Tianyou Zhao

Tianyou Zhao (趙 天佑, Zhào Tiānyòu/Chō Ten'yū) is a recurring character in the Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) series introduced as a supporting and playable character in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. He is the former leader of the Yokohama Liumang and the owner and chef of You Tian.

Profile

Appearance

Zhao is a tall man with an athletic build. He has black hair styled as a slicked back undercut shaved on the sides. He has a small goatee and a mustache.

Attire

Zhao's outfit consists of a black leather moto jacket with gold hardware over an untucked printed black and orange button up shirt, grey knee shorts over a pair of black leggings, and high top black and white leather sneakers with gold pyramid studs and spikes on the tongue. He wears a pair of tinted round glasses, as well as a pair of gold hoop earrings, a thick gold bangle on his right arm, and a different ring on each finger. His nails are painted black.

Personality

During his time as leader of the Liumang, Zhao puts up a front of cold indifference, though during his Drink Link conversations with Kasuga, he reveals that he cares deeply for his men, especially Akira Mabuchi, whom he considers his friend and brother. He appears to be self-conscious of his "softness", though Kasuga repeatedly reassures him that it's a good trait to have. In his Drink Link, he reveals that he put up a facade as a ruthless and sadistic leader only to keep up appearances as the leader of the Liumang. This was because the leadership of the Liumang was forced onto him due to matters of inheritance from his father.

Zhao also enjoys cooking, and the party comments on how good his chili shrimp is in particular. In Drink Links with Kiryu, his ambitious and competitive side came through, to the point that he would fight his former underlings just to protect a civilian food reviewer and would close down his restaurant if the reviewer left genuinely bad reviews again. Given the respective criticisms of the chef's career, it is difficult to make him angry. Zhao and his employee did impress Kiryu some time later in the Table Talk.

Zhao has a wisecracking sense of humor, and some party chats show that he loves pranking and teasing his fellow party members to the point of annoyance. Zhao also has a penchant for sadism on the battlefield as he enjoys toying with his enemies both psychologically and physically using tactics such as theatrical weaponry, death threats and insane battle cries.

Despite his uncaring and seemingly unhinged demeanor, Zhao is a thoughtful and caring man who struggled to find his place early on in his life. He cares a great deal about his own men and always sought to give them a home. He also cared deeply for Mabuchi and viewed him like a brother despite repeated betrayals from the latter. Since joining Kasuga's party, his heroic nature is further highlighted. Finally finding somewhere he can belong in, Zhao gladly tags along with Kasuga and company and has become more than ready to give his life for them and their shared cause despite the dangers they come across.

Background

Zhao was raised to be the successor of the Yokohama Liumang, though he never wanted to live that lifestyle. Growing up, he was smarter and more skilled than other children his age, and never lost a fight. Zhao's parents were strict and did not allow him to play video games for more than one hour a day; whenever he did, his Dreamcast^WP was destroyed.^[2] He noticed Akira Mabuchi's talents and aspiration, and became drawn to him.

After Zhao's father retired around 2009, Zhao become the leader, and his father passed away in his sleep a few years later. Yutaka Ogikubo introduced Zhao to the Ijin Three's counterfeiting scheme shortly after he became the Liumang leader. While Zhao kept his members from taking over and breaking the stalemate, he was accused of being spineless. Mabuchi was suspected of the elders to potentially betray the Liumang, but Zhao groveled in front of them to leave Mabuchi alone.

Involvement

Yakuza: Like a Dragon: 2019

Zhao learns of Ichiban Kasuga and his allies assaulting a Liumang warehouse from a doctored video that Mabuchi uploaded, with the Seiryu Clan framed. He holds Mamoru Takabe at gunpoint after the latter leads the Seiryu to his restaurant, demanding Kasuga for answers. He believes Kasuga's testimony that Akira Mabuchi tried to instigate a war between the Ijin Three, but sends him to Geomijul to obtain proof.

Assassins are sent after Yu Nanba after it is revealed he knows the Ijin Three's operation and has disappeared. At Heian Tower, Seonhee gives Zhao the proof he desired and they tell Kasuga, Koichi Adachi, and Saeko Mukoda about the money counterfeiting scheme the Ijin Three are a part of. Nanba is able to inform Bleach Japan of the counterfeit operation, and Mabuchi capitalizes on this newfound information by staging a coup d'état in the Liumang with the help of Omi Alliance lieutenants Reiji Ishioda and Yosuke Tendo.

During the coup, Zhao calls Kasuga to update him on the situation and tells him to give the Geomijul a hand, as he is too occupied and to help them fend off the Omi and Bleach Japan, who are under orders from Hajime Ogasawara. He also promises to forgive Nanba if Kasuga helps. Mabuchi is able to take Zhao prisoner after giving him a harsh beatdown and install himself as the new leader. Zhao is rescued by Mitsuo Yasumura, and he takes Kasuga to meet him in private.

Zhao feels unfit for leading the Liumang in his current state, and gives leadership to Seonhee, whose Geomijul also need a new home. Zhao joins Kasuga's party afterward. After cooking a meal for the Ijin Three heads and discussing how to stop Sota Kume from winning the Kanagawa District Two seat, Zhao accompanies Kasuga to Sotenbori for helping Masumi Arakawa disband the Omi Alliance.

To learn Ryo Aoki's next move, Kasuga and his party are taken to the rebuilding Geomijul by an anonymous Kazuma Kiryu to show them an assassin targeting Jo Sawashiro. Zhao recognizes the assassin as Mirror Face and informs the others of his legendary reputation. After stopping the assassination attempt, they go to Kamurocho and Zhao joins Kasuga, Adachi, and Nanba in playing dead to trick Aoki. Afterwards, Zhao is told by Nanba of his worry that Kasuga would leave Ijincho, but he learns Kasuga is planning to stay.

Lost Judgment: 2021

Zhao cooks food for Yagami, Sugiura, Kuwana, and Tesso, and is referred to as "Zhao-san" by Tesso.

Fighting Style

Zhao's default job, Gangster, has him wield a Chinese saber which he uses to great effect, mixing in theatrical techniques such as setting the blade on fire using alcohol and burning opponents by sending waves of fire their way as seen with his Essence of The Phoenix Blade technique. His fighting style technique was based around draining ramen. His bare-handed attacks are based on a variety of acrobatic Chinese martial arts such as the renowned Drunken Fist. In his Essence of Deadly Beasts attack, he appears to utilize snake, tiger, dragon, and mantis style kung fu. He can also damage a whole crowd of enemies by gracefully swinging a ladder like a weapon with the Essence of Ladder Acrobatics.

In battle, he has increased resistance against bleeding, fear, rage and silence.

Trivia

• To reflect his heritage as a second- or third-generation immigrant, Zhao's name is pronounced using the Japanese on'yomi reading of the characters that comprise his name (as opposed to a Japanese transliteration of the Chinese reading, the series' norm for Chinese names). The English localization uses an unaccented version of the Hanyu Pinyin system of romanization for his name, resulting in a discrepancy as one reading is Sino-Japanese and the other is Mandarin.

Gallery

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Ryu Ga Gotoku Online

Other

Notes

References