Top Early Game Crew Picks for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

In Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, building the most effective pirate crew is key to advancing through the game's story swiftly. Here are the top crew members to recruit early in the game, ensuring you can progress past the initial hurdles and continue your adventure.

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During Chapter 2, Goro and his crew venture into Madlantis, a sanctuary for pirates that hosts the Naval Colosseum battles. It's here where you learn more about your initial crew members, Jason and Masaru, and their unfortunate disbandment due to betrayal in the Colosseum. Goro's new mission is to enhance his ship and recruit more crew members to compete in these naval battles. However, to move forward in the story, you must first repair your ship, which costs $10,000, and recruit five new crew members.

The Coliseum is a pivotal element in Pirate Yakuza, acting as a gateway that players must navigate to continue the main storyline. For those looking to bypass this challenge quickly, there are five crew members who are particularly easy to recruit.

Crew Members to Recruit Early in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Nickelle Kidman

Nickelle Kidman, a playful nod to Nicole Kidman, is an actor found lounging near the beach in Honolulu. To enlist her, your Goro Pirates must achieve a two-star rating, which is easily obtained by completing the main story missions up to this point. If you haven't reached this rating yet, you can quickly gain it by finding treasure, defeating thugs, and participating in naval battles.

Hammerhead

Exploring Honolulu's shopping center, you'll find Hammerhead on the second floor. To recruit him, you'll need to defeat him in combat. This is a quick task, as Hammerhead's health is manageable, making him one of the faster recruits to add to your crew.

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Kenzo

Kenzo, located at the Honolulu docks, can be recruited either by giving him raw materials, which you'll have collected during your sea voyages, or by paying him a few thousand dollars. This makes Kenzo an easy and reliable addition to your crew, well worth the minimal cost.

Lucas

In Madlantis, you can recruit Lucas by challenging him to a fistfight. His humorous interaction with Goro precedes the battle, which, despite his use of a melee weapon, should pose no significant challenge after the boss fights you've encountered in the previous chapters.

Obispo

Obispo can be recruited by dining at his restaurant in Honolulu. Simply engage in nearby battles to lower your health, then visit his establishment to eat. Repeat this five times, and Obispo will join the Goro Pirates. Though slightly more time-consuming, this method is still easier than recruiting others with more demanding requirements.

While Pirate Yakuza offers numerous impressive crew members across its islands, these five are the most straightforward to recruit early on, helping you advance in the story quickly. As the game progresses and challenges intensify, you can focus on recruiting members with higher stats that require more effort.

And those are the best crew members to recruit in the early game for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.