All Substories route (Last updated 3 April 2025)

My ASS route in spreadsheet format. Also includes substory blocker information because it was not very well documented anywhere I looked. The substories are in two sheets, separated by the city where they start in. The order being

1. Substories that block other substories
2. Hostess substories
3. Stand-alone substories

Info on Hitman Missions is also on its own sheet. 

Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ1tP59XnmAbQTRTTUTc2cFKKouW_Tcotgus85uKp3FpwWksuBitkuZKwrg35lMC3tn-tScPRDG7lBS/pubhtml

Any% New Game (Easy) Route (2/2023)

# general information
- hammer hook (square+square+square+triangle+triangle) is really good
- gut punch (square+square+triangle) enemies near walls to combo them
- on Easy you can gut punch enemies easily as they are standing up for an "infinite" combo
- R1+X to skip text, but mash X instead for voiced phone calls (has an "r3 autoplay" icon) & Date's ch6 explanation thing
- Always hold up/down on the dpad (whichever option you want) before a choice appears to make it become interactable faster.
- these notes sometimes skip obvious/simple things like where to walk, watch a run
- "0.5 bats" means one flurry (the circle button attack). Each one takes 10 uses so you can do two flurries per bat

# ch1
- Talk to a gravestone then Sayama to leave
- Tutorial 1: Pole heat action is faster than wall
- Talk to Haruka in Doc Emoto's clinic to leave instead of walking across the room
- Tutorial 2: Get everyone in the corner and swing bikes at the end, bounce them off the walls
- Majima 1: alternate grabbing him to make him laugh (free full combo) and gut punch bounding combos. Half way through the fight only use back kicks (face away from him + square square + turn around + triangle) and bounding combos

# ch2
- Bottom option twice to Izumi at the beach
- Enter Ebisu pawn, sell 2x Staminan X and buy 5x Baseball Bat
- Walk to the plaza, trigger can be hit from the taxi stand across the street
- Rikiya: grab and drag to corner with the red signs, do a full combo to kick the signs then gut punch bounding

# ch3
- Bullying filler: Shiro (main room), Taichi (beach), Shiro, Taichi (front yard), Shiro, Go to golf, return to orphanage
- MY GOLF SETUPS: Modify these as necessary based on the wind direction
  - Hole 1: max power, 3 clicks down on the dpad
  - Hole 2: about half way up the top segment of the power bar
  - Hole 3: a bit under as close to the top of the power bar as you can be without actually hitting the top (maybe 2/3 - 3/4 through the top seg)
- Stolen money filler: main room, talk to all the kids, dining room, main room, beach, dining room
- Walk to beach, back to orphanage, warp downtown
- Taxi to HQ, walk to Hatsumachi
- Street fight: try to hit enemies into the sign in front of the M Store
- **MENU** before setpiece: Buy two tech level ups (quick recovery and combo speed boost), equip 3 baseball bats
- Ignore all enemies after the first room, do not pick up any staminans
- Room before Tamashiro: use 0.5 bats to try to group the enemies
- Tamashiro 1: Use the remaining 2.5 bats. The corner left of the desk is a safe place to do the fight

# ch4
- Dog filler: Go downtown, get locker key #26 (Blackjack Amulet) next to Tamashiro's office, Dog is at the hatsumachi dead end
- first option pick "bone", enter M-store and ask the clerk. leave and re-enter, talk to clerk again. Get locker key #50 (Expulsion S-12) in the doorway
- second option pick "bone", enter & exit mahjong camp, return to orphanage
- Clothes filler: Get locker key #07 (Bat) on the fence outside the orphanage. Walk to the clothes store, get locker key #47 (Shadow Blade) on the coffee sign. Walk back to orphanage, try to leave, go downtown, DO NOT taxi to the plaza for the last cutscene. Walk there.
- baseball filler: intentionally swing early/late and aim at the ground to get ground balls / line drives (which have skippable cutscenes, pop flys do not)
- bottom option to Haruka, walk to indoor market, return to bottom option at station, revelation (TRIANGLE-SQUARE-X, top option)
- get locker key #45 (Revolver) on top of the taxi stand, open all lockers (Expulsion S-12, Revolver, Bat, Shadow Blade, Blackjack Amulet), taxi to station & go to kamurocho. You should have 290 yen
- **MENU** before Hasebe: get two tech level ups (double combo finisher), equip Expulsion-Revolver-Bat
- Hasebe: Hammer hook the minions, then use all 15 revolver shots on Hasebe. Try to avoid Hasebe when fighting the minions

