Ichiban identifies Arakawa, and while he did shoot Ichi and probably doesn't like him anymore he's still the kind of man Ichiban aspires to be. After Ichiban beats Sawashiro in a fight, the latter reveals that he didn't kill Arakawa because he feels like he has a life debt to him. Ichiban denies this, saying he'd rather bring Arakawa's vision of improving the yakuza to life. He also wears his short black hair parted to the right. Ichiban is presented with the chance to choose his own path for the first time in almost 18 years. Search for hidden treasures scattered throughout the city. All rights reserved. Ichiban learns that Arakawa is a double agent, and that once the Omi chairman, Masaru Watase, is released from prison, he will make a joint announcement with Dojima to disband their respective clans. Sawashiro, the man who Ichiban gave away 18 years of his life to save, is central to the yakuza now. Kuze and the Go-Ryu follow Ryuji, while Kasuga chases after Han. But who's to say whether or not he would have intervened. Kasuga hypes himself up and attunes to the flow of battle, boosting his Evasion and Attack for 2 turns. Arakawa's son Masato, whom he used to serve as his personal attendant, had apparently died due to illness, the tragedy of which supposedly fuels Arakawa's ruthlessness behind his rise to power. Through Shuichi Kanbe, the duo find jobs. He is the new main protagonist of the Yakuza series, succeeding Kazuma Kiryu. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Hair Color In December 31, 2000, Kasuga is on a collections job for Jo Sawashiro with Mitsuo Yasumura, interacting with his friends on the way. He later takes Masato to the cabaret club he frequents and receives money from him, which he tries to use as payment for his captain, who realizes where the money actually came from. During a visit to the former Omi chairman's grave, Kasuga sees and calls out to him, but he feigns ignorance to avoid blowing his cover. Aoki was weak and couldn't do a lot on his own without scheming. They meet Hamako and Bleach Japan after a bodyguard job, and Adachi rejoins them afterward. The character has received a generally positive response from critics and players in the video game community, with the consensus that he is a suitable choice to succeed Kiryu's role as the lead character in future games. Kasuga is a fiercely loyal and steadfast man, perhaps to a fault. Age He is more human than Kazama is. During recording of the game, Tang befriended Greg Chun, who voices supporting character Nanba. The Yakuza franchise's developers, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, wanted to create a new lead character to continue the narrative of the fictional universe they have created. In 2019, now 42, Kasuga is freed from prison with no one from his old days waiting for him. By Kasuga's release in 2019, Masumi had been appointed the acting captain of the Omi Alliance and continues to cooperate with Aoki. Eye Color The previous night, Masato had killed a man from the rival Sakaki Family. Other He spent most of his days fighting people for money, regardless of who they were. [10] Tang said that his character is the "opposite" of Kiryu in terms of personality. Biographical [29] Chingy Nea from Kotaku praised Ichiban as the Yakuza series most relatable protagonist and one of its best characters, and the main reason why Like a Dragon was a source of comfort and joy for her in late-2020. He cares deeply about his party members and leads them with grace and in turn, they stand by him and are ready to have his back no matter how overwhelming the odds are. Damage an enemy with a swift, brutal kick. Ryu Ga Gotoku OnlineYakuza: Like a DragonLike a Dragon 8 Masumi talks about his concerns with Masato and his plans for post-yakuza life and Kasuga expresses his desire to be a family again. Height Hair Color Kasuga puts all his energy into a single punch that may leave the enemy stunned. Ichiban shows a video of Aoki admitting to his crimes to the police, dooming Aoki's plans. Privacy Policy. So after this, Kiryu and Saejima go to jail. He invited Hoshino to Ijincho's Heian Tower where he interrogated him at gunpoint regarding his motives. As the years progress, his hair is also graying. With the troupe disbanded after Toshio's death, Masumi drifted to Kamurocho along with some fellow troupe members. After over 40 hours of gameplay, here is everything that happens at the end of "Yakuza: Like a Dragon.". Ichiban Kasuga exclusive job. )Mitsuo Yasumura (former subordinate)Tsukasa Mikuni (subordinate)Vincent Lowe (subordinate)Yosuke Kagami (subordinate) Beyond being a wild plot twist, this also ties nicely into Ichiban's character arc. This soon fizzled out due to a mutual lack of interest, and Masumi began seeing a woman named Akane in secret. Later that day, he attends a meeting with the other Omi Alliance patriarchs at Heian Tower - where Masumi had hoped to treat Kasuga to Peking duck - when Kasuga barges into the room. Also did ichiban providers never mention his mother's name, and if they did why wouldn't it ever come up in