Being the saga that it is, you can be sure thatInfinite Wealthis not the last Like a Dragon game. The series, formerly known as Yakuza, may change leads, but it’s hard to see this train slowing down any time soon. As such, the ending leaves plenty of questions hanging for us to ponder.
Will some of these will be answered in a sequel, or will they just be left to our imaginations forever? If the sequels never return to Hawaii, it’s easy to imagine some of these plot points not being brought up again for a while, but only the future will tell.
There will be major spoilers below, so don’t read on until you have beaten the game.
1How Long Is Eiji Going To Prison?
By the end of the game, Eiji Mitamura has betrayed Ichiban Kasuga and did a mock execution of a small child. It’s easy to say that his crimes are unforgivable. However, Kasuga still takes pity on him and encourages him to turn himself in to the Japanese police.
We last see him walking into the police station during an emotional goodbye to Kasuga. How long is Eiji going to jail? Is there enough evidence to implicate him in everything he did? Will he be charged for what he did in Hawaii, too? Whether he is in the slammer for months or decades will determine when we see him again in a sequel, if at all.
2Will Ebina Forgive The Yakuza?
Instead of killing him in the final battle, Kazuma Kiryu drops to his hands and knees and begs Mastaka Ebina for forgiveness on behalf of the Yakuza and the system that betrayed him and his mother. The question remains whether or not it worked.
Will Ebina stop trying to destroy former Yakuza members looking for a better life, or will he still come back and attempt to get revenge in some other way? Considering the game’s themes of forgiveness - both towards others and oneself - we hope he will see the light.
3Former Yakuza Are Still Social Pariahs
The game begins by letting you know how hard life is for former Yakuza looking for a normal life. Ebina uses an opportunity for a steady job to lure them into a trap, but Kasuga and Kiryu thwart this plan. Still, former Yakuza have many of the same problems they faced at the beginning of the game.
They can’t find a normal job, open a bank account, or even have a cell phone. They still run the risk of returning to crime just to make a living, so Ichiban still has his work cut out for him. We’re sure he’ll do all he can, but we also worry that this will cause friction in future games.
4Will Kiryu Survive His Treatment?
At the start of the game, Kiryu has accepted death and is ready to spend his last days in obscurity while completing his mission for the Daidoji faction. By the end, he has reclaimed his name and is going through cancer treatments, signaling that he is willing to fight for his own life.
We don’t know if he’ll survive, though. Even if he tragically succumbs to his illness, there’s still a lesson to be taken from his arch. He spent most of the games putting himself in harm’s way for others. Now, he has to fight for his chance to live.
5Is A Ten-Year-Old Sage Really A Good Idea?
Bryce is finally revealed to be a false Palakena sage through Ichiban Kasuga’s hard work. At the end of the game, Lani, the true Sage of Paleneka, takes her rightful place. It’s great for the truth to be out there finally, but is it such a good idea to have a ten-year-old child as the head of a powerful religious and charity organization?
Hopefully, Akane will be there to guide her through all the steps. Historically speaking, children as leaders with a lot of power doesn’t usually turn out well.
6Will Saeko Mukoda And Ichiban Kasuga Start A Relationship?
Kasuga spends the whole game fretting over the mistakes he made during his first date with Saeko Mukoda. By the end, though, he is finally able to profess his love for her more simply, and she reciprocates. Unfortunately, he ruins the moment by revealing a shirt he had made for them and scaring her off.
Did he ruin this moment, too, or was this more of a cute joke put in by the writers to characteristically end Kasuga’s arch by him being just too sincere for his own good? If they do end up together, it will be interesting to see how he navigates a true relationship.
7What Happens To All The Brainwashed Followers Of Palakena?
Despite Bryce’s influence on Palekena, there are still a lot of good-hearted people in the organization. All the same, many people who were raised to follow Bryce’s every command are now left without a leader and have a perverted view of the religion.
Will they simply pledge their allegiance to Lani and do what she says, or will they be beholden to Bryce even after his capture? Bryce is still alive, so if he has some way to communicate with the outside world, he could very well attempt to sabotage the organization once again using whoever remains faithful to him.
