Osamu Kashiwagi

Osamu Kashiwagi (, Kashiwagi Osamu) is a recurring supporting character in the Yakuza series introduced in the original Yakuza. He is the former captain and interim chairman of the Tojo Clan, the former captain - and later second patriarch - of the Kazama Family, and the founder of the Honest Living Association. He currently resides in Isezaki Ijincho as the proprietor of Survive Bar.
==Profile==
===Appearance===
Kashiwagi has black hair and a tall build. Kashiwagi's hairstyle was initially a slicked-back one in Yakuza 0, later changed into a longer side part hairstyle from Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami onward. He has a noticeably large scar across his nose and left cheek. In Yakuza: Like A Dragon, his hair is slicked-back again, though it has become gray and white in areas with age and he now possesses a small landing strip goatee.
====Attire====
Kashiwagi usually wears a gray double-breasted suit over a white dress shirt, cool gray necktie, and a pair of black dress shoes. In Yakuza 0, he wears a teal double-breasted suit with brown shoes, a white shirt, and purple necktie. In Yakuza 3, he wears a pinstripe indigo suit with a much lighter purple tie, and black dress shoes. When working as the bartender at Survive Bar, he wears a satin gray dress shirt, dark red regimental patterned necktie with blue and white stripes, a medium gray vest with a tattersall pattern, matching suit pants, and tortoise shell frame glasses. During funerals or other formal events, Kashiwagi is usually seen wearing a double-breasted black suit and black oxfords with a white dress shirt and a black necktie. 
===Personality===
Kashiwagi is a stern but responsible man who likes to violently discipline his subordinates for any foolish mistakes they make. Regardless, he is resourceful whenever the situation calls for it and as a result, his subordinates greatly respect him, and he has a mutual bond of trust and respect with Kazama. He is something of an older brother figure to Kazuma Kiryu and Akira Nishikiyama, the adoptive children of Kazama, despite them being in the Dojima Family and not the Kazama Family directly. In his younger days, Kashiwagi was noted to have some hot-bloodedness within him, as seen with him getting excited at the prospect of fighting Goro Majima, who he seemed to hold respect for due to his reputation in the Shimano Family.
He also prefers working behind the scenes as a second-in-command rather than a full leadership position. Later in the series, Kashiwagi shows his softer side by helping ex-yakuza reintegrate into society by founding the HLA. Kashiwagi is regularly shown to love cold noodles and is described as being terrifying when he couldn't eat them. Whenever he went out to restaurants with Kiryu, he always ordered cold noodles and would force Kiryu to buy the ingredients if they ran out.
==Background==
At an unknown point in time, Kashiwagi started tending Kamuro Castle, which he would later use as a base of operations for the Honest Living Association.
==Involvement==
===Yakuza 0: 1988===
As the Kazama Family captain, Kashiwagi is the right-hand man of Shintaro Kazama, acting as a superior to Kazuma Kiryu and Akira Nishikiyama. Due to Kazama's incarceration, he acts as the leader of the family.
 As Kiryu is framed for the murder of a man on the Empty Lot, he and Nishikiyama come to Kashiwagi for advice and support. Kashiwagi guesses that, as Kiryu returns from the Dojima Family headquarters, Daisaku Kuze approached him and asked him to sell out Kazama, which Kiryu confirms. He concludes that someone framed Kiryu for the murder, then asks him to tell him all that Kuze told him and in turn tells Kiryu and Nishikiyama what he knows about Kamurocho's redevelopment project. He is violently opposed to Kiryu confronting Sohei Dojima to terminate his oath, even going far as to punch him into a bookshelf.
Later, as Goro Majima enters the Kazama Family office in search of Nishikiyama, Kashiwagi stops him from interrogating his rookie. After he refuses to give up both Nishikiyama and Kiryu, he takes Majima to the roof of Kamuro Castle to fight him. He remarks on having wanted to face Majima one-on-one. Ultimately Kashiwagi loses, as Majima comments on prowess by remarking the Kazama Family to be breeding "monsters like this." He threatens to cut out Kashiwagi's eye in order to get the rookie to spill Nishikiyama's location.
During Kiryu and Nishikiyama's attack on Keiji Shibusawa and the Shibusawa Family, Kashiwagi shows up with the Kazama Family, providing backup for them.
===Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami: 1995-2005 ===
As of 1995, Kashiwagi still holds his position as the Kazama Family's captain. He is present when Kiryu delivers his last debt collection before going to prison. 
