Like a Dragon: Ishin! Arena Guide: All Seven Tournaments and 35 Opponents

Like a Dragon: Ishin! Arena Guide: All Seven Tournaments and 35 Opponents The arena is easy to walk past because it's upstairs in Mukurogai. It also opens much earlier than you might actually want to tackle it. Finding the entrance in Chapter 2 doesn't mean your equipment is ready for everything inside. This guide covers the 2023 remake. HOW TO GET THERE From the Mukurogai boat landing, head west past the Mahjong Spot. Take the stairs on your right, across from the Arms Dealer, and continue up to the second level. Look for the entrance with people sitting outside. Speak to the receptionist inside. “Compete” starts a fight. “Opponents” lets you check your records against individual fighters, and “Spend Points” opens the reward shop. WHAT YOU NEED FOR COMPLETION Defeat all 35 opponents across the seven Knockout Match tournaments. Clearing each tournament takes care of its five fighters. Check the individual records if you've had a run end before the last round. The separate “This is MY Ring!” trophy/achievement requires ten arena victories. Those are individual opponents, not ten full five-round tournaments. Getting that trophy doesn't mean the arena completion list is finished. Hundred-Man Beatdown is another mode. It's useful if you enjoy the fights or want more experience, but you don't need to win it to finish the arena's opponent checklist. RULES THAT MATTER Your health doesn't refill between Knockout rounds. Heal before entering. You can't open your inventory during the fights, and Trooper abilities aren't available. The tournament's theme describes the opponents. Barehanded War does not force you to put your weapons away, and The Loaded Chamber doesn't require you to duel everybody with a gun. There isn't a match timer pushing you to trade hits. If somebody keeps countering the end of your combo, shorten the combo and move away. Losing half your health to squeeze in one more hit makes the next four opponents harder. ALL SEVEN TOURNAMENTS Baptism by Fire - Hachisuga Sukeroku - Hayashi Shinnosuke - Sakanoue Nishikitaro - Inomatsu Masanosuke - Sojo Tengu This is the first bracket to try, with a mixture of swords, spears and a mace. Watch the reach on the longer weapons. Backing away by the same distance that worked against a short sword might still leave you in range of a spear. Proving Grounds - Hara Yoritomo - Morimura Kenkichi - Tokawa Kaizo - Kaiku - Hozoin Tanenaru The weapons are still mixed, so don't assume one rhythm will work against everybody. Give each new opponent a moment to show you the attack you're trying to punish. Weapon Savants - Tabatake Keijiro - Fujita Seijiro - Omiya Toryo - Tatsuwashi Taigen - Kijin Genzo Expect a hoe, jitte, sledgehammer, spear and mace. The odd-looking weapon isn't just decoration. Keep your distance while you learn its reach, then attack during the recovery rather than walking into a swing. Barehanded War - Kamata Harukaze - Yawarabatake Nansaburo - Takanenohana - Komiya Saburota - Shiden These opponents use different unarmed styles, including aikido, judo and sumo. You can keep your sword and gun. If you're getting grabbed whenever you approach, change how you're approaching instead of repeatedly feeding them the same opening. Frenzy of Blades - Tosenbo - Tatano Takeru - Goyo Kogoro - Nitta Isao - Sakurada Nobukuni This is the sword bracket, including odachi users. A fast gun can help against slower attacks, but don't keep firing into a guard and expect the opponent to stand there forever. The Loaded Chamber - Oguroya Fujiemon - Ota Yohei - Futaosa Hanao - Yellow Ninja - William Bradley Several opponents use ammunition that inflicts status effects. Standing still and exchanging bullets can go badly. Move between openings, close the distance when you can do it safely, and use your other styles if a shooting match isn't working. Banquet of Might - Yukimitsu - Tojiro - Jozo Tengu - Ginryu - Komaki Munemitsu To unlock this final bracket, finish the Wanted Men quest line and complete Ginryu's and Komaki's training. Clearing the first six tournaments alone doesn't open it. PREPARING FOR THE HARDER FIGHTS A fire-element sword such as Shiranui or Okanehira can interrupt susceptible opponents and give you an opening. A rapid-fire gun gives you another option against opponents who leave themselves exposed after a slow swing. That doesn't mean every enemy can be locked down forever. If the fire doesn't trigger or the opponent blocks your shots, defend and reset. Have something other than your favorite attack ready. HUNDRED-MAN BEATDOWN Choose your style before entering. You're stuck with that style for the run, unlike the Knockout tournaments. Enemies keep arriving until you've defeated 100 or lost. Wild Dancer is a useful choice for groups. Gunman is another option if you've built a fast, strong gun. Pick the one you can actually use reliably, because you can't switch halfway through when the crowd gets awkward. PRIZE SHOP These are Arena Point prices for the remake: Vitality Pill: 200. Grinding Stone and Solid Wood: 500 each. Silver Scrap, Lime Powder and Soft Lumber: 1,000 each. Sturdy Lumber: 2,000. Pearl: 3,500. Driftwood: 4,500. Bronze Hammer: 4,800. Carved Wooden Bear: 5,000. Aquamarine: 8,000. Killer's Handcuffs, Thousand-Year Tree Branch and Marksman's Fan: 10,000 each. Silver Hammer and Gold Plate: 30,000 each. Alertness Hood: 50,000. Ebisu's Eboshi: 75,000. Golden Sword: 125,000. Opponent drops are a chance, not a guaranteed reward after every victory. Before repeating a tournament for one crafting material, check whether you already have points to buy it or another way to obtain it. For the arena completion list, concentrate on the 35 opponents. Buying everything in the shop is not the requirement, and the Golden Sword's price is not an extra mandatory arena target.