The Like A Dragon series is known for including a plethora of minigames in each entry, with Shogi being in multiple games. If you don’t know what Shogi is, the basic description for it is that it’s Japanese chess. You can find the Outdoor Shogi in Like A Dragon Gaiden right by the S Shofukucho taxi destination on the map, which is just west of Akame’s Hideout. One of the options here is called Puzzle Shogi, which puts you in situations where you need to move one piece to get a Checkmate within a specified number of moves. There are ten levels of this and this guide will offer all Puzzle Shogi solutions.

Note that if you’re unfamiliar with shogi, it’s a good idea to check the option that explains the rules, as it will list each of the pieces and how they can move. Of significant importance is Promotion, which is done by moving a piece within the first three rows on your opponent’s side. The reason it’s crucial is that the pieces will gain new movement options once promoted, which can affect whether you get that checkmate or not. Another important thing is that when you capture another player’s piece, you can then place that piece on any empty square on the board, although you won’t be able to move it until the next turn.

Puzzle Shogi 1¶

You have a single move to put the King into checkmate here, but this is the first level and it’s the easiest. In fact, you have multiple solutions for winning here. You can move the Gold General one square forward, or in front of the Silver General to get a checkmate. Additionally, you can also move the Silver General forward one square or in front of the Gold General. Note that promoting the Silver General doesn’t matter here if you go with that option.

Puzzle Shogi 2¶

You have a single move to put the King into checkmate here. If you look in the box in the lower right, you see you have a Silver General that was captured, so you will be using that. There is an enemy Pawn in front of the King, so pick up the captured Silver General and place it to the right of that Pawn.

Puzzle Shogi 3¶

You have a single move to put the King into checkmate here. Another easy solution here, although you only have a single move that works. There’s only one enemy piece, the King, so you don’t have to worry about anything else. You have three pieces; a Knight, a Rook, and a Silver General. What you want to do is move the Rook to right in front of the Knight, putting your opponent in checkmate. It doesn’t matter if you promote it or not.

Puzzle Shogi 4¶

You have a single move to put the King into checkmate here. This one looks a bit more complicated, simply because you have five pieces compared to the opponent’s two (King and Pawn). The enemy’s Pawn isn’t really going to do much of anything here, though. The solution is to move your Pawn forward one square for checkmate, with it not mattering if you promote it or not.

Puzzle Shogi 5¶

You have a single move to put the King into checkmate here. There’s only the King on the opponent’s side here, but you have five pieces, three of which are Pawns. It can be a little confusing, as this is the first instance where you will need to promote the piece you move. If you don’t, then you won’t get a checkmate here. Move the middle of the three Pawns here one square forward, then promote it when given the option. If you don’t promote the Pawn, then you won’t get the win.

Puzzle Shogi 6¶

You have three moves (technically two, since the enemy’s move counts as one) to put the King into checkmate here. This is the first one where you will be using multiple moves, so things get a little more difficult now. The enemy pieces aren’t really going to do anything here, especially the Lance stuck behind the one Pawn. As long as you don’t move in front of either Pawn, you will be fine here. You do have a captured Knight, so let’s start with that.

Take it out of its prison and place the captured Knight to the right or left of the Gold General. This will cause the enemy’s King to move back one square. From there, all you need to do is move the promoted Pawn to the right one square to get checkmate.

Puzzle Shogi 7¶

You have three moves (technically two, since the enemy’s move counts as one) to put the King into checkmate here. The enemy’s King has three Pawns around it, although only two are a threat to you, as the one behind it can’t do anything. You will have two Silver Generals, one on the left side towards the center of the board, and the second on the southern side. Those will be the two pieces you will be moving here. To start, take the left Silver General and move it towards you, to the right (it will be right above your Pawn).

This will force the enemy’s King to move in front of its Pawn on the right. It is now time to move the other Silver General, which is the one sitting nearer the bottom of the board. Move this one to the right of your Knight to put the enemy’s King in checkmate.

Puzzle Shogi 8¶

You have three moves (technically two, since the enemy’s move counts as one) to put the King into checkmate here. There are three Pawns by the enemy’s King here, one of which is in front of it, while the other two are on the side. You have a promoted Bishop, a promoted Pawn, a Silver General, and a Gold General to use on the board. There is also a captured Rook sitting on the bottom right you can use.

There are actually two moves you can do on your first turn, one of which is to place the Gold General one square to the right. The other move is to move the Silver General right in front of the King (doesn’t matter if you promote it). From here, you can move the captured Rook onto the board now, with there being multiple places you can put it. You can place the Rook to the left of the King (if you went the Gold General route) or on any of the spots to the right of the King for the checkmate.

Puzzle Shogi 9¶

You have three moves (technically two, since the enemy’s move counts as one) to put the King into checkmate here. This one looks a lot harder than it seems since there’s a lot of pieces on the board. Besides the King, your opponent has a row of Pawns just behind it, with a Gold General hiding. In the back row, there’s a Lance, too, right in front of your Silver General. This puzzle will also be an instance where you won’t want to promote, as that will cause you to fail.

The first move you will want to do is move your Silver General to take the enemy’s Gold General, so move the one on the upper side down and to the left (do not promote it). Doing this will cause the enemy’s King to move one square to the right. With it now being more vulnerable, you can take that recently captured Gold General and place it right in front of the King for the checkmate.

Puzzle Shogi 10¶

You have three moves (technically two, since the enemy’s move counts as one) to put the King into checkmate here. This could be a difficult one to figure out on your own, as you only have two pieces on the board, a Silver General and a promoted Bishop. The King is in the upper right corner, surrounded by a Knight and Lance, with some Pawns mixed in there doing much of nothing for anyone. You will also have a captured Knight, which you will be using on your first turn.

Take the captured Knight you have and place it right in the middle of the three enemy Pawns on the right side of the board. You’ll know you’re in the right spot when you put the King in check. This will cause the King to move right in front of your Knight. The second move you take will have you put the Silver General one square forward, into the back row. Make sure you do not promote it, as that will cause you to fail. If done right, this will be checkmate and you’ll finally be finished with all of the Puzzle Shogi levels.