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Burn Like A Dragon, Rise Like A Phoenix

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Burn Like A Dragon, Rise Like A Phoenix is a Crossover Alternate Universe Fic written by MrMattimation. It is set in the world of Like a Dragon, and features characters from both the mainline series, its spinoff series Judgment, and the Persona series.

Described as a "what if?" story set between the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon and its sequel Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, it follows Haruka Sawamura, now the sole proprietor of the Morning Glory Orphanage following the (supposed) death of her adoptive father Kazuma Kiryu. Having been recently widowed in the years since his passing, she had begun finding more ways to keep the orphanage afloat. A recommendation sends her to Ijincho in hopes of partnering with Ichiban Holdings and their CEO, Ichiban Kasuga; what follows is an unexpected journey which sees Haruka uncover a massive conspiracy that spans the whole country, and to protect her loved ones, she has to gather the will to battle alongside comrades old and new.


Tropes contained in Burn Like A Dragon, Rise Like A Phoenix include the following:

  • Adaptational Badass: Haruka, who evolves into an outright Action Girl as the story progresses, whereas she barely experienced combat in the original games.
  • Adaptational Sexuality: Haruka is revealed to be bi, based on her growing attraction to Saeko. She and Ichiban pursue a good-natured competition to win her heart, much to Saeko's simultaneous disgust and joy.
  • Bus Crash: Yuta Usami - Haruka's lover and the father of their son Haruto - is revealed to have passed since the events of Like A Dragon. His death was caused via poisoning at the hands of Kazuki Soma, who had intended to kill Majima instead only for Yuta to unknowingly take his place; Soma himself is similarly revealed to have died as well in police custody - his death is ruled a suicide, but Kaito and Yagami believe that he might have been murdered... until he returns as a Daidoji agent.
  • The Cameo: The Persona characters have mostly been this in later chapters, often interacting with the rest of the cast via designated substories. Interestingly, this fic treats the events of those games as canon to the Like A Dragon timeline.
    • Yagami and Akiyama end up assisting Yukari Takeba in battling Professor Panty of the Filthy Four, having resurfaced in Sotenbori. Junpei Iori and Aigis show up briefly at the end of that same chapter.
    • Haru Okumura and Morgana run into Han and Haruto at a Big Bang Burger branch, where they briefly discuss Okumura Foods and Haruto's current predicament. Haru is prompted to ask Han for the names of the conspirators, seemingly marking them as targets for the Phantom Thieves of Hearts; however, Han waves her off, intending that he and the Heroes of Tomorrow to take care of business themselves.
    • While not name-dropped, Tohru Adachi is mentioned as being a nephew of Koichi Adachi's, having worked a case in the countryside that did not end well for him.
  • Christmas Episode: A flash-forward to one serves as the fic's Distant Finale, despite the story itself not having been concluded yet. It features Ichiban and Saeko visiting Okinawa for Christmas to spend the holiday with Morning Glory Orphanage. Kiryu provides some good news on his cancer, as it had recently gone into remission after multiple treatments.
  • Connected All Along: Masumi Arakawa and Mitsugu Matsugane were blood brothers in the past; as such, Ichiban and Kaito have some passing familiarity with each other due to the closeness of their respective patriarchs.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Of sorts. Jin Kuwana is still on the run from both Yagami and the police following the events of Lost Judgment, but is implied to assist in keeping eyes away from Yokohama 99 being on the run by using prosthetic masks to disguise himself as them. He is later called upon by Haruka as a Poundmate when she fights in the Castle arena.
  • Mistaken Identity: Seonhee and Han are aware that Haruka may very well mistake the latter for the original Joon-gi Han who died during the events of Yakuza 6, and take steps to ensure she is not taken aback by this; Seonhee warns Haruka to keep an open mind if they were to meet, while Han opts to outright hide himself from her. Ultimately, Haruka does end up mistaking Han for the original when she misinterprets his rescue attempt of Haruto as a kidnapping, and this does lead to a fight between the two of them before the rest of the party helps clear the air after.
  • Put on a Bus: Makoto Tsukumo, who goes into hiding as the result of a police manhunt targeting Yokohama 99. Filling his spot is Kyoko Amasawa, now working as an intern for their agency.
  • Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Despite starting their adventures on different paths, the Heroes of Tomorrow have expanded their roster size later in the story. Not only do Haruka and Ichiban serve as co-leaders of the party, they now have the services of Akiyama and Haruka's adoptive brother Taichi in addition to the combined forces of the Yagami Detective Agency and Yokohama 99. Kiryu provides assistance where he can, but has to do so from a distance lest he and Haruka run into each other.
  • "Shaggy Dog" Story: The plot is initiated in part by Haruka being referred to Ichiban and working with Ichiban Holdings to create a partnership that can create the orphanage afloat. Later in the story, Ichiban discloses that he had resigned to join Hello Work, with Haruka lampshading that she could have avoided this whole mess if she knew about this beforehand.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: Ryuji Goda, who survived the events of Yakuza 2 and now owns the Golden Dragon bar in Okinawa, similarly to the fates of both Kashiwagi and Andre Richardson. In a nod to Yakuza: Dead Souls - another non-canon work which saw him likewise survive as well, he also has a prosthetic arm and primarily focuses his time on cooking takoyaki for a living.
  • Through the Eyes of Madness: Haruka ends up hallucinating the enemies she battles as over-the-top monsters, much like Ichiban does. Ichiban even lampshades it during their first battle together.
  • Wham Line: Courtesy of Chihiro: My real name is Chihiro Jingu.

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