Kosei Shishido

Kosei Shishido (, Shishidō Kōsei) is a supporting character and the main antagonist of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. He is an agent of the Daidoji Faction, the former lieutenant and acting captain of the Watase Family, and a former coliseum fighter for the Kijin Clan.
== Profile == 
=== Appearance ===
Shishido's face is modeled after his Japanese-language voice actor, Yasukaze Motomiya. He is a large, heavily built man with tan skin, brown eyes, and short dark brown hair parted to the right. He has multiple facial scars: one that goes from his right temple through his eyebrow to his cheek, one below his right eye, one at the right corner of his mouth, and one on his left cheek. He has a mole above the left side of his mouth.
In a flashback to when he was younger, he has shorter, unkempt hair and does not yet have the scar below his right eye.
==== Tattoo ====
Shishido's tattoo covers his back, his chest, and his arms down to his wrists. It depicts a shishi, a mythical guardian lion, leaping upwards on a background of clouds and waves and surrounded by red peonies with green leaves. The shishi has greenish-gray fur with white spots, a yellow belly, a curly orange mane and tail, and tufts of fur of a similar texture on the tops of its paws, the backs of its legs, its shoulders, and its flanks. Its eyes, teeth, and claws are a stark white with red accents lining its eyes, nostrils, mouth, and claws.
The first two kanji in the name he was given by Watase, (shishi), mean lion. Lions and peonies, considered the king of beasts and the king of flowers respectively, have a long history of being associated with each other in East Asian cultures. Together, they represent the balance of power and delicate beauty as well as majesty, wealth, and masculinity. The lion represents Shishido's strength, pride, and grand aspirations, while the peonies represent his vulnerability and the fleeting nature of his aspirations. 
One origin for the association between lions and peonies states the lion has no enemies other than the parasite that burrows into its flesh, which is killed when it comes into contact with the dew that drips from peonies at night. The peonies are a safe haven to the lion. As the parasite, left unchecked, can bring down the lion that provides for it, the story alludes to both the idea even one person can bring down an organization and the idea of a person who repays a favor with an act of betrayal.
==== Attire ====
Shishido's signature attire consists of a black and yellow baroque print hooded puffer jacket with a knitted hem and cuffs worn over a thick gold chain, a dark grey tank top or T-shirt and black leather pants. He also wears a dark grey leather belt with a tarnished gold buckle featuring on ornate dragon design and burnished brown snakeskin monk-strap dress shoes. 
His alternate outfit consists of a partly unbuttoned dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves adorned with a primarily blue, red, and gold pattern featuring clouds, cranes, and florals, worn over the same chain and white dress pants. He also wears a black leather belt with a silver buckle, a gold medal bracelet, and dark dress shoes. He wears Hannya masks to disguise himself, one of which was destroyed in a fight with Kazuma Kiryu.
In a flashback to when he was younger, he was forced to wear a thick bolted leather collar and shackles, a brown threadbare tank top and pants, and no shoes or socks.
=== Personality ===
Described as the "ace-in-the-hole" of the Watase Family, the most militant organization in the Omi Alliance, Shishido is violent, unpredictable, and more of a savage than an intellectual. Although a capable lieutenant and a "true yakuza, through and through," he disregards the principles of chivalry and excels in commanding authority through terror and intimidation. He approaches every battle as life-or-death and wields lethal weapons without regard for his victims' lives.
== Background ==
Shishido was born under a different family name to parents living in poverty. At the age of fifteen, he was sold into slavery to pay off his father's debts and forced to fight in death matches against other children his age in the Kijin Clan's coliseum. Viewing his survival as a matter of strength and luck, he drove himself to become stronger and stronger, dreaming of being free and living a glamorous life one day.
At some point in adulthood, he caught Homare Nishitani III's interest, and endured physical, psychological, and sexual abuse at his hands for decades, a "living hell" that "broke [his] mind and body." He continued to fight in constant fear of losing and being subjected to Nishitani's signature torture routine, or of being killed at random, in one instance being forced to play Russian roulette.
