Character-Specific Pages: Kazuma Kiryu | Goro Majima | Akira Nishikiyama | Ichiban Kasuga
Yakuza | Yakuza 2 | Yakuza 3 | Yakuza 4 | Yakuza 5 | Like a Dragon: Ishin! | Yakuza 0 (Dojima Lieutenants | Kamurocho Residents | Sotenbori Residents) | Yakuza 6 | Yakuza: Like a Dragon (The Heroes of Tomorrow) | Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name | Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Judgment (Takayuki Yagami) | Lost Judgment
Spoilers regarding the events of Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 2 will be unmarked, so proceed with caution.
Kamurocho Residents
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Elder Chen
The kingpin of Little Asia, and one of the three revered elders of the Chinese community in Japan. In times past, he stood as an equal to the Tojo Clan and other Japanese yakuza, fighting with them over control of Kamurocho. Yet when that balance tipped and the Dojima Family won the turf war, Chan and his people were forced intro a tiny sliver of Kamurocho, trapped there to eke out living in the shadows. Not one to be kept down, he quietly expanded an information network formed from the Asian immigrants in Kamurocho he now uses to arm Tachibana Real Estate.
- Call-Forward: The little Chinese Restaurant you meet him in is located in the same spot as Zhao's restaurant in 4, AKA Masayoshi Tanimura's home basically. The interior is even very similar so it could just be the actual same building but renovated over the years.
- The Chains of Commanding: With the Dojima Family leading a extensive manhunt for Kiryu, Chen feels that he has no other choice than to formally ask Kiryu to not linger in his territory. He regretfully explains that he wishes he could extend some proper hospitality to him, but doing so would basically amount to painting a huge target on back him and his people's backs and their situation already extremely precarious as it is, and being the leader of the local community means he has a responsibility to put the well-being of it first.
- Properly Paranoid: He's reluctant to house Kiryu in Little Asia because of the ghetto's bitter history with the Dojima Family. His fears turn out to be well founded when Dojima goons threaten to raze Little Asia due to Kiryu's colluding with Tachibana.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While he does refuse Kiryu sanctuary when he's hiding from the Dojima family, it's not out of malice or without good reason, and even then he's kind enough to offer him a cup of tea before he goes.
Trainers
Bacchus
Voiced by: Eric Kelso
Introduced as an Aging Foreigner, he approaches Kiryu at the beginning of the story after he sees Kiryu 'sober up' two drunk men having a fight. As a former boxing trainer, he sees Kiryu has the potential to be a world-class fighter and becomes one of Kiryu's trainers, more specifically for the Brawler style.
- Affectionate Nickname: He keeps referring to Kiryu as "Boy". It's later revealed that it's what he calls his most prized students.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Despite being a drunkard running away from his debts, he is a great trainer. The true motives behind the mafia gunning after him is because he has a great eye for discovering talent, turning unknown fighters into bonafide stars.
- But Now I Must Go: After completing his storyline, he returns to the States to train more fighters to oppose the Mafia.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: The Mafia went out of their way to ruin his life after one of his proteges beat one of their own boxers, they also realized his skills as a talent scout. As such, they decided that it'd be more profitable for them to keep him alive, and steal away the talent he scouts out. The various hitmen Kiryu beats up aren't actually there to kill Bacchus; they're there to test Kiryu.
- Combat Pragmatism: A lot of his moves aren't legal in a boxing match, such as face twisting and limb breaking; Bacchus wants his pupils to know how to defend themselves both in and out of the ring.
- Drunken Master: As he points out, he didn't earn his nickname by being a lightweight; it's not completely clear how skilled a fighter he himself is, as he is never actually seen doing any brawling. However, Miss Tatsu, who is certainly no pushover, treats his strength with respect in her introduction. Fittingly enough, many of the skills he teaches Kiryu are buffs activated only by being drunk. It's clear that, even if he lacks combat skill himself, his abilities as a trainer and talent scout are nigh unmatched.
- Foreshadowing: He always warns Kiryu not to get a knife between the ribs, we later on learn what happened to his former prized pupil. Not only that Kiryu himself would indeed get a knife between the ribs later on in life.
- Gratuitous English: Done to indicate that he's definitely not from Japan.Bacchus: HEYY, BOYYY!
- Leitmotif: "La-Di-Da" plays during his training sessions.
- Malaproper: His dialogue is sometimes written in a stilted way to emphasize that his Japanese isn't the best. This is best shown with turns of phrase, like when he referred to Kamoji's job as being a "Fisting artist" instead of a "Punch-out artist".
- Meaningful Name: Has the same name as the Roman God of Wine, Bacchus. He lampshades this, saying he didn't get that nickname by being unable to handle his booze. It's also a Mythology Gag to the bar from the first game where Haruka is first encountered (later rebranded as "Bantam"), which has a pair of boxing gloves on the wall as a decoration.
- My Greatest Failure: It's clear he never forgave himself for his pupil's murder at the hands of a Mafia hitman. He constantly warns Kiryu not to catch a knife in the ribs, and prioritizes teaching him a skill to take out blade-wielding attackers.
