In Like A Dragon: Ishin! players are able to acquire a range of different weapons for Sakamoto Ryouma to wield, consisting mainly of pistols and swords but also including some heavier special weapons. Through completing sidestories, clearing Battle Dungeons, and engaging with the game's crafting system, players will amass an arsenal of powerful gear to assist Ryouma in his adventure.
Like A Dragon: Ishin's best weapons often take quite a bit of effort to obtain, requiring players to gather components, craft, and perhaps track down a blacksmith willing to forge enchanted blades. This means some of the weapons on this list require players to have progressed further into the game, gaining access to certain areas and substories, before they can be created or otherwise obtained.
Best Swords
As Ryouma's initial weapons of choice and a core part of two of his fighting styles, swords are a crucial component of any player's kit. Here are some of the best swords in the game.
Okanehira
As players will discover when heading into the later Battle Dungeons, armored enemies can be a huge pain to deal with. As a result, weapons that specialize in taking down armored foes become vital to success. A fantastic example of such weapons is Okanehira, which is a fire element sword that deals 20% more damage against armored foes. With a minimum of 3 slots and 1020 attack, this blade is a fantastic choice for cutting through the Battle Dungeons.
Okanehira is part of the Nameless Sword smithing tree, and can be reached by crafting the following blades: Nameless Sword > Ivory Sword > Elegance > Shiranui > Okanehira. Upgrading Shiranui into Okanehira requires 2 Phoenix Feathers, 10 Gold Nuggets, and 5 Platinum Filings.
Muramasa
The Muramasa is another excellent choice for a sword, trading the raw power of weapons like Okanehira for a very powerful life drain effect, providing 16% drain damage. This can vastly improve survivability in long fights and reduce the need for healing items. The weapon has a minimum of 3 slots and 680 attack.
Like Okanehira, Muramasa is part of the Nameless Sword smithing tree. It is reached by crafting the following blades: Nameless Sword > Ebony Sword > Yaksha Blade > Skink Lizard > Muramasa. Upgrading the Skink Lizard to the Muramasa requires 1 Bloodstained Cloth, 10 Gold Nuggets, and 5 Gold Chunks.
Sparkling Jelly Blade
A fantastic blade for its sheer utility is the Sparkling Jelly Blade. This is a sword that grants +7% EXP gain and +6% Enemy Drop Rate, allowing players to more efficiently farm items and increase in strength. This makes it very useful for gathering the components for other smithing recipes too, so it's a decent blade to shoot for early on.
It is part of the Tunasmith smithing tree, and is reached by crafting the following blades: Tunasmith > Jelly Blade > Sparkling Jelly Blade. The upgrade from Jelly Blade to Sparkling Jelly Blade costs 40 Taro, 5 Gold Nuggets, and 5 Gold Chunks. The Tunasmith is obtained by completing the bond with the Sword Nut, and can also be purchased from the Mysterious Merchant (Unlocked after completing Substory 27 and maxing out the bond with the Mysterious Foreigner)
Guns
Ryouma only begins wielding firearms a short way into the game, but he quickly begins making excellent use of them in combat. Along with the tremendous range offered by Gunslinger Style, they can also be further enhanced with special ammo to provide extra damage and/or secondary effects.
Double Flash
The Double Flash is an excellent gun that has a 40% chance to fire two shots in a single attack. This can drastically improve its damage output and help Ryouma to mow down enemies with tremendous speed. It has a minimum of 190 attack and 3 slots,
This gun can be crafted using the Imported Revolver smithing tree, following this path: Imported Revolver > High Revolver > Quickfire > Double Strike > Double Flash. The upgrade from Double strike to Double Flash requires 1 Charming Doll, 10 Small Wind-Up Devices, and 10 Mechanical Parts. Players looking for raw damage instead of extra attacks might consider the Soul Beat instead, also accessible on this smithing tree.
Cherry Blossom & Weeping Sakura
Players who make use of Elemental Bullets (Which are tremendously powerful and well worth the trouble of crafting) will get a lot of use out of the Cherry Blossom. This excellent pistol has a minimum of 200 attack, 2 slots, and a 150% Elemental Attack Bonus. This can make Elemental Bullets incredibly powerful and greatly improve Ryouma's damage in Gunslinger style.
