It wouldn’t be a Yakuza/Like A Dragon title without a healthy selection of substories for players to get distracted by instead of completing the main questline, and Like A Dragon: Ishin, the long awaited remaster of the franchise’s samurai spin-off, is certainly no exception. While the majority of the substories follow the formula of “go here, cut people to ribbons, profit”, there are a few substories in Like A Dragon: Ishin that require you to use your brain more than your sword. One such substory is The Mochi Mystery, related to a missing rice cake.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to complete the substory “The Mochi Mystery” in Like A Dragon: Ishin.
How To Unlock “The Mochi Mystery” Substory
Not all substories are available from the get-go in Like A Dragon: Ishin, as some substories will require you to unlock a certain location or ability to progress. Others require the completion of previous substories. In order to unlock The Mochi Mystery, you simply need to progress to Chapter 3, which will unlock a significant portion of the game’s map.
Where Can I Find The Mochi Mystery Substory?
You’ll be able to find this substory on the northwest corner of Shinmeicho, in the Rakunai section of Kyo. Shinmeicho is a small street just south of Shijo Street, which is the main thoroughfare that runs through the northern section of Kyo. It’s also near the blacksmith, which you’ll be travelling past as part of the main story, so it’s kind of hard to miss. Just look north from the blacksmith to see a group of six people standing in the corner.
How To Complete “The Mochi Mystery” Substory
Approach the six men and you’ll find that a certain snack has been hoodwinked, and the townsman who had their mochi munched has cornered the five men within the vicinity who could have been suspects. The wronged party has managed to deduce that two of the five suspects ate the mochi, splitting it between them, but as each man has given their alibi, he’s struggled to work out who’s actually responsible. Time for Ryoma to put on his detective’s hat.
After speaking to the townsman and accepting the responsibility of finding the culprits, all five suspects will be lined up against the wall. From left to right, you’ve got Higashihara, Nishiyama, Nakagawa, Minamino and Kitajima. You’ll need to speak to each person individually and listen to their alibis. Naturally, two of them are lying, and you’ll need to figure out who. Here’s what each person has to say.
Higashihara: “All I know is that one of the culprits must be Kitajima. I saw him with his hands on the thing, no doubt about it.”
Nishiyama: “Only Higashihara and Minamino had the keys to the snack room. One of them, or both, is who you’re after.”
Nakagawa: “I saw Minamino with mochi filling on his mouth. Also, I was with Nishiyama the whole time, so he’s clean.”
Minamino: “It had to have been Ni – Nishiyama… His kimono had daifuku powder on it! I saw!”
Kitajima: “It’s quite a puzzle, isn’t it? All I can say is that either Nakagawa-san or Minamino-san is guilty, but not both.”
The solution to this puzzle is Higashihara and Minamino. Kitajima, Nakagawa and Nishiyama all mention Minamino as a potential culprit, and because there’s only two liars, it means one of those three must be telling the truth. Plus, the wording of his alibi makes him seem guilty anyway. That hesitation when saying Nishiyama? That’s a liar right there.
Anyway, because Minamino is guilty, that hard clears Nakagawa according to Kitajima’s evidence. This means we can take Nakagawa’s alibi at face value, which also clears Nishiyama. The only person left to accuse at that point is Higashihara, the second culprit. Talk to the townsman again and he’ll tell you to accuse the evil mochi devourers, which you can do by talking to the suspects and selecting “accuse”. Pick Higashihara and Minamino, and there you have it. Congratulations, detective, you’ve solved the case.
After correctly identifying the nasty people who ate the mochi, the two will admit to their crimes, before all five men rally together in their resolve to become better friends. Isn’t that sweet? Probably not as sweet as stealing someone’s mochi while their back is turned, but it’s pretty sweet nonetheless.
Like A Dragon: Ishin is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X & S.
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