Characters of the Yakuza series

A promotional illustration of a number of characters from the Yakuza series in a popularity contest launched by Sega in 2018.[1] From left to right: Akira "Nishiki" Nishikiyama, Makoto Date, Haruka Sawamura, Taiga Saejima, Kazuma Kiryu, Goro Majima, Shun Akiyama, and Ryuji Goda.
A screenshot of a cutscene in Yakuza: Like a Dragon which shows the game's main cast of playable characters. From left to right: Joon-gi Han, Saeko Mukoda, Ichiban Kasuga, Yu Nanba, Koichi Adachi, and Tianyou Zhao.

Japanese video game developer Sega's Yakuza media franchise, known as Ryū ga Gotoku (龍が如く, lit. "Like a Dragon") in its native Japan and other Asian territories, features an extensive cast of characters. This article describes notable characters who appear in the Yakuza main series video games and associated remasters or remakes, with characters sorted by organizations or groups according to the original works. The English-language adaptation equivalents are mentioned when available.

In the first three installments, the sole playable protagonist is Kazuma Kiryu, a former yakuza who after ten years of imprisonment deals with chaos emerging from the yakuza organization he was formerly affiliated with, the Tojo clan. Yakuza 4 introduces three playable protagonists in addition to Kiryu.[2] Yakuza 5 continued this trend and features five playable protagonists including Haruka Sawamura, a ward of Kiryu's whose story arc is devoid of combat mechanics.[3] The prequel installment Yakuza 0 featured two protagonists, Kiryu and recurring supporting character Goro Majima.[4] Kiryu is the only playable character in Yakuza 6, while an additional story played from Majima's perspective was added to the remake of Yakuza 2, Yakuza Kiwami 2.[5] The 2 most recent mainline instalments , Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, features a new cast of characters. Players take control of a group of companions led by Ichiban Kasuga and the game introduces a new turn-based fighting style, opposed to the brawler free roam style of earlier instalments .[6]

  1. ^ "Here Are The Top-20 Favorite Yakuza Characters, As Voted By Fans". November 20, 2018. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  2. ^ "GameSpot Reviews - Yakuza 4 (PS3)". YouTube. Gamespot. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  3. ^ Concepcion, Miguel. "Yakuza 5 Review". Gamespot. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  4. ^ Ogilvie, Tristan (January 19, 2017). "Yakuza 0 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  5. ^ Treese, Tyler (September 22, 2017). "Yakuza Kiwami 2 Features a New Story Featuring Majima". Playstationlifestyle. Craveonline. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  6. ^ Strawhun, Aiden. "Yakuza Online Brings The Series To PC And Mobile". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 7, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2017.