Characters of the Yakuza series
This is a main-character walkthrough to Sega's video game and movie franchise Yakuza also known as Ryū ga Gotoku (龍が如く, lit. "Like a Dragon"). Characters are sorted by organizations or groups according to the original works. The English-language adaptation equivalents are mentioned when available.
Many characters of the Yakuza series have had their faces modeled and mapped after their Japanese voice actors since the 2008 spinoff Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!. Cyberware Inc.'s head & face color 3D scanner is used in Hollywood's film industry and was exploited to reduce 3D model production time.Yu Suzuki introduced 3D scanning technology back in 1998 for Project Berkeley / Shenmue; which can be considered a Yakuza prototype in many respects. The Shenmue series' clay busts have been replaced by famous Japanese actors in the Yakuza series; as in Capcom's Onimusha series of action-adventure games.
Main characters
Kazuma Kiryu (桐生 一馬, Kiryū Kazuma)
Yakuza
Yakuza (ヤクザ, [jaꜜkuza]), also known as gokudō (極道), are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan (暴力団, "violent groups"), while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" (任侠団体 or 仁侠団体, "chivalrous organizations"). The yakuza are notorious for their strict codes of conduct and organized nature. They have a large presence in the Japanese media and operate internationally with an estimated 102,000 members.
Divisions of origin
Despite uncertainty about the single origin of yakuza organizations, most modern yakuza derive from two classifications which emerged in the mid-Edo Period (1603–1868): tekiya, those who primarily peddled illicit, stolen or shoddy goods; and bakuto, those who were involved in or participated in gambling.
"Tekiya" (peddlers) were considered one of the lowest social groups in Edo. As they began to form organizations of their own, they took over some administrative duties relating to commerce, such as stall allocation and protection of their commercial activities. During Shinto festivals, these peddlers opened stalls and some members were hired to act as security. Each peddler paid rent in exchange for a stall assignment and protection during the fair.
Yakuza (series)
Yakuza, known in Japan as Ryū ga Gotoku (龍が如く, lit. Like a Dragon), is an action-adventure video game franchise created, owned and published by Sega. The series primarily focus on the yakuza Kazuma Kiryu from the Tojo clan. While Kazuma often assists the Tojo clan, the series has also featured him searching for another way of life in the form of raising orphans. The gameplay of Yakuza has the player controlling Kazuma (or another character depending on the title) in an open world where he can encounter an enemy or perform an activity in the city to obtain experience.
The series originated from Toshihiro Nagoshi's desire to create a new game that would tell the yakuzas' way of life. Nagoshi initially struggled to find a platform for the project, until Sony showed interest in the prospect. The series became a commercial success, selling 7.8 million copies as of November 2014. Strong sales of the games in its original Japanese market has led to the franchise's expansion to other mediums, including film adaptations.
Yakuza (video game)
Yakuza, originally released in Japan as Like a Dragon (龍が如く, Ryū ga Gotoku), is an action-adventure game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 2. Yakuza was released in Japan in 2005, and outside Japan the following year. The story follows a yakuza named Kazuma Kiryu, who, after spending ten years in jail for a crime he did not commit, learns that 10 billion yen has been stolen from the Tojo clan, which the criminal underworld is searching for. He finds an orphaned girl Haruka who is being targeted by the clan, as she is believed to have the key for their lost money, and he resolves to protect her. The game takes place in Kamurocho, which is a realistic recreation of Tokyo's Kabukicho.
Yakuza is an open world action-adventure game with RPG elements: the player gains experience from combat, which can be used to level up Kazuma's stats and increase his fighting capabilities. In order to finance the game's expensive production, Sega contracted a tie-in campaign with famous Japanese companies. A remake of this game, titled Ryū ga Gotoku: Kiwami (龍が如く極, lit. "Like a Dragon: Extreme") has been released in Japanese on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on January 21, 2016.
Yoshida Brothers
The Yoshida Brothers (吉田兄弟, Yoshida Kyōdai) are Japanese musicians who have released several albums on the Domo Records label.
The two brothers are performers of the traditional Japanese music style of Tsugaru-jamisen which originated in northern Japan. They debuted in 1999 in Japan as a duo playing the shamisen. Their first album sold over 100,000 copies and made them minor celebrities in Japan, a fact that surprised the Yoshida Brothers themselves. They have since attracted an international audience.
Their music has been a fusion of the rapid and percussive Tsugaru-jamisen style along with Western and other regional musical influences. In addition to performing songs that are only on the shamisen, they also use instruments such as drums and synthesizers.
The commercials for the Nintendo's Wii video game console that began airing in North America in November 2006 featured the Yoshida Brothers song "Kodo (Inside the Sun Remix)".
Members
Ryōichirō Yoshida (吉田 良一郎, Yoshida Ryōichirō, born 26 July 1977) and Kenichi Yoshida (吉田 健一, Yoshida Ken'ichi, born 16 December 1979) were born in Noboribetsu in Hokkaido, Japan. The two brothers have played the shamisen from a very young age. They both began to study and play the shamisen from five years of age under Koka Adachi, learning the Minyō-shamisen style; from about 1989 they studied the Tsugaru-jamisen style under Takashi Sasaki.
Ibuki (Street Fighter)
Ibuki (いぶき, Ibuki, also written as 息吹) is a fictional character from Capcom's fighting game franchise Street Fighter. She is a young female ninja-in-training who seeks to live the normal life of a modern teenager. Ibuki has become one of the most popular Street Fighter female characters and is regarded by some as one of the top ninja characters in gaming.
Ibuki and Elena were the lone female fighters in the Street Fighter III sub-series until they were joined by Makoto and Chun-Li in Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. After a few appearances in other games, Ibuki returned to the series in Super Street Fighter IV and is one of the characters representing Street Fighter in Street Fighter X Tekken. She also received her own comic book miniseries.
Appearances
In video games
The character is a teenage girl from a fictional village in the mountains of Japan, home to an ancient ninja clan. Trained in ninjutsu since infancy, Ibuki is otherwise an ordinary high school girl with an attraction to pop idols. She is portrayed as strong, donning ninja clothes for battle, but yearns to be more carefree, and prefers ordinary schoolgirl attire. She uses taijutsu, a fighting style that combines several ancient, Japanese martial arts. Ibuki has a pet tanuki (raccoon dog) named Don Chan (どん). In Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike (1999), Ibuki shares a special pre-fight introductory sequence with her rival Makoto.
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