Ichiban Kasuga (春日 一番,Kasuga Ichiban?) is the protagonist of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series from Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth onward, as well as the protagonist of The Legend of Ichiban Kasuga: Part 1 in Ryu Ga Gotoku Online. He is a former member of the Arakawa Family, a Tojo Clan subsidiary and a former employee at Hello Work. He who was instrumental in the Great Dissolution of the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance, Due to his heroic exploits, he is also known as the "Hero of Yokohama" (ハマの英雄,Hama no Eiyū?).
Described as having been born with "nothing but physical strength," Kasuga has a very muscular build that gives him the opportunity to be proficient at a variety of fighting styles. His eyes are gray and he has medium-length dark hair styled into a massive afro after his release from prison, as well as a beard. Prior to this, his hair was styled into a much shorter punch perm, growing out long enough during his time in prison to be tied into a short ponytail. He wears this ponytail again during his tenure at Hello Work in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, but reverts to the afro in 2023.
Tattoo[]
Kasuga's tattoo covers most of his back and ends just above his thighs. It depicts a dragonfish (龍魚, ryūgyo), the in-between state of the koi in the legend of a koi that swims up to the top of a waterfall and is rewarded for its tenacity by being transformed into a dragon. The tattoo represents the strength and perseverance of the koi as it struggles upstream, as well as a greater destiny that lies ahead, as the koi has not fully finished its transformation into a dragon.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Online: Kasuga's inspiration for the tattoo was Jo Sawashiro, whose tattoo depicts the same creature. The two both hold a strong admiration for Masumi Arakawa and view him as the 'dragon' they aspire to be. Only the outlines of the tattoo are filled in up until Chapter 21, but it is seen in its completed state in the rest of the game.
Utabori is the tattoo artist who designed Kasuga's dragonfish, and he incorporated elements from both Kazuma Kiryu and Akira Nishikiyama's tattoos in its design. Utabori did not include his signature in Kasuga's tattoo; it is unknown why.
Personality[]
Kasuga is a fiercely loyal, passionate, and steadfast man with a strong sense of justice. Kasuga is a huge fan of Dragon Quest, a video game he loved to play ever since his youth. This contributed to his strong sense of imagination where he imagines his battles as if they were a turn-based JRPG. Due to his loves for games, Kasuga dreams of being a "hero" and greatly admires old-school yakuza ideals of honor, bonds, and chivalry. He deeply admires Masumi Arakawa and aspires to a be man like him and lives up to his legacy. Kasuga is a humble, easy-going, humorous, and optimistic man who enjoys the simple things and approaches life with a child-like wonderment. While he enjoys fighting, Kasuga never picks fights needlessly or unfairly, admitting that he lets weaker opponents hit him so it won't be one-sided, and balks at killing.
Kasuga wears his heart on his sleeve and is prone to letting his emotions get the best of him, whether it be sheer rage or getting overly excitable. His impulsive nature and tendency not to think things through often lands him in trouble. Mild-mannered and friendly to everyone he meets, Kasuga is a good conversationalist and an attentive listener, providing a comforting presence and giving encouragement and advice. His idealistic naivety, blunt honesty, and lack-of-tact sometimes causes bouts of awkwardness, embarrassment, and insensitivity towards people, but Kasuga always sincerely apologizes for any offense he causes. His exuberant, hot-blooded nature both endeared and annoyed his friends, who usually have to rein him in. Kasuga is noted to have a dangerous temper, getting more violent whenever it flares, but he learned to better control it after fighting with Kazuma Kiryu.
One of Kasuga's notable traits is his unfailing kindness and general love for people. Due to living his entire life as a societal outcast, Kasuga is immensely empathic and non-judgmental to those in similar situations. He is always willing to help out anyone in need and put others before himself. He's compassionate to people at their lowest and shows forgiveness even to those who wronged him because he understands what it's like to struggle alone without any help. As many tend to point out, Kasuga's trusting, good-natured disposition makes it easy for others to take advantage of him. Kasuga understands this and accepts responsibility for his actions, striving to make amends should problems arise. He believes in the best in people and that anyone can atone, saving his hatred for the truly vile and remorseless people. These traits have made him an infectiously charismatic person that never fails to inspire admiration from the people around him. He cares deeply about his party members and leads them with grace, and in turn, they stand by him and are ready to have his back no matter how overwhelming the odds are.
Having spent his entire life at "rock bottom" and considered an "idiot" for his loud, goofy behavior imbued Kasuga with a tough, resilient spirit. Acknowledging his shortcomings and flaws, Kasuga doesn't let insults or negative opinions weight him down, even making self-deprecating remarks and jokes at his own expense. Despite being a high school dropout and his long stint in jail, Kasuga compensates his lack of formal education and ignorance of modern society with street-smarts, sharp intuition, and a natural curiosity to learn new things. Kasuga is also very emotionally intelligent, being good at reading people and predicting their actions. His imagination has also made him a quick thinker and a creative tactician in battles or at problem-solving. He's also extremely knowledgeable of the criminal underworld and cunningly utilize this, calling out Zheng on his arrogance for using the Yokohama Liumang as an excuse to get away with shaking down the homeless, as well as Yamato Totsuka's fear of the Seiryu chairman. Despite being bad at lying, Kasuga is good with words, showing talent in public speaking and can argue evenly against his opponents.
When the situation calls for it, Kasuga becomes unflinchingly serious, focused, and fearless, unfazed even when weapons aim at him. Once a goal is set in his mind, Kasuga is incredibly stubborn, hard-working, and dutiful, stopping at nothing until he fulfill the promises and trust placed in him. His heroic willpower, tenacious persistence, and brilliance at strategy allows him to prevail over his enemies, who sorely underestimates him. Legendary figures such as Kiryu sees great potential in Kasuga and some even notes the similarities between them. Although he respects Kiryu, Kasuga wants to create his own path instead of following Kiryu's footsteps, which Kiryu sharing this sentiment.
Trivia[]
Kasuga was given the name "Ichiban" (一番, lit. "number one" in the context of being the best) by executive director Toshihiro Nagoshi and lead writer Masayoshi Yokoyama. They decided on the name due to its contrast with his background and lifestyle being emblematic of Kasuga as a character, who "[lives life] to the fullest like he doesn't see the irony."
In Like a Dragon: Ishin!, Kasuga appears as a Shinsengumi Trooper Card rather than as one of the division captains specifically because his character and beliefs would not fit with how the captains are portrayed.
Humorously, despite his love for his pet crawfish Nancy, Kasuga’s favorite food is lobster, as revealed by Saeko in Infinite Wealth.
