The Like A Dragon franchise, formerly known as Yakuza, is no stranger to multifaceted, complex protagonists. From their unique personalities to their signature moves in combat, each playable character in the Like A Dragon series has made a strong mark on story-driven games.
With its next entry, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, launching soon, it’s worthwhile doing a recap on some of the most interesting characters that Ryu Ga Gotuko studio has brought. This ranking considers each protagonist's character traits, their overall contribution to the series, and how much time players spend with them. The list only considers the mainline numbered Yakuza games. As charming as the private detective Yagami Takayuki from Judgment and Sakamoto Ryoma from the spin-off series may be, they are not eligible for this list.
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8 Tatsuo Shinada
The Rookie Slugger
Tatsuo Shinada is unique within the Like A Dragon series. He is not a martial artist, not a marksman. He's lacking in the combat department and the intimidation factor. However, his is a story of redemption from a falsely accused and fallen baseball hero of Nagoya Wyverns to a well-respected member of the baseball community in Yakuza 5. His will to persevere in the face of betrayal and hardship ultimately grants him the closure to move beyond his tarnished past.
In terms of playstyle, there’s a twist to the traditional combat in the series. Shinada uses his baseball swings, fists, improvised weapons from the environment, and his sheer agility and evasive maneuvers. Of course, the baseball-themed heat actions and hitting home runs give him another unique flair that complements his arc as much as it does his playstyle.
7 Masayoshi Tanimura
The Parasite Of Kamurocho
The dual nature of Masayoshi Tanimura’s character in Yakuza 4 makes for interesting story twists and gameplay choices. Although he's a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, his connection to the criminal underbelly of Tokyo creates nuanced storytelling. He makes huge sacrifices to his reputation for the greater good of assuring the safety of immigrants who are left to make money off of gambling and blackmailing. Thus, Masayoshi Tanimura is given the title of “Parasite of Kamurocho,” as he facilitates such illegal businesses for the sake of equal opportunities for all.
His gameplay side adds a unique investigative component to Yakuza 4. His detective skills are on full display when players analyze crime scenes, gather evidence, and solve puzzles. His fighting style, Taiho-Jutsu, is a unique martial arts blend of deft strikes, counterattacks, and grapples. The style rewards precision, timing, and situational awareness.
6 Shun Akiyama
The Lifeline Of Kamurocho
Shun Akiyama appears as a cold, carefree, and charismatic billionaire with a laid-back demeanor. Throughout Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5, both of which involve him as a playable character, Akiyama is a financial powerhouse. His company, Sky Finance, lends loans to many influential figures. His way of testing each of his clients uniquely before offering them loans is an interesting facet of the character, who is kind and generous to most residents of Kamurocho.
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Akiyama’s play style is heavily inspired by breakdancing. He uses a lot of kick attacks and counter techniques, all of which work in tandem with devastating combos. Multiple moves in his arsenal carry restorative properties, so it also rewards players looking for a more defensive approach.
5 Haruka Sawamura
The Rising Starlet
The adopted daughter of the series protagonist, Kazama Kiryu, is an up-and-coming idol with a passion for the entertainment industry. The only female playable character in Yakuza 5, Haruka is an observant, mature, and selfless young girl, and often acts as Kiryu's mental support. She spends most of her time with fellow kids at the Morning Glory Orphanage in Okinawa. This adoptive family becomes her driving force to push through every challenge a child of her age must face. Her story is a fascinating journey of self-discovery, identity, and familial bonds that results in a satisfying conclusion at the end of Yakuza 6.
Haruka's gameplay revolves around her dance skills, using graceful movement to charm and confuse her opponents. Instead of packing power in individual strikes, her crowd-control moves hit multiple enemies at once while she looks for ways to evade enemy attacks. It is an interesting shift into a rhythm-based combat system.
4 Taiga Saejima
The Tiger Of Tojo
Taiga Saejima remains a prominent character from Yakuza 4 onward. The intrigue surrounding him due to his brooding personality, aligns well with his remarkable feat of defeating 18 members of the Ueno Seiwa Clan. For this feat, he was dubbed “18-Counts Saejima.” He is a loyal member of the Tojo clan. From the infamous "rubber bullets" scene, which was a big plot twist, to the brutal fight in the snow with a grizzly bear, Saejima is responsible for some of the most memorable scenes in the Like A Dragon series.
In Yakuza 4 and 5, players can feel the power of playing as Saejima, as each blow is a devastating one. The combat style is akin to a street brawler who uses brute force to send opponents flying.
3 Goro Majima
The Mad Dog Of Shimano
Goro Majima is an agent of chaos who can transition from a composed persona to an unhinged one in a split second. In some ways, he’s the most exciting character in the series because of his unpredictability and ruthlessness. He’s had great success at leading businesses at Majima Construction, The Grand, and Club Sunshine. The character has offered some hilarious one-liners, and will occasionally pop up to make himself known to Kiryu in a surprising manner. He is central to the plot of Yakuza 0, which is, chronologically, the first game in the series.
Goro Majima is extremely versatile in combat and has multiple playstyles. The Thug, Breaker, and Slugger styles each offer unique moves and depth to the combat and, in a sense, combine the best attributes of the combat abilities of Saejima, Shinada, and Akiyama. The legendary signature dagger, Mad Dog of Shimano, can enhance his combat abilities and open even more promising opportunities for offense.
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2 Ichiban Kasuga
The Rock Bottom Dragon
Ichiban Kasuga has the great burden of filling in Kiryu’s shoes to introduce the world of Yakuza to a new generation of players. From a position of betrayal that brings him down to the street, to making meaningful bonds with friends and turning his fortune around at 40 years of age, Ichiban’s story is uplifting and wholesome. He is unlike any other character in the series, thanks to his optimism.
With a new protagonist, a new turn-based combat system is also introduced in Yakuza 7: Like A Dragon. Featuring many jobs (which function like classes in RPGs), there is constant experimentation and freedom of play, adding newfound depth to the combat system. Ichiban is here to stay for the next Like A Dragon games. With his charming underdog persona, it’s easy to root for him through thick and thin.
1 Kazama Kiryu
The Dragon of Dojima
The face of the series, the poster boy, and the Dragon of Dojima himself, Kazama Kiryu, has been the main playable protagonist in every mainline Like A Dragon game, bar Yakuza 7: Like A Dragon. Kiryu is the ideal protagonist: strong-willed, stoic, fiercely loyal, and adhering strictly to a code of honor. He’s been a brawler, worked as a spy, provided taxi services, managed an orphanage, and served as chairman of the Tojo clan. As Kiryu goes from a street level yakuza to being a strong fatherly figure to Haruka, it's an emotional rollercoaster.
His combat style has been the staple of the series and continues to shine in spin-offs beyond Yakuza 7. Alternating between Brawler, Rush, and Beast styles, Kiryu can adapt to situations depending on the requirement for power, agility, or defense, respectively. He can use environmental objects like tables, bicycles and traffic cones to deal additional damage. Kiryu has defined nearly two decades for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios in terms of how far they’ve come in terms of storytelling.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon
- Franchise
- Yakuza
- Platform(s)
- Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PS4 , PS5 , PC
- Released
- November 10, 2020
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
