Like many of the gangsters in Yakuza, Ichiban has a prominent back tattoo. Tojo Clan (formerly)Arakawa Family (formerly) Japanese His plans, besides shooting Ichiban, actually make a lot more sense than Kazama. [17] GamesRadar enjoyed the game mechanics presented towards Ichiban and his allies, making their wait for the game's release worthwhile. Ichiban learns that Arakawa is a double agent, and that once the Omi chairman, Masaru Watase, is released from prison, he will make a joint announcement with Dojima to disband their respective clans. Occupation Later that day, he attends a meeting with the other Omi Alliance patriarchs at Heian Tower - where Masumi had hoped to treat Kasuga to Peking duck - when Kasuga barges into the room. Cost decreases with each level. Plot: Ichiban, distraught at Arakawa's death is called by Hoshino who invites him for a meal. [10] Tang said that his character is the "opposite" of Kiryu in terms of personality. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Japanese Age As to why he asked Ichiban to take the fall, probably because he thought Ichi could handle prison, being so tough and all. Tojo Clan (formerly)Arakawa Family (formerly)Ichiban Confections )Ichiban Kasuga (son, former subordinate)Masato Arakawa (adoptive son)Hikawa (former patriarch)Mitsuo Yasumura (subordinate)Reiji Ishioda (subordinate)Yosuke Tendo (subordinate)Masaru Watase (ally)Daigo Dojima (ally)Goro Majima (ally)Taiga Saejima (ally)Ryuhei Hoshino (acquaintance)Tora (former co-star) The tattoo represents the strength and perseverance of the koi as it struggles upstream, as well as a greater destiny that lies ahead, as the koi has not fully finished its transformation into a dragon. Ichiban spent much of his youth in Arakawa's Yakuza family, so its understandable that he would feel like Arakawa had a direct hand in raising him. Yakuza: Like a Dragon: In his younger days, Masumi wears a black double breasted leather trench coat over a gray snakeskin patterned dress shirt, black slacks, a pair of dark red leather oxfords, a black leather belt with a gold buckle, a pair of black leather gloves, and a black fedora hat. Place of Birth I dont think ichiban realized that this just wasnt a prison sentence but this was for life meaning to never return once he got out cause if he returned then the other family would know that it was the family that ichiban was part of that did kill their guy which is why ichiban boss shot him once he opened the door. Kasuga's fighting style is based around street fighting and professional wrestling techniques that, while lacking in finesse, are powerful and adaptive to his immediate environment. Arakawa is murdered shortly after he and Ichiban part ways, and Ichiban believes that Jo Sawashiro, one of Arakawa's captains, killed him. Tojo Clan (formerly)Omi AllianceArakawa Family Meeting Aoki in person, he learns of his recovery in the US, that he is intending to purge Ijincho of its residents reliant on gray zones, and that Kasuga had taken the fall for Aoki's murder, not Sawashiro's. Masumi's first card in Ryu Ga Gotoku Online, SSR Masumi Arakawa (Black), was first released on September 24, 2020 and depicts the version of him seen in the main story of Ryu Ga Gotoku Online. Kasuga asked him why he would go to such lengths for someone he didn't even know, to which Arakawa responded, "Maybe I just wanted to look cool in front of a kid who knew who I was.". [27], Several publications rated Ichiban as among the best video game characters featured in 2020, a year where Like A Dragon saw an international release. Appears In One of Like a Dragon's main characters is Saeko Mukoda, a mama at a hostess bar who joins Ichiban's party. Eye Color [18] Eurogamer describes him as a kind character due to how Ichiban aims to become a hero regardless of not being as intelligent as other Yakuza main characters. Ichiban's investigation embroils him in a conspiracy involving a massive counterfeiting ring being run by the Ijin Three at the behest of a powerful Japanese politician, Yutaka Ogikubo. Date of Birth Advances Heat Gauge by 200 at the start of battle. Basically, everyone is backstabbing everyone. Masumi earned the resentment of the patriarch of the Sakaki Family, Sakaki, when he interrogated Sakaki on the fact the Sakaki Family was selling Tojo Clan information to the Omi Alliance at a meeting in front of Tojo executives. In the final boss fight of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Freelancer will be forcibly equipped, but will have all its skills unlocked if they are not already unlocked. Having left a strong impression on Kasuga, he was followed back to the Arakawa Family office, where Kasuga waited outside every day for one hundred days straight until Masumi finally relented and accepted him into the Arakawa Family. Having turned over to the Omi Alliance, he is now a direct patriarch under the Omi banner. In 2019, his attire changes a bit, with the hat now gone, his shoes now brown instead of dark red, and his trench coat now complemented with a suit jacket and a vest. Masumi, Tendo, Watase's mysterious bodyguard, and Kasuga and his party fight the opposition and win, allowing the dissolution to succeed. Nationality The family gained notoriety due to its militant nature and became feared among the residents of Kamurocho, with Masumi himself earning the nickname "Arakawa the Assassin." On the way, a helicopter spots them on a rooftop and Adachi stays behind. Afterwards, Zhao directs Kasuga to meet with Mitsuo, who is keeping a low profile. The