Like a Dragon: Ishin! - Friendships and Bondings

There are numerous bonds you can unlock/establish with NPC's throghout the game. Most of them comes from simply visiting some restaurant, some come from finishing the substories. This guide will help you find them all, and give you some tips on how to max out these bonds.

Save/Load trick:

All bonds progress by providing items to NPC's and then wait for some in-game time so you can advance the bond and give more items. Simply saving and loading that save does that for you, so you can save a lot of time this way.

Friendships

• Servile Beggar
• Sword Nut
• Injured Grandma
• Desperate Fisherman
• Junk Boy
• Wood Cutter
• Frequently Lost Courier
• Amnesiac
• Oblivious Woman
• Love-starved Husband
• Mysterious Merchant
• Trash Dealer
• Sexy Madam
• Revolutionary Chef
• Veggie-Loving Boy
• Battered Defender
• Hungry Sumo Wrestler

Servile Beggar

Finish substory 34: The Servile Beggar to unlock this bond. To max out the bond, keep giving him food (any food).

When he dissapears from Mukurogai, head to East Umekojicho in Rakugai and go to the northeast street to find him therer. Talk to him to max out his bond gauge.

Sword Nut

Finish substory 25: The Sword Nut to unlock this bond. To max out the bond, keep giving him weapons he asks for.

Request 1: Ebony Sword (second sword in the Katana tree, first row). You need Crooked Magnet x1 (Buy at Ichikuraya, Don Quihote or the blacksmith shop for 600 mon, or from Battle dungeon 1-2, 1-3, 1-4), Iron Scrap x5 (Buy at Ichikuraya, Don Quihote, Ebisu pawn Fushimi & Rakunai or the blacksmith shop for 480 mon, or from Battle dungeon 1-2, 1-3, 1-4), and x1 Nameless Sword (Buy at Mukurogai from the Arms Dealer for 1000 mon)

Request 2: Yaksha Blade. You need Picture of a Ghost x1 (pretty rare; fetch several common items for the Mysterious Foreigner and buy it from him. He appears in a wooden stall with curtains, which you will not find marked on the map in Rakugai. Approach the well in that area, just look up some steps to find a stall near an abandoned cart (wooden doors between the well and the cart). Investigate the stall to initiate a conversation with the guy and do some fetching for him - check details under the substory in this guide), Metal Sheet x5 (Buy at the blacksmith shop for 1080 mon, or from Battle dungeon 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 1-7), and Ebony Sword (request 1).

Request 3: Vulpecula. You need Handy Blade x1 (Buy from Rakugai Arms Dealer), Beautiful Leaf x1 (RTewaord from Battle Dungeon: Bandit Cave. Check the rewards before entering a dungeon, if this resource shows, beat the level until you get it), Metal Sheet x5 (Buy at the blacksmith shop for 1080 mon, or from Battle dungeon 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 1-7).

Request 4: King of Beasts. The easiest way to get it is to simply finish the game. King of Beasts is a reward from Ito Kashitaro boss during the Final Chapter. If you want to craft it, you need Vulpecula x1 (previous sword he needed), Emerald x1 (Reward from Battle Dungeon: Bandit Cave), and Precious Steel x5 (Buy from Ichikura General Goods store).

Injured Grandma

Complete substory 15: The Injured Grandma. To max out the bond with her, you will have to talk to her and get her the items she asks for. The first one is the ointment, then it will be All-Purpose medicine etc. You can buy them from the shops.

When you do couple of favours, she will ask you to walk around with her, and that will max out the bond.

Desperate Fisherman

Complete substory 50: The Desperate Fisherman. To max out the bond with the fisherman, either catch or buy any kind of fish and keep giving the fish to him. It's a really easy bond.

Junk Boy

Complete substory 51: The Junk Boy. He wants any junk you can get, meaning you can just give him some chunks you have the most. After a couple of times, you will max out his bond.

Wood Cutter

Complete substory 52: The Wood Cutter. To raise the bond you must chop wood by talking to the guy and well, doing it. Chop 100, then another 100, and 100 more (300) to finish his bond and fullfil all Diligence Records entries for chopping woods. Neat!

Frequently Lost Courier

Complete substory 53: The Frequently Lost Courier. To max out the bond, you need to deliver packages by finding the client, giving the client the package, and returing back to the courier. To check which clients needs a mail, open your Inventory and check under key items to find the parcel info there. It's really easy to find the clients, when you check the parcel info or ask the Lost Courier he tells you the name of the street where the client is.

Completing all (5) deliveries and maxing out the bond will also fullfil all Diligence Records entries, but you will need to deliver more packages to fully fullfil all Diligence entries. Also, the final event for maxing the bond will be chasing the guy through the town, which is really not that hard.

