Kazuma Kiryuu

Kazuma Kiryuu, also known as Dragon of Dojima, Emperor of the Underground, Inmate 1240, Jouryuu, Judgement Kazzy, Ka-kun, Kazkaz, Kazu-chan, Legendary Dragon, Man with an Incomplete Dragon, Mister MesuKing, Star of Kamurocho, Taichi Suzuki and Uncle Kaz, is one of the main protagonists from the Yakuza series.
== Charactah Account ==
Kazuma is the Dragon of Dojima and the fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan. Big and scary, but very kind, loyal and gentle as long as you don't get on his bad side.
Kazuma was raised in the Sunflower orphanage along with his closest friend Akira Nishikiyama and the woman he's always loved, Yumi Sawamura. Raised by Shintaro Kazama, he and Nishiki followed in his steps and joined the yakuza under the Dojima family in hopes to help the man who raised him. Three years later in 1988 at the age of 20, he was framed for murder and learned that the Dojima Family was seeking to obtain the Empty Lot where the murder took place, which was needed for them to gain control of the Kamurocho Revitalization Project. Seeking to prove his innocence, he teamed up with a Real Estate businessman named Tachibana and they tried to clear Kiryuu's name while preventing the Dojima Family to get the Empty lot since it would mean having Sohei Dojima as a future chairman, something Kazuma feared. After the last of Dojima's lieutenants, Shibusawa, the would-be Dragon of Dojima, tried to get rid of Kazuma's followers in the Dojima Family, he faced Kiryuu in a final battle and was defeated and incarcerated. For losing the Empty Lot race to Masaru Sera, Sohei Dojima was disgraced and lost almost all his influence and power.
Kazuma eventually returned to the Dojima Family where he became feared and celebrated as "The Dragon of Dojima". Things seemed to be working out well until one night in 1995. After a collection, Kazuma learned that his childhood friend Yumi had been abducted by Dojima, who was still known for getting anything he wanted, including women. Knowing the consequences if he dared to interfere, he went out to stop him. By the time Kazuma got to his office, he found that Nishiki was already there, and had murdered Dojima for trying to force himself on Yumi. Knowing the consequences Nishiki would face and what he would lose, Kazuma took the blame for the murder and went to jail for ten years to protect his friends.
However, Kazuma discovered that Yumi had lost her memory and disappeared after the incident, and after his release, that his closest friend had now become his bitter enemy, and ten billion yen was stolen from the clan. Seeking his friends and answers, he discovers Haruka, a young girl who is looking for her aunt Yumi and holds the key to the missing money. Kazuma fights to protect her at all costs, but loses everyone important to him in the ordeal, leaving only Haruka to keep him going. It's during this time that he's granted the title of Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan, but quickly gives up the position to start a new clean life with Haruka.
After a year of peace, the Fifth Chairman is murdered by his former colleagues, the Omi Alliance, and Kazuma finds himself pulled into another conflict that's part of a larger scheme involving the Korean Jingweon mafia. After putting an end to it, he and Haruka decide to leave Tokyo and move to Okinawa where he runs an orphanage, but even then he continues to be pulled back into the life he thought he left behind. By the fifth game, he's left the orphanage and has become a taxi driver in Fukuoka, going by the name "Taichi Suzuki", but fate continues to call him back into action once more. Following the game's events, he's arrested and serves a three-year sentence. He returns to the orphanage to discover that Haruka had left long ago and that her whereabouts are unknown, until he's told she was hospitalized after being struck by a car. He also learns about the existence of her infant child, Haruto, and the truth behind everything lies in Hiroshima.
== Appearance ==
=== Video Games ===
* Binary Domain
* Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational
* Kyoutou Kotoba RPG: Kotodaman
* Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
* Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
* LINE Rangers
* Project X Zone 2
* Ramen Soul
* Samurai & Dragons
* SEGA Heroes
* Streets of Kamurocho
* Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
* Taiko No Tatsujin DX
* The Yakuza Remastered Collection
* Yakuza
* Yakuza 0
* Yakuza 2
* Yakuza 3
* Yakuza 4
* Yakuza 5
* Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
* Yakuza Kiwami
* Yakuza Kiwami 2
* Yakuza Online
* Yakuza: Dead Souls
* Yakuza: Like a Dragon
== Trivia ==
* Kazuma's birthday, June 17, is the same as that of Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi.
