List of Yakuza characters
This is a main-character walkthrough to Sega's video game and movie franchise Yakuza also known as Ryū ga Gotoku. Characters are sorted by organizations or groups according to the original works. The English-language adaptation equivalents are mentioned when available.
Many characters of the Yakuza series have had their faces modeled and mapped after their Japanese voice actors since the 2008 spinoff Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!. Cyberware Inc.'s head & face color 3D scanner is used in Hollywood's film industry and was exploited to reduce 3D model production time. Yu Suzuki introduced 3D scanning technology back in 1998 for Project Berkeley / Shenmue; which can be considered a Yakuza prototype in many respects. The Shenmue series' clay busts have been replaced by famous Japanese actors in the Yakuza series; as in Capcom's Onimusha series of action-adventure games.
In the first three installments, the playable protagonist is Kazuma Kiryu, a yakuza who after ten years of imprisonment deals with chaos emerging from his clan. Yakuza 4 introduces multiple playable protagonists, which include Kazuma Kiryu, Masayoshi Tanimura, Shun Akiyama, and Taiga Saejima who aid Kiryu's in his quest. Yakuza 5 continued this trend and featured five playable protagonists; Kazuma Kiryu, Shun Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, Tatsuo Shinada, as well as the long running supporting character, Haruka Sawamura. The prequel installment Yakuza 0 featured two protagonists, including long running supporting character Goro Majima alongside Kiryu. Kiryu is the only playable character in Yakuza 6, while an additional story featuring a playable Majima was added to the remake of Yakuza 2, Yakuza Kiwami 2.
The latest mainline installment, , features a new main character, Ichiban Kasuga. Other characters have appeared as the protagonists of various spin-off titles. The samurai-era titles Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! and Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! are based around fictionalized versions of historical figures Miyamoto Musashi and Sakamoto Ryōma respectively. The Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku subseries features its own protagonist, street punk Tatsuya Ukyo, while Judgment follows private detective Takayuki Yagami.
Creation and concept
Writer Hasei Seishu was in charge of conceiving the cast of Yakuza, mostly Kiryu and Date in order to make them fit into the narrative. By Yakuza 4, Kiryu was seen as "indestructible" by the staff, and as a result, he was made the last character playable in the game, following three new characters that stood out thanks to their different traits. Since the game concluded the story of Yakuza series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio game developers wanted to create a distinctive character the story. At the behest of producer Kazuki Hosokawa, the team decided the character should be a detective. In order to generate a major contrast the leads, the staff wanted to Yagami as a more relatable character based on the troubles he suffers in the narrative that caused his quit from being a lawyer. Yagami's past and his new life as a detective were elaborated in order to attract players to him. Due to the popularity of detective stories, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio wrote Yagami as a man who would become more knowledgeable across the game alongside the player.Main characters
Kazuma Kiryu
Kazuma Kiryu is the main protagonist in the series. Born on June 17, 1968, he was raised during the 1970s in the Sunflower Orphanage with Akira "Nishiki" Nishikiyama, who became his best friend, the latter's sister Yuko and Yumi Sawamura who joined in 1980. When he was a child, his parents were killed by Shintaro Kazama, a Tojo Clan affiliate [|Dojima Family] lieutenant, who brought him to the Sunflower orphanage which hehimself financed. Later, Kazama introduced Kiryu and Nishiki in the Dojima Family. Kazama became a father figure for Kiryu who supported him within the Dojima Family and years later when he was released from prison. Kiryu rose through the Tojo hierarchy and earned the nickname "the Dragon of Dojima" because of the dragon tattoo on his back but the main reason was because he gained the victory fight against Keiji Shibusawa who wanted to be called the Dragon of Dojima in Yakuza 0. He was planning on starting his own subsidiary group until he took the blame for the murder of his boss, Sohei Dojima, to protect his best friend, Nishiki, and was imprisoned for ten years. These events lead into the plot of the first game.Haruka Sawamura
Haruka Sawamura was born in 1996. 120 cm. Haruka is a young girl searching for her mother, Mizuki, who evidence seems to indicate is Yumi's younger sister. Haruka is also somehow connected to the money that went missing before Kiryu's release. A combination of these reasons and pure chance leave Haruka in Kiryu's tentative custody. Before arriving in Kamurocho, she too lived at the Sunflower Orphanage.In Yakuza 2, she is 10 years old. Haruka has lived with Kiryu as her stepfather since the events of the first game. In the beginning of the game she decided to spend some time in Sunshine Orphanage to not be a thorn in the way of Kiryu's investigation of Terada's murder. In chapter 11, she is kidnapped by Senguku and his men as they attempt to lure Kiryu to the Osaka castle to kill him; in the end he manages to defeat Sengoku's men and rescue Haruka with Ryuji's help.
In Yakuza 3, she is 12 years old. Haruka is an orphan raised by Kiryu. Her mother was Yumi Sawamura, Kazuma Kiryu's childhood love and best friend Nishiki's fiancée, while her father was Jingu, the head of the MBI. Haruka was abandoned at birth by her mother and grew up as an orphan until she met Kazuma Kiryu who took care of her as a father figure though she calls him ojisan the Japanese equivalent for "Uncle".
In Yakuza 5, she is 16 years old, and becomes one of the five playable characters. 165 cm. In 2012, Haruka has left the orphanage in Okinawa and is currently in Osaka pursuing her childhood dream of becoming an Idol.
In Yakuza 6, Kiryu returns to Kamurocho to search for Haruka, only to find out that she has been left in a coma after a hit and run incident, and that she has an infant son, Haruto.
In the spinoff Ryū ga Gotoku Of the End, she was 14 years old, and kidnapped by a mysterious man.
Goro Majima
A lieutenant of the Shimano family and later head of the Majima Family, Goro Majima is an acquaintance of Kiryu with a twisted sense of loyalty. His temper and lack of mercy earned him the nickname "the Mad Dog of Shimano". Majima holds a strong rivalry with Kiryu, believing himself the only one who has the right to kill him, but over time becomes one of Kiryu's most stalwart allies. He appears in every mainline Yakuza game and a majority of the spinoff entries. He becomes playable for the first time in Yakuza 0, and again in Yakuza Kiwami 2.Shun Akiyama
Shun Akiyama was born 24 July 1978 and is one of the playable characters introduced in Yakuza 4. A former homeless person, Akiyama owns Sky Finance, a loan company, as well as the hostess club Elise, which he started up using the money he gathered that fell from Millennium Tower in 2005. Once helped out by the yakuza Hiroaki Arai, he looked up to Arai as a potential new leader of Kamurocho who could eventually succeed Kazuma Kiryu.Akiyama was portrayed to be an elite in his 20s, during which time he dated his coworker, Eri, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Yasuko Saejima. In 2005, he was framed for stealing from the bank and was fired. All of his remaining money was spent investigating who framed him, and his money eventually ran out without him finding an answer. He was then forced to sleep on the streets until one fateful night, when money appeared to fall from the sky. He gathered up a large amount of money, but it was stolen by a group of thugs. Arai retrieved the money for him, and he used it to set up a business. Akiyama meets a woman named Lily, who bears a striking resemblance to his ex-fiancée, Eri. Lily requests to borrow money from him. After a series of "tests" he agrees to lend her the money, though he knows he likely won't get it back. This angers Hana, his secretary, and she quits. Kido discovers the secret safe behind the bookcase in Akiyama's office, and steals 100 billion yen in cash.
Later in the game, Akiyama uses his own money to lure the men to the Millennium Tower roof, where he fights Arai. He is shot by Munakata at the end, but a thick padding of bills, his last money, stops the bullet and saves his life. Alongside Sky Finance, he runs a hostess club and is considered to be an entrupenuer of some sort.
Akiyama is considered to be quite lazy, often forgetting to clean his office and frequently neglects his duties. He also appears in Yakuza 5, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and during the events of the spinofff Of the End where he teams up with Kiryu, Majima and Ryuji Goda to stop the zombie plague.
Taiga Saejima
Taiga Saejima was born 2 June 1965, and is one of the four playable characters in Yakuza 4. A 45-year-old physically imposing former yakuza who was sentenced to death for having killed 18 members of the Ueno Seiwa Clan by himself in 1985. His tattoo is a tiger, a pun on his name. After serving 25 years, a few days before his scheduled execution, he is suddenly transferred to a secret prison off the coast of Okinawa, where he meets Goh Hamazaki, who persuades him to break out together. He agrees and, after falling into the sea, washes up on the beach where he is found by Haruka. Saejima gives his name as "Suzuki" to Haruka and Kiryu, and, after getting tickets and pocket money from Kiryu, heads to Kamurocho. Here he reunites briefly with Majima. Soon after he and Yasuko, his sister, are kidnapped by Katsuragi, where they see each other for the first time in 25 years. Here Katsuragi explains that Saejima didn't kill the men; the real culprit is Katsuragi himself. The rounds Saejima used were rubber bullets, and all the men were only knocked unconscious after being shot by Saejima. After Saejima left, Katsuragi returned and shot them all in the head, but framed Saejima. Kido shoots Katsuragi and Saejima warns Kiryu and Yasuko of the bulletproof vest he's wearing, but the warning comes too late and Yasuko is fatally shot protecting Taiga. Taiga later fights Kido on top of the Millennium Tower. After the game he officially becomes part of the Tojo again. Although he didn't make an appearance in Yakuza: Dead Souls, his name was mentioned by one of the Tojo Clan members stating that he was in China on business during the events that took place in Kamurocho.When Saejima was younger, he and his sister decided to run away from their caretakers and live on their own, as they felt they were imposing on them. One day, however, Yasuko got sick, and the doctors told them that she needed a kidney transplant. Yasuko had a rare blood type, and since she and Saejima were step-siblings, their kidneys weren't compatible. Saejima had to look for Yasuko's biological father, who was actually a high-ranked Yakuza. Yasuko's father demanded compensation in exchange for his kidney, 30 million yen. With no way to easily obtain the money, Saejima took to street fights to scrape up whatever money he could. On one such occasion, he decided to pick a fight with a middle-aged man. The man easily defeated Saejima, then asked Saejima why he was sad. Saejima then poured his heart to the man, who turned out to be Hideki Sasai. Sasai agreed to pay the 30 million yen Saejima needed. In exchange, Saejima had to become a member of the Sasai Family.
