Like a Dragon games are synonymous with wild and emotional scenes, all of which land so much harder courtesy of powerful voice-acting performances. In various trailers and interviews, we’ve already seen the Like a Dragon Gaiden voice actors flex their vocal muscles throughout gameplay and story trailers, showing off the journey Kiryu and co will be on throughout this side-story. It’s no wonder, then, that Ryu Ga Gotoku hired some impressive talent to fill out the Like a Dragon Gaiden cast.
Coming to PS5, PS4, Xbox, and PC, Like A Dragon Gaiden seeks to tell the story of the famed Yakuza protagonist Kiryu between Yakuza 6 and the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. But, we will also hear from a number of other Like A Dragon Gaiden characters throughout the story. Maybe now we’ll know what turned him grey-haired in the Infinite Wealth promos.
Like a Dragon Gaiden voice actors
The Like a Dragon Gaiden voice actors and cast list is:
- Takaya Kuroda (Japanese), Yong Yea (English) – Kazuma Kiryu
- Yasukaze Motomiya (Japanese) – Kosei Shishido
- Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi (Japanese) – Yuki Tsurono
- Uika First Summer (Japanese) – Akame
- Kim Jaeuck (Japanese) – Homare Nishitani III
- Hiroki Tochi (Japanese) – Kihei Hanawa
- Ikkyû Jaku (Japanese) – Head Priest
- Mitsuaki Kanuka (Japanese) – Yoshimura
- Hiroshi Naka (Japanese) – BOSS
Takaya Kuroda (Japanese), Yong Yea (English) – Kazuma Kiryu
Takaya Kuroda has been the voice of Kiryu since Yakuza’s inception in 2005, landing him icon status in the history of the game. His gruff tones have framed how fans all over the world heard the Dragon of Dogima, so it’s great to see he’ll continue in this role in Gaiden and beyond, picking up more work on Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth next year.
While the English cast hasn’t been detailed entirely, it was revealed by RGG’s account on Twitter that Yong Yea, the well-known YouTube creator, will be taking on the role of Kiryu’s VA in Gaiden. This is a change from the previous VA, Darryl Kurylo, who was the voice of Kiryu in the English Dub of the original Yakuza game, as well as his appearance in Yakuza 7.
Yasukaze Motomiya (Japanese) – Kosei Shishido
Watase brute Kosei Shishido is played by Yasukaze Motomiya, a well-established Japanese actor who is taking their first steps into voice acting with Like a Dragon: Gaiden.
In an interview with Motomiya, he revealed that Shishido is a Yakuza through and through, explaining that they needed to tap into many emotions while voicing him, notably anger. We can hear some of Shishido’s tough vocals across Gaiden’s gameplay trailer, showcasing Motomiya’s strong vibrato in the role.
Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi (Japanese) – Yuki Tsurono
Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi may be new to the world of voice acting. However, their resume speaks wonders as this actor has been cast as many tough types over the course of his career. In a promo interview, Yoshiyuki gave us a taste of what we can expect from the Watase Family captain, explaining his life may not be picturesque, but his loyalty to his brothers guides him.
Uika First Summer (Japanese) – Akame
Another VA newcomer is First Summer Uika, who’s responsible for the voice behind Like a Dragon: Gaiden’s underground know-it-all Akame. They may be new to the world of video games, though they have a strong stage history showing up in film, TV, and music over recent years. Here’s hoping Ryu Ga Gotoku keeps with their karaoke minigames and lets us belt one out with Akame.
In a sweet tidbit of trivia, First Summer Uika explained during an interview with Ryu Ga Gotoku’s lead, Masayoshi Yokoyama, that they wanted to be a part of the series so badly they not only auditioned for Akame but for a part as a hostess, too. During the hostess audition, the casting team interrupted her, explaining they had already offered her Akame and were unsure why she was auditioning again. We got a brief taste of Akame’s proactive attitude in our hands-on gameplay preview at Gamescom 2023 as she guided Kiryu to a neon playground set on a cargo ship.
Kim Jaeuck (Japanese) – Homare Nishitani III
Kim Jaeuck is a theatre and film actor who portrays the Omi Alliance Yakuza Homare Nishitani III. They appeared in a Sega promotional video during the Ryu Ga Gotoku Summit in June this year, explaining they may not be used to voice acting, though they had a great time taking on this new challenge.
Homare Nishitani III is a wildcard of a character with a lot of violence hidden under his well-tailored suits. From the brief flickers of the characters in promos, Jaeuck has fully committed to the wily character, sending a questioning shriek right at Kiryu with a hefty amount of dramatic flare. While we don’t know a great deal about how this character will influence the story overall, Jeuck’s history working on stage productions will surely be on show.
Hiroki Tochi (Japanese) – Kihei Hanawa
Hiroki Tochi is a seasoned voice actor, lending their tones to a number of high-profile games like Resident Evil Village and Uncharted 3. Within the Yakuza universe, Tochi has also shown up in various roles across Like a Dragon: Ishin and Yakuza 5, too. All this to say, we can expect a lot from the VA veteran as they take on the role of the cold Daidoji handler Kihei Hanawa.
Ikkyû Jaku (Japanese) – Head Priest
Head Priest voice actor Ikkyu Juku is no stranger to authoritarian roles, having previously worked on Ghost in the Shell as Lieutenant Colonel Daisuke Aramaki. Juku also appeared inLost Judgement, playing a bartender with a murky past simply called ‘Siren Owner’.
In Gaiden, the Head Priest is Kiryu’s closest confidant, holding knowledge about Kiryu’s former life and the family he had to leave behind to protect. This new character also plays a large part in the Like a Dragon: Gaiden announcement trailer, where we can hear some profound questions posed in Juku’s soft but stern tones. We’ll have to see how this character’s moral fiber shakes out, as their allegiance with the Daidoji Family likely runs deep.
Mitsuaki Kanuka (Japanese) – Yoshimura
Mitsuaki Kanuka has already found their voice in some heavy-hitting games this year, with roles in Final Fantasy XVI and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty. In Like a Dragon: Gaiden Kanuka plays Yoshimura, the Daidoji Family’s ruthless manager who has a dislike for their adopted muscle Kiryu. Like their co-star Ikkyu Juku, Kanuka has worked with RGG before on Lost Judgement, playing Matsugane Family lieutenant Kojiro Ozaki.
Hiroshi Naka (Japanese) – BOSS
The Boss in Like a Dragon: Gaiden is a mysterious and important character with vocals from the highly experienced voice actor Hiroshi Naka. Like many others on this list, Naka has worked with RGG on their 2022 spin-off Lost Judgement, playing the head of the Crimson Lotus crime syndicate. Beyond just Yakuza titles, Naka can be heard in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia.
There are all the Like a Dragon: Gaiden voice actors we’ve noted so far that you’ll hear as you uncover the twists and turns in Kiryu’s story. We haven’t been able to cover the entire Like a Dragon: Gaiden cast right now, as Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio hasn’t revealed the full English dub cast at this time. Additionally, Daigo Dojima, Goro Majima, and Taiga Saejima are available via a pre-order bonus fighter pack to be used in the game’s fighting arena, so we’ll likely hear some additional lines from them, too. If November is too far away to wait, check out our link for the best RPGs to get involved in some great role-playing experiences you can start immediately ahead of the Like A Dragon Gaiden release date on consoles and PC.