As you stroll down the beaches andstreets of HonoluluinLike A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii,you’ll find plenty ofminigamesandsilly substory shenanigansforCaptain Majimato get himself to.
One of the most recent iconic additions to theLike A DragonfranchiseisDragon Kart, a racing minigame that ramps up the goofiness to eleven with a hilarious side story, high-octane races, tantalizing rewards for you to collect, andtwo new crew members to recruit.
Quick Links
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza: How To Upgrade And Customize Your Ship
Fortify the Goromaru Ship and take it to new shores.
There are three Grand Prix cups for you to compete in Dragon Kart and a single questline to complete. Additionally, there’s Duel mode, similar to Mario Kart’s Battle Mode where you use power-ups to eliminate your opponents in a free-for-all to become the last one standing.
Location And Overview
Dragon Kart is located in theHarbor Park region of Honolulu, right across from the Ounabara Vocational School on Harbor Street, inAnaconda Harbor Park.
Once there, you can talk to Ran, who you may remember fromYakuza: Like A DragonandLike a Dragon Gaiden.She’s the main NPC tied to the minigame and its respective questlines and will sell you rewards in exchange for points earned from completing activities in the minigame.
If you’ve played anygo-kart gamesimilar toMario Kart, then Dragon Kart shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for you. However, while the minigame is quite simple,there are still some nuances that set it apart from other racing games.
Dragon Kart Modes: Grand Prix
There are three modes in Dragon Kart, each with its unique challenges to overcome.
First, the Grand Prix has alinear progression where you race against nine other racers on a track,with the Resort Cup as your starter course.
Winning the Resort Cup will unlock the Urban Cup, then the Festival Cup, each increasing in map complexity and difficulty.
To ensure you get first place every time, always go for the booster rails, as they give you a significant speed boost with even just an errant touch.
Dragon Kart Modes: Duel
Duel mode initially appears as “???” until you win a Resort Cup and begin the Dragon Kart side story.
Unlike races,Duels pit you against a certain number of other contestants, where you must survive and eliminate each other by using unlimited machine gun ammo and power-ups scattered around the small, enclosed map. The last one standing wins the Duel.
In any given Duel, make sure to stay mobile. Go in circles (or a figure eight) and pick up power-ups, as staying still is a surefire way to get shot at and eliminated
Dragon Kart Modes: Time Attack
Lastly, Time Attack is a staple of any racing game, as you go solo and beat your record in completing the race as quickly and efficiently as you can.
Most people don’t care much about Time Attack, as it is mostly used for practice and bragging rights.
You’ll find power-up boxes along the track, and these can be used to gain a huge advantage against your rivals during the race.
Most rival racers will attempt to whittle down your health with machine gun fire. Using the Shield power-up or picking up Dragon Rings will help keep you healthy.
How To Unlock New Dragon Karts
Located in the Kart Setting tab on the main menu, you’ll start with three available Karts: Lost Rider, Crimson Fire, and Navy Fang. You’ll eventually unlock the rest of the other Karts byplaying Dragon Kart duels and completing the substories,which is crucial if you want to unlock the best Kart in the game.
Unlock Condition
Ignition Shadow
Defeeat Go-Kart Grandpa’s Elimination Duel
Rapid Phantom
Defeat Elulu and Yappi’s Elimination Duel
Rumble Crasher
Defeat Daisy’s Elimination Duel
Rising Dragon
Defeat Ran’s Elimination Duel
Legend Wave
Defeat the Robo Michio Army’s Elimination Duel
Legend Wave is objectively the best Kart in the minigame,as it boasts the highest stats, and increases the number of uses for each of your power-ups, giving you double boosts and increased ammo.It also has a built-in ability to automatically boost at the start of the race if you hold down the acceleration button during the countdown.
How To Complete Substories
Once you complete the “Dragon Kart in Paradise” substoryand finish all three tournaments and three duel matches, you’ll beginThe Fastest in Hawaiisubstory, where you race against Ran herself, who brags that she’s the Dragon Girl who wants nothing more than to go back into racing.
Ran’s Elimination Duel takes the form of astandard race on the Harbor Sunset Tour track, where you must beat her in a 1v1 race. Beware: she’s fast and ruthless on the track.
How To Beat Ran
Unlike the other racers you’ve beaten,Ran is a nimble and aggressive racer,making tight turns and accurately shooting you with machine gun bullets whenever you’re in front of her. She also has an exceedingly large health bar, socrashing her is out of the question.
As this still operates under Duel rules, crashing means an automatic loss, so avoid her attacks at all costs.
Instead,focus on being as fast as you’re able to,and keep a distance between you and her once you’re in first place, as she’ll pepper you with bullets and potentially crash you.
Pick up as many Nitro Boosts as you can and get on booster rails when you can,as these can help you create a wider gap so that you won’t get hit by her attacks. Make sure to also pick up Dragon Rings not just to recover health, but also to earn extra points.
Once you beat Ran, she and the other racers will hold a celebratory party to crown you as the fastest in Hawaii.
Robo Michio Army will crash the party, demanding you to face them in an Elimination Duel as a final challenge, beginning"The Path to Speed" substory.
How To Beat Robo Michio Army
As you face the Robo Michio Army, you’ll be pleased to find out that they’re not all going to gang up on you, as this still operates under the free-for-all rules.
This will challenge yourprecise driving and ability to manage power-ups throughout the Duel.Scattered throughout the arena are three items:Rocket Launcher, Satellite Laser, and Barrier Coating.
We found thatthe safest strategy is to go around the arena while constantly picking up Barrier Coating, as it gives you a few seconds of invulnerability.You can do this until the other Michio bots have eliminated each other, and you can take down the rest by spamming Satellite Laser.
Once you’ve defeated the Michio Army and completed"The Path to Speed" substory,you’ll unlock the best Kart in the game, and complete the main portion of what Dragon Kart has to offer.
Dragon Kart Rewards
By the time you’ve completed everything in the Dragon Kart minigame, you’ll get the following notable rewards:
The Cab Driver outfit set can be purchased from Ran, along with a buttoned version of the Aloha Shirt. you may also buy some CDs and repeatable plates.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii Review
Hoist those sails, we’re going on a jolly adventure with the scurvy Mad Dog himself.
