The Best Healing Items in Like a Dragon: Ishin, Ranked

Key Takeaways

Specialty items like Omusubi, Vitality Pills, and Ultra All-Purpose Medicine boost health effectively.
Cooking dishes in-game with premium ingredients can provide additional health benefits and buffs.
Strategic use of farm upgrades and friendship bonds can optimize health recovery options in battles.

As someone who has spent countless hours in the bustling streets of Kamakura, I must say that the art of cooking and healing is truly a masterpiece in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Each dish offers its unique benefits, catering to the needs of our warrior protagonist, Ryoma, during his perilous journey.

At long last, I got my hands on Like a Dragon: Ishin, a game that was once exclusive to Japan, but made its global debut last year through a remake packed with enhancements. The original PS4 version of this game was groundbreaking as it introduced the style-changing mechanics we later saw in Yakuza 0. As Ryoma Sakamoto, I could switch between his fists, sword, and gun, and even wield sword and gun simultaneously – a feature that truly set the stage for the action to come!

In the Yakuza/LAD series, this particular game isn’t the most challenging one. However, if players rush into major battles without proper preparation, they might find themselves in a costly predicament. Fortunately, there are numerous options to restore health within the game, such as restaurants, rest areas, and healing items. These range from purchased, earned, or crafted options, but regardless of their origin, they stand out as the most effective ones in the game.

10 The Special Omusubi

Divine Grace Wrapped Up in Rice and Nori

The Best Healing Items in Like a Dragon: Ishin, Ranked

Increase the Shinto Priest Exchange Level to 5 (Priest’s Omusubi), max out friendship bond with Akari (Akari’s Omusubi), and max out Haruka’s trust level (Haruka’s Omusubi).
Pros: Decent health recovery, can be stockpiled with enough Virtue (Priest’s Omusubi).
Cons: Takes a long time and a lot of Virtue to make the Priest’s Omusubi worth using, and Akari and Haruka’s Omusubi are only occasionally handed out after completing their bonds.

Maybe you’re more familiar with them as onigiri or jelly donuts (especially if you’re a Pokemon fan), but Omusubi are essentially rice balls filled with delicious goodness, much like a sandwich made from rice instead of bread. You can find some common ones in Ishin that will give you a small health boost. However, there are also unique Omusubi in the game that can heal more than any shop-bought riceball.

In this game, players can acquire unique riceballs from the Priest using 50 Virtue points initially. These riceballs don’t seem extraordinary at first, but when a player achieves the maximum level in their Exchange system (level 5), their Musubi will heal 1,000 HP with each serving.

9 Special Vitality Pill

The Best Form of Faith Healing

Increase the Shinto Priest’s Exchange Level to 3 to make it available on his Exchange list.
Pros: Will completely max out Ryoma’s health no matter what state he’s in.
Cons: Can only be bought with Virtue, making it harder to stockpile.

Players don’t have to build a full relationship with the Priest to obtain special health recovery items; instead, they can acquire the Special Vitality Pill as early as Level 3. This item will instantly restore Ryoma’s health to maximum when consumed, regardless of his current health status, though it’s important to note that this item can only be purchased with Virtue, not real money. Each pill costs 200 Virtue.

Here’s one way to rephrase that in natural and easy-to-read language:

8 Ultra All-Purpose Medicine

A Rare Prize That Offers a High Reward

Spend 5 Prize Tickets on the Rare Prize Wheel and get a red ball to win this.
Pros: Will instantly fill up Ryoma’s health and heat once taken.
Cons: Requires playing the Prize Wheel multiple times to get the Rare Prize Wheel, then a lot of luck and prize tickets to obtain just one dose.

Manju from The Enlightenment could assist the player in purchasing six vials of the All-Purpose Special Medicine from the Priest’s Exchange. Each dose costs 500 Virtue, restores 1,000HP, and grants Ryoma 3 Heat points to utilize. Although it’s potent, it’s not as cost-effective compared to accumulating its less powerful Deluxe version, which can be bought with real money at the pharmacy.

