What must you sacrifice to protect the ones you love?
A former legend in the yakuza world, Kazuma Kiryu fakes his death in order to protect his loved ones.
Having become an agent for the Daidoji Faction and assigned the codename “Joryu,” Kiryu hunts down an illegal gold smuggling site in the Port of Yokohama. It was supposed to be an easy assignment; little more than loose change for the organization. When he arrives, he finds several dozen Daidoji agents on standby. Despite having reached the rank of chairman within the Tojo Clan, Kiryu has maintained a relatively low profile among his peers here. Unable to resist their provocation, he ends up violently lashing out, which only widens the gaping hole inside him.
However, at that very moment, a mysterious group shows up.
The deal had gone sour. No outsider should have known about it. And amid the chaos and confusion, the shady group seems to recognize Kiryu. They mustn’t be allowed to vanish into the shadows.
Though he had severed all ties to his past, Kazuma Kiryu finds himself stepping into the maelstrom of the underworld once more…
■ Characters
Kazuma Kiryu (portrayed by Takaya Kuroda)
“This fight is just my way of killing time—so is the rest of my life.”
A former legendary yakuza who has erased his past and name.
A former legendary yakuza who made a pact with the Daidoji Faction and discarded his past. Once famed as the Dragon of Dojima, Kiryu reached as high as Chairman of the Tojo Clan. He also ran the Morning Glory Orphanage in Okinawa for a time. However, all traces of his past life have been buried away, and he intends to keep it that way. Forever cut off from his children at the orphanage, Kiryu aimlessly fills the void with missions from the Daidoji Faction.
Kosei Shishido (portrayed by Yasukaze Motomiya)
“If ya wanna beat me, you’ll have to kill me first. There ain’t no rules in a deathmatch!”
The Watase Family’s ace-in-the-hole.
The Watase Family is the most powerful group within the Omi Alliance and is led by Masaru Watase, who is next-in-line to become chairman of the alliance.
A capable lieutenant within the family, Shishido wields deadly weapons without any regard for his victims’ lives. He commands authority through terror and intimidation.
Yuki Tsuruno (portrayed by Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi)
“There’s no use playing dumb. I just get the job done—no questions asked!”
A yakuza sworn to the Watase Family.
Tsuruno is a captain of Watase Family and its second highest-ranking member. A bold and meticulous planner, he leads the group in the absence of its head with loyalty and tenacity. He has laid a mountain of traps to ensnare Kiryu.
A shadowy figure who knows the ins and outs of Sotenbori.
Akame is a jack-of-all-trades based in Sotenbori, Osaka. She is deeply acquainted with the city’s underbelly thanks to her Akame Network, which spans across every nook and cranny of the city. She also acts as an intermediary for a certain person, guiding them to their destination.
Homare Nishitani III (portrayed by Kim Jaeuck)
“That ain’t your real name, am I right? …Aren’t you s’posed to be dead?”
Third patriarch of the Kijin Clan, a direct subsidiary of the Omi Alliance.
Nishitani is a young yakuza who quickly rose up through the ranks and took over as head of the Kijin Clan. His dashing looks betray the madness swirling beneath. He loves nothing more than to put his life on the line in a fight to the death. Within the Omi Alliance, Nishitani is an immensely influential figure on par with Watase.
Kihei Hanawa (portrayed by Hiroki Tochi)
“Your next job just came in. For codename Joryu, of course.”
Leader of the Daidoji Faction.
As a handler for the Daidoji Faction, Hanawa serves as the only point of contact between Kazuma Kiryu and the outside world. His interactions with Kiryu are strictly professional and lack any warmth. He shows no hesitancy in reprimanding the legendary yakuza.
■ Organizations
Omi Alliance
Japan’s largest yakuza organization based in Osaka. With the weakening of its former longtime enemy the Tojo Clan, the Omi Alliance is on the brink of ruling all of Japan.
Daidoji Faction
A group with deep ties to politics and industry, who secretly inherited the wealth and authority of the late “Fixer of the Showa Era,” Minoru Daidoji.