Masayoshi Tanimura
A 29-year-old policeman of the Japanese National Police, Masayoshi Tanimura is one of the last playable characters introduced in Yakuza 4, known as "The Parasite of Kamurocho" for his corruption and love of gambling. At heart, however, he is actually just and caring, using the money he wins to finance the raising of orphaned Asian children. He is also fluent in Asian languages, speaking Chinese, Korean and Tagalog as well as his native Japanese, and it is revealed in a sub-story that his mother was half-Thai. In secrecy, he is also tracking Saejima's murder case 25 years ago, a case that his father, also an inspector, died following. He goes to meet Mishima, an Ueno Seiwa-kai member to give him protection, but Mishima is shot and killed by Junji Sugiuchi. After being cornered by Sudo, Sugiuchi flees to the water and attempts to escape by speedboat, but is pursued by Tanimura. Tanimura attempts to handcuff him but Sugiuchi escapes and the two fight. A defeated Sugiuchi reveals he knows what happened the day of the murder and that it was he who killed his father, though he was not a police officer, but really a yakuza. He is quickly shot by a mystery man on a speedboat. Later, Tanimura defeats Munakata and his SWAT-uniformed squad on top of the Millennium Tower. After the events of the game he works with Date, who rejoins the force.Tatsuo Shinada
Tatsuo Shinada is one of the five playable characters in Yakuza 5. He had a promising career in the major leagues, but it was cut short when he received a lifetime ban for a baseball gambling/game fixing scandal. Since then, Shinada earns a meager living as an adult entertainment writer in the Nagoya region of Kineicho. But his life takes a turn when a mysterious masked man confronts Shinada and tells him to uncover the truth behind his ban.Takayuki Yagami
Takayuki Yagami is the main protagonist in Judgment. He is a former defense attorney who resigned after a client he successfully defended killed his partner. Three years later, Yagami is a private detective in his own "Yagami Detective Agency" and investigates a serial killer whose victims' eyes are removed from their corpses.Ichiban Kasuga
Ichiban Kasuga is the main protagonist of . A member of Tojo Clan's Arakawa Family is asked by the family's patriarch Masumi Arakawa to go to prison for a murder that he didn't commit, Ichiban was hoping that this will make him a hero in the Tojo Clan. In 2019, Kasuga is released from prison only to find that nobody remembers him; he goes to confront Arakawa, who shoots him in the chest. Several days later, Kasuga wakes up half-naked under a pile of trash and eventually finds out that he is in the Yokohama district of Isezaki Ijincho.Tojo Clan
The Tojo Clan or "Tojo Association" was founded by [|Makoto Tojo] and, since 2008, is headed by its 6th Chairman [|Daigo Dojima] of the Dojima Family. It is Kanto's largest yakuza organization, made up of more than 30,000 men.; Chairmen generations
| Character name | |
| 1st | Makoto Tojo |
| 2nd | Takashi Nihara |
| 3rd | [|Masaru Sera] |
| 4th | Kazuma Kiryu |
| 5th | Yukio Terada |
| 6th | Daigo Dojima |
Makoto Tojo
Makoto Tojo is the founder and original chairman of the Tojo Clan. He is never seen in any of the games but is mentioned in the first and second installments.
Takashi Nihara
Takashi Nihara is the acting chairman for the 2nd chairman of the Tojo Clan in 1988.
Masaru Sera
Masaru Sera is the third chairman of the Tojo Clan. He headed up all the affiliate families that made up the Tojo Clan. He was regarded as a legend for achieving the position in his 40s and under his leadership, the Clan prospered. Nishiki called an emergency meeting of all the captains of the Tojo Clan where he revealed that the 10 billion yen that the Clan had gained over the years had been stolen. Sera went to investigate what had happened to the money only to be assassinated when he found out what happened. The chairmanship was left open as a result, and the top captains; Kazama, Shimano, and Nishiki all vied for the position.
Dojima Family
Sohei DojimaSohei Dojima is the cunning but violent head of the Dojima Family. Dojima was known for getting his way by any means necessary. He is Daigo's father, and Yayoi's husband. His death caused discord among the men of his family, and forced them to choose a new oyabun to follow. Nishiki was responsible for his death, but Kiryu took the blame.
It is revealed in a flashback during the second game by Kashiwagi that he was behind the Jingweon mafia massacre, ordering his lieutenants Shintaro Kazama and Futoshi Shimano to kill all 46 members of the mafia. He appears again in Yakuza 0.
Yayoi Dojima
Yayoi Dojima is the wife of Sohei. By the second game, she has taken interim chairmanship of the Tojo Clan. She asks Kiryu to negotiate with the leader of the Omi alliance. Later, she is taken prisoner by Koji Shindo, the Second Chairman of the Nishikiyama family who wants to take her as his lover, but defies him and is saved by Kiryu.
Daigo Dojima
Daigo Dojima is Sohei's son. He holds a deep respect for Kiryu, and in Yakuza 2, accompanies him to Kansai to settle a score with Ryuji Goda, the chairman of the Go-Ryu clan and the man who sent him to prison 5 years ago as part of a set-up. He is kidnapped, but eventually recovered. He then takes on a leadership role and brings the fragments of the Tojo Clan together, to lead them into Kamurocho to stop the Jingweon mafia from destroying the city.
Prior to the third game, Daigo becomes the 6th Chairman of the Tojo Clan. When the events of Yakuza 3 start, he is shot by a man who is the spitting image of Shintaro Kazama. His fate is left uncertain until Kashiwagi reveals that he has stashed him in a hospital to recover, but has not told anyone of Daigo's whereabouts. Mine eventually finds his way to the hospital, and prepares to kill him out of compassion as he holds too deep a respect to see him living off machines. Daigo awakens after Mine's defeat and saves the two from Richardson momentarily.
During Yakuza 4, Daigo made an emergency meeting with the Ueno Seiwa Clan following Ihara's death. Isao Katsuragi, lieutenant of the Ueno Seiwa, demanded from Daigo that, to make up for Ihara's murder, the life of Arai or control of the business Majima runs, but Daigo refused. He was then asked by Katsuragi to use Majima instead since he is the "only one to measure up Ihara's murder."
Katsuragi then leaves and tells Daigo to decide what he should do. It was later revealed by Majima that he told Kiryu that Daigo set him up by giving him away to the police. Later Daigo is fought and defeated by Kiryu on top of the Millennium Tower.
Daigo also appears in Yakuza 0, Yakuza 5, Yakuza: Dead Souls, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Kazama Family
Shintaro Kazama/FumaShintaro Kazama 178 cm, 75 kg had provided funding for the Sunflower Orphanage that Kazuma Kiryu, Akira "Nishiki" Nishikiyama, and Yumi Sawamura grew up in. Later, as lieutenant of the Dojima Family, Kazama inducted both Kiryu and Nishiki in the family as his protégés. Kazama remained a father-figure to both of them. Kazama always tried to be a kind and honourable man.
First captain of the Kazama Family he founded after Sohei Dojima's death, Shintaro absorbing the remains of the Dojima Family, thus making this new family the most powerful in the Tojo Clan. This advantage helped keep the other affiliate captains in check. However, five years after the murder, a rift was created in the Kazama Family when Nishiki, a supposed lieutenant, broke away and declared his own family. This caused many of Kazama's men to desert him and join the rival family. Kazama helped inform Kiryu about the current state of affairs when he was released from prison. At Masaru Sera's funeral, Kiryu meets with Kazama but the latter is shot by Nishiki. Shinji Tanaka, Nishiki's lieutenant, takes Kazama to a hospital to recover. At some point, Shinji turns Kazama over to Yukio Terada, a lieutenant of the Omi Family who is indebted to the latter. Kazama is kept on Terada's yacht until Kiryu can meet him. Futoshi Shimano then attacks the yacht, but is defeated by the Kazama Family's reinforcements. Kazama is killed while protecting Haruka Sawamura from a grenade thrown by Shimano Shimano. Shortly before he dies, Kazama admits that he was the one who killed Kiryu's parents and that the Sunflower Orphanage is where he sends the children of the people he kills, making them into orphans. Despite this, Kiryu forgives Kazama and calls him the only parent he ever had.
It is shown at the start of Yakuza 2 that Kazama participated in the slaughter of the Jingweon mafia 20 years ago. This is later revealed to be an action carried out at Sohei Dojima's behest, which he agreed to after much reluctance. Unlike his partner in this operation, Futo Shimano, Kazama actually showed mercy to a few Jingeweon operatives, although this action eventually caused the events of Yakuza 2. During a flashback sequence, it is shown that Kazama, unwilling to kill the Jingweon boss, attempted to strike a deal and told them that if they would leave town, he would spare their lives. However, a young Kazuma Kiryu, thinking Kazama was in danger, ran into the room with a pipe. Thinking he had been double-crossed, the boss attempted to shoot Kiryu, prompting Kazama to shoot. This began the massacre.
In Yakuza 3, Kazama seemingly returns and is involved in a situation where Daigo Dojima is shot. This is later revealed to be his younger brother, Joji Kazama. Shintaro never mentioned his younger brother to anyone including those close to him. Because of this, Kiryu believed Joji to be the late Shintaro Kazama himself due to the striking resemblance.
Osamu Kashiwagi
Osamu Kashiwagi is the second in command of the Kazama family; he holds a deep respect for his oyabun Shintaro Kazama. He is seen at the beginning of Yakuza trying to tell a tale about his boss, but is silenced. Kashiwagi is not seen again until end of Chapter 12, when he arrives with backup to the final confrontation against Futoshi Shimano, ending with the deaths of both Shimano and Kazama.
Prior to Yakuza 2, Kashiwagi takes over the chairmanship of the Kazama family following its patriarch's death. He is also the interim second-in-command of the Tojo Clan. He appears throughout the game, cooperating with Kiryu to solve the problems of the Tojo Clan.
In Yakuza 3 Kiryu visits Kashiwagi at the Kazama family's offices in Millennium Tower, but Kashiwagi is fatally gunned down by a helicopter. His dying wish is that Kiryu finds the man in the picture, who is the spitting image of Kazama.
Kishiwagi appears again in Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon.
Nishikiyama Family
Akira NishikiyamaAkira "Nishiki" Nishkiyama 183 cm was born on October 8, 1968, known as simply "Akira Nishiki" in English versions of the first two games and by his original name in Yakuza 4. He is the former best friend of Kiryu, and one of the main antagonists of the first game. He leads the Nishikiyama Family as its inaugural chairman.
Along with his sister Yuko, Kiryu and Yumi Sawamura, Nishiki grew up in Shintaro Kazama's Sunflower Orphanage. Nishiki was the one actually responsible for the death of Sohei Dojima, but reluctantly allowed Kiryu to take the fall for it so he could tend to his ill sister near her death.