- My Hover Craft Is Full Of Eels: Downplayed. He's not Japanese, but Bacchus speaks the language - poorly. One of his voice lines is him saying "Sou desu!" * as an affirmation. However, his accent mangles it into sounding more like "SO DESS". Played for Laughs at several points; see Malaproper above.
- Never Bring a Knife to a Fist Fight: Teaches Kiryu a Heat move for countering knife-wielding enemies. He came up with it after losing his most prized pupil to a knife attack.
- Reused Character Design:
- While his face is obviously completely different, his clothes are almost identical to Akiyama's Premium Adventure Detective costume from Dead Souls and 5. Even his hair style is similar to Akiyama's. The only major difference is that his hat, coat, and shoes are colored differently.
- An incarnation of him called "Ernest Satow" appears in Like a Dragon: Ishin! with the same personality, voice, face, and the exact same clothes as he wears in 1988, despite this incarnation being 130 years in the past in the Bakumatsu period. He still drinks like the best of them and even makes a mention about a blade in the ribs, he even has his white hair and beard despite real life Ernest Satow being quite young during the time period.
- Token Minority: He's a Caucasian American in contrast to the other trainers, who are all Asian like the rest of the game's major characters.
Kamoji
A friend of Bacchus, he teaches Kiryu the Rush style and its techniques. He's a homeless man that gets by by being a 'Punch-out Artist', placing bets with people to see if they can knock him down or not.
- Accidental Misnaming: Not him specifically, but his occupation: Bacchus first refers to him as a
"fisting artist". Kiryu is taken aback by first (saying it isn’t his scene) but continues to be rather skeptical when Kamoji tries explaining what a Punch-out Artist does. - Boxing Battler: His fighting stance and evasive abilities are based heavily on boxing though his version also includes a few kicks and leg-based attacks.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After doing enough Punch-out Artist gigs with him, he manages to save enough money to get his own apartment.
- Fragile Speedster: Kamoji is fast, but his age and frail body stop him from going on the offense, as he tires himself quicker than his enemies get tired of his punches. Kiryu, who he teaches the Rush style to, has no such problem.
- Good Is Not Soft: He tells Kiryu to not hold back on the customer that cheated.
- Leitmotif: Out of all the style mentors in the game, he's the sole aversion lacking a unique battle theme to play during his Rush Style demonstration cutscene as well as his training sessions. Instead, Kiryu's Rush Style battle theme "Parry Addiction" plays in both scenarios.
- Martial Pacifist: He doesn't consider himself much of a fighter and prefers to place bets on whether he can evade opponents rather than defeat them.
- Nonchalant Dodge: He is a master of this, using as his main strategy in fights.
- Not-So-Badass Longcoat: Wears a long, black coat somewhat similar to the Amons and is highly skilled at dodging attacks but he doesn't have the physical aptitude to fight without making himself tired. He's wearing it less to look cool and more just to keep warm during the winter nights since he's homeless.
- Rapidfire Fisticuffs: Shows off some shockingly fast punches and kicks against a debt collector's muscle trying to collect from Bacchus. However, as mentioned above he lacks the physical ability to keep up that routine for long with the debt collector noting that his henchman is barely injured by the onslaught whereas Kamoji is visibly out of breath from the demonstration.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Multiple games feature a side character who calls himself "Mr. Try and Hit Me". He makes cash-filled bets off of whether or not people on street can land a hit on him after one minute of him dodging their attempts to do so. In the prequel 0 Kamoji is effectively a predecessor to this character and his training will have Kiryu himself play the role of "Mr. Try and Hit Me" in which he makes bets on whether or not he can dodge the attacks of civilian challengers for one minute. The location is even the same: Shichifuku Parking Lot.
Miss Tatsu
Voiced By: Miho Fujisawa
Another acquaintance of Bacchus, she teaches Kiryu the Beast style and its techniques. She is an infamous loan shark with great strength, whose infamy has...led to a few problems for collection.
- Action Girl: A very brutal one, at that. Once you've seen her in action, you'll be glad she's on your side.
- Badass in Distress: The target of her final collection job, known for stealing money from loan sharks, goes after her instead while he has his bodyguard distract Kiryu. Our hero returns just as she's beaten, but considering the guy is a Lightning Bruiser, it's not hard to see why she lost.
- The Dreaded: She's become so infamous for being a nigh-unstoppable beast that her newer targets are ready for her with guns and extra muscle, adding a lot of risks that make her regret her fame.
- Improbable Weapon User: In addition to being a Mighty Glacier, the Beast Style also specializes in this, allowing Kiryu to pick up much heavier objects than he can in Brawler Style, such as motorcycles, and smack opponents around with them.
- Loan Shark: Her day job. She also sends Kiryu after a few of her targets, which is how he learns new moves.
- Leitmotif: "Debt Cleanup" plays during her training courses and jobs.
- Male Might, Female Finesse: The holy mother of all inversions. Compared to Kamoji, with his fast and furious Rush Style based on boxing, her Beast Style is comprised of slow and powerful haymakers, charges, and slams.
- Mighty Glacier: As noted by her final target, she can take a good hit and her punches have a lot of power, but against a quicker opponent she's unable to land a single blow.
- Muscles Are Meaningless: She's basically a female Saejima but she's thin.
- Mythical Motifs: Dragons. Her name can mean it, and her jacket has a dragon motif.
