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This Article Contains Spoilers - WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot/character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
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| “ | When I was a kid, all I wanted to be was a hero. | „ |
| ~ Ichiban Kasuga's motive. |
| “ | Once you’re at rock bottom, the only way forward is up. But the bottom doesn’t have to be all dark and gloomy. If you can stand and look up, you’ll see the light of hope there. | „ |
| ~ Ichiban's ultimate will to live. |
Ichiban Kasuga is one of the two main protagonists (alongside Kazuma Kiryu) of Sega's Like a Dragon franchise. He is the main protagonist of the Like a Dragon saga.
After serving 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, he then came back to normal life with the goal of starting from rock bottom and crawl back up. He then became the kind-hearted Hero of Yokohama whom everyone loves to get along with. Upon his journey, he has defeated many heinous villains just for the sake of other people's peaceful lives.
He is voiced by Kazuhiro Nakaya, who also voiced Akira Nishikiyama in the same franchise. In the English dub, he is voiced by Kaiji Tang.
What Makes Him Pure Good?[]
In General[]
- He is a very kind and easy-going hero who did his best to help people in need, even if they face minor inconveniences. He did everything without asking anything back or expecting any gains, even was ready to make himself suffer to do so, as long as the people he helped could be happy.
- His kindness is even most notable when it comes to certain antagonists that he usually tends to help and redeemed, such as in the case of both Masato Arakawa and Eiji Mitamura. Despite their crimes, Kasuga still tend to help change these people and help them for the better.
- There are countless times he improved other people's lives, either from their life issues or from harmful villainous threats, he bravely faced them. Therefore, he gained the title "Hero of Yokohama" due to people appreciating his heroism and would love to talk to him.
- Although there are some moments which could make him more corrupting, such as when he had a mental breakdown after his father's death, they were merely justified and understandable heating-up periods and he wholly acknowledged them, learned from them and further refused them to corrupt him for one bit, making him incorruptible.
- He influenced many people to become heroes themselves, such as Adachi, Nanba, and Saeko, further strengthening his party of Heroes of Tomorrow.
Background[]
- Although he was a reckless and a bit troublesome teenager, upon meeting Masumi Arakawa, he then completely changed into a much kinder and heroic person like he is today.
- Although he was a debt collector of Arakawa family, every time when he was ordered to collect debts from the people who owed the family by Sawashiro, he tried to intentionally mess up the collection because he could not help himself to see the people he collected to suffer from hunger or financial struggle.
- For instance, when he was ordered to collect debt from someone, he only took the envelope and kindly gave back the money to the person, and told him to spend it for his family and New Year. He did that and was aware he would get punished by Sawashiro.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon[]
- Although his adoptive brother Masato Arakawa was somewhat abusive to him, he still did his best to care for him because he did not want to make him upset and prioritized in taking care of Masato's chronic disabilities. He tried his best to watch over his health and to help him when emergency problem arises.
- On his 24th birthday, when he was called to the Arakawa family office and was told about Sawashiro's presumed murder of a man, and tensions could have risen if he did not turn himself in. He did not hesitate to take the fall for Arakawa's sake, willing to take 18 years in prison, which he could have spend them to live happily, because he thought things could get worse if he did not take actions.
- He befriended Koichi Adachi, an ex-cop, and they together started to investigate the changes in 18 years, after finding out his adoptive father Masumi, and his family, has allied with the Omi Alliance. They together decided to finding out the truth and tried to confront Masumi, where he faced an accident and was sent to Yokohama in a fainted state.
- After he had been healed by the homeless chief in Ijincho, as well as Yu Nanba, he then befriended them and started to investigate how much society had changed, finding out about the Bleach Japan and the Kamurocho 3K plan.
- He helped Nanba and Adachi stop Yamato Totsuka, an infamous elderly nursing home owner, from scamming and killing more elderly people.
- He met a woman named Saeko Mukoda, they then started to find out about the murder (which was staged as suicide) of Isao Nonomiya, the owner of Otohime Land. He led the other three to stop the corrupted Yokohama Liumang, led by Akira Mabuchi, who presumably staged the fake suicide of his.
- He stopped the Bleach Japan, preventing them from causing chaos, which could have harmed many innocent citizens.
- After finding out the truth about Nanba turned on him and his friends just to help his brother, he still openly welcomed him to come back to his team to stop even bigger threats, which was orchestrated by none other than his adoptive brother Masato Arakawa, now known as Ryo Aoki, who wanted to eradicate all the gray zone workers, which include helpless people who desperate for honest jobs.
- He helped Tianyou Zhao stop Mabuchi and his corrupted Liumang members.
- After knowing about Arakawa's false betrayal, he headed to Sotenbori after knowing about the Great Dissolution, and contributed to getting rid of the yakuza way of life for good, across the entire Japan, as well as to make those ex-criminals get honest careers. He wholeheartedly supported them and defeated many rogue ex-yakuza who tried to compromise the plan.
- After the Great Dissolution, he forgave his father Arakawa for shooting him in their brief reunion.
