Akira Nishikiyama

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## Base Breaking Character

* Kiwami
* Yakuza 0

### Alias

Nishiki
Akira Nishiki (original dub name)

### Powers/Skills

Vast criminal connections
Great physical strength
Superb fighting skills
Intelligence
Manipulation
Cunning

### Family

Yuko Nishikiyama (younger sister; deceased)
Shintaro Kazama (foster father; deceased)

### Allies

Kazuma Kiryu (childhood best friend and oath brother friend later; foe)
Yumi Sawamura (childhood friend, formerly)
Osamu Kashiwagi (formerly)
Tetsu Tachibana
Shintaro Kazama (formerly)
Kyohei Jingu (formerly)

### Enemies

The Dojima Family
Sohei Dojima
Kazuma Kiryu (formerly)
Shintaro Kazama
Futoshi Shimano
Reina
Shinji
Kyohei Jingu
Matsushige

### Goals

Protect Makoto Makimura
Prevent Sohei Dojima from gaining the Empty Lot
Help Kazuma Kiryu clear his name from the Empty Lot murder (all succeeded)
Kill Kiryu to spare him from a life of possible eternal torment in what is known as "The Hole" (formerly; abandoned)
Defeat and kill Kiryu in a one-on-one fight to prove his superiority over him
Acquire the stolen ten billion yen and become chairman of the Tojo Clan (all failed)

### Why Do Some People Hate The Character?

His sudden betrayal and transformation into a cruel and villainous Yakuza boss that caused the deaths of some of his friends and allies.
Slapping Reina (even though he regrets doing that)
Trying to get Yumi for himself instead of Reina who has feelings for him which he ignore.

### Why Do Some People Love The Character?

His relationship with Kiryu in 0 is heartwarming and sad compared to his relationship in 1/Kiwami
The added scenes in Kiwami that details his Start Of Darkness have many fans understand and give sympathy to Nishiki.
His voice line in the English dub; "Ten years in the joint make you a f\*cking p\*ssy!" became a huge meme in the Yakuza community to the point where the meme became associated with Nishiki.

### Type of Base Breaking Character

Fallen Rival

**Akira Nishikiyama** or **Akira Nishiki** (in the English dub for the first three games) also known by his nickname **Nishiki** is a major character in the *Yakuza/Like a Dragon* Franchise.

He is the first patriarch of the Nishikiyama family and is the former sworn brother of main protagonist Kazuma Kiryu who acts as one of the two main antagonists (alongside Kyohei Jingu of *Yakuza* and its remake *Yakuza Kiwami*, A major allied/supporting character of the prequel *Yakuza 0* and a posthumous character in *Yakuza 2*, its remake *Yakuza Kiwami 2* and *Yakuza 3*.

He was voiced by Kazuhiro Nakaya and voiced by Michael Rosenbaum in the English dub of the PS2 version of the first Yakuza.

## What Makes Him a Base Breaking Character?

### What Do People Like About Him?

#### Yakuza 0

* He is introducted as one of Kiryu's closest friends in 0 and he and Kiryu would hang out a lot together and do things like karaoke, bowling, dancing, etc. And his interactions with his friends and loved ones are both heartwarming and funny.
* He and Kiryu have an emotional scene when Nishiki is unable to kill Kiryu, bursting into tears, and telling Kiryu he is nothing without him.
	+ He would later help Kiryu fight the Dojima Family to tried to find Tetsu Tachibana and would help him fight off Daisuku Kuze and his men.
* When Goro Majima arrives at Serena with the intention of demanding Nishiki, Kiryu's and Makoto Makimura's location. Nishiki refuses, ironically saying that he won't betray his brother and the two would fight.

* Nishiki would help Kiryu fight the Dojima Family in order to save Makoto from Keiji Shibusawa. When Kiryu won the fight aganist Shibusawa and was about to kill him, Nishiki arrives just in the nick of time and urgently tells Kiryu that he "can't cross that line", becoming part of the reason why Kiryu hasn't killed a single person in his yakuza career.

