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* DoomedByCanon: [[spoiler:Downplayed. Since they're introduced in ''0'' you know they won't be around in the chronologically next five games, but only one of them, Awano, actually dies. The other two end up turning themselves into the authorities after their respective defeats, ensuring that they're at least not part of Tojo Clan dealings anymore.]]
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* DidNotThinkThisThrough: As noted under DumbMuscle Kuze's penchant for being shortsighted and bullheaded causes big problems for him. Expelling Kiryu from the Dojima Family gives Kiryu license to investigate the Empty Lot without the constraints of being a yakuza. Doing it without Dojima's permission also costs him both his chance at the captain's spot and his pinky finger, leaving him in the position of an underling relative to his brothers for the rest of the story.
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* DidNotThinkThisThrough: As noted under DumbMuscle DumbMuscle, Kuze's penchant for being shortsighted and bullheaded causes big problems for him. Expelling Kiryu from the Dojima Family gives Kiryu license to investigate the Empty Lot without the constraints of being a yakuza. Doing it without Dojima's permission also costs him both his chance at the captain's spot and his pinky finger, leaving him in the position of an underling relative to his brothers for the rest of the story.
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* EvilVirtues: Ambition, creativity, determination, diligence, honesty, honor, loyalty (to the yakuza overall), passion, resourcefulness, respect, temperance, wisdom. Had these virtues not been wrapped up in in Kuze's violence, lack of kindness and pride he might be a very different person.
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* EvilVirtues: Ambition, creativity, determination, diligence, honesty, honor, loyalty (to the yakuza overall), passion, resourcefulness, respect, temperance, wisdom. Had these virtues not been wrapped up in in Kuze's violence, lack of kindness and pride pride, he might be a very different person.
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* HandicappedBadass: Even losing one of his fingers via {{Yubitsume}} does not reduce him to just a mere, dependable Yakuza. He can still carry a weapon, let his fists do the talking and operate a vehicle.
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* HandicappedBadass: Even losing one of his fingers via {{Yubitsume}} does not reduce him to just a mere, mere dependable Yakuza. He can still carry a weapon, let his fists do the talking talking, and operate a vehicle.
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* VillainHasAPoint: Kiryu despite his best efforts is proven right by Kuze as his naive actions has done more harm than good throughout his quest. Without the guidance of Kazama or Sera from the shadows, Kiryu would have died a painful death trying to protect Kazama's position. As a result of Kiryu getting involved, it led to the deaths of Tachibana and Oda as well as Shibusawa nearly taking Kazama's position as well as planting the seeds of doubt in his relationship with Nishikiyama which comes full circle years later.
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* VillainHasAPoint: Kiryu Kiryu, despite his best efforts is proven efforts, proves Kuze right by Kuze as his naive actions has done do more harm than good throughout his quest. Without the guidance of Kazama or Sera from the shadows, Kiryu would have died a painful death trying to protect Kazama's position. As a result of Kiryu getting involved, it involved led to the deaths of Tachibana and Oda as well as Oda, Shibusawa nearly taking Kazama's position as well as planting position, and the seeds of doubt being planted in his relationship with Nishikiyama which comes would come full circle years later.
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* TokenMotivationalNemesis: Collectively responsible for pushing Kiryu and Majima to become the legendary "Dragon of Dojima" and "Mad Dog of Majima" respectively, to protect their loved ones from the lieutenant's schemes. By the end of the prequel game, they're all either arrested or dead and don't cause any further trouble for Kiryu and Majima in the years going forward.
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* TokenMotivationalNemesis: Collectively responsible for pushing Kiryu and Majima to become the legendary "Dragon of Dojima" and "Mad Dog of Majima" respectively, respectively that they are known as by the time of the first Yakuza game, all to protect their loved ones from the lieutenant's schemes. By the end of the prequel game, they're all either arrested or dead and don't dead. While ''Online'' shows that Kuze is still active as a yakuza, a decade later after getting out of jail, none of them cause any further trouble for Kiryu and Majima in the years going forward.
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''Characters/{{Judgment}}'' | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
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''Characters/{{Judgment}}'' ([[Characters/JudgmentTakayukiYagami Takayuki Yagami]]) | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
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* TokenMotivationalNemesis: Collectively responsible for pushing Kiryu and Majima to become the legendary "Dragon of Dojima" and "Mad Dog of Majima" respectively, to protect their loved ones from the lieutenant's schemes. By the end of the prequel game, they're all either arrested or dead and don't cause any further trouble for Kiryu and Majima in the years going forward.
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Changed line(s) 3 (click to see context) from:
''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''' | [[Characters/Yakuza0KamurochoResidents Kamurocho Residents]]) | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon''\\
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''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''' | [[Characters/Yakuza0KamurochoResidents Kamurocho Residents]] | [[Characters/Yakuza0SotenboriResidents Sotenbori Residents]]) | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon''\\
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* DragonInChief: Though Dojima himself is a cunning strategist, the three lieutenants through their respective families form the backbone of the Dojima Family's power, not to mention they're fighters capable of going toe to toe with the likes of Kiryu, whereas Dojima is a noncombatant. [[spoiler:By the end of 0'' with all three lieutenants either dead or in prison]] Dojima is reduced to a figurehead clinging to his glory days.
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* MightyGlacier: He's not really all that slow, but his wild swings are heavily telegraphed and rather predictable. A quick and skilled fighter like Majima shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding his attacks.
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* MightyGlacier: He's not really all that slow, but his wild swings are heavily telegraphed and still rather predictable. A quick and skilled fighter like Majima shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding his attacks.
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* MightyGlacier: He's not really all that slow, but his wild swings are still rather predictable. A quick and skilled fighter like Majima shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding his attacks.
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* MightyGlacier: He's not really all that slow, but his wild swings are still heavily telegraphed and rather predictable. A quick and skilled fighter like Majima shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding his attacks.
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* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Definitely. While there are some tough underlings working underneath each of them, the lieutenants outclass all of them by a mile and are some of the very few members of the Dojima Family that can actually put up a solid opposition to the likes of [[OneManArmy Kiryu and Majima.]]
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* MightyGlacier: He's not really all that slow, but his wild swings are still rather predictable. A quick and skilled fighter like Majima shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding his attacks.
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''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''' | [[Characters/Yakuza0KamurochoResidents Kamurocho Residents]]) | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/{{Judgment}}'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon'' | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
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''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''' | [[Characters/Yakuza0KamurochoResidents Kamurocho Residents]]) | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon''\\
''Characters/{{Judgment}}''| ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon'' | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
''Characters/{{Judgment}}''
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** ''Brutally'' slams Nishiki's face into the counter at Serena's and graphically bloodies his nose for quietly asking Kiryu what was going on while he was talking.
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** ''Brutally'' He also ''brutally'' slams Nishiki's face into the counter at Serena's and graphically bloodies his nose for quietly asking Kiryu what was going on while he was talking.
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[[foldercontrol]]
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CharacterSpecificPages: [[Characters/YakuzaKazumaKiryu Kazuma Kiryu]] | [[Characters/YakuzaGoroMajima Goro Majima]] | [[Characters/YakuzaIchibanKasuga Ichiban Kasuga]]\\
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CharacterSpecificPages: [[Characters/YakuzaKazumaKiryu Kazuma Kiryu]] | [[Characters/YakuzaGoroMajima Goro Majima]] | [[Characters/YakuzaAkiraNishikiyama Akira Nishikiyama]] | [[Characters/YakuzaIchibanKasuga Ichiban Kasuga]]\\
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The three lieutenants of the Dojima Family. They serve as some of the biggest physical threats to the heroes of ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', being the driving forces behind Sohei Dojima's current reign of influence within both the Tojo clan and all of Kamurocho. The three all being taken out of commission by the end coencides with the family's fall from power.
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The three lieutenants of the Dojima Family. They serve as some of the biggest physical threats to the heroes of ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', being the driving forces behind Sohei Dojima's current reign of influence within both the Tojo clan and all of Kamurocho. The three all being taken out of commission by the end coencides coincides with the family's fall from power.
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Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''') | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/{{Judgment}}'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon'' | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
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''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''') Lieutenants''' | [[Characters/Yakuza0KamurochoResidents Kamurocho Residents]]) | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/{{Judgment}}'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon'' | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
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->[[Characters/Yakuza0 Click here to return to the main character page.]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:(From left to right)Keiji Shibusawa, Hiroki Awano, and Daisaku Kuze]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:(From left to right)Keiji right) Keiji Shibusawa, Hiroki Awano, and Daisaku Kuze]]
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* BadassInANiceSuit: True to the spirit of ''Yakuza''. Each one wears their suit in a different style to convey a major aspect of their personality. Kuze's shirt is always partially unbuttoned and showing a glimpse of his tattoo, emphasizing his tough BloodKnight attitude and his deep pride as a yakuza respectively. Awano's suit is vibrant purple with a sleek turtleneck, hinting that he's a laid-back hedonist who indulges in wealth and leisure. Shibusawa's suit is the most proper amd business-like of the three, showing that he's the not only the most serious and competant of the three, but the coldest as well.
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* BadassInANiceSuit: True to the spirit of ''Yakuza''. Each one wears their suit in a different style to convey a major aspect of their personality. Kuze's shirt is always partially unbuttoned and showing a glimpse of his tattoo, emphasizing his tough BloodKnight attitude and his deep pride as a yakuza respectively. Awano's suit is vibrant purple with a sleek turtleneck, hinting that he's a laid-back hedonist who indulges in wealth and leisure. Shibusawa's suit is the most proper amd and business-like of the three, showing that he's the not only the most serious and competant of the three, but the coldest as well.
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* BadassInANiceSuit: True to the spirit of ''Yakuza''. Each one wears their suit in a different style to convey a major aspect of their personality. Kuze's shirt is always partially unbuttoned and showing a glimpse of his tattoo, emphasizing his tough BloodKnight attitude and his deep pride as a yakuza respectively. Awano's suit is vibrant purple with a sleek turtleneck, hinting that he's a laid-back hedonist who indulges in constant wealth and leisure. Shibusawa's suit is the most proper amd business-like of the three, showing that he's the not only the most serious and competant of the three, but the coldest as well.
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* BadassInANiceSuit: True to the spirit of ''Yakuza''. Each one wears their suit in a different style to convey a major aspect of their personality. Kuze's shirt is always partially unbuttoned and showing a glimpse of his tattoo, emphasizing his tough BloodKnight attitude and his deep pride as a yakuza respectively. Awano's suit is vibrant purple with a sleek turtleneck, hinting that he's a laid-back hedonist who indulges in constant wealth and leisure. Shibusawa's suit is the most proper amd business-like of the three, showing that he's the not only the most serious and competant of the three, but the coldest as well.
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* TheHeavy: While Dojima himself serves as a BigBad, it's these three who keep the game's conflict in motion, serving as persistant physical obstacles to the heroes. Kuze for example is suggested to be the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima, and he finally makes a physical appearance, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists. Awano similarly attempts to subdue both Kiryu and Majima, goading the latter into abandoining Tachibana and being the second-to-last opponent Majima faces. And finally it's Shibusawa who instigates the game's climax, serving as the FinalBoss.
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* TheHeavy: While Dojima himself serves as a BigBad, it's these three who keep the game's conflict in motion, serving as persistant physical obstacles to the heroes. Kuze for example is suggested to be the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima, and when he finally makes a physical appearance, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists. Awano similarly attempts to subdue both Kiryu and Majima, goading the latter into abandoining Tachibana and being the second-to-last opponent Majima faces. And finally it's Shibusawa who instigates the game's climax, serving as the FinalBoss.
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* AmbiguousSituation: Nishikiyama alleges at one point that one of them - or possibly all three of them - sold Kazama out to send him to prison and create a power vacuum for the Dojima captain spot. Given their stated desires to surpass Kazama this it's certainly possible, but their role on Kazama's imprisonment is never elaborated upon.
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* AmbiguousSituation: Nishikiyama alleges at one point that one of them - or possibly all three of them - sold Kazama out to send him to prison and create a power vacuum for the Dojima captain spot. Given their stated desires to surpass Kazama this it's is certainly possible, but their role on Kazama's imprisonment is never elaborated upon.
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* AmbiguousSituation: Nishikiyama alleges at one point that one of them - or possibly all three of them - sold Kazama out to send him to prison and create a power vacuum for the Dojima captain spot. Given their stated desires to surpass Kazama this it's certainly possible, but their role on Kazama's imprisonment is never elaborated upon.
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* BadassInANiceSuit: True to the spirit of ''Yakuza''. Each one wears their suit in a different style to convey a major aspect of their personality. Kuze's shirt is always partially unbuttoned and showing a glimpse of his tattoo, emphasizing his tough BloodKnight attitude and his deep pride as a yakuza respectively. Awano's suit is vibrant purple with a sleek turtleneck, hinting that he's a laid-back hedonist who indulges in constant wealth and leisure. Shibusawa's suit is the most proper amd business-like of the three, showing that he's the not only the most serious and competant of the three, but the coldest as well.
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Changed line(s) 14,15 (click to see context) from:
* TheHeavy: While Dojima himself serves as a BigBad, it's these three who keep the game's conflict in motion, serving as persistant physical obstacles to the heroes. Kuze for example is suggested to be the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima, and he finally makes a physical appearance, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists. Awano similarly attempts to subdue both Kiryu and Majima, goading the latter into abandoining Tachibana and being the second-to-last opponent Majima faces. And finally Shibusawa
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* TheHeavy: While Dojima himself serves as a BigBad, it's these three who keep the game's conflict in motion, serving as persistant physical obstacles to the heroes. Kuze for example is suggested to be the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima, and he finally makes a physical appearance, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists. Awano similarly attempts to subdue both Kiryu and Majima, goading the latter into abandoining Tachibana and being the second-to-last opponent Majima faces. And finally Shibusawa
it's Shibusawa who instigates the game's climax, serving as the FinalBoss.
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Spoilers regarding the events of ''Yakuza 0'' and ''Kiwami 2'' will be '''unmarked''', so proceed with caution.
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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yakuza_dojima_lts.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:(From left to right)Keiji Shibusawa, Hiroki Awano, and Daisaku Kuze]]
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* TheHeavy: While Dojima himself serves as a BigBad, it's these three who keep the game's conflict in motion, serving as persistant physical obstacles to the heroes. Kuze for example is suggested to be the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima, and he finally makes a physical appearance, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists.
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* TheHeavy: While Dojima himself serves as a BigBad, it's these three who keep the game's conflict in motion, serving as persistant physical obstacles to the heroes. Kuze for example is suggested to be the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima, and he finally makes a physical appearance, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists.
protagonists. Awano similarly attempts to subdue both Kiryu and Majima, goading the latter into abandoining Tachibana and being the second-to-last opponent Majima faces. And finally Shibusawa
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[[folder:Lao Gui]]
!!!Voiced By: Koji Suzuki (International), Sam Lee (Chinese Version, English Version before Ver. 1.05 update)
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/y0laogui.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240:Lao Gui in the Japanese and Western versions]]
[[caption-width-right:270:[[labelnote:Click here to see]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lao_gui_chinese.JPG[[/labelnote]] Lao Gui in the Chinese version]]
-->''"..."''
A Chinese hitman, said to be the most lethal man among the mainland organizations. None of his targets have ever survived. A master of every weapon possible, he uses his nearly superhuman agility to slay his targets. The Dojima Family is rumored to have spent a small fortune to retain his services.
It's implied he's the one who killed the victim Kiryu beat in the Empty Lot, framing Kiryu for the murder, probably under orders of Shibusawa. He returns late in the game when he's present during Makoto's exchange of the Empty Lot with the Dojima family and shoots her for her troubles, which makes him the target of Majima's fury and the victim of the brutal CurbStompBattle he dishes on him.