* Kazuma's given name had its etymology explained in Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan!. The first kanji character 一 (kazu) means lone, while the second "ma" means horse. This refers to the single ridden horse that would lead a cavalry unit into battle. As such, the name suggests a courageous individual who likes to lead from the front and get things done, as befits Kiryu's personality.
* Kazuma is one of three characters who have appeared in every single game in the Kiryuu Saga, the other two being Majima and Jo Amon.
* In Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami, Kazuma's introductory title card uses a unique sound effect. He is the only character in the series with this distinction.
* In the original Yakuza, Kazuma is stated to be 20 years old in 1995, which would make his birth year 1975. This is inconsistent with his bio in the game's Japanese website and the rest of the series, and was fixed in the remake, where he is stated to be 37 in 2005.
* Kazuma's facial features from Yakuza 3 onwards are partly based on Takaya Kuroda, his Japanese voice actor. This render was previously used for Kiryu Kazumanosuke in Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan!.
* Kazuma's weakness to Ice attacks in Yakuza: Like a Dragon can be attributed to any of the following, or a combination of multiple:
** A reference to Dragon Quest, where dragons are weak to ice.
** A reference to the ending of Yakuza 5, where he passes out in the snow and would have died had Haruka not found him.
** Cold is an opposing force to "Heat", a core mechanic from the games in his saga.
** Kazuma is unfamiliar with ice attacks due to ice as a damage type not being present prior to Like a Dragon.
* Kazuma appears as a guest character in the following video games: Project X Zone 2, Binary Domain, Taiko No Tatsujin DX, Ramen Soul, Kyoutou Kotoba RPG: Kotodaman, LINE Rangers, SEGA Heroes and Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania.
** Kazuma's likeness was featured in Everybody's Hot Shots Golf as a guest character.
** Kazuma's likeness was featured in the End of the Century Premium Edition of Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise as an alternate skin for Kenshiro.
** Kazuma's likeness was featured in Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight as a DLC costume for Persona 5's protagonist.
** Kazuma's likeness was featured in the Yakuza Bundle DLC of Rainbow Six Siege as an alternate skin.
* Kazuma is one of the most requested characters for a guest appearance in fighting games such as Tekken 7 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. However, Nagoshi has expressed his refusal to allow him in fighting games. He stated, "fighting games usually have female characters, and I personally don’t really want to see Kiryuu hit women."
* Kazuma's least favorite food is green peppers.
* Kazuma is referenced multiple times in the Judgment series.
** In Judgment, Takayuki Yagami can learn the Komaki Tiger Drop (simply called Tiger Drop), which is said to have been used by a legendary yakuza.
** Also in Judgment, during the side case The Ono Michio Bandit, Yagami meets the new actor of Ono Michio, Nishimura, who struggles to fill the role of his predecessor, who is heavily implied to be Kiryu.
** In Lost Judgment's Story DLC, The Kaito Files, once Masaharu Kaito finds Memories of War Stories, he recalls a war story he was told by his anikis. In said story, a legendary yakuza who rose through the ranks and became Tojo Clan chairman was a reckless fighter in his youth and used a headbutt to counter his enemy after being knocked down. Kaito attempts to recreate this move he heard and learns EX Headstrong. The legendary yakuza is of course Kiryu, and the move that Kaito attempts to recreate is the Essence of Steadfast Counter.
== Gallery ==
File:Kazuma Kiryuu Render 01.png
File:Kazuma Kiryuu Render 02.png
File:Kazuma Kiryuu Render 03.png
File:Kazuma Kiryuu Render 04.png
File:Kazuma Kiryuu Render 05.png
== External Links ==
* Kazuma Kiryu at Yakuza Wiki
Category:Characters
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Category:Yakuza