Kazuma Kiryu (桐生 一馬 Kiryū Kazuma) is the primary protagonist of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series.
Appearance
Kiryu usually wears a loose fitting suit jacket and matching pants, with a half buttoned up shirt underneath. In his youth, he kept his hair short but started growing it out a little by the age of 27 putting it back in a messy slick back style, as well as growing a goatee beard.
Under his outfit, Kiryu has a large dragon tattoo that covers nearly all of his back. In Yakuza 0 only the outline has been inked, but by the time Yakuza happens it has full color. He has a muscular build thanks to his daily life of getting into fist fights, and heavy lifting rather than any specific training to increase his muscle mass.
Kiryu has been described as having both a handsome and scary face, and he usually walks around with some kind of scowl, although this is just his natural resting face rather than an attempt to look menacing.
History
Past
Kiryu lost both his parents at a young age thanks to the involvement of Shintaro Kazama, a hitman for the Tojo Clan's Dojima family. Regretting that his actions had orphaned the boy, Shintaro raised Kiryu himself opening up the Sunflower Orphanage, where he would finance the upbringing and raising of the children of his victims to atone for his sins.
Kiryu met his best friend here Akira Nishikiyama as well as his childhood crush Yumi Sawamura. As Kiryu and Akira grew up, they began to idolize Shintaro, seeing him as their role model and following him into the Yakuza, despite Shintaro's protests.
Kiryu accidentally botches a meeting between Shintaro and the Jingweon Mafia, believing the leader was attempting to kill Shintaro. As a result he attempts to attack the boss, who in retaliation attempts to take the then 12 year old Kiryu's life. Shintaro, who had been there to warn the Jingweon boss of Dojima's plan to assasinate them, is forced to shoot the boss before he can kill Kiryu, signalling the Dojima family to come in and assassinate the rest of the mafia's members.
Yakuza 0
In Yakuza 0, by 1988, Kiryu is a low ranking member of the Dojima Family, working as a debt collector. During a normal debt collection, Kiryu roughs up a man in an empty lot, beating him bloody, but alive and taking the money. The following day Kiryu is shocked to hear that the man has died. Killing a civilian, even a debt owing one is strictly forbidden, and Kiryu is called into the Dojima HQ to discuss his options.
Here he discovers the man was killed by gunshot. Kiryu, who naturally dislikes the use of guns to begin with, pleads his innocence to the three Lieutenants of the Dojima Family. They request Kiryu hands himself in to the police, and seeking to take advantage of this situation they also claim the blame will fall on Shintaro Kazama, who is currently serving a different prison sentence, since he was the one to bring Kiryu in to the family. They clearly have their own reasons for wanting Shintaro gone and are using this incident to try and dispose of him too.
Refusing to let Shintaro take the fall, Kiryu sets out to try and get expelled from the family for this error, thus meaning as a non family member it is no longer the Dojima Family's problem.
Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami
Kiryu takes the blame of the murder of his patriarch Sohei Dojima, committed by his sworn brother and best friend Akira Nishikiyama, spending ten years in prison before being granted parole. A free man, Kiryu discovers that Nishikiyama has become a cold-hearted yakuza boss, his childhood friend and girlfriend Yumi Sawamura has gone missing, and everyone is searching for ten billion yen that was stolen from his former organization, the Tojo Clan. As war erupts throughout the streets of Kamurocho between many different factions (including government agents and the Triad), Kiryu decides to find Yumi and the missing money, and protect Haruka, a mysterious young girl whom everyone seems to be after.
Yakuza 2/Yakuza Kiwami 2
A year after restoring order to the Tojo clan, Kiryu is drawn back into their conflict as the Tojo clan's fifth chairman, Yukio Terada is gunned down. Kiryu is then forced to take action against Ryuji Goda, an ambitious yakuza from the rival clan, the Omi Alliance, who seeks an all out war with the Tojo clan. Seeking new and old allies, Kiryu is tasked with stopping a fallout between both organizations, while also facing the threat of a Korean mafia syndicate.
Yakuza 3
In March 2009, Kiryu departs Kamurocho to run the Morning Glory Orphanage in Okinawa, where he raises nine children, including his surrogate daughter Haruka. When a business deal backed by members of the Tojo Clan threatens to tear down the orphanage, Kiryu travels from the beaches of Okinawa back to Kamurocho to confront new emerging threats within the clan.