----
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Only in the Chinese version of ''0''; see InkSuitActor below for the details.
* BossSubtitles: One of the few major characters to [[SubvertedTrope NOT]] have a blurb detailing his position on his splash screen. It underlines his mercenary, [[NoNonsenseNemesis no-nonsense]] nature, and also reflects how he is not a proper yakuza member.
* BilingualDialogue: He speaks Mandarin Chinese in a cast consisting of Japanese people.
* CadreOfForeignBodyguards: As well as being an assassin, he serves as a bodyguard and Majima's final obstacle to Dojima.
* CombatPragmatist: Unlike many other foes Kiryu's faced, Lao Gui doesn't face him head-on, but instead shoots Kiryu twice from an elevated to incapacitate him. Kiryu might have actually died right then and there if [[HeroicSacrifice Tachibana hadn't given himself up to save his life.]] Later, Lao Gui has no problems busting out a gun in the middle of a fight with Majima.
* CombatTropes: He'll switch up his weapons and tactics after taking a certain amount of damage.
** WolverineClaws: In the first phase of his boss fight, he fights using throwing needles held between his fingers.
** SwordAndGun: In his second phase, he switches to using a giant Dao and a silenced pistol.
** BarefistedMonk: Does away with his weapons in the last phase of his boss fight, forcing him to rely on his hand-to-hand skills which are graceful and acrobatic to the extent that he's defying physics with certain attacks.
* CruelMercy: After Majima spares him, Sera states that rather than being turned over to the police to testify against Dojima, Lao Gui will be living out the rest of his days in the same hellhole that Majima spent a year in as leverage against Dojima instead.
* TheDreaded: Tachibana instantly recognizes him as the most competent hitman he's known from mainland China. He rightfully sees him as the worst possible enemy they could run into.
* EvilSoundsDeep: His original voice is definitely this.
* {{Foil}}: To Majima. Where Majima never killed before but is reluctantly pushed into the role of hitman, then ultimately reneges in the job due to his humanity, Lao Gui is an experienced and extremely competent assassin, who not only won't hesitate to kill but seems to rather ''enjoy'' his work.
* FinalBoss: For Majima in ''0''.
* GoForTheEye: One of his attacks has him attempting to shove his thumb in his opponent's eye. And considering Majima has already lost one...
* {{Gonk}}: Especially conspicuous as ''Yakuza'' usually avoids exaggerated ugliness: in all versions but the Chinese release (in which he's [[InkSuitActor modeled after his voice actor Sam Lee]]), he looks like a gaunt, wrinkly corpse brought to life.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: He speaks primarily in Mandarin, though he's clearly voiced by a Japanese VA in the original version and doesn't get the pronunciation quite right. Averted in the Chinese version to an extent. While Sam Lee doesn't normally speak Mandarin (his native dialect is Cantonese), his pronunciation of the Mandarin dialogue is pretty much on point save for a noticeable Cantonese accent.
* InkSuitActor: In the Chinese version of ''0'', he's modeled after and voiced by Hong Kong film actor Sam Lee. Prior to the version 1.05 patch, the western localization used Sam Lee's voice acting in the boss fight.
* {{Jerkass}}: Shooting a defenseless, blind civilian is just one of many horrible deeds he conducts under Sohei Dojima's employ. That smirk on his face suggests he [[{{Sadist}} enjoys]] his job, too.
* KnightOfCerebus: Introduces himself by almost killing Kiryu with several shots with a silenced pistol from a nearby rooftop, forcing Tachibana to allow himself to be captured just to spare Kiryu's life. As a matter of fact, something horrible happens basically everytime he shows up. If Shibusawa made the story darker, Lao Gui makes it black as night with a number of the story's darkest and most tragic moments being tied to his intervention either directly or indirectly.
* KubrickStare: Engages in one before his boss fight.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Archnemesis"
* LeParkour: After shooting at Kiryu and Tachibana from a rooftop, he uses a series of stylish wall jumps to quickly reach street level and corner them. [[CombatParkour He displays similar agility during his boss fight,]] jumping off the walls for certain attacks and flipping and twirling through the air for a number of others as well.
* LooksLikeCesare: In the original and western localizations of ''0'', his face is particularly shriveled and wrinkled.
* MirrorBoss: Not nearly to the extent that Shibusawa is to Kiryu, but like the battle between dragons, Lao Gui and Majima have similar fighting styles in that they are agile weapon masters who fight dirty, and Lao Gui switches between weapons the way our heroes and Shibusawa shift from style to style. Conceptually, Lao Gui is an infamous assassin to contrast Majima's role as a reluctant hitman.
* MythicalMotifs: Demons, as his name literally means "Old Demon". He shares this motif with Majima (who has a demon tattoo), thus making both of the game's final boss fights essentially feature the protagonists fight characters with the same mythological representatives as themselves; Kiryu and Shibusawa for dragons, and Majima and Lao Gui for demons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: His name literally translates into "[[EvilOldFolks Old Demon]]".
* NoNonsenseNemesis: His reaction to spotting Kiryu? Shoot on sight. The same rule applies to Majima, and he only survives because Awano gets in the way. In his fight, he'll use every weapon he has on him before resorting to fisticuffs.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: In a series that sticks to a photorealistic artstyle and features only a few characters with slightly exaggerated features, Lao Gui barely looks human with his shriveled-up face and small, sunken eyes. The Chinese version of ''0'' averts this, where Lao Gui is modeled after his [[InkSuitActor voice actor]] instead.
* ObviouslyEvil: There's almost no way you would ever mistake this man for a good person or mere civilian. Averted in the Chinese version of the game where he's [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse surprisingly normal-looking for such a cold-blooded killer.]]
* PragmaticVillainy: When Tachibana surrenders to him, Lao Gui leaves the incapacitated Kiryu because he was not ordered to kill him.
* ProfessionalKiller: According to Dojima, the best in China.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: One of his attacks in his unarmed final phase is a one-inch punch strong enough to send Majima flying.
* SequentialBoss: Majima fights him immediately after defeating Awano and before Kiryu takes on Shibusawa.
* SlasherSmile: Flashes a nasty, toothy grin one when he evades Majima's punch by flipping over him during his boss intro.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He has only three appearances in the entire game, but he's the one who carried out the Empty Lot killing that drives Kiryu's storyline, and he's directly responsible for Majima's StartOfDarkness by shooting Makoto, as well as Tachibana's death. Every time he appears, something massive and horrible is going to happen.
* TheStoic: He barely speaks and when he does, it's always in a calm, indifferent tone. Even his BossBanter is very subdued.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Shares a lot of similarities with Lau Ka Long. They're both Chinese, they're extremely agile fighters specializing in a variety of weapons which they switch to as their boss fights progress before being forced to fight bare-handed, and they're treated with [[KnightOfCerebus the utmost severity and seriousness]] [[TheDreaded due their horrific actions]] despite not being the primary antagonists.
* TheUnfought: In Kiryu's story. Despite managing to put two bullets in Kiryu, he never sees him again after the one time they cross paths, and it's Majima who has to deal with him.
* SwordAndGun: During the second phase of his boss fight, he equips a pistol and a Chinese broadsword at the same time.
* ThrowAwayGuns: As the second phase ends, he ends up hurling his empty pistol at Majima's face after the last shot he fired got deflected by his own sword, which was in Majima's hands, and then had what was left of said sword thrown back at him.
* VillainousBreakdown: He has no words for it, but he's terrified for his life after Majima overcomes him and beats him to a pulp before leaving him gasping on the ground. Just as Majima's on the verge of ending him with his knife on hand, he can only [[MirthlessLaughter laugh nervously]] in the face of seemingly certain death.
* WallJump: Capable of jumping off of the walls to perform attacks in two phases of his fight:
** In the first phase, he'll leap off of a wall and then toss his throwing needles at Majima.
** In the last phase, he'll jump off of a wall near Majima to perform an aerial GrappleMove.
* WouldHitAGirl: He shoots Makoto, who is still recovering from her blindness, without a moment's hesitation. This act sends Majima [[UnstoppableRage over the edge]].
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The three lieutenants of the Dojima Family. They serve as some of the biggest physical threats to the heroes of ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'', being the driving forces behind Sohei Dojima's current reign of influence within both the Tojo clan and all of Kamurocho. The three all being taken out of commission by the end coencides with the family's fall from power.
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* TheHeavy: It's suggested that he's the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima. When he finally makes a physical appearance in the plot, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists.
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''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza 0'' ''Characters/Yakuza0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''') | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/{{Judgment}}'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon'' | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
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[[WMG:[[center:[-''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'' | [[Characters/{{Yakuza}} Main Index]]\\
CharacterSpecificPages: [[Characters/YakuzaKazumaKiryu Kazuma Kiryu]] | [[Characters/YakuzaGoroMajima Goro Majima]] | [[Characters/YakuzaIchibanKasuga Ichiban Kasuga]]\\
''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza 0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''') | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/{{Judgment}}'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon'' | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
Spoilers regarding the events of ''Yakuza 0'' and ''Kiwami 2'' will be '''unmarked''', so proceed with caution.
[[folder:In General]]
The three lieutenants of the Dojima Family. They serve as some of the biggest physical threats to the heroes of ''Yakuza 0'', with each
[[/folder]]
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[[folder:Daisaku Kuze]]
!!! '''Voiced by:''' Hitoshi Ozawa
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/08.png]]
-->''"The Yakuza game, it's not like boxing. The guy who gets beat down isn't the loser. The guy who can't tough it out to the end, he's the one who loses."''
Kuze is a former professional boxer and a true yakuza to the core. A talented leader, he is well-known for inciting controlled and targeted violence through the yakuza thugs who serve him. The oldest of the three lieutenants and the Patriarch of the Kenno Clan, Kuze is left in charge of the Dojima Family when Captain Shintaro Kazama is sent to prison.
He hoped to steal Kazama's seat and attempted to use Kiryu as a spy to do so, but his failure provoked Dojima's anger, resulting in Kuze's removal from power. This doesn't slow him down though, and he repeatedly fights Kiryu with his pride on the line.
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* AntiVillain: He becomes closer to this by the fourth fight. After Tachibana's death he explains that there's a traitor in the Tojo Clan trying to sell the Empty Lot to the Omi Alliance, which would cause a cataclysmic war between the two factions. At the very least he's much more concerned with the overall stability of the Tojo Clan than his brothers.
* BadassBoast: He delivers one before his second fight against Kiryu, partially quoted above.
* BerserkButton:
** He thinks quitters are losers and the fact that Kiryu managed to leave the Dojima Family without paying a price while he loses his finger causes Kuze to develop a severe grudge.
** Never disobey his orders especially if done ''to his face''; Kuze [[KickTheSonOfABitch kills Yoneda]] due to him killing Tachibana without any meaningful information given.
* BloodKnight: He states that he joined the Yakuza in order to find tough enemies.
* BoxingBattler: As noted above, a former pro-boxer though in practice he's definitely using a dirtier variant since he uses kicks, headbutts, and elbow strikes. These skills are a large part of the reason he's able to repeatedly face-off against the much younger Kiryu and hold his own.
* TheBrute: He and his clan are the muscle of the Dojima clan and do most of the dirty jobs, including interrogation.
* TheBusCameBack: Makes a reappearance in ''Yakuze Online'' 10 years after he was arrested in 1988. He's been tasked with helping the Arakawa Family by hunting down Ryuji Goda and Joon Gi Han who've been individually causing trouble in Kamurocho. Curiously enough, he ends up working together with [[VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon Ichiban Kasuga]] as a result.
* CharacterDevelopment: Strangely enough, his character changes over the many times he fights Kiryu. Initially looking down on Kiryu as a pushover and obsessed with getting the captain's seat, his first defeat causes him to toss aside his ambitions and instead on regaining his lost pride. After being defeated by Kiryu the fourth time, that hatred changes to respect and when defeated the fifth time, gracefully accepts his defeat.
* ClassicVillain: Pride. The reason behind his animosity with Kiryu is that his first defeat at Kiryu's hands left him humiliated in front of his boss and fellow lieutenants.
* CombatPragmatist: By the third time Kuze fights Kiryu, he just wants him dead so much that he's not above just having one of his goons knocking Kiryu out with a bat so that he can get back up and execute him right then and there. Had Tachibana not run him over with a car he would have actually done it.
* ConspicuousGloves: Wears a single glove over his left hand in ''Online'' to cover up his missing pinky.
* CounterAttack: When he's blocking attacks in succession, he may reel back for a heavy punch. If you knock him off his feet, he may catch himself by rolling before rushing at you with a haymaker.
* DareToBeBadass: After being defeated for the fifth and final time, he warns Kiryu what's to come before encouraging him to follow his heart.
-->'''Kuze''': You best know this much, Kiryu… You’re about to step into the… the deepest, darkest, shit pit of the yakuza world. [[GiveHimANormalLife Kazama kept you from walking that path for a long time.]] But if that’s gonna be your choice… then go!
-->'''Kiryu''': Yeah. I’m ready. For whatever comes… [[WorthyOpponent sir.]]
* DarkReprise: His boss theme changes from the heart-pumping "Pledge of Demon" to the more somber "Oath of Enma" for his last bout with Kiryu, fitting his arc and change of perception concerning Kiryu.
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: Subverted. He doesn't live particularly lavishly for a Yakuza boss in the bubble economy, and speaks more about accountability, responsibility and suffering that come with the life than any of the perks.
* DegradedBoss: From ''6'' onwards, there's been generic mini-boss strength enemies sharing his fighting style.
* TheDeterminator: He is utterly persistent when it comes to his obsession of killing Kiryu. After losing in their first showdown, he comes after Kiryu ''multiple'' times and loses ''every'' rematch. With every defeat he vows to come back, and does. To paraphrase his own words, Yakuza don't lose after a single defeat; the winner is whoever keeps getting back up.
* DidNotThinkThisThrough: As noted under DumbMuscle Kuze's penchant for being shortsighted and bullheaded causes big problems for him. Expelling Kiryu from the Dojima Family gives Kiryu license to investigate the Empty Lot without the constraints of being a yakuza. Doing it without Dojima's permission also costs him both his chance at the captain's spot and his pinky finger, leaving him in the position of an underling relative to his brothers for the rest of the story.
* DrunkWithPower: His sense of authority went straight to his head once Kazama went to prison.
* DumbMuscle: Downplayed: Kuze's not stupid by any stretch, but compared to his two cohorts he's the most shortsighted and bullheaded, seeing the race for the Empty Lot as a straightforward contest to the captain's seat and not the complex conspiracy it is. Out of the three, he's the one with the most inclination to choose brute force as the way to get what he wants, both personally and in regards to his clan.
* DynamicEntry: Charges into Kiryu ''on a motorcycle in a narrow sewer'' and bashes his head in with an iron pipe, screaming his name all the while. He then promptly crashes said motorcycle and gets sent flying, but [[MadeOfIron stands back up as if nothing happened.]] Kiryu on the other hand is injured enough to be forced to one knee for the entirety of Kuze's MotiveRant though he recovers just in time to block another swing by said iron pipe.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Though he's a violent BloodKnight he's no sadist and has no interest in hurting people if there's no benefit to doing so. When he realizes that Tachibana won't break under torture he stops it.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Pities the orphaned Kiryu and Nishiki for being taken in by a Yakuza like Kazama stating that he's effectively turned them into his human shields. Later in that chapter, it's revealed that Kazama never wanted them to be Yakuza and in fact struck them both when he learned that they wanted to join the Tojo Clan as Yakuza. The only reason they joined was to both work under him as thanks for giving them happier lives as well as to live up to [[NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters noble Yakuza standards that he seemed to exemplify.]]
