Yakuza Fans Are Getting Major Persona 5 Vibes From Like a Dragon Gaiden

ign.com:

This article contains minor spoilers for a scene and location featured in Like a Dragon Gaiden Chapter 3.

Yakuza fans are getting some major Persona 5 vibes from Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

The latest Yakuza/Like a Dragon entry seemingly takes inspiration from the beloved role-playing game with fans noticing some music and user interface elements bearing resemblance. One scene in particular really drove the idea home though, in which protagonist Kiryu Kazuma swings around a bright and colourful casino area in what could be a tribute to Persona 5's opening.

Kiryu, under his new guise as a secret agent Joryu, gets several gadgets to play with in Like a Dragon Gaiden including the Spider, which ejects a thin wired used to grab enemies and objects from a distance. During a cutscene in Chapter 3, when running through a bright and colourful Las Vegas-esque casino area, Kiryu uses the Spider to grapple and swing around to evade the baddies.

This is very similar to Persona 5's opening minutes, above, in which protagonist Joker uses his grappling hook to swing around a bright and colourful casino to avoid baddies.

"Joryu thinks this is Persona 5," said ekbruheee on Reddit alongside a clip of the scene. "This game giving me some Persona 5 vibes," said Cahosspace02 who posted a similar clip.

Beyond this, one Like a Dragon Gaiden character called Akame has also invoked thoughts of Persona 5: "Akame gives off confidant vibes too," said OutsideSignificant16. This is referencing the Social Link mechanic in Persona, where players can interact with characters to grow their bonds and get access to stronger abilities in battle, as a similar system applies to her character in Like a Dragon Gaiden.

Akame's menu and