He was freed from slavery by Yuki Tsuruno, who recognized his strength among the fighters at the Kijin Clan's coliseum, and whom he saw as his "knight in shining armor" at the time. Upon joining the Watase Family and swearing his oath to Masaru Watase, he was given the name Shishido to symbolize leaving his past behind and being reborn.
Around the time of Watase's incarceration, Shishido learned of his plan to dissolve the Omi Alliance. Despite the increased difficulty of operating as yakuza due to new laws, Shishido disagreed with the plan, but chose to keep his dissent to himself until he could oppose the figures who intend to carry it out. One detail of the plan involved confirming that Kazuma Kiryu was alive, and enlisting his help, which involved looking into the Daidoji Faction, whom Kiryu is suspected to be affiliated with.
== Involvement ==
=== Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name: 2019 ===
Shishido leads a group of masked men to assault the Daidoji Faction at the Yokohama port, with the intent of abducting Kihei Hanawa, a prominent member of the organization. Although they fail their objective, Shishido learns that Kiryu himself was spotted at the port upon returning. When Tsuruno is later captured by Kiryu and Hanawa, the Watase lieutenant quickly moves to intercept them by the Sakura River in Yokohama, totalling their car in the process. He drags both of them from the vehicle and tries to stab Hanawa — as per Tsuruno's orders — before Kiryu stops. A fight breaks out between the two, which leads to Shishido berating the agent's methodical fighting style, asserting that he will have to kill him to beat him. Switching to a more brutish approach, Kiryu manages to beat the lieutenant, urging him to brandish his dagger before Tsuruno orders them both to stand down, holding Hanawa at gunpoint. The two yakuza fall back with their hostage in tow.
After taking the Daidoji manager to Namiki No. 3, a building in Sotenbori, Shishido proceeds to brutally torture him, to the point that Tsuruno sends him away for fear of him killing the hostage. Later, the Watase lieutenant runs into Kiryu in the Castle, who had come in his search for Hanawa. Shishido instructs Kiryu to head to the coliseum if he wishes to find Hanawa alive, before heading off to the lookout point to watch the ensuing matches, alongside Homare Nishitani. After Kiryu's victories in the arena, Nishitani congratulates him for finding such a strong contestant. Shishido states that the coliseum itself attracts money and strength, to which the Kijin Clan patriarch remarks on how good he is with flattery, in spite of his underprivileged background. Pretending not to be offended, Shishido thanks him before excusing himself.
Afterwards, Shishido meets with Kiryu in a private room in the castle. Instead of giving him Hanawa's whereabouts, he divulges the horrific events of his past and how Tsuruno came and freed him, before proposing that Kiryu abandon the Daidoji and retake his place as the Dragon of Dojima. Despite his promises, however, Kiryu remains unmoved and demands to know where Hanawa is. Shishido relents and tells him that his manager is being held at Namiki No. 3, warning him that their best fighters would be waiting for him, and that Tsuruno — despite himself and Watase both wanting Kiryu on their side — said it would be their last chance to negotiate. He also reminds Kiryu to make sure he is fully prepared for when the two of them next face each other, to which the agent swears to pay him back for what he did to Hanawa, before taking his leave.
A couple of days later, Shishido is invited by Tsuruno to join him and Kiryu for their party to spend thirty-million yen, to which he agrees and heads to Cabaret Grand to meet with the pair. After Kiryu buys a round for the house and throws his money out for all the other patrons, the three of them leave the club, and the plan to lure out Nishitani by partying across Sotenbori is explained to the lieutenant. He agrees to their plan, inviting four Watase Family soldiers to help them burn through the cash, including Sakuma, Yao, Kubota, and Ukita. Together, the group head off to spend their wealth on drink, hostesses, and other expensive activities, while encountering heavy resistance from the Kijin Clan along the way. Shishido also challenges Kiryu to a golf tournament at Yokobori Golf Center.