When Kiryu returns to Kamurocho, he finds that Nishiki has not only started his own subsidiary group, but he has changed into a cold, heartless man completely unlike his former self. He has a koi tattooed on his back. He tries to kill Kiryu on several occasions. In chapter 10, it is revealed that Reina, the owner of Serena and former ally of Kiryu, was a mole for Nishiki. Because she was in love with him, she betrayed her friends, but later regrets it and tries to kill him. She fails and is killed by Arase on a rooftop. Finally, in chapter 13, Nishiki reveals that he knew Jingu was trying to use him. After Kiryu went to prison and the loss of his sister, he has never trusted anyone. He reveals his romantic feelings towards Yumi, and that he that was jealous of Kiryu because she loves him, not Nishiki himself. Wanting to surpass Kiryu, he made sacrifices and numerous betrayals in order to claim the 10 billion yen so that he may become the Tojo Clan's fourth chairman. With that realized, he would claim Yumi for himself. Yumi asks Nishiki if he is truly happy with the things he's done because of his obsession, that he has failed to confront his inner problems. Nishiki scolds Yumi for not falling in love with the person he is, which makes Yumi cry. Kiryu then tells Nishiki how he and Yumi are both irreplaceable to him. He couldn't change the hurt and pain from the past, even if he wanted to. Then Kiryu says that they both must settle this feud once and for all. Nishiki accepts this final showdown with his former best friend Kiryu, both removing their shirts to display their yakuza tattoos on their backs - the dragon and the koi. They fight to the bitter end but Kiryu eventually wins. After Jingu shoots Yumi while trying to kill Kiryu, Nishiki redeems himself by stabbing Jingu with a knife to save Kiryu, only to blow up himself along with the 10 billion yen and Jingu.
Kiryu pays his respects to his deceased friend at his grave, along with his foster father and Yumi, in future games. Nishiki appears again in the prequel installment, Yakuza 0.
Yuko Nishikiyama
Yuko was Nishiki's younger sister raised with him, Kazuma Kiryu and Yumi Sawamura in Shintaro Kazama's Sunflower Orphanage. She suffered from a disease which had her periodically going to the hospital since 1984. In 1996, her final possible surgery and reliance on her elder brother is the reason Kazuma Kiryu takes the fall for Sohei Dojima's murder. She died shortly after and her death spiraled Nishiki's descent into darkness.
Shinji Tanaka
Kazuma Kiryu's friend, Shinji looks up to Kiryu and helps him out when he can. He is Nishiki's lieutenant, but his true loyalties lie with Kiryu and Shintaro Kazama. While many of Kiryu's old friends forgot about him while he was in prison, Shinji did not. He is part of the Dojima family. He dies from wounds inflicted by Arase's subordinate Mochizuki. He appears again in Yakuza 0.
Koji Shindo
Initially a lieutenant of the Nishikiyama family in the first game, Koji Shindo serves as a boss in Chapter 7.
In Yakuza 2, he eventually becomes the second chairman of the Nishikiyama family. Shindo then betrays the Tojo Clan and holds members hostage, wanting Yayoi Dojima as his lover. When Kiryu defeats Shindo in combat, Shindo attempts to kill Yayoi. Her son, Daigo, intervenes and kills Shindo.
Kazuto Arase
A cold-hearted Yakuza officer who is renowned for his brutality and his high marksmanship, Kazuto Arase kills Reina and Shinji in the first game on the orders of Nishki before being defeated by Kiryu.
In Yakuza 3, it is revealed that he was disowned from the Nishikiyama family by Shindo for his failure to kill Kiryu. He forms the Yakuza assassin group the "Avengers", made up of disowned Yakuza, with his ultimate goal to take his revenge on Kiryu and kill him. He fails and disbands the Avengers, but swears to have one final showdown with Kiryu in the future.
Tsuyoshi Kanda
Tsuyoshi Kanda is 49 years old, and the third chairman of the Nishikiyama Family in the events of the third game. He is defeated by Kiryu at a love hotel before being killed by Mine.
Hasebe
Hasebe is Kanda's lieutenant. He is noticeable for his dreadlocks and his blue suit with a yellow shirt. He goes to Stardust along with his men to take over the bar. He is defeated by Kazuma Kiryu, and reveals that Osamu Kashiwagi will be assassinated. He most likely became the fourth chairman of the clan following Kanda's death.
Shimano Family
;Futoshi ShimanoShimano is 193 cm,120 kg, the head of the Shimano Family, and an affiliate of the Tojo Clan, known as Futo Shimano in the overseas versions. Much like Sohei Dojima, he has a reputation for his ruthless, violent nature, and has a brutal grudge against Kiryu for Dojima's death. At Masaru Sera's funeral, Shimano fights Kiryu after the latter is discovered. After Shinji leaves Kazama on Terada's boat, the Shimano family attacks. After being defeated by Kiryu and the Kazama Family reinforcements, Shimano throws a grenade towards Haruka, which kills Kazama when he saves Haruka's life, shortly before being shot and killed by Terada. He has a tattoo of a tiger on his back.
In the events of Yakuza 0, he was the Patriarch of Goro Majima. Infuriated with his failure to participate in the raid he orders him to be tortured in his private chambers where he endured a year of pain and suffering by Shimano's personal hands. Exiling him to Sotenbori, he entrusts Majima with the custody of Sagawa who offers him to a chance to escape if he kills Makimura Makoto. Shimano does not reappear until later in the game after Majima and Sagawa finds and supposedly kills Sera and reveals they wanted Makoto alive so she would willingly give Shimano the deed to the land she owned due to her feelings for Majima. After Sera secured his position as the new Chairman of the Tojo, Majima was tasked with killing Shimano for his secret alliance with the Omi but Shimano demonstrates his loyalty by killing the envoy of the Omi present for negotiations which spares him of his involvement in the plot to betray the Tojo.
Majima Family
Daisaku MinamiMinami is the Junior Leader of the Majima Family. He debuts in Yakuza 4 where he arrives at a dance club owned by Akiyama looking for Lily. After trading insults and refusing to leave, he and Akiyama fight in which he is defeated. He then attempts to continue fighting until he is stopped by Majima, who then reveals that he is looking for Lily in order to protect her. He later appears in the Millennium Tower when Taiga Saejima arrives looking for Goro. He then orders members of the Majima Family to attack the intruder and fights Taiga personally after they are defeated in which he is defeated himself. He uses "drunken style" while fighting in which he attacks opponents while intoxicated, which makes him more agile and nimble than he is normally.
Hakuho Clan
Yoshitaka Mine34 years old. Mine is the President of the Hakuho Clan, a Tojo Clan affiliate, and serves as one of the main antagonists Yakuza 3. He has a golden kirin tattoo on his back. Bilingual, he speaks both Japanese and English.
Mine as a child grew up in a poor environment, shunned by other children because of his poor background. He was solely raised by his father who later died of an unknown illness. Before his father died, on his deathbed he advised Mine that because of his high intelligence he should make something of himself and that he was sorry to leave him alone. He grew up as an orphan and studied hard to make something of himself whilst shunning people from ever getting close to him.
In adulthood, he became a very successful Japanese businessman; he had all the money he wanted and could have any woman he desired. However, this life led him to the realization that it was all a lie and that people only used him for his money. Human bonds, to Mine, were non-existent as humans are all self-serving hypocrites.
To find a society where human bonds were absolute, he took an interest in the yakuza. He bribed the Nishikiyama Family's Third Chairman, Tsuyoshi Kanda, to gain access to the Tojo Clan, making it appear as though Kanda was the one who scouted him. There he met with the Sixth Chairman, Daigo Dojima, and took an interest in him. Daigo, to Mine, was someone for the first time in ages he genuinely respected and cared for; he loved him like he was his best friend and brother. With Daigo's support, he rose to the top ranks and became the Chairman of the Hakuho Clan through his clear thinking and financial prowess.
After Daigo was shot, Kashiwagi, acting as interim chairman, calls a meeting with the current Tojo Clan executive members over Kazuma Kiryu, the Fourth Chairman, returning to help mend this current crisis. Mine sides with Kashiwagi while Kanda and Hamazaki, due to their own personal ambitions, express their disapproval.
Mine, for the first time, meets with Kiryu at Kage's office in Purgatory to apologize profusely for Kanda's actions, that it was him who funded the Nishikiyama Family to stage a coup against the other families. As a peace offering he places a large metal box on Kage's desk containing Kanda's head. A flashback in Mine's office reveals how Kanda is angry over his defeat against Kiryu, destroying antiques in the process. Mine calmly tells him to refrain from destroying any more expensive antiques as he doesn't comprehend their value. Kanda lunges at Mine in animosity while Mine effortlessly counters him with a blow to his abdomen. After further consecutive blows, Kanda helplessly falls to the floor, pleading mercy. Mine confesses to him that while he may not look it, his physical strength surpasses Kanda's. Mine also reveals to the petulant Kanda how he has outlived his usefulness and orders his subordinates to execute him away from his office. Back in the present, Mine addresses that the matter is closed and that they have nothing to worry about with regards to Hamazaki, now that he has gone into hiding. Kiryu expresses his disapproval over Mine's actions, asking if this is what Daigo would have wanted. Mine responds to Kiryu how his reluctance to give up the orphanage caused Daigo to be shot and that his idealism is nothing more than hypocrisy. Mine then gives a final warning to Kiryu and his allies before he leaves.
Mine travels to Downtown Ryukyu in Okinawa by plane. With the employ of the Tamashiro Family he destroys the orphanage to further the resort development project. Mine orders the family to stall Kiryu in Okinawa before he travels back to Tokyo to find Daigo in Toto Hospital. During the plane journey, his subordinates discuss how Mine becoming the Seventh Chairman is something worth celebrating. Mine overhears their conversation and stabs a subordinate's hand with a dinner knife for insulting Daigo.
At Toto Hospital, he sits beside Daigo, lamenting how things come to this. He receives a phone call from the enigmatic Andre Richardson, head of Black Monday. Mine assures him in English that everything is going according to schedule and that there will be no changes in the plan. During the final battle on top of Toto University Hospital, he reveals to Kiryu that he is an orphan just like him, as well his true To compassionately kill Daigo in his vegetative state and 2) To kill the person whom Daigo Dojima thought of the most highly - Kazuma Kiryu. Kiryu sees the futility in Mine's actions, and that his isolation was a result of his self-centeredness. This prompts Mine to shoot at him out of rage while Kiryu remains unfazed by his opponent's anger. To get through to Mine, Kiryu challenges him to a duel to prove him wrong, which Mine accepts gladly and mentions how he won't be easily beaten. After a grueling fight, Mine is defeated.
