‘Like A Dragon: Ishin!’ The ‘Yakuza’ Samurai Spinoff Is Finally Coming To The U.S.

The Yakuza franchise has always been extremely popular in Japan. SEGA’s crime drama series was popular enough to get six mainline games and multiple spinoffs before it finally started to gain some mainstream popularity in the United States with the release of Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon. As the game’s popularity grew, so did interest in its many games and one that fans have been asking for forever is the samurai-themed spinoff, Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!.

On Tuesday, during PlayStation’s State of Play event, longtime fans were shocked when it was announced that not only was Ishin! finally coming to the United States, but it was getting a full-on remake on top of that and being renamed Like a Dragon: Ishin!. Modern graphics, modern controls, and a whole new gameplay system. This is the best case scenario for longtime fans.

It’s hard to understate just how big a deal this is for American fans of Yakuza. This was a franchise that, for over a decade, didn’t have an English dub option because there wasn’t enough American fan support behind it to justify it. Yakuza 5 was a digital-only release and a delayed one at that. Now, it’s a major part of SEGA’s release schedule in both Japan and the United States. That western fans are going to finally get the chance to experience a spinoff that many fans have said is one of the best games in the entire franchise is a huge win for longtime fans.

We can’t wait to play this when it comes out next February. The graphics look incredible and we’re sure it’s going to be just as good as the rest.