The Best Upgrades in Yakuza Kiwami

As a seasoned Yakuza enthusiast who’s spent countless hours navigating the treacherous streets of Kamurocho and its surrounding areas, I can confidently say that mastering the Dragon style is an absolute must for any player looking to make their mark in the world of Kiryu Kazuma. The unique way it evolves through the Majima Everywhere system adds a layer of excitement and anticipation that keeps you on your toes, making each encounter with the indomitable Majima a thrilling test of skill and patience.

Back in 2015, when Yakuza 0 was released, marking the 10th anniversary of the original game, I was thrilled to learn that Sega had been thinking about remaking the classic Yakuza title all along! With Yakuza 0’s overwhelming success, they seized the opportunity to ride its wave by utilizing its assets to develop Yakuza Kiwami. This remake revisits the original storyline, enriching it with additional scenes and incorporating the dynamic gameplay style of Yakuza 0. I couldn’t be more excited to dive back into the world of Yakuza!

Players no longer require billions of yen to advance Kiryu, instead, they must gradually increase his XP by defeating thugs, completing side-quests, and progressing through the game. Furthermore, Kiryu’s friend-turned-foe Goro Majima will occasionally appear for battles using various fighting styles. To level up Kiryu’s new Dragon style effectively, players must defeat Majima multiple times. Newcomers, especially those playing on the Nintendo Switch version, should keep an eye out for these upgrades to assist them in bringing justice to Kamurocho.

10 Health & Heat Upgrades

Last Longer in the Fight

The Best Upgrades in Yakuza Kiwami

Health Upgrades: Appears on all tiers in the Body Tree.
Heat Gauge & Climax Heat Upgrades: Appears on all tiers in the Soul Tree.

Initially, Health and Stamina are significant enhancements to acquire. At the outset of the game, Kiryu appears robust enough in the prologue. However, as the main game begins, players will notice the impact of ten years within the criminal underworld on the Dragon of Dojima. If they don’t, Goro Majima will make it clear in a swift, compulsory boss fight where he demonstrates strength far beyond Kiryu’s level. Fortunately, players do not need to win this battle to advance in the game.

After taking care of their health initially, they ought to focus on improving their overall well-being a bit more, so they can stay in the game for an extended period. Increasing their “Heat” level will grant them access to additional powerful moves that can inflict damage on enemies. Players should aim to reach the “Climax Heat” stage (indicated by red chunks at the end of the Heat gauge), which will provide a significant advantage when facing bosses, making battles less challenging.

9 Attack Boost

From Stinging like a Bee to Roasting Them like a Dragon

Appears on all tiers in the Body Tree.

Instead of pouring all that additional XP into the flashier abilities such as extra Heat moves or combo strikes, it might be wiser to focus on upgrading the Attack Boost. This enhancement will make Kiryu’s attacks more damaging, making encounters with enemies less troublesome since his strikes will have a greater impact on their health bars.

In simpler terms, the game Yakuza Kiwami isn’t the most challenging title out there, but its difficulty progression is peculiar because it becomes quite demanding early on. Players will find themselves short on time to accumulate XP before encountering multiple enemy fights and some tricky bosses. It’s essential for players to occasionally invest in upgrading their Health, Heat, and Attack Boosts to maintain a balanced gameplay experience.

8 Essence of Extreme Brawler/Rush/Beast

Crush the Bosses Before They Can Fight Back

Spend 3XP on Tier 2 of the Soul Tree for each upgrade.

Instead of waiting for the fundamental improvements in health, heat, and attack, consider prioritizing the acquisition of the following essential abilities that players should not overlook: the Essence of Extreme Brawler, Rush, and Beast. These are the ultimate moves that Kiryu can execute when a formidable opponent is momentarily weakened or recuperating. If Kiryu has Climax Heat, he can effectively halt them with one of these powerful moves. Players need to align their playing style with the boss’s color glow (blue for Brawler, yellow for Beast, purple for Rush) to make the most of these abilities.