** Subverted later on after his final defeat. He starts starts to understand that Kazama never really wanted Kiryu to become a proper yakuza and that [[CreateYourOwnHero it was the Dojima Family that forced him to toughen up into the living force of nature he is for the rest of the series.]]
* EvilCounterpart: A manly, determined, strong, resilient, and brutal older man with a distinctive deep voice, a sense of honor, a deep understanding of the suffering that comes with the yakuza life-style, a HotBlooded personality hidden underneath a calm dignified demeanor, and a preference for light-grey suits and white snake-pattern dress shoes. As the game progresses, it's shown that he shares more than a few similarities to the sort of man Kiryu would become later in life. However Kuze's shown to lack of any Kiryu's genuine warmth or kindness as well as Kiryu's genuine respect for human life. Still, by the time Kiryu takes him down for the last time, it's clear he's the only villainous lieutenant of Dojima that Kiryu has any form of respect for and the feeling is mutual.
* EvilOldFolks: He is the oldest of the three lieutenants, and the most violent, grumpy and aggressive among them.
* EvilVirtues: Ambition, creativity, determination, diligence, honesty, honor, loyalty (to the yakuza overall), passion, resourcefulness, respect, temperance, wisdom. Had these virtues not been wrapped up in in Kuze's violence, lack of kindness and pride he might be a very different person.
* FacePalmOfDoom: When Yoneda acts out of line and lands a blow that kills Tachibana during interrogation, Kuze quickly grabs him by the face and slams his head against the floor with enough force to outright kill him.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He's intelligent enough to know when to use force instead of words, but will often try to talk things out first. At one point, while trying to convince Kiryu to work with him, he offers him a cigarette and even lights it for him. This is less due to his own personality, but is more in line with the motivation of the Yakuza to negotiate rather than use force unless it's completely necessary. The fact that from the second fight on he tries to kill Kiryu immediately rather than talk speaks volumes [[GodzillaThreshold about how much of a threat Kiryu is in his eyes]] and the overwhelming hatred Kuze has for him.
* FlunkyBoss: He fights alongside several mooks in two of his boss battles.
* GracefulLoser: Constantly defied as he keeps coming back for more. His final fight, however, has him acknowledge Kiryu's superiority and calmly accepts his defeat and lets himself be taken in by the police.
* HandicappedBadass: Even losing one of his fingers via {{Yubitsume}} does not reduce him to just a mere, dependable Yakuza. He can still carry a weapon, let his fists do the talking and operate a vehicle.
* HeelFaceTurn: Downplayed. He doesn't ''defect'' in the traditional sense, but by his fifth fight with Kiryu he's more interested in settling his rivalry with the latter rather than enforcing Shibusawa's new regime as the Dojima captain. He orders his men to clear out so that they can have a fair fight and freely shares Shibusawa's plans. It's possible that he found out about Shibusawa orchestrating the killing in the Empty Lot.
* HiddenDepths: Kiryu walks in on him ''meditating'' shortly before his first boss fight.
* HitStop: Gloriously utilized during the intro to Kiryu's fourth fight against him when Kiryu kicks it off by rushing at Kuze, [[SayMyName yelling his name out in anger,]] and slugging him hard across the face, knocking his glasses off, and briefly sending him stumbling to one knee before he rises back up to retaliate.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: After Kiryu refuses to spy on Kazama for him, Kuze expels him and tries to kill him. This not only leaves Kiryu free to take him down but also leads to him losing his finger and getting disgraced.
* HonorBeforeReason: Inverted. Normally a man with a strong sense of honor, Kuze's severe grudge causes him to resort to whatever he needs to do to bring Kiryu down including ambushing him and having one of his men knock Kiryu out from behind. Played straight when he decides that Kiryu can't be stopped by this point and simply faces him alone without backup before turning himself in.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: After getting beaten up by Kiryu the first time, Kuze turns to Awano and Shibusawa and demands backup taking Kiryu down: despite being in the business for decades and knowing the two for years, it never once occurs to him that the two cutthroat Yakuza would likely much rather let his screwup play out and remove a him as a rival from the race for the captain's seat.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: He says this verbatim after Tachibana's death when revealing a traitor in the Tojo Clan trying to sell the Empty Lot to the Omi Alliance.
* InkSuitActor: Modeled after his voice actor.
* IntergenerationalRivalry: With Kiryu. Kuze is Kiryu's senior in the Dojima family, thinking Kiryu at first to be nothing more than young rookie and a tool for the clan. Though after suffering a humiliating defeat in front of the other lietenants, along with Dojima himself, Kuze swears revenge against Kiryu, and spends the rest of the game trying to take him down, their fights getting more intense with every rematch.
* KickTheDog: While he may not have done the deed himself in killing Tachibana and in fact executed Yoneda for offing Tachibana against his orders, he comments on Tachibana's fatal head injury with cheerful indifference smiling right in the face of Kiryu who's clearly absolutely infuriated. It earns him a ''massive'' punch to the face courtesy of Kiryu.
-->"Oh well. Guess these things have a way of working out."
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Fatally smashes Yoneda's head against the floor after he kills Tachibana in a fit of anger.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Like Shibusawa, he is arrested at the end of the game. Unlike Shibusawa, he willingly turned himself in.
* {{Leitmotif}}: He gets two. "Pledge of Demon" for most of his fights, and "Oath of Enma" for the final encounter with Kiryu.
* LightIsNotGood: A violent high-ranking criminal always dressed in very light-colored clothing. Played with, as of the three Dojima Lieutenants, he is easily the [[NobleDemon most sympathetic.]]
* LightningBruiser: Boasts a variety of quick and aggressive techniques that can really wear down your health bar if you're not careful. His first health bar is also pretty sizeable by "first boss fight in a Yakuza game" standards and he only gets tougher and more aggressive with every rematch.
* MadeOfIron: Kuze takes several beatings throughout the game that should have killed a man his age (or any age really) which includes getting ''rammed'' by a speeding car, yet he keeps going like the stubborn old goat that he is.
* MeaningfulName: The name of his clan, "Kenno" translates directly into "Fist King".
* NeverMyFault: He spends most of the story harboring intense hatred of Kiryu for the latter's role in causing him to lose a pinky finger and his shot at the captain's spot while Kiryu was able to be expelled from the Dojima family scot-free. He never once reflects on how his own mistakes or bad judgment led to his situation; even Sohei Dojima calls him out on it.
* NobleDemon: Thuggish and violent for sure, but he's not without principles. By the end he's pretty sure nobody can stop Kiryu. Rather than waste a bunch of lives raiding the Kazama family office like ordered to by Shibusawa, he sends his men away, gets one last fight in with Kiryu, then turns himself in to the police after telling Kiryu that Shibusawa is assaulting Sera's ship and kills Yoneda for meaninglessly killing Tachibana against his orders.
* NotSoStoic: He radiates confidence, severity and cold fury in his introduction. But when Dojima berates him and his fellow lieutenants refuse to back him up, he flies into an almost [[VillainousBreakdown delirious rage]].
* OldMaster: As the oldest of the three Dojima lieutenants. Age has done little to diminish his fighting prowess, being able to go toe to toe against the decades-younger Kiryu and keep coming back for more.
* PipePain: In his second fight, he uses a giant pipe that's almost as long as he is tall.
* PowerFist: In his third fight, he's got Steel Knuckles on his hands to really make his punches hurt.
* PragmaticVillainy: He's experienced enough with torture that he knows when to relent and when his victim is someone who won't break. When Yoneda disobeys his orders and delivers a fatal blow to Tachibana, Kuze immediately executes him.
* ARealManIsAKiller: Unlike Sagawa who warns Majima that killing leaves a dark mark and it's better going through life without it, Kuze hates Kiryu because he won't commit to the end and leaves his opponent alive.
-->'''Kuze:''' In the Yakuza life there is no K.O.
* RecurringBoss: Compared to other recurring bosses, how many times he's fought in ''0'' alone is impressive -- a grand total of FIVE.
* RedHerring: Because of his role in Kazama's arrest and being the first lieutenant to approach Kiryu, he looks like the person behind Kiryu's framing. Shibusawa is the true culprit and he held an even bigger envy of Kazama.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Doesn't give a shit about the lot once he hacks his pinky off, he just wants to beat Kiryu.
* SinisterShades: A pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses. He ditches them in his 2nd fight and his 5th fight.
* SmokyVoice: He has a very coarse voice, notably resembling that of a chronic smoker. To boot, he like most characters is seen smoking in a cutscene.
* SmugSnake: When introduced, he's the one favored to get the Empty Lot and by extension the Captain's seat, and he's accordingly cocky and self-assured. This all goes away after his loss to Kiryu and subsequent fall from grace, and by the end of the story it's revealed that in reality Kuze never stood a snowball's chance of getting the Lot, being completely OutGambitted by pretty much everyone else.
* TattooedCrook: Great King Enma, who governs the underworld in East Asian mythology. Much like he judges the souls entering the underworld, a large part of Kuze's character is the evaluation and judgement of Kazuma Kiryu. Emma's left pinky is also obscured, {{Foreshadowing}} Kuze having to sever his own left pinky. Additionally, his arms depict the demons [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox-Head_and_Horse-Face Gozu and Mezu]] who are said to be the underworld's guardians.
* TooCleverByHalf: He is the first to make a move to host Kazama out of the captain's seat by getting him arrested prior the game event and trying to force Kiryu to spy on him. By revealing his hand too early Kiryu is able to disgrace him in front of Dojima and the other lieutnants prove themselves much better schemers than he is.
* VillainousBreakdown: After his first defeat by Kiryu, he is humiliated in front of his peers, who force him to cut off his finger. His reaction is nothing less than indignant rage.
-->"Goddammit! You fucking watch close!"
* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: By the time he has his second encounter with Kiryu his overall strength remains largely the same, his health doesn't increase at all, and he's only mixed up his fighting style by brandishing a long pipe as a weapon. Meanwhile the player has likely given Kiryu all sorts of new tricks to chew through such an HP bar.
* VillainHasAPoint: Kiryu despite his best efforts is proven right by Kuze as his naive actions has done more harm than good throughout his quest. Without the guidance of Kazama or Sera from the shadows, Kiryu would have died a painful death trying to protect Kazama's position. As a result of Kiryu getting involved, it led to the deaths of Tachibana and Oda as well as Shibusawa nearly taking Kazama's position as well as planting the seeds of doubt in his relationship with Nishikiyama which comes full circle years later.
* VillainousValor: Kiryu ends up admitting he'll rather face a hundred yakuza over him, as Kuze's determination makes him dangerous foe.
* WakeUpCallBoss: The first real boss fight in the game and a great step above any of the previous foes faced. He's very aggressive with a variety of attacks that are often quicker and more damaging than anything the game's thrown at you before. He's also the very first enemy to have multiple health-bars as well the first to go into [[TurnsRed heat mode when sufficiently damaged,]] granting him stronger, more aggressive attacks, and greater resistance to attacks that would normally knock him off his feet. It doesn't help that that his arena is an empty square devoid of any grabbable objects to exploit against him. He's likely to be the first enemy to force you to use healing items to survive.
* WeCanRuleTogether: He offers Kiryu this, promising him that if he is willing to spy on the Kazama Family for him to help him gain control of the Empty Lot, he will in turn look after him and help him ascend the ranks of the family. Kiryu rejects this, telling Kuze that even giving him such an offer shows that he doesn't know the first thing about him.
* WorthyOpponent: After seeing that Kiryu is willing to go to war with the entirety of the Tojo Clan in order to protect Makoto, Kuze's opinion of him changes from contempt to a proper gangster in his own right. The feeling seems to be mutual since Kiryu still shows him a lot of respect in their final clash.
* {{Yubitsume}}: He does this to his left pinky after losing his first match with Kiryu.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hiroki Awano]]
!!! '''Voiced by:''' Riki Takeuchi
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/09_4.png]]
-->''"The age we're living in, cash money is the true king. Yakuza got to adapt to that and evolve."''
The second lieutenant of the Dojima Family, Patriarch of the Taihei Association. Awano is a man of leisure who often finds himself going with the flow rather than fighting against the rising tide. However, beneath his laconic exterior is a cunning man, skilled in gathering information and making good on the Dojima Family's threats. Although he is loyal to his fellow lieutenants in serving the Dojima Family, he is also an opportunist.
His information network is broad and reliable, and despite the carefree air he presents, he trades in extortion. Master of both the stick and the carrot, with a specialty in stick. Following Kuze's fall from disgrace, Awano assumed leadership until Shibusawa was named family captain. Shortly after losing to Majima during his raid on the Dojima family, he's killed by Lao Gui.
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* AxCrazy: Abruptly shoots a girl dead for no reason other than to make a point to Kiryu.
* BadassInANiceSuit: He dresses like a playboy but can punch a crater into cement.
* BaitAndSwitchBoss: Played with. On one hand, he's fought as a ClimaxBoss the end of the game, during Majima's climactic attack on the Dojima Family HQ. On the other hand, he's not Majima's ''final'' boss, as the story led you to believe: after Majima defeats him, he gets subsequently killed by Lao Gui, who is Majima's true final boss.
* BlofeldPloy: After his attempts to persuade and then extort Kiryu into working for him fail, he shoots the woman he had been dancing with moments earlier in a final attempt to intimidate Kiryu. This only earns him Kiryu's undying hatred and disgust.
* BloodKnight: Right before his boss fight, Awano admits that for all the indulgences he partakes in, none of it compares to a good fight and afterwards claims that he joined the Yakuza because he liked hitting people.
* CharacterTic: A common facial tic of his is turning up one corner of his mouth into a condescending sneer.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: He's strong enough to leave a large impact on a brick wall upon punching it.
* ClassicVillain: Represents Gluttony, as he enjoys the vices of the yakuza life.
* TheDandy: He wears a gaudy purple suit and gold chain over a black turtleneck sweater and lives to dance, golf, and lounge about.
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: He embodies the luxurious lifestyle of successful Yakuza of the era. Subverted when he later admits that his materialism and indulgence are empty replacements for his own lack of worth as a Yakuza compared to Kazama.
* EvilGenius: He's in charge of Dojima Family's information.
* EvilSoundsRaspy: Not as much as [[SmokyVoice Kuze]], but he also has a notably coarse voice.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Gives Kiryu a final offer to join him in exchange for handing over Tachibana which, from the point of view of a criminal, was more than reasonable. Once Kiryu inevitably throws it back in his face however, he shoots the girl that he had been dancing with earlier dead, for no reason other than to make a point.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: He easily catches Kiryu's punch, who is no slouch in the strength department even in his youth, indicating the lieutenant's own well-hidden strength.
* GeniusBruiser: The dude gives [[OneManArmy Majima]] a run for his money. He even caught Kiryu's punch at one point. He is also really good at information gathering.
* GutturalGrowler: When Awano talks, it's always delivered in an intimidatingly low, throaty voice.
* HannibalLecture: A unique case in which the trope is played straight, then [[LampshadedTrope lampshaded]] and ultimately [[DefiedTrope defied]] by the perpetrator. Before the battle against him, Awano smugly lectures Majima about how money rules all, and hot-blooded, fist-first types like Majima are obsolete in today's world. After Majima [[ShutUpHannibal throws it back in his face]], Awano admits he instinctively starts thinking of villainous speeches when he meets someone like Majima, then ultimately disagrees with his own lecture as he admits nothing compares to a good battle.
