The given height of 185 cm (6 1) is based on the character model's scaling factor within. Associations Y:LAD After Ichiban beats Sawashiro in a fight, the latter reveals that he didn't kill Arakawabecause he feels like he has a life debt to him. Black Place of Birth Ichiban learns that Arakawa is a double agent, and that once the Omi chairman, Masaru Watase, is released from prison, he will make a joint announcement with Dojima to disband their respective clans. Appears In Daigo wants Ichiban to not place all the blame on Arakawa. After a discussion between Yokoyama and Nagoshi, Nakaya was chosen for the role. Prior to this, his hair was styled into a much shorter punch perm, growing out long enough during his time in prison to be tied into a short ponytail. Consequently, a storyline starring Ichiban would naturally include more comedic or goofy scenes due to the character's nature. Overview Gallery Yokoyama said that Nakaya's reading of the character's scripted lines projected a rebellious personality which stood out to the developers. After he met and swore Jo Sawashiro into the family in 1982, he came to consider him someone he could place his complete trust in and made him his captain, treasurer, and right-hand man. They beat Kasuga to the brink of death, and fearing for his life he blurted out the name of a feared yakuza, Masumi Arakawa, saying that if they killed him they'd be hearing from him; in reality, he had never met the man and was only aware of him due to his reputation as "Killer" Arakawa. [34] RPGFan also regarded Tang as one of the best actors in the entire game based on the impact of his deliveries. Aoki admits that he is the one who committed the murder that sent Ichiban to prison years ago. 1957[b] Kiichi NakaiWP When asked why he would go to those lengths in the first place, he simply stated that he "felt like impressing an idiot kid who knew [his] name.". Hoshino is able to get him to cheer up and suggests he run in the upcoming election to get close to Aoki. [16], Ichiban was generally well received by critics in their preview commentary of Like a Dragon. Actors Ichiban appears as an unlockable player character of the promotional freeware game Streets of Kamurocho, developed and released as part of Sega's 60th anniversary celebrations in October 2020. The men demanded he takes responsibility for Kasuga's actions. They attempt to expose the company's counterfeiting scheme, but their plan goes awry and they are captured and framed by Mabuchi. The Tojo Clan is seemingly no more, having been wiped out and replaced by the Omi Alliance, and Arakawa is the traitor who let them in. As part of Hikawa Family, Masumi came to be a hardened killer. A Chinese legend tells of a koi fish that ascended a great waterfall . Arakawa is murdered shortly after he and Ichiban part ways, and Ichiban believes that Jo Sawashiro, one of Arakawa's captains, killed him. However, to this day, his true intentions remain shrouded in mystery. He infiltrates the meeting and finds Arakawa with several Tojo Clan figures. This splits the Omi's forces in half, which would instrumental at the time of both organizations' dissolution. Arakawa is shot in the chest and dies a painful death, the last sight in his life being Tendo's smile. Their fight is soon interrupted by a group of thugs led by Shou Takayama, the acting chairman of the Go-Ryu Clan, who has been chasing Ryuji for a while. After retrieving the baby from locker 0099, he rushed him to the hospital, where the baby was diagnosed with hypothermia-induced multiple organ failure. After being released, his Arakawa shoots Ichiban and leaves him for dead in Yokohama. After he joins the yakuza, he slicks part of his hair back in a more clean-cut style. In Ryu Ga Gotoku Online, he is the patriarch of the Arakawa Family and the captain of the Omi Alliance. They summoned Arakawa to their office and asked him to collect Kasuga in person, assuming Kasuga was part of his family. Ichiban denies this, saying he'd rather bring Arakawa's vision of improving the yakuza to life. Hair Color The Chief and Hoshino tell Kasuga of their history with Arakawa, and he learns Arakawa had sent him there intentionally to save him, renewing his faith in his