- Never Bring a Knife to a Fist Fight: Tatsu is introduced ruthlessly beating down a man who pulled out a knife against her.
- Older Than They Look: 0 takes place in 1988, Online in 2019. Thirty-one years haven't changed her appearance, personality or fighting ability, save perhaps for the better.
- Reused Character Design: An incarnation of her named Yamamoto Yae appears in Like a Dragon: Ishin! set in the Bakumatsu period. She still works in the moneylending business, and is feared as "Miss Tatsu" by the local punks. Instead of raw force this version of her uses a rifle to fight, in reference to the real Yamamoto Yae who was notoriously skilled in gunnery.
- She-Fu: Completely subverted. It's Kamoji who gets the quick and nimble Rush style and Areshi who gets the acrobatic Breaker style, while Tatsu's Beast style is slow and vicious with heavy emphasis on improvised weaponry/using whatever is in the environment.
- Statuesque Stunner: She's just as tall, if not slightly taller than Kiryu.
- Training from Hell: Her training segments consist of obstacle courses with mannequins equipped with prop guns that hurt as much as the real things.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Her Beast Style is extremely slow, and widely telegraphed, but it hits like a truck.
Substory Characters
Hiroya Egashira
- As Himself: Named and modeled after his voice actor.
- Cool Shades: They're also from his voice actor, as well.
- Dual Boss: Fights alongside fellow Kamurocho Mr. Shakedown Sato in the Fifth Millionaire Battle against Kiryu.
- Fedora of Asskicking: He's always sporting a plaid fedora when he's wandering around town. It somehow manages to stay on his head even when he's fighting Kiryu.
- Immune to Flinching: Only certain special grabs, weapons, and Heat Actions will make him so much as blink.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: After his 4th encounter, he almost gives up on mugging Kiryu, until Kiryu jokingly suggests that outer space might provide an extreme enough environment for him to further improve himself. He takes him completely seriously, committing to his shakedowns for the rest of the game so that he can afford a trip.
- No-Sell: Trying to grab he and the other Shakedowns the regular way will just get Kiryu slapped away.
- The Social Darwinist: He wants to be the strongest organism on the planet, so he shakes down Kamurocho residents so that he can afford to train himself in increasingly excessive and lavish ways. He even takes on wild animals like sharks and whales to further his goals.
- Red Is Violent: Wearsa bright red shirt underneath his suit jacket and is also the first "Mr. Shakedown" Kiryu meets.
- Tiny-Headed Behemoth: He's got a normal looking head on top of a cartoonishly gigantic body.
- Training from Hell: He puts himself through increasingly ridiculous training regimens to get stronger, from living alone in the mountains, to on a deserted island where he fights off sharks and whales in the ocean. He ultimately aspires to travel into space to top it all off, after Kiryu jokingly suggests it.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Like the other Shakedowns, Egashira doesn't have much in the way of technique, but on higher difficulties especially, all it takes is one or two well placed hits from him to take you out.
- Ultimate Lifeform: Has an obsession with becoming one.
- World's Strongest Man: His ultimate goal, towards which he uses his shakedown cash to buy a mountain, and an island (both for the sake of training). It's even to the point where, after Kiryu jokes about it, he seriously decides to save up for a trip to space (reasoning that it's the ultimate survival challenge, since there's no atmosphere or air in space).
- Worthy Opponent: Comes to see Kiryu as this, and while he'll attempt to shakedown Kiryu for the entire game, he's at least a bit more respectful about it after you beat him 4 times.
Kasuga
"I know Kamurocho's underbelly inside out!"
A magazine journalist who wants to write about the various criminal goings of Kamurocho. Upon completing his substory, he's unlocked as a real estate manager.- Fearless Fool: His pursuits into criminal fields like weapons trading and human trafficking puts him in a lot of harm, needing Kiryu to bail him out most of the time.
- I Owe You My Life: He's grateful for Kiryu looking out for him when he gets way in over his head in his pursuits. He joins the latter's real estate staff as repayment.
- Intrepid Reporter: He's looking to unearth the various illicit activites going on in Kamurocho's alleyways.
Miracle Johnson
Voiced by: Fumiyoshi Shioya
"Hey man!"
WOO!
A famous American popstar visting Kamurocho to record his latest video.- The Ace: He is unbeatable at dancing, he is the best entertainment advisor you can get for Real Estate Royale, and Kiryu quickly takes a liking to him.
- Brought to You by the Letter "S": His large sunglasses have an equally large bright pink "M" on it.
- Cool Shades: Large ones with a frame that looks like the letter "M".
- Composite Character: He's clearly a combination of two eras of the King of Pop.
- Enforced Method Acting: Invoked by him. He has instructed the extras playing zombies in his new music video to actually try to harm him in order make it more realistic.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: He's a world-famous popstar and during the Miracle in Maharaja substory, no matter how hard Kiryu tries he can barely beat Miracle Johnson.
- Gratuitous English: He has some English dialogue but with a heavy Japanese accent.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: There is no way to win the Dance-Off he challenges Kiryu to when you meet him the second time. No matter how good the player is at the minigame, Johnson will always be able to rake up points much faster than they can. This is, of course, a reference to how Michael Jackson was considered one of the best and most talented dancers ever.
