TheYakuzaseries has been around for almost 16 years now, and in that time Sega has released eight main entries in the series, with its latest,Yakuza: Like a Dragon, marking the series' biggest story and gameplay transition ever. Acting as a soft reboot,Yakuza: Like a Dragonintroduces a new main protagonist, new locations, and an entirely new combat system based on classic JRPGs such asDragon Quest.
Crucially,Yakuza: Like a Dragonis the third ever main entry in the franchise to receive an English dub, following the very first entry on the PlayStation 2 in 2005, and 2019’sJudgment. This inclusion of an English dub has brought in a slew of new fans to the franchise and now that it has just arrived on PS5, here is a full breakdown of theYakuza: Like a Dragonvoice cast.
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Ichiban Kasuga - Kaiji Tang/ Kazuhiro Nakaya
Starting off is Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s protagonist with a heart of gold, Ichiban Kasuga, who Game Rant hailed as one of ourfavorite video game characters of 2020. Ichiban Kasuga joined the yakuza from a young age after being raised in a soapland in Kamurocho, but was locked up for almost 20 years after taking the blame for a crime he didn’t commit in order to repay his family’s patriarch.
In the English version of the game, Ichiban is voiced byBerserkandDetective Pikachuvoice actor Kaiji Tang, while in the Japanese version he is voiced by none other thanYakuza’s own Kazuhiro Nakaya, who previously voiced Akira Nishikiyama, blood brother of Kazuma Kiryu.
Yu Nanba - Greg Chun/ Ken Yasuda
Backing up Kasuga is Yu Nanba, a homeless nurse living in Yokohama who joins Ichiban early in his quest. Nanba lives in a small homeless community that keeps tabs on Yokohama’s dark underworld. His an Ichiban’s relationship is one of the strongest in the game, and is tested even more when it is revealed that Nanba has a personal stake in helping Ichiban in discovering why his former yakuza family betrayed him.
In English, Yu Nanba is voiced by Greg Chun,voice of Takeyuki Yagami inJudgment, theYakuzaseries spin-off first released in 2019, which is also coming to PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC in April. In Japan, Nanba is voiced by Ken Yasuda, who does not have many voice acting credits but did voice Pusan in the CG anime filmDragon Quest: Your Story.
Koichi Adachi - Andrew Morgado/ Akio Otsuka
Koichi Adachi is the first to join Kasuga’s merry band of misfits as he exits his 18-year prison sentence. A former police officer, Adachi has been investigating Ichiban’s case as he has already discovered that Ichiban was falsely imprisoned and helps Ichiban understand how the yakuza world has changed since his imprisonment.
In the English version of the game, Adachi is voiced by Andrew Morgado, who previously voiced characters such as Ripper Roo and Fake Crash inCrash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled. In the Japanese version, Adachi is played by Aiko Otsuka, who has various iconic anime roles such as Guts fromBerserk,All For One fromMy Hero Academia, Blackbeard fromOne Piece, and Xehanort inKingdom Hearts.
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Saeko Mukoda - Elizabeth Maxwell/ Sumire Uesaka
Saeko Mukoda is a standout inLike a Dragonas theYakuzafranchise’s second playable character afterYakuza 5’s Haruka Sawamura, however she is the first that the player can control during combat. Saeko is the mama in a hostess bar in Yokohama, she is a stern businesswoman who is constantly teasing her party members with a playful energy during combat.
In English, Saeko is played by Elizabeth Maxwell, who JRPG fanswill know asPersona 5’s Sae Niijima, andDragon Ball Superfans will know as Caulifla, one half of Kefla. In Japan, Saeko is played by Sumire Uesaka, who has voiced various anime characters, including Pipimi from the comedy seriesPop Team Epic.
Masumi Arakawa - George Takei/ Keiichi Nakai
Masumi Arakawa is the head of the Arakawa Family, one of the Tojo Clan’s most feared subsidiaries. Known as “Arakawa the Assassin,” Arakawa is one of the most powerful men in Kamurocho before the events of the main game. After Ichiban leaves prison, he confronts Arakawa to just for Arakawa to shoot him point blank and leave him for dead in Yokohama.
Arakawa is voiced by George Takei in the English version of the game,who famously played Hikaru Sulu inStar Trek, and has voice acted in many animated TV shows such asThe Simpsons,Futurama, andAvatar: The Last Airbender. In Japan, Arakawa is voiced by Keiichi Nakai, a live-action actor mostly known for his performances in films such as47 RoninandWhen The Last Sword is Drawn.
Additional Voices
Yakuza: Like a Dragonfeatures a stellar main cast of familiar JRPG and anime voice actors in both English and Japanese, and this extends into its additional voice cast, withFinal Fantasy 15’s Robbie Daymond voicing Tianyou Zhao, andFire Emblem: Three House’s Zach Aguilar portraying Sota Kume. Interestingly, five ofYakuza: Like a Dragon’s supporting characters, one of which is an optional party member, are based on real women who won a contest held by Sega in 2019.
While there are many other characters worth mentioning which have received English voices for the first time ever inYakuza: Like a Dragon, and some who have returnedeven from the original 2005 game’s dub, to discuss these characters in Like a Dragon would to get into spoilers regarding the game. Just know that for fans new and old, seeing some of these characters portrayed in English for the first time ever is a fresh, exciting new perspective.
Yakuza: Like a Dragonis available now for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