Because Ryoma seems to receive prize tickets for the game at every turn, players might want to give the prize wheels a spin to see if they’re lucky. Besides Manju and Spirit Sake, it may also reward other valuable items such as the All-Purpose Ultra Medicine. If you manage to grab this from the Rare Prize Wheel, you can instantly maximize your health and heat levels. However, don’t expect to receive more than one or two of these at a time.

7 Longevity Pill

Does What It Says in the Title

Max out friendship bond with the Ecchudo Pharmacy apothecary in Kawaramachi, Rakunai.
Pros: Will recover more health per dose than any other purchasable medicine, and recover Heat too.
Cons: Requires completing a friendship bond by testing multiple health-draining meds, and is expensive to buy in bulk.

If players prefer to preserve their Virtue for their farm in Another Life or other enhancements, they can obtain the Longevity Pill from Ecchudo Pharmacy as an alternative. Each dose provides 1,300HP and adds +3 Heat as a bonus. However, it costs 8,000 mon and requires testing of the apothecary’s experimental medication before use.

In a side plot, Ryoma will undergo numerous drug tests, often experiencing adverse effects until the final trial. Fortunately, a Sushi Zanmai restaurant is situated near the pharmacy to provide some relief. After all these trials, the Longevity Pill will be complete. Although this process is complicated, it offers Ryoma more vigor than the Deluxe Vitality Pill, which restores 500HP for 3,500 mon but lacks the potency of the Longevity Pill.

6 Refreshing Kakiage

Refreshing Health Bars With Each Dish

Available after obtaining the Home Cook Kitchen Upgrade.
Pros: Decent health recovery, and provides temporary status ailment invulnerability.
Cons: Require significant investment in the farming minigame, only recovers 750HP if players fumble the cooking sections.

At the beginning of playing Ishin, players should aim to accumulate as much Virtue as possible. This Virtue should then be invested primarily into enhancements for the Another Life farming minigame, focusing on expanding the field capacity and kitchen. By doing so, they will be able to cultivate a large quantity of fruits and vegetables, which can help them complete orders, earn substantial amounts of money, and create dishes that could prove useful in helping Ryoma in an emergency.

For example, the Refreshing Kakiage requires the Home Cook Kitchen Upgrade, then an Octopus, 4 Burdock Roots, 1 Onion, 1 Green Onion, and 1 Ginger root. If they cook it successfully, it’ll recover 750HP and make Ryoma briefly immune to status ailments. Then, if they do each cooking section perfectly, it’ll become a premium dish and recover 1,500HP.

5 Refreshing Vegetable Salad

The Handiest Dish for Vegetarian Runs

Available after obtaining the Home Cook Kitchen Upgrade.
Pros: Will recover double the health if made perfectly, provides an elemental attack boost, and ingredients don’t take long to grow.
Cons: Require significant investment in the farming minigame, only recovers 750HP if players fumble the cooking sections.

As a gamer, I’ve found that whipping up homemade dishes can be quite the grind compared to popping pills or dropping by a restaurant. It involves constant farming (growing fruit & veg) and fishing expeditions to gather resources. Yet, some recipes are more manageable than others, like the Refreshing Vegetable Salad. It’s less of a challenge to stockpile ingredients for this one.

The dish uses a combination of 2 Turnips, 2 Eggplants, 2 Onions, 2 Carrots, and 3 Spinaches that can all be cultivated in large quantities on the farm. Prepared flawlessly, this deluxe version restores an impressive 1,500HP and boosts Ryoma’s elemental attack strength. But if not done correctly, it will only provide 750HP as an alternative.

4 Revolutionary Croquettes

Revolutionary Recovery

Complete Substory #58 and befriend the Revolutionary Chef to unlock the recipe.
Pros: Recovers a decent amount of health and heat, and ingredients don’t take long to grow.
Cons: Substory doesn’t appear in the game for a while, and cooking takes time.