* TheHedonist: He lives to indulge in the luxuries that being a wealthy Yakuza boss affords him, such as booze, women and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking golf]]. After being defeated by Majima, he admits that his hedonistic attitude was partially borne out of his edge being dulled by age as he began to take less risks later in his life.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Just as he turns back on his hedonistic ways, he's gunned down by Lao Gui, but not without TakingTheBullet for Majima before he dies.
* HiddenDepths: His thick, gaudy outfit hides how fit he is despite his age and decadent lifestyle.
* HumblePie: A combination of Kiryu rebuffing his offer, losing the seat as Captain to Shibusawa who proceeds to rub it in his face, and being beaten by Majima causes him to snap out of his hedonistic ways and regain his spark.
* ICouldaBeenAContender: As Majima points out, Awano had the potential to rise to the top. But instead, he was swept away by the luxuries that money could offer, which made him choose to play safe.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: How he's iced by Lao Gui. After surviving the hitman's bullets, Awano charges towards him, only to be skewered by Lao Gui's blades.
* InkSuitActor: Modeled after his voice actor.
* {{Irony}}: His QTE has him hurl a powerful fist at Majima. If you pass it, his fist hits the wall and ''breaks'' it, and Awano just keeps fighting like it was nothing. However, if you fail the QTE, then his fist slams Majima's head against the wall and breaks it - but Majima can easily survive the attack and keep fighting if you have a decent amount of health. The irony is that while passing the QTE shows that Awano is strong for being unfazed by breaking the wall, ''failing'' it shows that ''Majima'' is strong for being able to keep fighting after having his head slammed that hard.
* JadedWashout: How he secretly views himself, he was a strong as a bull Yakuza who could rise to the top but then he saw guys like Kazama who outclassed him by order of magnitudes so he resigned himself to be a family lieutenant and indulge in hedonistic pleasure to hide the fact he was too scared to take his shot.
* KickTheDog: He kills a woman for no other reason than to intimidate Kiryu. It doesn't work.
** ''Brutally'' slams Nishiki's face into the counter at Serena's and graphically bloodies his nose for quietly asking Kiryu what was going on while he was talking.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "With Vengeance".
* MadeOfIron: Awano is shown to be impressively capable of resisting pain; he kept fighting without showing any signs of pain after punching a wall so hard that he broke it. He was also able to take multiple close-range bullets to the chest and still have the strength to charge his killer, but that was when this trope ran out for him; he was then impaled by needles.
* ManipulativeBastard: ''Tries'' to be one, at least. Despite his best efforts, Kiryu doesn't bite, even after he resorts to the old "threaten via gun" routine.
* MeaningfulLook: He gives Majima some knowing glances during the Sebastian Building scene. As it later turns out, it's because Awano (unlike the other lieutenants) and Majima know each other - Majima comments that Awano was a face he recognized after storming the Dojima Family office. We aren't given the details of how they met, but Awano was apparently familiar with both Majima and Taiga, describing them as nostalgic.
* MovesetClone: A lot of his attacks are directly lifted from Masaru Watase's fighting style in ''Yakuza 5'' though both of them have moves of their own.
* MundaneLuxury: Awano could have pretty much anything he wants, so what does he think is the greatest pleasure of all? Fast cars? Women? Drugs? Gambling? No. Awano claims that the greatest thing in the world is a Sunday afternoon off to play eighteen holes of golf, followed by a sauna and a plate of good curry for dinner.
* NonActionGuy: From Kiryu's perspective
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: He doesn't care about the codes or rules of the Yakuza, it's just a job for him that pays well.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: He dons the persona of a slick hedonist and sleazy manipulator, but when bribery and blackmail fail he's willing to shoot an innocent woman in cold blood just to make a point. It gets even more dangerous when the gloves come off, as despite his pampered playboy lifestyle he loves to brawl and hits like a ''truck''.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: While Awano is a GeniusBruiser who could be a chairman with his wits and fists, he, like the other lieutenants, feels inferior to Captain Kazama, who's an ideal yakuza that redefines what it means to be a man.
* PurpleIsPowerful: Underneath that tacky-looking purple suit lies the brawniest, most physically imposing lieutenant of the Dojima clan.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: He drops his hedonistic nature and greed after his fight with Majima, realizing how he missed being a true yakuza, and takes the bullets for him.
* SequentialBoss: He's fought right before Lao Gui.
* SmugSnake: By far the rudest of the three lieutenants. He's also full of himself when he goes on about his information network. The reason why Shibusawa was able to take the lead on capturing the Empty Lot is because Awano underestimated how much control he has over the situation with Kiryu, having him cornered and more or less at his mercy multiple times only for Kiryu to manage slip away everytime despite his expectations.
* TakingTheBullet: His last act is to shield Majima from Lao Gui's gun, taking several bullets to the chest in his stead.
* TattooedCrook: Momotaro, a hero in Japanese folklore. Fitting as Momotaro is essentially the Japanese version of Hercules, and Awano is almost inhumanly strong when he doesn't hold back. Momotaro propelling his family to a wealthy, comfortable existence after stealing treasure also fits with his decline into a hedonistic, money loving man first and a Yakuza second.
** There's also the fact that Momotaro is one of Japan's most famous demonslayers in folklore with Awano's tattoo even depicting said hero subjugating an oni. It's only fitting that he ends up clashing not with Kiryu the future "Dragon of Dojima" but against Majima, "The One-Eyed Demon" who's tattoo depicts the demonic Hannya.
* TheUnfought: In Kiryu's story. Despite having multiple scenes in Kiryu's story that clearly establish an antagonistic relationship between them, it is ultimately Majima who fights and defeats him.
* UnskilledButStrong: His fighting style is pretty unrefined, and he likely doesn't train much if at all, having mostly left behind violence in favor of other forms of hedonism. Even so, he still retains his brute strength, able to leave a huge crater in a solid brick wall. If Majima succeeds in dodging the hit, he takes a minute to stare at the crater in shock before putting distance between himself and Awano.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers this to Kiryu in exchange for helping him secure the captain's spot in the Dojima Family. Kiryu shoots him down just as he did with Kuze.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Keiji Shibusawa]]
!!! '''Voiced by:''' Hideo Nakano
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10_9.png]]
-->''"People have needs. Once they have money and power, the last thing they seek is glory."''
[[RuleOfThree The third]] lieutenant of the Dojima Family, Patriarch of the Shibusawa Family. Shibusawa is a shrewd man with a talent for setting goals and obtaining results. If Kuze is the muscle and Awano is the public face of the family, Shibusawa is its business side, with a knack for economics. Shibusawa plays his hands alongside Kuze and Awano, though his cards are considerably better concealed. As the brain of Dojima's officers, his focus is family's finances & business operations.
Previously mocked as a desk jockey, he emerges the victor in the race to get Makoto Makimura - and with her, the Empty Lot - earning him the Captain's role. His first decision as a Captain is an all-out purge of Kazama's loyalists within the family to complete his transition. He's eventually stopped by Kiryu and ends up being arrested by the police.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: His driving motivation: Kuze wanted revenge on Kiryu for humiliating him and ruining his chances at the Captain's seat and Awano wanted a lavish life. Shibusawa is focused on glory: he wants titles, and prestige, and to be feared and respected.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Firmly believes in this trope. He believes that the only way in life is to rise to the top in authority and in turn power.
* BadassBookworm: While seemingly just a businessman, he is fully capable of getting his hands dirty.
* BareFistedMonk: He's skilled in what looks like Jeet Kune Do, and that skill makes him a force to be reckoned with.
* BatmanGambit: He ordered Lao Gui to shoot Makoto non-fatally in hopes that would bring Masaru Sera out of hiding. That way, Shibusawa will swoop in and wipe out all of his enemies in one fell swoop.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Compared to Kuze and Awano, who are loud even in their choice of clothes, Shibusawa is reserved and doesn't raise his voice often. Naturally he is the most dangerous of the trio both in brain and brawn.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In his introductory scene, he acts as the most reasonable of the three lieutenants when Kiryu has to answer for the murder at the Empty Lot. In reality, he's the most ruthless lieutenant and the one responsible for framing Kiryu.
* TheChessmaster: Prefers to work from the shadows, unlike his fellow lieutenants. He's by far the most successful of them for this reason, ensnaring both Kiryu and Majima in a web of spies and informants that doesn't fully come to light until the game's final act.
* ClassicVillain: Represents Ambition and Envy.
* CombatBreakdown: Unique for being possibly the only boss fight to experience this on account of having three different fighting styles. His first phase fighting abilities are his most skillful as well as having some of the quickest attacks in the series and he can even weave under and evade hits. His 2nd phase has techniques that are drastically more unwieldly, making big, wild, sluggish swings with super armor and grabbing the nearest piece of furniture to batter Kiryu with. His final phase uses slightly quicker swings compared to his 2nd phase but it's still much slower compared to his 1st fighting style with its reliance on wild swings, tackles, and even a headbutting attack being a far cry from the refined straight punches and kicks he relied on initially.
** To put it another way, he starts off as a BarefistedMonk, becomes a CombatPragmatist, and then resorts to GoodOldFisticuffs when all that fails.
* DarkIsEvil: Wears the darkest colors among the three Dojima Lieutenants and is the most dangerous of them all.
* DegradedBoss: From ''6'' onwards, there's been generic mini-boss strength enemies sharing his fighting style, specifically his first and and final phase movesets.
* TheDragon: A literal example to Sohei Dojima, as the original "Dragon of Dojima".
* DragonInChief: While Dojima gives orders behind the scenes, Shibusawa is the one leading the offensive and is the real final boss of the game.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: When Dojima orders Makoto to be killed, Shibusawa makes sure that she survives and is secretly taken hostage instead, so that he can use her as leverage against Dojima.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Soon after taking the lead in securing the Empty Lot for Dojima, Shibusawa shows his true colors when he tails Kiryu and Oda as they're transporting Makoto to safety. Without a word, he shoots the cab driver dead and his crew then move in to finish the job. This becomes even more chilling with the later revelation that Oda was actually his [[TheMole mole]]; Shibusawa would rather swoop in and [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness clean up all loose ends]] than wait for Oda to hold up his end of the bargain.
* EvilerThanThou: While they never actually come to blows, Shibusawa's scheme to secure the Empty Lot from Makoto is acknowledged as more effective than anything Kuze or Awano come up with. By the time his status as the Dojima Family's Captain is all but assured, Kuze has become subservient to him as a mere soldier while Awano has to begrudgingly accept Shibusawa's new authority over him.
* EvilIsPetty: His envy of Kazama makes sense but his grudge against Kiryu, other than him being groomed to greatness by Kazama (a father ensuring success for his son), is almost solely based on having both the same tattoo, and unlike Goda there are no exploits behind being the Dragon of Dojima yet.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Shibusawa has a notably deep voice, fitting for his calm tone of speech.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He may seem to be cordial and reasonable at first glance, but this politeness is a false front, because he's the one who set Kiryu up in the first place. The facade is shattered completely after his defeat when he vows to kill Kiryu and everyone he cares about with a vicious smile.
* FinalBoss: For Kiryu in ''0'' and ultimately the game.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: He wears glasses, and the most ruthless of the three lieutenants.
* FreudianExcuse: He tells Kiryu that his father was a political aide who killed himself after being forced to take the fall for his boss' crimes, which ruined his chances at a civilian life and forced him to seek out a life of crime. This drove his obsession in attaining authority and glory.
* TheGlassesComeOff: A villainous example. He removes his glasses to show that he's become serious and won't hold anything back in pursuit of the empty lot.
* GloryHound: He seeks to destroy the Kazama family in order to gain a proper title and the glory it commands.
* GreenEyedMonster: Deeply covets the power, authority, and prestige Shintaro Kazama has as Captain of the Dojima Family but doesn't think of himself as being able to reach the same sort of position through nothing but diligence. Thus, he's willing to commit all manner of atrocity to oust Kazama's faction from the Dojima Family and secure his own ascension to the Captain's seat calling it "his form of diligence". He also feels challenged by the younger Kiryu who also has a dragon tattoo and shows immense potential for greatness in the criminal underworld despite being so young.
* HerosEvilPredecessor: He's the original lieutenant of the Dojima family with a dragon tattoo. The fact that there could be another, better Dragon of Dojima is what fuels his emnity towards Kiryu.
* HonorBeforeReason: When it comes to the final battle, he is dead set on taking Kiryu down first in his envy of Kazama despite having an unconscious Makoto in his clutches. While he states he'll kill her if he wins, he wants to truly demonstrate himself to be superior to Kiryu as the true Dragon of Dojima more than anything else.
* ImprovisedWeapon: In the second phase of his boss fight, he'll often grab the nearest piece of furniture to try and beat Kiryu over the head with. He specifically starts the phase [[ChairmanOfTheBrawl swinging a chair]] and most of the available furniture around arena is just small tables with each surrounded by four chairs.
* InkSuitActor: Modeled after his voice actor.
* KnightOfCerebus: Not long after he takes control of the fight for The Empty Lot, he casually murders a civilian taxi driver and siccs a whole mob of armed goons in cars after Kiryu, Oda, and Makoto, establishing him as the most ruthless and dangerous of the 3 Dojima Lieutenants. What was already a serious and gritty crime drama becomes significantly darker and more tragic until Shibusawa and Dojima are on the cusp of victory while Kiryu, Majima, and their allies are barely holding on after certain major tragedies.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Two Dragons".
* LightningBruiser: Has a larger health bar than any other boss in the game aside from the Amons and his first phase features wickedly fast, damaging combos as well as dodging techniques akin to Kiryu's Rush style. However, he [[MightyGlacier slows down considerably]] [[CombatBreakdown past the first phase.]]
* MirrorBoss: Fights with three distinct styles in 3 different phases similar to Kiryu's first three fighting styles. Shibusawa's purple "Rush" phase sees him attacking rapidly and moving with great agility and finesse, while his yellow "Beast" phase allows him swing furniture like weapons and toss Kiryu about like a ragdoll. His final phase has a unique red aura and does not quite correlate directly with any of Kiryu's styles, but given its rough, wild moveset (and by process of elimination) it is akin to Kiryu's standard Brawler style.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: If he manages to grapple Kiryu to the ground during the final phase of his fight, he'll attempt to beat him into the floor of the Yacht until Kiryu throws him off. He ends up on the receiving end of one from Kiryu after their fight. Kiryu could have killed him too if Nishiki hadn't interfered.
* PetTheDog: A minor one, but when he has Makoto and her doctor Joy captive, he simply lets Joy take Makoto to safety while he deals with Kiryu. While he states that he plans to kill Makoto later once he defeats Kiryu, he had no reason to let Joy live and yet he still lets her go.
* PurpleIsPowerful: His own version of the Rush style has a purple aura, much like Kiryu's own.
* RapidFireFisticuffs: He's quick enough in his first phase that most of his attacks are rapidfire strings of punches and kicks that will whittle down your health in about a second, especially his kick command grab which has the clear telegraph of him shuffling his feet quickly before trying to hit Kiryu with a sweep kick. Getting hit will have him follow it up with several lightning fast strikes before performing a side kick to knock Kiryu on his back.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He appears to be this at first, being the only lieutenant willing to hear Kiryu out and suggesting they investigate the murder in more detail. Completely subverted when it turns out Shibusawa himself masterminded the frame-up. Compared to Kuze and Awano Shibusawa also turns out to be the most ruthless and violent of the three.
* RedBaron: He seeks to earn the glory of earning a title for himself and even begins calling himself Dragon of Dojima at the end.
* TheRival: [[UnknownRival Or so he thinks.]] He becomes fixated on defeating Kiryu in hand-to-hand combat in order to prove that he is the ''true'' Dragon of Dojima. Kiryu doesn't know what the hell he's talking about and couldn't care less as long as Makoto is safe.
