After defeating yakuza stars Majima and Saejima in Chapter 12, Chapter 14 brings another big test in the form of Kazuma Kiryu. As the hero of previous titles in the series, it's no surprise that Kiryu is one of the toughest enemies in the world. Game. Its high HP, brute strength, and multiple fighting stances mean you'll face a tough test if you're not prepared.
Kiryu can be an absolute badass, but with the right tactics, he's actually pretty easy to take down. Here's everything you need to know about how to defeat Kiryu in Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
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Kiryu never attacks female characters.
The Dragon of Dojima is a true knight who doesn't prey on women, but that's a double-edged sword. If you put Saeko and Eri in the group, Kiryu will always attack Ichiban and the other male member of the group. As the game ends if Ichiban is defeated, it is risky for Kiryu to focus more attacks on him. In general though, it's worth it, as we'll see in the next section.
As an interesting side note, is Kiryu's canonical refusal to hit women really sothe reason why it didn't make it to games like Smash Bros and TekkenAt the moment!
Festival and recommended works
The recommended group for this fight isIchiban, Joon-gi, Saeko e Eri. If you haven't unlocked Eri yet, it doesn't matter who else you choose. I would probably choose Adachi for its higher HP.
As always, Ichiban should keep up the hero job I hope you've been using so far. This provides important healing abilities, as well as unrivaled determination.
Joon-gi's default assassin job unlocks the Phantom Shift character skill at level 24, meaning you can use it with other jobs once you learn it. This gives a huge boost to dodge and is a great tactic to waste Kiryu's turns. If Ichiban and Joon-gi are the only male members, there is a high possibility that he will attack and miss Joon-gi. Joon-gi also has Poison Shot as a level 35 learned skill regardless of the job, which is a useful way to drain Kiryu's health.
Kiryu is weak to ice/cold attacks., which means thatHostesswork is your best friend Even if you haven't used the jobs for Saeko or Eri yet, you should still equip them on both. At level 1, it offers the Sparkling Cannon attack that can target Kiryu's weakness. There's no way Saeko and Eri can be attacked, so it doesn't matter if you use a low rank job. Sparking Cannon might be the lowest MP ice option, but I've actually found that it usually does more damage than more expensive ice attacks at longer ranges, so make sure you use it even if you have other ice attacks. to save MP in the process.
Also, be sure to stock up on as many Tenacity, Stamina, and Taurine items as possible; you will probably need them.
recommended level
Kiryu is level 57, but you can beat him at lower levels. In fact, as a solo opponent, it's probably not as difficult as the Majima vs. Saejima, then it must be good.
I would recommend being around level 55, but don't worry if you're a few levels lower - you should still be able to succeed using the tactics we'll discuss.
Kiryu's Wife in the Yakuza: Like a Dragon Sieged
Kiryu has four distinct phases which reflect the different fighting styles he used in previous games. Each comes with different strengths and attacks. However,Kiryu is weak to Ice in all phases.. Here each phase is performed individually.
First stage of boss Kiryu - Brawler style
Kiryu's first stage is nothing special. He will only perform a few moderately powerful melee attacks, which shouldn't put him in immediate danger.
Hit Kiryu with your ice attacks and try to poison him with Joon-gi. After Kiryu is poisoned, use Phantom Shift to keep Joon-gi relatively safe. In theory, Ichiban will now be the only party member in trouble, so leave him healed if he's down to less than half health.
Use Ichiban from the start with unrivaled determination to protect him from a deadly attack. This still won't be necessary, but in the later stages of the fight, you'll have an insurance policy in case Kiryu defeats Ichiban with his strongest abilities.
If you have Essence of Orbital Laser, you probably don't need to waste MP and MP recovery items yet. It's wiser to save it for later stages, when defeating Kiryu faster is more important. Just use Sparkling Cannon on Eri and Saeko and all other Essence attacks on your male characters when you get the chance.
Kiryu-Boss-Segunda-Phase – Estilo Rush – 3/4 HP
At about 3/4 HP, Kiryu changes his stance to Rush style. It's not drastically different, but Kiryu gets a little stronger and faster. He is unlikely to have back-to-back turns and usually attacks with an Uppercut that can deal over 200 damage. He can also use Stun Combo, which has the potential to annoyingly stun your character when hit.
You often only have one turn between Kiryu's attacks, so keep an eye on your HP. It should still be fine until it drops below halfway when it's time to start healing. With Saeko and Eri safe and Joon-gi frequently dodging, Ichiban should be the only one potentially in danger.
Keep exactly the same tactics as before: keep using ice attacks like Sparkling Cannon, keep Kiryu's poison stat high with Poison Shot, and increase Joon-gi's Phantom Shift every time he disappears. You may need to start replenishing MP at this stage, which is good because the fight will soon become more difficult.