Amnesiac

Complete substory 65: The Amnesiac. Keep giving the buy either of these: Ointment, Sober Pill, Vitality Pill, or All-Purpose Medicine to raise and max out the bond.

Oblivious Woman

Complete substory 14: The Oblivious Woman. Keep giving her food items (vegetables will do) until you max out the bond. 

Love-starved Husband

Complete substory 13: The Love-Starved Husband. Prepare couple of meals from Another Life, as for every bond progress event you need to spend one meal to advance the progress. Any meal will do.

Mysterious Merchant

Complete substory 27: The Mysterious Merchant.

0:00 - Substory 27 Start
1:04 - Unlocking Tomato vegetables
1:27 - Farming Tomatoes
2:09 - Bond Request #1: Loincloth
2:40 - Bond Request #2: Scrap Paper
3:30 - Bond Request #3: Natto
4:41 - Unlocking and placing Gingens for farming
4:45 - Bond Request #4: Ginseng
5:03 - Giving items to Mysterious Merchant
8:50 - Unlocking shop showcase

Details:

• Loincloth (you can purchase one from the arms dealer nearby). Reward: 2 ryo
• Scrap Paper x1 (you can get some as a Lottery last place prize, easy item to get). Reward: 1 ryo
• Natto x1 (buy one from the Fermented Goods shop along Shijo Street). Reward: 3 ryo
• Ginseng x1  (You can only get Ginseng as a harvestable crop in Another Life. You have to purchase the upgrade with your Virtue points, and that will allow you to plant this in your backyard so you can harvest it. In order for it to appear as an unlock, you must buy the "Farm Expansion Max" Virtue Farm upgrade for 10,000 Virtue points, and the Ginseng unlocks for another 10,000 points).

By maxing out your bond with the guy, you will unlock Mysterious Merchant's exclusive shop where you can buy some neat stuff.

Trash Dealer

Complete suibstory 35: The Trash Dealer. You can keep giving him vegetables to progress the bond. It takes some time (it fills slowly), but you can save/load to speed up the process.

Sexy Madam

Complete substory 59: The Sexy Madam. She will request different vegetables, which you can grow in Another Life, on your farm (some you might need to unlock with Virtue first). She needs Cucumber, Carrot , Eggplant, Daikon, and Pumpkin.

Revolutionary Chef

Complete substory 58: The Revolutionary Chef.

To max out the bond, bring him any dish you’ve made. It doesn’t matter which one. As long as you have enough homemade dishes in your inventory, just keep talking to him to improve his bond gauge until he leaves to try out his idea of a new dish. You can save/load to advance the progrees. Talk to him again to learn the recipe for Revolutionary Croquettes which you can now cook in your home.

Veggie-Loving Boy

Complete substory 66: The Boy Who Loves Veggies.

Keep giving the boy any vegetable from your farm (it will take some time, the bar fills slowly). Lastly, he will ask you to help his mother with cooking something with vegetables so she falls in love with them. Cook Refreshing Vegetable Salad in Another Life, bring that back so you can max out the bond.

Battered Defender

Complete substory 26: The Battered Defender.

Keep giving the guy healing items to max out the bond. Usually it takes 6-7 healing medicine to fill up 1 bar (you can buy some from the Ichikura General Goods store, it's close, just to the south). When you max out the bar, you will raise the bond, and after doing this for a couple of times (3 if I'm not mistaken), he will not be at the same place anymore. He returned at dusk during Chapter 7 for me, but it might just be that I needed to wait for some in-game time.

Hungry Sumo Wrestler

Complete substory 12: The Hungry Sumo Wrestler.

To max out the bond, keep on giving him food; any food will do. Eventually he will climb the ranks and you will max out the bond.

Friendship (Pets)

You can gather 3 cats and 3 dogs that will come to Another Life as your pets. When you max out the bond with the animal, you will get to name them and the animal will move to Another Life.

Patient Dog

Complete substory 54: The Patient Dog.

To max out your bond with the dog, keep returning to him and keep giving him any edibles.

Injured Dog

Complete substory 36: The Injured Dog

To max out your bond with the dog, keep returning to him and keep giving him any medicine.

Barking Dog

Complete substory 16: The Barking Dog.

To progress the bond, enter Ebisu Pawn shop and buy bone form the store for 100 mon. To max out the bond simply buy the dog more bones and bring them back to him.

Hungry Cat

Complete Substory 28: The Hungry Cat.

Simply keep returning to her and keep fiding her fish to max out the bond. You can give her any fish, but the last two she asks for are Sea Bream (Sea Fishing - Fishing Banks, medium triangle-shaped fish usually found at the top of the screen), and Bluefin Tuna (Sea Fishing - East Banks, scatter Quality Bait from Ichikura General Goods and look for long normal shaped white fish in the upper half). You may want to buy the best rod with Virtue points to make this doable (Peerless Pole Expertise rod).

