Yakuza has always been a series known for its wacky jokes and weird easter eggs, with each of its 8 mainline entries loaded with hilarious moments sure to catch even the most seasoned veteran of the franchise off guard. However, it seems Yakuza: Like a Dragon is perhaps one of its wackiest to date, with the recent release featuring everything from intense go-karting races around the city to an army of crayfish falling from the sky to aid Ichiban mid-battle.

One of Yakuza: Like a Dragon's larger than life substories even references an iconic Nintendo property, with the game offering an entire side story centred around a Pokemon parody. Titled "Who’s That Sujimon!?," it begins during the game's fourth chapter, with Ichiban and his squad coming across a crazed man wearing only his underwear in the middle of the street.

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Defeating him in battle, the fighters are confused when a second man in a large white coat appears from nowhere, pulls his phone out, and logs the unconscious enemy into his device. It soon becomes clear the idea is all a riff on Pokemon, with the mysterious man revealing himself as Doctor Morikasa, the so-called "professor of Sujimon." Taking Ichiban to his research centre, the doctor reveals that Sujimon are dangerous enemies that he collects data on to help protect innocent bystanders walking the streets.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon gameplay screenshot

Before long, Ichiban and his allies are roped into Morikasa's very familiar scheme, as they're tasked with collecting data on wild Sujimon's in their "Sujidex." To make things even more amusing, players are given the option to select from three different starter Sujimon to log: A red henchman, blue henchman, or green henchman. It's evidently a fun nod to the iconic decision between grass, water, or fire Pokemon that's offered during the prologue of each game. Regardless of who players pick, they'll be forced to fight all three anyway. Logging them in the Sujidex, players will see there are 252 Sujimon within Yakuza: Like a Dragon to defeat and log.

It's a solid reference but one that doubles up as some meaty content for players to dive into, as they attempt to collect all the Sujimon for Doctor Morikasa. As for Yakuza: Like a Dragon itself, its recent debut in the West has brought a lot of viral attention to the series once again, as fans share hilarious clips from the franchise's newest entry. Switching up the game's traditional beat 'em up combat for a turn-based system and replacing series staple Kiryu with new protagonist Ichiban, it seems Yakuza: Like A Dragon is looking to be a fresh start for the notorious series. Early reviews seem to hint that it's succeeded as well, with strong reactions all around.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is out now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The PS5 version releases on March 2, 2021.

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