Best Fighting Styles In Like A Dragon: Ishin

Key Takeaways

Brawler style in Like A Dragon: Ishin is more agile but does the least damage – War Cry parry grants temporary invincibility.
Gunman style allows players to damage enemies from afar with special ammo, but it requires grinding to reach full potential.
Wild Dancer style combines sword and gun attacks but requires skill to master defensive abilities – improves with upgrades.

As a seasoned gamer who has battled countless foes across various realms, I must say that the fighting styles in Yakuza: Like a Dragon have truly captured my heart – and not just because of their intricate movesets or visceral animations. Each style offers its own unique flavor, catering to different playstyles and preferences, making the game an exhilarating journey for every player.

In Yakuza games, players often encounter various martial arts techniques, and it’s clear that mastering multiple skills is crucial for success. As the game progresses, battles become increasingly challenging. It’s important to note that combat plays a significant role in all Yakuza titles, and Like A Dragon: Ishin is no exception. The narrative and combats are closely connected, so advancement requires proficiency in both aspects rather than excelling at just one or the other.

In the game Like A Dragon: Ishin, there are four distinct combat techniques available, and each one has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. As you advance in each style, you’ll earn orbs that can be utilized to enhance your skills. These orbs come in various forms, ranging from general skill-based ones that affect all skills, to specific colored ones that are exclusive to a particular fighting style. Ultimately, the choice of which style players should focus on first depends on their personal preference or proficiency. However, for beginners, here’s a rundown of how the combat styles in Ishin compare against each other.

The result was a pretty fun game, if rather grind-heavy. Between dungeon crawling, crafting swords, guns, armor, and seals, growing fruit and veg and catching fish for cooking and selling, learning new moves from three different trainers, and dealing with collectibles and substories, there’s a lot to do. But that all amounts to naught if players aren’t having fun with the gameplay, so this list has been updated with some extra details to see which of Ryoma’s four fighting styles are the best for starting players, and what it takes to make them as strong as possible.

4. Brawler

Taking on Steel Blades with Iron Fists

Pros: More agile than Swordsman, War Cry parry works on blades and grants temporary invincibility, can access special weapons and pick up objects, and has the Tiger Drop.
Cons: Does the least damage out of all 4 styles, can’t block blades or bullets, and using special weapons doesn’t count towards Brawler XP.

For gamers who prefer hand-to-hand combat, there’s the Brawler style. It basically lets Ryoma fight like Kazuma Kiryu from the regular games, using many of the same punching combos and Heat moves. Many of them can affect multiple foes too, like the “Essence of Swinging” and “Essence of Dragon Strikes”. He also gets the ‘War Cry’ parry that resembles Tanimura’s parry from Yakuza 4. Using it can boost XP gain and make Ryoma temporarily invincible, as well as lead to its own Heat move follow-up.

Besides his ability to toss enemies with the grab button or grab objects in the environment as makeshift weapons, Kiryu can also access special weapons like swords, cannons, and spears by pressing down. Each of these weapons has unique upgrades and Heat actions. However, it’s worth noting that this style doesn’t deal a significant amount of damage on its own, even after enhancements. To match the power of other styles, specific seals are required in weapon and armor crafting. Even the powerful Tiger Drop feels more like a gentle tap in this version.

Still, that parry can come in handy. Plus, one of its later upgrades, the “Asura Spirit,” will let gamers spend their Heat Gauge to recover their health. They’ll need it if they’re sticking with Brawler, but it can act as their lifeline if they’re left in the lurch in other combat encounters.

3. Gunman

Bringing A Gun To A Swordfight

Pros: Can take out enemies from afar, upgrades can make it end combat encounters in a flash, can access different kinds of ammo to inflict status ailments on foes or cut through armor.
Cons: Special ammo can be expensive to make in decent quantities, requires seals to break through armor more easily without special ammo, and works better against regular grunts than bosses.

Players seeking to engage from a safe distance may opt for the character known as Marksman. As the title implies, this character is proficient in long-range attacks, making him less agile at evading incoming fire compared to Ryoma. Notably, his shots will automatically zero in on nearby adversaries. Fortunately, he comes equipped with an endless supply of ammunition, alleviating any concerns about reloading. Occasionally, a few errant shots may be fired while attempting to hit an enemy.

