Ito Kashitaro

Ito Kashitaro (, Itō Kashitarō) is the secondary antagonist of Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!/Like a Dragon: Ishin!. He is the Military Advisor to the Shinsengumi and effectively serves as the group's third-in-command. 
== Profile ==
=== Appearance ===
In Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!, he is based on Goh Hamazaki, with the exception of wearing his hair in a traditional samurai topknot. 
In Like a Dragon: Ishin!, he is based on Daisaku Kuze, but once again sporting a topknot. 
==== Attire ====
Ito wears a black nagajuban underneath a burgundy kimono and hakama, the latter of which having pinstripe patterns. as well as the light-blue haori of the Shinsengumi with a himo. After he defects and forms the Goryo Eji, he dons the organization's signature green haori over his kimono. He rolls his sleeves up during battle.
=== Personality ===
Ito is a quiet, serious man who is very mindful of the social etiquette of feudal Japan: Despite his frequent disagreement with the decisions of his superiors, he never voices those disagreements too openly to avoid appearing insubordinate. 
Unlike most of the rest of the Shinsengumi's high-command, Ito was not selected by Chief Kondo or Deputy Chief Hijikata but rather appointed by the Bakufu as the group's third-in-command. Due to this, Ito is very resentful of Kondo and Hijikata, since he believes that he should have been made the group's commander.
== Background ==
In late 1866, after the Shinsengumi had become the largest out of the special police forces combatting anti-Bakufu rebels in Kyoto, the Tokugawa Bakufu appointed Ito to be the group's Military Advisor and third-in-command. In accordance with that position, Ito was also allowed to appoint a few new captains into the group's high-command to round out their number to ten.
Despite ostensibly being the organization's third-in-command, Ito only met Chief Kondo Isami once, during the high-command's first meeting after Ito's appointment. In the ensuing months, Kondo would be routinely absent from all leadership meetings, inspiring Ito's ire.
== Involvement ==
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!/Like a Dragon: Ishin!: 1867 ===
In 1867, Ito is present at the Shinsengumi high-command meeting where Sakamoto Ryoma (under the alias of "Saito Hajime") is initiated as Captain of the group's 3rd Division, in replacement of the recently executed Yamanami Keisuke. During the meeting, 9th Unit Captain Suzuki proposes that the group appoint a new Chief, since Chief Kondo hasn't attended a leadership meeting in months. Deputy Chief Hijikata correctly deduces that Suzuki is proposing this at the behest of Ito and rejects the request, saying that only the Bakufu can replace the Chief. Ito interjects that there are rumours circulating amongst the low-rank troops that Chief Kondo has been absent because he died months ago, but Hijikata insists that Kondo is alive and regularly meets with him to receive reports and give orders. Regardless, Ito insists Kondo's absence is bad for troop morale, which is a problem that must be remedied.
Within the next few days, Captain Suzuki and 7th Division Captain Tani Sanjuro are killed by anti-Bakufu rebel Okada Izo. At the next leadership meeting, 10th Division Captain Harada Sanosuke, at Ito's behest, calls for the remaining captains to appoint Suzuki and Tani's replacements, since Chief Kondo is too out of touch with daily operations due to his absence. Deputy Chief Hijikata shoots this down and changes the topic of discussion to a planned raid on a meeting of the anti-shogunate Choshu Loyalist Party which will take place the following night.
Some days later, Sakamoto wants to meet with Chief Kondo, since he suspects him of being behind the murder of his foster father, Yoshida Toyo. Sakamoto asks Ito how he could get a meeting with Kondo, to which Ito irritatedly replies that he doesn't know and that he's given up on trying, since Kondo has been avoiding him for months.
After 6th Division Captain Inoue Genzaburo is murdered, the Shinsengumi's Intelligence Officer, Yamazaki Susumu, determines that the perpetrator was a man going by the name "Sakamoto Ryoma", who's been staying at the Terada Inn in the Fushimi district. Ito and 5th Division Captain Takeda Kanryusai take their troops to storm the place, but the real Sakamoto and 1st Division Captain Okita Soji intercept them. Since the real Sakamoto and Okita have learned that the fake "Sakamoto" is also behind the murder of Sakamoto's foster father, they want to capture him alive for questioning in secret, so they can't allow Ito and his troops to get to him first. In order to lure Ito away, Okita claims that Chief Kondo has returned to the Shinsengumi's base for the first time in months and wishes to speak with Ito to talk about his possible retirement as Chief. Unable to pass out this chance at promotion, Ito rushes to the group's headquarters and begrudgingly leaves Okita in charge of the raid.
Soon after, Ito is approached by the fake "Sakamoto Ryoma", who turns out to be Takechi Hanpeita of the Tosa Loyalist Party, and offered a deal: Takechi wants to take the Emperor away from his Bakufu guard in order to facilitate a war against the Bakufu, but he needs to cause a massive distraction that would leave the Imperial Palace mostly unguarded to do so. Takechi asks Ito to forge orders from Chief Kondo to trick the Shinsengumi into starting fires all over Kyoto as that distraction and, in exchange, Takechi will have Chief Kondo killed and Ito will be given the funds to start his own special police force on the Loyalist side of the conflict. Frustrated with Kondo and Hijikata's leadership, Ito agrees.
