The Near Future chapter in Live A Live offers a unique opportunity to craft powerful equipment—an aspect often overlooked but crucial for maximizing your team’s potential. This guide focuses specifically on Akira’s route and explains how to obtain the best gear for Akira, Matsu, and the robot Taro. Along the way, we’ll cover hidden equipment spots, robot enhancements, and a little-known tip about accessory transfer into Chapter 9.

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Getting Started: Crafting Basics With Dr. Tobei

Shortly after acquiring Taro, your team will gain access to Dr. Tobei’s workshop. He’s the key to upgrading your gear—but it’s not always straightforward. His upgrades can fail, but don’t worry: you won’t lose items when he fails, just time. Hold the ZR button to skip through repeated upgrade dialogue quickly.

The goal is to feed him specific base items that, through a tiered process, will result in your best-in-slot gear. Some paths take two or three steps, while others are simple one-offs. Let’s walk through each character’s top gear.

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Equipment Locations Before Crafting

Before upgrading, you’ll need the raw materials. Here’s where to find them:

1. Inside the Orphanage (Post-Nap Sequence):

• Sit on the toilet multiple times when Akira mentions Taramie going to the bathroom.
• Watanabe will bring you random items: Pocket Lint, Taiko’s Punch, Taiko’s Picture, and Taiko’s Furious Fist.
• Taiko’s Furious Fist is especially important—it becomes the best weapon for both Akira and Matsu.

2. Laundry Room:

• Taiko will be hanging clothes; interact with the laundry pile.
• You may find items like the Punk’s Jacket, Watanabe’s Badges, Matron’s Crochets, and more.

3. Taiyaki Stand (Side Quests):

• Help Matsu deliver taiyaki to the kids and trade for rare accessories:
  • Kaz likes Gut and Glory Special.
  • Watanabe wants Banana Crepes.
  • Aki gives you a Masanga Accessory for a normal taiyaki.
  • Yuki trades the Misawa Special for a Power Restaurant.

4. Town Battles Against Crusaders:

• These enemies drop Napalm Grenades and occasionally robotic enhancement parts, which boost Taramie’s HP, accuracy, and evasion.

5. Tsukuba Facility:

• Drops include throwing knives, more Napalm Grenades, and rare joke items like the Poop Patrol Badge.

6. Shampoo Cap Location:

• Found in the bathroom northwest of the laundry room. You’ll need this for an important upgrade later.

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Akira’s Best Gear & Upgrade Paths

• Juicin Wrestling Shirt:
  • Base item: Punk’s Jacket → Biker’s Belt → Juicin Shirt
  • You can make multiple by also upgrading Taiko’s Picture and Full Body Tights.
  • Tip: The Biker’s Belt is also a strong mid-tier item worth equipping if you’re not crafting all the way.
• Steel-Toed Boots:
  • Base item: B-Ball Kicks (upgrade only once)
  • Don’t go all the way to Biker Boots—the Steel-Toed Boots give a significant Power boost, which is more useful than a few points of Defense.
• Gold Hairpin (Special Attack Gear):
  • Base items: Shampoo Cap + Poop Patrol Badge
  • Yields either Gold Hairpin or Coral Ring
  • Recommendation: Gold Hairpin for +8 Special Attack, which benefits most of Akira’s abilities. Coral Ring helps dodge water-based attacks, but is more situational.

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Taro’s Accessories & Combat Enhancement

Taro (the robot) has a different gear path—his accessories grant him new abilities. You’ll need base items like Napalm Grenades or Throwing Knives to begin.

Best Upgrades:

• Showa Chick Launcher → Chick Shot:
  • High range and very high damage.
  • Moderate charge time (~2 turns), but well worth it.
• Kotobuki Lacquer → Lacquer Mist:
  • Area-of-effect ability, great for crowd control.
  • Charge time is slower, but works well against groups.
• Showa Goldfish Launcher → Goldfish Shot:
  • Similar to Chick Shot but lower range and power.
  • However, it has a faster charge time, making it more spammable.

If you can only craft two accessories, go for Chick Shot and Lacquer Mist. These two strike the best balance of utility, power, and versatility.

Note: The chart referenced in the original source listed upgrade outcomes and recipes. If you’re using the SFC version, item names may vary slightly due to translation differences.

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Important Tip: Equippable Items for Cube

A hidden synergy worth noting—Cube (from the Distant Future chapter) can equip Taro’s crafted accessories in Chapter 9. This makes your decisions here impactful far beyond just Akira’s chapter.

Before ending Akira’s route, make sure to equip the best accessories (e.g., Chick Launcher or Goldfish Launcher) to prepare Cube for the final battles. This also affects your Chapter 9 loadout strategy.

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Final Thoughts

Crafting in Akira’s chapter is rewarding if done right—and it’s one of only two chapters where crafting plays a central role. Between toilet-triggered item drops, laundry room scavenging, and precision upgrade paths, it’s easy to miss out on the best gear. But with some patience and the right approach, you can walk away with top-tier gear for Akira, Matsu, and Taro—and even prep Cube for Chapter 9’s biggest challenges.

So stock up, experiment with Dr. Tobei’s upgrades, and plan ahead—because every crafted item might just be the one that carries you through the final fight.