Kazuma Kiryu

Few characters in gaming carry as much weight as Kazuma Kiryu does when he steps back into the spotlight in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. This time, the legendary Dragon of Dojima enters the story not as an unstoppable force, but as a man quietly confronting his own mortality after a cancer diagnosis.

Kiryu’s Role and Story Arc

In Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Kiryu shares the protagonist role with Ichiban Kasuga, with both characters and their party members navigating a sprawling adventure that stretches across Hawaii and Japan. His arc is built around a deeply personal journey: after learning he has cancer, Kiryu sets out to complete a bucket list before his time runs out, ultimately fighting to rediscover his will to live rather than accept a quiet death. The game treats him with a rare tenderness, giving one of gaming’s toughest icons a story rooted in vulnerability and closure.

Kiryu’s Personality and Combat

Blunt, disciplined, and impossible to intimidate, Kiryu carries the burden of the yakuza world on his shoulders without ever asking for sympathy. His exclusive job class, the Dragon of Dojima, reflects his fighting legacy directly, letting him cycle between Rush, Brawler, and Beast stances in the game’s turn-based RPG system. His specialty, Dragon’s Stoicism, mechanically encodes who he is as a person: having endured so much, he simply cannot be charmed or frightened by anyone.

Who Voices Kazuma Kiryu in Yakuza: Like a Dragon?

In the original Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020), Kiryu appears in a cameo voiced in English by Darryl Kurylo, while Takaya Kuroda reprises the role in Japanese, as he has for every mainline entry in the franchise. Kuroda, also recognized for roles in Wolf’s Rain and Samurai Warriors, has become inseparable from Kiryu’s identity in the eyes of fans. For Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, YouTuber-turned-voice actor Yong Yea took over the English dub role, delivering a performance that sparked considerable debate among the community.