- Making a Spectacle of Yourself: He wears a huge pair of neon-pink, M-shaped sunglasses.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: He is a pretty obvious pastiche of Michael Jackson.
Nugget
"Bkawk!"
...Cluck.
A chicken Kiryu wins as a bowling prize. It is then recruited as a manager for Real Estate Royale.- Adopt the Food: Their side story has Kiryu trying for a turkey (3 strikes in a row) at bowling to win an actual turkey to eat. When he wins it, it turns out the bird is still alive, and also a chicken, not a turkey. The bowling receptionist offers to take it to the back and cook it, but Kiryu instead decides to keep the chicken and name it Nugget. It then joins him as a real estate manager.
- Ascended Extra: In a sense. There was actually another chicken named "Nugget" that appeared in the previously released Yakuza 5 as part of the "Cochin Cup Classic" Chicken Race minigame that Shinada can unlock as part of a substory in Kineicho. However, this iteration of "Nugget" was merely one of several possible "Cochins" to adopt and raise and the entire minigame itself was very easy to miss since you're never forced to partake in it. A pretty humble beginning for one of the series' biggest mainstays, at least in terms of side content.
- Breakout Character: The sheer absurdity of Nugget himself, the substory to get them and what happens when you finish it has made them into a bonafide Ensemble Dark Horse. Making a reappearance
in Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise and even having what is most likely their descendant, Omelette appear in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. - The Cameo: To reiterate, he appears in Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, outside of Kenshiro's hideout. Speak to him, to get the "Golden Egg Talisman".
- An identically named chicken appears in the Kiwami remake of Ishin as a Trooper Card. Use him in battle to summon him and have him roam about laying eggs to either heal Kiryu or explode upon hapless foes.
- It Can Think: If it wasn't already clear, this chicken is intelligent enough to act as a financial manager for a real estate firm.
- Lethal Joke Character: Kiryu's hires a chicken as a manager. Said chicken has 3 stars in Financial Savvy and has a decently positive Economic Influence on your Collections Payments if you use it twice in a row and then a third time after.
- Stock Animal Name: Named after the chicken-based food obviously. There's actually another "Nugget The Chicken" that appeared in 5 for the chicken races that Tatsuo Shinada can gamble on in the Kineicho district of Nagoya. It's probably not the same Nugget since it's over two decades later and most domesticated chickens don't live past 15 years, let alone be in racing condition.
- Token Non-Human: The only non-human character you can recruit for your real estate staff, because it's a chicken.
- Wham Line: The substory involving it is already one of the more surreal parts of the game (which is saying something), and then they drop this on you.
Pocket Circuit Fighter
Voiced by: Hayato Horiuchi (Japanese), Kirk Thornton (English)
- Back for the Finale: He has one last appearance in Yakuza 6, which caps off his character arc... with Kiryu anyway. He later makes reappearances in Like a Dragon, running Go-Kart races in Ijincho, Yokohama and in Infinite Wealth as Pocket Circuit President.
- Badasses Wear Bandanas: While he always wore a headband, by 6 and Like A Dragon it shows that he's got some pretty good fighting capability.
- Butt-Monkey: Outside of his job, he's not the most successful person. He's paid terribly and when he tries to pass the title on to someone else they never accept. He's thrown a bone in Kiwami, though, as he's finally able to pass the name of the Pocket Circuit Fighter down, though he remains at the position afterwards as there's still the matter of paperwork. And even then, once it's finally settled, his tofu shop doesn't get much sales until Like A Dragon.
- Car Fu: His Poundmate ability in Infinite Wealth is him riding on a larger Pocket Circuit car.
- Cool Old Guy: While he hasn't aged as gracefully as some of his friends and acquaintances (Kiryu and Majima), 6 shows that he has some fighting capability which allows him to go Papa Wolf on some Yakuza. Like A Dragon shows that he isn't a slouch when it comes to extreme go-kart racing either.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Pocket Circuit Fighter's real name is never said at any point. Even Kiryu, who becomes a good friend of his, only ever refers to him as "Fighter". Like A Dragon reveals it to be Fujisawa.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Pocket Circuit Fighter spends most of his adult life being mocked as a virgin Manchild by his colleagues and even some of the kids who race at his tracks. Even when he tries to get a respectable job as a tofu salesman, his wife walks all over him and his son treats him like a has-been. But thanks to Kiryu, he gets his confidence back and wins the respect of his family, and when his tofu business does take off he gets to finance a highly successful go-kart track so he can continue to live his dream. By the time of Infinite Wealth, he has become the President of the Pocket Circuit company itself.
- First-Name Basis: He's one of the few characters who consistently refers to Kiryu as "Kazuma-Kun" due to the fact that he likes keeping an informal atmosphere among his community. When challenging Ichiban in Like a Dragon, he almost refers to him as Kazuma before correcting himself and calling him "Ichiban-Kun".
- Foreshadowing: Eagle eyed longtime fans, along with it being a Call-Back, can notice his old Pocket Fighter outfit beneath his coat in Like A Dragon.
- Friend to All Children: He's beloved by the children of the Pocket Circuit community.