* SayMyName: "Kiryu!"
* SelfAppliedNickname: He compares his and Kiryu's tattoos and decides ThereCanOnlyBeOne "Dragon of Dojima". Ironically, Kiryu has no interest whatsoever in the title, but agrees that there's only room for one dragon. And thus Kiryu earns the title upon defeating the self-proclaimed dragon himself.
* SharpDressedMan: Dressed the most professionally out of all of the Dojima Lieutenants with a black and white pinstriped suit and a yellow necktie. It goes well with his role as the businessman of the group.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Compared to the hot-blooded Kuze and Awano, Shibusawa is the quietest and most even-tempered of the three lieutenants. He's also bar-none the most cutthroat.
* SpeedEchoes: Has this effect during the attacks he uses during the second phase of the fight where he's ironically fighting the most sluggishly. Rather than emphasize his speed, it seems to emphasize the sheer power behind his swings which happen to be some of the most damaging in the entire game.
* TheStoic: More expressive than the usual example but he's definitely quieter and more reserved than the other lieutenants and rarely breaks his cold professionalism.
** NotSoStoic: He's a bit more like a ScreamingWarrior by the time of his final showdown with Kiryu.
* StrikeMeDown: As Kiryu is beating him into a bloody pulp, Shibusawa yells at him to finish the job. Nishiki stops Kiryu at the absolute last possible second.
* TattooedCrook: A dragon, or more specifically a ''seiryuu'', in contrast to Kiryu's (then incomplete) ''ouryuu''. The ''seiryuu'' is said to be the guardian deity of the east, which is appropriate for someone who is trying to become a legendary figure in eastern Japan's biggest yakuza organization.
* ThereCanBeOnlyOne: He and Kiryu fight over who becomes worthy of carrying the name "Dragon of Dojima".
* UnderestimatingBadassery: On the receiving end, as he's mocked by his fellow lieutenants as a mere desk jockey. He's the one who wins the race to the Empty Lot.
* VillainousValor: Takes a page out of Kuze's notebook after his defeat and even makes a reference to Kuze's general philosophy as he refuses to submit to Kiryu despite evidence that he'll die if he continues to provoke him by threatening the lives of everyone he cares about. Even when Kiryu's on the verge of beating him to death, Shibusawa refuses to show any sort of fear.
-->"There’s just one thing… I learned from Kuze. A yakuza who can hold on… hasn’t lost yet."
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Does not accept failure from the people he hires to capture Makoto. When Nishitani fails, he bribes a police officer working where Nishitani was imprisoned to kill him. When Oda fails to capture Makoto, he notes how Nishitani came up short before telling Oda that his failure means he also deserves to die.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lao Gui]]
!!!Voiced By: Koji Suzuki (International), Sam Lee (Chinese Version, English Version before Ver. 1.05 update)
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/y0laogui.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240:Lao Gui in the Japanese and Western versions]]
[[caption-width-right:270:[[labelnote:Click here to see]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lao_gui_chinese.JPG[[/labelnote]] Lao Gui in the Chinese version]]
-->''"..."''
A Chinese hitman, said to be the most lethal man among the mainland organizations. None of his targets have ever survived. A master of every weapon possible, he uses his nearly superhuman agility to slay his targets. The Dojima Family is rumored to have spent a small fortune to retain his services.
It's implied he's the one who killed the victim Kiryu beat in the Empty Lot, framing Kiryu for the murder, probably under orders of Shibusawa. He returns late in the game when he's present during Makoto's exchange of the Empty Lot with the Dojima family and shoots her for her troubles, which makes him the target of Majima's fury and the victim of the brutal CurbStompBattle he dishes on him.
----
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Only in the Chinese version of ''0''; see InkSuitActor below for the details.
* BossSubtitles: One of the few major characters to [[SubvertedTrope NOT]] have a blurb detailing his position on his splash screen. It underlines his mercenary, [[NoNonsenseNemesis no-nonsense]] nature, and also reflects how he is not a proper yakuza member.
* BilingualDialogue: He speaks Mandarin Chinese in a cast consisting of Japanese people.
* CadreOfForeignBodyguards: As well as being an assassin, he serves as a bodyguard and Majima's final obstacle to Dojima.
* CombatPragmatist: Unlike many other foes Kiryu's faced, Lao Gui doesn't face him head-on, but instead shoots Kiryu twice from an elevated to incapacitate him. Kiryu might have actually died right then and there if [[HeroicSacrifice Tachibana hadn't given himself up to save his life.]] Later, Lao Gui has no problems busting out a gun in the middle of a fight with Majima.
* CombatTropes: He'll switch up his weapons and tactics after taking a certain amount of damage.
** WolverineClaws: In the first phase of his boss fight, he fights using throwing needles held between his fingers.
** SwordAndGun: In his second phase, he switches to using a giant Dao and a silenced pistol.
** BarefistedMonk: Does away with his weapons in the last phase of his boss fight, forcing him to rely on his hand-to-hand skills which are graceful and acrobatic to the extent that he's defying physics with certain attacks.
* CruelMercy: After Majima spares him, Sera states that rather than being turned over to the police to testify against Dojima, Lao Gui will be living out the rest of his days in the same hellhole that Majima spent a year in as leverage against Dojima instead.
* TheDreaded: Tachibana instantly recognizes him as the most competent hitman he's known from mainland China. He rightfully sees him as the worst possible enemy they could run into.
* EvilSoundsDeep: His original voice is definitely this.
* {{Foil}}: To Majima. Where Majima never killed before but is reluctantly pushed into the role of hitman, then ultimately reneges in the job due to his humanity, Lao Gui is an experienced and extremely competent assassin, who not only won't hesitate to kill but seems to rather ''enjoy'' his work.
* FinalBoss: For Majima in ''0''.
* GoForTheEye: One of his attacks has him attempting to shove his thumb in his opponent's eye. And considering Majima has already lost one...
* {{Gonk}}: Especially conspicuous as ''Yakuza'' usually avoids exaggerated ugliness: in all versions but the Chinese release (in which he's [[InkSuitActor modeled after his voice actor Sam Lee]]), he looks like a gaunt, wrinkly corpse brought to life.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: He speaks primarily in Mandarin, though he's clearly voiced by a Japanese VA in the original version and doesn't get the pronunciation quite right. Averted in the Chinese version to an extent. While Sam Lee doesn't normally speak Mandarin (his native dialect is Cantonese), his pronunciation of the Mandarin dialogue is pretty much on point save for a noticeable Cantonese accent.
* TheHeavy: It's suggested that he's the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima. When he finally makes a physical appearance in the plot, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists.
* InkSuitActor: In the Chinese version of ''0'', he's modeled after and voiced by Hong Kong film actor Sam Lee. Prior to the version 1.05 patch, the western localization used Sam Lee's voice acting in the boss fight.
* {{Jerkass}}: Shooting a defenseless, blind civilian is just one of many horrible deeds he conducts under Sohei Dojima's employ. That smirk on his face suggests he [[{{Sadist}} enjoys]] his job, too.
* KnightOfCerebus: Introduces himself by almost killing Kiryu with several shots with a silenced pistol from a nearby rooftop, forcing Tachibana to allow himself to be captured just to spare Kiryu's life. As a matter of fact, something horrible happens basically everytime he shows up. If Shibusawa made the story darker, Lao Gui makes it black as night with a number of the story's darkest and most tragic moments being tied to his intervention either directly or indirectly.
* KubrickStare: Engages in one before his boss fight.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Archnemesis"
* LeParkour: After shooting at Kiryu and Tachibana from a rooftop, he uses a series of stylish wall jumps to quickly reach street level and corner them. [[CombatParkour He displays similar agility during his boss fight,]] jumping off the walls for certain attacks and flipping and twirling through the air for a number of others as well.
* LooksLikeCesare: In the original and western localizations of ''0'', his face is particularly shriveled and wrinkled.
* MirrorBoss: Not nearly to the extent that Shibusawa is to Kiryu, but like the battle between dragons, Lao Gui and Majima have similar fighting styles in that they are agile weapon masters who fight dirty, and Lao Gui switches between weapons the way our heroes and Shibusawa shift from style to style. Conceptually, Lao Gui is an infamous assassin to contrast Majima's role as a reluctant hitman.
* MythicalMotifs: Demons, as his name literally means "Old Demon". He shares this motif with Majima (who has a demon tattoo), thus making both of the game's final boss fights essentially feature the protagonists fight characters with the same mythological representatives as themselves; Kiryu and Shibusawa for dragons, and Majima and Lao Gui for demons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: His name literally translates into "[[EvilOldFolks Old Demon]]".
* NoNonsenseNemesis: His reaction to spotting Kiryu? Shoot on sight. The same rule applies to Majima, and he only survives because Awano gets in the way. In his fight, he'll use every weapon he has on him before resorting to fisticuffs.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: In a series that sticks to a photorealistic artstyle and features only a few characters with slightly exaggerated features, Lao Gui barely looks human with his shriveled-up face and small, sunken eyes. The Chinese version of ''0'' averts this, where Lao Gui is modeled after his [[InkSuitActor voice actor]] instead.
* ObviouslyEvil: There's almost no way you would ever mistake this man for a good person or mere civilian. Averted in the Chinese version of the game where he's [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse surprisingly normal-looking for such a cold-blooded killer.]]
* PragmaticVillainy: When Tachibana surrenders to him, Lao Gui leaves the incapacitated Kiryu because he was not ordered to kill him.
* ProfessionalKiller: According to Dojima, the best in China.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: One of his attacks in his unarmed final phase is a one-inch punch strong enough to send Majima flying.
* SequentialBoss: Majima fights him immediately after defeating Awano and before Kiryu takes on Shibusawa.
* SlasherSmile: Flashes a nasty, toothy grin one when he evades Majima's punch by flipping over him during his boss intro.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He has only three appearances in the entire game, but he's the one who carried out the Empty Lot killing that drives Kiryu's storyline, and he's directly responsible for Majima's StartOfDarkness by shooting Makoto, as well as Tachibana's death. Every time he appears, something massive and horrible is going to happen.
* TheStoic: He barely speaks and when he does, it's always in a calm, indifferent tone. Even his BossBanter is very subdued.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Shares a lot of similarities with Lau Ka Long. They're both Chinese, they're extremely agile fighters specializing in a variety of weapons which they switch to as their boss fights progress before being forced to fight bare-handed, and they're treated with [[KnightOfCerebus the utmost severity and seriousness]] [[TheDreaded due their horrific actions]] despite not being the primary antagonists.
* TheUnfought: In Kiryu's story. Despite managing to put two bullets in Kiryu, he never sees him again after the one time they cross paths, and it's Majima who has to deal with him.
* SwordAndGun: During the second phase of his boss fight, he equips a pistol and a Chinese broadsword at the same time.
* ThrowAwayGuns: As the second phase ends, he ends up hurling his empty pistol at Majima's face after the last shot he fired got deflected by his own sword, which was in Majima's hands, and then had what was left of said sword thrown back at him.
* VillainousBreakdown: He has no words for it, but he's terrified for his life after Majima overcomes him and beats him to a pulp before leaving him gasping on the ground. Just as Majima's on the verge of ending him with his knife on hand, he can only [[MirthlessLaughter laugh nervously]] in the face of seemingly certain death.
* WallJump: Capable of jumping off of the walls to perform attacks in two phases of his fight:
** In the first phase, he'll leap off of a wall and then toss his throwing needles at Majima.
** In the last phase, he'll jump off of a wall near Majima to perform an aerial GrappleMove.
* WouldHitAGirl: He shoots Makoto, who is still recovering from her blindness, without a moment's hesitation. This act sends Majima [[UnstoppableRage over the edge]].
[[/folder]]
CharacterSpecificPages: [[Characters/YakuzaKazumaKiryu Kazuma Kiryu]] | [[Characters/YakuzaGoroMajima Goro Majima]] | [[Characters/YakuzaIchibanKasuga Ichiban Kasuga]]\\
''Characters/Yakuza1'' | ''Characters/Yakuza2'' | ''Characters/Yakuza3'' | ''Characters/Yakuza4'' | ''Characters/Yakuza5'' | ''Characters/RyuGaGotokuIshin'' | ''Characters/Yakuza 0'' ('''Dojima Lieutenants''') | ''Characters/Yakuza6'' | ''Characters/{{Judgment}}'' | ''Characters/YakuzaLikeADragon'' | ''Characters/LostJudgment''-]]]]]
Spoilers regarding the events of ''Yakuza 0'' and ''Kiwami 2'' will be '''unmarked''', so proceed with caution.
[[folder:In General]]
The three lieutenants of the Dojima Family. They serve as some of the biggest physical threats to the heroes of ''Yakuza 0'', with each
[[/folder]]
----
[[folder:Daisaku Kuze]]
!!! '''Voiced by:''' Hitoshi Ozawa
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/08.png]]
-->''"The Yakuza game, it's not like boxing. The guy who gets beat down isn't the loser. The guy who can't tough it out to the end, he's the one who loses."''
Kuze is a former professional boxer and a true yakuza to the core. A talented leader, he is well-known for inciting controlled and targeted violence through the yakuza thugs who serve him. The oldest of the three lieutenants and the Patriarch of the Kenno Clan, Kuze is left in charge of the Dojima Family when Captain Shintaro Kazama is sent to prison.
He hoped to steal Kazama's seat and attempted to use Kiryu as a spy to do so, but his failure provoked Dojima's anger, resulting in Kuze's removal from power. This doesn't slow him down though, and he repeatedly fights Kiryu with his pride on the line.
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* AntiVillain: He becomes closer to this by the fourth fight. After Tachibana's death he explains that there's a traitor in the Tojo Clan trying to sell the Empty Lot to the Omi Alliance, which would cause a cataclysmic war between the two factions. At the very least he's much more concerned with the overall stability of the Tojo Clan than his brothers.
* BadassBoast: He delivers one before his second fight against Kiryu, partially quoted above.
* BerserkButton:
** He thinks quitters are losers and the fact that Kiryu managed to leave the Dojima Family without paying a price while he loses his finger causes Kuze to develop a severe grudge.
** Never disobey his orders especially if done ''to his face''; Kuze [[KickTheSonOfABitch kills Yoneda]] due to him killing Tachibana without any meaningful information given.
* BloodKnight: He states that he joined the Yakuza in order to find tough enemies.
* BoxingBattler: As noted above, a former pro-boxer though in practice he's definitely using a dirtier variant since he uses kicks, headbutts, and elbow strikes. These skills are a large part of the reason he's able to repeatedly face-off against the much younger Kiryu and hold his own.
* TheBrute: He and his clan are the muscle of the Dojima clan and do most of the dirty jobs, including interrogation.
* TheBusCameBack: Makes a reappearance in ''Yakuze Online'' 10 years after he was arrested in 1988. He's been tasked with helping the Arakawa Family by hunting down Ryuji Goda and Joon Gi Han who've been individually causing trouble in Kamurocho. Curiously enough, he ends up working together with [[VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon Ichiban Kasuga]] as a result.
* CharacterDevelopment: Strangely enough, his character changes over the many times he fights Kiryu. Initially looking down on Kiryu as a pushover and obsessed with getting the captain's seat, his first defeat causes him to toss aside his ambitions and instead on regaining his lost pride. After being defeated by Kiryu the fourth time, that hatred changes to respect and when defeated the fifth time, gracefully accepts his defeat.
* ClassicVillain: Pride. The reason behind his animosity with Kiryu is that his first defeat at Kiryu's hands left him humiliated in front of his boss and fellow lieutenants.
