TheLike a Dragon(formerly known in the West as Yakuza) franchise has had a surprising amount of playable protagonists over the years. Although the series has a clear main character in the form of Kiryu Kazuma, ever since Yakuza 4, nearly every game has introduced at least one new playable character to join him on these adventures.
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This raises a question, though: which playable character is the best? It can be difficult to decide on who is your favorite as each of them is interesting and well-developed in their own right. If one were to analyze the cast based on their gameplay, character arcs and role in the franchise, however, then the following list of the best Like a Dragon protagonists can be formed.
Note: This list will only be including characters from the mainline Like a Dragon titles. Spinoffs like the Judgment series or the Black Panther games will not be included.
8Shun Akiyama
Sky Finance CEO
Topping off this list is the first character players control during Yakuza 4: Shun Akiyama. This loan shark with a heart of gold has a fantastic story and character arc which directly ties into previous games in the franchise. While it would have been easy for the writing staff of the games to make Akiyama unlikeable due to his business, his lighthearted personality makes him endearing to players.
While Akiyama’s role in the story and his personality are fantastic, he ranks at the bottom of this for one simple reason: his gameplay. While his fast kicks and stylish moves are fine on a casual playthrough, his low max HP and lack of single target heat actions make him a pain to play as in any side content such as the Colosseum or Climax Battle modes. If he was fun to play as, he may have been able to rank high on this list, but as it stands this is a fitting placement for Akiyama.
7Goro Majima
Next up on the list is the Mad Dog of Shimano and futureking of the pirates: Goro Majima. Majima is an interesting case as he’s the only character on this list who didn’t debut as a protagonist; instead it took six entire games for him to become playable. Luckily for him though, his playable debut was in Yakuza 0, a game beloved by fans. With three different playstyles for players to use as him, any fan of Majima is bound to have fun using him in this title.
While Majima is a fan-favorite character, it’s difficult to rank him high on a list of best protagonists due to his strange character arc. While Majima originally started as a boss fight and side character, halfway through the franchise RGG decided to take him in a different direction. This causes Majima’s writing to feel strange and inconsistent in a way that can easily turn people off to the character, thus he doesn’t rank high on this list.
6Masayoshi Tanimura
Gambling Cop
Not every criminal in the world is a yakuza from an orphanage – some are police officers who love to go gambling. Masayoshi Tanimura’s job automatically makes him one of the most unique protagonists in the franchise as he often has to respond to crimes while walking around the world. This uniqueness also transfers to his combat style, which is more focused around grabbing and grappling enemies compared to the punches and kicks of other characters.
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Although Tanimura is fun to play as and a unique protagonist, his story and character development unfortunately just isn’t as interesting as the other playable protagonists in Yakuza 4. While other characters get deep arcs about their past, Tanimura’s chapters saddle him with the game’s infamous rubber bullets conspiracy. Because of this, he must sadly rank low on this list.
5Haruka Sawamura
Idol of Dreams
The next character on the list isn’t a former Yakuza, loan shark or a criminal of any kind. Instead, she’s an idol! One of the core themes of Like a Dragon as a franchise has been watching Haruka slowly grow up with each entry in the series. So seeing her reach adulthood and become playable in Yakuza 5 was an incredible sight when it happened. While the decision and circumstances which led to her joining the music industry did upset many fans, it also created brilliant and emotional story moments.
While playing as Haruka is an incredible experience, it’s held back and bit by the fact that she isn’t capable of fighting. The entirety of her gameplay in Yakuza 5 is centered around playing minigames, and while this is enough for some fans, for others it’s just a massive roadblock in the way of the main game. Thus, she is placed in the lower half of this list. Though herHatsune Mikucostume made it tempting to put her higher.
4Taiga Saejima
Tiger of Sasai
Long before Yakuza 0 made Majima a playable protagonist, other games in the series attempted to develop him more as a character by introducing his sworn brothe, Saejima. Upon his introduction, Saejima is immediately compelling to players as he has spent decades in prison for a massacre he committed that will forever haunt him. This immediately distinguishes him from characters like Kiryu who served their prison sentences for someone else and makes his arc in Yakuza 4 all the more compelling. Of course, when not brooding over his past, he’s still more than happy tobe Santa for a substory.
When it comes to gameplay, Saejima is easily a top-tier character with his charged attacks and the ability to bounce enemies into the air. Saejima’s fighting style may be the slowest in the series, but he also hits like a tank. Any enemy health bar will be shredded within seconds by his charged attacks, even if they’re a boss battle. With a fighting style this destructive, it should come as no surprise that Saejima ranks high on this list.
3Tatsuo Shinada
Broke Baseball Player
Next up on the list is a poor man with a heart of gold, Tatsuo Shinada. When this man isn’t counting the few pennies in his pocket or reviewing women of the night, he’s partaking in reliving his old baseball stardom dreams at the batting cages. Despite how sad his living situation is compared to other protagonists, Shinada has an infectious positivity to him that makes it impossible not to like him.
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While Shinada’s gameplay style gets criticism from casual fans of the series, those who are willing to fully experiment with his style will see the world of depth hidden within it. It’s hard to get used to for sure and he’s not as fun to play as compared to Kiryu, but Shinada deserves more love than he gets and thus is placed in the upper half of this list.
2Ichiban Kasuga
The Hero We Deserve
Taking the next slot on the list is a true hero: Ichiban Kasuga. Ichiban’s entire existence represents a turning point for the franchise as the games starring him transitioned the series into a turn-basedJRPG Franchise, with only spinoffs keeping the original gameplay. For those who hopped into the series during this transition, Ichiban was their first protagonist and he makes quite a strong impression.
Ichiban Kasuga was born in the gutter, but that never kept him down. Living his life looking at the bright side of everything, it’s not hard to see why so many characters and gamers are drawn to him. He’a one of the best modern JRPG protagonists and although he just barely missed the top of this list, it was a close race.
1Kiryu Kazuma
The Dragon of Dojima
Placing first on the list is of course the Dragon of Dojima himself, Kiryu Kazuma. Kiryu may have a stoic personality and frequent depressive spells, but this ex-con has a heart of gold that shines through in every game as he raises Haruka to the best of his ability and helps anyone who needs his assistance. He may not be perfect and has frequently made mistakes which may spell doom for the Tojo Clan, but he’s trying his best.
Kiryu’s relationship with Haruka isn’t the only thing to evolve throughout the series, watching his signature combat style slowly getting better in each game until it reached perfection in Yakuza 5. With a fighting style as iconic as Kiryu’s, it should come as no surprise how often fans demand he be put into fighting games like Tekken. Even though he’s unlikely to make an appearance there, he at least gets to appear at the top of this list.
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