Yoshitaka Mine

Yoshitaka Mine (, Mine Yoshitaka) is the main antagonist of Yakuza 3. He is the founder and chairman of an unnamed startup company, the former captain of the Nishikiyama Family, the chairman of the Hakuho Clan, and a lieutenant and interim chairman of the Tojo Clan.
As the main source of the Tojo Clan's income, he is known as the "Safekeeper of the Tojo Clan" (, Tōjō-kai no Kinko-ban).
== Profile ==
=== Appearance ===
Mine has the physique to match his rigorous training, hiding a surprisingly well-built figure underneath his signature suit. He has short brown hair, slicked back except for a loose piece swept to the side of his face. As a child, he had a buzz cut haircut.
==== Tattoo ====
Mine's tattoo covers most of his back and ends at his thighs. It depicts a , a mythical creature said to appear only in the presence of a benevolent leader and become ferociously protective if a pure person is threatened by a malicious one, as befits his view of himself in relation to Daigo. Like the word kirin-ji (, lit. "child prodigy"), the tattoo is intended to evoke the image of a genius."A Deeper Understanding of Ryu Ga Gotoku: Reference Room." Ryu Ga Gotoku 10th Anniversary Book, Kadokawa, 2015, p. 97.http://fftranslations.atspace.co.uk/ (March 4, 2016) - All of Horitomo's Ryu Ga Gotoku work - Horitomo: This is a design which, like the word "kirin-ji" (child prodigy), calls to mind the image of a genius. The common image of a kirin is actually one where it has the face of a dragon, and with the way that it's leaping upwards, this composition would make it look like Kiryu's tattoo. I looked through old materials and, though it isn't particularly popular, I drew a kirin with a face more like that of a deer.
==== Attire ====
Mine's attire consists of a maroon pinstriped double-breasted peaked lapel suit worn over a black dress shirt with a gold tie and gold pocket square. He also wears a Hakuho Clan crest pin on his lapel, a black gold pyramid-studded leather belt, and reddish-brown dress shoes. He trains in red tracksuit bottoms and gold gym shoes. As a child, he is seen wearing a white tank top.
His unused Yakuza Kiwami model shows him in a navy blue suit over a white dress shirt and a striped blue tie, similar to what he wears in flashbacks in Yakuza 3.
=== Personality ===
Mine is a calculating, cynical man who believes that people only act in pursuit of their self-interest and that, therefore, reliance on others is a weakness, since people are ultimately on their own in life. His belief in this ruthless individualism is such that he considers the children of Morning Glory orphanage to be Kiryu's "victims", since he's taught them to rely on him and each other for support. The only person Mine has met who made him doubt his cynical philosophy is Daigo Dojima, since according to Mine, Daigo treated him with respect and kindness while expecting nothing in return. His respect and admiration for Daigo is such that he reacts violently when people speak ill of him; in one case stabbing one of his subordinates in the hand with a knife for celebrating Daigo's shooting.
Mine's cold personality comes from the hardships he experienced in his early life, further worsened by a breakdown over Daigo's attempted assassination. Mine's cynicism has made him incredibly ruthless in the pursuit of his goals; being willing to harm anybody who stands in his way to achieve his ambitions.
Mine has an affinity for baseball, as he had no opportunity to participate in the sport as a child due to being unable to afford the equipment. He is also is an avid art collector and often finds himself in antique stores and auctions looking to acquire new pieces for his collection. According to Ryu Ga Gotoku Online, this is because "paintings cannot betray anyone."
== Background ==
Mine was born in 1976 to unnamed parents and orphaned at a very young age. He grew up in poverty, raised in an orphanage by his adoptive father who became terminally ill when Mine was still a child. On his deathbed, his father advised him to make something of his high intelligence and was sorry to leave him on his own. Having spent his childhood rejected by his peers for his background, Mine worked tirelessly to achieve wealth and status.
He became a very successful businessman in adulthood, earning a fortune in insider trading and real estate. Before the age of thirty-one he founded a venture company where he was employed in the capacity of both the company's chairman and the manager of the department. As he had spent most of his life in solitude, it comforted him to have subordinates he could consider friends. He felt he was at a place in life where he could find what he truly wanted: genuine bonds with others.