On the agreed upon night, Ito uses the fake orders he prepared to get the Shinsengumi's soldiers to start fires all over the city. While Kyoto is in chaos, Takechi's agent, Okada, assassinates Chief Kondo, but then botches the plan by disobeying his orders to kidnap the Emperor immediately afterwards when he instead decides to also assassinate the real Sakamoto, since he was jealous of Takechi's filial love for Sakamoto. Okada dueled Sakamoto outside the Imperial Palace but ended up losing and getting killed. 
The following day, during an emergency leadership meeting at the Shinsengumi's headquarters, Hijikata tricks Ito into revealing his complicity in Kondo's murder: he announces that, since Chief Kondo is absent, it is up to the Captains to decide how to restore order after the previous night's disaster. Ito says that in the wake of the Chief's murder, the Captains must elect a new Commander. However, Hijikata says that he hadn't mentioned Chief Kondo had been killed, merely that he was absent, just as he'd been for many months. Since Kondo's death had been kept secret, the only way Ito could've known about his death would've been if he'd been responsible for orchestrating it. Hijikata prepares to kill Ito in retaliation, but Captain Takeda and 8th Division Captain Todo Heisuke intervene, revealing that they'd also betrayed the Shinsengumi to join Ito's new group, the Goryo Eji. Takeda and Todo force Hijikata at gunpoint to allow them and Ito to leave the Shinsengumi's base alive.
Unbeknownst to Ito, Captain Todo was actually a double agent working for Hijikata, who had been suspicious of Ito for a long time. Through Todo, Sakamoto, Hijikata, Okita and Nagakura Shinpachi learn that Takechi and Ito are trying to set-up a meeting with the Choshu and Satsuma rebel leaders, Katsura Kogoro and Saigo Kichinosuke. Since Sakamoto knows both men, he convinces them to agree to meet with Takechi and Ito at the Omi Inn, so the Shinsengumi can set a trap for them. Unfortunately, Takechi and Ito caught wind of the trap and, on the night of the meeting, they manage to avoid execution with help from Commander Sasaki Tadasaburo of the Mimawarigumi, who has also betrayed the Bakufu to side with the Loyalists. Out of fear of further plots on their lives, Takechi, Ito and Sasaki relocate to the palace of their other co-conspirator, Lord Yamauchi Yodo of Tosa, to take refuge while they continue their plans to drive the Satsuma and Choshu rebels to war against the Bakufu.
Weeks later, the remaining Shinsengumi members raid Lord Yodo's castle to assassinate him and Takechi, prompting Ito and a platoon of his most loyal Goryo Eji soldiers to join in on the palace's defence. Ito and his men corner Sakamoto, Hijikata and Okita in the castle's boiler room, leading to a duel. Ultimately, the Goryo Eji men are defeated and Hijikata kills Ito, thus avenging Chief Kondo.
== Fighting Style ==
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! ===
Ito is accompanied by several Goryo Eji reinforcements, and uses the large clouds of steam pumped through the boiler room to his advantage. Ito holds his sword above is head in the stance, and attacks with precise, swift cuts and stabs. His moveset is listed as follows:
* his Rush Combo, consisting of a high vertical downward slash, a vertical downward slash, a sword-thrust, and an upward diagonal left slash;
* a downward diagonal left-right-left-right slash combo,
* a charged underarm sword-thrust,
* a downward diagonal right/left slash while quickstepping left/right respectively, and
* a running underarm thrust, followed up with downward left diagonal slash if Sakamoto, or one of his allies, is impaled by it. 
His attack trails are bright red.
A heavily watered-down version of Ito's moveset is used by some katana-wielding enemies fought throughout the game, as well as Tanaka Shinbei in Like a Dragon: Ishin!. His complete moveset is reused by Koji Shindo in Yakuza Kiwami 2.
=== Like a Dragon: Ishin! ===
Ito retains his moveset from the Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!, which is mostly unchanged save for two extra attacks: 
* a feint followed by downward vertical slash, and
* a spinning upward left diagonal slash as a guard reversal.
Ito will now enter Heat Mode after 50% of his health is depleted, in which he emits a white aura.
==Gallery==
===Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!===
Gō Hamazaki (Itō Kashitarō).png
RGGI! - Character Render - Ito Kashitaro.jpg|Full-body Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! render of Ito
RGGI! - Character Render - Ito Kashitaro (Defected).png|Full-body Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! render of Ito without his haori
RGGI! - Character Render - Ito Kashitaro (Goryo Eji).png|Full-body Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! render of Ito in the Goryo Eji
rggiitokashitaro-1.jpg
Rggiitokashitaro.jpg
Rggiitokashitarosurrounded.jpg
===Like a Dragon: Ishin!===
LADI! - Character Render - Ito Kashitaro.png|Full-body Like a Dragon: Ishin! render of Ito
LADI! - Character Render - Ito Kashitaro (Goryo Eji).png|Full-body Like a Dragon: Ishin! render of Ito in the Goryo Eji
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Online ===
RGGO - Card - SSR Ito Kashitaro.png|
==Trivia==
* In Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin!, Ito lacks a theme song of his own and uses the generic boss theme. In Like a Dragon: Ishin!, he instead uses Daisaku Kuze's theme song, Pledge of Demon.
Category:Shinsengumi
Category:Goryo Eji
Category:Historical Figures
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! Antagonists
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin! Bosses
Category:Like a Dragon: Ishin! Characters
Category:Like a Dragon: Ishin! Antagonists
Category:Like a Dragon: Ishin! Bosses
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Online Characters