Instead of squandering its diverse ammunition types such as flamethrower and lightning bolts, which can deal additional damage and impose status effects like corrosive acid rounds, they should prioritize their usage. With top-tier upgrades, the player gains access to Heat abilities that can fell 3-4 enemies simultaneously or severely wound them, such as “Essence of the Three-Legged Mare”. This playstyle seems ideal, so why does it rank third?

Initially, this weapon doesn’t cause significant harm, but with enhancements, it can swiftly overpower large enemy groups. However, at the onset, players may find themselves repeatedly pressing the Light Attack button, potentially leading to strain injuries. Acquiring the skills to produce special ammo also requires some upgrades, and obtaining enough of it necessitates as much effort as improving the gun’s firing rate and damage against armored targets. With persistent practice, it has the potential to dominate the game. If unused, though, it could instead strain the player’s fingers excessively.

2. Wild Dancer

Gun + Sword = Gunsword!

Pros: Fast, nimble, breaks through defenses well with the ‘Phoenix Frenzy’ move, certain Heat moves take care of multiple targets.
Cons: Unstable, likely to leave the player open to damage if they make a mistake, can’t guard, sword and gun attacks aren’t as strong as in Gunman and Swordsman styles.

Many novice players tend to gravitate towards the “Wild Dancer” playstyle due to its ability to perform shooting and slashing simultaneously. They can execute various slashes using the Light Attack key, followed by transitioning into any one of them with a gunshot via the Heavy Attack key. The attacks are swift and effective in dealing damage, making it an appealing choice for players seeking to streamline a game that’s already demanding a lot of grinding. However, it comes with a substantial challenge: mastering its evasive and defensive skills demands a higher level of skill.

In one aspect, the character Wild Dancer boasts the Phoenix Frenzy ability, a whirling attack that repels enemy bullets and rams them like a circular saw. This move can even trigger its own Heat action, the “Bloody Wheel,” capable of eliminating one or two enemies with the right upgrades. Conversely, players may accidentally collide with an unintended strike or impact, causing them to be momentarily incapacitated. It’s worth noting that Wild Dancer cannot block attacks.

Rather than using a standard parry, Wild Dancer utilizes a more precise technique, making it trickier to master initially and potentially resulting in frequent collisions with opponents until players adapt. Consequently, this fighting style takes some time before it fully shines. However, once the mechanics are familiar and it receives an upgrade or two, many would agree that it’s the superior style in the game. But early on, it can be quite challenging.

1. Swordsman

Getting Straight To The Point

Pros: Decent damage output from the start, can block bullets, strong counter-attacks. Heat moves do a lot of damage too, many of which can affect multiple foes.
Cons: The slowest style of the bunch, with predictable, slow combos that can leave Ryoma open to damage.

As a gamer immersed in the world of samurai games, it’s only natural that a Swordsman playstyle would be present. In this mode, I wield a single sharp blade for powerful combos. These strikes deal significant damage, but they excel more when I’m up close and personal with my enemies rather than relying on the Brawler’s long-range attacks. However, I lack the agility of other styles; even without executing charged attacks, a single misstep could leave me exposed to an unexpected blow. Fortunately, in this Swordsman style, Ryoma can block both bullets and sword attacks, offering a crucial layer of protection.

This weapon boasts impressive enhancements as well. The skill “Splendid Skill: Whispering Leaves” enables a parry that, with frequent use, can disarm sword-bearing adversaries and make them more susceptible to Ryoma’s attacks. “Splendid Skill: Glory of Lightning” is a swift and powerful counter-strike, surpassing the Tiger Drop in both speed and damage. The skills “Essence of Mincemeat” and “Leaping Vortex” excel at swiftly defeating bosses and numerous opponents. However, it may take some time to acquire these enhancements as they are among the last ones on its wheel.

Creating seals and swords improves the rate at which you level up, as do various enhancements that boost XP. This style excels in the game’s early phases due to its high damage output compensating for its lack of speed. Consequently, players will probably unlock additional skills faster than expected. At least, it will carry them until they master Wild Dancer’s unpredictable spins and parries.

2024-12-10 13:55