Mine's acquired lifestyle led him to be surrounded by people who used him for their own gain, resulting in numerous betrayals throughout his life. In 2007, motivated by immediate profit, his trusted colleagues staged what in Mine's view was a coup d'etat in which he was dismissed from his position as the manager of the R&D department. To Mine, this left him as the company's chairman only in name.
The same night, he witnessed an assassination attempt on Daigo Dojima that left four Tojo men dead. Contrasted with what had just happened to him, the incident had a lasting impression on Mine. He became obsessed with finding out what Daigo's subordinates saw in him that they would die to protect.
With his investigation at a standstill, he decided he needed to see what caliber of man Daigo was for himself. He bribed Tsuyoshi Kanda to introduce him to the Nishikiyama Family under the guise of wanting to expand his business.
Mine used aggressive methods to acquire property for the Nishikiyama Family, poaching third-tier families from under other Tojo organizations to get at their territory. The family's profits skyrocketed as a result. Their success caused conflict with the second acting patriarch of the Nishikiyama Family, which ended in Mine and Kanda driving him out. Though Kanda claimed credit for Mine's work and became the third patriarch, Mine shot up the ranks as his right-hand man.
As Mine had hoped, their success did not escape Daigo's notice, who was aware Mine was the one working behind the scenes. He warned him his methods went against the moral code of the yakuza and would end up getting him killed. Mine considered Daigo naïve and disregarded his advice, certain he would change his tune if enough money was put in front of him. Not satisfied that he understood enough about Daigo just yet, he continued his ways. 
While transporting seven hundred million in payments to HQ, Mine and Kanda were ambushed by the second acting patriarch along with men from several families Mine had poached. Outnumbered, Kanda abandoned Mine and drove off with the money, a betrayal that left Mine in a near-suicidal state of despair. Daigo intervened, offering the second acting patriarch one billion yen in exchange for Mine's life and even taking a bullet for him. When asked why he would risk his life for someone like him, Daigo told Mine that it was natural to him, as he considered every member of the Tojo Clan his family.
This ultimately lead Mine to realize that the yakuza was exactly what he had been searching for, a society in which the bonds between men ruled supreme. For the first time in ages, Mine had found someone he loved and respected, and he came to consider his bond with Daigo his reason to live. With Daigo's support and his own clear thinking and financial prowess, he soon became the chairman of the Hakuho Clan as well as lieutenant advisor to the Tojo Clan.
== Involvement ==
=== Yakuza 3: 2009 ===
After Daigo is shot and left in a coma by a pair of mysterious assailants, the Tojo Clan is plunged into turmoil once again. Interim Chairman Osamu Kashiwagi calls on an urgent meeting of the Tojo's top officers to decide what is to be done while the 6th Chairman is hospitalized. Present at the meeting are Kashiwagi, Mine, Kanda, Goh Hamazaki and Goro Majima. Kashiwagi proposes that 4th Chairman Kazuma Kiryu be asked to temporarily return to the Clan to lead it during Daigo's recovery, a plan which Mine supports, as he believes Kiryu's reputation would calm the Clan's rank and file members and deter rival groups from taking advantage of a leaderless Tojo. However, the proposal faces vehement opposition from Mine's oath brother, Kanda, who fears Kiryu's return might complicate his own aspirations to the Chairmanship. Mine and Kanda's discussion gets the latter so worked up that he throws a lit cigarette at the former, an insult which Mine simply brushes off. As Hamazaki also opposes bringing back Kiryu and Majima abstains from the matter, the plan is deadlocked.
At some point after Daigo's shooting, Mine is secretly approached by Andre Richardson, a CIA agent and one of the men responsible for the shooting, who is also secretly the leader of Black Monday, an arms trafficking organization. Richardson needs the Tojo Clan's political power to get a law passed in the Japanese Diet which would use eminent domain to acquire land in Okinawa for a tourist resort and for a new military base. Daigo had previously withdrawn his support because the plan would confiscate land belonging to Kiryu's orphanage, whom Daigo wanted to let retire in peace. Now that Daigo is out of the way, Richardson hopes Mine could use his influence in the Clan to push the plan forward again. As Mine wishes to see through Daigo's project for a revitalized Tojo Clan and also wishes to personally profit from the scheme, he agrees to steer the Tojo towards passing the project through congress.
