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Say Hello To Kazuga Ichiban, The Next Hero Of The Yakuza Series
Long before Yakuza 6 was announced to come to America, Sega and the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio in charge of the Yakuza series made it clear that the sixth installment would be Kazuma Kiryu's final entry as protagonist. From Yakuza 0 to Yakuza 6, Kiryu has aged 28 years, and deserves a long rest.
That is where Kazuga Ichiban steps in.
Over the weekend, the RGG Studio held an event where they revealed a number of things, including the new protagonist taking over the series. A short trailer was made of an enemy attacking Kiryu with well-meaning Kazuga intervening before realizing who he just met. It is unknown if the trailer is meant as anything other a what-if introduction, as it takes place with a younger Kiryu that resembles his Yakuza Kiwami 2 look.
The somewhat more wild and thug-like Kazuga stands in stark contrast to Kiryu's buttoned up and straight-laced manner and his colors being inverted to Kiryu's seem to back that up.
While Kazuga is being positioned as the new protagonist of the series, it is important to note that a Yakuza 7 has not specifically been announced yet. Kazuga will be making his introduction in the upcoming mobile title, Yakuza Online, and will then function as a main character in future games. It is unknown if Kiryu has any role to play in his future adventures.
What do you make of Yakuza's new wild-haired protagonist? Check out the Japanese-language trailer below and let us know.
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