- Freudian Slip: When Kasuga's about to race him, he's so caught in to the moment, along with reminiscing back to the Pocket Circuit storyline in 0, that he nearly refers to "Ichiban-kun" as "Kazuma-kun."
- Henpecked Husband: He's married with a wife and son when Kiryu meets him again in Yakuza 6, but he's an absolute pushover and his wife is constantly stepping all over him. At the end of his substory, he finally stands up to her and tells her off, which actually regains her respect because it reminds her of the passionate man that she agreed to marry.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Played for Laughs, when Kiryu tells Pocket Circuit Fighter that he needs him, the latter replies that while he's not into guys, he might actually make an exception for Kiryu.
- Internal Reveal: In Like a Dragon it's obvious to anyone familiar with 0 or Kiwami who Fujisawa really is, but it's a big reveal to the characters of the Dragon Kart storyline.
- Jaded Washout: He's hung up the Pocket Circuit Fighter outfit seemingly for good when he's met in 6, and forbids his son from playing with Pocket Circuit cars because he's afraid his son will wind up becoming a loser like he was. He shakes this in the end of the side-story and re-dons the outfit. As of Like a Dragon, since he's now financially secure he's created Dragon Kart out of his love for racing and a desire for new challenges.
- Large-Ham Announcer: His job is to provide Hot-Blooded commentary for pocket car racing of all things.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: After spending almost all his screen time being a Butt-Monkey or a Jaded Washout, Fighter stands up without any prompting in 6 to protect his son from a group of Yakuza trying to shake him down for money. Given how well he does, one gets the feeling that if the Yakuza hadn't had backup waiting in the wings, Kiryu wouldn't have had to step in.
- Limited Wardrobe: He's only shown in two outfits throughout the entire series, his Pocket Circuit Fighter outfit and a simple barista outfit in 6. In Kiwami it's implied that his Pocket Circuit Fighter outfit is the only clothing he owns. In Infinite Wealth, he's shown wearing a nice suit but still wears his old bandanna.
- Manchild: Subverted. In spite of his obsession with Pocket Circuit, he is a mature and reasonably well-adjusted adult, and even voices some concern that his interest in slot cars is hampering his prospects in other areas of his life.
- Meaningful Rename: In Like a Dragon, as the creator of Dragon Kart he's officially known as the "Dragon Fighter".
- Paper-Thin Disguise: In Like a Dragon, he hides his identity as the "Dragon Fighter" simply by going by his real name and wearing a coat over his outfit. When revealing himself, he does the iconic Battle Strip to yank said coat off.
- Papa Wolf: As some Yakuza found out, trying to mess with his son is a sure fire way to incur his wrath.
- Rags to Riches: Thanks to his son taking the tofu business to the world wide web, his family is very well off. So well off, in fact, that he was able to use the funds, as well as his business experience from running the tofu shop, to found Dragon Kart, and make it just as big a sensation as Pocket Circuit before it. By Infinite Wealth he is now named Pocket Circuit President.
- Stranger Behind the Mask: When dramatically revealing himself as the "Dragon Fighter" in Like A Dragon, Ichiban has no idea who he's supposed to be, so he and the other Dragon Kart racers have to fill him in.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: As of Like a Dragon, his tofu business has become quite successful thanks to his son opening an online shop.
- Took a Level in Badass: In previous appearances, there's no indication he has any more combat ability than your typical civilian. In 6, when he has to go all Papa Wolf on some Yakuza, despite being visibly aged, he fights pretty well, and it's implied that, had said Yakuza not had backup, he wouldn't even need Kiryu's help dealing with the bastards. As of Infinite Wealth, he can also more directly help out the heroes as a Poundmate.
Ginji the Chef
A sushi chef and owner of Sushi Gin on the south of Kamurocho. He's recently taken over the business from his late father and is feeling insecure about his prowess at the craft. He later offers Kiryu management of his property as thanks for helping his business.
- Self-Deprecation: Despite having some success, he doesn't feel he's quite up to par at making sushi as good as his father's. He gains confidence the more he works and as Kiryu offers to bring him fresh ingredients to work with.
- Supreme Chef: He was already pretty good to begin with according to Kiryu, but some practice and a big confidence boost makes his sushi outstanding according to the latter who's left speechless eating it.
Yuki Sato
- As Himself: Named and modeled after his voice actor.
- Blood Knight: The only reason he targets anyone is to get a fight out of it. He focuses on Kiryu eventually, since he's the only one who doesn't just hand over his money without a fight, and only keeps taking it to ensure the awakening Dragon will fight his hardest each time.
- Dual Boss: Fights alongside fellow Kamurocho Mr. Shakedown Egashira in the Fifth Millionaire Battle against Kiryu.
- Dumb Muscle: He's not very bright, and doesn't even get upset about his money being taken when he loses until Kiryu points out that's what he's been doing every time Kiryu defeats him.
- Only in It for the Money: He says that money is an excuse for fighting; but at the same time, believes that everyone fights their hardest when their checkbooks are on the line.
- Purple Is Powerful: To distinguish him from Egashira, he wears a purple suit jacket. He's also one of the Mr. Shakedowns, so it's a given.
- Tiny-Headed Behemoth: As common for Mr. Shakedowns, his head is disproportionately small.