# ch5
- get locker key #41 (Broken M1985 Shotgun) from the southernmost convenience store
- **MENU** before Richardson: get one heat level (Essence of Finishing), equip a Bat over the empty Revolver
- Richardson 1: Use 1.5 bats on Richardson + two Expulsion shots. If your bat swings happen to hit the minions too that's even better
- Mack chase
- Unlock the weapon van, sell the four broken bats + the shadow blade + the extendable staff (Kamiyama gave you this in ch3). You should have 296,420 yen
- get locker key #23 (Blackjack Amulet) from Bantam
- open the lockers (M1985, Blackjack Amulet) before going into the tower to end the chapter

# ch6
- push Date when he's walking slow. PC can hold L1 to make walking more easy here
- Mash through all Date's villain biographies, don't hold R1+X
- last option for both Rikiya phone calls, enter the m-store
- 0.5 bat in the park, aim for the guy with the pinstripe suit right in front of you (you should already have this equipped from earlier)
- **MENU** before the hotel setpiece: equip the M1985 and the final bat. You should have both shotguns and one bat equipped
- hotel rooms: floor6 turn right far door on the right, floor4 far door straight ahead, floor7 turn right close door 
- use 0.5 bat to kill most of the initial hallway enemies. Ignore future hallway enemies and spray furniture blockers with the fire extinguishers
- Kanda: use the final 0.5 bat on him, then keep him down with the shotguns and essence of finishing. When one shotgun runs out of ammo, swap to the other shotgun BEFORE using essence of finishing or the timing will break.
- Rikiya: bottom option to split the bill, bottom option to go separate ways
- reload all three guns at Kamiyama, taxi to serena, talk to Date (2nd option)

# ch7
- taxi to purgatory
- push majima down the hallway
- Majima 2: do one combo to him at the start for a bit of damage, then use all four Expulsion shots + essence of finishing, then use one M1985 shot + essence of finishing. If that wasn't enough damage to kill, you can use another M1985 shot to finish but you needed to do enough damage at the start

# ch8
- put your entire inventory in the item box except the Revolver, M1985, and the two blackjack amulets. Make sure your Expulsion goes in the item box, you need it later
- **MENU** before setpiece: equip the revolver. You should have the full Revolver and 2 M1985 shots
- Purple Shirt Guy 1: Juggle in both pistols from the enemies before this fight (throw one into the arena, carry the other)
- If you still have four bullets left over after PSG1 you can snipe the next furniture blocker to skip walking to him
- Purple Shirt Guy 2: Bring 2 pistols again like above
- Red Shirt Guy: juggle 2 pistols in again like above, then one M1985 shot + essence of finishing, then one combo should kill. Skip this M1985 shot if you used an extra on Majima 2.
- Lau: Use the last M1985 shot, essence of finishing, 15 Revolver shots the rest of the way

# ch9
- buy 1,000 chips, play high limit blackjack until 30,000 chips (use the amulets, should be 9 bets. this can fail)
- discard your entire inventory (should be just the revolver and anything you picked up in ch8), redeem chips for 20 platinum plates
- taxi to the south, sell the plates then go to Serena to pick up Date
- Before taking the car to the plot dump, go to the weapon van and buy 13 revolvers **and sell the Expulsion you put in the item box**

# ch10
- taxi back to okinawa (this costs 30k yen, you should have ~20k left over after this)
- wrestling filler: go to beach, back to orphanage, back to beach, main room, downtown until rikiya calls (walk a bit), back to beach
- haruka filler: taxi to HQ, cross the street, hatsumachi corner, bridge by the station, back to orphanage, back to hatsumachi corner, 2nd option until the original guys come back ("wait and see")
- ayako filler: main room, go downtown, taxi to coin lockers, chase ayako, return to orphanage
- Kazama: shoot him (3+15 shots)

# ch11
- return to orphanage, go downtown, taxi to bull ring
- Tamashiro 2: shoot him and his minions

# ch12
- Follow this gun route for optimal shooting
- On the third set of 3 guns equipped, use one gun down to 14 and one gun down to 4 (dont bother w/ shoddy pistol)
- Use the 4 on the last four enemies of the lobby minions then reload that to 15 & finish. (Should go down to 10)
- Use the 14 on the 2 furniture blockers and the hakuho captain (its now 0)
- Use 4 from the untouched gun in the elevator (its now 11)
- Use the 11 on Richardson 2 (it's now 0)
- Use the 10 on the CIA agents (it's now 0)
- RELOAD your last three guns before fighting richardson 3
- Use 15 down to 3 on Richardson 3 (also both shoddy pistols and throw them at him)
- Use the rest of 3 and another 8 (down to 7) in the elevator
- Use the 7 and the last 15 on Mine

NG+ Any% Notes for All Difficulties

I thought I would share the notes that I used for running Yakuza 3. They may not be totally clear at times but should at least help in getting you where you need to go!

