Yakuza: Like a Dragon: Early Substories, Missability, and the Unlocks Worth Getting First
Yakuza: Like a Dragon has 52 substories. None is permanently missable, and unfinished ones remain available in Premium Adventure. The Stories of the Streets trophy only requires 40, so full substory completion and trophy completion are different targets.
That does not mean you should leave everything until the credits. Early substories open the pawn shop, vocational school, summons, crafting, and the business mode that recruits Eri.
This covers the early numbered entries, 1–19, using the international English names. The numbers below are the game's substory IDs. They are not the order in which you must complete them.
Before chasing a missing marker
Grey speech bubbles indicate new substories; blue bubbles continue an existing one. Many sequences need you to leave the immediate area and come back. Some also require daytime, nighttime, a main-story milestone, or another substory.
If a character disappears, check those conditions before assuming you chose a permanently wrong answer. During the main story, advance to an appropriate free-roam period. Premium Adventure makes later cleanup easier because you can change the time of day.
A Can-Do Attitude, substory 1
Chapter 3, automatic story introduction at the parking garage near the homeless camp. Follow Kan-san's Can Quest tutorial, then complete the beginner run by collecting at least 50 cans and returning before time expires.
The lasting reward is Can Quest and its exchange shop. Remember the shop when Part-time Hero later asks for Pocket Tissues. You do not need to clear every Can Quest difficulty to finish this introductory substory.
Who's That Sujimon!?, substory 2
Chapter 4, during the story route from Hello Work toward Otohime Land. Deal with the suspicious enemy, follow the professor's introduction, and finish the starter confrontation.
The apparent choice between the three starter enemies does not lock you into a different long-term route. You end up fighting the group and receive the Sujidex phone app, which records the enemies you defeat.
A Golden Opportunity, substory 3
Available from Chapter 3 at the southern end of South Sakura River Street. Speak to the police officer and woman discussing the person using the river as a toilet. Leave, then return when the continuation marker appears.
Choose the man second from the right in the lineup. Beat him and receive a Binding. A wrong identification is recoverable by leaving and trying again.
One Man's Trash, substory 4
Available from Chapter 3 on Misaki Street. Approach the giant rubbish pile outside the shop, hear the initial conversation, then leave and return to the argument.
Agree to help the official and confront Gomi. Your dialogue choice can award a personality boost, but the route still leads to the fight. Win to receive a Flame Amulet and open Benten Pawn. This is an especially useful early unlock because it gives you a proper place to sell unwanted items.
A Trip to Pound Town, substory 5
Chapter 4, automatically introduced on the return toward Otohime Land. Follow the flyer and battle tutorial, open the Poundmates menu when prompted, and summon Gary Buster Holmes.
This unlocks Poundmates. Several optional substories below require that system first, which is why running to their locations too early can produce an empty spot.
It's the Thought That Counts, substory 6
Chapter 4, daytime, by the river on South Sakura River Street. Approach Jinnai and the child, return the dropped handkerchief, then meet Jinnai again around East Central Street. Suggest making a present to begin the bookshelf job.
For wood, visit the karate group in the Bar District park and win their fight. For nails, deal with the thugs at the marked location near the southern Central Street/Hello Work area. These are two separate encounters; buying ordinary materials elsewhere does not replace them.
Bring both supplies back to Jinnai by the river. Follow the next marker toward southern Isezaki Road and inspect the rubbish containing the discarded bookshelf. Return to the riverside and win the final fight with the child's father. Your reward is a Sacrifice Stone.
If this fight chain is difficult immediately in Chapter 4, upgrade your equipment and return. The karate group is a larger encounter than the one-on-one street jobs around it.
Baby Don't Cry, substory 7
Chapter 4, after Poundmates is unlocked, on southern Ohama Street near Otohime Land. Help the man being harassed and win the opening fight. Recommend a heart-to-heart with his wife if you want the Kindness boost.
Fetch hot water from the counter at Pocket Café on North Isezaki Road, then return. Another battle follows, so heal before handing it over. The final milk choice gives a personality reward either way: drinking raises Passion, declining raises Kindness.
Finish the scene to unlock Patriarch Gondawara as a Poundmate.
Old Cinema Paradiso, substory 8
Chapter 4, outside Seagull Cinema near the north end of Isezaki Road. Listen to the customers outside, speak to the owner, and accept the free screening.
Complete the stay-awake minigame by hitting the sheep prompts and leaving the roosters alone. This finishes the introductory substory and opens the cinema for further films. The ten-film completion target is a separate minigame task, not a requirement for clearing this entry.
Persimmon Premonition, substory 9
Chapter 4, daytime, after Poundmates unlocks. Visit the small park in the western Bar District and hear the father and daughter's conversation about the persimmon tree.
Leave and return for the father's request, then keep revisiting as continuation markers appear. You must stop three different people disturbing the tree: the sumo wrestler, the man shooting at the fruit, and the man hammering a doll into the trunk.
After those fights, leave and return once more for the resolution. Tosanoyama becomes a Poundmate. The repeated revisits are part of the quest; one fight does not complete it.
Fast Times at Ounabara, substory 10
Chapter 4, on Daikokuten Street near Ounabara Vocational School. Approach the man asking for help, follow the school introduction, and take the free Sports Tier 2 exam. Three correct answers out of five pass.