This is accessed through the Domestic Revolver smithing Tree, by following the path: Domestic Revolver > Cloudy Skies > Winter Winds > Cherry Blossom. Upgrading from Winter Winds to Cherry Blossom costs 1 Elegant Hair Ornament, 10 Worn Out Cogwheels, and 5 Exquisite Cogwheels.
Eventually, players will want to spend 1 Aquamarine, 10 Rusty Springs, and 5 Small Wind-Up Devices to turn the Cherry Blossom into the Weeping Sakura, retaining the incredible Elemental Attack Bonus while having a minimum of 340 Attack and 2 slots.
Golden Gun
An excellent gun that can be obtained without needing to craft it, the Golden Gun has an excellent 515 attack and 4 slots, while also reducing the heat cost of special moves by 14%. This makes it a fantastic all-round weapon.
In order to get the Golden Gun, Ryouma will need to amass 100,000 Kifuda (The wooden Tags earned from various gambling minigames) and purchase it from the Gambling Hall in Sannocho.
Dragon Hawk
An excellent alternative to the Golden Gun for players that would rather avoid the Gambling Hall and its minigames, the Dragon Hawk can be crafted via the Worn Pistol crafting tree. (Though it's less a tree and more of a straight line, needing a total of 30 Grinding Stones, 5 Dragon Fangs, and 1 Precise Machinery to finish).
With a minimum of 445 damage and 5 slots, the Dragon Hawk also has an increased fire rate and a 20% chance of firing two shots at once, allowing for incredible damage output.
Special Weapons
While they do not allow the player to earn style EXP while in use, the special weapons offer players a variety of secondary benefits and/or overwhelming attack power, making them useful in a pinch or to deal with certain troublesome foes.
Karakuri Cannon
The Karakuri Cannon is an excellent and relatively cost-effective option for a Cannon Special Weapon, with the Wind Element and a minimum of 2 slots and 420 attack.
This is part of the Cannon Smithing Tree, accessed via the following sequence of upgrades: Cannon > Bronze Cannon > Karakuri Cannon. A Cannon can be purchased from the Mysterious Merchant or the Mukurogai Arms Dealer (the latter becoming an option starting in Chapter 5), and the upgrade from Bronze Cannon to Karakuri Cannon costs 3 Mechanical Parts and 5 Sturdy Lumber.
Phoenix Cannon
The Phoenix Cannon is a fantastically versatile Cannon that has 565 attack and 4 slots at a minimum, along with the fire element. this makes it both powerful and highly customizable, performing excellently in the Special Weapon Slot.
This weapon is found in the Cannon smithing tree, by performing the following series of upgrades: Cannon > Bronze Cannon > Pigeon Cannon > Phoenix Cannon. The upgrade from Pigeon Cannon to Phoenix Cannon costs 10 Phoenix Feathers and 1 Thousand-Year Tree Branch.
Demon Smasher
A fantastic weapon for crushing foes when they try to defend, Demon Smasher is an Odachi with a 28% Break Guard effect and a minimum of 1255 attack, along with a minimum of 3 slots.
This is part of the Odachi Smithing Tree, following this pattern: Odachi > Centered Odachi > Horsechopper > Sledgehammer > Demon Smasher. The upgrade from Sledgehammer to Demon Smasher costs 1 Godslayer's Talisman, 10 Thousand-Year Tree Branches, and 5 Sacred Wood.
Nenekiri-Maru
This Odachi can prove a powerful, if slow, weapon that also supplies Ryouma with much-needed healing. With a minimum of 1420 attack and 2 slots, this weapon comes with a 16% damage drain effect to help top up the player's health while fighting.
This Odachi is crafted by following the Odachi Smithing tree, in the following order: Odachi > Centered Odachi > Battle-axe > Jumbo Saw > Nenekiri-maru. The upgrade from Jumbo Saw to Nenekiri-maru costs 1 Charming Doll, 10 Thousand-Year Tree Branches, and 5 Sacred Wood.
Like A Dragon: Ishin is available for PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.