Rock Bottom DragonPrisoner 1119 There, they meet the Liumang leader Tianyou Zhao and convince both him and Mamoru Takabe to stand down temporarily. As the years progress, his hair is also graying. The two seemingly developed a mutual sense of responsibility for Masato's care although Sawashiro never admitted he was Masato's biological father. However, that night at the restaurant, Toshio was murdered by a hitman sent by the Seiryu Clan. Also Known As Appearance Height This contributed to his strong sense of imagination where he imagines his battles as if they were a turn-based JRPG. After he met and swore Jo Sawashiro into the family in 1982, he came to consider him someone he could place his complete trust in and made him his captain, treasurer, and right-hand man. Ichiban Kasuga exclusive job. It explains this and technically he didnt send him to prison ichiban went willingly out of his own choice but it explains he went for masato so masato doesnt get the blame, I know that. A high-ranking member of the family like Sawashiro would've probably hurt their reputation too much. Part of his little finger on his left hand is missing. [2] As a major story theme in Like A Dragon concerns the struggles of individuals who are not clearly defined by moral absolutes, this allowed the game's writers to position Ichiban from a perspective that humanizes such individuals as common everyday people. Masumi Arakawa (former patriarch)Jo Sawashiro (former superior, rival)Mitsuo Yasumura (oath brother, friend, ally)Giichi Kitamura (friend, ally)Shun Akiyama (friend, ally)Mayumi Seto (friend, ally)Hayato Tsuji (friend, ally)Tsukasa Mikuni (complicated ally)Yosuke Kagami (complicated ally)Vincent Lowe (enemy) The Hikawa Family regularly killed people without hesitation, which Masumi took advantage of, disposing of the bodies in Ijincho's Homeless Quarter in order to spend as much time in Yokohama as possible and track down the culprit behind his father's murder, with no leads except for the memory of the killer's face. RGG Studios' chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto explained in an interview that Kasuga appears as a Trooper Card instead of a full character in Like a Dragon: Ishin! Associations He ended up joining the yakuza at the age of seventeen under the Hikawa Family, a Tojo Clan subsidiary. That, and Arakawa would come to treat Ichiban like a son, which is touching in retrospect since Ichiban is Arakawa's biological son, and would've been . He infiltrates the meeting and finds Arakawa with several Tojo Clan figures. Described as having been born with "nothing but physical strength," Kasuga has a very muscular build that gives him the opportunity to be proficient at a variety of fighting styles. "Yakuza: Like a Dragon" takes that formula and gives it a fresh set of characters with a JRPG framework. His eyes are gray and he has medium-length dark hair styled into a massive afro after his release from prison, as well as a beard. They attempt to expose the company's counterfeiting scheme, but their plan goes awry and they are captured and framed by Mabuchi. The incident had a profound effect on Masumi, who spent the next seven years searching for the killer. He later takes Masato to the cabaret club he frequents and receives money from him, which he tries to use as payment for his captain, who realizes where the money actually came from. Tang and has cited Chun's work as an inspiration. Displaying a personality that was at times warm and. The "ultimate example of not living up to your name," who'd get the ass-end of life despite the name Ichiban and live it to the fullest like he doesn't see the ironythat's the thinking behind it. Ichiban first appears in the 2018 Ryu ga Gotoku ONLINE, which presents an alternate version of his character arc following his release from prison. They went back to save the baby, but Arakawa had already freed the baby from the locker, declaring that it was now his child. Masumi escaped and told Akane to meet him at Cafe Alps after she had given birth. Masumi Arakawa ( , Arakawa Masumi), also known by his stage name Taro Arayoshi ( , Arayoshi Tar), is a supporting character in Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Wanderings of the Golden Dragon in Ryu Ga Gotoku Online. Height Knowing that they couldn't face so many enemies at once Ryuji and Han decide to split up. Kasuga Ichiban (Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! He passes the information to Aoki, who uses it to drive the Tojo Clan from Kamurocho and allow the Omi Alliance to take over uncontested, with police commissioner Juro Horinouchi being bribed into allowing it to happen. [27], The performances of both Kazuhiro Nakaya and Kaiji Tang as the Japanese and English voices of Ichiban were also praised by Polygon and Atomix. He invited Hoshino to Ijincho's Heian Tower where he interrogated him at gunpoint regarding his motives. i don't think the arakawa family was big enough for anyone to willingly serve 15 years in prison for them except for ichiban because well, he did it 100% out of love for arakawa. Aoki admits that he is the one who committed the murder that sent Ichiban to prison years ago. Between 1978 and 1982, he established the Arakawa Family, a third-tier organization within the Tojo Clan's ranks. as far why he didnt send someone else to prison.. Well even if u r the patriarch.. No wud just accept to go away for years. . During his pursuit of power, he did horrible things and lost sight of the people who were there for him when he was a nobody. He has