former patriarch. In the final boss fight of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Freelancer will be forcibly equipped, but will have all its skills unlocked if they are not already unlocked. During the campaign, he learns Hoshino is being targeted by Sawashiro, but arrives too late to save him, and learn from Sawashiro that Aoki is his son and Kasuga is Arakawa's. I used both 1,2,3 in the final fight, 3 works the best. 23-41 (The Legend of Ichiban Kasuga: Part 1). )Ichiban Kasuga (son, former subordinate)Masato Arakawa (adoptive son)Hikawa (former patriarch)Mitsuo Yasumura (subordinate)Reiji Ishioda (subordinate)Yosuke Tendo (subordinate)Masaru Watase (ally)Daigo Dojima (ally)Goro Majima (ally)Taiga Saejima (ally)Ryuhei Hoshino (acquaintance)Tora (former co-star) [28] Hayes Madsen from Screen Rant said Ichiban is the most important protagonist in games for the year 2020, and called him an inspiring character due to his unfailing kindness and warmth of humanity, and that his story arc in Like a Dragon put forward meaningful commentary on the inequalities of society. Actors Only Ichiban, Sawashiro and Arakawa cared about Masato. Adachi joins him, and explains his reasoning for wanting to be with him, then hands him a smartphone, which he learns how to operate with assistance from Nick Ogata. 58[3] The game then dramatically rolls into a flashback from when Sawashiro was 15, and his girlfriend at the time was pregnant. When he finds Daigo, he tells Ichiban about where Kiryu's at, and then, just as Ichiban tries to get the truth from Daigo about Arakawa, Daigo gets shot by a character looking to silence anyone saying anything about the Omi Alliance and its plan. Ichiban declines, saying that his place is in Yokohama with his new friends. Other Kasuga's tattoo covers most of his back and ends just above his thighs. Adachi confronts Horinouchi with evidence of the bribes, and the villainous cop is arrested, bringing closure to Adachi's storyline and leaving him feeling vindicated at last. The "ultimate example of not living up to your name," who'd get the ass-end of life despite the name Ichiban and live it to the fullest like he doesn't see the ironythat's the thinking behind it. Chris Moyse from Destructoid praised Ichiban's character arc for "masterfully blending stoicism, bravery, pathos, heroism, and just the right amount of complete and utter idiocy to immediately win the hearts of the Yakuza faithful". Ichiban Kasuga ( , Kasuga Ichiban) is the protagonist of the Like a Dragon series from Yakuza: Like a Dragon onward, as well as the protagonist of The Legend of Ichiban Kasuga: Part 1 in Ryu Ga Gotoku Online. Unlike in Like A Dragon, this incarnation of Ichiban never leaves Kamuroch, and encounters a different cast of supporting characters as well as enemies. He has two character-specific jobs that remain exclusive to him; Also in Kasuga's arsenal is the Poundmates system, which allows him to summon various characters Kasuga and his team have befriended to give the party various buffs, and attack/de-buff enemies during battle. Restores all allies' health by up to 50% at the start of battle, provided they are still conscious. Nationality [4], Ichiban is an orphan raised in Kamuroch by Jiro Kasuga, the manager of a soapland, a type of prostitution establishment that provides its services based on the exploitation of a loophole in Japanese law. Hair Color Ichiban arranges for Aoki to be lured to the Arakawa Family office, and used the opportunity to record incriminating evidence against him and expose his true nature to the general public. There, they meet the Liumang leader Tianyou Zhao and convince both him and Mamoru Takabe to stand down temporarily. During his pursuit of power, he did horrible things and lost sight of the people who were there for him when he was a nobody. It also has been revealed that Aoki used the Yakuza to help him attain power, which is why the Tojo and Omi were disbanded. The Hikawa Family regularly killed people without hesitation, which Masumi took advantage of, disposing of the bodies in Ijincho's Homeless Quarter in order to spend as much time in Yokohama as possible and track down the culprit behind his father's murder, with