After Mine's defeat, he lies down on the rooftop exhausted. He receives an urgent phone call from his secretary whom he thought he mattered to. When she was discussing some business deal, Mine laments how it goes back to money, yet the yearning desire for bonds of friendship and love is in all of us, before cutting off the call. Mine asks Kiryu whether his clear state of mind means that his life has ended. The equally exhausted Kiryu responds that as long as we're still alive, we can start anew. The CIA Agent appears with five of his subordinates. Mine confirms that they are not CIA and that it was just a cover for the Black Monday organization. The agent Kiryu had defeated was Andre Richardson, the leader of Black Monday and the mastermind behind the resort project. Andre casually responds how their roles have come to end and that Mine is easily a replaceable pawn. Before Andre executes both of them with his handgun, Daigo recovers from his coma and shoots him and his five men with a pistol. Andre, near death, rises once more to kill everyone now that his plans are ruined. Mine grabs Andre and throws himself off the hospital rooftop along with his former collaborator to make amends to both Kiryu and Daigo, ending Richardson and his ambitions for good.
Hamazaki Family
Goh HamazakiGoh is the tough leader of the Hamazaki Family. A major antagonist of Yakuza 3, he has earned the nickname "Emperor of Hama" ; "Hama" being short for Yokohama, the family's hometown. Although tall and strong, Hamazaki is more tactful and cunning than Kanda, using intimidation, manipulation and business connections to further his ambitions.
With only 10 members in his family, Hamazaki rose to the top ranks of the Tojo Clan after taking over Yokohama from the Japanese branch of the Snake Flower Triad 4 years ago. It is shown that Hamazaki was secretly working with the Snake Flower Triad leader Lau Ka Long, who survived the events of Yakuza 1, in order to accomplish this.
Interested in the land resort deal, he works with the Land Minister Suzuki in order to remove the orphanage. With the land in his possession, he plans to create a secret casino for the Triad group.
To stop Kiryu from interfering in his plans to take over the Tojo Clan and claim the Okinawa resort land in his possession, he blackmails Majima to use his family to stop him. When that doesn't go to plan, he convinces his partner Lau Ka Long and his Triad to invade Kamurocho, though Lau is more than obliged out of revenge against Kiryu. After Lau Ka Long is killed, the Snake Flower Triad HQ in China destroys Goh's Hamazaki Family for allowing their Japanese branch leader to be killed. He goes into hiding.
In the game's ending, he appears again in Theater Square confronting Kazuma. Devoid of the power he once had as a yakuza chairman, Goh tells Kiryu that he is a wanted man and that he would be better off dead than to live in personal shame. Kiryu convinces Goh that it's not too late to mend his ways as long as he is alive, stretching his hand out as a sign of trust. Goh walks towards Kiryu, stabbing him in his abdomen with a knife. With Kiryu dying, Goh mockingly states to Kazuma that his idealism will not amount to anything now that he's near death, and Kiryu responds that he still believes in people and his ideals even if he's dying, as the now-deceased Mine taught him this lesson. Bemused by Kiryu's resolve, he is tackled by Kazuki and Yuya, and forced to the ground as the police sirens wail in the background.
Goh Hamazaki appears again in Yakuza 4, now as a 51-year-old prisoner at the same facility Taiga Saejima is transferred to. After Saejima is beaten, Hamazaki manages to get in to see him and convinces him to join his escape effort. With weapon expert Kamiyama's help, who is also an inmate at the prison, the two manage to get past the guards. While sneaking out, Hamazaki obtains confidential documents pertaining to the Tojo Clan. After a final showdown with prison guard Saito, Hamazaki is shot multiple times. Before he and Saito fall into the sea, he tells Saejima to find a man named Kiryu. Hamazaki washes up on the Sunshine Orphanage's beach in Okinawa some time later. Haruka, remembering the events of the previous year, refuses to let him near the other children. Kiryu and Hamazaki head into town only to meet up with Yasuko, Saejima's half-sister. The group meets at Tamashiro's abandoned office, but are ambushed by Saito and the other guards. Although Saito is defeated, Hamazaki sustains a fatal back wound and dies in hospital. Haruka keeps his body at the orphanage until Kiryu returns so he can be buried.
Shibata Family
Kazuo ShibataChairman of the Tojo Clan-affiliated Shibata Family in Yakuza 4. Carries out yubitsume at Arai's behest. After kidnapping Yasuko Saejima in order to question her about killing his men, he is killed by Arai on Katsuragi's orders. 25 years earlier, he and Katsuragi used each other in conjunction with the Ueno Seiwa Clan shooting incident. He is indirectly responsible for Majima losing his left eye after kidnapping him on Chairman Dojima's orders in order to prevent him from participating in the Ueno raid.
Kanemura Enterprises
Kanemura Enterprises is a part of the Tojo Clan, under the Shibata Family's umbrella.Hiroshi Kanemura
Kanemura Enterprises boss, passive of personality. Stabbed to death by Yasuko Saejima by order of Katsuragi, his body is discovered with lipstick marks on it by Kido.
Hiroaki Arai
Friend of Akiyama, Kido's superior. Secretly working undercover for Munakata. He is shot during the incident at Elnard. He later appears as Akiyama's final boss on top of the Millennium Tower, where he stops Tanimura from shooting Munakata. It is Arai's gun that Munakata uses to kill himself with.
Takeshi Kido
Looks up to Arai. He is abducted by Midorikawa and Hatsushiba Clan men before Akiyama rescues him. His strength impresses Akiyama. Discovers Kanemura's body. He finds Akiyama's secret safe containing 100 billion yen, which he steals to help Arai. He takes the money to Katsuragi, where he is shot in the stomach by Arai. Saejima's final boss.
Hatsushiba Clan
A group with its offices located under Theater Square. After it is cleared out by Akiyama, it is used as a hideout.Hatsushiba
Shibata Family-derived Hatsushiba Clan chairman. Orders Shibata's underling, Midorikawa, to attack Sky Finance, stealing the client list and abducting Kido, who is rescued by Akiyama.
Takumi Midorikawa
Hatsushiba Clan lieutenant. He attacks Sky Finance and abducts Kido. He fights using a chainsaw, but is defeated by Akiyama.
Sasai Family
The Sasai Family was a former group under the Tojo Clan in the 80s.Hideki Sasai
Former boss of the Sasai Family. Disbanded the family immediately after the Yoshiharu Ueno shooting in 1985 and vanished. He was planning on using the assassination to quickly defuse the conflict as a mediator in the conflict but Shibata and Katsuragi found out and this opportunity to annihilate the clan as well as allow Katsuragi certain hopes of succeeding as their Chairnan. He was found by Majima, half-dead, and was taken to Purgatory, but wouldn't react to anything. After Saejima escapes from prison he is reunited with Sasai, who says Saejima's name, his first words in 25 years. Before his descent into dementia Sasai was an adherent to using the threat of force over wealth to establish a clan's authority. Such values are passed on to Saejima in his substories.
Ueno Seiwa Clan
An organization in the midst of a power-struggle with the Tojo Clan in 1985. 18 of its men were gunned down by a single man. Soon after the incident, the organization reconciled with the Tojo Clan.Yoshiharu Ueno
Former chairman of the Ueno Seiwa Clan. After 18 of his men were shot by Saejima, he was the only man other than Katsuragi left alive. Shortly after the incident he promoted Katsuragi to lieutenant for his brave actions that spared Ueno's life, though unbeknownst to Ueno it was Katsuragi who really killed the men. Now elderly and confined to his bed, he puts Katsuragi in charge.
Isao Katsuragi
Main antagonist for most of Yakuza 4. Ueno Seiwa Clan lieutenant, and one of few survivors of the shooting in 1985. After Ihara, another member of the organization, is killed by Arai of Kanemura Enterprises, Katsuragi complains to Daigo Dojima, 6th chairman of the Tojo Clan. He asks for the rights to Kamurocho Hills as compensation, but is refused. Katsuragi is later revealed to be the true culprit in the shooting 25 years before, having conspired with Shibata. Using Taiga Saejima's discarded gun he shot the men, before instructing Sugiuchi to shoot him in the shoulder, so as not to look suspicious. The incident was covered up with help from Sugiuchi and Munakata, who helped to frame Saejima. He kidnaps Yasuko, Saejima's sister, in an attempt to lure Taiga to him. When he arrives Taiga is also tied up, and when Kazuma Kiryu catches up Kido appears with the 100 billion yen in cases. Kiryu gives him the file containing information about the stolen money and Kido returns Yasuko to him. Katsuragi then orders Kido to shoot her, but he turns and shoots Katsuragi in the chest instead. Kiryu frees Saejima, who warns them that Katsuragi is wearing a bulletproof vest, as on the night of the shooting. Katsuragi shoots at Taiga, hitting him in the arm, before shooting once more; this time Yasuko takes the bullet fatally in the back. Before dying, she takes the gun given to her by Tanimura and shoots Katsuragi in the head, killing him instantly.
Junji Sugiuchi
A detective of the criminal investigation division, and a 30-year veteran who appears in the fourth game. He hates yakuza. 25 years before, he had been investigating the shooting of Yoshiharu Ueno, submitting a false report to Munakata, then the director of the criminal investigations department, implicating Saejima as the perpetrator. During the events of the game, after being cornered by Sudo and subsequently defeated by Tanmiura following a speedboat chase, he admits that it was he who killed Tanimura's father. He also revealed that he himself had been a member of the Ueno family with Katsuragi, and not a police officer. He is then shot by an unknown man and dies in Tanimura's arms.
Masaru Ihara
A member of the Ueno Seiwa Clan. After causing a disturbance at hostess club Elnard, directed by Katsuragi, he ends up fighting Akiyama, and is defeated. Upon shooting Arai, he escapes to the alley behind New Serena. Akiyama later discovers Arai with Ihara's dead body, which is slumped against the vending machine with a bullet hole in his forehead. Katsuragi later reveals that, on the day he was killed, he was due to be promoted to assistant lieutenant.
Yutaka Mishima
Ihara's underling, with whom he created a disturbance in Elnard. When Akiyama arrives at the club Mishima attempts to attack Akiyama after ignoring his warnings, but he is knocked out, and Ihara is forced to fight alone. After his defeat, Mishima is in a room adjacent to the Seiwa Clan's main office and by chance overhears the phone call announcing Ihara's death. Realising his life is in danger, Mishima goes into hiding. Tanimura offers to take him into police protection, planning to root out the traitor within the police force. Tanimura meets him in a warehouse near the dock, and as he promises him protection Mishima is shot and killed by Sugiuchi.
