One of the features that Yakuza: Like a Dragon doesn’t go into is the ability to switch characters out during battle. When fighting, players can tag party members out to bring characters on the bench into the fight. This is incredibly useful for a multitude of reasons, but the game never really explains how to do it.
Swapping party members out of battle is easy to do in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. We’ll explain how to do it and the best times to do so below.
How to swap party members into battle in Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Swapping party members in Yakuza: Like a Dragon is as easy as selecting Etc. (X [Xbox] or Square [PlayStation]) then Tag Out (A [Xbox] or X [PlayStation]). Players can then select which party member they want to tag out of battle and which one they want to swap in.
Unfortunately, players won’t be able to use this useful feature until chapter 5 at the earliest. This is the first time the party can expand over the four-member max. From then on, any character besides Ichiban can use their turn to switch themselves or any other party member out of battle.
There is one big caveat to tagging party members out in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Ichiban must always be in the party, which means he cannot be switched out for another character, even during battle.
It’s possible that players may go through the whole game without needing to swap out characters. However, towards the end, the difficulty spikes, which means that using the Tag-Out feature, is the only thing that might prevent a game over. That’s why it’s crucial to keep the party well-equipped and in useful jobs, even the members that aren’t regularly used. Swapping them in is as good as getting an extra life and can be critical, especially when players run out of healing or revive items.