two character-specific jobs that remain exclusive to him; Also in Kasuga's arsenal is the Poundmates system, which allows him to summon various characters Kasuga and his team have befriended to give the party various buffs, and attack/de-buff enemies during battle. At the funeral, Daigo offers Ichiban a job at a security company. In 1969, after the troupe's final show of the season in Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama, Toshio planned to treat Masumi to Peking duck at a Chinese restaurant called Heian Tower. Japanese Fight: Arakawa Family This fight is against a Lv. Arakawa offered them his finger in exchange for Kasuga's freedom and the men quickly let Kasuga go. After facing the Omi, Ichiban reconciles with Arakawa, but is shocked next day to learn of his death. Would be cool if he knew the entire time after recruiting ichiban because he casually mentioned his mother's name in conversation, so he kept him close but it was too late to declare things. He is the new main protagonist of the Yakuza series, succeeding Kazuma Kiryu. Theater actor (formerly)Member of the Hikawa Family (formerly)First patriarch of the Arakawa FamilyActing captain of the Omi Alliance The betrayal causes Tojo remnants to attack Masumi every once in a while, but he survives and climbs the ranks. As a Defense-type Yin card, this card places Masumi in an inactive role, with skills that emphasize his militaristic and inspirational qualities as a leader that earned him his nickname and his subordinates' adoration. As such, this card has a strong affinity towards Offense-type cards that attack multiple times at once. Appearance Ichiban appears as an unlockable player character of the promotional freeware game Streets of Kamurocho, developed and released as part of Sega's 60th anniversary celebrations in October 2020. Ichiban is voiced by Kazuhiro Nakaya in Japanese, and by Kaiji Tang in English. For each Attack-type ally, nullifies 15% of all damage received (except damage received from status abnormalities) and accelerates all allies' cooldown timers by 15%. Ichiban starts accepting work from an employment agency to earn a living, and later investigate the Liumang with his friends to learn the truth behind the murder of one of their employers, a soapland proprietor named Nonomiya. The men demanded he takes responsibility for Kasuga's actions. Daigo goes on to explain that he asked Arakawa to play the role of "traitor" leading him to shoot Ichiban. He appears to have a relatively slim build. Granted, he had a good reason to do so, but when it turns out that Ichiban is Arakawa's biological son, must've been quite painful for him to have to shoot his own son (or rather someone that he regarded as a son) just to get said plan going.. After Ichiban was shot by Masumi Arakawa and lost consciousness, Nanba saves his life and begins working with him. Restores all allies' health by up to 50% at the start of battle, provided they are still conscious. The three are directed to Otohime Land to work for Isao Nonomiya, and rescue Nanoha Mukoda from having to pay large fees to Sunlight Castle, and meet Ryuhei Hoshino, who recognizes the bill. Kasuga faces Sawashiro upon arrival and defeats him, then opens the door to a dinner between Omi officers, looking for answers, but is shot in the chest by Arakawa. Nanba joins Kasuga after Yokohama Liumang member Zheng demands payment from the homeless, and the two drive him off. )Mitsuo Yasumura (former subordinate)Tsukasa Mikuni (subordinate)Vincent Lowe (subordinate)Yosuke Kagami (subordinate) These traits have made him an infectiously charismatic person that never fails to inspire admiration from the people around him. Yakuza: Like a Dragon: Masumi's face is modeled after his voice actor, Kiichi Nakai. Hoshino is able to get him to cheer up and suggests he run in the upcoming election to get close to Aoki. Within the series, Ichiban is originally a low-ranking member of the Arakawa Family, a subsidiary yakuza family of the Kanto-based Tojo Clan. Nationality Tendo now has a chance at the top and shoots Masumi to get back in the Omi remnants' good graces after betraying them. Actors Ichiban confronts Aoki during an election rally and tricks him into sending his men to the Millenium Tower at Kamuroch after lying about Sawashiro leaking the existence of incriminating evidence at the Arakawa Family office. (Arakawa Masumi) The Tojo Clan is seemingly no more, having been wiped out and replaced by the Omi Alliance, and Arakawa is the traitor who let them in. I felt like Masato knew Ichiban was his son, but he also knew how tough Ichiban was and how Masato would have no one without him and for sure wouldnt make it in prison. After working for Arakawa and doing whatever was asked of him, he got sent to prison for 18 years at Arakawa's request. Suddenly, a member of the Go-Ryu Clan appears, giving Han a chance to escape. Chief producer and writer Masayoshi Yokoyama noted that their goal after Yakuza 6 was not to "create the next Yakuza title" but to "create the next protagonist. Age Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Initially hesitant, he accepts after learning the Liumang had sent assassins after Nanba. Arakawa is murdered shortly after he and Ichiban part ways, and Ichiban believes that Jo Sawashiro, one of Arakawa's captains, killed him. [15] A cologne label titled "Ichiban Kasuga Eau de Toilette", which was developed as a collaboration with fragrance company Fits Corporation, was unveiled during the franchise's 15th anniversary live stream by Sega.