Omi Alliance
The "Ōmi Province is a powerful yakuza association based in Osaka.Jin Goda
Jin Goda is the elderly 5th chairman of the Omi Alliance, and adoptive father of Ryuji Goda. However, he has difficulty controlling the organization since it has become too big for him to handle. He is kidnapped by Ryuji in a coup d'état, along with Daigo Dojima, after Kazuma Kiryu attempts to create a peace deal between the Tojo and the Omi. In the final chapter of the game, Jin explains the truth about Ryuji's original family. He took Ryuji in at the request of his real mother Suyeon, wife of the Jingweon boss, and mother of Kaoru Sayama. In the end, he is shot and killed by Ryo Takashima.
Yukio Terada
Yukio is the 5th Chairman of the Tojo Clan, succeeding Kazuma Kiryu. Prior to this he was a friend of Shintaro Kazama, before his death, and a member of the Kansai-based Omi Alliance. His assassination in December 2006 started a war between the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance, his last wish being peace between the two organizations. In the final chapter of the game, it is revealed that he is a Korean whose real name is Daejin Kim, a survivor of the Jingweon massacre 20 years ago, and that he faked his death in order to start a war between the Tojo and Omi. He did this in order to avenge the murders of the Jingweon members. He also conspired with Ryo Takashima, but is betrayed by him. After Takashima shoots Kaoru and Jin Goda, he reveals that he doesn't need Terada anymore and shoots him. Terada tells Takashima that he never really trusted him, and that he'll never let him get what he wants. His last words to Kiyru are "Trust me:. He then activates the bomb, but the bomb's fuse falls from Terada's body, revealing that he had no intention of detonating it. In the epilogue Haruka can be seen praying at his grave, saying, "Thank you for everything."
Ryuji Goda
Introduced in Yakuza 2, Ryuji is the adopted son of Jin Goda, second chairman of the Go-Ryu, and is known as the "Dragon of Kansai". He dislikes this nickname, because he believes that there should only be one true dragon in Japan; to this end he seeks to defeat Kiryu Kazuma, who appears as his rival. Ryuji stages a coup while Kiryu is in Osaka attempting to broker a peace deal, and kidnaps Jin and Daigo, wanting to start a war between the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance. It is later revealed that Ryuji is the son of the Jingweon boss and his wife Suyeon, and that Kaoru is his half-sister. Due to the massacre of the Jingweon 25 years before by the Tojo Clan, Ryuji wants to destroy the town and the Tojo. To do this he works with the Jingweon, though later states he hated doing so. At the end of the game, the two fight on the top of Kamurocho Hills. After his defeat, and the killing of Jin and Terada, he gets up and charges Takashima with a gun. Ryuji is shot multiple times before finally shooting Takashima in the head. He and Kiryu then have a final showdown, explaining to the protesting Sayama that both he and Kiryu are going to die anyway, which ends with a scene in homage to the "Cross Counter" technique of Ashita no Joe. He then dies in Kaoru's arms.
In the zombie spinoff ', which follows an alternate story, Ryuji has been expelled from the Omi after losing his fight with Kiryu, and drifts around before making his name at a takoyaki shop. He was set to succeed the owner, before he returned to Kamurocho during the zombie outbreak.
Ryo Takashima
Ryo Takashima is the Chief Director of the Omi Alliance. He took over when Yukio Terada had left the organization to become fifth chairman of the Tojo Clan, though he was actually working as Terada's mole in the alliance. Takashima, however, betrays him, intending to take both the Omi and the Jingweon to spread throughout mainland Asia. However, he is killed by Ryuji Goda before his plans can be realized.
Toranosuke Sengoku
A flashy and brash lieutenant of the Omi Alliance, one of the Omi's "Four Kings". He sends men into Kamurocho to destroy the Tojo Clan, but they are all defeated single-handedly by Goro Majima. He then kidnaps Haruka to lure Kiryu to him. After Kiryu defeats him, he is killed by Ryuji Goda who is disgusted that he put a child in danger for a shot at killing Kiryu. He is arrogant and incredibly wealthy, owning a castle in Osaka which can split in two, revealing a second castle made of gold filled with samurai and ninjas. Also inside are two tigers, which he uses in attempt to kill Kiryu.
Hiroshi Hayashi
During the events of the first game, Hiroshi Hayashi is a member of the Omi Family working for Akira Nishikiyama to kidnap Haruka Sawamura. Hayashi and his men meet Kazuma Kiryu at Mizuki's bar, Ares, on top of the Millennium Tower. Hayashi corner Kiryu and demands Haruka be handed over. Kiryu resists, defeating them.
In Yakuza 2, he has left the Omi Family and started working for Ryuji Goda and Go-Ryu Clan. Hayashi and seven men are sent to attack the transformer room that serves Kage's new surveillance point in the Millennium Tower. He is once again defeated by Kazuma Kiryu.
Kunieda
Kuneida is Toranosuke Sengoku's right-hand man. He set an ambush for Kazuma Kiryu but it failed and he was defeated.
Tsubasa Kurosawa
Tsubasa Kurosawa is the seventh chairman of the Omi Alliance, and the main antagonist of Yakuza 5. With most of the characters believing his is an invalid on his deathbed, he is in truth manipulating both the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance, along with Kiryu Kazama, to destruction.
Masaru Watase
A hot-headed and vicious yakuza, but with a strong sense of honor, he is one of the leading candidates as the eighth chairman of the Omi Alliance.
Naoki Katsuya'''
Naoki Katsuya is the head of Osaka Talent, a major entertainment corporation, and Osaka Enterprises, a major front for the Omi Alliance. He is one of the main candidates for becoming eighth chairman.
Snake Flower
A Chinese Mafia triad headed by Lau.Lau Ka Long
Lau is a Chinese martial arts master and the President of the Chinese mafia triad called Snake Flower. Lau and Kiryu were enemies for twelve years and Lau sought for his revenge. Lau, working for Futoshi Shimano, has Haruka kidnapped. Kazuma confronts Lau and defeats him, but is then caught and blamed for Haruka's abduction.
Though he doesn't appear physically in Yakuza 2, it is revealed that Granny White was his former martial arts master.
Lau Ka Long returns in Yakuza 3 when the Snake Flower Triad invades Kamurocho at Hamazaki's behest. He kidnaps Rikiya as bait to lure Kazuma out and take revenge for his defeat 4 years ago. He is ultimately killed by Joji Kazama when he shoots Lau in the head.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Junichi SudoChief superintendent of the criminal investigation division. He asks Date to investigate the money-laundering during the missing 10 billion yen case.
During the second game, Sudo helps with the investigation of the Jingweon mafia. He pilots a helicopter to evacuate Kiryu and Sayama from the bomb at the end of the game, but due to the lack of time he is forced to retreat from the area.
Sudo only appears at the start of the third game, where he reveals to Date that the people involved in the Jingweon incident were promoted to keep their mouths shut about Kurahashi infiltrating the police force.
He reappears twice in the fourth installment. He aids in the cornering of Sugiuchi at the docks but is hesitant to use force to stop him knowing the kind of immunity Sugiuchi possessed. He again flies a helicopter above the Millennium tower after the final battle with Seishiro Munakata, while Date distributes copies of newspapers all over town telling the truth about Munakata.
Jiro Kawara
A hard-boiled veteran detective known as "Killer Kawara", who is on the trail of a Korean crime gang, which is later revealed to be the secretive Jingweon mafia. He was present at the massacre of the Jingweon 25 years ago, and saved the boss's wife and son. After taking care of the woman, called Suyeon, he later married and had a child with her. The child is later revealed to be Kaoru Sayama, and this is revealed by Kurahashi, a Jingweon survivor, mere moments before Kawara's death in Kaoru's arms.
Wataru Kurahashi
Wataru Kurahashi is a 42-year-old chief superintendent. Secretly, he was a Korean named Yeongmin Ji and a survivor of the Jingweon mafia massacre 25 years before by the Tojo Clan. Kurahashi took Japanese citizenship and joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. Unbeknownst to him, Kawara was watching him the entire time. He, Yukio Terada, and Ryo Takashima plotted to destroy the Tojo. Kurahashi and his men kidnapped [|Makoto Date] to set a trap for Kiryu. Kurahashi reveals to Kaoru Sayama that Kawara is her father after shooting him. Kazuma and Kurahashi fight and Kurahashi is defeated, but manages to pick up a gun. He tries to shoot Kaoru, but Kawara uses his body to shield her and takes the bullet before shooting Kurahashi and killing him.
Satoshi Hisai
A member of the community safety division in the fourth game, who is kind towards Tanimura. He was sent by Munakata to "dipose of" Sugiuchi and Tanimura, but spares Tanimura. After writing a false report to Munakata, lying about having killed both men, and holding Tanimura's adoptive family hostage at their restaurant, he commits suicide.
Seishiro Munakata
Assistant commissioner in the fourth game. He and Sugiuchi covered up the true perpetrator of the case 25 years before, Katsuragi, in which 18 yakuza were killed, letting Taiga Saejima take the blame. He was involved in the missing 10 billion yen incident five years before, and had many secret funds which he used to build illegal prisons and control criminals. Using his influence he sends Arai undercover as a member of the Tojo Clan. In an attempt to get the 100 billion yen from Kiryu he orders Arai to take the children at Sunshine Orphanage hostage. Rejecting him, Arai shoots Munakata, though the bullet is only plastic. He later appears with the three other men on top of the Millennium Tower to claim the money. Tanimura takes him on as the final battle and, after his defeat and Date outing the truth about Munakata, he commits suicide with Arai's discarded gun.
Osaka Prefectural Police Department
Kaoru Sayama25-year-old Sayama is a lead detective of the Osakan police. Sayama's work within Division 4 earned her the nickname "the Yakuza Eater". She originally studied programming at college as a way of getting into the police force, but requested a transfer as soon as she was established and rose through the ranks quickly, promoted to division lieutenant after only four years in the police. She is initially ordered to take Kiryu into protective custody, during which she can follow the Tojo Clan's activities. During this time she begins to fall for Kiryu. She believes she may be a Jingweon survivor, but eventually discovers she is really the child of the Jingweon boss's wife and Jiro Kawara, also making her Ryuji's half-sister.
At the start of the third game, Kaoru Sayama meets Kiryu at the graveyard and tells him that she's leaving Japan to receive training in the United States. While she plays no further role in the game, completing special tasks will prompt a text message from Sayama to come through on Kiryu's phone.
Tsutomu Bessho
An investigator for Division 4 of the Osakan police in Yakuza 2, nicknamed "Viper Bessho". Before being transferred to Osaka he was a member of the Tokyo police, and 26 years prior had investigated the Jingweon massacre.
