Kazuto Arase

Kazuto Arase (, Arase Kazuto) is an antagonist featured in Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza 3 and a supporting character in Yakuza: Dead Souls. Once a sergeant for the Nishikiyama Family, he later became a founder of the anti-yakuza group, The Reapers.
== Profile ==
=== Appearance ===
Arase has black hair, kept in a slicked back style. He is slightly taller than Kiryu and is extremely athletic, being able to perform gymnastics moves in order to evade with ease.
==== Attire ====
Arase wears a red overcoat (fuchsia in Yakuza Kiwami), a black dress shirt, a pair of black leather pants, and black dress shoes. He also wears gold-rimmed, red-tinted eyeglasses.
=== Personality ===
During his time in the Nishikiyama Family, Arase's ruthlessness and unpredictability often cause many of his own sworn brothers to keep a sizable distance from him. His failure to kill Kiryu caused him to be looked down upon by his peers, who promptly kicked him out of the Nishikiyama family. By the time he founded the Reapers, he became vengeful towards both his former family and Kiryu, blaming the latter on the gunslinger's misfortunes. After his defeat and given the chance to repent and rebuild, Arase refused to join the HLA and told Kiryu to stay out of his way and that they will fight again.
== Involvement ==
=== Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami: 2005 ===
Ordered by Akira Nishikiyama, Arase fatally wounds his own oath brother, Shinji Tanaka, and kills Reina. At the abandoned building where he wounded Shinji, Arase encounters Kazuma Kiryu. In a cold manner, Arase shows him Reina's dead body, enraging Kiryu. Arase engages a fight against him but is defeated.
=== Yakuza 3: 2009 ===
Arase was expelled from the Nishikiyama Family for failing to kill Kiryu, and his former comrades treated him with disdain. Because of this, he decided to form the Reapers, a group of hitmen composed of disgraced yakuza with the ultimate goal of taking revenge on Kiryu.
Kiryu later encountered him again a few years since Shinji's death, whereupon the former sergeant of the Nishikiyama Family blamed the Dragon of Dojima for Arase's miserable life. After Kiryu defeated the gunslinger and his second-in-command, Arase disbanded the Reapers and vowed to have another duel with Kiryu.
== Other Media ==
=== Yakuza: Dead Souls: 2011 ===
Arase appears in Kiryu's portion of the game. Kiryu can choose to rescue him, who will decide to team up with Kiryu as his partner only for the duration of the zombie outbreak, after which he will go back to having his duel with Kiryu as he promised two years ago.
== Fighting Style ==
Arase is an extremely skilled pistol-wielder.
=== Yakuza ===
Arase wields two silver Beretta 92FS's equipped with scopes. He handsprings backwards and rolls/slides sidewards extremely frequently, and with great ease. His attacks consist of left and right pirouette shots, shooting after rolling, a long volley of gunshots (which is telegraphed by him leaning back and bracing) and a right roundhouse kick-left back kick-gunshot combo.
He does not have a Heat aura in this game.
=== Yakuza 3 ===
Arase wields two black Beretta 92FS's. He uses his Yakuza moveset with some of Andre Richardson's moves added, such as the right roundhouse kick-gunshot combo, left back kick-gunshot combo, backflip kick-gunshot combo, 4-kick combo, reverse right hook kick-gunshot knockback and multi-shot combo.
He does not have a Heat aura in this game.
=== Yakuza Kiwami ===
Arase wields two black Beretta 92FS's. He uses his Yakuza 3 moveset with a focus on the kick-gunshot combos, although the multi-shot combo is no longer in the moveset. He rolls and handsprings extremely often and is very hard to hit.
His Heat aura is light purple.
==Gallery==
=== Yakuza ===
Kazuto Arase (Yakuza 1) 02.jpg|Body Render
Kazutoarasey1.jpg
=== Yakuza: Dead Souls ===
Kazuto Arase 03.jpg|Body render
=== Ryu Ga Gotoku Online ===
RGGO - Card - N Kazuto Arase.png|N Kazuto Arase
RGGO - Card - SSR Kazuto Arase.png|SSR Kazuto Arase
RGGO - Card - KSR Kazuto Arase (Fighting Spirit).png|KSR Kazuto Arase (Fighting Spirit)
Category:Nishikiyama Family
Category:Tojo Clan
Category:The Reapers
Category:Gary’s Boot Camp
Category:Yakuza Characters
Category:Yakuza Antagonists
Category:Yakuza Bosses
Category:Yakuza Kiwami Characters
Category:Yakuza Kiwami Antagonists
Category:Yakuza Kiwami Bosses
Category:Yakuza 3 Characters
Category:Yakuza 3 Antagonists
Category:Yakuza 3 Bosses
Category:Yakuza: Dead Souls Characters
Category:Ryu Ga Gotoku Online Characters