Ichiban Kasuga

(春日 一番) is one of the two main protagonists (alongside Kazuma Kiryu) of SEGA's Like a Dragon franchise. 
He is the main protagonist of the Like a Dragon Saga, being main protagonist of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, a supporting character of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his Name, and one of two main protagonists (alongside Kazuma Kiryu) of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. 
He is a former member of the Tojo Clan's Arakawa Family that took the blame for a murder to protect his family. After being released from prison, he finds out that his patriarch and clan have betrayed him and sets out to seek the truth behind his incarceration.
In Japanese, he is voiced by Kazuhiro Nakaya (who also voiced Akira Nishikiyama), while in English, he is voiced by Kaiji Tang.
== Appearance ==
TBA
== Personality ==
Kasuga is a fiercely loyal and steadfast man, perhaps to a fault. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is prone to letting his emotions get the best of him, whether it be sheer rage or getting overly excitable. However, he has a strong sense of justice and is always willing to help out anyone in need. Kasuga is also a huge fan of Dragon Quest, a video game he loved to play ever since his youth. This contributed to his strong sense of imagination where he imagines his battles as if they were a turn-based JRPG. This imagination has also made him a quick thinker and a creative tactician in battles despite his rash and impulsive demeanor.
One of Kasuga's notable traits is his unfailing kindness and general love for people. These traits have made him an infectiously charismatic person that never fails to inspire admiration from the people around him. He cares deeply about his party members and leads them with grace and in turn, they stand by him and are ready to have his back no matter how overwhelming the odds are. He's also extremely cunning, able to call out Zheng on his arrogance for using the Yokohama Liumang as an excuse to get away with shaking down the homeless, as well as Yamato Totsuka's fear of the Seiryu chairman.
== Abilities ==
His default job is "Freelancer", which is a powerful scrapper class designed to overwhelm enemies with single-target attacks. He later trades out this job for the much more powerful "Hero" job, which focuses on him using a baseball bat for wide-hitting swings and devastating blows. His personal skills revolve around using his charisma to get his way in battle, like buffing his allies or convincing enemies to fork over items
== Trivia ==
*Kasuga was given the name "Ichiban" (一番, lit. "number one" in the context of being the best) by executive director Toshihiro Nagoshi and lead writer Masayoshi Yokoyama. They decided on the name due to its contrast with his background and lifestyle being emblematic of Kasuga as a character, who "[lives life] to the fullest like he doesn't see the irony."
*In Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Kasuga appears as a Shinsengumi Trooper Card rather than as one of the division captains specifically because his character and beliefs would not fit with how the captains are portrayed.
*Humorously, despite his love for his pet crawfish Nancy, Kasuga’s favorite food is lobster, as revealed by Saeko in Infinite Wealth.
* Ichiban’s origin is an almost complete rendition of Kiryu’s, even the colour scheme on his outfit feels like it mirrors Kiryu; A red jacket and white shirt to that of Kiryu’s grayish jacket and red shirt.
== External Links ==
* Ichiban Kasuga on the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Wiki
* Ichiban Kasuga on the Sega Wiki
== Navigation ==
Category:Video Game Heroes
Category:Male
Category:Neutral Good
Category:Good Vs. Good
Category:Criminals
Category:Determinators
Category:Betrayed
Category:Benefactors
Category:Leaders
Category:Falsely Accused
Category:Loyal
Category:The Hero
Category:Bond Protectors
Category:Protectors of Innocence
Category:Successors
Category:Selfless
Category:Siblings
Category:Scapegoat
Category:Friend of a Villain
Category:Servant of a Villain
Category:Egalitarian
Category:Charismatic
Category:Nurturers
Category:Archenemy
Category:Orphans
Category:Obsessed
Category:Virtually Resourceful
Category:Unwanted
Category:Wrathful
Category:Nature-Lovers
Category:Role Models
Category:The Messiah
Category:Rescuers
Category:Rivals
Category:Related to Villain
Category:Deal Makers
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Category:Extravagant
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Category:Honorable
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Category:Healers
Category:Warriors
Category:Tragic
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Category:Martial Artists