Preparing speedy dishes such as Vegetable Salad and Katameshi will be beneficial in gaining the favor of the Revolutionary Chef. He desires a consistent supply of meals cooked by Ryoma until he’s satisfied enough to unveil his signature dish, the Revolutionary Croquettes. He may even share the recipe with you if you’re interested in making them yourself.

As a gamer named Ryoma, I’ve discovered an exciting culinary quest! With two packs of Udon Flour, an egg, three potatoes, a carrot, and a cucumber, I’m about to concoct a dish that offers a 1,500HP boost and +2 Heat. It’s a challenging recipe to master, but if I nail it, this meal will refill my health bar to the max! The effort invested promises a powerful payoff in return.

3 Shrewd Castella

Requires Shrewd Thinking to Make Consistently

Available to cook after obtaining the True Chef Kitchen Upgrade.
Pros: Offers double the average health recovery if done perfectly, and will increase EXP gain temporarily.
Cons: Requires a lot of ingredients to make, and it’s hard to perfect it.

In essence, the clever game called Castella doesn’t demand that you exhaust your friendships, but it does ask for the True Chef Kitchen Upgrade as a prerequisite to access Ryoma’s complete list of recipes. Additionally, each dish calls for 3 units of Honey, 2 measures of Udon Flour, and 15 Eggs. Despite having a fully improved chicken coop, players will find themselves purchasing numerous eggs in town due to the recipe requirements.

Preparing this dish can be quite challenging due to its precise timing in the recipe. Completing it will only restore 1,000HP, but for a limited time, it’ll boost the EXP Ryoma earns from battles. If gamers can perfect the cooking sections, they’ll craft Premium Shrewd Castella, restoring a more substantial 2,000HP. This could be very useful in emergencies if players run low on other supplies.

2 Food Be Thy Medicine Box

The Healing Power of Homemade Bento

Available to cook after obtaining the True Chef Kitchen Upgrade.
Pros: Provides regenerating health to go with its decent recovery, can max out health if done perfectly.
Cons: Requires cooking 3 other dishes to make 1 box

In the True Chef Kitchen Upgrade, players will not only be able to create individual dishes but also assemble complete bento sets. When players successfully prepare one Kakiage, one Tekka Stew, one Vegetable Salad, five Broad Beans, and a Cabbage, they can construct the Box of Food as Remedy.

This dish will offer 1,500HP when executed correctly, and fully restore Ryoma’s health if performed flawlessly to go premium. However, achieving these benefits requires considerable preparation, much like cooking the Revolutionary Croquettes. The difference is that instead of increasing Ryoma’s heat gauge, this dish will allow him to regenerate his health for a certain period. This means that if Ryoma is knocked down after consuming it, he can quickly recover the lost health in no time at all.

1 Unagi Mabushi

For the Warrior on the Go

Available at Kamatora, South Karasuma Street, Rakunai.
Pros: Decent health recovery, reasonable price, easily stockpiled.
Cons: Only available at Kamatora.

Instead of having players spend an entire session preparing food, what if they prefer to purchase healing items instead? These items will allow them to quickly restore health before continuing with the main storyline, side quests, Battle Dungeons and more. However, it’s important to note that these restaurants won’t help much if players find themselves in a battle without any items in their inventory. Additionally, while healing pills can restore health, they only offer a limited amount per dose (typically 500HP).

Fortunately, the game provides a Bakumatsu era alternative to takeout meals. Players can quickly drop by Kamatora in Rakunai to purchase dishes they can consume later. Each meal restores at least 1,050HP and costs less than 2,000 mon. The best dish is the Unagi Mabushi, an eel-based rice bowl that restores 1,500HP for 1,980 mon per serving. Having ample Unagi Mabushi in their inventory will allow players to remain engaged in combat for a longer duration.

2024-11-19 00:55