passive conversation between Arakawa and ichiban? However, one hundred million yen in counterfeit bills turned up missing while in Toshio's possession, prompting the Seiryu Clan to eliminate him; in reality, the money had been stolen by Yoko and the man she was having an affair with at the time, his former co-star Tora. To draw out Aoki in order to confront him, Ichiban decides to enter himself as an electoral candidate with Hoshino's support, but Aoki's henchman Jo Sawashiro assassinates Hoshino. He has two character-specific jobs that remain exclusive to him; Also in Kasuga's arsenal is the Poundmates system, which allows him to summon various characters Kasuga and his team have befriended to give the party various buffs, and attack/de-buff enemies during battle. Kasuga followed Arakawa and tried to thank him, but Arakawa punched him, saying he didn't cut his finger off for his sake. Masumi Arakawa ( , Arakawa Masumi), also known by his stage name Taro Arayoshi ( , Arayoshi Tar), is a supporting character in Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Wanderings of the Golden Dragon in Ryu Ga Gotoku Online. The two went on to become akin to father and son, with Kasuga being tasked to care for his adoptive brother, Masato Arakawa, sometime after his induction to the family. He tells Kasuga that Arakawa will need allies shortly. However, he has a strong sense of justice and is always willing to help out anyone in need. He has a faint mustache in his twenties but is clean-shaven through his thirties and forties. He meets ex-detective Koichi Adachi, who explains that while Ichiban was in jail, Arakawa defects to the Osaka-based Omi Alliance and betrayed the Tojo Clan to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. The end of development for Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, which brought Kazuma Kiryu's story arc to a close, coincided with the commencement of development for the 2018 mobile title Ryu ga Gotoku ONLINE. Now, he is given the opportunity to pursue whatever he wants alongside his friends. Aliases Adachi confronts Horinouchi with evidence of the bribes, Ichiban says that he doesn't feel the need to get a DNA test to prove if Arakawa was his real father, Daigo offers Ichiban a job at a security company. Nationality By 1980, he managed to track down his father's killer: Ryuhei Hoshino. something similar also mentioned in the post climax scene but doesnt explicitly say he didnt know.not much clarity there either. His plans, besides shooting Ichiban, actually make a lot more sense than Kazama. Hoshino is able to get him to cheer up and suggests he run in the upcoming election to get close to Aoki. Nationality Kasuga's fighting style is based around street fighting and professional wrestling techniques that, while lacking in finesse, are powerful and adaptive to his immediate environment. Sawashiro tries to have Kasuga's finger cut off, but Arakawa interrupts them and takes Kasuga out for dinner. His moveset, much like that of Kiryu and Majima, is a reskinned version of the Streets of Rage series' main character, Axel. In the ensuing chaos, Kasuga is called by Han and Seong-hui. Relationships Ichiban appears as an unlockable player character of the promotional freeware game Streets of Kamurocho, developed and released as part of Sega's 60th anniversary celebrations in October 2020. He also wears black leather loafers with gold buckles and a matching black leather belt with a gold buckle. Following the funeral service for Arakawa and Aoki, Ichiban decides to remain in Ijincho to stay with his friends. January 1, 1977[1] . [26], In a year as tough as 2020, many video game fans looked to the media as a vicarious escape from the misery of an unjust world. Arakawa and Kasuga catch up after returning to Yokohama, but the next day, he learns Arakawa was killed. Aliases They learn Zhao may be in trouble, and Han joins the party to rescue him from Mabuchi and the Omi, where Nanba rejoins them. Biographical One of Like a Dragon's main characters is Saeko Mukoda, a mama at a hostess bar who joins Ichiban's party. Really cool twist but I can't believe Arakawa never knew under these circumstances. Ichiban learns from Seiryu Clan chairman Ryuhei Hoshino that the counterfeit bill is proof that Arakawa shot him in a non-lethal manner to create a false impression of his demise. His eyes are dark brown and described as having the "hard, flinty gaze of an old killer"[4] by the age of twenty. As Ichiban and company prepare for Arakawa and Aoki's funeral, Ichiban says that he doesn't feel the need to get a DNA test to prove if Arakawa was his real father, because he feels as though Arakawa was his father regardless. Plot: Ichiban, distraught at Arakawa's death is called by Hoshino who invites him for a meal. Basically, everyone is backstabbing everyone. During their preparations, Ichiban hears of an important Omi Alliance meeting in Osaka that Arakawa will attend. Ichiban Kasuga Japanese Hepburn Kasuga Ichiban also nicknamed Ichi is a character from Segas Ryu ga Gotoku media franchise known internationally as