Today Sega hosted a panel at Anime Expo dedicated to the Like a Dragon series and a little treat has been revealed about Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.
The only footage featured at the panel was the same gameplay of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name that was showcased at the RGG Summit a few weeks ago, we get to see YouTuber and Vtuber Kson in her role for the game. As the winner of the audition held over the past few months by Sega, she will play a live-action role in the game.
You can see some images from the game and her look in the picture below. She will play a hostess at a "Cabaret Club" alongside the other finalists of the audition. If you're unfamiliar with what a Cabaret Club is, it's a (perhaps excessively) literal translation of the Japanese term "Kyabakura" which indicates Hostess Clubs. They're establishments often visited by businessmen in which they can pay to drink and chat with attractive ladies.
They have appeared in several installments of the series and protagonist Kazuma Kiryu has been both a customer and a manager of several Kyabakura and even worked as a host club (the version intended for ladies employing attractive men) himself. It's worth reminding that, while the media (mostly Western) often associates Kyabakura with a form of sex trade, any sexual interaction with hostesses and hosts is usually strictly forbidden, at least within the workplace.
Incidentally, since Kson won the Grand Prix of the audition, she will play a much bigger role as a "madonna-like" character (who will actually have an actual 3D model and appear in gameplay) at a place where the heroes meet in the next mainline game Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. In Japan, the idea of a "madonna" at a bar or a pub corresponds to a lady who works there and is beloved by the customers due to her charm, often acting as a confidant for them. It's a popular trope in games, anime, and even more so TV shows and movies, and it'll certainly be interesting to see Kson in that role.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is coming on November 9 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC. The game will explain what happened to traditional hero Kazuma Kiryu between Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and Infinite Wealth.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC in early 2024. If you'd like to see more, you can enjoy the previous trailer.