#### Yakuza 1/Kiwami

* He shot and killed Sohei Dojima for attempting to rape his childhood friend Yumi Sawamura. Initially he suggests to Kiryu that he goes to prison but Kiryu volunteers to take the blame, so that Nishiki could spend time with his dying sister, Yuko.
* The added scenes in Kiwami that details his Start of Darkness gained Nishiki sympathy from fans who felt bad for Nishiki and what he has to go through.
* Stabs and kills his subordinate/tormentor, Matsushige for disrespecting him multiple times, many fans agree that Matsushige's death at the hands of Nishiki was well deserved.
* Leads a huge yakuza subsidiary group that made him a strong pillar of the Tojo clan, rivaling that of Shimano and Kazama. After those two died, he gained possibly the largest following ever in the Tojo Clan to date.
* His final boss fight in Kiwami with Kiryu is amazing with the Dynamic Intro showing both men removing their shirts to display their tattoos on their backs before they both fought to the bitter end and are evenly matched. The fight is also heartbreaking with the Kiwami remix of "For Whose Sake" and the flashbacks that occur during the fight.
	+ His boss fight in the English Dub of the PS2 game is unintentionally hilariously and his voice lines became huge memes in the yakuza community with the most popular being "Ten years in the joint made you a f\*cking p\*ssy!"
* Ambushes and stabs Kyohei Jingu with a knife when the latter tries to kill Kiryu, Yumi and her daughter Haruka. Nishikiyama would then points his gun at the bomb in the vault, ready to blow the vault up. Despite Kiryu's pleads, Nishiki pulls the trigger blowing up himself and Jingu, and sending the 10 billion yen flying into the streets of Kamurocho as a way to atone for his actions.
	+ He is also indirectly responsible for making one of the main character of Yakuza 4, Shun Akiyama rich as Akiyama was there near the Millennium Tower when Nishiki blew the bomb and he would collect 1 million yen until he gets tired. Akiyama would later earned himself the name "The Lifeline of Kamurocho" and has amassed a net worth of over ¥100 billion.
* Despite his actions in the first yakuza and Kiwami, a lot of people still misses Nishiki after his death due to his fleshed-out character that makes him considered to be the most tragic yakuza antagonist ever written.

### What Do People Hate About Him?

* Before Yakuza 0 and Kiwami fleshed out his character more, fans at the time sees Nishiki as an ungrateful bastard who for some reason betrays Kiryu despite the latter covering for him for 10 years.
* Some people think he's too much of an emotional crybaby in Yakuza 0.
* The scene when he slaps Reina gained him ire from his detractors with some of them calling him a woman/wife beater.
* Some detractors feel like Nishiki stabbing Matsushige and using his blood to slick back his hair was edgy.
* His sudden betrayal in Kiwami gained him a lot of detractors, it doesn't help the fact that he has caused the deaths of some fan favorite characters such as Shinji and Reina, the latter of which has feelings for him going so far as to betray Kiryu in an attempt for him to return his feelings. It goes to the point where some detractors called him a "snake" and that his tattoo should be a black snake.
* Even with the added scenes in Kiwami that explains why he became the way he is; his detractors feel like it doesn't excuse his actions in Kiwami and still dislike him to the point where said detractors see him as pure evil who shouldn't be forgiven.
* Many people thought he was being petty when he wanted Yumi for himself and when he has an outburst and rant before the final battle. many detractors feel like he should have instead notice Reina's feelings for him and he should return his feelings back.
* Despite redeeming himself by blowing Jingu and himself up and sending the 10 billion yen down the streets, many of his detractors still dislike him and doesn't forgive him.
* His family would continue to bother Kiryu even after his death up until Yakuza 3 when the family finally dissolves.
* Despite the fact that Kiryu felt bad for Nishiki and even misses him years after his death, including paying respects to his grave, and singing karaoke songs that are tributes to him, most of Nishiki's detractors feel like it would be better if Kiryu doesn't forgive Nishiki and that he shouldn't take the blame for Dojima's murder.

## Navigation

* Akira Nishikiyama on the Yakuza Wiki
* Akira Nishikiyama on the Heroes Wiki
* Akira Nishikiyama on the Villains Wiki