- After his father's death, although he suffered from severe mental breakdown, he managed to overcome from it and focused on his heroic goals for good.
- He many times tried to confront Masato to talk some sense into him. During the process, he also stopped other harmful threats such as Reiji Ishioda or Yosuke Tendo.
- At the end, he successfully exposed Masato's scheme and helped thousands of helpless people from losing their jobs.
- After Masato's defeat, he then cried and begged him not to kill himself, but rather to turn himself in and start over a new leaf. After Masato had been stabbed to death by Kume, he quietly mourned him and held a proper funeral for him and his father Masumi.
- Knowing many people in Yokohama admired him, he decided to stay in the city without hesitation, despite the offer to work in a security company by Daigo, so that he could help many more people in need, taking the mantle "Hero of Yokohama".
- When Eri Kamataki approached him and asked him to revive her company Ichiban Confections from corruption, he wholly accepted the offer. He then managed to rebuild it and helped rising it to become the best company in Yokohama. After his mission, he rightfully handed over the president position to Eri so that she could pursue her dreams.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth[]
- Following the events of the first game, he started working in Hello Work, so that he could reform as many ex-yakuza as possible, providing them honest careers so that they could contribute to society and prevented them from being alienated.
- When an ex-yakuza tried to offer him money, he told him he did not need them, and when the yakuza threw them down to the sewer, he non-hesitantly jumped to the sewer and collect every single money bill and gave back to the man, finally convinced him to work in Hello Work.
- Despite his failed confession to Saeko, he apologized to her and tried his best to improve his way to do so, as he wholly acknowledged his mistakes and did not take Kiryu's advices for granted. In the second confession at the end of the game, although it was still a bit awkward, he actually improved himself and Saeko still happily appreciated him for saying what he should say.
- A year later, when a mysterious VTuber Tatara Channel falsely accused him of a crime he did not commit, which caused him to get fired from Hello Work, he accepted the loss and tried his best to find out about the true culprit.
- He accepted Sawashiro's offer to come to Hawaii so that he could find his mother. When he arrived to Hawaii, and was threatened by the taxi driver Eric Tomizawa, he then convinced him not to shoot and eventually reformed him and then recruited him to his team.
- He helped Kazuma Kiryu in stopping the prevalent threats in Hawaii. He defeated Roman Reynolds and Dwight Mendez so that they would stop threatening Tomizawa and Chitose's lives.
- He stopped the Ganzhe from threatening the civilians. When Wong Tou, Ganzhe leader revealed that Bryce Fairchild was the one who abducted and manipulated many children to become his cultists, he then decided to stop him once and for all.
- In the process, he also protected his mother Akane, as well as Lani Millani, the young girl who was with her, from many harmful threats, especially Bryce. Knowing his heroism in Hawaii, Nanba, Adachi, and even Joongi Han, decided to lend him a hand to stop harmful threats.
- After knowing about Chitose's reveal to be the voice behind Tatara Channel (albeit being blackmailed by Eiji), he helped her to overcome her struggle and openly welcomed her back to the team to stop the big threats ahead.
- After Kiryu and Nanba's departures to Japan, he led his team to stop many threats, such as Barracuda, Ganzhe and Bryce's Palekana cult from harming the orphanage, as well as other innocent civilians.
- He tried to expose Bryce's scheme to the world and also reveal the secret behind his Nele Island, which Bryce could have used it to harm innocents. He then asked Yamai to help defeating many of Palekana cultists, as well as the ones who spied on the latter's syndicate, further protecting Hawaii.
- After knowing about Ebina being his half-brother and was ready to face him, he still handed over his responsibility to Kiryu as the latter requested.
- He managed to get rid of all nuclear waste in Nele Island and took down the notorious cultist Bryce once and for all, further preventing him from harming innocent people, especially children. He also helped Chitose use her social media to expose Bryce's scheme to the entire world.
- When Bryce tries to kill himself, Ichiban quickly stops him, stating that he must face justice for his heinous crimes.
- After knowing about Eiji getting exposed to the public for using the Tatara Channel to falsely accuse the ex-yakuza, he then talk some sense to him and successfully convinced him to turn himself in, even promised he would wait till his sentence finished.
- When he was escorting Eiji to the police station, he willingly took the beatings and object throwing from the public so that Eiji would not get harmed.
- Aside from stopping larger threats, he also contributed in social works. Notably when he was saved from drowning by Gachapin and Mukku and was sent to Dondoko Island, a ruined resort. He helped rebuild the Dondoko Island into a five-star resort, as well as defeating the Washbucklers who tried to harm the island.
External Links[]
- Ichiban Kasuga on the Heroes Wiki
- Ichiban Kasuga on the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Wiki
- Ichiban Kasuga on the SEGA Wiki
- Ichiban Kasuga on the VS Battles Wiki
- Ichiban Kasuga on the Love Exalted Wiki
- Ichiban Kasuga on the Ultimate Good Wiki
[]
 Pure Goods
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Main Series Spin-offs See Also | ||