In most cases, it would be expected that such an ability would come naturally. However, it appears that achieving Climax Heat requires several enhancements first. Additionally, these finishing moves must be acquired separately. If a player runs out of options, they can utilize a Heat move with a weapon to prevent the boss from recovering health. This phase will occur twice, so players should ensure they maintain their Heat level to prevent this.

7 Re-Guard & Black Tortoise Spirit

Bolster Kiryu’s Defenses With Some Solid Blocking Upgrades

Re-Guard: Spend 10XP on Tier 3 of the Tech Tree.
Black Tortoise Spirit: Spend 1XP on Tier 1 of the Soul Tree.

As a gamer, I find it essential to master two moves that significantly boost my character’s defensive capabilities: the Re-Guard and the Black Tortoise Spirit. These skills are game-changers when it comes to managing those intense multiplayer skirmishes, as they strengthen Kiryu’s defense, providing a much-needed buffer against relentless enemy onslaughts – even when faced with a series of attacks or a single powerful charge from larger adversaries.

Re-Guard allows him to regain his block quickly, denying chances for enemies to exploit weaknesses. However, constantly blocking won’t aid Kiryu in maintaining his Heat level, thus decreasing his potential to change the course of battle. By using Black Tortoise Spirit, Kiryu will gradually build up Heat with each blocked attack. Although the increase is modest, it can compensate for any Heat loss that occurs when players find themselves on the defensive.

6 Evasive Weaving

Stopping a Combo Short to Escape Danger

Spend 1XP on Tier 1 of the Tech Tree.

In contrast to Yakuza 0, Rush in Yakuza Kiwami packs quite a punch. Unlike being sluggish initially like molasses until Kiryu gains heat, this game starts off swiftly, which greatly enhances the gaming experience. For those aiming to make the most of the Rush style, it’s recommended to prioritize learning Evasive Weaving. This upgrade is easily accessible in the Tech tree and can prove to be very beneficial during gameplay.

This move enables them to disrupt any series of attacks by Rush by executing a swift dance step. Typically, this is useful for evading potential harm during an attack. However, it can also be exploited to stun-lock opponents, even certain bosses like all Majima variants, by approaching from behind and repeating a sequence: jab their back twice, then take a quickstep forward to jab twice more, then repeating this sequence until the enemy is defeated. It’s lengthy and might be considered cheap, but it’s a consistent method for inflicting damage if the player is struggling.

5 Change-Up Moves

Step Out in Style in an Instant

Change-Up (Finishing Blow): Spend 3XP on Tier 2 of the Tech Tree.
Change-Up (Damage): Spend 3XP on Tier 2 of the Tech Tree.
Change-Up (Taunt): Spend 10XP on Tier 3 of the Tech Tree.
Change-Up (Weapon Throw): Spend 50XP on Tier 4 of the Tech Tree.
Change-Up (Evade): Spend 50XP on Tier 4 of the Tech Tree.

Similar to the game ‘Yakuza 0‘, players have the ability to alternate between Kiryu’s various combat styles by pressing a direction on the directional pad. This transition is swift, but can be expedited further as Kiryu performs a brief pose when switching. Players who wish to maintain their offensive momentum should keep an eye out for his ‘Change-Up’ upgrades. These enhancements enable Kiryu to instantly switch styles with a d-pad press during specific moves.

During any combo’s final heavy strike, Change-Up (Finishing Blow) enables Kiryu to switch styles. Meanwhile, he will transition between fighting styles when taking damage with Change-Up (Damage). Change-Up (Taunt) can aid in accumulating Heat for another style’s Heat move. However, the most useful is Change-Up (Evade), as it allows Kiryu to switch during a quickstep, helping him evade danger and transition to a swifter or more powerful fighting style. Alternatively, it enables the player to be creative and execute impressive, unavoidable combos on any hapless thug.