no leads except for the memory of the killer's face. Kasuga Ichiban (Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! Kazuhiro Nakaya, the voice actor of Ichiban Kasuga in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, has addressed the future of the Yakuza . Ichiban goes to prison on the first night of the 21st century, and doesn't get out until 18 years later, with nearly two decades' worth of culture and change having passed him by, not to . Other He also makes use of a baseball bat in an extremely professional manner. He wields a bat that does a decent amount of damage, so focus on your blocks. arakawa didnt know for sure. Kazuhiro Nakaya They learn Zhao may be in trouble, and Han joins the party to rescue him from Mabuchi and the Omi, where Nanba rejoins them. The Rock Bottom DragonPrisoner 1119 Ichiban starts accepting work from an employment agency to earn a living, and later investigate the Liumang with his friends to learn the truth behind the murder of one of their employers, a soapland proprietor named Nonomiya. On the way, a helicopter spots them on a rooftop and Adachi stays behind. [2] Toshihiro Nagoshi approved of the decision to change the franchise's lead character from Kiryu to Ichiban. Kaiji Tang shares his experiences voicing Ichiban in Yakuza: Like a Dragon", "Kaiji Tang Interview - Ichiban's voice talks Yakuza: Like a Dragon, 13 Sentinels & Trails of Cold Steel", "Say Hello To Kazuga Ichiban, The Next Hero Of The Yakuza Series", "Ichiban Kasuga Teaches Everyone How to Make an Omelet", "Yakuza Series April Fool Joke Involves Ichiban Kasuga In An RPG Battle", "Yakuza SuperGroupies Items Are Inspired By Kiryu, Majima, and Kasuga", "Smell Like Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga With the Latest Yakuza Colognes", "Yakuza: Like A Dragon - Everything We Know About Sega's Newest Yakuza Game", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon preview: What turn-based combat means for a Yakuza lover and JRPG hater", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon Cosplay Performance Is Impressively Accurate", "Best Games Of 2020 - Yakuza: Like A Dragon", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon's secret weapon isn't a magic baseball bat, it's optimism", Ichiban Kasuga Is A Worthy Successor To The Yakuza Throne, "Yakuza's Ichiban Kasuga is an awesome dude, and his story may have only just begun", "Ichiban Kasuga hat das, was vielen Helden fehlt: ein groes Herz und Emotionen", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon Proves that It's Time for the Yakuza Series to Grow Up", "2020 may have been a crap year but it gave us some amazing new characters", "2020's best video game hero exposes the worst part of 'Last of Us 2', "Yakuza's Ichiban Is the Most Important Protagonist of the Year", "Yakuza's Latest Protagonist Is The Hero I Need Right Now", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon reinvigorates the series, but can't shake all of Yakuza's flaws", "Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam", "I Wish Kingdom Hearts' Sora Was More Like Yakuza's Ichiban Kasuga", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ichiban_Kasuga&oldid=1126987462, This page was last edited on 12 December 2022, at 08:29. Aoki was weak and couldn't do a lot on his own without scheming. Having turned over to the Omi Alliance, he is now a direct patriarch under the Omi banner. In fact,Ichiban spends the majority of game saying that he has always felt like Arakawa is a father to him, so the reveal that he might actually be his father drives that connection even deeper. Horinouchi is also the person responsible for having Adachi demoted. Kasuga defeats Tendo, and engineers a confession with the help of Mirror Face to end Aoki's political career. [30] Game Informer ranked Ichiban third place on the publication's list of the top 10 characters of 2020, with Joe Juba commenting that Ichiban's characterization balances the story's tension "with an infectious desire to help the people society overlooks". Its just a possiblity. After sighting a picture of Ryo Aoki, the upstart Governor of Tokyo and co-founder of Bleach Japan, Ichiban recognizes him as an actual living Masato Arakawa. Age One of