Despite the leadership's failure to come to an agreement on the matter, Kiryu would return to Tokyo and become embroiled in the Tojo's affairs once more as the same men who shot Daigo also shot Shigeru Nakahara, a friend of his from Okinawa. Through his investigation into the shootings, Kiryu ends up sabotaging both Kanda and Hamazaki's plans to usurp control over the Clan while Daigo was hospitalized. Kanda is particularly humiliated, as Kiryu ends up chasing him across a love hotel in front of several of his men and then beats him up during a fight in the hotel's luxury suite.
Angered over the ridicule Kiryu submitted him to, Kanda meets with Mine at his apartment to gripe and demand that Mine lend him a billion yen so he can hire hitmen to kill the Dragon of Dojima. Mine refuses, as he considers Kanda's grudge against Kiryu to be against the Clan's best interests. Furious over this refusal, Kanda begins destroying furniture and decorations throughout Mine's living room, prompting only mild annoyance from an unfazed Mine. After Mine mocks him for being too dumb to understand the value of what he just destroyed, Kanda attacks him, only for Mine to turn the tables on him and beat him down with only a few punches. Tired of Kanda's bellicose ways, which have now started to conflict with his own plans, Mine summons a few of his men and orders them to murder Kanda. He then has Kanda's head chopped off and placed in a briefcase, which he intends to deliver to Kiryu, both as an intimidation tactic and a peace offering.
Mine learns that Kiryu is in the underground pleasure district of Purgatory and decides to travel there. Mine finally meets Kiryu in the Florist of Sai's office while he's having a meeting with the Florist and Goro Majima. There, he delivers his morbid "peace offering", apologizes to Kiryu for Kanda's actions, which he'd indirectly facilitated by previously lending him money, and states that he hopes "the matter is settled". Kiryu is horrified and asks Mine if he truly believes that doing this is what Daigo would have wanted from him. Mine rebukes Kiryu for using Daigo to reprimand him, saying that Kiryu abandoned Daigo and that his refusal to part with the land from his orphanage is what got Daigo shot in the first place. With a final assurance that he and his allies will continue to do what is necessary for the sake of the Tojo Clan, Mine departs.
Kiryu eventually learns about Black Monday and their efforts to get the military base bill passed so they can steal experimental weapons plans thanks to Minister Ryuzo Tamiya. While Kiryu is busy saving Tamiya's former secretary, Shoyo Toma, from an assassination attempt by Joji Kazama, Mine makes his move to displace Kiryu's orphanage from their land. With help from the Tamashiro Family, Mine prepares to bulldoze the Morning Glory Orphanage orphanage. Haruka Sawamura attempts to stop Mine, but he easily smacks her and gets her out of the way. When Mikio Aragaki also attempts to interfere, he is struck in the head with a sledgehammer by a Tamashiro goon and left in critical condition. After the orphanage is demolished, Mine instructs Patriarch Tetsuo Tamashiro to take Shigeru Nakahara (who was present at the scene) and hold him hostage to delay Kiryu from returning to Tokyo for as long as possible.
Mine then travels back to Tokyo on his private jet. During the journey, Mine overhears one of his subordinates celebrating their boss will soon be the 7th Chairman of the Tojo Clan. However, the subordinate also insults Daigo and celebrates he will likely soon be killed. This infuriates Mine, who uses a cutlery knife to stab this subordinate in the hand for his disrespect towards the 6th Chairman.
Mine travels to Touto University Hospital and sits at Daigo's bedside. Despite the fact that he could easily kill him to ensure his position as the next Chairman, Mine does not. He receives a phone call from Richardson, who seemingly warns him that Kiryu is traveling back to Tokyo to go after him. Despite this, Mine assures him that "there is no change in the plan".