Despite successfully driving Nishitani out of the Castle, they are unable to pinpoint his location. Shishido travels to the vessel with a small raiding party, led by Tsuruno, in order to assist Kiryu in taking it over. Once it is under their control, Shishido orders the ship's captain to bring it close to Osaka Bay, allowing the Daidoji Faction to capture video footage and leak it to the press. This further infuriates Nishitani, who agrees to have his captain escort Kiryu to him. After Tsuruno tracks the Kijin Clan patriarch to a warehouse at the bay, he sends Shishido to Sotenbori via car to help Kiryu with taking him down. In secret, however, the lieutenant organizes a rescue team for the purpose of extracting Nishitani later on. He then arrives at Yokobori Golf Center wearing his Hannya mask, where he helps Kiryu fend off the Kijin Clan before taking him to the warehouse.
Upon arriving at their destination, the duo fight their way through the hordes of yakuza blocking their path, as the Watase Family sets fire to the building from the outside. They eventually make it to Nishitani's office, who is wise to Shishido being the one in the mask, and demands to know what the Watase stand to gain from starting a conflict with the Kijin Clan. Kiryu proceeds to fight Nishitani, as the fire spreads throughout the room. After knocking him unconscious, he calls out to Shishido to help carry the patriarch out of the room. He distracts Kiryu by telling him to open the fire-escape exit while he holds Nishitani, before brandishing a blood-squirting toy knife and stabbing him repeatedly, much to the former's shock. The lieutenant reveals that Tsuruno was in on the plan to kill Nishitani, before an explosion forces them both to retreat.
Outside, Shishido stands by as Kiryu confronts Tsuruno for having Nishitani killed and making him accomplice without his knowledge. Tsuruno cites an incident involving the Kijin patriarch horrifically torturing a Watase Family dropout — and intending to bury him alive in the mountains — as justification for his death. Shishido corroborates this, reiterating how he was tormented by him for years on end; furthermore, he states that any "losers and weaklings" in the Kijin Clan's coliseum would meet the same fate as the dropout, and that he regrets not making his abuser suffer before taking his life. The family leaves the premises, but unbeknownst to Kiryu or Tsuruno, Shishido's team had evacuated Nishitani. The lieutenant later reveals the plot to dissolve the Omi Alliance to him, as well as his own plan to expose the traitors and use it to rise to the tank of chairman. Nishitani, enraged by Watase's betrayal and impressed by Shishido's ambition, agrees to join forces.
One month later, Shishido awaits the arrival of Watase at a remote construction side, alongside Kiryu, Tsuruno, and other family members. When the patriarch arrives and starts going over the dissolution plan, Shishido pulls his phone out and starts recording their conversation. He reveals his intentions to bring light to the conspiracy and use it to assume control of the Watase Family, and later the Omi, and that he already talked them over to his side; furthermore, confessing his deep-seated hatred towards Tsuruno, for sucking up to the patriarch rather than giving any respect to those below him. Moments later, a truck carrying several Kijin Clan soldiers arrive at the scene, with Nishitani at the helm and wielding a katana, much to the shock of the Kiryu and his allies. 
Shishido explains how he had helped fake the ex-Jingweon's death in exchange for his support, and how he intended to rebuild the Omi Alliance with Kijin Clan's support. He lambasts Tsuruno for thinking he deserves any gratitude for helping him, proclaiming that he carved out his place in the world with his own hands. Kiryu fires back that Shishido himself is, hypocritically, willing to the lick the boots of others for his own ends, to which the lieutenant agrees, pointing out how much he has gained from doing so. A massive brawl between the trio and the Omi members ensues, from which the former emerges victorious. Refusing to give up, Shishido throws one more punch at Kiryu, only to take a fist to the face that sends him falling down a hole. Later on, after his enemies had departed to oversee the Tojo and Omi's dissolution, the lieutenant climbs his way out of the hole and takes up an unconscious Nishitani's katana, before journeying to their headquarters. 
