With the exception of the original release of Yakuza on the PlayStation 2, every mainline game featuring protagonist Kazuma Kiryu only featured the original Japanese voice acting. But with a switch in branding from Yakuza to Like a Dragon, also comes them opening up dual-language support for their games. After releasing on multiple platforms last month, Like a Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name has now received a free English dub patch, available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC.
One of the major differences in the English dub was the decision to not bring back Darryl Kurylo, who despite the long gap between releases, voiced Kiryu in both the 2006 release of Yakuza, and in a guest role in 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon as the very same character. Of course, there are many factors that could have influenced this decision. Instead the role is performed by Yong Yea, a prolific Youtuber who has a surprisingly strong array of voice acting roles under their belt, and from what I can see does the iconic character justice (although it is distinct against the tone of the long-running, original Japanese voice actor, Takaya Kuroda).
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is the latest story in Studio Ryu Ga Gotoku’s long-running series, following the events of Kazuma Kiryu after the events of 2016’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. Having faked his own death and abandoning his name for the sake of protecting his family, he finds himself once more thrust into conflict by a mysterious figure attempting to drive him out of hiding. Under the codename “Joryu,” Kiryu embarks on a new mission unfolding across both Sotenbori and Yokohama.