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Joji Kazama60 years old. He is the younger brother of Shintaro Kazama, founder of the Kazama Family and father figure to Kazuma Kiryu. 30 years ago, Joji was an elite member of the National Police Agency within the Secretariat of the Minister of State's international section. He received persecution because his brother Shintaro was a known yakuza of the Tojo Clan, so Joji had to resign and he eventually joined the CIA, and became a close friend of Tamiya. Due to his near identical looks to those of his dead brother, and Shintaro never having told people of Joji, he is initially presumed to be Shintaro after shooting Daigo and Nakahara. He shoots and kills both Lau Ka Long and Tamashiro.
Andre Richardson
51 years old. Andre Richardson, a.k.a. the "Man in Black", is first thought to be a CIA agent, but it is later revealed by Mine that he is really the leader of Black Monday, a powerful illegal arms dealing organisation. He dies when Mine jumps off the roof of the hospital holding on to him, after being shot.
Politicians
Kyohei JinguThe mastermind behind the Tojo Clan robbery. He is Haruka's father. He and Yumi met after she lost her memory, following the murder of Sohei Dojima, and the two conceived Haruka. Jingu left Yumi and Haruka when he received a marriage proposal from the Prime Minister's daughter, desperate for power and riches. He ordered the death of a reporter who was threatening to reveal the truth about Yumi and Haruka. He then requested that Sera, then Tojo Clan chairman, hire an assassin to kill Yumi and Haruka. Before the assassin could kill them, Shintaro Kazama arrived and shot the assassin. As a result of this incident, Yumi regained her memory. When Kiryu and Haruka go to Ares to meet Yumi, Jingu and his men are waiting for them. He then shoots Haruka, but Kiryu takes the bullet, shocked that Haruka's own father would shoot her. Jingu explains that Yumi and Haruka are nothing more than a problem for him. Then Yukio Terada, the lieutenant of the Omi Family, arrives and holds Jingu at gunpoint. Jingu laughs and, as the Omi soldiers grab Terada, reveals the Omi Family work for him. Makoto Date appears in a helicopter and orders Jingu's arrest. Jingu's men shot Date's helicopter and order every witnesses to be killed. After Kiryu defeats Jingu, Yumi revealed the safe containing the money. Jingu shot Kiryu twice, but Yumi takes the second bullet. Nishiki then chargs Jingu with a knife and stabs him, before setting off the bomb.
Democratic Party of Japan
Ryuzo TamiyaA member of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the Minister of Defense. Tamiya launches a plan to expand an airbase in Okinawa for the purpose of testing a new Ballistic Missile Defense system. Minister Suzuki opposes this plan, submitting a resort proposal instead. The B.M.D. project is actually fake, and is part of an anti-criminal plot in conjunction with the CIA against a now Okinawa-based American weapon smuggling organisation called Black Monday. Concerned about the threat to his Private Secretary, now the CIA is after him for disclosing the plot, Tamiya sends Kiryu back to Ryukyu to save the lives of both Toma and his long-time friend, Joji Kazama.
Yoshinobu Suzuki
Suzuki is the Minister of Land who opposes Tamiya's B.M.D. project, promoting his own Okinawan resort development. In order to force the land purchase for his resort plan, Suzuki connects with the Tojo Clan through its affiliated Hakuho Clan, headed by Mine, and the local Tamashiro Family. However, the resort proposal is regarded as a threat by the CIA, for it would cancel the whole Black Monday operation.
Shoyo Toma
Toma is the private secretary of Minister Tamiya. He lets out the truth behind Tamiya's proposal to thwart the plan, which he believes will harm his beloved Okinawa, not knowing the real reason for the proposal. When the CIA learn Toma betrayed Minister Tamiya for his rival Suzuki, thus threatening the Black Monday project, Joji Kazama is sent to Ryukyu's Canal Grande hostess club to assassinate him. He is stopped by Kiryu.
Kamurocho inhabitants
Kiryu's allies
Makoto DateIntroduced in Yakuza, Detective Makoto Date often frequents Kiryu in regards to conflicts happening in the narrative. After Dojima's murder, 41-year-old Detective Date was the only one not fully convinced of Kiryu's guilt. He continued to investigate the case even after Kiryu's incarceration, which earned him an unwanted transfer to the Organized Crime Unit. He is the father of [|Saya Date]. After Kiryu is arrested, he chooses to forsake his career in the police to spring him from jail. He helps Kiryu throughout the game, becoming one of his closest friends. At the end of the game he appears with Sudo in a helicopter, trying to arrest Jingu. Eventually they are shot down, but it is later discovered that both Date and Sudo survived the crash. In the end, it is his words that encourage Kiryu to keep going after the deaths of Yumi and Nishiki.
After the events of the first game he chose to retire from the police to live with Saya. However, during the second game, he is recruited, along with his old mentor Kawara, by Sudo in a secret mission to uncover the truth behind the Jingweon mafia. During a shoot-out with a fake Kazuki, an illegal immigrant who is shot and killed, he is falsely accused as the killer.
Prior to Yakuza 3 Date becomes a reporter, and continues to assist Kiryu with information about the Tojo Clan and the incidents. He is shown to have a crush on Mariko, the owner of New Serena, and when she is kidnapped by the same man who killed her first husband, a detective, years before he saves her. Due to the memories of this incident she refuses to enter into a relationship with Date, but by the end of the game suggest that someday she might change her mind.
During Yakuza 4 Date takes care of New Serena for Mariko while she is at home, due to a bereavement in her family, though he continues his activities as a reporter. He also meets Saya's boyfriend, though at first he disapproves of him. After the fight with Munakata, Date distributes copies of a newspaper article he has written detailing the truth about Munakata from a helicopter above the Millennium Tower. In the epilogue he is shown to have been reinstated to the police force, working with Sudo and Tanimura.
Kid
Date's boss at the newspaper during Yakuza 3. He reopens the case of the murder at Cafe Alps and, with Kiryu's help, uncovers the true culprit.
Tsumura
Tsumura is a Jingweon man working for Daejin Kim and Wataru Kurahashi. He is also an employee that works in Kage's office. Tsumura is first seen talking to Ryuji Goda about activating one of the bombs in the Millennium Tower. After Hiroshi Hayashi and his men invade the transformer room, Tsumura attempts to stop Kage finding out Daigo Dojima's location by hacking the computers, but Kaoru Sayama beats him. Tsumura was later seen with Kurahashi and attempted to shoot Kiryu when he grabbed Kurahashi, but he was shot in the arm and fled. When Yukio Terada revealed himself as Jingweon survivor Daejin Kim, Tsumura was one of his men that attempted to kill Kiryu. At the end, Tsumura is killed along with all of Terada's remaining henchmen.
New Serena's Mama
Named Mariko in overseas versions of Yakuza 3, Mama bought Serena and reopened it after refurbishing the bar. When Date confesses his feelings towards her she rejects him, fearing that an incident in which her former husband, a police officer, was killed would happen again. After Date saves her from the man again, however, she appears to reconsider.
Yuya
Yuya is the manager of host club Stardust and owner Kazuki's right-hand man. He is outspoken, proud, and more than willing to fight for both Kazuki and Stardust. His girlfriend, Miyu, is the main attraction at Kamurocho's Asia strip club. It is revealed that he has a deep hatred for the Yakuza when Yuya mistakes Kiryu for a yakuza before getting beaten by him. He holds a deep respect for Kiryu. He used to belong to a biker gang called Black Thunder, which he co-founded, before joining Stardust and cleaning himself up.
Kazuki
Kazuki is the young owner of Stardust, a popular host club located directly opposite Serena. Kind and charismatic, he is indebted to Kazama and helps Kiryu at his request.
During the second game, Kazuki is pursued by Kawara and Date, when Kawara reveals that Kazuki is not actually Japanese, but a Korean and part of the Jingweon Mafia. It is revealed that the Kazuki seen at the start of the game is actually a Korean doppelgänger, and the real Kazuki has been held captive for approximately six months. In the ensuing struggle between Kiryu and the impostor, Kazuki is shot and is hospitalized for the rest of the game. After the Jingweon invade Emoto's clinic, where Kazuki is recovering, mistaking him for the fake, Kazuki reveals that the Jingweon have hidden bombs all over the town.
Emoto
Emoto is the only doctor in Kamurocho, and heads Kamurocho's Emoto Clinic, which is funded by Shintaro Kazama. He is a former head of surgery at Toto Hospital. He saves a boy with appendicitis in the original game, and makes numerous appearances later in the series.
During the events of Yakuza 2 he helps Kazuki and Kawara after they are shot, and later Majima.
Emoto provides Tatsuya in Kurohyou with medical treatment for a cheap payment as he was working for the Kuki family who have relations to the Tojo.
Kage the Florist
The mastermind behind a self-sufficient underground world called Purgatory and a district-wide surveillance system, Kage the Florist is a notorious professional informant, and can provide any information for a price. Kage, whose real name is a mystery, once worked for the police until he was busted by fellow detective Makoto Date for selling information on the black market. He abandoned his family when he went underground, but still watches over them. His Japanese name is taken from "Sai no Kawara" and "Hanaya", the Japanese word for florist, since he provides his information using cards attached to flower bouquets.
During the first game, Kage is based in Purgatory. In Yakuza 2 he has moved to the Millennium Tower's 50th floor, before returning to Purgatory. During Yakuza 3 and 4, he borrows the space from Majima, who now owns the area to build Kamurocho Hills.
His son, Takashi, is involved with a girl called Kyoko, who happens to be the daughter of the head of the Atobe Family. Kage repeatedly helps his son out, although Takashi doesn't know who Kage really is, and says someday he would like to meet Takashi as a father rather than as an informant. In the fourth game Takashi requests that Kage tells him who his real father is and Kage sends him a bouquet telling him his father is dead; Takashi, however, recognises the flowers and makes the connection.
Masaharu Kaito
Ex-Tojo clan member Masaharu Kaito who has been aiding Yagami in his work as a detective even since he was removed from the clan by his boss.