When he learns from his subordinates that Kiryu has arrived to the hospital, Mine places Daigo on a stretcher and takes him up to the roof. After Kiryu fights Mine's Black Monday accomplices, he too gets to the roof to confront the Hakuho Chairman. Kiryu chastizes Mine, saying that despite all his big claims of wanting what was best for the Tojo Clan, he's actually just a traitor who wants to kill Daigo to supplant him atop the Tojo Clan. Mine finds this accusation comical and proceeds to explain his true motives. Just like Kiryu, he was an orphan who grew up poor and neglected, and he had to use his intellect and financial savvy to carve out a place for himself in the world, eventually realizing that nobody cared about him for any reason other than his ability to make money. That is until he met Daigo, the only person who ever treated him kindly without expecting anything in return. Now that Daigo is in a coma and may never recover, Mine says he's lost the one person who'd ever inspired selflessness in him, so he's decided to return to living entirely selfishly and seek the power to do as he pleases "meaningless as it may be".
When Kiryu reproaches him for treating Daigo as if he were already dead, Mine retorts that Daigo might as well be dead and that killing him at this point would be an act of kindness, since living hooked up to machines who breathe for you is no way to live. Kiryu disagrees and insists that as long as Daigo does live he has a chance to keep fighting, recover and become the man he once was. Angered by Kiryu's idealism and hopefulness, Mine draws a gun on him and questions why he is the way he is: They were both orphans who were dispossessed and discarded by the world, but Kiryu managed to become a selfless optimist, while Mine struggles to care about others at all. As words will not resolve their conflict, Kiryu sheds his shirt and challenges Mine to settle this with their fists. Impressed by Kiryu's resilience, Mine agrees and takes him on in an extended duel, which he ultimately loses.
After his defeat, Mine lies down on the rooftop, exhausted. He receives an urgent phone call from his secretary, whom he thought he mattered to. When it turns out she called to discuss a business deal, Mine laments how it all goes back to money, before cutting off the call. Mine asks Kiryu whether his clear state of mind means that his life has ended, who responds that as long as one is still alive, they can start anew. Kiryu offers Mine his hand. Uncertain but hopeful once again, Mine takes it and lets Kiryu help him stand up.
However, they are immediately interrupted by Andre Richardson and his Black Monday thugs, who pull guns on them. Richardson says that Mine is no longer useful to him, so he'll kill both of them. However, before he can do so, he is interrupted by Daigo, who awakens, grabs Mine's gun and shoots at the Black Monday men. Daigo manages to disarm Richardson and kill his goons, but Richardson produces a hidden gun and now takes aim at Daigo. With his attention diverted from him, Mine charges at Richardson and puts him in an armlock. As he apologizes to Daigo for his actions, he drags a screaming Richardson to the edge of the roof. Kiryu and Daigo plead with him to stop, but Mine cannot be deterred. After lamenting that he didn't get an opportunity to meet Kiryu sooner, Mine throws himself off the roof, dragging Richardson with him. A grieving Daigo then asks Kiryu if Mine was the traitor within the Tojo Clan, to which Kiryu responds that he wasn't.
== Fighting Style ==
Despite looking like an ordinary businessman, Mine is an extremely powerful fighter. He possesses a tremendous amount of strength, as proven when he easily cripples Kanda with just a few punches, in spite of the latter being a powerhouse in his own right. He is also one of the few people to contend with Kiryu — although he does eventually lose to him, Mine still manages to leave him bloody and breathless.
Mine's fighting style is based on mixed martial arts, with a heavy emphasis on boxing. He will periodically switch between three different Heat Modes during his fight, using various different attacks and taking an alternate approach to combat in each of them. His initial moveset is listed below:
* a Rush Combo comprised of two left jabs, followed by either a right shin-kick or an overhand right;
* another combo, consisting of a low right roundhouse kick, a spinning left high hook kick, and a right high side kick;
* a low left roundhouse kick-right cross combo,
* charging forward and performing a flying right knee strike,
* a grab attack where he executes a fireman's carry takedown, followed by a right punch to the face;
* a right uppercut after quickstepping forwards/backwards,
* a right axe kick that functions as both a basic and downed attack,
* a taunt where he drops his guard and beckons to Kiryu with his left hand.
Mine will use this moveset in his calm state, which he starts off in and reverts to after his Heat Mode runs out. His attack trails are indigo with orange accents.