* CombatPragmatist: By the third time Kuze fights Kiryu, he just wants him dead so much that he's not above just having one of his goons knocking Kiryu out with a bat so that he can get back up and execute him right then and there. Had Tachibana not run him over with a car he would have actually done it.
* ConspicuousGloves: Wears a single glove over his left hand in ''Online'' to cover up his missing pinky.
* CounterAttack: When he's blocking attacks in succession, he may reel back for a heavy punch. If you knock him off his feet, he may catch himself by rolling before rushing at you with a haymaker.
* DareToBeBadass: After being defeated for the fifth and final time, he warns Kiryu what's to come before encouraging him to follow his heart.
-->'''Kuze''': You best know this much, Kiryu… You’re about to step into the… the deepest, darkest, shit pit of the yakuza world. [[GiveHimANormalLife Kazama kept you from walking that path for a long time.]] But if that’s gonna be your choice… then go!
-->'''Kiryu''': Yeah. I’m ready. For whatever comes… [[WorthyOpponent sir.]]
* DarkReprise: His boss theme changes from the heart-pumping "Pledge of Demon" to the more somber "Oath of Enma" for his last bout with Kiryu, fitting his arc and change of perception concerning Kiryu.
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: Subverted. He doesn't live particularly lavishly for a Yakuza boss in the bubble economy, and speaks more about accountability, responsibility and suffering that come with the life than any of the perks.
* DegradedBoss: From ''6'' onwards, there's been generic mini-boss strength enemies sharing his fighting style.
* TheDeterminator: He is utterly persistent when it comes to his obsession of killing Kiryu. After losing in their first showdown, he comes after Kiryu ''multiple'' times and loses ''every'' rematch. With every defeat he vows to come back, and does. To paraphrase his own words, Yakuza don't lose after a single defeat; the winner is whoever keeps getting back up.
* DidNotThinkThisThrough: As noted under DumbMuscle Kuze's penchant for being shortsighted and bullheaded causes big problems for him. Expelling Kiryu from the Dojima Family gives Kiryu license to investigate the Empty Lot without the constraints of being a yakuza. Doing it without Dojima's permission also costs him both his chance at the captain's spot and his pinky finger, leaving him in the position of an underling relative to his brothers for the rest of the story.
* DrunkWithPower: His sense of authority went straight to his head once Kazama went to prison.
* DumbMuscle: Downplayed: Kuze's not stupid by any stretch, but compared to his two cohorts he's the most shortsighted and bullheaded, seeing the race for the Empty Lot as a straightforward contest to the captain's seat and not the complex conspiracy it is. Out of the three, he's the one with the most inclination to choose brute force as the way to get what he wants, both personally and in regards to his clan.
* DynamicEntry: Charges into Kiryu ''on a motorcycle in a narrow sewer'' and bashes his head in with an iron pipe, screaming his name all the while. He then promptly crashes said motorcycle and gets sent flying, but [[MadeOfIron stands back up as if nothing happened.]] Kiryu on the other hand is injured enough to be forced to one knee for the entirety of Kuze's MotiveRant though he recovers just in time to block another swing by said iron pipe.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Though he's a violent BloodKnight he's no sadist and has no interest in hurting people if there's no benefit to doing so. When he realizes that Tachibana won't break under torture he stops it.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Pities the orphaned Kiryu and Nishiki for being taken in by a Yakuza like Kazama stating that he's effectively turned them into his human shields. Later in that chapter, it's revealed that Kazama never wanted them to be Yakuza and in fact struck them both when he learned that they wanted to join the Tojo Clan as Yakuza. The only reason they joined was to both work under him as thanks for giving them happier lives as well as to live up to [[NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters noble Yakuza standards that he seemed to exemplify.]]
** Subverted later on after his final defeat. He starts starts to understand that Kazama never really wanted Kiryu to become a proper yakuza and that [[CreateYourOwnHero it was the Dojima Family that forced him to toughen up into the living force of nature he is for the rest of the series.]]
* EvilCounterpart: A manly, determined, strong, resilient, and brutal older man with a distinctive deep voice, a sense of honor, a deep understanding of the suffering that comes with the yakuza life-style, a HotBlooded personality hidden underneath a calm dignified demeanor, and a preference for light-grey suits and white snake-pattern dress shoes. As the game progresses, it's shown that he shares more than a few similarities to the sort of man Kiryu would become later in life. However Kuze's shown to lack of any Kiryu's genuine warmth or kindness as well as Kiryu's genuine respect for human life. Still, by the time Kiryu takes him down for the last time, it's clear he's the only villainous lieutenant of Dojima that Kiryu has any form of respect for and the feeling is mutual.
* EvilOldFolks: He is the oldest of the three lieutenants, and the most violent, grumpy and aggressive among them.
* EvilVirtues: Ambition, creativity, determination, diligence, honesty, honor, loyalty (to the yakuza overall), passion, resourcefulness, respect, temperance, wisdom. Had these virtues not been wrapped up in in Kuze's violence, lack of kindness and pride he might be a very different person.
* FacePalmOfDoom: When Yoneda acts out of line and lands a blow that kills Tachibana during interrogation, Kuze quickly grabs him by the face and slams his head against the floor with enough force to outright kill him.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He's intelligent enough to know when to use force instead of words, but will often try to talk things out first. At one point, while trying to convince Kiryu to work with him, he offers him a cigarette and even lights it for him. This is less due to his own personality, but is more in line with the motivation of the Yakuza to negotiate rather than use force unless it's completely necessary. The fact that from the second fight on he tries to kill Kiryu immediately rather than talk speaks volumes [[GodzillaThreshold about how much of a threat Kiryu is in his eyes]] and the overwhelming hatred Kuze has for him.
* FlunkyBoss: He fights alongside several mooks in two of his boss battles.
* GracefulLoser: Constantly defied as he keeps coming back for more. His final fight, however, has him acknowledge Kiryu's superiority and calmly accepts his defeat and lets himself be taken in by the police.
* HandicappedBadass: Even losing one of his fingers via {{Yubitsume}} does not reduce him to just a mere, dependable Yakuza. He can still carry a weapon, let his fists do the talking and operate a vehicle.
* HeelFaceTurn: Downplayed. He doesn't ''defect'' in the traditional sense, but by his fifth fight with Kiryu he's more interested in settling his rivalry with the latter rather than enforcing Shibusawa's new regime as the Dojima captain. He orders his men to clear out so that they can have a fair fight and freely shares Shibusawa's plans. It's possible that he found out about Shibusawa orchestrating the killing in the Empty Lot.
* HiddenDepths: Kiryu walks in on him ''meditating'' shortly before his first boss fight.
* HitStop: Gloriously utilized during the intro to Kiryu's fourth fight against him when Kiryu kicks it off by rushing at Kuze, [[SayMyName yelling his name out in anger,]] and slugging him hard across the face, knocking his glasses off, and briefly sending him stumbling to one knee before he rises back up to retaliate.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: After Kiryu refuses to spy on Kazama for him, Kuze expels him and tries to kill him. This not only leaves Kiryu free to take him down but also leads to him losing his finger and getting disgraced.
* HonorBeforeReason: Inverted. Normally a man with a strong sense of honor, Kuze's severe grudge causes him to resort to whatever he needs to do to bring Kiryu down including ambushing him and having one of his men knock Kiryu out from behind. Played straight when he decides that Kiryu can't be stopped by this point and simply faces him alone without backup before turning himself in.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: After getting beaten up by Kiryu the first time, Kuze turns to Awano and Shibusawa and demands backup taking Kiryu down: despite being in the business for decades and knowing the two for years, it never once occurs to him that the two cutthroat Yakuza would likely much rather let his screwup play out and remove a him as a rival from the race for the captain's seat.
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: He says this verbatim after Tachibana's death when revealing a traitor in the Tojo Clan trying to sell the Empty Lot to the Omi Alliance.
* InkSuitActor: Modeled after his voice actor.
* IntergenerationalRivalry: With Kiryu. Kuze is Kiryu's senior in the Dojima family, thinking Kiryu at first to be nothing more than young rookie and a tool for the clan. Though after suffering a humiliating defeat in front of the other lietenants, along with Dojima himself, Kuze swears revenge against Kiryu, and spends the rest of the game trying to take him down, their fights getting more intense with every rematch.
* KickTheDog: While he may not have done the deed himself in killing Tachibana and in fact executed Yoneda for offing Tachibana against his orders, he comments on Tachibana's fatal head injury with cheerful indifference smiling right in the face of Kiryu who's clearly absolutely infuriated. It earns him a ''massive'' punch to the face courtesy of Kiryu.
-->"Oh well. Guess these things have a way of working out."
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Fatally smashes Yoneda's head against the floor after he kills Tachibana in a fit of anger.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Like Shibusawa, he is arrested at the end of the game. Unlike Shibusawa, he willingly turned himself in.
* {{Leitmotif}}: He gets two. "Pledge of Demon" for most of his fights, and "Oath of Enma" for the final encounter with Kiryu.
* LightIsNotGood: A violent high-ranking criminal always dressed in very light-colored clothing. Played with, as of the three Dojima Lieutenants, he is easily the [[NobleDemon most sympathetic.]]
* LightningBruiser: Boasts a variety of quick and aggressive techniques that can really wear down your health bar if you're not careful. His first health bar is also pretty sizeable by "first boss fight in a Yakuza game" standards and he only gets tougher and more aggressive with every rematch.
* MadeOfIron: Kuze takes several beatings throughout the game that should have killed a man his age (or any age really) which includes getting ''rammed'' by a speeding car, yet he keeps going like the stubborn old goat that he is.
* MeaningfulName: The name of his clan, "Kenno" translates directly into "Fist King".
* NeverMyFault: He spends most of the story harboring intense hatred of Kiryu for the latter's role in causing him to lose a pinky finger and his shot at the captain's spot while Kiryu was able to be expelled from the Dojima family scot-free. He never once reflects on how his own mistakes or bad judgment led to his situation; even Sohei Dojima calls him out on it.
* NobleDemon: Thuggish and violent for sure, but he's not without principles. By the end he's pretty sure nobody can stop Kiryu. Rather than waste a bunch of lives raiding the Kazama family office like ordered to by Shibusawa, he sends his men away, gets one last fight in with Kiryu, then turns himself in to the police after telling Kiryu that Shibusawa is assaulting Sera's ship and kills Yoneda for meaninglessly killing Tachibana against his orders.
* NotSoStoic: He radiates confidence, severity and cold fury in his introduction. But when Dojima berates him and his fellow lieutenants refuse to back him up, he flies into an almost [[VillainousBreakdown delirious rage]].
* OldMaster: As the oldest of the three Dojima lieutenants. Age has done little to diminish his fighting prowess, being able to go toe to toe against the decades-younger Kiryu and keep coming back for more.
* PipePain: In his second fight, he uses a giant pipe that's almost as long as he is tall.
* PowerFist: In his third fight, he's got Steel Knuckles on his hands to really make his punches hurt.
* PragmaticVillainy: He's experienced enough with torture that he knows when to relent and when his victim is someone who won't break. When Yoneda disobeys his orders and delivers a fatal blow to Tachibana, Kuze immediately executes him.
* ARealManIsAKiller: Unlike Sagawa who warns Majima that killing leaves a dark mark and it's better going through life without it, Kuze hates Kiryu because he won't commit to the end and leaves his opponent alive.
-->'''Kuze:''' In the Yakuza life there is no K.O.
* RecurringBoss: Compared to other recurring bosses, how many times he's fought in ''0'' alone is impressive -- a grand total of FIVE.
* RedHerring: Because of his role in Kazama's arrest and being the first lieutenant to approach Kiryu, he looks like the person behind Kiryu's framing. Shibusawa is the true culprit and he held an even bigger envy of Kazama.
* RevengeBeforeReason: Doesn't give a shit about the lot once he hacks his pinky off, he just wants to beat Kiryu.
* SinisterShades: A pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses. He ditches them in his 2nd fight and his 5th fight.
* SmokyVoice: He has a very coarse voice, notably resembling that of a chronic smoker. To boot, he like most characters is seen smoking in a cutscene.
* SmugSnake: When introduced, he's the one favored to get the Empty Lot and by extension the Captain's seat, and he's accordingly cocky and self-assured. This all goes away after his loss to Kiryu and subsequent fall from grace, and by the end of the story it's revealed that in reality Kuze never stood a snowball's chance of getting the Lot, being completely OutGambitted by pretty much everyone else.
* TattooedCrook: Great King Enma, who governs the underworld in East Asian mythology. Much like he judges the souls entering the underworld, a large part of Kuze's character is the evaluation and judgement of Kazuma Kiryu. Emma's left pinky is also obscured, {{Foreshadowing}} Kuze having to sever his own left pinky. Additionally, his arms depict the demons [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ox-Head_and_Horse-Face Gozu and Mezu]] who are said to be the underworld's guardians.
* TooCleverByHalf: He is the first to make a move to host Kazama out of the captain's seat by getting him arrested prior the game event and trying to force Kiryu to spy on him. By revealing his hand too early Kiryu is able to disgrace him in front of Dojima and the other lieutnants prove themselves much better schemers than he is.
* VillainousBreakdown: After his first defeat by Kiryu, he is humiliated in front of his peers, who force him to cut off his finger. His reaction is nothing less than indignant rage.
-->"Goddammit! You fucking watch close!"
* VillainForgotToLevelGrind: By the time he has his second encounter with Kiryu his overall strength remains largely the same, his health doesn't increase at all, and he's only mixed up his fighting style by brandishing a long pipe as a weapon. Meanwhile the player has likely given Kiryu all sorts of new tricks to chew through such an HP bar.
* VillainHasAPoint: Kiryu despite his best efforts is proven right by Kuze as his naive actions has done more harm than good throughout his quest. Without the guidance of Kazama or Sera from the shadows, Kiryu would have died a painful death trying to protect Kazama's position. As a result of Kiryu getting involved, it led to the deaths of Tachibana and Oda as well as Shibusawa nearly taking Kazama's position as well as planting the seeds of doubt in his relationship with Nishikiyama which comes full circle years later.
* VillainousValor: Kiryu ends up admitting he'll rather face a hundred yakuza over him, as Kuze's determination makes him dangerous foe.
* WakeUpCallBoss: The first real boss fight in the game and a great step above any of the previous foes faced. He's very aggressive with a variety of attacks that are often quicker and more damaging than anything the game's thrown at you before. He's also the very first enemy to have multiple health-bars as well the first to go into [[TurnsRed heat mode when sufficiently damaged,]] granting him stronger, more aggressive attacks, and greater resistance to attacks that would normally knock him off his feet. It doesn't help that that his arena is an empty square devoid of any grabbable objects to exploit against him. He's likely to be the first enemy to force you to use healing items to survive.
* WeCanRuleTogether: He offers Kiryu this, promising him that if he is willing to spy on the Kazama Family for him to help him gain control of the Empty Lot, he will in turn look after him and help him ascend the ranks of the family. Kiryu rejects this, telling Kuze that even giving him such an offer shows that he doesn't know the first thing about him.
* WorthyOpponent: After seeing that Kiryu is willing to go to war with the entirety of the Tojo Clan in order to protect Makoto, Kuze's opinion of him changes from contempt to a proper gangster in his own right. The feeling seems to be mutual since Kiryu still shows him a lot of respect in their final clash.
* {{Yubitsume}}: He does this to his left pinky after losing his first match with Kiryu.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Hiroki Awano]]
!!! '''Voiced by:''' Riki Takeuchi
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/09_4.png]]
-->''"The age we're living in, cash money is the true king. Yakuza got to adapt to that and evolve."''