Kasuga's notable traits is his unfailing kindness and general love for people. Basically, everyone is backstabbing everyone. Ichiban Kasuga. The family that held him captive were enemies of the Arakawa Family. Relationships The betrayal causes Tojo remnants to attack Masumi every once in a while, but he survives and climbs the ranks. Aliases 1959/1960[d] Appears In It puts the pain of shooting Kasuga and the importance of the counterfeit bill into proper perspective, and the finality of Arakawa's life, of being able to finally look at his own son, not as. Initially hesitant, he accepts after learning the Liumang had sent assassins after Nanba. Daigo says that together with the Omi Alliance, they would disband both Yakuza organizationsto prevent the Yakuza way of life from being twisted by the government. He also wears black leather loafers with gold buckles and a matching black leather belt with a gold buckle. RGGO Date of Birth Kenyu Horiuchi He gave him the name Masato; (masa), the first kanji in Masumi and (to), the first kanji in Toshio. Height They went back to save the baby, but Arakawa had already freed the baby from the locker, declaring that it was now his child. Arakawa is with Daigo Dojima, the sixth and current chairman of the Tojo clan. Suddenly, a member of the Go-Ryu Clan appears, giving Han a chance to escape. Physical All rights reserved. Ryu Ga Gotoku OnlineYakuza: Like a DragonLike a Dragon 8 The given birth years of 1959/1960 are an estimate based on Arakawa's age and are not intended as a substitute for an official date. He invited Hoshino to Ijincho's Heian Tower where he interrogated him at gunpoint regarding his motives. Masumi then heads to Heian Tower for dinner with Hoshino. [2], To differentiate him from Kiryu, Ichiban is written to be less stoic and more emotive in comparison. He willingly goes to prison for a murder that he did not commit at the turn of the 21st century, having acquiesced to the request of his clan patriarch, Masumi Arakawa. Other After defeating them, Kasuga learns that Ryo Aoki is actually the supposedly-dead Masato Arakawa. Aoki dies, and it's unclear if Kume is arrested. They meet Hamako and Bleach Japan after a bodyguard job, and Adachi rejoins them afterward. If you use a regular attack first, you'll. Adachi confronts Horinouchi with evidence of the bribes, Ichiban says that he doesn't feel the need to get a DNA test to prove if Arakawa was his real father, Daigo offers Ichiban a job at a security company. After Ichiban leaves prison, he confronts Arakawa to just for Arakawa to shoot him point blank and leave him for dead in Yokohama. His eyes are gray and he has medium-length dark hair styled into a massive afro after his release from prison, as well as a beard. So, since only Ichiban was extremely loyal to Arakawa, they decided to choose him. Here, it is revealed that Governor Ryo Aoki (who is also Masato Arakawa, the son of Masumi) was able to drive crime, and the Yakuza, out of Kamurocho using information from Arakawa with Daigo's permission. Koichi Adachi is one of the members of Kasuga's party, a former cop who lost his job and pension due to corruption in the department. He left Kamurocho for several days following the incident. I felt like Masato knew Ichiban was his son, but he also knew how tough Ichiban was and how Masato would have no one without him and for sure wouldnt make it in prison. The Yakuza franchise's developers, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, wanted to create a new lead character to continue the narrative of the fictional universe they have created. Tang and has cited Chun's work as an inspiration. The two seemingly developed a mutual sense of responsibility for Masato's care although Sawashiro never admitted he was Masato's biological father. While it is never revealed that Sawashiro was telling the truth, Ichiban still felt as though both he and Aoki were sons to Arakawa. Japanese Damage an enemy by hitting them hard in their vital spot. However, Sawashiro later claims that after Arakawa left with Sawashiro's son (Ryo Aoki), the owner of the local brothel came to pull another baby out of the locker (Ichiban Kasuga), who is Arakawa's actual son. He is the new main