Best Characters In Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Highlights

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is a smaller adventure with a shorter playtime of around twelve hours.
The game features a diverse and engaging cast of characters who feature serious and wacky personalities.
Joryu, the protagonist and beloved character of the Yakuza series, is the standout and central figure in the game.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, for as wild as it is, does not have a lot of characters to keep track of. Because Kazuma Kiryu, now called Joryu, is a spy, he needs to keep a low profile to get his job done. It’s also a smaller adventure overall, lasting around twelve hours for most.

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That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of characters to highlight. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name’s cast has a good range of serious and wacky characters to fall in love with. To properly rank them, this article will provide information on each character's role in the story and their overall purpose.

The following article contains spoilers for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

6 Kihei Hanawa

Joryu's Handler In The Daidoji

Kihei Hanawa in Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name

Hanawa is shown, at first, to be a strict boss. He has no time for Joryu's shenanigans and reminds him constantly that he is on a tight leash for the Daidoji. After he gets kidnapped and subsequently rescued by Joryu, Hanawa starts to show some sympathy towards him.

He wants to give Joryu the benefit of the doubt, which is hard because the Daidoji deals with secrets. There is a reason why a spy network has to keep their business on the down low, and they cannot come across as soft. Hanawa’s best moment is when he gives Joryu his tablet, which has a video of his family on it.

5 Yuki Tsuruno

Watase Family Captain

Tsuruno in Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name

Tsuruno is a captain within the Yakuza who helped orchestrate the kidnapping of Hanawa. At first, it seems like he is a typical Yakuza villain, but his actions are more complicated than that. The reason why he kidnaps Hanawa is to force Joryu's hand. He and the Watase branch of the Yakuza as a whole need his help and will do anything to get it from Joryu.

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Tsuruno even goes as far as to threaten the orphanage, which is a big no-no. Eventually, Joryu softens on Tsuruno after he sees he isn’t such a bad guy after all, and players probably will too. Tsuruno even has some good badass moments as a hero.

4 Kosei Shishido

Watase Family Lieutenant

Shishido in Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name

In Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Shishido is the subordinate of Tsuruno, even though it looks like he is in charge. That’s because, oddly, he is. In the final chapter of the game, he betrays his Patriarch and vows to take over the Omi Alliance as the new head of the organization. He cannot imagine a world ruled by the Yakuza, as it is the only world he knows.

It’s easy to sympathize with Shishido, too, because no one wants to lose a job. Granted, his job is to be a soldier in a criminal organization, but again, it’s easy to see why he and the other Yakuza minions are upset about the plan to dissolve the Omi Alliance. Shishido’s final fight with Joryu is great, too, as he gives it his all.

3 Homare Nishitani III

Patriarch Of The Kijin Clan

Nishitani in Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name

Nishitani’s only weakness is that he wasn’t in the game that much. He is the overlord of the game’s McGuffin, The Castle, which is a lawless gambling ship that no one can touch. It even features an arena where players can fight.

Nishitani acts a lot like Goro Majima, the series' bad boy who loves to follow Joryu around and get in fights. Nishitani is just as bloodthirsty and ready to share his life with Joryu, whatever that means to him. In the end, he’s captured by the Daidoji, meaning that he could someday return as a secret agent. He’d make a good ninja for sure.

2 Akame

Jack Of All Trades Broker

Akame in Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name

Akame is introduced in the second chapter of the game. She is Joryu's point of contact throughout most of the game, even though that is technically supposed to be Hanawa. Akame has a network she runs through the homeless in town. She protects them, and, in turn, they help her gather information.

kazuma kiryu like a dragon gaiden the man who erased his name

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Akame is a sly one, and it’s hard to get a read on what she is thinking. What makes her stand out, besides her mysterious nature, is her willingness to mess with Joryu on a constant level. One of the best missions in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name has her send Joryu to a hostess club. She’s not all tricks though, as she can show a vulnerable side if players can reach a high enough affection level.

1 Joryu

The Dragon Of Dojima

Kazuma in Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name

Kazuma is Yakuza, and Yakuza is Kazuma. There is no series without him, even though the torch has been passed to Ichiban from Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The meaning behind that statement is that players have had a lot of adventures with Kazuma. He is the obvious best part of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, along with the entire series, as fans have grown an attachment to him.

He may come off as a stoic guy with no emotion who solves everything with his fists, but Kazuma has a goofy side, too. He is willing to metaphorically let his hair down, like when he dresses up as an orange and sings karaoke tunes. Also, Kazuma absolutely adores his orphanage, and villains in this game soon learn not to mess with it. The day Kazuma truly dies in this franchise will be a sad one.