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Interviews
Interviews
Kasuga VA Kaiji Tang Wanted To Give The Dragon Of Dojima "The Sendoff Of A Lifetime"RGG Studio Knew "The Time Was Right" For Like A Dragon To Move Overseas
Features
Features
How Yakuza: Dead Souls Almost Killed The Series In The WestXbox Is The Only Way To Play Yakuza: Like A Dragon
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Yakuza: Like a Dragon was a turning point for the series, adding in turn-based combat, a new city to explore, and a fresh cast of characters led by Kasuga Ichiban. With a new protagonist taking the spotlight, RGG Studios needed the right people to bring him to life, and Kaiji Tang eagerly stepped into the role for the English localisation.
“Ironically, this game prevented me from launching my supervillain career, which was the backup plan if the voice actor thing failed,” Tang jokes. “You don’t really want a supervillain voicing a character like Ichiban. The PR would have been bad, you know?”
I had imagined RGG Studio remembered his earlier role of detective Sakuraba in Yakuza’s spin-off title, Judgment, and kept him in mind for another, simply picking up the phone to give Tang the good news, but he tells us, “I wish I got the call to be Kasuga just like that!” Instead, he explains that he still had to go through a couple of rounds of call back auditions for Kasuga.
“The character and franchise all seemed so massive, so it was easy enough not to dwell on the audition and move on. When I got the call [to say] I got it though, oh man. Ate some celebration dumplings that night. To not only voice a character in a legendary franchise but to be its lead? A life-changing honour I’ll never forget.”
Tang is a big fan of the series and has played every title except Yakuza 5, which is on his list of games to play, and says that Kasuga is one of his favourite video game characters of all time. Interestingly, Tang’s wife voiced the character of Yumiko who appears in Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s substory ‘Fifty Shades of Play’, and being the dutiful husband he is, Tang says Yumiko is his favourite character from the series.
Though Yakuza: Like a Dragon felt like the passing of the torch from one protagonist to the next, with Kiryu Kazuma and the old crew featuring just enough to seal the deal of the old guard giving way to the new, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth saw the two pairing up once more to share the spotlight more than ever before.
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Tang has been enjoying Infinite Wealth himself and tells us he’s spent a lot of his in-game time visiting every eatery he could find. When it comes to his favourite parts of the game, Tang recommends the substory ‘Coming Out of Her Shell’, adding, “I don’t wanna spoil anything but you do get to help Nancy fall in love. Just sayin’.”
With such a wide range of job roles to use in the game, players are spoiled for choice, but Tang kept things simple. “I kept Ichiban as his Hero class for an embarrassingly long time, but recently I’ve really been liking Action Star. The ability to buff your next damaging move by two times is actually kind of busted, and I’m willing to abuse it for the rest of my play experience.” I have to admit I keep Kasuga as a hero too. I’d like to say it’s because he’s most iconic with his baseball bat, but really it’s because I dress him in Majima’s outfit and so the baseball bat is even more fitting.
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We knew going into Infinite Wealth that our beloved Kiryu would be suffering from cancer, as it was something that RGG Studio openly announced before launch, and Tang was just as shocked as fans were at the time. “I, like everyone else, was stunned when they told me what was happening with Kiryu,” Tang says. “As a fan of the series I was distraught. However, as the voice of Kasuga, I found it easy to rely on Kiryu’s character narratively and personally. Even in ill health, he is as dependable as they come. Two protagonists carrying the weight of the title, each working to take care of the other. I think it was a perfect balance.”
I discussed the sense of finality in Infinite Wealth in my review, and even before knowing whether Kiryu lived or not by the end (don’t worry, I won’t spoil that for you here), you get the sense that the series is offering closure for his character arc leaving Kasuga as its sole protagonist. Tang admits that his knee-jerk reaction to the idea of fully taking the wheel as Kiryu retired was that of anxiety.
Closure is a prevalent theme throughout Infinite Wealth, with several characters dealing with putting personal issues or grievances to rest. Kiryu is dealing with his mortality while Kasuga is chasing some sense of closure with the mother he never knew. But despite this heavy theme, there is also an undeniable feeling of hope that shines through.
“At this point in the series, Kasuga is comfortable with who he is,” Tang explains. “The experiences he went through in the previous game have solidified his worldview: no matter what happens, you can always crawl your way up from the bottom. You can see this worldview every time he makes a friend out of an enemy or when he refuses to give up on someone. He’s in a place in life where he’s completely open to new experiences and is passionately down to try just about anything.”
“Life is hard. It’s nice to see a series of stories set in the modern day that unabashedly believe in hope. I want to grow up to be like Ichiban. I want to be as genuine, good-natured, and open to new experiences. He looks like he’s having a blast at life.”
For all the emotional rollercoasters that the Like a Dragon series has put us through, Infinite Wealth included, there is a consistent focus on hope, friendship, and living your best life. One of the series’ biggest strengths is that it manages to successfully carry the highs with the lows, and even though it has undergone changes over the years, the core values remain the same.
“It feels like the creators have homed in on the formulae of what makes Like a Dragon distinct and fantastic to play,” Tang says. “And now having brought a legendary character’s story toward its conclusion and started the maiden voyage of another, I feel those who bring this game to life have so many opportunities to play with. Though if I may be greedy for a moment…I think there’s a great argument to be made for a Voice Actor job class in the next one.”
I’ve said it once before, and I’ll say it again: Infinite Wealth has set a new bar for the series, and I can’t wait to see where Like a Dragon goes next. As much as I love Kiryu and the old cast, Majima especially, I am eager to see what Kasuga is capable of when given the chance to stand alone. Well, not really alone, because wherever Kasuga goes, he is bound to make friends.
Like a Dragon Week
Like a Dragon Week is TheGamer's celebration of all things Yakuza/Like a Dragon, with features, interviews, and opinions on Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's massively popular series of action-adventue brawlers.
Dates
March 25-31, 2024
Genre
Action-Adventure
Developer
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios
Publisher
Sega
Franchise
Yakuza
Games
Yakuza 0 , Yakuza Kiwami , Yakuza Kiwami 2 , Yakuza 3 , Yakuza 4 , Yakuza 5 , Yakuza 6: The Song of Life , Yakuza: Like A Dragon , Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth , Like a Dragon: Ishin , Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name , Judgment , Lost Judgment