protagonist of the Yakuza series, succeeding Kazuma Kiryu. Nakaya interpreted Ichiban as an energetic and vivid character when reading the script. However, one hundred million yen in counterfeit bills turned up missing while in Toshio's possession, prompting the Seiryu Clan to eliminate him; in reality, the money had been stolen by Yoko and the man she was having an affair with at the time, his former co-star Tora. Described as having been born with "nothing but physical strength," Kasuga has a very muscular build that gives him the opportunity to be proficient at a variety of fighting styles. The incident had a profound effect on Masumi, who spent the next seven years searching for the killer. Plot: Ichiban, distraught at Arakawa's death is called by Hoshino who invites him for a meal. Kuze and the Go-Ryu follow Ryuji, while Kasuga chases after Han. They later meet the heads of the Ijin Three at Heian Tower and learn about the scheme they set up with Yutaka Ogikubo, but for information on Kasuga's fake bill, he is asked to retrieve Nanba. Privacy Policy. Note: This is ONLY to be used to report spam, advertising, and problematic (harassment, fighting, or rude) posts. Arakawa sparing Ichiban from Yubitsume at the last second just to spend time with him despite his incompetence in regards to collecting money. Masumi Arakawa (former patriarch)Jo Sawashiro (former superior, rival)Mitsuo Yasumura (oath brother, friend, ally)Giichi Kitamura (friend, ally)Shun Akiyama (friend, ally)Mayumi Seto (friend, ally)Hayato Tsuji (friend, ally)Tsukasa Mikuni (complicated ally)Yosuke Kagami (complicated ally)Vincent Lowe (enemy) Yakuza: Like a Dragon: Masumi's face is modeled after his voice actor, Kiichi Nakai. Ryu Ga Gotoku OnlineYakuza: Like a DragonLike a Dragon 8 After facing the Omi, Ichiban reconciles with Arakawa, but is shocked next day to learn of his death. Afterwards, Zhao directs Kasuga to meet with Mitsuo, who is keeping a low profile. Theater actor (formerly)Member of the Hikawa Family (formerly)First patriarch of the Arakawa FamilyActing captain of the Omi Alliance Age Kamurocho, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan Damage an enemy by putting them in a headlock and throwing them. Arakawa explains that it was he who leaked inside information to his son, giving him the chance he needed to bring the 3K strategy into play, forcing the Tojo Clan out. Unable to deal with a child, they chose to put the baby in a locker. Espaol - Latinoamrica (Spanish - Latin America). Arakawa is murdered shortly after he and Ichiban part ways, and Ichiban believes that Jo Sawashiro, one of Arakawa's captains, killed him. The two went on to become akin to father and son, with Kasuga being tasked to care for his adoptive brother, Masato Arakawa, sometime after his induction to the family. Kasuga faces Sawashiro upon arrival and defeats him, then opens the door to a dinner between Omi officers, looking for answers, but is shot in the chest by Arakawa. He later learned that Akane was caught by the yakuza and murdered while he was on his way to the hospital. Ichiban Kasuga was first publicly revealed in August 2017 as part of the developer's promotional efforts for the then-upcoming Ryu ga Gotoku ONLINE. During their preparations, Ichiban hears of an important Omi Alliance meeting in Osaka that Arakawa will attend. On his 24th birthday, Kasuga is called into the Arakawa Family office, where Arakawa informs him of Sawashiro's involvement in the murder of a member of the Sakaki Family. By 1980, he managed to track down his father's killer: Ryuhei Hoshino. George TakeiWPJohnny Yong BoschWP (young adult)Zach AguilarWP (teen)[2] Kasuga puts all his energy into a single punch that may leave the enemy stunned. "[2] Realizing that this new protagonist could serve as the franchise's "catalyst for change" by moving away from the exploration of a modern version of a typical Japanese hero in Kiryu, Yokoyama set about creating and portraying a "life-sized hero", a protagonist who is essentially a "normal guy" who is not as strong or mature as Kiryu. Ichiban Kasuga ( , Kasuga Ichiban) is the protagonist of the Like a Dragon series from Yakuza: Like a Dragon onward, as well as the protagonist of The