The second lieutenant of the Dojima Family, Patriarch of the Taihei Association. Awano is a man of leisure who often finds himself going with the flow rather than fighting against the rising tide. However, beneath his laconic exterior is a cunning man, skilled in gathering information and making good on the Dojima Family's threats. Although he is loyal to his fellow lieutenants in serving the Dojima Family, he is also an opportunist.
His information network is broad and reliable, and despite the carefree air he presents, he trades in extortion. Master of both the stick and the carrot, with a specialty in stick. Following Kuze's fall from disgrace, Awano assumed leadership until Shibusawa was named family captain. Shortly after losing to Majima during his raid on the Dojima family, he's killed by Lao Gui.
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* AxCrazy: Abruptly shoots a girl dead for no reason other than to make a point to Kiryu.
* BadassInANiceSuit: He dresses like a playboy but can punch a crater into cement.
* BaitAndSwitchBoss: Played with. On one hand, he's fought as a ClimaxBoss the end of the game, during Majima's climactic attack on the Dojima Family HQ. On the other hand, he's not Majima's ''final'' boss, as the story led you to believe: after Majima defeats him, he gets subsequently killed by Lao Gui, who is Majima's true final boss.
* BlofeldPloy: After his attempts to persuade and then extort Kiryu into working for him fail, he shoots the woman he had been dancing with moments earlier in a final attempt to intimidate Kiryu. This only earns him Kiryu's undying hatred and disgust.
* BloodKnight: Right before his boss fight, Awano admits that for all the indulgences he partakes in, none of it compares to a good fight and afterwards claims that he joined the Yakuza because he liked hitting people.
* CharacterTic: A common facial tic of his is turning up one corner of his mouth into a condescending sneer.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: He's strong enough to leave a large impact on a brick wall upon punching it.
* ClassicVillain: Represents Gluttony, as he enjoys the vices of the yakuza life.
* TheDandy: He wears a gaudy purple suit and gold chain over a black turtleneck sweater and lives to dance, golf, and lounge about.
* DamnItFeelsGoodToBeAGangster: He embodies the luxurious lifestyle of successful Yakuza of the era. Subverted when he later admits that his materialism and indulgence are empty replacements for his own lack of worth as a Yakuza compared to Kazama.
* EvilGenius: He's in charge of Dojima Family's information.
* EvilSoundsRaspy: Not as much as [[SmokyVoice Kuze]], but he also has a notably coarse voice.
* FauxAffablyEvil: Gives Kiryu a final offer to join him in exchange for handing over Tachibana which, from the point of view of a criminal, was more than reasonable. Once Kiryu inevitably throws it back in his face however, he shoots the girl that he had been dancing with earlier dead, for no reason other than to make a point.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: He easily catches Kiryu's punch, who is no slouch in the strength department even in his youth, indicating the lieutenant's own well-hidden strength.
* GeniusBruiser: The dude gives [[OneManArmy Majima]] a run for his money. He even caught Kiryu's punch at one point. He is also really good at information gathering.
* GutturalGrowler: When Awano talks, it's always delivered in an intimidatingly low, throaty voice.
* HannibalLecture: A unique case in which the trope is played straight, then [[LampshadedTrope lampshaded]] and ultimately [[DefiedTrope defied]] by the perpetrator. Before the battle against him, Awano smugly lectures Majima about how money rules all, and hot-blooded, fist-first types like Majima are obsolete in today's world. After Majima [[ShutUpHannibal throws it back in his face]], Awano admits he instinctively starts thinking of villainous speeches when he meets someone like Majima, then ultimately disagrees with his own lecture as he admits nothing compares to a good battle.
* TheHedonist: He lives to indulge in the luxuries that being a wealthy Yakuza boss affords him, such as booze, women and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking golf]]. After being defeated by Majima, he admits that his hedonistic attitude was partially borne out of his edge being dulled by age as he began to take less risks later in his life.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Just as he turns back on his hedonistic ways, he's gunned down by Lao Gui, but not without TakingTheBullet for Majima before he dies.
* HiddenDepths: His thick, gaudy outfit hides how fit he is despite his age and decadent lifestyle.
* HumblePie: A combination of Kiryu rebuffing his offer, losing the seat as Captain to Shibusawa who proceeds to rub it in his face, and being beaten by Majima causes him to snap out of his hedonistic ways and regain his spark.
* ICouldaBeenAContender: As Majima points out, Awano had the potential to rise to the top. But instead, he was swept away by the luxuries that money could offer, which made him choose to play safe.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: How he's iced by Lao Gui. After surviving the hitman's bullets, Awano charges towards him, only to be skewered by Lao Gui's blades.
* InkSuitActor: Modeled after his voice actor.
* {{Irony}}: His QTE has him hurl a powerful fist at Majima. If you pass it, his fist hits the wall and ''breaks'' it, and Awano just keeps fighting like it was nothing. However, if you fail the QTE, then his fist slams Majima's head against the wall and breaks it - but Majima can easily survive the attack and keep fighting if you have a decent amount of health. The irony is that while passing the QTE shows that Awano is strong for being unfazed by breaking the wall, ''failing'' it shows that ''Majima'' is strong for being able to keep fighting after having his head slammed that hard.
* JadedWashout: How he secretly views himself, he was a strong as a bull Yakuza who could rise to the top but then he saw guys like Kazama who outclassed him by order of magnitudes so he resigned himself to be a family lieutenant and indulge in hedonistic pleasure to hide the fact he was too scared to take his shot.
* KickTheDog: He kills a woman for no other reason than to intimidate Kiryu. It doesn't work.
** ''Brutally'' slams Nishiki's face into the counter at Serena's and graphically bloodies his nose for quietly asking Kiryu what was going on while he was talking.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "With Vengeance".
* MadeOfIron: Awano is shown to be impressively capable of resisting pain; he kept fighting without showing any signs of pain after punching a wall so hard that he broke it. He was also able to take multiple close-range bullets to the chest and still have the strength to charge his killer, but that was when this trope ran out for him; he was then impaled by needles.
* ManipulativeBastard: ''Tries'' to be one, at least. Despite his best efforts, Kiryu doesn't bite, even after he resorts to the old "threaten via gun" routine.
* MeaningfulLook: He gives Majima some knowing glances during the Sebastian Building scene. As it later turns out, it's because Awano (unlike the other lieutenants) and Majima know each other - Majima comments that Awano was a face he recognized after storming the Dojima Family office. We aren't given the details of how they met, but Awano was apparently familiar with both Majima and Taiga, describing them as nostalgic.
* MovesetClone: A lot of his attacks are directly lifted from Masaru Watase's fighting style in ''Yakuza 5'' though both of them have moves of their own.
* MundaneLuxury: Awano could have pretty much anything he wants, so what does he think is the greatest pleasure of all? Fast cars? Women? Drugs? Gambling? No. Awano claims that the greatest thing in the world is a Sunday afternoon off to play eighteen holes of golf, followed by a sauna and a plate of good curry for dinner.
* NonActionGuy: From Kiryu's perspective
* OnlyInItForTheMoney: He doesn't care about the codes or rules of the Yakuza, it's just a job for him that pays well.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: He dons the persona of a slick hedonist and sleazy manipulator, but when bribery and blackmail fail he's willing to shoot an innocent woman in cold blood just to make a point. It gets even more dangerous when the gloves come off, as despite his pampered playboy lifestyle he loves to brawl and hits like a ''truck''.
* OvershadowedByAwesome: While Awano is a GeniusBruiser who could be a chairman with his wits and fists, he, like the other lieutenants, feels inferior to Captain Kazama, who's an ideal yakuza that redefines what it means to be a man.
* PurpleIsPowerful: Underneath that tacky-looking purple suit lies the brawniest, most physically imposing lieutenant of the Dojima clan.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: He drops his hedonistic nature and greed after his fight with Majima, realizing how he missed being a true yakuza, and takes the bullets for him.
* SequentialBoss: He's fought right before Lao Gui.
* SmugSnake: By far the rudest of the three lieutenants. He's also full of himself when he goes on about his information network. The reason why Shibusawa was able to take the lead on capturing the Empty Lot is because Awano underestimated how much control he has over the situation with Kiryu, having him cornered and more or less at his mercy multiple times only for Kiryu to manage slip away everytime despite his expectations.
* TakingTheBullet: His last act is to shield Majima from Lao Gui's gun, taking several bullets to the chest in his stead.
* TattooedCrook: Momotaro, a hero in Japanese folklore. Fitting as Momotaro is essentially the Japanese version of Hercules, and Awano is almost inhumanly strong when he doesn't hold back. Momotaro propelling his family to a wealthy, comfortable existence after stealing treasure also fits with his decline into a hedonistic, money loving man first and a Yakuza second.
** There's also the fact that Momotaro is one of Japan's most famous demonslayers in folklore with Awano's tattoo even depicting said hero subjugating an oni. It's only fitting that he ends up clashing not with Kiryu the future "Dragon of Dojima" but against Majima, "The One-Eyed Demon" who's tattoo depicts the demonic Hannya.
* TheUnfought: In Kiryu's story. Despite having multiple scenes in Kiryu's story that clearly establish an antagonistic relationship between them, it is ultimately Majima who fights and defeats him.
* UnskilledButStrong: His fighting style is pretty unrefined, and he likely doesn't train much if at all, having mostly left behind violence in favor of other forms of hedonism. Even so, he still retains his brute strength, able to leave a huge crater in a solid brick wall. If Majima succeeds in dodging the hit, he takes a minute to stare at the crater in shock before putting distance between himself and Awano.
* WeCanRuleTogether: Offers this to Kiryu in exchange for helping him secure the captain's spot in the Dojima Family. Kiryu shoots him down just as he did with Kuze.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Keiji Shibusawa]]
!!! '''Voiced by:''' Hideo Nakano
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10_9.png]]
-->''"People have needs. Once they have money and power, the last thing they seek is glory."''
[[RuleOfThree The third]] lieutenant of the Dojima Family, Patriarch of the Shibusawa Family. Shibusawa is a shrewd man with a talent for setting goals and obtaining results. If Kuze is the muscle and Awano is the public face of the family, Shibusawa is its business side, with a knack for economics. Shibusawa plays his hands alongside Kuze and Awano, though his cards are considerably better concealed. As the brain of Dojima's officers, his focus is family's finances & business operations.
Previously mocked as a desk jockey, he emerges the victor in the race to get Makoto Makimura - and with her, the Empty Lot - earning him the Captain's role. His first decision as a Captain is an all-out purge of Kazama's loyalists within the family to complete his transition. He's eventually stopped by Kiryu and ends up being arrested by the police.
----
* AmbitionIsEvil: His driving motivation: Kuze wanted revenge on Kiryu for humiliating him and ruining his chances at the Captain's seat and Awano wanted a lavish life. Shibusawa is focused on glory: he wants titles, and prestige, and to be feared and respected.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Firmly believes in this trope. He believes that the only way in life is to rise to the top in authority and in turn power.
* BadassBookworm: While seemingly just a businessman, he is fully capable of getting his hands dirty.
* BareFistedMonk: He's skilled in what looks like Jeet Kune Do, and that skill makes him a force to be reckoned with.
* BatmanGambit: He ordered Lao Gui to shoot Makoto non-fatally in hopes that would bring Masaru Sera out of hiding. That way, Shibusawa will swoop in and wipe out all of his enemies in one fell swoop.
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Compared to Kuze and Awano, who are loud even in their choice of clothes, Shibusawa is reserved and doesn't raise his voice often. Naturally he is the most dangerous of the trio both in brain and brawn.
* BitchInSheepsClothing: In his introductory scene, he acts as the most reasonable of the three lieutenants when Kiryu has to answer for the murder at the Empty Lot. In reality, he's the most ruthless lieutenant and the one responsible for framing Kiryu.
* TheChessmaster: Prefers to work from the shadows, unlike his fellow lieutenants. He's by far the most successful of them for this reason, ensnaring both Kiryu and Majima in a web of spies and informants that doesn't fully come to light until the game's final act.
* ClassicVillain: Represents Ambition and Envy.
* CombatBreakdown: Unique for being possibly the only boss fight to experience this on account of having three different fighting styles. His first phase fighting abilities are his most skillful as well as having some of the quickest attacks in the series and he can even weave under and evade hits. His 2nd phase has techniques that are drastically more unwieldly, making big, wild, sluggish swings with super armor and grabbing the nearest piece of furniture to batter Kiryu with. His final phase uses slightly quicker swings compared to his 2nd phase but it's still much slower compared to his 1st fighting style with its reliance on wild swings, tackles, and even a headbutting attack being a far cry from the refined straight punches and kicks he relied on initially.
** To put it another way, he starts off as a BarefistedMonk, becomes a CombatPragmatist, and then resorts to GoodOldFisticuffs when all that fails.
* DarkIsEvil: Wears the darkest colors among the three Dojima Lieutenants and is the most dangerous of them all.
* DegradedBoss: From ''6'' onwards, there's been generic mini-boss strength enemies sharing his fighting style, specifically his first and and final phase movesets.
* TheDragon: A literal example to Sohei Dojima, as the original "Dragon of Dojima".
* DragonInChief: While Dojima gives orders behind the scenes, Shibusawa is the one leading the offensive and is the real final boss of the game.
* DragonWithAnAgenda: When Dojima orders Makoto to be killed, Shibusawa makes sure that she survives and is secretly taken hostage instead, so that he can use her as leverage against Dojima.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Soon after taking the lead in securing the Empty Lot for Dojima, Shibusawa shows his true colors when he tails Kiryu and Oda as they're transporting Makoto to safety. Without a word, he shoots the cab driver dead and his crew then move in to finish the job. This becomes even more chilling with the later revelation that Oda was actually his [[TheMole mole]]; Shibusawa would rather swoop in and [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness clean up all loose ends]] than wait for Oda to hold up his end of the bargain.
* EvilerThanThou: While they never actually come to blows, Shibusawa's scheme to secure the Empty Lot from Makoto is acknowledged as more effective than anything Kuze or Awano come up with. By the time his status as the Dojima Family's Captain is all but assured, Kuze has become subservient to him as a mere soldier while Awano has to begrudgingly accept Shibusawa's new authority over him.
* EvilIsPetty: His envy of Kazama makes sense but his grudge against Kiryu, other than him being groomed to greatness by Kazama (a father ensuring success for his son), is almost solely based on having both the same tattoo, and unlike Goda there are no exploits behind being the Dragon of Dojima yet.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Shibusawa has a notably deep voice, fitting for his calm tone of speech.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He may seem to be cordial and reasonable at first glance, but this politeness is a false front, because he's the one who set Kiryu up in the first place. The facade is shattered completely after his defeat when he vows to kill Kiryu and everyone he cares about with a vicious smile.
* FinalBoss: For Kiryu in ''0'' and ultimately the game.
* FourEyesZeroSoul: He wears glasses, and the most ruthless of the three lieutenants.
* FreudianExcuse: He tells Kiryu that his father was a political aide who killed himself after being forced to take the fall for his boss' crimes, which ruined his chances at a civilian life and forced him to seek out a life of crime. This drove his obsession in attaining authority and glory.
* TheGlassesComeOff: A villainous example. He removes his glasses to show that he's become serious and won't hold anything back in pursuit of the empty lot.
* GloryHound: He seeks to destroy the Kazama family in order to gain a proper title and the glory it commands.
* GreenEyedMonster: Deeply covets the power, authority, and prestige Shintaro Kazama has as Captain of the Dojima Family but doesn't think of himself as being able to reach the same sort of position through nothing but diligence. Thus, he's willing to commit all manner of atrocity to oust Kazama's faction from the Dojima Family and secure his own ascension to the Captain's seat calling it "his form of diligence". He also feels challenged by the younger Kiryu who also has a dragon tattoo and shows immense potential for greatness in the criminal underworld despite being so young.