Gun stunlock refers to quickly mashing triangle so you skip Kiryu's heat action, doesn't work on all bosses.

Yakuza 3 Any% Notes
Legend
MG - Morning Glory
N/H/L - Normal/Hard/Legend respectively
Skip - Start
X/S/T/C - Playstation controller inputs
Anytime you see 1 Down/2 Down etc. - Directional pad in choosing your selection

Prologue
SKIPx5

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings
SKIP - Dialogue
Check first grave - Talk to Sawama - 2nd Option - SKIPx2
Approach Stardust - SKIP, go to Emoto
	-Street Thugs 1
Talk to Kazuki and Dr. Emoto, then Haruka - 2nd Option
Approach Millennium Tower
	-Street Thugs 2
Approach Majima - SKIP - Dialogue - SKIP
	-Majima (Knockdown/Shoot on N, Hell’s Gauntlet on H/L)- SKIPx2

Chapter 2 - The Ryudo Encounter
SKIPx2
Run down to beach to Izumi - 2nd Option x2 - SKIPx3
Go to Ryukyu - 2nd Option
Go east of Smile Burger to blue van - SKIP
	-Rikiya Shimabukuro (Gun Stunlock) - SKIP
Take long way around to Ryudo Office - SKIP
Old man dialogue - SKIP

Chapter 3 - Power Struggle
SKIP
Go to the bedroom - All 3 Options
Talk to Taichi on the beach - Shiro - Taichi - Shiro
Go to golf station - 1 DOWN - Talk to Receptionist
	-Golfing
Go back to Morning Glory - Dialogue - SKIP - Dialogue
Go to bedroom, talk to Ayako x2
	-Talk to Riano in the laundry room
	-Taichi to the right outside of MG
	-Kuji on the beach
	-Izumi outside MG
Talk to Haruka in the kitchen, enter dining room
Approach bedroom again - Talk to Eri on the beach - SKIP
Enter dining room
Approach Haruka in the kitchen, run down to the beach, run back to MG
SKIP - Dialogue - SKIP - Dialogue
Taxi to West Ryukyu Blvd - MASH X
Enter Ryudo Family office - SKIP - Dialogue - SKIP
Take long way around to M Store Hatsumachi
	-Tamashiro Family Grunts 1
Run around back and “enter” - Reenter
Go back to the the office - SKIP
	-Tamashiro Family Grunts 2
Run through the entire area until you get locked in room - SKIP
	-Tetsuo Tamashiro (Gun Stunlock) - SKIPx4

Chapter 4 - The Man in the Sketch
SKIP - MASH X - SKIP - Dialogue - SKIP - Dialogue - SKIP
Talk to Haruka - 2nd Option - SKIP
Guy outside Morning Glory - 2nd Option
Go to far NE end of Hatsumachi
	-Doggy Chase
Give dog food, choose ball, run back to MG
Talk to Koji in bedroom, go back to dog
Enter Mahjong camp and exit - SKIP
Talk with Rikiya - 1st Option
Go to Ryukyu - 1st Option All
Go back to MG, talk to Rikiya
Attempt to exit MG, get stopped by Riona
Go to Ryukyu
Taxi to East Ryukyu (1 DOWN) - Run a bit - SKIP
Run towards dining room entrance of house
Run down towards the beach - SKIP
	-Baseball!
Run back to Morning Glory, dialogue - SKIP
More Dialogue - 2nd Option - SKIP
Run left to avoid CS - Go to Ryukyu
Taxi to West Ryukyu Blvd - MASH X
Enter Public Market - Run to 2nd Floor - Exit
Taxi to Kitaryu St. - 1 DOWN
Go to Monorail - 2nd Option - Skooter Revelation (T/S/X - MASH X)
Call/Email, Taxi to Kitaryu St - 1 DOWN
Go to Kamurocho - 2 DOWN - SKIPx7
Enter Stardust - SKIP - Dialogue - SKIP
	-Hasebe (Gun Stunlock) - SKIP

