Yakuza 6 is full of tough battles. Players will have a hard time taking down Kiryu's foes without good gear. There are many ways to get gear - pawn shops, certain substories, and so on - but for the best of the best, they'll have to dive into a well-hidden location: the Black Market.
Unlock the Black Market by completing Clan Creator missions. Once Kiryu defeats real-life pro wrestler Yano, talk to Le Pente's bartender. He'll mention his buddy in the black market. Sure enough, Kiryu will get a text a while later, telling him the merchant has arrived. The selection and steep prices may be overwhelming, but here are the items that are really worth the splurge.
10 Beads Of Exorcism
The Beads Of Exorcism are the cheapest item on the Black Market, available from either merchant for just 8,820 yen. They give a +10 Attack increase. They might be far from the best gear in the game, but the buff is fantastic for the small price. Buy these as soon as the Black Market is unlocked.
The next steps up are the bracelets from Ebisu and Otafuku Pawn. Although they're better, they're over eighteen times the price. Beads of Exorcism are an excellent stopgap for Kiryu while he's saving his money.
9 Transcendent Insoles
There are several types of Insoles in Yakuza 6. All of these gear items increase Kiryu's Stamina, allowing him to sprint longer. Transcendent Insoles are the best of them, with +30 Stamina and +20 Evasion to boot.
The Transcendent Insoles are among the cheapest gear on the Black Market. The sewer-dwelling merchant in Kamurocho sells them for just 29,400 yen. They're not the most practical for combat, but the sprinting buff is very useful for players who want to run around completing the game's many substories quickly. Consider them a must-buy.
8 Transcendent Body Armor
No other gear offers pure defense like the Transcendent Body Armor. The +26 Defense is amazing, but it really shines in resistance. It gives +18 to Blade and Gun resistance both. This is the highest you can boost the two with one piece of gear, without decreasing another stat at the same time.
Buffs like that come with a heavy price - 2,016,000 yen from Kamurocho's black market. Cheaper alternatives are Military-grade Body Armor and Bulletproof Vest. These are much more affordable, but each provides only one resistance.
7 Transcendent Mouth Guard
The Transcendent Mouth Guard has the greatest available Attack boost in the game, with +30. An added +20 Defense is nothing to sneeze at either. This is a practical item that'll help Kiryu in just about any battle, provided he has the coin. It costs 1,218,000 yen at the Black Market in Kamurocho.
If the price is too steep, the Black Market also offers a Custom Mouth Guard. It gives +12 Attack and +8 Defense. Pick it up in Onomichi for 65,520 yen. It's not as powerful, but it's good for the price.
6 AppStimRX
Food and drink items are a cheaper alternative to Staminan and Toughness. They also give some experience. However, the experience won't be given if Kiryu's hunger meter is full. The only way to decrease hunger is to wait or take an AppStim.
The RX version decreases Kiryu's hunger meter four times as much as the regular AppStim. There's an award for consuming all of the game's combo meals, and this item will make the process much faster. The Onomichi merchant sells it for 20,000 yen.
5 Ahab's Revenge
If Kiryu is tackling Spearfishing and its substories, he'll want Ahab's Revenge. This exclusive speargun has twelve shots as well as good power and speed. It's available from Onomichi's merchant at a reasonable 300,000 yen.
Getting to max level in Spearfishing unlocks an award. However, it'll take at least fifty runs to reach the experience cap. Having a lot of spears is convenient for the difficult Spearfishing levels. Less time reloading means more time to reel 'em in. Other spearguns do more damage or are faster to aim, but increased ammo is more practical.
4 Staminan Spark
The Staminan Spark is the best recovery item in the game, completely charging Kiryu's Heat and Health. This is the only place they're available to buy in bulk. They're very pricey, 80,000 yen a pop from either city's market.
It's more cost-effective to purchase a Staminan Royale and a Tauriner Maximum. The two drinks combined give maximum Heat and a large Health recovery. Of course, this will take up more inventory space. Whatever the player chooses, all of the best recovery items are available through the Black Market, except for Toughness Infinity.
3 Dragon's Binding
This is among the most powerful gear in Yakuza 6. The Defense boost alone is +30, tied with an item later on this list for the highest of all equipment. It gives +20 to Attack, and +20 Blade resistance for those troublesome sword-toting enemies. Definitely worth the 2,940,000 yen price the Onomichi merchant is asking.
The Dragon's Binding only provides resistance to Blade weapons. For Gun resistance, choose the Transcendent Body Armor instead. However, the Transcendent doesn't give the boost to Attack, and the Defense is a little less.
2 Parry Talisman
This item comes at quite the asking price - 5,796,000 yen. It provides a small boost to most of Kiryu's stats, but that's not why it's so good. The Parry Talisman, when equipped, allows the player to parry almost any attack in the game. With good L1 button timing, Kiryu can shut down many of his opponents.
The only attacks that can't be parried are blade or gun attacks. Even Kiryu can't catch a bullet, it seems. The Black Market merchant in Onomichi sells this item.
1 Dragon God Amulet
The Dragon God Amulet is the most expensive item on the Black Market. The Kamurocho merchant is asking for a staggering 5,880,000 yen. Is this gear worth the steep price? It is - the Dragon God Amulet is the best gear in the game. The stat boosts alone are amazing, +30 to Attack and Defense and +15 to Heat.
There's one more useful buff that's unique to the Dragon God Amulet. When Kiryu's health is low enough, his Heat gain increases by 10%. This isn't the main selling point. 10% isn't a huge boost, and the player's health has to be dangerously low for the effect to kick in. Even so, this item is definitely worth the coin.