), so I’ll be ranking them in terms of character / how entertaining they were to be around and in the plot.
Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:
I Forgot You Were Here
10 – Joongi Han
Joongi Han was a mainstay in my “Like A Dragon” party. His Divine Shot ability could clear out entire enemy groups in a heartbeat, and his tough-as-nails yet secretive personality made him a fascinating ally.
In “Infinite Wealth”, however, he got done dirty. He’s re-introduced far too late in the plot, and he does nothing of note.
9 – Tianyou Zhao
Like Joongi Han, Zhao had his moment in the previous game but doesn’t do much in “Infinite Wealth”.
He’s lost all of the bite of his original appearance, and he ends up being very forgettable.
8 – Saeko Mukoda
Ah, poor Saeko. The writers threw you under the bus.
She was quite a strong character in the original, but here she serves as comic relief while Ichiban pours his heart out.
Good Buddies
7 – Koichi Adachi
Adachi takes a noticeable backseat from both the fighting and the story, which I can understand.
He’s had his time in the spotlight so it was good to give others a go, but either way he was fun to have around.
6 – Yu Nanba
Another old friend who took more of a backseat, except this time Nanba played a more important role in the story.
He’s a basic ally to Ichiban, but I was surprised by how involved he got into Kiryu’s half of the story. His ex-medical expertise proved useful time and time again, and I liked his life-affirming attitude.
Best Friends
5 – Seonhee
Seonhee can be simplified into two key factors – she’s an intimidating underworld queen, and she simps for Kiryu.
Neither of these make for the best character traits on their own, but together they generate quite a funny and engaging combination.
4 – Chitose Fujinomiya
Chitose is this game’s Saeko, and she was – dare I say – better?
Her familial ties were an interesting sideplot that came to the forefront in key story moments, and her fiesty personality was a good foil to Kasuga and co.
3 – Ichiban Kasuga
This may go down as my most controversial take of “Infinite Wealth”, but Kasuga isn’t in my top two characters. In fact, this game’s Kasuga was a slight downgrade from the original.
I’m sure he’ll continue to be Flanderized as the series goes on, and sometimes he could be too overbearing and positive for my liking, but I still enjoyed his goofy personality.
My GOATs
2 – Eric Tomizawa
Tomizawa has the biggest zero to hero arc in the game – he went from lowly crook to trusted ally in no time at all.
Him learning to step out of his past’s shadow was one of my favourite arcs in the game, and he proved time and time again to be an absolute bro.
1 – Kazuma Kiryu
I haven’t played the other Yakuza games, but even I know how iconic Kiryu is. I could tell within five seconds this was going to be my favourite character in the game.
He’s an absolute badass through and through, but his arc of healing and learning to live life was my favourite in the game. My MVP of “Infinite Wealth”.
Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my related blog posts below:
Matt Has An Opinion 