Hostesses - Tokyo
Shine;Yakuza
Aya, Erina, Yuzu, Karen
;Yakuza 2
Karen, Kaede, Maiko
;Yakuza 4
Rio, Himeka Kawasaki, Shizuka Saito
Jewel
;Yakuza
Reika, Chisa, Hiromi
;Yakuza 2
Yuma, Natsuki, Anna
;Yakuza 4
Noa Mizutani, Erena Aihara, Chihiro Ikki, Maya Mori
Ageha
;Yakuza 3
Sayaka Araki, Rina Sakurai, Riho Nishiyama, Nemu
Koakuma
;Yakuza 3
Eri Momoka, Shizuka Muto, Rina Ayukawa
Other characters
Yumi SawamuraBorn June 30, 1971, Yumi grew up with Kiryu and Nishiki, and worked as a hostess at Serena. She was abducted by Sohei Dojima, and the trauma of the event caused her to lose her memory; shortly after, she checked herself out of the hospital and disappeared. While her memory is gone she meets Kyohei Jingu, with whom she conceives Haruka. She is later taken in by Kazama, who attempts to help her regain her memory. She eventually remembers when a gunshot reminds her of the traumatic events she witnessed when Nishiki shot Dojima. She later steals 10 billion yen from the Tojo Clan along with Kazama and Sera, as it is in fact Jingu's money, who has been using the Tojo Clan to make money for him for years. Kiryu and Yumi are eventually reunited in the last chapter of Yakuza 1, but she is ultimately killed when she sacrifices herself to save Kiryu and Haruka from a shot fired by Jingu.
Mizuki Sawamura
Mizuki is the owner of Ares, supposedly Yumi's younger sister. She raised Haruka at the Sunflower orphanage then managed her own bar, called Ares, located on top of the Millennium Tower. It is revealed that Mizuki was just a cover created for Yumi to keep her safe from Jingu.
Reina
165 cm, 43 kg. A woman who runs Serena during the first game. She's been friends with Kazuma and Nishiki for a long time as Serena was Kiryu and Nishiki's favorite hangout before Dojima's murder. Reina helps Kiryu by letting him use Serena as a hideout and takes care of Haruka whenever Kiryu has to go somewhere. In chapter 9, it is revealed that she betrayed Kiryu out of love for Nishiki and became his informant. After attempting to kill Nishiki, she is rescued by Shinji and the two are killed.
Akimoto and Mizuki
Akimoto is a frail and naive salary man in love with a hostess girl called Mizuki.
During the second game Akimoto appears of the roof of Ryugujo, threatening to kill Mizuki. She lies to him that she is pregnant with his baby to save her life.
In one of the sub stories in Yakuza 3, Akimoto is on pre-marriage trip with Mizuki in Okinawa and the pair meets Kiryu and Haruka on the beach. She has actually tricked him, and doesn't really want to marry him. In substory no.6, Akimoto meets Kiryu and Hakura in Kamurocho. This time Akimoto is about to fall from the Millennium Tower's roof but he's saved by Mizuki. In the end she apologizes to him for her bad behaviour and shows him her love. This character appears in special substories with their dedicated event scenes and becomes Kiryu's NPC ally in a Battle Missions extra mode which is available once the game is cleared. These missions were cut from the overseas releases of Yakuza 3.
Gary Buster Holmes
Gary Buster Holmes is the Afro-American Underground Coliseum 2003-2005 champion, undefeated until he fights Kiryu. He also works as a bodyguard for Kage within the Purgatory area. He speaks fluent Japanese, but points out to Kiryu that he doesn't actually understand the words.
During the second game, he works as a builder at the Kamurocho Hills construction site. He is still working there during Yakuza 4, and decides to challenge Kiryu to one last fight.
Tobe
Tobe is the manager of bar Bantam. Like Emoto, he only appears in a substory in the first game. In Yakuza 2, due to financial worries and pressure from Sengoku, he and his group attack Kiryu.
Akemi
The No.1 employee at Shangri-La, a soapland. Shinji's fiancée.
Hirata
The owner of Peace Finance in the first game. He is part of the first mission of the series, when Kiryu is sent to collect money he owes. When Kiryu returns 10 years later, after being let out of prison, the building is empty.
In Yakuza 3 he appears in a substory, when a copy of a magazine photo, from the night of the Millennium Tower explosion in 2005, shows Hirata about to stab Kiryu. Kiryu then stops his Hirata's son from stabbing him and the two reconcile.
Hirata's son
A character appearing in the third episode. When Kiryu realises that he is going to stab his father he stops him, and the two make up.
Yanai
A character appearing in the first episode.
Ibuki
Ibuki is the Kamuro Castle owner who contracts Kiryu Kazuma to find and arrest Kamurocho criminals during Yakuza 3. These specific substories are called Hitman missions. Ibuki, a former member of the Dojima family, uses his own restaurant to rehabilitate the men into an honest life, as Kashiwagi wanted.
Shota
Shota is a host at Stardust and Saya Date's boyfriend in chapter 6 of the first game. Later in the chapter, it is revealed he was merely using Saya for money when him and some yakuza beat up Date. He is not seen again after being defeated by Kiryu.
Mai
Mai is the sexy girl appearing in the special sub-scenario "Price of an F-Cup". She uses to be an entraineuse, within a Kamurocho bar called Paradise, pushing male customers to drink and spend all money in this place. Her voice actor Mihiro Taniguchi is a Japanese AV idol. Mai is the cover girl of Kamutai Magazine December 2005 issue; a pre-order limited book bundled with Ryū ga Gotoku.
Amon brothers
The Amons are secret bosses in each game that appear only after all other side missions are cleared. They appear as a family in both Yakuza 2 and Yakuza 4. The brothers are: Jo, Kazuya, Jiro and Sango.
Utabori
The tattoo artist who did Kiryu and Nishiki's tattoos. He also appears during a substory in Yakuza 3, finishing Rikiya's tattoo.
Manpuku Chaser
A character appearing in the third and fourth episodes.
Saya Date
The rebellious only daughter of Detective Makoto Date, she often goes looking for trouble in the streets of Kamurocho. In Yakuza 2, she decides to become a hairdresser. In Yakuza 4 she is shown to have become successful, and wants her father to meet her new boyfriend. Although she now lives with her mother, she and Makoto still have a good relationship.
Sotaro Komaki
Komaki is an old, legendary martial arts master and former homeless man who teaches fighting techniques to Kazuma Kiryu in his dojo. He deems Kiryu the successor to his school. Throughout the series he only communicates with Kiryu via messengers or letters, but in Yakuza 4 he is in possession of a phone and sends Kiryu an email.
Mack Shinozuka
Mack is an Afro-American Japanese who is travelling the world in search of the "perfect shot". He trains Kiryu to improve his running performance on the Kamurocho Hills site, and introduces Kiryu and later Akiyama to Revelations.
Renji Kamiyama
Renji is Kamurocho's Works Kamiyama owner. He tunes up and repairs weapons; he also sells DVDs to Kiryu that allow weapon modification. He is Renta Kamiyama's younger brother and is himself a fighter, using a pair of kali sticks in Kamurocho's "Weapon Master GP" underground fighting tournament under the nickname "The Weaponmaster".
Yasuko Saejima
A mysterious woman who requests to borrow 100 million yen from Akiyama, using the pseudonym Lily. She murdered Kanemura and the owner of Daijoyū at the behest of Katsuragi. Taiga Saejima's younger sister. She encounters each of the main characters on her search for her brother. When the two are finally reunited, Katsuragi shoots her and having spoken to her brother one last time and killed Katsuragi, she dies in Taiga's arms.
Hana
Akiyama's secretary and the only employee at Sky Finance, who appears in Yakuza 4. She craves the kalbi at Korean yakiniku restaurant Kanrai, and is surprisingly strong, even able to defend herself against a troupe of yakuza. She formerly worked with Akiyama at the same bank he was employed at. After Akiyama lends Yasuko the 100 million yen she asks for, even though he knows he likely won't get it back, Hana becomes enraged and runs away. After being caught by Akiyama, she quits. She returns in the epilogue, now thin. The two almost kiss, but Akiyama quickly beings to talk about Hana's favourite kalbi, for which she admonishes him, asking if he's trying to make her fat again. Hana can be called to sing karaoke with Akiyama on a Premium New Game, as well as her standard version.
In the zombie spinoff Of the End, she appears as her former self, having returned to her old body type after going back to her old diet.
Saito
A guard at the prison Hamazaki is at and Saejima transfers to. He has a violent and ruthless nature and is known to have killed prisoners during punishment beatings. After multiple encounters with Saejima and Hamazaki while the two try to escape, he shoots Hamazaki before the two fall into the sea together. He then reappears with his fellow guards at Tamashiro's old office in Okinawa, attempting to kidnap Yasuko. He is defeated and is not seen again, though Hamazaki is wounded in the process and dies.
Ayaka Tsubaki
Ayaka Tsubaki is modeled after the Japanese TV personality and Koakuma Ageha magazine fashion model Ayana Tsubaki. Ayaka performs sexy massages in Kamurocho's Love in Heart in Yakuza 3. She reveals her transsexual nature to Kiryu in a substory; the real Tsubaki is a transsexual herself.
Mari
Mari is the massage girl for Yakuza 4. She is modelled on Mari Yaguchi, a Japanese tarento and former member of Morning Musume.
Arena ring announcer
The arena ring announcer presents the Kamurocho underground fighting tournaments. Kei Grant, a.k.a. DJ K. Grant, is a famous Japanese radio DJ and presenter of Tedman's Radio Show as DJ Teddy Kei.
Fukuoka inhabitants
MayumiMayumi is a woman who lives with protagonist Kazuma Kiryuu in the beginning events of Yakuza 5, and secretly falls in love with him.
Sōtenbori & Shinseicho inhabitants
Tamiyo SayamaA character appearing in the second episode. Owner of bar "Aoi". She became Kaoru's foster mother after Kaoru was left in her care by her mother, Suyeon. Tamiyo seems to have been in love with Jiro Kawara, Kaoru's father, whose remains she takes care of after his death.
Esaki
A regular at the Mahjong parlour, and an informant who is known to charge massive prices. He is ordered to kill Kiryu but fails and, scared for his life, asks Kiryu to protect him. After he is refused he is never seen again.
Murai
A man at Shinseicho's Keima shogi parlour. He is really a survivor of the Jingweon massacre 26 years before, a Korean named Park Hwejong. He betrayed the Jingweon creed and continued to live on normally after the incident, and always regretted what happened. During the conversation with Kiryu and Sayama, Jingweon men attack and Murai is killed.
Kazabori
An Osakan tattoo artist, master to Satoshi and Akina. Kiryu meets him by the river when he is about to destroy the Kazabori signature design, and he explains that it would stop the problems between his two apprentices.
Hostesses - Osaka
;PrimeJun, Madoka, Ayano, Nana
Okinawa inhabitants
Sunshine Orphanage
Sunshine Orphanage is located on Naha's coast opposite a beach. The institution hosts eight local children plus Haruka Sawamura and is managed by Kazuma Kiryu, though the land belongs to Shigeru Nakahara. Kiryu was himself raised in a similar institution called Sunflower Orphanage during the 1970s and 1980s, so when was asked if he knew anyone to take on the job he volunteered himself.Taichi
10 years old. A tough boy, he acts as the orphanage children's natural leader. He dreams about becoming a professional wrestler. He appears in the fourth game as an 11-year-old.