Yakuza 4
In March 2010, Kiryu finds himself once again caught up in events beyond his control. First, a yakuza from a syndicate allied with the Tojo clan is fatally shot by a member of the clan. Then, a man investigating the murder is stabbed to death. These events spark a full-blown struggle for money, power, and above all, honor, in a story experienced through the eyes of Kiryu and three new characters: loan shark Shun Akiyama; former yakuza and convict Taiga Saejima; and corrupt cop Masayoshi Tanimura.
Yakuza 5
In December 2012, the seventh chairman of the Omi Alliance is on his deathbed. His death would end the hard-won truce between the Tojo clan and the Omi Alliance, opening the door for renewed conflict. Anticipating this, the Tojo clan is forced to strengthen their organization by aligning themselves with older clans based in other major cities across Japan to create a massive new syndicate rivaling that of the Omi Alliance. This new alliance would breach the old traditional barriers of clan territories, leading Tojo clan chairman Daigo Dojima to head for Fukuoka. Kiryu, now working as a taxi driver, reluctantly returns to his old organization, determined to end the old struggle between the clans for good.
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
In 2016, after willingly spending three years in prison for his past crimes, Kiryu is released only to discover that Haruka has disappeared, later found comatose and critically injured after a hit-and-run accident. A devastated Kiryu decides to travel to Onomichi Jingaicho in Hiroshima, hoping to find the truth behind what happened to Haruka while protecting her infant son.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
Kiryu, after having faked his death in order to protect his loved ones, continues to live in secrecy, agreeing to become an agent of the Daidoji faction under the code name “Joryu”. He undertakes tasks for the Daidoji faction until a course of events sets the stage for the future of the yakuza.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Kiryu is present in Honolulu in search of Akane per the Daidoji faction's orders and teams up with Kasuga to find and protect her from various criminal organizations. In the process, he reveals that he has contracted cancer, following an accident at a nuclear waste disposal plant in 2020 and has an undetermined amount of time to live.
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Kiryu continues to receive hospital care a year after the events of Infinite Wealth, while receiving visits from Dojima, Saejima and Majima. It is revealed that Majima, with the hope of allowing Kiryu to live longer, chased a rumor in Hawaii about an elixir of life that allows its consumer to extend their lifespan. While he was unable to obtain the elixir, Majima promises to tell Kiryu about his adventures as a pirate.
Other appearances
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan!
Yakuza: Dead Souls
Binary Domain
In Binary Domain, Kiryu appears as a guest character alongside Goro Majima, Ryuji Goda and Shun Akiyama.
Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin!
Project X Zone 2
Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight
In Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, Joker/The Protagonist from Persona 5 dresses up as Kiryu.
Sega Heroes
In Sega Heroes, Kiryu is a playable blue epic hero who was added on March 10, 2020. He has the following gameplay characteristics:
| Hero | Rarity | Skills | MAX Skill Mana Costs | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Epic | Essence of Extreme Rush Essence of Heaviness The Dragon of Dojima |
10 | Campaign Striker Modern Dutiful City |
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania
In Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, Kiryu appears as one of the guest characters.
Relationships
Friends/allies
- Shintaro Kazama (mentor, adoptive father)
- Akira Nishikiyama (best friend, adoptive brother and rival)
- Yumi Sawamura (adoptive sister, romantic interest)
- Haruka Sawamura (adoptive daughter)
- Haruto Sawamura (adoptive grandson)
- Morning Glory Orphanage inhabitants
- Ayako
- Eri
- Izumi
- Koji
- Mitsuo
- Riona
- Shiro
- Taichi
- Mame
- Makoto Date (good friend)
- Goro Majima (complicated ally and arch-rival)
- Taiga Saejima
- Daigo Dojima
- Shun Akiyama
- Kasuga Party
- Ichiban Kasuga
- Yu Nanba
- Koichi Adachi
- Saeko Mukoda
- Joongi Han/Yeonsu Kim
- Tianyou Zhao
- Chitose Fujinomiya
- Eric Tomizawa
- Osamu Kashiwagi
- Shinji Tanaka
- Reina
- Kazuki
- Yuya
- Masaru Sera
- Masaru Watase
- Tetsu Tachibana
- Jun Oda
- Makoto Makimura
- The Florist of Sai
- Kaoru Sayama
- Ryudo Family
- Shigeru Nakahara
- Rikiya Shimabukuro
- Mikio Aragaki
- Yayoi Dojima
- Jiro Kawara
- Tamiyo Sayama
