Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Spoiler Thoughts

I was originally going to have an entire rant about how I was not happy with how much SEGA’s marketing ruined the surprise of so many aspects of the game, like key plot points, certain characters appearing in the game at all, etc. Kiryu having cancer in particular felt like it would’ve been much more of a shock if it wasn’t consistently advertised. But my opinion of that has changed slightly after finishing the game, since we don't know if he succumbs to the cancer or not. Still, I do think that it would've been better keeping characters like Kaoru and Akiyama a surprise. Also, I feel like not having Kaoru play a role in the main story was a huge missed opportunity, especially considering the fact that the game takes place in Hawaii where she lives, and we don’t even see her there.

I was really surprised and partially disappointed that they kept Kiryu’s fate in the end ambiguous. Though the payoff comes from the fact that Kiryu chooses to fight for his life and undergo cancer treatment, I really wanted to see him return to Morning Glory to spend the last moments of his life in peace. I was also hoping to get a really tear-jerking emotional moment with him and Ichiban, but that didn't really happen. The closest we get is the conversation that takes place when Kiryu goes back to Japan. I was also really surprised that Ichiban and the rest of the party weren’t really thinking about Kiryu all that much at the end of the game, but I guess they were just confident that he’d pull through after the surgery.

I really hope that RGG Studios leaves Kiryu out of the spotlight for the rest of the franchise’s lifespan. It feels like they’re extremely hesitant to let go of Kiryu for good, but the man deserves peace after all of this time. I wouldn’t mind if they bring him back in non-canon playable appearances, but otherwise, I really hope that the series is able to move forward without him now.