Shishido arrives at the courtyard to find Kiryu, Watase and Tsuruno standing outside, as well as Goro Majima, Taiga Saejima, and Daigo Dojima, the dissolution having already been carried out. He swears to make them pay for their actions, before charging at his patriarch to slash at him, only to be obstructed by Majima and Saejima. He manages to block the Mad Dog's dagger with his hand before knocking the two away, only to be pushed back by Kiryu. Shishido defiantly asserts that he and the Omi Alliance still stood strong, as droves of yakuza began pouring out of the building. Throwing off his jacket and revealing his tattoo, he rallies his fellow Omi members by appealing to their pride and rousing them with the truth of the conspiracy, as they surround Kiryu and his allies. Shishido leaves the courtyard as a massive brawl breaks out, but the enraged horde of yakuza are no match for the four Tojo Clan legends. Afterwards, he returns to taunt Kiryu to come and finish their fight, before retreating to the top floor of Omi HQ. 
When he and his rival reach the patriarchs' meeting hall, Shishido explains how people like him could not live without the yakuza, and that Kiryu, the once-fourth Tojo Clan chairman, could never understand what he had taken from them. Kiryu rebuttals that the two of them are the same, both eager to prove their might when they learn of someone stronger, but that the yakuza had to go for the sake of those trying to live an honest life. Infuriated, Shishido swears to kill him, his allies, and his kids in Okinawa, before charging towards his sworn enemy, sword in hand. The two engage in a brutal clash, battling through the Omi Headquarters until the lieutenant lies defeated and exhausted in the courtyard. As the now-former Tojo and Omi leaders are leaving the premises, Shishido is knocked unconscious by Yoshimura. He abducts him to be integrated into the Daidoji Faction, forcing him to become an agent with no freedom for the rest of his life, alongside Nishitani. 
== Fighting Style ==
Shishido has four boss fights in Gaiden. He goes solo in the first two, which are both back-to-back. His third fight is shared with Nishitani, where he is backed up by a horde of Omi members. His fourth is the final boss fight, which is split into four separate phases: two katana phases, and two unarmed phases. He also joins Kiryu as an AI partner at several points throughout the game.
Shishido is a ferocious, unrelenting fighter who relies on brute-force and overwhelming physical prowess in hand-to-hand combat, as opposed to refined techniques. His strength is such that he can easily compete with the likes of Kiryu, Majima and Saejima. He often carries weapons in battle, ranging from blunt instruments to blades. He emits an amber yellow aura in Heat Mode.
===Unarmed===
Shishido's unarmed fighting style revolves around brawling, which he uses in all of his boss fights. He takes a stance similar to Kiryu's in his Yakuza style, except more enclosed. His attacks consist of a wide variety of fast, wide swings and powerful kicks, many of which can stagger Kiryu.
He has three combos, including:
*one made up of a right uppercut, a double hammerfist, and a high right Thai roundhouse kick (all fights), before grabbing Kiryu's face, gouging his right eye and pushing him to the ground (4th fight only);
*another made up of a rapid left hook-overhand right, a left haymaker, a spinning high left heel kick (all fights), and a command grab where he performs a right knee-left downward diagonal elbow combo that stuns Kiryu (4th fight only); and
* a third combo consisting of a low right cross, an overhand left, a left shoulder charge, and a side flip drop kick (3rd fight onward).
His other attacks include:
* a rapid left jab-spinning right backfist,
* a spinning left heel kick,
*a charged right haymaker,
* a flying right knee strike as a running attack,
*a spinning right backfist as a guard reversal,
*two damage reversals, including:
**a leaping headbutt, triggered after taking three consecutive hits (2nd fight onward); and
**a spinning left heel kick, triggered by attacks that would knock him down (4th fight only);
* a high right/left Thai roundhouse kick after quickstepping right/left respectively (3rd fight onward),
*a hopping right punt kick as a downed attack, and
* a right haymaker as a get-up attack (3rd fight onward).
His taunts are two in number:
* one where he holds his hands out by his sides and wipes his left foot on the floor, and
* another where he cracks his head with his right hand (3rd fight onward).
