Taiga Saejima (冴島 大河,Saejima Taiga?) is a recurring major character in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. He is featured as a protagonist in Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5. He is also featured as a supporting character in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
After slaying eighteen members of the Ueno Seiwa Clan and surviving to receive the death penalty, Saejima earned the nickname "18-Counts Saejima" (18人殺しの冴島大河, Jūhachinin-goroshi no Saejima Taiga). He is the former patriarch of the Saejima Family and a former lieutenant of the Tojo Clan.
Saejima is tall and powerfully built. He has an immense size and his brute strength rivals and may even surpass Kiryu. He uses his size to his advantage in combat, often charging and overpowering his opponents with brute force. In Yakuza 4 he has dark, shoulder-length hair. After returning to prison in Yakuza 5, his head is shaved and he retains a buzz cutWP hairstyle in all of his subsequent in-game appearances. He usually sports a military-esque outfit. In Infinite Wealth, he's grown a light beard.
Attire[]
Saejima's attire typically consists of a heavy olive green jacket over a black t-shirt with camouflage cargo pants, a black leather double grommet belt with a silver double prong buckle, and black ankle length leather combat boots. In Yakuza 4 he wears an olive colored, military-style long coat given to him by Kazuma Kiryu after escaping Okinawa Penitentiary No. 2 along with a silver chain necklace with a pendant and a black leather belt with a gold buckle. In Yakuza 5, he wears an olive colored parka given to him by Okudera after being rescued from the mountain. In Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like a Dragon he wears a sage colored Alpha Industries N-3B snorkel parka. For formal occasions, such as the end of Yakuza 4, Saejima wears a double breasted 4 button black suit with a white dress shirt, black tie, and black dress shoes. During the Ueno Seiwa hit, he wears a single breasted black suit with a white dress shirt, black leather silver buckle belt, black leather oxfords, and a silver watch with metal band on his left wrist.
Tattoo[]
Saejima's tattoo features a roaring tiger surrounded by bamboo grass. This is primarily representative of his stark opposite traits to Kiryu and being similarly skilled in battle; in Buddhism, the tiger and dragon are said to be equal to each other, representing different symbols of power. The tiger is more headstrong and relentless, while the dragon is more patient and wise. Their polar opposite personalities and fighting styles shine throughout the series and as they confront each other, with Saejima powering through nearly every opposing attack and Kiryu always waiting for the right moment to strike. The grass symbolizes his place in the Sasai Family, as the kanji for bamboo grass (笹) is used in Sasai (笹井).
History[]
Other appearances[]
Sega Heroes[]
In Sega Heroes, Saejima is a playable green legendary hero who was added on April 16, 2020, as the last playable character before the server shut down on May 21, 2020. He has the following gameplay characteristics:
