One of the defining aspects of theYakuzaseries is the Substories. You just can’t have an instalment without them, as they add a lot of charm, humor, personality, and emotion to the games. Substories inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealthwork a bit differently, though.
Despite switching between thetwo main characters throughout, Substories are technically only in Ichiban Kasuga’s side of the campaign. Kiryu, instead has Memoirs of a Dragon, which are more collectibles than anything. Only a handful of Memoirs would count as actual quests, but those rare few are exceptional.
Substories that are simply a lead-in to a side activity or additional mechanic won’t be included. Same with ones that are only cutscenes with no gameplay to speak of.
10A Love As Sweet As Lemons
Truly Sweet
A Substory you’ll encounter early on is A Love as Sweet as Lemons. You’ll find a young boy named Tony selling lemonade, and you must help him sell enough drinks to customers around the area. Not everyone wants lemonade, so check those speech boxes.
You’ll discover that he’s trying to save enough money for a tiara for a woman he truly loves. There are some twists and turns, but the ending is especially heartwarming. You can’t help but be moved by it, and don’t be surprised if Tony appears in another instalment later down the road.
9Coming Out Of Her Shell
A Fan Favorite
One Substory that willbe a favorite for manyhas to be Coming Out of Her Shell. Nancy was a beloved ally inYakuza: Like a Dragon, so it was a no-brainer she returned in Infinite Wealth. This time, however, she’s got a crush on a hermit crab named Olivia.
It’s a really cute Substory with great visual comedy that must be seen to be believed. You also get an excellent poundmate after you beat it, which will deal a nice amount of poison damage to all enemies. That’s really useful, so make sure to do this Substory.
8Wait For Me
You Must Pay Attention For This One
Wait for Me is simpler than many other Substories. A waiter’s not on time for the restaurant, and with no one in sight, the head chef picks you to deliver orders for the day. For this Substory, you actually have to pay attentionor take notesto satisfy the customers.
First, you must deliver everything the three customers want, but the family order requires you to visually pick the right meal requested. This is rare for Substories in the modern entries of the series, but it’s great to see this style return. The Substory is rather short and doesn’t deliver a great reward, but it’s still highly enjoyable.
7Saved By Kindness
Not What You Think It Is
A common Substory you’ll see all the time in the series is the scam. Ever since the original, there’s been a plethora of scam-related Substories, but Saved by Kindness twists it a bit. You’ll discover a Japanese man lost in this Hawaiian area, and he repeatedly gets scammed by various people.
The one scammer who uses him the most is a certain Hawaiian woman. Later on, you’ll discover the Japanese man actually knows full well this is a scam but does it anyway to become closer to her. The Substory takes more turns from there, and it’s a solid break from the usual story mold. The ending, too, is especially touching.
6Samurai, May We Walk Together?
Solid Comedy
Oddly similar to another Substory fromLike a Dragon: Ishin!, Infinite Wealth once again has an American infatuated with Japanese culture. Instead of an actual samurai, it’s a movie director who’s filming a television program.
Ichiban fits the bill for the job, and you’ll go through several hilarious scenarios poking fun at Japanese stereotypes people think of. The Substory has a solid resolution, facing off against another movie director, and you get a neat poundmate as a reward. Nathan’s poundmate is good early to mid-game but not effective towards the end. Still, this Substory arguably has the best comedy in the whole game.
5Let It Snow
Truly Touching
The Substory with debatably the biggest emotional weight has to be Let It Snow. You’ll encounter it much later when you find an old man oddly playing around with ice. It’s rather strange, but you found out he’s trying to make snow to fulfill his dying wife’s wish.
That’s heavy stuff, but the way the Substory plays out incorporates a character from prior games in a very clever manner. The ending hits hard emotionally, and one of the most effective Substories in the series forgetting you teary-eyed.
4Embrace Your Wild Side
Not Amazing On Paper, But Excellent In Execution
On the second floor of the Anaconda Mall, you’ll encounter the Embrace Your Wild Side Substory. You’ll see a musician named Matt Tropico there, who you later find out used to be a rock star named Golem Gunwolf before transitioning to being a much safer, commercial-friendly folk singer.
The tables really turn when you find this one terminally ill boy scared of dying who wants to see Golem shred one last time. you’re able to see where this is going, and while the premise is straight out of a sitcom, it’s delivered exceptionally well. The climactic concert scene features some awesome camera angles that really push it over the top and win you over.
3Litterbugged And Close Encounters Of The Bird Kind?
Sojimaru Is Back
Another highly memorable aspect of Yakuza: Like a Dragon was Sojimaru, the AI that went too far. Its boss fight was pretty fun, and it shouldn’t be surprising to see Sojimaru return. You have to fight it twice in two different Substories, and while the encounters themselves are enjoyable, the cutscenes are fantastic, too.
The comedy with its AI machine learning and the visual comedy in the latter UFO-themed Substory are great. Unfortunately, you’ll likely be under-leveled for the boss fights, but do them when you can. After you beat Sojimaru the second time, you get an amazing electric damage poundmate that will be useful for the entire game. Don’t miss out on that.
2Memories Of Komaki
The Legendary Trainer Rides Into The Sunset
If you’ve played Yakuza since the very beginning, you’ll know that Komaki is one of thegreatest side characters in the series. A trainer responsible for giving you the best moves in any given title, he hasn’t seen an appearance since Yakuza 5. In Infinite Wealth, he finally returns and, just like Kiryu, is at the end of his ropes.
After meeting up again, you’ll fight Komaki for the final time in what’s a challenging and fun encounter. For the level you’re likely at here, it’ll test you well. After you beat him, Kiryu and Komaki go their separate ways in what’s an incredibly satisfying finale to the character. It makes you wish other legacy characters got the same treatment.
1Memories Of Four Shine
One Last Hurrah
Another returning batch of characters are some of the women from Four Shine, an establishment from Yakuza 2. Hostesses returning are quite rare as, historically, they’ve been modeled after real-life people, meaning they have licenses attached to them. However, that practice has been lessened in the newer entries, allowing characters like Yuki and Koyuki to come back here.
It’s great to see the gang come together, but it’s also nice to see Kiryu not hiding his identity with these women. That’s a nice change of pace. Saeko’s appearance also makes for great material since she was a hostess herself, and the memory quest overall is a satisfying ending to Kiryu’s history with hostess clubs.