=== Yellow Heat ===
When Mine first enters Heat Mode, he will emit an orange aura. He begins fighting more aggressively, quickstepping frequently, and utilizing an expanded moveset, consisting of the following:
* his Rush Combo,
* a combo of up to seven weaving hook punches,
* a combo of up to seven low roundhouse kicks, which he may follow up with either his spinning hook kick-side kick or his right cross;
* a flying right uppercut,
* a right back handspring kick,
* a right haymaker after stunning Kiryu,
* his uppercut quickstep attack,
* a right/left backfist after a quickstepping left/right respectively, which can stun Kiryu;
* a jumping right-left knee strike as a falling attack, and
* his right axe kick.
The animations for his roundhouse kicks are taken from Spikeout's White.
=== Red Heat ===
In this mode, Mine emits a red aura and mostly uses powerful heavy attacks, which can easily knock Kiryu off his feet. He becomes even more deadly in this mode due to hyper armor, preventing him from being knocked down or flinching with regular attacks. His moveset includes:
* his Rush Combo,
* a double spinning right backfist,
* his right haymaker as a basic attack,
* his flying knee kick running attack, and
* his uppercut quickstep attack.
Mine will sometimes perform Joji Kazama's QTE Heat Action when Kiryu is downed.
=== Blue Heat ===
Indicated by an indigo aura, Mine takes a more defensive approach to combat in this Heat Mode. He attacks when Kiryu is close, and can counter his grabs and even regenerate his own health. His moveset is listed as follows:
* his Rush Combo,
* a flying armbar takedown as a grab counter,
* a rapid health-recovery stance where he leans back with his arms spread out,
* his uppercut quickstep attack, and
* his right axe kick.
When his healing animation begins, it can be interrupted with the Komaki Parry, preventing him from regaining his health.
Mine's moveset is reused by Jo and Kazuya Amon in Yakuza 4, Raiden in Yakuza 5, and Nishio in Lost Judgment's DLC, The Kaito Files.
== Trivia ==
thumb|right|270px|Unused Yakuza Kiwami model
* There is an unused model of Mine in Yakuza Kiwami's files. The attire strongly resembles what he is seen wearing in flashbacks in Yakuza 3.
* As part of the Spirit Photography easter eggs in Yakuza 6, Mine's ghost may appear in photos taken at the lowest floor of the Millennium Tower, at the parking lot on Shichifuku East, on the roof of the Tenkaichi Commerce Building, and in front of the elevators next to Smile Burger. 
* In a poll conducted in 2013, Mine was voted the tenth most popular character in the Yakuza series, coming in at 100,042 votes.
* In a poll conducted in 2018, Mine was voted the fifth most requested character for Ryu Ga Gotoku Online, coming in at 154,426 votes.https://ryu-ga-gotoku.com (September 12, 2018) - (Ryū ga Gotoku series character sō senkyo, lit. "Ryū ga Gotoku series character general election") - Archive
* Mine was in consideration to be the main protagonist of Part 2 of Ryu Ga Gotoku Online at one point, alongside Ryuji Goda and Shun Akiyama.https://famitsu.com (September 25, 2019) - ([RyūOn] Ryū ga Gotoku Online dainibu shujinkō ga Gōda Ryūji ni naru riyū ya “kō ryū hōrō-ki” no tenbō ni tsuite, shirīzuchīfu P Yokoyama Masayoshi-shi, kyakuhon tantō no Takeuchi Kazunobu-shi o chokugeki, lit. "[RyuOn] The Main Character of Ryū ga Gotoku Online Part 2: Masayoshi Yokoyama and Kazunobu Takeuchi, Who Are in Charge of the Script, Interviewed Point-blank about the Prospect of The Wanderings of the Golden Dragon and Why Ryuji Goda Was Chosen as the next Protagonist") - Archivehttps://dojimasdragongirl.wordpress.com (October 4, 2019) - Another Famitsu interview – Yokoyama and Ryu Ga Gotoku Online writer Takeuchi - Interviewer: "So tell us why you chose Ryuji to take over as protagonist in Part Two. Though from what you said before, I get the feeling you could use any character who’s particularly popular with the players, no matter who they are?"
Yokoyama: "To be honest, there was a chance of either Mine or Akiyama becoming the protagonist too." - Archive
* Mine is depicted as bilingual, able to speak English as well as Japanese.