4 Double Finishing Blow

A Double Dose of Pain

Spend 50XP on Tier 4 of the Tech Tree.

Kiryu’s Brawler technique offers a well-balanced approach, blending the swiftness of Rush and the strength of Beast. It deals more damage than Rush, moves faster than Beast, but isn’t overpowered like either of them. However, as players progress in the game, they may find that Brawler requires additional depth. The combos of Brawler are most effective when it’s equipped with Double Finishing Blow.

Obtaining this allows Kiryu to perform an extra heavy strike in his combo sequences. It’s powerful enough to knock out ordinary opponents and even halt larger ones temporarily. Additionally, some of these moves can lead to additional attacks that Kiryu can learn, such as the Snatching Strike, which will knock out any enemy it catches, and the Essence of Finishing Blows, a powerful Superman-like punch that follows afterward.

3 Extreme Dragon Speed

Make the Dragon of Dojima Move Faster Than Before

Beat Majima after reaching SSS rank.

Dragon sets itself apart from other styles because it necessitates numerous encounters with Majima through the Majima Everywhere system for upgrade acquisition. Each accomplishment and rank advancement triggers a spontaneous appearance, ranging from F to SSS. If players fail to locate him, he will actively seek them out, growing increasingly relentless as his rank elevates.

It’s beneficial to engage in battles with him as much as you can since he’ll be out of action for several story segments due to taking smoke breaks. They won’t master all of Dragon’s techniques at once, but they’ll manage enough to make the approach effective. To activate Dragon’s Speed Reborn, you need to provoke him into joining a fight while he’s at Rank A, whereas Extreme Dragon Speed activates after defeating him at SSS rank.

2 Komaki Cat-Like Reflexes

Get Back Into the Fight in a Flash

Complete the first 3 Komaki Lessons, get the Image of a Cat from the Coliseum, give it to Komaki, and complete his lesson to unlock the move.

A compelling motivation to strengthen Dragon Style is encountered in Chapter 6 of the game, with the skilled martial artist, Komaki. Upon completing his training sessions, Kiryu learns new techniques exclusively from Dragon Style. However, if the player neglects fighting Majima, they’ll find themselves on the receiving end of Komaki’s unique teaching strategies.

After completing the initial two lessons, I’ve learned that Komaki Cat-Like Reflexes can only be unlocked if I win Image prizes from the Coliseum. For instance, to acquire this skill, I need to triumph in numerous battles, earning the Image of a Cat. Once obtained, I should hand it over to Komaki and defeat the thug with a bat he sends my way. Upon successful completion of these tasks, Kiryu gains the ability to swiftly recover from a knockdown by pressing X/A/B immediately upon hitting the ground.

1 Komaki Tiger Drop

No Sugarcoating Required

Complete the prior 9 Komaki Lessons, get the Image of a Tiger from the Coliseum, give it to Komaki, and complete his lesson to unlock the move.

Komaki’s training sessions never seem to let up. Each time Kiryu manages to acquire an image from the Coliseum (an impressive feat), he’s subjected to even more hardship. For instance, he must dodge actual bullets to master Evade & Strike or battle ‘Hannyaman’ to achieve Clear-Minded Mastery, a buff that enhances offensive capabilities against bosses. If only learning this skill were as easy as a trip to an acupuncturist. Nevertheless, it’s all worth the struggle to master the Komaki Tiger Drop, the most powerful move in the game.

As a gamer, I can tell you that in Yakuza Kiwami, when I spot an opportunity to counter-attack, I hold down the Fighting Stance button (R1/RT/R) and swiftly press Heavy Attack (Triangle/Y/X) just as my enemy is about to strike. This move, especially in its strongest version found in Yakuza Kiwami, is incredibly powerful – it can annihilate thugs like they’re made of cardboard, and it makes quick work of bosses by eating away at their life bars with each hit. The timing for this move is also very forgiving, which means I can control the rest of the game with ease.

2024-10-24 14:44