Ichiban Kasga of the Like a Dragon series has a surprising amount of similarities with Naruto, the ninja protagonist of his self-titled series. Ichiban and Naruto are both messy-haired heroes, their similarities are more than just aesthetic. The last couple of Like a Dragon games have done plenty to flesh out Ichiban's character, and they have drawn some notable comparisons between him and one of the biggest names in shonen. It's an ironic comparison, considering that Ichiban's love of Dragon Quest formed much of his personality. Regardless of the reason, both eventually evolved into rather similar heroes.

Even though following Like a Dragon's legendary Kazuma Kiryu as protagonist was always going to be a tall order, Ichiban Kasuga has proven to be up to the task. As the face of the series' shift in genre from beat-em-up to turn-based RPG, he has been a reliable new lead for the games. Conversely, Naturo was the star of his own series from the beginning, and has since passed the torch to his son Boruto for the sequel series. Even their personal skillsets are wildly different. Naruto is a highly skilled ninja with magical powers, while Ichiban is an incredibly tough guy with street fighting experience.

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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.

Ichiban and Naruto Are Two Heroes Who Had a Lot to Prove

Ichiban and Naruto Were Both Orphaned Outcasts

An obvious similarity between Ichiban's rise as Like a Dragon's protagonist and Naruto's own emergence is their childhoods. Both lived as outcasts who didn't know their parents, but for different reasons. Naruto's parents died to the Nine-Tailed Fox when he was a baby, and he was isolated from the rest of the village, becoming a prankster. Ichiban's birth mother was forced to abandon him, and he was raised in a soapland, which caused him to be teased by other children, eventually causing him to become an angry teenager. While both had difficult upbringings, they did not quash their ultimately good nature.

Ichiban and Naruto Both Rose to Amazing Success Despite Difficult Starts

They both also rose from their humble beginnings to great achievements. Yakuza: Like a Dragon's side content saw Ichiban take a struggling confections shop and turn it into a massive company that Infinite Wealth confirmed became an international success. Even aside from that, he went from being a homeless ex-yakuza to gaining a reputation as the Hero of Yokohama. Likewise, Naruto would eventually achieve his dream of becoming the Hokage, the esteemed ruler of the Leaf Village. Both of these achievements would have been almost inconceivable at the start of their journeys, but they fought against the odds to achieve their dreams.

Ichiban and Naruto Have Natural Skill in Forging Powerful Friendships

Both Ichiban and Naruto show an ability to amass friends and allies when they need them most. The amount of party members in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth that Ichiban has by the end of the game is astonishing. Ichiban's ability to make friends willing to fight alongside him solely through his charisma and heroic nature is impressive. On Naruto's end, his classmates originally thought little of him due to his immature behavior, but he was eventually able to forge strong bonds with them as they repeatedly fought alongside each other. By the series' end, Naruto is no longer the lonely, friendless boy he once was.

Ichiban Kasuga and Naruto Uzumaki had different adventures in different worlds, but the two of them have a lot in common. Even though Ichiban isn't Like a Dragon's former protagonist Kiryu, he has proven himself to have a similar heroic heart. Just as Ichiban proved himself, Naruto grew from a young prankster to a just leader of his village. Both of them started from nothing, and managed to become the triumphant heroes of their own stories. It feels fitting that like a Dragon's Ichiban had his own shonen-esque journey.

Yakuza

Sega's Yakuza franchise is a series of action-adventure and role-playing games that revolve around characters who are a part of or associated with dangerous criminal organizations.

The various games in the series tend to be led by gripping, emotional narratives but are supplemented by hilarious side stories and enjoyable mini-games that give players a welcome break from the drama.