Occupation In 1984, the year the design of the 10,000 bill changed, he was gifted a defective counterfeit by Hoshino. When asked why he would go to those lengths in the first place, he simply stated that he "felt like impressing an idiot kid who knew [his] name.". Nationality Actors The men demanded he takes responsibility for Kasuga's actions. The Tojo Clan is seemingly no more, having been wiped out and replaced by the Omi Alliance, and Arakawa is the traitor who let them in. There, he explains that Arakawa is at peace, and that Ichiban should get revenge on Aoki. After getting surgery in America, he gained the use of his legs and began trying to gather power, hoping to make up for the years when he felt helpless. After their job is done, however, Nonomiya dies apparently from suicide. Other Having left a strong impression on Kasuga, he was followed back to the Arakawa Family office, where Kasuga waited outside every day for one hundred days straight until Masumi finally relented and accepted him into the Arakawa Family. Ichiban Kasuga. One day, in 1993, he was called to the offices of the Shinomiya Family to take responsibility for Ichiban Kasuga, a sixteen-year-old boy who had hospitalized one of their members and was claiming to be from the Arakawa Family. Kenyu Horiuchi Masumi Arakawa In 2017, the year Kasuga was going to be released were it not for his sentence extension, Masumi writes a letter to him expressing how much he misses him, and invites him for Peking duck when he leaves. He readily followed through with performing yubitsume in exchange for Kasuga's return. After facing the Omi, Ichiban reconciles with Arakawa, but is shocked next day to learn of his death. Part of his little finger on his left hand is missing. Meeting Aoki in person, he learns of his recovery in the US, that he is intending to purge Ijincho of its residents reliant on gray zones, and that Kasuga had taken the fall for Aoki's murder, not Sawashiro's. Valve Corporation. Arakawa sparing Ichiban from Yubitsume at the last second just to spend time with him despite his incompetence in regards to collecting money. When Ichiban gets out of prison in 2019, 18 years after his incarceration, the world has changed rapidly, but the biggest shock is probably that the Arakawa family has joined the Omi Alliance,. The announcement is made the following day, when Ichiban and company must fight off the angry former Yakuza. [8][9], Ichiban's English voice actor, Kaiji Tang, describes him as a "whimsical" character who, despite being the game's protagonist, also serves the role of a supporting character due to how he often assists his allies. These traits have made him an infectiously charismatic person that never fails to inspire admiration from the people around him. Actors i don't think the arakawa family was big enough for anyone to willingly serve 15 years in prison for them except for ichiban because well, he did it 100% out of love for arakawa. Thanks to the split, there is not enough manpower to crush them and Yosuke Tendo joins Masumi's side as he could not resist the urge to fight such a brawl. A destitute Ichiban starts a new life and forges new connections in an unfamiliar city, where he is eventually thrust into a conspiracy involving a money laundering scheme which involves Japan's political establishment. Ichiban did turn out fine in the end. In 2019, his attire changes a bit, with the hat now gone, his shoes now brown instead of dark red, and his trench coat now complemented with a suit jacket and a vest. and our [19], Ichiban has received a very positive response from the video game community following the release of Like a Dragon. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. He and his friends are asked to hold the invading Omi Alliance at bay until they can burn down their operation. (Kasuga Ichiban) He only made his relationship and the pregnancy known to his patriarch the day Akane was due; however, having lost face, his patriarch had his men beat him badly and ordered them to kill both Akane and the baby. [6], Auditions of the character started early in development to appreciate him sooner. Aliases Ichiban and his friends take this opportunity to strike as they fight their way up the tower to the Arakawa Family office, where Tendo, who had also murdered Arakawa in cold blood earlier, lies in wait for Ichiban to settle the score with. [24] German publication GamePro lauded Ichiban for his big heart and highly emotive nature, qualities which they feel a lot of protagonist characters lack. Kasuga pleads to Aoki to start anew, but he is killed by Kume before he can do so. Relies on bare-knuckle brawling and Kasuga's pro wrestling moves to knock enemies senseless. RGG Studios' chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto explained in an interview that Kasuga appears as a Trooper Card instead of a full character in Like a Dragon: Ishin! Y:LAD But more towards that arakawa didnt know. He turns himself in to the police and is sentenced to 15 years in jail, which is extended to 18 years following an incident in the summer of 