Kiryu Boss Dritte Phase – Bestienstil – 1/2 HP
At half health, Kiryu switches to Beast style and this is where things get serious. Kiryu can now attack with Beast Throw, crushing your characters with a barrel and dealing heavy damage. Worse, you'll start having back-to-back spins. It is not uncommon for him to have two moves followed by another right after his move.
Therefore, it is imperative to keep Ichiban's health at its best. Kiryu's back-to-back attacks can KO if he hits Ichiban in a row, so heal when he's about two-thirds down. Beast Throw is dangerous, but perfecting its defense is relatively easy, so focus and try to block as much as possible. He can hit multiple party members at once, and sometimes it's not immediately obvious that he's hit someone else.
At this point in the fight, it's probably best to have a dedicated healer who spends his turn healing every time, like Ichiban using Hero's Compassion or Hero's Embrace. Keep using rocks to attack with ice and only relax when it's someone's turn to restore MP with an item. If your healer doesn't have a turn between Kiryu's attacks, all you have to do is use some items. For example, if Kiryu attacks Ichiban twice, and before your next turn is just your turn with a non-healer (the Hostess job doesn't have healing skills unless you've learned them elsewhere), you'll need to cast an object on it Ichiban. At worst, Ichiban's unrivaled determination will keep him alive before a fatal blow, so restart him immediately when depleted.
If you have the opportunity, now is the time to surrender to the essence of Ichiban's orbital laser. Do this when it's Ichiban's turn to have a lot of health, and of course, be sure to replenish his MP right after so he can recover when needed. With Joon-gi, continue the pattern of poisoning Kiryu and keeping Phantom Shift active. It's also useful to lower attack power during this phase, but it's not strictly necessary. Get rid of the Sparkling Cannon until you reach the final stage.
Kiryu Boss Fourth Stage - Dragon Style of Dojima - 1/4 HP
Once Kiryu is reduced to a quarter of his HP, he will be engulfed in blue flames, signifying his most dangerous final stage.
In true Dragons of Dojima fashion, Kiryu continues to hit hard and, once again, easily string together consecutive turns, so keeping HP high is imperative. The tactics should be basically the same as in the third phase, with one important caveat:Do not use physical abilities on male characters– Kiryu will dodge and counterattack, which is the last thing you want.
It is especially dangerous when using Dragon's Gaze, where it doubles down to counterattack. Again, you should refrain from using physical abilities, but Essence attacks are safe. On his next turn, he relaxes, sometimes losing consecutive turns fully activating Dragon's Gaze and immediately deactivating it again.
You're almost there, so stick with Saeko and Eri's Ice Magic attacks and Essence Skills when anyone else can attack, including Orbital Lasers. Keep the same approach to healing: Ichiban more than two-thirds of health as much as possible. You will eventually defeat him and win the Kiryu boss fight.
When All Else Fails, Use These Cheap Tactics
There's no wrong way to win, is there?
If you keep losing and despairing, you can try something different: go with Ichiban, Adachi, Saeko and Eri.
Since each attack focuses on Ichiban and Adachi, just protect with both each turn. Make sure one of the women is a hostess and the other has a job with healing skills, like an idol.
Defeat Ichiban early in the fight with unrivaled determination and equip him with a Sacrifice Stone as plan B. Have your hostess attack with Sparkling Cannon every turn and heal the males with your other female limb as long as they are close to half of your health. In the last two phases, he heals more frequently when Kiryu accumulates more consecutive turns.
As long as you're still guarding, you can withstand a lot of attacks, and you can also heal with Ichiban if it's an emergency. When MP is low, sacrifice your Hostess turn to use a Taurine to resupply.
Rinse and repeat at each stage and you will slowly but surely win the battle. This strategy isn't pretty and requires a bit more item consumption and a lot more time. In the end, though, it works.
Summary
Here is a simplified summary of the strategy on how to defeat Kiryu in Yakuza: Like A Dragon:
- Replenish HP and MP healing items
- Put Eri and Saeko in the party, both in the hostess role (even if you've never used it before)
- Use Joon-gi as your other party member; Have Ichiban on hero work
- Beat Kiryu in every level with Sparkling Cannon with Eri and Saeko
- Use Poison Shot and Phantom Shift on Joon-gi in all stages to keep both effects active.
- Use Unparalleled Resolution on Ichiban and generally heal when he is below half health.
- Heal yourself more regularly in the last two stages of Kiryu (starting at half health) due to Kiryu's back-to-back turns.
- Do not use melee skills on male characters in the final stage of Kiryu's Dragons of Dojima.
I love how Yakuza: Like A Dragon respects the series' history, ensuring Kiryu is as iconic as ever. The battle music is awesome too. I hope that by following this guide you can get the best out of it and get closer to the end of the game.
As a welcome bonus, winning Kiryu's boss fight and completing Chapter 14 later unlocks you as a Poundmate for the bargain price of one million yen. After all, you get a free first use.
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