Highlights
- Players can see Kiryu Kazuma's journey from the Dragon of Dojima to Taichi Suzuki come full circle in the latest game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
- During the story, players witness Kiryu's internal struggle as he confronts his true identity and past while battling cancer and dangerous enemies in new locations.
- Through twists and turns, Kiryu ultimately embraces his legacy as the Dragon of Dojima, leaving his fate open for future titles.
Kiryu Kazuma is the handsome face that has helmed Sega's Like a Dragon franchise since the franchise premiered in 2005. Fans quickly fell for this criminal with a heart of gold, admiring his stoic but ultimately altruistic nature. Since the release of the first game, players witnessed Kiryu undergo many changes, such as when he finally ditched his outdated white suit, to when he had to change his name in order to escape his enemies. The latest game in the iconic franchise, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, saw both the return of the character and a key detail about him.
How Kiryu Lives Up to His Legendary Status in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth brings Kiryu into Ichiban's RPG world, and reminds players just how strong the Dragon of Dojima is.
The Dragon of Dojima Explained
When players first meet Kiryu Kazuma, he has worked his way up into the upper ranks of the Dojima crime family, a subsidiary of the larger Tojo clan. He earned a reputation of being a fierce fighter, and thanks to that (as well as the massive dragon tattoo on his back), he was dubbed, "The Dragon of Dojima." But Kiryu is no mere thug, as he has a strong sense of honor and loyalty that led to him taking the fall for a murder he did not commit. He stoically endured ten years in prison, becoming Prisoner 1240. Upon release, he was relentlessly hunted, but refused to change his name. Even when Kiryu fled the yakuza-ridden streets of Tokyo to try a new start in tropical Okinawa, he still held on to his name. Though he traded the title of "the Dragon of Dojima" for "Uncle Kaz," he was still ultimately Kiryu Kazuma.
Erasing (and Restoring) the Dragon of Dojima
At the end of Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, the Dragon of Dojima is dead. That's what he wants everyone to think, anyway. For the sake of protecting his loved ones, Kiryu Kazuma arranges for his "death" following a nonfatal gunshot at the hands of the acting chairman of the Tojo clan, Katsumi Sugai. In the following game, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, Kiryu becomes a kind of secret agent under the Daidoji Faction. His code name is "Joryu" which is spelled with the kanji for "pure" and, fittingly, "dragon." As Joryu, Kiryu is charged with what he does best: unraveling conspiracies, saving innocent girls, and beating down thugs. At the end of the game, he is given a new identity: Taichi Suzuki.
The name Taichi Suzuki comes from Kiryu's undercover stint as a taxi driver in Fukuoka. He sent most of his paycheck to the Morning Glory orphanage.
Taichi Suzuki's Hawaiian Vacation
As Taichi Suzuki, Kiryu is able to travel to Hawaii where Ichiban Kasuga, the new protagonist of the series, is running around naked on the beach. When he joins the party, his "job" is once again the "Dragon of Dojima." His name may be different, but his fighting styles from previous titles shine through, turning him into one of the most powerful fighters in Infinite Wealth. Even with his brawling prowess, Kiryu, or "Taichi," is not well. During his time as a secret agent, he was exposed to hazardous chemicals, and Kiryu was diagnosed with cancer. He is given a pessimistic six months to live if he forgoes treatment.
Eventually, his health deteriorates to the point where he can no longer be the Dragon of Dojima. He is sent back to Japan where he gets reacquainted with how important the man named Kiryu Kazuma was to the people Kiryu helped. Until that time, "Taichi" had thought that it would be for the best if "Kiryu Kazuma" was truly dead. Kiryu Kazuma was, after all, synonymous with the yakuza and the crimes they perpetrated. With a little help from his friends, "Taichi" once again became Kiryu Kazuma, checking in to a hospital for treatment under his true name. By at last becoming Kiryu Kazuma, his adoptive daughter Haruka and her son Haruto are able to find him.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name saw Kiryu try to run from his name and his past, but Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth he is confronted with, and ultimately returns to, his true identity. Aptly, his final outfit in the new game is called "The Resurrected Dragon." Players at first thought that the latest game may have been a goodbye to the character, but instead, Kiryu's ending was notably open-ended and leaves room for him to return in future titles.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth builds on its predecessor's ideas, delivering turn-based combat and a gripping and lengthy narrative led by Ichiban Kasuga. However, the story also brings back Kazuma as a protagonist and introduces a new location in Hawaii, which is a significant departure from the franchise's previous games.