2002. Granted, he had a good reason to do so, but when it turns out that Ichiban is Arakawa's biological son, must've been quite painful for him to have to shoot his own son (or rather someone that he regarded as a . Upon his return to Kamurocho, he crushed the Hikawa Family completely as vengeance. Before they part, Masumi talks about a strange dream where Kasuga and Masato swapped places in their births. [34] RPGFan also regarded Tang as one of the best actors in the entire game based on the impact of his deliveries. Brown I dont think ichiban realized that this just wasnt a prison sentence but this was for life meaning to never return once he got out cause if he returned then the other family would know that it was the family that ichiban was part of that did kill their guy which is why ichiban boss shot him once he opened the door. Nanba joins Kasuga after Yokohama Liumang member Zheng demands payment from the homeless, and the two drive him off. Eye Color Having turned over to the Omi Alliance, he is now a direct patriarch under the Omi banner. A selfish, violent man, he is the one pulling the strings, the one blockading Arakawa from aiding Ichiban. However, Sawashiro later claims that after Arakawa left with Sawashiro's son (Ryo Aoki), the owner of the local brothel came to pull another baby out of the locker (Ichiban Kasuga), who is Arakawa's actual son. So then I decided on Ichiban Kasuga. The family gained notoriety due to its militant nature and became feared among the residents of Kamurocho, with Masumi himself earning the nickname "Arakawa the Assassin." It also has been revealed that Aoki used the Yakuza to help him attain power, which is why the Tojo and Omi were disbanded. Nanba explains the situation with the Ijin Three and shows Kasuga the severity of his bullet wound, which leads to him discovering a defective counterfeit 10,000 yen bill. The three are directed to Otohime Land to work for Isao Nonomiya, and rescue Nanoha Mukoda from having to pay large fees to Sunlight Castle, and meet Ryuhei Hoshino, who recognizes the bill. After vowing to make Kasuga pay for all the pain the Tojo Clan has inflicted to the Jingweon, Han and Kasuga start fighting. From watching the trailer seeing ichiban take the fall for the other guy. However, that night at the restaurant, Toshio was murdered by a hitman sent by the Seiryu Clan. Ichiban wouldn't be targeted for Kurosawa's big plan as he's just a normal member. The ending feels like information overload, but it's not as completely insane as it might seem at first glance. Arakawa the Assassin The duo eventually encounters their targets in Nagasugai, Fukuoka. Aoki dies, and it's unclear if Kume is arrested. Arakawa, who serves as a father figure to protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, proved to be a much more compelling character than he thought. Yokoyama said that Nakaya's reading of the character's scripted lines projected a rebellious personality which stood out to the developers. Kamurocho, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan During the campaign, he learns Hoshino is being targeted by Sawashiro, but arrives too late to save him, and learn from Sawashiro that Aoki is his son and Kasuga is Arakawa's. Afterwards, he interrogates Ogasawara to learn of Aoki's ambitions and plans to use the Omi. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, character_model_model_data (.BIN file), ONLINEPS, , Yakuza: Like a Dragon Playable Characters, Ryu Ga Gotoku Online#Wanderings of the Golden Dragon, https://www.thegamer.com/like-a-dragon-ishin-interview-hiroyuki-sakamoto/. Masumi Arakawa (former patriarch)Jo Sawashiro (former superior, rival)Mitsuo Yasumura (oath brother, friend, ally)Giichi Kitamura (friend, ally)Shun Akiyama (friend, ally)Mayumi Seto (friend, ally)Hayato Tsuji (friend, ally)Tsukasa Mikuni (complicated ally)Yosuke Kagami (complicated ally)Vincent Lowe (enemy) https://twitter.com/ryugagotoku/status/1609202827124948994, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, The given height of 185 cm (6 1) is based on the character model's scaling factor within. Kaiji Tang shares his experiences voicing Ichiban in Yakuza: Like a Dragon", "Kaiji Tang Interview - Ichiban's voice talks Yakuza: Like a Dragon, 13 Sentinels & Trails of Cold Steel", "Say Hello To Kazuga Ichiban, The Next Hero Of The Yakuza Series", "Ichiban Kasuga Teaches Everyone How to Make an Omelet", "Yakuza Series April Fool Joke Involves Ichiban Kasuga In An RPG Battle", "Yakuza SuperGroupies Items Are Inspired By Kiryu, Majima, and Kasuga", "Smell Like Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga With the Latest Yakuza Colognes", "Yakuza: Like A Dragon - Everything We Know About Sega's Newest Yakuza Game", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon preview: What turn-based combat means for a Yakuza lover and JRPG hater", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon Cosplay Performance Is Impressively Accurate", "Best Games Of 2020 - Yakuza: Like A Dragon", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon's secret weapon isn't a