Chapter 5 - The Curtain Rises
SKIP
Phone Call - MASH X - SKIP
Run down past SEGA club to Pink Street
Go north on Pink Street, west to 4 way intersection, north to cop - SKIP
	-Men in Black (Gun Stunlock) - SKIP
	-Mack Chase
Go to MT, take elevator - 1st Option - SKIPx3 - Dialogue - SKIP

Chapter 6 - Gameplan
SKIP
	-Police Chase - SKIP
Stay with Date to Serena - SKIP
Choose all 3 - MASH X - No More - SKIP
Phone call outside Serena - MASH X
Go to Nakamichi Street - Phone Call 1 - 1st Option
	-Phone Call 2 - 4th Option (1 UP)
Taxi to W. Shichifuku St. - MASH X - Go to M. Store
Go to Children’s Park - SKIP
	-Nishikiyama Family
Go to Hotel - SKIPx2
Defeat 1st set of Enemies, run up 2 floors
	-Room 603
	-Room 406
	-Room 704
SKIP
	-Tsuyoshi Kanda (Knockdown) - SKIP
Go to Kanrai - 1st Option - 2nd Option
Taxi to South Nakamichi St - 1 DOWN
Return to Serena, talk to Date twice - 2nd Option

Chapter 7 - The Mad Dog
SKIPx2
Taxi to East Park Blvd - 1 DOWN
Go to bathroom - 2nd Option - SKIP
Run to Coliseum - SKIP - Dialogue - SKIP
	-Goro Majima (Fail QTEs/Hell’s Gauntlet on H/L or if he's giving you hell) - SKIP

Chapter 8 - Conspirators
Dialogue - SKIP - Dialogue - SKIPx2
Phone Call - MASH X
Leave - 2nd Option x2
Defeat 1st group, 3rd group with officer, then run
	-Snake Flower Triad 1
	-Snake Flower Chase
Just keep running through to fat guy
	-Snake Flower Triad 2 - SKIP
	-Lau Ka Long (Knockdown/Shoot) - SKIP


Chapter 9 - The Plot
SKIPx4
Talk to Rikiya
Check Taxi - 2nd Option
Phone Call - MASH X
Taxi to South Nakamichi - 1 DOWN
Talk to Date - 2nd Option
Go to car at Millennium Tower - 2nd Option - SKIPx3
All Options - SKIPx2
	-Security Guards - SKIP

Chapter 10 - Unfinished Business
SKIPx2
Taxi to Airport - 1st Option - 1 UP
Skip around substory
Go to Morning Glory - SKIP
Talk to Taichi on beach, run back to MG - SKIP
Run back to beach, go to bedroom
Go to Ryukyu, wait for 2nd email - back to Morning Glory
Talk to Rikiya on beach - 2nd Option
	-Beach Wrestling - Cx2, Tx2, Knocked Down, Heat
SKIP
Bump into Haruka - 1st Option x2
Go to Ryukyu, run SW to Blue Seal Ice Cream
Run through alley to back lot of Hatsumachi by office
Go down to monorail station, back to MG
SKIP
Go back to Ryukyu to same lot as before
Walk towards Haruka - 2nd Option x4, 1st Option
	-Card Forgers
Dialogue - SKIP
Return to MG, approach bedroom
Choose all kids, go to Ryukyu
Taxi to East Ryukyu - 1 DOWN
Go to coin lockers, stay left to avoid substory
	-Ayako Chase
Return to MG - SKIP
Talk to guy outside Canal Grande - 2nd Option - SKIP
	-Joji Kazama (Knockdown/Shoot) - SKIP

Chapter 11 - Crisis
SKIP - Dialogue - SKIPx3
Go to MG - SKIPx2
Go back to town, Taxi to Bullring (1 UP) - SKIP
	-Tetsuo Tamashiro (Gun Stunlock) - SKIP

Chapter 12 - The End of Ambition
SKIPx4
Go to Serena, talk to Haruka - 2nd Option
Taxi to Touto Hospital - 2 DOWN - SKIP
	-Hakuho Clan, Kill Captain on top floor
Enter Daigo’s Room - SKIP
	-CIA Operative 1 - Gun Stunlock
	-CIA Operative 2 - Gun Stunlock
After 2nd Elevator - SKIP
	-Yoshitaka Mine (Knockdown/Shoot, Hell's Gauntlet on L)

