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Top Early Game Crew Picks for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Author:Kristen Update:Jun 17,2025

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*Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii* centers around building the strongest pirate crew possible. A crucial part of progressing through the game involves recruiting the right members early on to help you conquer naval battles and story missions. To help you move forward with minimal hassle, here are the best crew members to recruit during the early stages of *Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii*, allowing you to quickly meet the requirements needed to continue the main story.

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During Chapter 2, Goro Takamura and his fledgling crew arrive at Madlantis—a Pirate Sanctuary known for its Naval Colosseum battles. Here, players learn more about Goro’s current crew members, Jason and Masaru, whose previous team was disbanded due to betrayal during a high-stakes competition. As part of the story progression, Goro must now improve both his ship and his crew before re-entering the arena. However, there's a clear barrier: you’ll need $10,000 to repair the ship and five crew members recruited before moving forward in the narrative. The good news? Some recruits can be added with little effort, helping you break through this checkpoint faster.

Top Early-Game Crew Members to Recruit in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Nickelle Kidman

A screenshot from Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

An amusing nod to Nicole Kidman, Nickelle is an actor who lounges near the beach in Honolulu. She will join your crew as long as the Goro Pirates have a two-star rating. By the time you reach this point in the story, you should already have that rating just by completing the main missions. If not, it's easy to earn by collecting treasure, fighting enemies, or engaging in naval combat.

Hammerhead

The potential crew member Hammerhead in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Hammerhead resides on the second floor of the shopping center in Honolulu. To recruit him, you must defeat him in battle. Many early recruits require a fight, and Hammerhead is one of the quickest to take down. His health pool is modest, making him a fast addition to your crew—ideal for checking off one of the five required recruits.

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Kenzo

Kenzo in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Kenzo works near the docks and can be convinced to join either by offering raw materials or paying a small sum. Since you likely already have these resources from exploring the open sea and discovering treasure, Kenzo is an easy and affordable choice. He brings solid support to your crew without requiring extensive effort to obtain.

Lucas

Lucas is located in Madlantis and joins your ranks after a straightforward brawl. He has a humorous exchange with Goro before initiating the fight. While he wields a melee weapon that makes him slightly more dangerous than Hammerhead, he’s still relatively easy to defeat—especially considering the tougher fights you’ve already faced by this point in the game.

Obispo

Obispo requires a unique recruitment method—you must eat at his restaurant multiple times. To trigger his interest, engage in a few battles to lower your health, then purchase a meal at his establishment. Repeat this process five times, and Obispo will officially become part of your crew. While slightly more tedious than the others, he's still far easier to obtain than many other late-game recruits who demand higher crew ratings or complex tasks.

While there are many other powerful and interesting characters to recruit later in *Pirate Yakuza*, these five offer the fastest path to unlocking the next stage of the story. As challenges increase and larger crews become necessary in future chapters, you can focus on adding higher-tier members who require more investment. But for now, these early recruits will get you back on the water and into the action with minimal delay.

And those are the best crew members to recruit in the early game for *Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii*.

*Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.*