The question order varies. Match the subject rather than memorizing answer positions: bowling uses pins; the throwing event is shot put; skiing uses poles; the normal maximum basketball shot is three points; three under par is an albatross; the marathon reference is the Battle of Marathon; cross-country is not part of a triathlon; the sliding corner technique is drifting; volley is not a baseball pitch; and using your hand in soccer is handling.
Passing opens the school's paid exams and their personality rewards.
Certified Underdogs, substory 11
Chapter 5, outside Ounabara, after Business Management is available and you have passed ten exams in total. Speak to Ikari, then defeat the businessmen causing trouble. If the scene still does not appear after ten certificates and the business introduction, progress the company to the top 50 and check the school again.
You receive a Tranquil Tenugui and unlock Ikari as a business recruit. Go back inside the school afterward for the final scene. Do not leave this one at the apparently finished task entry if you are checking the substory-completion counter.
How to Be a Part-Time Hero, substory 12
Chapter 5, automatic story introduction around Restaurant Row/Ijin Street. Help the man being threatened, then win the subsequent misunderstanding with Hiro.
The reward is Part-time Hero and its requests. The missing-cat and kappa quests belong to that system; they are not additional numbered substories. Once it opens, revisit the Part-time Hero office to trigger Hiro's cat search rather than expecting it to begin automatically.
Nowhere to Go But Up, substory 13
Chapter 5, automatic introduction to Romance Workshop near Hello Work. Visit Sumire and complete the workshop scene.
This opens equipment crafting and upgrades. You do not need to fully fund the workshop for this substory. Its expensive investment requirement belongs to Sumire's later relationship entry.
Something Worth Protecting, substory 14
This is Sumire's relationship substory at Romance Workshop, so the low number is misleading. Its major gates are a Level 4 workshop, which requires ¥22,200,000 of facility investment, Passion level 10, and the full sequence of 16 bonsai gifts.
The gift conversations are gated at Passion 4, 7, and 10, with gifts of one, five, and ten bonsai. After meeting the requirements and finishing her conversations, the concluding event includes a fight and makes Sumire available for business recruitment. Treat this as later relationship cleanup, not a missing ordinary Chapter 5 quest. The separate romance guide covers that full route alongside the other relationships.
Ijincho's Safety Net, substory 15
Chapter 5, introduced through Eri outside Otohime Land. Follow her to Ichiban Confections and complete the business tutorial. Use Tome Kamataki, Ai-san, and Omelette to meet the property's requirements, and follow the tutorial's payroll adjustments.
This opens Business Management and adds Omelette to Poundmates. Eri does not join your combat party here. You must separately reach the business top 100 and speak to her at Survive Bar.
The Crawfish Caper, substory 16
Chapter 5, examine the crawfish on Sunrise Bridge. After the conversation, go to the marked riverside search area. Look for the crawfish with the X-shaped mark on its back, near the stairs rather than just grabbing the first one in front of the camera.
Return Nancy to the man, then obtain a Premium Sushi Set from Poppo at Jinnai Station for ¥2,000. Bring it back and complete the trade. Nancy-chan becomes a Poundmate.
A Love Worth Fighting For, substory 17
Chapter 5, the soup kitchen near Tsurukame Bridge and the homeless camp. Speak to the woman, win the first confrontation, then return to talk with Kuroi. Speak to her on his behalf and report back.
Leave and return again. Suggest clothes for the Style reward, then follow Kuroi's next scene to central Jinnai Station, where he hands out tissues. Return to the soup kitchen and continue his conversations. When asked about a date, suggest the theater for another Style boost.
The closing meeting is outside Seagull Cinema at night. If you have completed the daytime steps and the event will not advance, the time of day is the problem. Meet him there, win the final fight, and unlock Kiyoe Shirakawa as a Poundmate.
Home Run Heroism, substory 18
Chapter 5, after the business introduction. Approach the group by the river between Fukutoku Bridge and Tsurukame Bridge and agree to help Hanayama.
Go to Hamakaze Street, protect Anzai from his attackers, and return to Hanayama. Follow the investigation to Rose Blossom on Ohama Street and win the group battle. Finally, return to Anzai for the closing conversation.
You receive an Old Fountain Pen and unlock Hanayama as a business recruit. Do this before a long management session: he is a particularly helpful early shareholder-meeting employee.
Bubble, Bubble Toil and Trouble, substory 19
Chapter 5, approach the soap-covered man in the Red Light District alley near Romance Street. Agree to escort him to Natsuyama Men's Clothing on Isezaki Road.
Walk the available route carefully, avoiding the people throwing or spraying water. Watch their speech bubbles and the actual splash timing instead of charging through the middle of the street. At the shop, “It's a long story” gives a Passion boost.
Return to the original alley later and speak to the man again to finish the substory and receive Mysterious Blush. Reaching the clothing shop alone is not the final step.
The useful early priorities
Open Benten Pawn, Ounabara, and the cinema as you encounter them. Complete Home Run Heroism before pushing the business ranks. Add the available Poundmates as your party and equipment improve. Then pick up the remaining blue markers between story objectives.
Dragon Kart's early substories, 40–44, also become available from Chapter 4. Their complete cup-by-cup and rival-by-rival route is covered in the dedicated Dragon Kart guide, including the Chapter 15 gate for the final races.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon: Early Substories, Missability, and the Unlocks Worth Getting First
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