His Ultimate Attack is Hiroki Awano's rolling thunder kick with a wind-up animation, which he uses in his second fight onward. It is prone to glitching when traveling over obstacles.
Shishido can also use the Essence of Stomp Finish Heat Action in the last phase of his fourth boss fight, which acts as a follow-up to any attack that knocks down or bounds Kiryu at close-range.
===Baseball Bat ===
Shishido wields a metal baseball bat as an AI partner, during the Castle raid. He uses Kiryu's bat-weapon moveset from Yakuza Kiwami 2.
=== Sledgehammer===
During the Kijin Clan HQ long battle, and the fight preceding it, Shishido carries a sledgehammer and uses Kiryu's hammer-weapon moveset from Kiwami 2.
===Katana===
Shishido uses a katana in the first and third phases of his final boss fight. He mostly holds his sword one-handed and keeps it hanging by his waist. He mainly uses wide slash attacks that quickly close the gap between him and Kiryu. His moveset is listed below:
* a Rush Combo comprised of a rapid left-right horizontal slash, an upward vertical slash, a right push kick, and a two-handed leftward slash;
* a spinning leftward horizontal slash,
* a leaping diagonal downward left slash,
* a guard stance where he holds his sword out with his left hand behind the blade, before slamming it downward if Kiryu gets too close;
*quickstep attacks, including:
** a left outward hammerfist after forward-stepping, which can stun Kiryu;
** a two-handed leftward pommel strike after sidestepping right,
** a rightward pommel strike after sidestepping left, and
**a lunging upward diagonal pommel strike after backstepping;
*an upward vertical slash that doubles as both a basic and downed attack,
*a crouching rightward horizontal slash as a get-up attack, and
*a taunt where he swings his sword down and up, which can deal damage.
For his Ultimate Attack, he holds his sword in a two-handed stance before executing a rightward horizontal slash.
He can also use Essence of Stomp Finish during his second katana phase, when he enters Heat Mode.
In the first phase, Shishido wields a guardless katana, which breaks in the mid-fight cutscene after he loses two health bars. In the cutscene leading into his third phase, he takes another katana from a set of samurai armor.
== Trivia ==
* Material released prior to Like a Dragon Gaiden's second trailer, such as his full body render and early screenshots, depicts Shishido without his tattoo. 
* Shishido's final boss fight has an unused Dynamic Intro, which can be seen here. 
* Shishido is described as the opposite of Motomiya's character in the Nihon Touitsu franchise, Renji Himuro, being more of a savage than an intellectual. As such, his character is more comparable to Himuro's counterpart Yuto Tamura, portrayed by Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, who in turn portrays Yuki Tsuruno in Like a Dragon Gaiden. Yamaguchi has also compared Tamura to Goro Majima while discussing the topic, indirectly comparing Shishido to Majima.
** Shishido's signature jacket is partly styled after Tamura's at the start of Nihon Touitsu, which is also a hooded puffer jacket with a knitted hem and cuffs.
== Gallery ==
LADG - Character Render - Kosei Shishido.png|Full-body render of Shishido in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
LADG - Title Card - Kosei Shishido.png|Introductory title card
LADG - Character Gallery - Kosei Shishido 01.png|Shishido wearing a Hannya mask.
LADG - Character Gallery - Kosei Shishido 02.png|Shishido at The Castle.
LADG - Character Gallery - Kosei Shishido 03.png|Shishido at Cabaret Grand.
LADG - Character Gallery - Kosei Shishido 04.png|Shishido wearing his alternate outfit.
LADG - Character Gallery - Kosei Shishido 05.png|Shishido having revealed his tattoo.
LADG - Character Gallery - Kosei Shishido 06.png|Shishido fighting Kiryu.
== Notes ==
== References ==
 
Category:Watase Family
Category:Daidoji Faction
Category:Omi Alliance
Category:Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Characters
Category:Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Supporting Characters
Category:Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Antagonists
Category:Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Bosses
Category:Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Final Bosses
Category:Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name AI Partners