The recently released Like a Dragon: Ishin is a fascinating spin-off within the wider Yakuza franchise, which is now being referred to as Like a Dragon in a global rebranding of the IP. Despite the original 2014 title that Ishin is a remake of being limited to Japanese audiences, the story and characters of the title have long been desired by Western fans to recieve a dedicated localized English release.
To overlap Like a Dragon: Ishin with the mainline series of franchise titles, many of the game's characters borrow the faces and voices of some of the most iconic figures from the mainline Like a Dragon games. In this way, it is perhaps predictable that Ishin's protagonist Sakamoto Ryoma borrows the face and voice of longtime IP protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, although the personalities of the two figures are rather distinct from one another in some aspects.
The Personality of Kazuma Kiryu
Kazuma Kiryu is the most famous figure in the Like a Dragon franchise, being the primary protagonist of most of the IP's narratives. Despite being set to take a more reserved role in the future of the franchise, the importance and memorability of Kiryu's arc and narrative presence cannot be understated.
Despite the overt association that Kiryu shares with the criminal underworld of Japan, he is renowned for his strong moral compass and stoic nature. He's a relative paragon of sensibility throughout most of his story involvement. Despite the consistent transgressions made by people around Kiryu, he is also typified by his merciful nature, which can often come as a fault, with Kiryu holding little animosity or grudges towards anything or anyone even when having good reason to do so.
Of course, Kiryu is additionally renowned for his abnormal strength and fighting ability, being revered as one of the most formidable and powerful figures within the world of Japanese crime. While some of these traits transfer over to Ishin's Sakamoto Ryoma, there are some clear sticking points of significant differences between the two.
Like a Dragon: Ishin's Sakamoto Ryoma and Kazuma Kiryu
Like many characters in Like a Dragon: Ishin, Sakamoto Ryoma is based off of a real-life figure of the same name who played a crucial role in the geopolitical history of late 1800s Japan. Despite this, it is clear that the adoption of Kiryu's voice actor and likeness for the character of Ryoma has shaped the latter's personality to be largely reflective of the former.
For example, Ryoma shares the combat prowess and presence of Kiryu, quickly rising up the ranks of his involved organizations much in the same way Kiryu did in the imposing Tojo Clan. Generally, Ryoma additionally possesses the same sense of morality and compassion as Kiryu, with there being plenty of sub-stories in Ishin that involve Ryoma selflessly helping the local population in the same way Kiryu is often portrayed as doing.
The primary difference between Ryoma and Kiryu concerns the core motivations behind each character. While Kazuma Kiryu is characterized as magnanimous, it is clear that Ryoma is much more driven by vengeance, which shapes the large majority of the character's motivations. Whereas Kiryu often finds himself driven by the desire to protect those close to him from harm, Ryoma's core purpose for the majority of Like a Dragon: Ishin's narrative is rooted in revenge, typifying the largest and most glaring difference between the two franchise protagonists.
Like A Dragon: Ishin! is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