Legend of Ichiban Kasuga: Part 1 in Ryu Ga Gotoku Online. Occupation Ichiban trails a fleeing Aoki and pleads with him to give himself up. He and his friends are asked to hold the invading Omi Alliance at bay until they can burn down their operation. English He was forced to deal with the matter peacefully, as Sakaki was a direct patriarch above him in rank and feigned innocence in front of the executives. From watching the trailer seeing ichiban take the fall for the other guy. Out of all people Arakawa called Ichiban and asked him to do it . His is of something he calls a "dragonfish.". Masumi approaches the sixth chairman Daigo Dojima with the plan, who approves it as both he and Omi Alliance captain Masaru Watase were planning to disband the Tojo and the Omi to prevent the law from using them as pawns, and the Kamurocho 3K plan succeeding would work towards that goal. [32][33] Anime News Network in particular enjoyed Tang's performance as "absolutely spot-on" due to the multiple expressions he gives to his character. They find Nanba collaborating with Mabuchi, Bleach Japan, and Hajime Ogasawara. I dont think ichiban realized that this just wasnt a prison sentence but this was for life meaning to never return once he got out cause if he returned then the other family would know that it was the family that ichiban was part of that did kill their guy which is why ichiban boss shot him once he opened the door. Through Shuichi Kanbe, the duo find jobs. [26], In a year as tough as 2020, many video game fans looked to the media as a vicarious escape from the misery of an unjust world. Forum (0) Member of the Arakawa Family (formerly) High chance to land a critical hit. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. In 2019, now 42, Kasuga is freed from prison with no one from his old days waiting for him. Draven125 2 yr. ago On the way back home, he encounters Tendo and they discuss the events that transpired. When he returns, Aoki has the Arakawa Family support him in his political career. It explains this and technically he didnt send him to prison ichiban went willingly out of his own choice but it explains he went for masato so masato doesnt get the blame, I know that. Any other thug would simply refuse to go to jail for Sawashiro/Masato. Kasuga's unconscious body is placed in a homeless camp whose chief has a pact with the Arakawa Family and Masumi had secretly placed one of Ryuhei Hoshino's defective counterfeit bills in his suit's chest pocket as a message to Hoshino. Although beloved, he lived in poverty and the people who raised him were considered "trash" by the rest of society. inscribed on the otherwise blank backside, meaning those in power must reward and punish where necessary. Ryu Ga Gotoku Online: Masumi has a solid build. Kasuga is also a huge fan of Dragon Quest, a video game he loved to play ever since his youth. Affiliation He was the Patriach of his family surely he could've found someone else to take Aoki's place right ? In doing so, he decisively changed the course of Kasuga's life. Its just a possiblity. In Like a Dragon 8, Kasuga's hairstyle is a ponytail once again. Tendo now has a chance at the top and shoots Masumi to get back in the Omi remnants' good graces after betraying them. He asks Kasuga to turn himself in, telling him the lie that it was Sawashiro who committed the murder. Masumi earned the resentment of the patriarch of the Sakaki Family, Sakaki, when he interrogated Sakaki on the fact the Sakaki Family was selling Tojo Clan information to the Omi Alliance at a meeting in front of Tojo executives. To Yokoyama, Ichiban's comical "fool" deliberately contrasts the dark setting of Like A Dragon, and that his most important role in the game is to overturning "worldly prejudices" and fight against "invisible discrimination". [25] On the other hand, Dia Lacina from Paste Magazine expressed mixed feelings over Ichiban's portrayal: while Lacina liked that Ichiban is more imminently relatable and achievable as a hero archetype, she criticized the naive speech Ichiban gives to defend Nonomiya's reprehensible behaviour based on his own experience of having grown up under the care of a brothel manager as unconvincing and somewhat insulting.