magic baseball bat, it's optimism", Ichiban Kasuga Is A Worthy Successor To The Yakuza Throne, "Yakuza's Ichiban Kasuga is an awesome dude, and his story may have only just begun", "Ichiban Kasuga hat das, was vielen Helden fehlt: ein groes Herz und Emotionen", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon Proves that It's Time for the Yakuza Series to Grow Up", "2020 may have been a crap year but it gave us some amazing new characters", "2020's best video game hero exposes the worst part of 'Last of Us 2', "Yakuza's Ichiban Is the Most Important Protagonist of the Year", "Yakuza's Latest Protagonist Is The Hero I Need Right Now", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon reinvigorates the series, but can't shake all of Yakuza's flaws", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam", "I Wish Kingdom Hearts' Sora Was More Like Yakuza's Ichiban Kasuga", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichiban_Kasuga&oldid=1126987462, This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 08:29. [14][9] A line of Yakuza franchise merchandise developed by apparel company SuperGroupie was launched in June 2021, including watches, bags, jackets, and shoes, all of which will have details inspired by Ichiban's appearances in the games. Black, later graying These skills mainly focus on increasing the survivability and offensive capabilities of Offense-type allies and confer a huge boost of up to 92% in total to criticality rate. Fighting Style Cost decreases with each level. Y:LAD He was hidden in coin locker #101 at Shinjuku Station by Akane on Arakawa's instructions in order to keep him safe while they were being pursued by members of Hikawa Industries; however, Arakawa unknowingly retrieved the baby locked in the adjacent locker #99. So he asked his son to go in prison instead of Masato- that's what I dont understand. Tendo anticipated an attempt on Masumi's life by Reiji Ishioda and intercepts him. He is an antagonist in The Legend of Ichiban Kasuga in Ryu Ga Gotoku Online. Kasuga's signature attire consists of a maroon suit worn over a white shirt with an upturned collar and a gold chain necklace. He willingly goes to prison for a murder that he did not commit at the turn of the 21st century, having acquiesced to the request of his clan patriarch, Masumi Arakawa. Several hours later, he received a phone call from Akane, who told him that Hikawa Family yakuza were closing in, prompting her to run away with the newborn baby to Shinjuku Station. Ryu Ga Gotoku Online: Masumi has a solid build. May instantly knock out the enemy. Kasuga's tattoo covers most of his back and ends just above his thighs. Affiliation Yakuza: Like a Dragon: Masumi's face is modeled after his voice actor, Kiichi Nakai. Ichiban is first introduced in the 2018 mobile game Ryu ga Gotoku ONLINE, a freemium collectible card game spin-off which is exclusively released in Japan. When he finds Daigo, he tells Ichiban about where Kiryu's at, and then, just as Ichiban tries to get the truth from Daigo about Arakawa, Daigo gets shot by a character looking to silence anyone saying anything about the Omi Alliance and its plan. Biographical Information )Ichiban Kasuga (son, former subordinate)Masato Arakawa (adoptive son)Hikawa (former patriarch)Mitsuo Yasumura (subordinate)Reiji Ishioda (subordinate)Yosuke Tendo (subordinate)Masaru Watase (ally)Daigo Dojima (ally)Goro Majima (ally)Taiga Saejima (ally)Ryuhei Hoshino (acquaintance)Tora (former co-star) Masumi was born in 1957 to Yoko Arakawa and Toshio Arakawa. Ichiban spent much of his youth in Arakawa's Yakuza family, so its understandable that he would feel like Arakawa had a direct hand in raising him. He told her to hide the baby in a coin locker and to get to a safer location as soon as possible to ensure their safety. Nicknames Chief producer and writer Masayoshi Yokoyama noted that their goal after Yakuza 6 was not to "create the next Yakuza title" but to "create the next protagonist. Character appears in 4 games. [31] Naming Ichiban one of the best new characters of 2020, Destructoid staff observed that Ichiban managed to fill the void left by Kiryu "with relative ease", and that his immediate popularity with the video game community successfully secures the Yakuza franchise's future in their view. They explain their plan to their guests. Suddenly, a member of the Go-Ryu Clan appears, giving Han a chance to escape. He passes the information to Aoki, who uses it to drive the Tojo Clan from Kamurocho and allow the Omi Alliance to take over uncontested, with police commissioner Juro Horinouchi being bribed into allowing it to happen. Professional wrestlingBrawlingBaseball bat Arakawa is shot in the chest and dies a painful death, the last sight in his life being Tendo's smile. George TakeiWPJohnny Yong BoschWP (young adult)Zach AguilarWP (teen)[2] Associations Ryu Ga Gotoku OnlineYakuza: Like a DragonLike a Dragon 8 The family the yakuza belonged to sought revenge and managed to capture him. He's got a big heart, but I just don't see an actual reason as to why he would get involved.