Real Estate Royale
Kiryu's Staff
General
- Assist Character: During combat, there's a chance for the security officer assigned to the area to run into the scene and help Kiryu out. As in 5, if they grab someone, you can even perform a tandem heat action with them.
- Badass Normal: The securities guards that would occasionally join Kiryu in battle generally consist of people with actual fighting experience. Two of them however (Video Boy, Koshimizu) are ordinary people without much experience but are still willing to jump in to help.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The staff you recruit can range from a Mafia boss enthusiastic about mushrooms, a high schooler selling her underwear, a leader of a punk rock band, a chicken, a lovesick erotic video watcher, and the list goes on.
Yamanoi
Voiced by: Michitaka Kobayashi
Owner of a real estate firm in Kamurocho and an old friend of Shintaro Kazama. He enlists Kiryu's aid in fighting back against the Five Billionaires, a cabal of real estate magnates hoping to monopolize the real estate industry in Kamurocho.- Dirty Old Man: When the Pleasure King sends challenges to Kiryu in the form of coupons for adult businesses, one of them is revealed to be addressed to Yamanoi, strongly implying that he apparently has a thing for Christmas-themed S&M. Kiryu and Marina then try to press him about his side hobbies, but he simply yells, "Don't judge me!"
- Fake Defector: After the Five Billionaires have been defeated, Yamanoi appears to defect to the Finance King after being offered a large sum of money in exchange for all the properties Kiryu earned. Although it appears Yamanoi sold out his ideals for money, it turns out he only accepted to get close enough to the Finance King to kill him.
Marina
- All Love Is Unrequited: It's very clear she's carrying a torch for Kiryu, but he's completely dismissive of her feelings to the poor girl's dismay.
- Artistic License – Gun Safety: She convinced Yamanoi to put down his gun, and then leaves the gun unattended and in reach of the Finance King, who unsurprisingly grabs it and almost shoots everyone. As an undercover detective, she REALLY should have known better.
- Becoming the Mask: Despite being revealed as an undercover cop, she still sticks with Kiryu and Yamanoi in the real estate business.
- Call-Forward: Serves as one to Kaoru Sayama, female detectives that fall in love with Kiryu, only Kaoru is actually successful by entering a, albeit brief, relationship with him.
- Damsel in Distress: She's kidnapped by the Media King after most of his properties are taken, who demands Kiryu face him in a disco dance off to free her.
- Has a Type: She has an ulterior motive for having Kiryu use those eyeglasses during the interviews. She likes a man in glasses.
- Ink-Suit Actor: Modeled after AV actress Marina Shiraishi, whose video is unlocked upon completion of the Real Estate Royale storyline.
- Not So Above It All: Despite accusing Kiryu of being a pervert and getting at him for it, she approves of him buying a dirty magazine for a kid.
- Sexy Secretary: Her actress is a busty gravure model, so it's a given.
- Undercover Cop Reveal: She is actually a detective working undercover to find the one responsible for running the money games that are plaguing Kamurocho.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Delivers one after Kiryu saves her from the Media King but finds himself too busy to escort her back to the office.
The Five Billionaires
A group of real estate moguls that have formed a monopoly of Kamurocho's property ownership. Kiryu sets out to take each of them down to free the district from their reign. In General
- Authority Equals Asskicking: Each of them all prove to be competent if not deadly fighters, providing some difficult boss fights for Kiryu the more of their properties he acquires.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: Defeating the Five Billionaires have them join your Real Estate business as either advisors or managers.
- Flunky Boss: They all fight alongside several of their mooks, with each of them having a respective right-hand man who can be unlocked as a security member.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: They're a pack of weirdos that Kiryu has to beat in both business and fisticuffs in order to be the biggest real estate tycoon of Kamurocho.
- Shady Real Estate Agent: They're all crooked real estate agents who act more like crime bosses.
Leisure King
A fun-loving member of the Five Billionaires. Operates around Tenkaichi Street. His specialty lies in bars and eateries.
- Counter-Attack: Borrows Lau Ka Long's double front kick block counter attack from Yakuza 3.
- Fragile Speedster: His swift kung fu-style attacks and evasive abilities are his greatest assets in combat, but he's still definitely the weakest of the Five Billionaires.
- Heel–Face Turn: He joins you after you take his operation and even apologizes to Yamanoi for bullying him.
- Moveset Clone: He uses the moveset of Bruce Ebinuma from the Purgatory Coliseum in 3 and the next two games.
- Sinister Shades: Wears sunglasses and sees nothing wrong with using physical violence and outright threatening to murder to get what he wants.
- Smug Snake: Most of his interactions with Kiryu involve harassing the latter and his staff, as well as sending thugs and making death threats as a warning for operating on his turf. Though once he's beat and stripped of all of his assets, he drops this attitude and tries to negotiate a deal with Kiryu to stay under the radar from the other Billionaires.
- Starter Villain: He's the first of the Billionaires to be dealt with.
- Villainous Friendship: He seems to like his right hand Takeshita, even asking Kiryu to hire him with himself.
- Warm-Up Boss: The first member of the Five Billionaires to be dealt with, and naturally the weakest of the five, a fact that the other billionaires frequently bring up. The previous mandatory story bosses prior to when the Real Estate sidequest opens up will likely put up more of a fight than the Leisure King does.
