One thing that is abundantly clear almost immediately in Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth: dudes rock. Writing cool guys who do cool things is not uncommon in games, in fact you could argue games do it too much. Very few games offer dudes who are cool because they are willing to be vulnerable and work on themselves right out of the gate. Yet, that’s exactly where Infinite Wealth does with many of its men; they have matured while still having plenty to learn, creating a circle of support and growth that many have argued men in reality don’t have. In this way, Infinite Wealth is surprisingly inspirational.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth stars men that are unafraid to care
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is, like many RPGs, as much about the relationships formed between its party members as much as it is the adventure. However, as Infinite Wealth is a direct sequel to Yakuza: Like A Dragon (a not-confusing situation whatsoever), it is actually just as interested in what happens after that adventure. A huge part of Infinite Wealth’s opening is dedicated to showing what wannabe hero Ichiban Kasuga has made of himself – and it’s actually great to see. He’s gotten himself a contracting gig at the job agency players frequented in the previous game, and is working to help fellow ex-yakuza find their way to a fresh start like he stumbled into. The tutorial section is used to show exactly how Kasuga has been accomplishing this goal through one such case study: a former yakuza who comes into the Hello Work temp agency demanding his help, even offering a bribe, and quickly finding himself laid out in a clever way to remind players how combat works in this part of the franchise. As a result, the cash the poor guy had left blows into sewer runoff, and Kasuga immediately dives in to retrieve it for him.
Kasuga, covered in sewage and trash, uses this as a teaching moment for this down on his luck guy: the issue isn’t that he’s not willing to help, but that he can’t help someone who isn’t willing to change. Acting like he did in the yakuza isn’t going to change his options, and strutting around like he can buy or force his way through issues isn’t a good way to live anyway. He’ll have to show some vulnerability to take that help – and Kasuga understands how hard doing that is. Thankfully, his new pal decides to do just that, which helps transition to Kasuga’s other friends from the previous game: former cop Adachi has opened his own investigation firm, which ends up being a great place for some of these waylaid yakuza members. Disgraced nurse Nanba, who regained his sense of self in the last game, now tests medical equipment. Saeko, the party’s female teammate, has taken up leadership duties of a club the team interacted with before, and is trying to make ends meet.
Even the best himbos need a little guidance
While it’s obvious that this has to eventually be complicated – this is only the beginning of Infinite Wealth after all – it’s so nice to see these characters followed up with and still see their friendship thriving. Nanba and Adachi even begin to push Kasuga into taking a risk and asking Saeko out on a date. It’s fulfilling to see each man’s own masculinity mesh together without any coming out particularly negative throughout the sequence: Nanba’s aloofness and Adachi’s cool guy demeanor play well with Kasuga, who can only really be described as “what if Monkey D. Luffy was 40?” It’s three men just being cool with each other and trying to help their friends out to be happier – no one having to be the comic relief creep or lampshading the situation.
When Kasuga gets his date and subsequently messes up by over-eagerly proposing marriage, these two step up to help him process the mistake. It’s cathartic to see the two casually break down for Kasuga where he went wrong; not just proposing marriage on the first date but also how he did it – the actual impact of the things he says. The two don’t really condemn Kasuga for not realizing the inherent disrespect in things like mentioning kids or house labor on presumption and help him understand exactly how even being a perceived “nice guy” can create an uncomfortable situation for a woman. Despite his good intentions, Kasuga needed some clarity from others he trusted to see those mistakes.
If you poke your head out online and search social media for “men,” you’ll very quickly find a lot of men that are Not Okay. In equal measure is a rising concern that men don’t have a lot of “good” examples to emulate. I would not say that Infinite Wealth set out to be such an example, but it makes a strong argument that what men need isn’t something to replicate as much as they need each other. No specific version of masculinity in the game is framed as directly superior to each other – from Kasuga’s helpful himbo to Kiryu’s stoicism, everyone has something to offer. As a result, they strengthen each other and others around them. A lot of gamers might see this as being “woke” or some other thin critique, but Infinite Wealth really is just full of dudes getting help and helping each other. Kasuga isn’t a bad guy in this situation, it’s clear he just needs guidance in how to navigate it.
The power of communication
Even one of Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s various minigames reinforces this. The new Miss Match minigame is a simulation of dating apps (including a fun joke about how those apps basically bleed people dry) which Kasuga finds himself signed up for after a chance encounter with the app’s creator. At first, Kasuga balks at the notion of even talking with other women while he’s still holding a torch for Saeko (who at this point in the story hasn’t texted him back for mysterious reasons) and the game points out how weird that is! For one, this is still an entirely one-sided perspective and for two, strict monogamous perspectives like this is more or less how Kasuga found himself in the emotional situation he’s in now.
Through Miss Match, Kasuga is given the opportunity to learn how to better have relationships by learning how to just casually communicate with women – and in turn learn about himself further. Miss Match is still a Yakuza series minigame, a class that includes doing business hard enough to buy space lasers. That means this section is far from serious and in fact almost immediately tiptoes towards being too weird, but it’s clear that it still serves a point for this character’s healthy growth. The entire point isn’t to get laid, it’s to just learn to talk to people and become comfortable talking about relationships with them.
Taking the message to heart
By the time Kasuga is reaching out a supporting hand to new party member Tomizawa, it’s not surprising at all, but it’s very powerful. What wins Tomi over isn’t Kasuga and Kiryu promising protection, rather it’s Kasuga telling him that even though he thinks he’s alone to deal with the situation he’s found himself in, he doesn’t have to be. All Tomizawa needs to reclaim his own life is someone willing to give him a hand – something that Kasuga understands very well. Just like in the tutorial, knowing just how hard the life of someone in their line of work has given Kasuga an ability to break through the machismo and reach the actual man inside. There’s plenty of real-life men who could use the kind of speech that Kasuga gives, to hear that they are not alone and that this world isn’t explicitly against them, they just have to let down their guard a little bit.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a lot of video game, and as such it is hardly about this one particular topic. Nonetheless, by showcasing relationships that grow naturally and with mutual support, the game highlights a great way for men to be – themselves with each other. That message is a real gift, and hopefully it is one that some men are willing to hear.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is available now on PS5, Xbox, and PC/Steam.
Featured images ⒸSEGA
Travis Hymas is a freelance writer and self appointed Pokémon historian out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Known to be regularly obessive over pop culture topics, gaming discourse, and trading card games, he is a published critic featured on sites such as Uppercut and The Young Folks.
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