Shun Akiyama

Shun Akiyama is one of the main characters in SEGA's Like a Dragon (Ryū ga Gotoku, formerly known as Yakuza in the west) franchise. He served as one of the three tritagonists (alongside Makoto Date and Taiga Saejima) of the Yakuza Saga and a supporting character in the Like a Dragon Saga.
Akiyama was formerly a homeless man, having lost his job at Touto Bank, due to being framed by Kyohei Jingu for embezzlement. Following the explosion at the Millennium Tower in 2005, Akiyama gathered as many yen as possible and began doing day-trading and other finance methods to earn more. This allowed him to open up his own finance business known as Sky Finance, and due to his generous loan donations and policies, he became known as the "Lifeline of Kamurocho". Over the course of the series, he became acquainted with Kazuma Kiryu, with the two forming a close bond.
In Japanese, he is voiced by veteran actor, Koichi Yamadera, who also voiced his historical counterpart Katsura Kogoro in Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! and its remake Like a Dragon Ishin!, and is also best known for his role as Spike Spiegal from Cowboy Bebop, Koichi Zenigata from Lupin III, and Donald Duck, Genie, and Stitch from the Disney franchise. In English, he's voiced by Stephen Fu, who's best known for his role as Naofumi Iwatani from Rising of the Shield Hero, Seiji Shishikura and Yoichi Shigaraki from My Hero Academia, and Weather Report from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean.
== Appearance ==
To be added...
== Personality ==
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== Trivia ==
* It was confirmed in an interview by Masayoshi Yokoyama that Akiyama's aloof personality, made to contrast Kiryu's, is partially based off of Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop."FFT: Ryu ga Gotoku 4 - Shun Akiyama". fftranslations.atspace.co.uk. Retrieved 2020-01-13.
* In Yakuza 0, the "Debt Collector's Necklace" gear is featured as a reference to Akiyama.
* Akiyama's watch in Yakuza 5 is designed by real-life Japanese apparel company GaGa Milano.
* Akiyama appears as a guest character in the following video games: LINE Rangers, Binary Domain, Taiko No Tatsujin DX and SEGA Heroes.
** His likeness was featured in Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight as a DLC costume for Yusuke Kitagawa.
*In Yakuza 4, as a reference to the Four Symbols, Akiyama represents the Vermilion Bird of the South, often referred to as a phoenix, a bird of fire that bursts into flames upon death and is reborn from its own ashes.
**This correlates to Akiyama's fall from grace as a banker, and his resurgence as a loan shark.
**In Minamida's IF7-R, Akiyama's AI is referred to as the "Wind Phoenix".
== External Links ==
* Shun Akiyama on the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Wiki
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