A mischievous Yakuza / Like a Dragon fan has tricked Google Maps into including the video game series’ iconic Millennium Tower Rooftop as a tourist attraction in its real world Tokyo map.
Reddit user waasup spotted the Millennium Tower Rooftop location alongside an image of it from the Yakuza / Like a Dragon games, which could easily be (and was) mistaken for a genuine photo of Tokyo.
It’s unclear how long the Millennium Tower Rooftop has been an official location on Google Maps, but fans of the action and role-playing game series have had a little fun after it was flagged on the Reddit page.
“A fun spot to go with your kyodais,” said one of its “customers” on Google Maps. “Got shot in the leg and someone dumped a ton of cash out of a helicopter,” said another, referencing events from the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series.
“Had a fantastic showdown with a politician up here once,” another said, and someone else posted: “I swear this place has some action going on inside. I managed to see the tower explode not once but freaking twice, a helicopter with a gatling gun shot at the tower, four men in suits (I think one of them was an escaped convict but I didn’t want to confirm out of fear) walk towards it like it was some final battle, and freaking brawls erupt here every now and then.”
The Millennium Tower Rooftop not flagging any alarm bells for Google was likely because it, and the entirety of Yakuza / Like a Dragon’s Kamurocho and other towns, are pretty authentic recreations of real-world locations.
Kamurocho is a recreation of Kabukicho, for example, Tokyo’s real entertainment district, and fans of the games could effectively navigate its streets as the map layout is practically a one for one recreation. Fewer shirtless punch ups between high ranking yakuza members presumably take place in the real world versions though.
The Yakuza / Like a Dragon series enjoys dipping into the bizarre too, of course, and the next entry certainly leans in that direction. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii arrives February 25 as a spin-off sequel to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the eighth mainline entry in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series (or ninth including Yakuza 0). It follows fan favorite character Goro Majima as he wakes up with amnesia and becomes a pirate, exploring the likes of Hawaii along the way.
A trailer released at the October Xbox Partner Showcase revealed a proper first look at ship combat akin to Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag and the return of the beloved character Taiga Saejima, perhaps teasing more ties to the main series than previously thought.
It will also be a decent bit longer than previous Yakuza spin-off Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, with its story taking around 15 to 18 hours to complete. Fans can also dress up Majima as longtime series protagonist Kiryu Kazuma, but only if they sign up for email notifications.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.