Ayako
11 years old. Being the orphanage's second-eldest she carries the "mother" role as her duty, often at her own expense. She appears in the fourth game as a 12-year-old.
Koji
10 years old. Koji is into sports and often plays with the other orphanage boys on the orphanage's beach. He appears in the fourth game as an 11-year-old.
Eri
9 years old. She is a withdrawn girl who has difficulties getting along with the other children.
Mitsuo
9 years old. Mitsuo is the son of an African-American father and a Japanese mother. His mother raised him alone in Japan as his father returned to America without knowing he has a child. He joined the orphanage after the death of his mother. His closest friend is Taichi. He has a crush on Riona.
Riona
9 years old. She always wears long-sleeved clothes to hide the scars on her arms, caused by the fire that killed her parents.
Shiro
8 years old. He is shy but smart and wants to become a doctor. Shiro has trouble at school with the teacher's son bullying him.
Izumi
8 years old. As the orphanage's youngest and smallest, she tends to be selfish and somewhat of a loner. She takes care of and trains Mame, the orphanage dog, which reminds her of a dog she used to own.
Ryudo Family
The Ryudo Family is a small Okinawan bōryokudan headed by Nakahara, featured in Yakuza 3.Shigeru Nakahara
Nakahara is the owner of the Sunshine Orphanage's land. He is the old yet tough leader of the Ryudo yakuza family and has a shisa dog tattoo on his back. He is a father figure for Saki, just like Kiryu is to Haruka.
Rikiya Shimabukuro
Rikiya, 25, is Nakahara's senior henchman, who has a fierce love of Okinawa. His self-proclaimed nickname, "Bare-Handed Viper" comes from the habu pitviper tattoo on his back. Initially hostile towards Kiryu, he gradually came to respect him and refer to him as "brother". Rikiya was kidnapped by Lau Ka Long's men and almost killed, but was saved by Joji Kazama. After returning to Okinawa, and after the orphanage was destroyed, he took a bullet meant for Kiryu while rescuing Nakahara. He then died in Kiryu's arms.
Mikio Aragaki
Mikio is Rikiya's friend and fellow Ryudo family member, but still a rookie. He has blonde hair and a purple shirt. He built a doghouse for Rex. The locals are fond of him and refer to him as "Mikio-chan". He was hit on the head with a sledgehammer while trying to protect the orphanage, but survived. He then built a new doghouse.
Saki
12 years old. Saki is a young girl that became mute after being abused by her mother and witnessing her father's suicide, and can only communicate by drawing pictures in her sketchbook. She was raised by Nakahara. It is Saki who first alerts Kiryu to Kazama having shot Nakahara. She first speaks again to warn Nakahara to get out of the way of a charging bull.
Tamashiro Family
The Tamashiro Family is a powerful Okinawan yakuza group and a rival to Nakahara's Ryudo family during the events of Yakuza 3.Tetsuo Tamashiro
54 years old, who wears sunglasses and a red suit with a black shirt. Tamashiro is the head of the Tamashiro Family of Ryukyu. His fighting style includes local brass knuckles, tekko. After he is defeated by Kiryu he shoots at him, but Rikiya takes the bullet and dies. Joji Kazama arrives just after Rikiya is shot and kills Tamashiro.
In Yakuza 4, Tamashiro's vacant office is used as a meeting place by Kiryu, Hamazaki and Yasuko.
Hostess girls - Downtown Ryukyu
;FlawlessMika Tsuchiya, Nao Kaneshiro, Saya Unten
Minor characters
Renta KamiyamaRenta is Ryukyu's Works Kamiyama owner. He tunes up and repairs weapons, he also sells weapon tuning DVDs to Kiryu Kazuma. He is Renji Kamiyama's elder brother and Soji Yonashiro's alumni.
;Shoji Yonashiro
Yonashiro is an Okinawan kobudō master who teaches local weapon fighting techniques of kali stick, nunchaku and tonfa to Kiryu in a ring on the beach. He also taught Renta Kamiyama. Armed with nunchaku, he is a fighter in Kamurocho's "Weapon Master GP" underground fighting tournament.
Cameo characters
HozoinThe Hozoin monk character from the Asia-only Yakuza spinoff Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan! is featured as a guest star in Kamurocho's "Weapon Master GP" tournament where he uses his yari spear.
Mister N
The Korean mastermind behind the Tojo Clan robbery. "Mister N" is reference to Toshihiro Nagoshi, the Yakuza series director who has a cameo in the movie version.
Goji Rokkaku'
The character Goji from Smilebit's Jet Set Radio game, a.k.a. Jet Grind Radio'', makes an appearance in Yakuza 2.
Introduced in ''Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!''
The following is a list of characters introduced in the 2008 spinoff title, Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!. Several of the characters are meant to bare resemblance to characters in the main series.Gion inhabitants
Kazumanosuke Kiryu / Miyamoto MusashiMiyamoto Musashi was Japan's greatest swordsman, famous for his two sword fighting technique. After a political intrigue and the lost Battle of Sekigahara, Musashi started his life anew under a fake identity, Kazumanosuke Kiryu. "Kazumanosuke" is a medieval version of the name "Kazuma", as this character is Kazuma Kiryu's ancestor.
Yoshino Tayū
:ja:吉野太夫|Yoshino Tayū was a tayū, the highest ranking courtesan and most famous female entertainer in Kyoto. Because she bears a striking resemblance to a woman called Ukiyo, whom Musashi once loved, Yoshino gets Musashi's attention from the very moment he enters Gion.
Haruka
Haruka is a little girl obsessed with vengeance against Musashi Miyamoto, who she believes killed her family. For that purpose she travels to Gion to submit an assassination request to Kazumanosuke. In order to pay for Kiryu's service she voluntarily becomes an indentured servant of Tsuruya, an opulent brothel, where she works as a servant to the celebrity-like oiran courtesans. This character is the equivalent of Haruka Sawamura, sharing the same name as the character in the main series.
Itō / Itō Ittōsai
Itō is Kazumanosuke's senpai, a good friend of his and also a colleague as he is a yojimbo working for Tsuruya, Gion's greatest brothel. When Itō eventually admits he knows Kiryu is actually Miyamoto Musashi he confronts him, in a riverbed duel, and reveals his own identity. Itoh Ittohsai was a great swordsman and the founder of the Ittoh School, famous for its "one stroke" technique, but after a rivalry with the Tokugawa's favoured Shinkage School Itoh's family and dojo students were assassinated by Kojiro Sasaki.
Tokugawa Clan
Sasaki KojirōSasaki Kojirō, also known as Ganryū, was a prominent Japanese longsword swordsman and a serious rival for Musashi Miyamoto. The two fought a famous duel in the Ganryū Island in 1612.
Marume Nagayoshi
:ja:丸目長恵|Marume Nagayoshi was a Tokugawa clan officer and a skilled samurai who founded the Taisha Ryu school. While travelling across Japan recruiting the best swordsmen he met Musashi who joined his army.
Yoshioka Dojo
Seijūrō YoshiokaSeijūrō Yoshioka is the elder son of Kempō Yoshioka, founder of the famous Yoshioka Dojo. As current head of the dojo he will fight a deadly duel with Miyamoto Musashi at Rendaiji Field.
Denshichirō Yoshioka
Yoshioka Denshichirō is the younger brother of the Yoshioka family.
Gion Tōji
Gion Tōji is a young student at the Yoshioka Dojo under Denshichiro. His ties with Tsuruya and Itoh will open the Yoshioka Dojo's doors to Miyamoto Musashi.
Ueda
Ueda is the strongest student of the Yoshioka Dojo and the first opponent to challenge Miyamoto Musashi when the latter tries to join it as an alumnus.
Introduced in the film series
The following is a list of original characters introduced in the 2007 adaptation of the Yakuza series, Like a Dragon and '.Sunflower principal
The Sunflower orphanage principal manages the institution that is secretly funded by Shintaro Kazama. He raises Kazuma Kiryu, Akira Nishikayama, Yuko Nishikiyama and Yumi Sawamura between the 1970s and the 1980s. He ceased this work in the 1990s after Yumi Sawamura's departure for Kamurocho. This character was introduced in Like a Dragon: Prologue.
Satoru
Satoru is a Poppo convenience store employee.
Yui
Yui is Satoru's girlfriend.
Detective Noguchi
Noguchi is a police detective who leads the investigation in the Kamurocho bank robbery case.
Park
Park is a Korean hitman who was contracted to assassinate Mister N.
Weapon smuggler
A masochistic Korean-Japanese weapon smuggler and infamous informant. His hideout is adjacent to Kamurocho's Beam DVD shop.
Imanishi
Imanishi is the bank robber in the green mask.
Nakanishi
Nakanishi is the bank robber in the red mask.
Barbershop owner'''
The Korean-Japanese barber who owns the Kamurocho barbershop that is used as an undercover hideout by the criminal police during the bank robbery case. Because he is of Korean ancestry, he helps Park the hitman.
Reception
The cast of Yakuza has been well received. Juan Castro from IGN praised him as an appealing character noting, both his violent traits as well as his kindness. They further noted that while being a "badass", he stands out thanks to his kindness. On a more critical view, Greg Kasavin from GameSpot stated that while Kiryu often resorts to profanity "he's your prototypical hero taking on your prototypical villains." Eurogamer noted that in the cast there was a notable contrast between Kiryu's kindness and Nishiki's brooding during the first game. The same site praised the additions of the cutscenes involving Nishiki in the remake due to the new depths Sega brought in the way Kiryu is seen becoming his nemesis.In a popularity poll from 2018, Majima was voted as the best Yakuza character. GameSpot highly praised Majima's character arc in that game due to how he changes into the narrative, as well as how many allies and enemies he makes. However, Game Informer had similar comments as to how through his longer screen time despite not being playable, Majima manages to aid the player to make Kiryu a stronger fighter. However, they were highly critical to his different personality in Kiwami, calling it "jarring", and added that Yakuza 0 failed to close this character arc.
Yagami's dynamic with Kaito was praised by GameSpot and Siliconera due to how likable the duo becomes. Judgments English voice actors' performances were praised; EGM Now said Chun made a more striking performance than Kimura, who the writer did not find suitable for the character. RPGamer.com praised Sega's decision to add two languages in the audio, praising both Japanese and English versions equally while also finding.