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Like a Dragon: Ishin, revealed during the latest RGG Summit 2022, is a remake of a popular Yakuza side story. Set in the 1860s, at the end of the Bakumatsu, Kiryu shows up as Ryoma Sakamoto, determined to find the actual killer of his master. Of course, this means plenty of fan-favorite Yakuza characters will be returning to play the role of other characters in this era.
There are far too many to put down in one list, so this will focus on five popular characters that are confirmed to be returning to Like a Dragon: Ishin. It also focuses on a few characters that will replace characters from the original release, which may upset or delight players, depending on how they feel about the original character.
Note: This article does contain spoilers for Like a Dragon: Ishin.
Five popular Yakuza characters appearing in Like a Dragon: Ishin
5) Ryuji Goda (Saigo Kichinosuke)
General Commander of the Satsuma Domain’s army, Saigo Kichinosuke (Saigo Takamori), is a historical figure portrayed by Ryuji Goda in the world of Like a Dragon: Ishin.
However, unlike the Yakuza Kiwami 2 antagonist, he lacks the tattoos that the Dragon of Kansai typically has. This is evident in the naked bathhouse battle at the Sai Bathhouse.
An honest and open character, Saigo detests tricky and lies, which can come across as rough. He used an aggressive street fighting style and hated the Tokugawa Shogunate. Their policy of isolationism was harming the nation in his eyes. Saigo firmly believed that the nation needed to modernize without losing its culture and traditions.
4) Majima Goro (Okita Soji)
What would a Yakuza game be like without Majima Goro? Portraying Okita Soji (Hirayama Goro) is Majima Goro. He’s a significant character in Like a Dragon: Ishin and is the Captain of the First Unit of the Shinsengumi.
A master of Tennen Rishin-ryu (when wielding a katana), as well as his own violent Mad Dog style (when holding a wakizashi), he visually appears and sounds like Majima but lacks the hairstyle and tattoos. Despite those visual changes, he’s still pretty much the same character.
His personality is exactly what players remember of Majima in previous games, so he’s violent, aggressive, and a little chaotic. He started the game off known as Hirayama Goro, working with Serizawa Kamo and Hirama Jusuke.
The three winded up taking new identities and joined the Shinsengumi. Nobody knew they had secret identities until they informed Sakamoto Ryoma later in the game.
3) Koichi Adachi (Isami Kondo) replaces Minoru Aoyama (Y5)
Commander of the Shinsengumi, he was initially portrayed by Aoyama from Yakuza 5. However, that has changed for Like a Dragon: Ishin. Koichi Adachi from Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be playing this historical character in the future.
Isami Kondo is loyal to the Tokugawa Clan and spent his life devoted to ensuring they remained in command of the Japanese government. He uses the same fighting style as Serizawa in-game: the Tennen Rishin-ryu style. However, he has some unique touches, like a counter stance.
It’s worth noting that in Like a Dragon: Ishin, Kondo is assassinated in 1867. However, the real-life version was captured and executed by Loyalist forces during the Boshin War in 1868.
2) Daisaku Kuze (Ito Kashitaro) replaces Goh Hamazaki (Y3/Y4)
Technically, Daisaku Kuze didn’t exist before Ishin’s original launch, so there was no way he could show up. He replaces Goh Hamazaki as supporting antagonist Ito Kashitaro. Of course, he would appear as an antagonist, matching his role in Yakuza 0.
Ito is severe and quiet, and while he may disagree with his superiors, he avoids voicing his opinions out loud. He’s aware of the situation he’s in and isn’t going to rock the boat. He was also appointed to his role by the Shogunate as third-in-command, but he does hold a grudge.
He is convinced he should have been made commander, leading to an issue with his colleagues. Unlike the rest of the Shinsengumi, he uses a unique sword style, and his fate is also different from his real-life version.
He ultimately betrayed Shinsengumi. In the game, he was killed in Tosa. In real life, he was murdered in the streets of Kyoto by Shinsengumi members.
1) Akira Nishikiyama (Okada Izo)
Akira Nishikiyama, Kazuma Kiryu’s brother and the primary antagonist of Yakuza Kiwami, will also appear in Like a Dragon: Ishin. A member of the Tosa Kinno-to, he’s brutal and violent, known as Izo the Slayer.
A well-known character for his love of violence and murder, he wants Takechi Hanpeita to accept him as a brother. With that in mind, he accepts his orders without hesitation, even if it means he has to be tortured.
Like in Yakuza Kiwami, he hates Sakamoto Ryoma (Kazuma Kiryu) for his close relationship with Takechi. In the original game, Akira Nishikiyama always came up second best behind Kiryu, even when he was no longer in the Yakuza. It made him hate the man who was his best friend.
A master of the Nakanishi-ha style, it’s a subtype of the Itto-ryu sword fighting style, he’s slow, but his attacks are quite stylish. Sakamoto defeated and killed Okada in this game, but historically, he was beheaded by the Shogunate in 1865.
This is only a sampling of the great characters coming back for Like a Dragon: Ishin. Released in February 2023, it is a remake from the ground up of Ryu ga Gotoku: Ishin, which never came to the West.
