Samoa Joe is set to feature in the next entry of a popular video game series that’s previously featured Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada and other pro wrestlers!
Yesterday, SEGA hosted the 2024 iteration of the RGG Summit, an annual press conference featuring the latest news and announcements from one of its most popular video game developers – Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.
The showcase opened by revealing the next entry in the popular ‘Like A Dragon’ (formerly Yakuza) franchise, ‘Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’. AEW fans will be familiar with the series thanks to the infamous ‘Like A Dragon Gaiden Street Fight’ on Dynamite late last year.
Towards the end of the reveal trailer, an unexpected moment for wrestling fans occurred when former AEW World Champion Samoa Joe was briefly featured in-game. Joe later confirmed his involvement in the upcoming title, writing “Aloha Majima-san” in a post sharing the reveal trailer on his X account.
It’s currently unclear what role Joe will serve in Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii, though we do get a quick glimpse of protagonist Goro Majima and his crew walking up to Joe and an unknown figure in what appears to be a throne room.
Samoa Joe is set to be a character in Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. The game will launch on February 28th 2025!
THIS IS SO AMAZING.
JOE. JOE. JOE. 🤙 pic.twitter.com/zaDUwTWinW— Drainmaker 🌧️ 💵 (@DrainBamager) September 20, 2024
Samoa Joe Isn’t The First Notable Pro Wrestler To Appear In Like A Dragon
The Like A Dragon franchise has a long history of featuring pro wrestlers in its games. Various New Japan Pro-Wrestling stars including Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito appeared in 2016’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, while Japanese wrestling legends Masahiro Chono and Keiji Mutoh featured as villains in 2017’s Yakuza Kiwami 2.
The most recent case was in the 2022 remake of ‘Like A Dragon: Ishin!’ where AEW’s Kenny Omega was featured as a ‘Special Guest Trooper Card’. Using Omega’s card allowed players to hit a move inspired by his One-Winged Angel finisher.