Lucky Cat

Complete Substory 17: The Lucky Cat.

Keep returning to the cat as you progress, and keep giving her the money. Eventualy you will get to name the cat and thus finish the bond with her.

Filthy Cat

Complete substory 55: The Filthy Cat.

To max out your bond with the filthy cat, keep returning here and keep cleaning the cat. 

Friendship (Shops)

In shops, you either have to buy something, order something to drink/eat, talk to an NPC, or play some mini-game. It's really easy to progress bonds with shops, so there is not much to add here other than giving you all the entries (just order a single food item, and keep repeating to max out the bonds):

• Bond with Utamaruya Owner (Karaoke) (once per Karaoke singing session. Start, let the song pass, repeat. Inviting Haruka doesn't progress this one).
• Bond with Umai Udon Owner (Udon minigame) (by eating, finishing substory 41, and then by helping during the minigame. You also need 10 ryo in total to get rid of all requirements, plus the Divine rank. You can pause the screen before it's your turn, snap your screen and cheat to get it).
• Bond with Maijo-sensei (Buyo Dance minigame) (Enter, dance, the bond raises. As you also need to get passing grades for each song for the completion list, so this should happen naturally. At the end, get passing grade on Fubuki Kouta song to max out the bond for the special event dance)
• Shinto Priest (unlock "Shinto Priest’s Exchange" for Virtue points, then you can buy a single item with your virtue from the Priest's shop, exit, go to the shop again, buy...)
• Akari (the Shrine Maiden) (She appears during Chapter 4 in the Rakunai shrine on the northwest on the map. Keep talking to her as you progress, and eventually you should max her out. She will call you out on few talks before it ends).
• Hanamaru Udon (Keep eating in this restaurant).
• Anna (the Courtesan) (This increases from playing the Courtesan Minigames. As you work your way towards completing all entries for this one, it should happen)
• Bond with Mahjong House Residents (Mahjong) (Keep playing any Mahjong game, and try to exit the parlor. This will raise the bond a bit. Repeat until the main guy asks you to play on the Advanced table. Play (you can quit), and the bond will be done).
• Bond with Cho-Han Dealer (Cho-Han) (Play a game of Cho-Han at the Gambling Den, then try to leave the building. After that, the bond increases every time you quit playing Cho-Han, so start playing, make one bet, then quit. For the final event, the owner offers you a game where you bet 10 ryo, getting back 20 if you win. Save and try then).
• Chicken Race Receptionist (Chicken betting is where you will most probably farm for money, so this one should happen naturally. Enter, place bets, do the race, exit outside, repeat).
• Ichikura General Goods (Keep buying items. At the end, you will have to catch someone during the chase mission).
• Sushi Zanmai Chef (Keep eating. When he mentiones a tuna, leave, and then go back to trigger a scene and max out the bond)
• Bond with Fukufuku Pub Owner (Keep ordering stuff, and later events will lead to some scenes during which anwer with "No", and "Water would taste better")
• Ecchudo Apothecary (Buy some stuff to unlock the bond. Then you can choose to endulge in experiment medicine. Heal fully, do so, and survive couple of experiments. From time to time you will have to leave and return back to contine. By raising this bond you unlock Longevity Pills, which you can buy after maxing the bond).
• Bond with Uji Tea Parlor Girl (Keep ordering 1 order at the time, then towards the end she will leave to break up with her boyfriend. When that happens, move away from this area and return back to trigger a scene after which you need to fight and win).
• Don Quijote Employee (Keep buying 1 item at the time, then when the shop owner tells you he's out of change, try to leave and a lady will ask you where the rice balls are. Go outside and find then next to the doors.)
• Ebisu Pawnbroker (Rakunai) (Keep buying and selling items to raise the bond. Eventually the shop owner will ask of you to find someone interested in antiques. Find the guy in Rakunai, directly south of Fermented Goods. There will be a man standing near the wall you can talk to.)
• Kasuga Okami (Keep eating and exiting, and beat some opponents at the end).
• Kitchen Aoba Chef (Keep ordering, and for the final events choose any food, eat it, and it's done)
• Greengrocer (Keep buying single items per session to max it out easily).
• Rakugai Arms Dealer (Keep buying 1 item at the time, and keep repeating to fill the bond. After answering 3 questions the bond will be done, and it doesn't matter what you answer).
• Palanquin Bearer (Keep riding in palanquions. Easy one as you need to rise 30 times anyway).
• Bond with Momokawa Brothers (Shippoku Momokawa restaurant) (Keep eating, and at the end you will witness a scene. No matter the order of the answers, they all lead to the same outcome).