In 1996, he delivers the news to Nishikiyama that he will be awarded leadership of his own family as a place for Kiryu to return to, as the Kazama family could not take in Sohei Dojima's supposed killer. He later laments the fact that it was not Kiryu who filled this seat, triggered by Nishikiyama's negligence in letting his subordinate rob from stores in Kashiwagi's turf, which Kashiwagi viewed as a heartless act of ingratitude. He overlooks the incident and warns Nishikiyama to be more careful.
When Kiryu, Haruka Sawamura, Kazama, and Kazama's ally Yukio Terada are attacked by Futoshi Shimano and his men at the Shibaura Wharf, Kashiwagi arrives with Kazama Family to help. However, the battle ends with the death of Shimano and Kazama. In the end, Kashiwagi becomes the second patriarch of the Kazama family.
=== Yakuza 2/Yakuza Kiwami 2: 2006 ===
In the wake of the Tojo Clan civil war, Kashiwagi becomes the second patriarch of the Kazama Family following Shintaro Kazama's death. A clan meeting is held by Yukio Terada to decide the Tojo Clan captain by seeing whose family generated the most profits. The Kazama Family is beaten by the Uematsu and Ibuchi families, but a last-minute contribution by the Majima Family makes Majima eligible for the role, causing the meeting to be called off. 
When Akinobu Uematsu is murdered, Kashiwagi defends Majima in the following meeting and directs him to the Florist of Sai for any leads on the true killer. Following the death of Kei Ibuchi and the Majima Family's withdrawal from the Tojo Clan, Kashiwagi is appointed acting captain, but is pushed aside due to Terada's cronyism.
Following Terada's apparent murder at the hand of the Omi Alliance, he serves the Tojo under its interim chairwoman Yayoi Dojima, and seeks to avoid war with the Omi. Later, he and other Tojo Clan members are held hostage by Koji Shindo, who sold out to the Sengoku Family, to lure out Kiryu. The 300 men he gathers in the Kamurocho area support Daigo Dojima in his fight against the Go-Ryu Clan. 
When Daigo becomes the sixth chairman of the Tojo Clan, Kashiwagi is promoted to the captain of the Tojo Clan. 
===Yakuza 3: 2007-2009 ===
After Daigo is shot by a man who looks like Kazama, Kashiwagi takes over as interim chairman. He calls Kiryu and informs him of the incident. The next day, Kashiwagi holds a meeting at the Tojo Clan Headquarters with Yoshitaka Mine, Tsuyoshi Kanda, Goh Hamazaki, and Goro Majima. Kashiwagi proposes securing Kiryu's aid, which Mine agrees to, but Kanda and Hamazaki oppose, resulting in a deadlock. After the meeting, he calls Kiryu and urges his presence at the Kazama Family office. Meeting with Kiryu, Kashiwagi explains the events of the recent meeting.
He warns Kiryu to, out of the Tojo executives, keeps an eye on Kanda in particular, and shares his expectation that each organization will try to make their own move. As Kiryu shows him the picture of the man who shot Shigeru Nakahara, he confirms that it is the same man who shot Daigo but questions how he could have come from Okinawa to Tokyo in the allotted time between the two incidents. He also explains that Daigo was possibly shot because of his involvement in the Okinawa resort deal, and concludes that it was likely over his unwillingness to give up the deed to Morning Glory Orphanage's land specifically. He tells Kiryu that he placed Daigo in a trustworthy hospital without having told anyone where and decides to keep it secret to Kiryu as well.
 As he does, the office experiences a blackout. A CIA helicopter arrives in front of the window and fires a gattling gun at Kashiwagi and Kiryu inside. While Kiryu is unharmed, Kashiwagi is gravely injured. His last words to Kiryu are asking him to find the man who is working with the Kazama-look-alike, suspecting he would be the one to try and take control of the resort deal and a traitor within the Tojo Clan.
===Yakuza: Like a Dragon: 2009-2019===
Kashiwagi survives the shooting, moving to Isezaki Ijincho an unspecified time after and opens Survive Bar. He chose that name as a reminder of having survived that experience. While running his bar, he becomes proficient in cooking and making both bouquets and Chinese medicine. He employs Iroha Yanagi and Koichi Adachi later becomes one of the bar's few regulars.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name: Kashiwagi is absent from Survive Bar due to back pains. An employee of his informs customers Yuki Tsuruno and Joryu of his absence.
Kashiwagi becomes something of a staunch ally and friend to Ichiban Kasuga and his party when Adachi shows them the bar, providing them a safe haven where they can relax and hang out. He occasionally overhears the party members' troubles and offers advice or assistance. At some point, he misplaces an earring on the second floor, which causes trouble for Kasuga as the multiple women that fell for him thought he cheated on them. He contacts all of them to clear up the misunderstanding after Kasuga reveals the earring got him in trouble.