Electronics King
An Otaku and one of the Five Billionaires. Operates around Nakamichi Street. Made his fortune in tech stocks.
- Badass Bookworm: Has an IQ of 190 and is no pushover in a scrap.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Shows a lack of empathy towards the residents of Kamurocho and the strain his financial games have put on them comparing them to pixels in a video game. He drops this after he's beaten.
- Graceful Loser: Both times he challenges Kiryu, first to a game of OutRun, then later to a fistfight, he takes his losses in stride, much to Kiryu's surprise.
- King Mook: His Muay Thai fighting style is a souped-up version of one of the Men in Black enemy variations though ironically aside from his 2nd-in-command Meiden who also fights the same way, his cronies appear to be ordinary teenagers and street punks who fight in a much cruder fashion.
- Super Armor: Has some light Super Armor that's just strong enough to prevent Kiryu's Rush style from stunning him.
- Minored in Ass-Kicking: He prefers to settle disputes over video games than in street fights, but push come to shove, he puts up a decent fight. Statistically he's on par with early game boss fights against hardened criminals like Kuze and Oda and he seems to be a practioner of Muay Thai.
- Moveset Clone: Uses a modernized version of Gaowayan Pramuk's Muay Thai fighting style from the very first Yakuza game.
- Otaku: Even Kiryu recognizes him as one, but don't let his geeky appearance fool you into thinking he's a wimp.
- Token Good Teammate: Downplayed Trope. He's the least actively villainous member of the Billionaires; he's a Graceful Loser, expresses admiration for Kiryu's gaming skills, and is significantly less of an asshole than the rest (all on top of having one of the most legit Rags to Riches story of all of them). That said, he's still rather callous towards the human cost of his actions, comparing it to blasting NPCs in a game.
- Victory Is Boring: He admits he actually rather appreciates losing to Kiryu, because he feels that he has grown complacent and stale from all the victories he has had since joining the Five Billionaires, saying a game any without challenge simply isn't fun.
- Villain Respect: After Kiryu beats his OutRun score, he's extremely congratulatory, and even says that, had Kiryu not been his enemy, Kiryu'd be his "player 2."
Pleasure King
A drag queen and one of the Five Billionaires. Specializes in prostitution and the sex trade. Operates around Pink Street.
- Abhorrent Admirer: He's attracted to Kiryu, much to his dismay. Once the Pleasure King joins his Real Estate Firm, Kiryu does seem willing to hang out with the Pleasure King as a co-worker or even friend much to the Pleasure King's dissapointment.
- Bait the Dog: Before challenging Kiryu to a telephone dating game, the Pleasure King is seen comforting a troubled sex worker who takes his encouraging advice gratefully and says that the Pleasure King is like a Cool Big Sis. Then, the instant the woman leaves, the Pleasure King callously tells Jaguar to sell her off.
- Moveset Clone: Uses the same fighting style and attacks as Masato Aizawa from Yakuza 5.
- Pet the Dog: His methods are very unpleasant, but at the very least he treats his subordinate Jaguar with respect. Once the Pleasure King gets defeated, he requests that Kiryu also takes along Jaguar since he likes working in Kamurocho and claims that he's a decent, harkworking man.
- Purple Is Powerful: Prefers flashy purple women's wear, is financially powerful, and boasts the build and fighting abilities of a heavy weight champion.
- Villainous Crossdresser: Dresses himself like a hostess and is a really coldhearted person, ready to sell out girls into prostitution if they aren't worth it.
- Villainous Crush: Develops a flame for Kiryu. When he is defeated, he gives Kiryu his phone number before leaving.
Gambling King
A former yakuza and one of the Five Billionaires. Made his fortune as a gangster before turning to real estate. Specializes in gambling dens. Operates around Theatre Square.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: A former Yakuza member and like Kiryu, he still has yet to have given up on dressing like one. He's also one of the toughest fighters of the Five Billionaires.
- Bait the Dog: It's downplayed but still present. He's initially oddly passive compared to the other members of the Five Billionaires, not really challenging Kiryu to Money Battles so long as long as he doesn't gain too much property in his area. When Kiryu is challenged by him in the Japanese Catfight Club, he comes across as one of the more mild-mannered and affable members of the Five Billionaires, even noting that he doesn't mind losing since that's what happens when you gamble and take risks and that it's okay as long as he wins the war in the end. Kiryu himself is rather impressed by his philosophy. However, he then expands upon his line of thinking by telling Kiryu he's willing to do anything to ensure he wins in the end and that he will never let Kiryu beat him, all while giving Kiryu a Death Glare. From this point onwards, he'll be engaging Kiryu in Money Battles everytime he tries to collect payment.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Like the Leisure King, the Five Billionaires take his assets upon his loss and the Gambling King joins Kiryu for a chance at revenge (and wanting to start over and "go straight" with his business).
- Evil Old Folks: He's visibly the oldest of the Five Billionaires and has a history of working with the yakuza.
- Fixing the Game: Claims to have resorted to cheating and using every dirty tactic in the book to make the fortune he's made off of gambling. He justifies such actions by saying that as long as you're the winner, you can't be wrong.