- Jin Goda
- Naoki Katsuya
- Joji Kazama
- New Serena Mama
- Masayoshi Tanimura
- Yasuko Saejima
- Tatsuo Shinada
- Tadashi Madarame
- Mayumi Madarame
- Yahata
- Mirei Park
- Yotaro Nakajima
- Hirose Family
- Toru Hirose
- Tsuyoshi Nagumo
- Yuta Usami
- Takaaki Matsunaga
- Naoto Tagashira
- Kiyomi Kasahara
- Masumi Arakawa
- Seonhee
- Kihei Hanawa
- Gary Buster Holmes
- Takashi
- Kyoka Atobe
- Pocket Circuit Fighter
- Sotaro Komaki
- Bob Utsunomiya
- Mack Shinozuka
- Yuki
- Koyuki
- Utabori
- Nishida
- Ono Michio
Non-canon only
- Misuzu Asagi
- Tomoaki Nagahama
Crossover
Neutral
- Sohei Dojima
- Futoshi Shimano
- Ryuji Goda
- Yoshitaka Mine
- Goh Hamazaki
- Yukio Terada
- Yeongmin Ji
- Takeshi Kido
- Hiroaki Arai
- Shigeki Baba
- Masato Aizawa
- Yu Morinaga
- Takumi Someya
- Big Lo
- Kanji Koshimizu
- Yosuke Tendo
- Jo Sawashiro
Crossover
Enemies
- Kyohei Jingu
- Ryo Takashima
- Toranosuke Sengoku
- Hiroshi Hayashi
- Keiji Shibusawa
- Daisaku Kuze
- Hiroki Awano
- Snake Flower Triad
- Lau Ka Long
- Koji Shindo
- Kazuto Arase
- Tsuyoshi Kanda
- Andre Richardson (formerly)
- Tetsuo Tamashiro
- Seishiro Munakata
- Isao Katsuragi
- Tsubasa Kurosawa
- Lao Gui
- Heizo Iwami
- Tsuneo Iwami
- Katsumi Sugai
- Koji Masuzoe
- Shu Tatsukawa
- Joon-gi Han
- Ed
- Ryo Aoki
- Amon Clan
- Kosei Shishido
- Homare Nishitani III
- Seiryu Clan
Non-canon only
- Tetsuo Nikaido
- DD
Crossover
Trivia
- Kiryu shares his birthday with Yakuza creator, Toshihiro Nagoshi.
- Kiryu's given name Kazuma had its etymology explained in Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan!. The first kanji character (一) (kazu) means lone, while the second (馬) (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.
- Kiryu is weak to ice attacks in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. This could be due to either dragons being weak to ice moves (due to their cold blood) or because the core mechanic is referred to as heat, with Kiryu becoming weaker when it 'cools down'.
- Kiryu dislikes the use of guns, and his first instinct when fighting zombies in Yakuza: Dead Souls is to beat them in a bare knuckle fight.
- Kiryu despite being a yakuza, refuses to harm women and children.
- It is because of this that Kiryu did not appear in fighting games as a guest character such as Tekken 7 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
- Kiryu has the most fighting styles throughout the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise (Brawler, Rush, Beast, Dragon of Dojima, Yakuza and Agent).
External links
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Kazuma Kiryu |
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Kyle Fluge |
Blue Dragon |
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Mushiking |
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Phantom R |
Schezo Wegey
Rulue
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Jeanne |
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Draco Centauros |
Witch |
Raffina |
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Lidelle |
Klug |
Sig |
Lemres |
Feli |
Maguro Sasaki |
Risukuma |
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Makoto Date |
Yu Nanba |
Koichi Adachi |
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Tianyou Zhao |
Azel |
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Marie |
Fondue |
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Sketch Turner |
Ethan Waber |
Emilia Percival |
Nagisa Adelheid Howzer |
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Shinjiro Taiga |
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Yuma Ilburn |
Sonia Blanche |
Kirika Towa Alma |
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Zephyr |
Leanne |
Vashyron |
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Temjin |
Shou Amabane |
Tillis |
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Deku |
Taro Sega |
Yayoi Haneda |
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Yu Narukami |
Teddie |
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Yosuke Hanamura |
Chie Satonaka |
Yukiko Amagi |
Kanji Tatsumi |
Rise Kujikawa |
Naoto Shirogane |
Makoto Yuki |
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Kotone Shiomi |
Koromaru |
Yukari Takeba |
Junpei Iori |
Akihiko Sanada |
Mitsuru Kirijo |
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Fuuka Yamagishi |
Ken Amada |
Shinjiro Aragaki |
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Oboro Clan |
Judgement 6 |
Imperial Combat Revue |
Kouma |
Tojo Clan |
Omi Alliance |
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Morolian |
Channel 5 |
Nightopian |
Blast Runner |
Virtuaroid |
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Rub Rabbits |
Umbra Witches |
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VOCALOID |
