Highlights

  • Like a Dragon Gaiden connects Yakuza 6 and Like a Dragon, showing Kiryu's actions during his time with the Daidoji Faction.
  • Hanawa may be Yakuza 5's Morinaga, based on evidence from the games and their shared voice actor.
  • The game leaves unanswered questions about Hanawa's true identity and how he knows Kiryu's alias, Taichi Suzuki.

For players hoping to bridge the gap between Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon ahead of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name connects these games while giving players a look at Kiryu's actions during his time working for the Daidoji Faction. Although Like a Dragon Gaiden ties up some loose ends, it also introduces more mysteries that will hopefully be explored in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. One of the biggest unresolved plot threads at the end of the game is how Hanawa knows Kiryu's alias, Taichi Suzuki, suggesting he may be someone from Kiryu's past.

In Like a Dragon Gaiden, Kihei Hanawa works for the Diadoji Faction after abandoning his former identity for unknown reasons in the past. As a member of the Daidoji, Hanawa serves as the manager for Kiryu during his time as Agent Joryu, and the two of them become close despite Hanawa's insistence on keeping a professional relationship. The ending of Like a Dragon Gaiden has Hanawa issue Kiryu a new alias, Taichi Suzuki, noting that he knew Kiryu had used that name in the past, leading many fans to speculate as to how he would have known this name and what Hanawa's true identity is.

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Related
Every Major Connection Like a Dragon Gaiden Has With LAD 7

Like a Dragon Gaiden contains several links to Yakuza: Like a Dragon that help tie the two stories together ahead of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

Like a Dragon Gaiden's Hanawa Might be Yakuza 5's Morinaga

Some fans think they might have uncovered Hanawa's true identity, with a handful of compelling evidence suggesting he could be Yakuza 5's Yu Morinaga. In Yakuza 5, Morinaga works with Masato Aizawa as a bodyguard for the Tojo Clan's Chairman Daigo Dojima, though it is later revealed they were sent by the Omi Alliance to infiltrate the Tojo and undermine the organization as a part of Omi Chairman Tsubasa Kurosawa's plan. Although Morinaga was implied to have been killed at the end of Yakuza 5, Kiryu left such an impact on the character that it's likely he would seek to assist the Dragon of Dojima in future endeavors if possible.

Kiryu Met Morinaga While Using the Alias Taichi Suzuki

When trying to determine Hanawa's true identity, the first step fans take is to look at the characters Kiryu encountered while using the name Taichi Suzuki during his stint as a cab driver at the beginning of Yakuza 5. While it's possible Hanawa simply could have been a nobody who took a ride in Kiryu's cab and remembered his name, it's unlikely that the series set up this plot line if there wasn't a history between Hanawa and Kiryu before Like a Dragon Gaiden. As such, it follows that Hanawa could be Morinaga since the two first met while Kiryu was going by Taichi Suzuki.

Morinaga's Died Under Mysterious Circumstances

One hiccup in this theory is the fact that Morinaga is said to be dead at the end of Yakuza 5, though the circumstances surrounding his death are unclear. The game never gives a straight answer as to the fate of Morinaga, with Naoki Katsuya claiming to have been framed for his murder, and Aizawa answering evasively when pressed for information by Kiryu during the game's finale. With this in mind, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume Morinaga faked his death and turned to the Daidoji Faction to erase his name, much like Kiryu would go on to do in the following game.

Hanawa and Morinaga have the Same Voice Actor

Aside from circumstantial evidence, the biggest factor that links Morinaga with Hanawa is that they share the same Japanese voice actor, Hiroki Tochi. While it's not uncommon for a Like a Dragon voice actor to portray two different characters in the series, it is suspicious that two major characters with a possible connection share the same voice actor. There is also the hangup that Morinaga and Hanawa don't look alike, but that could be explained through the use of plastic surgery provided by the Daidoji as part of erasing his past.