- Gameplay and Story Integration: His specialty is gambling, and his challenge is either the easiest or the hardest of the Five Billionaires.
- Graceful Loser: Like the two Billionaires fought before him, he accepts his loss fair and square. According to his own words, this is his general philosophy with business and gambling: Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. There's no point in being upset about a single loss, just work on getting a net positive in the long game.
- Moveset Clone: Has the same exact fighting style and attacks as Yahata from 5.
- The Unfettered: While he doesn't get into the details, he claims that he'll stoop to any low to ensure he comes out a winner in the end.
- Worthy Opponent: Starts to see Kiryu as this when Kiryu vows to take down the Gambling King's monopoly without resorting to any underhanded tactics. By the time he loses, he makes his own vow to claw his way back to success and try and win against Kiryu another time, though Kiryu tells him he that he will accept so long as the Gambling King avoids using dirty tactics next time.
Media King
The most powerful member of the Five Billionaires. Specializes in dance clubs and entertainment centers. Operates around Shichifuku Street.
- Agent Peacock: while he's not all that effeminate like the Pleasure King, he's still a loud, flashy, and flamboyant man who also happens to be one of the most dangerous fighters in the game period.
- Climax Boss: Statistically the single most formidable person fought in the Real Estate Royale questline, but not the last threat faced. Instead, defeating him reveals the Finance King to be real brains behind the Five Billionaires.
- Dark Is Evil: His clothes while flashy and sparkly are still dark-colored and his cronies are dressed in black suits with eye-obscuring sunglasses.
- Excessive Evil Eyeshadow: Wears it to creepy effect.
- Evil Redhead: Granted it's actually dyed hair, but still.
- Gratuitous Spanish: At least in the localization, he'll sprout out random phrases in Spanish.
- Lightning Bruiser: A fast, powerful fighter with a ton of health on equal footing with the final bosses of the game.
- Moveset Clone: All of his attacks are lifted from the karate-based fighting style of Joji Kazama from Yakuza 3 though he's got a completely different Counter-Attack, lacking Joji's distinct Counter-Attack stance.
- Red Baron: He's also known as the "Disco King".
- Rivals Team Up: Unlike the previous Billionaires, he aids Kiryu in the immediate fight against the Finance King's goons after his own defeat.
- Sequential Boss Fight: Beating him leads directly into a fight against a pair of Elite Mooks, courtesy of the Finance King. Interestingly enough, one of them practices karate just like the Media King while the other is more of a Boxing Battler similar to Kiryu's Brawler or Rush styles, making it something of a Mirror Dual Boss.
- Victory Is Boring: He says early on that he's a Lover, Not a Fighter. But before his fight, he tells Kiryu he actually hates fighting because he finds it boring since no one can offer him any serious competition.
- Wake-Up Call Boss: He's considerably more difficult than the previous kings before him. He's evasive, immune to grabs, and hits like a truck.
Finance King
The true leader of the Five Billionaires. He used to work alongside Yamanoi, but the two split off when he decided to pursue profit at all costs.
- Arc Villain: Of the Real Estate Royale questline.
- Authority Equals Asskicking: He's the leader of the Five Billionaires and he's the most dangrous out of all of them. It's rather downplayed since he's so threatening primarily because he relies on a handgun and actually has less health than some of the beefier Five Billionaires like the Media King.
- Combat Pragmatist: Has no reservations about pulling a gun.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: A powerful real estate magnate who cares about precisely one thing: money.
- Greed: Forms the basis of his personality though it's implied he wasn't always like that.
- Moveset Clone: Uses the same melee attacks as the Mysterious agent Andre Richardson from 3 with major differences being that he's carrying a single gun in hand to fire at from a distance and he has a unique Grapple Move where he grabs Kiryu and then shoots him in the gut.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Wears a red business suit with white pinstripes over a black shirt with a red tie. He's also willing to commit any sort of crime or atrocity to amass as much money as possible.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Directly quoted before making his last stand.
- Sequential Boss: When you first meet up with him, he sends out two powerful henchmen to deal with you. They're individually on par with an early game story boss and strong enough to qualify as a proper late game Dual Boss. After a series of events that end with him getting his hands on a pistol, you finally face off against him in a 1-on-1 fight.
- Token Evil Teammate: Villainous they may have been, but each of the previous Five Billionaires had certain redeeming traits and are willing to wholeheartedly join Kiryu's company as employees after their defeat. Not the Finance King. He proves to be not much more than a greedy megalomaniac and defeating him ends with him being quietly arrested.
- Villains Want Mercy: Begs for his life when Yamanoi pulls a gun on him. Unfortunately, he has nothing to offer, and would have died if not for Marina's intervention.
- Villainous Breakdown: Has a complete breakdown in first fear when Yamanoi pulls a gun on him, then in rage when it becomes clear he is about to be arrested.Finance King: I'm not going down like this! NEVER!!! The money I made is MINE!!! Nobody can take it from me! The police!? Who cares? Screw the rules, I have money!
- We Used to Be Friends: Used to work with Yamanoi and even shared similar ideals, but completely abandoned them when it came with no profit or gratitude from those they were trying to help.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Anyone who fails him are disposed of. As Kiryu defeats the Five Billionaires, they join his company both to help Kiryu and to save themselves.