* Mine is a shareholder in several, if not all, taxi companies operating in Kamurocho.
*Mine is the final boss of Yakuza 3's Survival minigame, and can be encountered in Theater Square. His theme song in this mode is Jo Amon's theme song, Hear This In The Game, rather than his own theme song, Fly.
* In Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, a robot with the name "M-MIN" with Mine's moveset and theme music can be fought in the Coliseum's "Minamida Grand Prix". The robot displays Mine's likeness colored purple on a screen that acts as the face.
== Gallery ==
=== Yakuza 3 ===
Y3R-Render-Mine.png
Y3 - Title Card - Yoshitaka Mine.png|Introductory title card
Young Mine.png
DPgjb6FWkAArS8Z.jpg|Mine drinks Gatorade in the original Yakuza 3.
Mine (No Gatorade).png|Mine in Yakuza 3 Remastered, sans Gatorade.
Y3minehakhuoclandesk.jpg
Yoshitaka_Mine_Photograph.png|Photo of Mine
Y3minedaigoward.jpg
mine.jpg
Yoshitaka_Mine_03.png
===Yakuza 6===
Y6 - Spirit Photography - Yoshitaka Mine (Smile Burger).png|Mine's ghost near Smile Burger
Y6 - Spirit Photography - Yoshitaka Mine (Millennium Tower).png|Mine's ghost in the Millennium Tower
Y6 - Spirit Photography - Yoshitaka Mine (Tenkaichi Commerce Building).png|Mine's ghost on top of the Tenkaichi Commerce Building
Y6 - Spirit Photography - Yoshitaka Mine (Shichifuku East).png|Mine's ghost in the Shichifuku Parking Lot
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Online ===
RGGO - Card - SSR Yoshitaka Mine.png|SSR [Chairman of the Hakuho Clan, a Tojo Clan Subsidiary] Yoshitaka Mine
RGGO - Card - SSR Yoshitaka Mine (Legend).png|SSR [Longing for Bonds] Yoshitaka Mine (Legend)
RGGO - Card - SSR Yoshitaka Mine (Vacation).png|SSR [The Chairman's Time Off] Yoshitaka Mine (Vacation)
RGGO - Card - SSR Yoshitaka Mine (Decisive Battle).png|SSR [The Kirin Soaring to the Heavens] Yoshitaka Mine (Decisive Battle)
RGGO - Card - SSR Yoshitaka Mine (Black).png|SSR Yoshitaka Mine (Black)
RGGO - Card - SSR Yoshitaka Mine (Three-Year Anniversary).png|SSR [Well-Mannered] Yoshitaka Mine (Three-Year Anniversary)
RGGO - Card - KSR Yoshitaka Mine (Kiwami).png|KSR [Tearless Mourning] Yoshitaka Mine (Kiwami)
RGGO - Card - KSR Yoshitaka Mine (Decisive Battle).png|KSR [To Carve One's Path] Yoshitaka Mine (Decisive Battle)
RGGO - Card - KSR Yoshitaka Mine (New Year's).png|KSR [New Year's Day Sake Cup] Yoshitaka Mine (New Year's) 
RGGO - Card - KSR Yoshitaka Mine (Kiwami II).png|KSR [Swayed by the Night Breeze] Yoshitaka Mine (Kiwami II)
RGGO - Card - KSR Yoshitaka Mine (Decisive Battle Kiwami).png|KSR Yoshitaka Mine (Decisive Battle Kiwami)
RGGO - Card - KSR Yoshitaka Mine (Assist).png|KSR Yoshitaka Mine (Assist)
Yoshitaka Mine Sugoroku Sprite.png|Mine's sugoroku sprite during A Man by the Name of Yoshitaka Mine
=== Other ===
Yakuza Series Collaboration with VF5-US.jpeg|Yakuza Series Collaboration Pack in Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown
== Notes ==
== References ==
Category:Nishikiyama Family
Category:Hakuho Clan
Category:Tojo Clan
Category:Coliseum Fighters
Category:Yakuza 3 Characters
Category:Yakuza 3 Antagonists
Category:Yakuza 3 Bosses
Category:Yakuza 3 Final Bosses
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Mobile Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Kizuna Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Online Characters