The recent Yakuza games are (rightly) praised for their highly authentic localizations, which retain all the Japanese flavor and cultural nuances of the originals. The downside of this is, unless you are well-versed in a lot of these nuances, a lot of things can go right over your head.
Take two of the more notable minigames in Yakuza Kiwami 2: shogi and mahjong, or as I like to call them, “needlessly complicated chess” and “needlessly complicated poker.” The instructions provide a basic enough overview, but Substory #21: Against All Odds is practically impossible for the novice, because you’re started out at a huge point deficit. To make matters worse, this is one of the first substories unlocked in the game!
If you want to take the high road and study mahjong to beat this challenge properly: godspeed you. But maybe you’re impatient and a completionist. Maybe you just don’t like to see poor Kiryu do badly at something. Maybe you’re just fine with cheating. In that case, this guide is for you.
Unlocking Substory #21
Substory #21 is available right from the first chapter of the game, and can be found outside Lullaby Mahjong in Kamurocho. That’s just down the street from New Serena in the southwest corner of the map.
A hapless gambler has been suckered into racking up a huge debt. He begs Kiryu to step in for him. You can decline, of course, but would Kiryu really turn his back on a stranger in need, no matter how strange they were?
But you actually do want to decline right now, because first we need to track down the item that makes this cheat possible: the Peerless Tile.
Peerless Tile Locations
The Peerless Tile is a cheat item which appears in the Other tab of your Inventory. You can pick up a total of 3 of them in Yakuza Kiwami 2, although depending on where you are in the story, some of them might be easier to reach than others.
The Kamurocho office location for the Peerless Tile.
Location 1: In an office downstairs from Lullaby Mahjong – Kamurocho
The most accessible tile is just one floor down from where the Substory happens, in an office on the third floor. You may need to use the fire escape behind the building to get to it. When you enter the office, you’ll see several shelves full of cardboard boxes. In the far corner, behind a tall set of shelves, you’ll find the Peerless Tile.
The Sotenbori hallway location for the Peerless Tile.
Location 2: In a hallway upstairs from the gambling den – Sotenbori
This one becomes an option after you’ve traveled to Sotenbori for the first time. Go to the building with the gambling den by South Shofukucho Street and head upstairs two floors. You’ll find the Peerless Tile at the end of the hallway farthest from the stairs.
Location 3: Reward for completing Substory #31 – Kamurocho
The third and most difficult way of obtaining the Peerless Tile is from Kiryu’s mentor, Komaki. Starting in Chapter 5, you can find Komaki in the vacant lot in the Champion District, on the upper eastern quadrant of the map.
You’ll need to complete three (exceedingly simple) challenges before unlocking Substory #31: Duel with the Mentor. This is where the difficulty spikes way up. Without access to items, weapons, or Heat Actions, you have to defeat Komaki and his frustrating reversals and stun techniques. If you succeed in beating him, the Peerless Tile is yours.
I would honestly recommend saving this method for a last resort, for instance if you already accidentally used up the other two tiles. Be sure to send Kiryu into the fight with full health and as many skill and stat upgrades as you can. You might also consider turning the difficulty down – hey, no one here is going to judge.
Kiryu’s starting hand when using the tile.
Using the Tile
Once you have at least one Peerless Tile in your inventory, you’re ready to complete the substory. Head back to Lullaby Mahjong and kick off the dialogue scene.
Right before the minigame starts, a prompt will ask you if you want to use the Peerless Tile. Unless you’ve had a sudden change of heart and/or mastered mahjong in the time since you started reading this guide, you’ll want to hit “Yes.”
After you’ve done this, the minigame will load with Kiryu in the East position (which goes first) and your hand will automatically contain all the tiles it needs to produce the valuable Pure Thirteen Orphans hand: the ones and nines from each suit, one of each cardinal direction, and one of each dragon.
Before you touch anything, look to the bottom right. You should already have two button prompts: O for Riichi and X for Tsumo. And there’s really no reason to call Riichi, so hit X for Tsumo.
Boom. You will immediately rack up 144,000 points and win the game, earning the appreciation of the hapless gambler and the ire of your opponents (but hey, you should be used to that, as Kiryu).
Shh. No one ever needs to know.
Please note that this may not unlock several in-game achievements, like beating all tables and tournaments. You’ll have to win those the hard way. Or, uh, with the other two Peerless Tiles. But that’s on you.
Incidentally, if you’re interested in actually learning mahjong beyond the scope of Yakuza Kiwami 2’s tutorials, we recommend this interactive guide.