* HerosEvilPredecessor: He's the original lieutenant of the Dojima family with a dragon tattoo. The fact that there could be another, better Dragon of Dojima is what fuels his emnity towards Kiryu.
* HonorBeforeReason: When it comes to the final battle, he is dead set on taking Kiryu down first in his envy of Kazama despite having an unconscious Makoto in his clutches. While he states he'll kill her if he wins, he wants to truly demonstrate himself to be superior to Kiryu as the true Dragon of Dojima more than anything else.
* ImprovisedWeapon: In the second phase of his boss fight, he'll often grab the nearest piece of furniture to try and beat Kiryu over the head with. He specifically starts the phase [[ChairmanOfTheBrawl swinging a chair]] and most of the available furniture around arena is just small tables with each surrounded by four chairs.
* InkSuitActor: Modeled after his voice actor.
* KnightOfCerebus: Not long after he takes control of the fight for The Empty Lot, he casually murders a civilian taxi driver and siccs a whole mob of armed goons in cars after Kiryu, Oda, and Makoto, establishing him as the most ruthless and dangerous of the 3 Dojima Lieutenants. What was already a serious and gritty crime drama becomes significantly darker and more tragic until Shibusawa and Dojima are on the cusp of victory while Kiryu, Majima, and their allies are barely holding on after certain major tragedies.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Two Dragons".
* LightningBruiser: Has a larger health bar than any other boss in the game aside from the Amons and his first phase features wickedly fast, damaging combos as well as dodging techniques akin to Kiryu's Rush style. However, he [[MightyGlacier slows down considerably]] [[CombatBreakdown past the first phase.]]
* MirrorBoss: Fights with three distinct styles in 3 different phases similar to Kiryu's first three fighting styles. Shibusawa's purple "Rush" phase sees him attacking rapidly and moving with great agility and finesse, while his yellow "Beast" phase allows him swing furniture like weapons and toss Kiryu about like a ragdoll. His final phase has a unique red aura and does not quite correlate directly with any of Kiryu's styles, but given its rough, wild moveset (and by process of elimination) it is akin to Kiryu's standard Brawler style.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: If he manages to grapple Kiryu to the ground during the final phase of his fight, he'll attempt to beat him into the floor of the Yacht until Kiryu throws him off. He ends up on the receiving end of one from Kiryu after their fight. Kiryu could have killed him too if Nishiki hadn't interfered.
* PetTheDog: A minor one, but when he has Makoto and her doctor Joy captive, he simply lets Joy take Makoto to safety while he deals with Kiryu. While he states that he plans to kill Makoto later once he defeats Kiryu, he had no reason to let Joy live and yet he still lets her go.
* PurpleIsPowerful: His own version of the Rush style has a purple aura, much like Kiryu's own.
* RapidFireFisticuffs: He's quick enough in his first phase that most of his attacks are rapidfire strings of punches and kicks that will whittle down your health in about a second, especially his kick command grab which has the clear telegraph of him shuffling his feet quickly before trying to hit Kiryu with a sweep kick. Getting hit will have him follow it up with several lightning fast strikes before performing a side kick to knock Kiryu on his back.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He appears to be this at first, being the only lieutenant willing to hear Kiryu out and suggesting they investigate the murder in more detail. Completely subverted when it turns out Shibusawa himself masterminded the frame-up. Compared to Kuze and Awano Shibusawa also turns out to be the most ruthless and violent of the three.
* RedBaron: He seeks to earn the glory of earning a title for himself and even begins calling himself Dragon of Dojima at the end.
* TheRival: [[UnknownRival Or so he thinks.]] He becomes fixated on defeating Kiryu in hand-to-hand combat in order to prove that he is the ''true'' Dragon of Dojima. Kiryu doesn't know what the hell he's talking about and couldn't care less as long as Makoto is safe.
* SayMyName: "Kiryu!"
* SelfAppliedNickname: He compares his and Kiryu's tattoos and decides ThereCanOnlyBeOne "Dragon of Dojima". Ironically, Kiryu has no interest whatsoever in the title, but agrees that there's only room for one dragon. And thus Kiryu earns the title upon defeating the self-proclaimed dragon himself.
* SharpDressedMan: Dressed the most professionally out of all of the Dojima Lieutenants with a black and white pinstriped suit and a yellow necktie. It goes well with his role as the businessman of the group.
* SoftSpokenSadist: Compared to the hot-blooded Kuze and Awano, Shibusawa is the quietest and most even-tempered of the three lieutenants. He's also bar-none the most cutthroat.
* SpeedEchoes: Has this effect during the attacks he uses during the second phase of the fight where he's ironically fighting the most sluggishly. Rather than emphasize his speed, it seems to emphasize the sheer power behind his swings which happen to be some of the most damaging in the entire game.
* TheStoic: More expressive than the usual example but he's definitely quieter and more reserved than the other lieutenants and rarely breaks his cold professionalism.
** NotSoStoic: He's a bit more like a ScreamingWarrior by the time of his final showdown with Kiryu.
* StrikeMeDown: As Kiryu is beating him into a bloody pulp, Shibusawa yells at him to finish the job. Nishiki stops Kiryu at the absolute last possible second.
* TattooedCrook: A dragon, or more specifically a ''seiryuu'', in contrast to Kiryu's (then incomplete) ''ouryuu''. The ''seiryuu'' is said to be the guardian deity of the east, which is appropriate for someone who is trying to become a legendary figure in eastern Japan's biggest yakuza organization.
* ThereCanBeOnlyOne: He and Kiryu fight over who becomes worthy of carrying the name "Dragon of Dojima".
* UnderestimatingBadassery: On the receiving end, as he's mocked by his fellow lieutenants as a mere desk jockey. He's the one who wins the race to the Empty Lot.
* VillainousValor: Takes a page out of Kuze's notebook after his defeat and even makes a reference to Kuze's general philosophy as he refuses to submit to Kiryu despite evidence that he'll die if he continues to provoke him by threatening the lives of everyone he cares about. Even when Kiryu's on the verge of beating him to death, Shibusawa refuses to show any sort of fear.
-->"There’s just one thing… I learned from Kuze. A yakuza who can hold on… hasn’t lost yet."
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Does not accept failure from the people he hires to capture Makoto. When Nishitani fails, he bribes a police officer working where Nishitani was imprisoned to kill him. When Oda fails to capture Makoto, he notes how Nishitani came up short before telling Oda that his failure means he also deserves to die.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Lao Gui]]
!!!Voiced By: Koji Suzuki (International), Sam Lee (Chinese Version, English Version before Ver. 1.05 update)
[[quoteright:240:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/y0laogui.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:240:Lao Gui in the Japanese and Western versions]]
[[caption-width-right:270:[[labelnote:Click here to see]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lao_gui_chinese.JPG[[/labelnote]] Lao Gui in the Chinese version]]
-->''"..."''
A Chinese hitman, said to be the most lethal man among the mainland organizations. None of his targets have ever survived. A master of every weapon possible, he uses his nearly superhuman agility to slay his targets. The Dojima Family is rumored to have spent a small fortune to retain his services.
It's implied he's the one who killed the victim Kiryu beat in the Empty Lot, framing Kiryu for the murder, probably under orders of Shibusawa. He returns late in the game when he's present during Makoto's exchange of the Empty Lot with the Dojima family and shoots her for her troubles, which makes him the target of Majima's fury and the victim of the brutal CurbStompBattle he dishes on him.
----
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Only in the Chinese version of ''0''; see InkSuitActor below for the details.
* BossSubtitles: One of the few major characters to [[SubvertedTrope NOT]] have a blurb detailing his position on his splash screen. It underlines his mercenary, [[NoNonsenseNemesis no-nonsense]] nature, and also reflects how he is not a proper yakuza member.
* BilingualDialogue: He speaks Mandarin Chinese in a cast consisting of Japanese people.
* CadreOfForeignBodyguards: As well as being an assassin, he serves as a bodyguard and Majima's final obstacle to Dojima.
* CombatPragmatist: Unlike many other foes Kiryu's faced, Lao Gui doesn't face him head-on, but instead shoots Kiryu twice from an elevated to incapacitate him. Kiryu might have actually died right then and there if [[HeroicSacrifice Tachibana hadn't given himself up to save his life.]] Later, Lao Gui has no problems busting out a gun in the middle of a fight with Majima.
* CombatTropes: He'll switch up his weapons and tactics after taking a certain amount of damage.
** WolverineClaws: In the first phase of his boss fight, he fights using throwing needles held between his fingers.
** SwordAndGun: In his second phase, he switches to using a giant Dao and a silenced pistol.
** BarefistedMonk: Does away with his weapons in the last phase of his boss fight, forcing him to rely on his hand-to-hand skills which are graceful and acrobatic to the extent that he's defying physics with certain attacks.
* CruelMercy: After Majima spares him, Sera states that rather than being turned over to the police to testify against Dojima, Lao Gui will be living out the rest of his days in the same hellhole that Majima spent a year in as leverage against Dojima instead.
* TheDreaded: Tachibana instantly recognizes him as the most competent hitman he's known from mainland China. He rightfully sees him as the worst possible enemy they could run into.
* EvilSoundsDeep: His original voice is definitely this.
* {{Foil}}: To Majima. Where Majima never killed before but is reluctantly pushed into the role of hitman, then ultimately reneges in the job due to his humanity, Lao Gui is an experienced and extremely competent assassin, who not only won't hesitate to kill but seems to rather ''enjoy'' his work.
* FinalBoss: For Majima in ''0''.
* GoForTheEye: One of his attacks has him attempting to shove his thumb in his opponent's eye. And considering Majima has already lost one...
* {{Gonk}}: Especially conspicuous as ''Yakuza'' usually avoids exaggerated ugliness: in all versions but the Chinese release (in which he's [[InkSuitActor modeled after his voice actor Sam Lee]]), he looks like a gaunt, wrinkly corpse brought to life.
* GratuitousForeignLanguage: He speaks primarily in Mandarin, though he's clearly voiced by a Japanese VA in the original version and doesn't get the pronunciation quite right. Averted in the Chinese version to an extent. While Sam Lee doesn't normally speak Mandarin (his native dialect is Cantonese), his pronunciation of the Mandarin dialogue is pretty much on point save for a noticeable Cantonese accent.
* TheHeavy: It's suggested that he's the one behind Kiryu being framed for murder at the start of the game, under the orders of Sohei Dojima. When he finally makes a physical appearance in the plot, he provides some of the biggest obstacles to the motivations of the protagonists.
* InkSuitActor: In the Chinese version of ''0'', he's modeled after and voiced by Hong Kong film actor Sam Lee. Prior to the version 1.05 patch, the western localization used Sam Lee's voice acting in the boss fight.
* {{Jerkass}}: Shooting a defenseless, blind civilian is just one of many horrible deeds he conducts under Sohei Dojima's employ. That smirk on his face suggests he [[{{Sadist}} enjoys]] his job, too.
* KnightOfCerebus: Introduces himself by almost killing Kiryu with several shots with a silenced pistol from a nearby rooftop, forcing Tachibana to allow himself to be captured just to spare Kiryu's life. As a matter of fact, something horrible happens basically everytime he shows up. If Shibusawa made the story darker, Lao Gui makes it black as night with a number of the story's darkest and most tragic moments being tied to his intervention either directly or indirectly.
* KubrickStare: Engages in one before his boss fight.
* {{Leitmotif}}: "Archnemesis"
* LeParkour: After shooting at Kiryu and Tachibana from a rooftop, he uses a series of stylish wall jumps to quickly reach street level and corner them. [[CombatParkour He displays similar agility during his boss fight,]] jumping off the walls for certain attacks and flipping and twirling through the air for a number of others as well.
* LooksLikeCesare: In the original and western localizations of ''0'', his face is particularly shriveled and wrinkled.
* MirrorBoss: Not nearly to the extent that Shibusawa is to Kiryu, but like the battle between dragons, Lao Gui and Majima have similar fighting styles in that they are agile weapon masters who fight dirty, and Lao Gui switches between weapons the way our heroes and Shibusawa shift from style to style. Conceptually, Lao Gui is an infamous assassin to contrast Majima's role as a reluctant hitman.
* MythicalMotifs: Demons, as his name literally means "Old Demon". He shares this motif with Majima (who has a demon tattoo), thus making both of the game's final boss fights essentially feature the protagonists fight characters with the same mythological representatives as themselves; Kiryu and Shibusawa for dragons, and Majima and Lao Gui for demons.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: His name literally translates into "[[EvilOldFolks Old Demon]]".
* NoNonsenseNemesis: His reaction to spotting Kiryu? Shoot on sight. The same rule applies to Majima, and he only survives because Awano gets in the way. In his fight, he'll use every weapon he has on him before resorting to fisticuffs.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: In a series that sticks to a photorealistic artstyle and features only a few characters with slightly exaggerated features, Lao Gui barely looks human with his shriveled-up face and small, sunken eyes. The Chinese version of ''0'' averts this, where Lao Gui is modeled after his [[InkSuitActor voice actor]] instead.
* ObviouslyEvil: There's almost no way you would ever mistake this man for a good person or mere civilian. Averted in the Chinese version of the game where he's [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse surprisingly normal-looking for such a cold-blooded killer.]]
* PragmaticVillainy: When Tachibana surrenders to him, Lao Gui leaves the incapacitated Kiryu because he was not ordered to kill him.
* ProfessionalKiller: According to Dojima, the best in China.
* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: One of his attacks in his unarmed final phase is a one-inch punch strong enough to send Majima flying.
* SequentialBoss: Majima fights him immediately after defeating Awano and before Kiryu takes on Shibusawa.
* SlasherSmile: Flashes a nasty, toothy grin one when he evades Majima's punch by flipping over him during his boss intro.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: He has only three appearances in the entire game, but he's the one who carried out the Empty Lot killing that drives Kiryu's storyline, and he's directly responsible for Majima's StartOfDarkness by shooting Makoto, as well as Tachibana's death. Every time he appears, something massive and horrible is going to happen.
* TheStoic: He barely speaks and when he does, it's always in a calm, indifferent tone. Even his BossBanter is very subdued.
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Shares a lot of similarities with Lau Ka Long. They're both Chinese, they're extremely agile fighters specializing in a variety of weapons which they switch to as their boss fights progress before being forced to fight bare-handed, and they're treated with [[KnightOfCerebus the utmost severity and seriousness]] [[TheDreaded due their horrific actions]] despite not being the primary antagonists.
* TheUnfought: In Kiryu's story. Despite managing to put two bullets in Kiryu, he never sees him again after the one time they cross paths, and it's Majima who has to deal with him.
* SwordAndGun: During the second phase of his boss fight, he equips a pistol and a Chinese broadsword at the same time.
* ThrowAwayGuns: As the second phase ends, he ends up hurling his empty pistol at Majima's face after the last shot he fired got deflected by his own sword, which was in Majima's hands, and then had what was left of said sword thrown back at him.
* VillainousBreakdown: He has no words for it, but he's terrified for his life after Majima overcomes him and beats him to a pulp before leaving him gasping on the ground. Just as Majima's on the verge of ending him with his knife on hand, he can only [[MirthlessLaughter laugh nervously]] in the face of seemingly certain death.
* WallJump: Capable of jumping off of the walls to perform attacks in two phases of his fight:
** In the first phase, he'll leap off of a wall and then toss his throwing needles at Majima.
** In the last phase, he'll jump off of a wall near Majima to perform an aerial GrappleMove.
* WouldHitAGirl: He shoots Makoto, who is still recovering from her blindness, without a moment's hesitation. This act sends Majima [[UnstoppableRage over the edge]].
[[/folder]]