In spite all of this, his identity is presumably never revealed to the group, only being referred to as "The Bartender". It is unknown if the Tojo Clan or any other yakuza organization is aware of his current status or whereabouts.
===Lost Judgment: 2021===
Kashiwagi is present to observe the Siren Owner's conversation with Takayuki Yagami. Survive Bar was chosen as the meeting location because of the assurance that Kashiwagi will prevent their meeting from becoming unpleasant.
===Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth: 2022-2023===
After Kiryu returns to Japan from Hawaii, he makes a bucket list, with one of the things listed being to sing his heart out at karaoke. Nanba takes Kiryu to Survive Bar, where Kiryu and Kashiwagi reunite after many years. Although they clearly recognize each other, "Taichi Suzuki" pretends to simply have confused the bartender with another person, to which the bartender simply replies that his face is quite common.
Later, the bartender incentivizes "Suzuki" to rely more on the people he has, and that once he is able to reclaim his name, he wants to speak to him with neither having anything to hide, promising to pour the finest drink on the house.
==Fighting Style==
=== Yakuza 0 ===
Kashiwagi is a powerful and disciplined user of Shotokan Karate, strong enough to leave Majima breathless after their fight. He uses several attacks from Joji Kazama's moveset, but some are unique to him. His stance is also different to Joji's, taking a knifehand back stance instead of a close-fisted one. Kashiwagi is impossible to knock down with normal attacks, due to having super armor. His moveset is comprised of:
* Joji's jab-cross-uppercut combo, knee strike-roundhouse kick-mountain punch combo, front snap kick, hammerfist-stomp attack, guard reversal combo (Heat Mode only) and grab counter; as well as
* a combo consisting of a right lunge punch, a left hook-spinning right outward hammerfist, and a spinning left knifehand that can stun Majima;
* a hopping spinning right side kick,
* a right cross-shoulder throw as a grab attack,
* a right ground punch as a downed attack, and
* a taunt where he takes a southpaw stance.
Kashiwagi's battle prowess is further demonstrated during his QTE, wherein he dashes forward at lightning speed and executes a right lunge punch, which sends Majima flying if the prompt is failed.
His Heat Mode aura is yellow.
=== Yakuza: Like a Dragon ===
Kashiwagi appears wielding a pump-action shotgun in Daigo's Poundmates summon attack, 'Guns of the Forefathers'.
=== Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth ===
Upon completing the Memoirs of a Dragon substory, Kashiwagi is unlocked as a Poundmates summon and can be called upon for the price of either 2,500,000 yen or 25,000 dollars.
His summon skill is 'Crooked Cooking', in which he chops up a number of ingredients with a tantō dagger to prepare a bowl of cold noodles. This ability heals 1000 points of health for all party members, while also raising their 'Defense' and 'Willpower' stats.
==Trivia==
* In Yakuza 0, at any point after the completion of the first chapter, Kashiwagi appears in the background of the cinematic for Judgement -Shinpan- playing the keyboard.
** He also appears playing the keyboard in Infinite Wealth if the song is played in Japan.
* Though alive, Kashiwagi appears in Daigo Dojima's summon in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, alongside Sohei Dojima, Shintaro Kazama and Futoshi Shimano, with his title's displayed as a Kazama Family Captain. It should be noted that unlike the other characters Daigo brings with him, Kashiwagi's legs remain uncovered by the purple mist. This could be a further indication of him being alive as opposed to Dojima, Kazama and Shimano, as ghosts in Japanese mythology usually do not have visible feet, or have shaded feet to show that they are dead. He also uses his Kiwami 2 model as opposed to his bartender appearance. 
==Notes ==
==References==
Category:Kazama Family
Category:Dojima Family
Category:Tojo Clan
Category:Honest Living Association
Category:Survive Bar
Category:Yakuza 0 Characters
Category:Yakuza 0 Supporting Characters
Category:Yakuza 0 Bosses
Category:Yakuza Characters
Category:Yakuza Supporting Characters
Category:Yakuza Kiwami Characters
Category:Yakuza Kiwami Supporting Characters
Category:Yakuza 2 Characters
Category:Yakuza 2 Supporting Characters
Category:Yakuza Kiwami 2 Characters
Category:Yakuza Kiwami 2 Supporting Characters
Category:Yakuza 3 Characters
Category:Yakuza 3 Supporting Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Mobile Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Kizuna Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Online Characters
Category:Yakuza: Like a Dragon Characters
Category:Yakuza: Like a Dragon Supporting Characters
Category:Lost Judgment Characters
Category:Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Characters