NG+ Legend Difficulty

# Intro

This guide was made solely for my personal use, though you may use it if you like. Just know some things may not make sense and I skip over things I find not worth noting. This is also a work in progress as I optimize my own runs

# Ch. 1

- Talk to closest gravestone, then Sayama. 2nd option
- Go to Emotos. Talk to Haruka, 2nd options
- Spam Majima with GG . (w/ R1)

# Ch. 2

- Walk Down to Beach. Talk to Izumi. 2nd option twice
- Walk to Town Square
- Spam Rikiya w/ GG
- Run Straight to Ryudo Office

# Ch. 3

- Shiro Arc: Main room (Shiro) -> Beach -> Main Room -> Yard ->Main Room
- Golf: 2nd option.
Hole 1: 1-3 Tick Down, Full power,
Hole 2: Change Club down 1, 2 tick up, Full Power
Hole 3: Change Club down 1, 3 tick down, Full Power
- Stealing Arc: Main room (Talk twice) -> Laundry -> Road -> Beach -> Yard -> Kitchen -> Dining -> Main room -> Beach -> Dining 
- Kitchen -> Beach -> Yard
- Taxi -> Office, then long way to HQ
- Full combo on Barriers (QTE's: X , X, X,)
- Spam Tamashiro w/ GG

# Ch. 4

- Mash X for phone
- Haruka 2nd Option
- Dog Arc: Go North Alley. Bones 2x. Mahjong Camp
- W Mitsuo, L Racism Arc: After fashion leave yard, then taxi 2nd option
- Based-ball: Aim downwards & *Whiff* to skip cutscenes
- Go back to house. Haruka 2nd Option, Taxi First Option, Indoor Market (Walk in a bit and leave)
- Taxi 2nd Option, Station 2nd Option. Mack: △ ▢ X X, 1st Option
- Taxi 2nd Option, go station, then airport
- Spam GG on Dreads dude and goons

# Ch. 5

- Mash Kashiwagi
- Right after Tenkaichi alley, Down nakamichi alley, left at pink street, left into nakamichi alley
- Spam Richardson and goons with GG
- Keep left on Mack

# Ch. 6

- Mash through exposition, then far right. Mash Rikiya
- Totally Taihei -> Bottom Option
- Blast through Hotel thugs. Room 603 -> 406 -> 704
- Spam GG (& Possibly Bat)
- Go separate ways after yakiniku
- Take Park Taxi bottom option, go Serena
- Let's Talk

# Ch. 7

- Take Showa Taxi Bottom Option, Bathroom, "Go Inside"
- Attempt to push Majima
- Use Bats and GG on Majima (+ Heat Moves potentially)

# Ch. 8 *SfP*

- Mash Rikiya
- Kill 1st Group of Snake Flower Thugs, run past 2nd. Use GG to kill van group
- Run past enemies. Full Combo then 3 hit on barriers. Kill Big Guards only. Use Bat & GG on Officer
- Try your best on the chase
- Run past enemies except guards. Use bat & GG on red guy
- Lau: Bat heat action & GG

# Ch. 9

- Show Rikiya Off at Cab. Mash Tamiya. Taxi Bottom option. Serena. Date 2nd option
-  Use GG to kill Feds

# Ch. 10

- Take South Taxi to Okinawa, then orphanage
- Ricky Mask Arc: Beach -> Yard -> Beach -> Main Room. Leave and go back to MG Beach
- Haruka Arc: Top option 2x. Take Taxi top option. Near Shortcut. Parking garage -> Bridge -> Orphanage -> Parking Garage. Wait and see until after police
- Go Main Room -> Taxi 2nd Option -> Coin Lockers
- Go Strip Club
- Use GG+dash and heat actions for Kazama

# Ch. 11

- Go orphanage -> Taxi to Bullring
- Use GG to off Tamashiro and hits grunts. 

# Final Stretch

- Go to Touto Hospital. Take South Taxi 3rd option
- Use GG on first group
- Ignore enemies except large guards. Use GG and possibly bat for Captain
- 3 hit for barriers
- GG on 1st stage Richardson. Stick to entry corner of room
- GG on Agents. GG on Richardson (Don't move after cutscene)
- Mine: GG + Heat Action Cancel & Dash

Nome	Autor
All Substories route (Last updated 3 April 2025)	Tomppaa 4 days ago
Any% New Game (Easy) Route (2/2023)	tapioca 2 years ago
NG+ Any% Notes for All Difficulties	Duders 4 years ago
NG+ Legend Difficulty	kowloon2k 1 year ago