'Yakuza' Fans Flock to Official Merch Collection

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series by letting fans vote on the next line of official merchandise. The studio has offered up a whopping 100 bizarre and wonderful items, promising to produce the top two vote-getters within the next two years. The poll is currently only available in Japanese, but submissions can be made through the official website.

While some options are fairly standard, such as a 20th-anniversary hoodie or a Yakuza-themed pencil case, many others draw inspiration from the series' famously outlandish history.

The selection includes truly unique items, such as Munan Suzuki's cult outfit from Yakuza 0, the oversized traffic cone from Yakuza Kiwami, and the intriguingly named "Puffy Gold Pants." Other options range from Majima's sake cup from Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth to Akiyama's gold watch, Kiryu's fountain pen from Yakuza 6, Kashiwagi's tambourine from Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Kiryu's wrestling mask from Yakuza 3, and Saejima's prison uniform from Yakuza 4.

At least one new game will launch in 2025 to mark the anniversary: Like a Dragon: Pirate of the Caribbean (presumably a mistranslation of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth which takes place in Hawaii) arrives on February 21st. While the studio hasn't yet announced any other anniversary projects, given their prolific output, another release isn't out of the question.

RGG Studio's impressive track record speaks for itself. Over the past five years, they've released Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Judgment Remastered, Lost Judgment, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, along with two Super Monkey Ball games and an enhanced remaster of Virtua Fighter 5—a total of nine games. This demonstrates their capacity for rapid development and suggests the possibility of further surprises in 2025.