Like a Dragon 9 Wiki: Substory Guide, Minigames, Business & Karaoke

Substory Guide: Every Side Quest in Like a Dragon 9 Like a Dragon 9 packs 52 substories—down from 74 in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, but tighter and more interconnected. You'll find them scattered across Kamurocho, Isezaki Ijincho, and a new district: Yokohama Seaside (unlocked in Chapter 5). **Mandatory vs Optional**

35 substories are part of the main narrative threads (marked with a gold exclamation mark)

17 are purely optional, but 4 of those are **missable**—they vanish after you start Chapter 10 **The 4 Missable Substories** (complete before Chapter 10):

"The Lost Cat of Kamurocho" – starts at the park bench near Theater Square

"A Drunkard's Confession" – bar in Champion District, only available at night

"Ramen Rivalry" – Ijincho ramen shop, requires you to have eaten 5 bowls from different stalls first

"Ghost of the Pier" – Seaside pier, triggered after finishing substory #18 **Substory Rewards** Each substory gives 3,000–15,000 XP, ¥10,000–¥500,000, and often unique gear. The best reward comes from the final substory chain ("The Dragon's Legacy"): a permanent 10% damage boost to all attacks. Pro tip: Use the in-game smartphone app "Substory Tracker" (unlocked in Chapter 2) to see completion percentages per district. No more running around blind. ---

Minigame Tips: Master the Arcade and Beyond Like previous entries, Like a Dragon 9 has a ridiculous amount of minigames. Here are the ones worth your time. ### Cabaret Club Returns Six hostesses this time, each with unique date requirements. The key stat is **Charm** (level up by giving gifts and answering dialogue correctly). You need at least Charm 8 to unlock the final hostess, "Miyako," who has the best earnings multiplier (x3.2).

**Best gift for early game**: Silver necklace (¥15,000) – raises Charm by 1.5 bars

**Fastest money**: Run the club on Friday nights (peak customer traffic, +40% revenue) ### Dragon Kart 12 tracks, 4 vehicle classes (Speed, Balance, Armor, Drift). For the story mission, pick the Balance class—it's forgiving on turns. The hardest track is "Seaside Loop" with 15 sharp corners; use Drift class here with maxed handling upgrades. ### Arcade & Classic Games

**Virtua Fighter 5 R**: Beat Dural with Akira (spam the "palm strike" combo: forward + punch, then kick)

**Sega Bass Fishing**: Use the red lure for all lakes; cast at 75% power for max distance

**New: "Dragon Hunter"** (light gun shooter): 10 stages, boss at stage 7. Focus on headshots for bonus time ---

Business Management: From ¥100K to ¥50M/Week The Business Management minigame is back, now with 15 rival CEOs and a new **stock market mechanic**. Here's how to dominate. ### Phase 1: The Grind (Chapters 4–7) Start with ¥100,000 loaned from the bank. Buy the "Sushi Shop" first (cost: ¥80,000, profit/day: ¥12,000). Reinvest everything into upgrades until you hit ¥500,000/week. ### Phase 2: The Expansion (Chapters 8–12) At ¥500K/week, buy the "Electronics Store" (¥450,000, profit/day: ¥35,000). Then acquire the "Restaurant Chain" (¥1.2M, profit/day: ¥90,000). This triggers the stock market subgame. ### Phase 3: Stock Market (Chapter 13+) Here's where the real money flows. Your company goes public at ¥100/share. Buy when the price drops below ¥70 (happens randomly after news events). Sell when it hits ¥150+. Use the "Media Manipulation" investment (costs ¥2M) to cause a temporary price spike. **Comparison Table: Best Businesses by ROI** | Business | Cost | Daily Profit | ROI (days to recoup) | |----------|------|--------------|----------------------| | Sushi Shop | ¥80,000 | ¥12,000 | 6.7 | | Electronics Store | ¥450,000 | ¥35,000 | 12.9 | | Restaurant Chain | ¥1,200,000 | ¥90,000 | 13.3 | | Hotel | ¥5,000,000 | ¥300,000 | 16.7 | | Casino | ¥15,000,000 | ¥800,000 | 18.8 | The Casino has the worst ROI but is required for the "King of Yokohama" achievement. Buy it last. **Profit cap**: ¥50 million per week. After that, the game forces you into a final boss fight against the "Mystery Investor" (actually the secret final substory). ---

Karaoke Songs: Full List and Perfect Score Tips Karaoke returns with 10 songs total (8 new, 2 returning). Here's every track and how to get a perfect score. ### New Songs 1. "Yokohama Moonlight" – slow tempo, easy; perfect score: 98% accuracy 2. "Dragon's Roar" – fast, lots of rapid notes; hardest in the game 3. "Midnight Rendezvous" – duet with Ichiban and Saeko; requires 95% on both parts 4. "Neon Lights" – medium difficulty, catchy chorus 5. "Seaside Breeze" – relaxed, best for beginners 6. "Corporate Climber" – business-themed, requires quick button presses 7. "Heart of a Hero" – uplifting, long song (4 min 12 sec) 8. "The Final Verse" – emotional ballad, slow but with tricky pitch holds ### Returning Classics 9. "Baka Mitai" – same as Yakuza 0, but with updated visuals 10. "24-Hour Cinderella" – unchanged; still the crowd favorite **Perfect Score Strategy**

Use the practice mode (unlocked after first play) to learn note patterns

For "Dragon's Roar": memorize the rapid section at 1:45—it's 32 notes in 4 seconds

Best song to earn money: "Corporate Climber" (¥50,000 per perfect play)

Worst: "Heart of a Hero" (only ¥15,000, takes 4 minutes) ---

FAQ **Q: How many total substories are in Like a Dragon 9, and are any missable?** A: 52 substories total. 4 are missable: "The Lost Cat of Kamurocho," "A Drunkard's Confession," "Ramen Rivalry," and "Ghost of the Pier." All must be completed before Chapter 10. **Q: What's the fastest way to make money in Business Management?** A: Buy the Sushi Shop first (recoups cost in 7 days), then Electronics Store. At Chapter 13, use the stock market: buy when shares drop below ¥70, sell at ¥150+. Cap is ¥50 million per week. **Q: Which karaoke song is hardest to get a perfect score on?** A: "Dragon's Roar." It has a 32-note rapid section at 1:45 that requires near-instant reaction times. Practice mode is essential—run that section 10 times before attempting live. --- *This guide is based on the Japanese release (v1.02). Western version may have minor changes to item names and pricing. Last updated: October 2024.*