Yu Morinaga

Yu Morinaga (森永悠, Morinaga Yū) is an antagonist featured in Yakuza 5. Alongside his oath brother, Masato Aizawa, he serves as a bodyguard to Daigo Dojima.

Profile[]

Appearance[]

While quite smaller than Masato Aizawa, Morinaga is decently above average height and size. Morinaga has slicked back black hair with a widow's peak, and has facial hair similar to that of a goatee.

Attire[]

Morinaga wears a standard black suit over white shirt and patterned tie, with matching dress pants and shoes.

Personality[]

As a member of the Tojo Clan, Morinaga acts as a by-the-book yakuza, maintaining his temper and following the strict code assigned by his superiors. He is an intelligent, eloquent speaker and will only resort to violence if absolutely necessary.

As his true position of an underling of Tsubasa Kurosawa, he maintains his foreshown loyalty to his superior's goals. He is willing take any actions necessary in order to advance such goals, and will not hesitate to kill if needed.

Background[]

At some point, Morinaga and Aizawa joined the Tojo Clan, presumably as part of Kurosawa's plan for Aizawa to take it over along with the Omi Alliance. While working under Aoyama, they eventually rose to the post of bodyguards for the chairman. However, when Daigo disappeared, Morinaga urged Aizawa to abandon the plan, stating he would never reach the strength of Kiryu.

Involvement[]

Yakuza 5: 2012[]

Morinaga and Aizawa first come across Kiryu when they are searching for the missing Daigo on Aoyama's orders. In response to Kiryu's non-cooperativeness, they both engage him in a fight, and lose. Later, the two develop a cooperative relationship with Kiryu, with him allowing them to hide out at his apartment when Morinaga is attacked by members of the local Yamagasa Family, who disapprove of their family's alliance with the Tojo Clan and attack active Tojo members in spite of it.

Kiryu enlists the two's help to help raid the Yamagasa Family HQ when signs point to Aoyama having been involved in Daigo's disappearance. There, they discover Tadashi Madarame, the Yamagasa Patriarch, is injured by Aoyama. Morinaga then draws a firearm, infuriated at Aoyama's betrayal; he tries to shoot him, but fails as it is revealed that the gun he is holding (given to him by Aoyama) is loaded with blanks. Aoyama then shoots Morinaga himself; Aizawa takes him away as Kiryu finishes the raid himself.

Later, despite having been shot in the chest, Morinaga appears after Kiryu defeats a massive squad of Tojo Clan men all by himself. Before Aoyama can reveal the real mastermind in front of Kiryu and Masaru Watase, Morinaga suddenly shoots him dead to silence him. He tells Kiryu that he killed Aizawa when he refused to participate in Morinaga's plan, enraging Kiryu. After a near-confrontation that leads to Kiryu getting shot in the leg, Morinaga encourages Kiryu to come to Kamurocho, stating that he will find his answers there, before departing from the scene, stating that he has much bigger things planned.

However, Morinaga actually left Aizawa alive for unknown reasons, and is suddenly killed in Kamurocho; as The Florist of Sai reveals to Taiga Saejima, the police said Morinaga's body was left in the Shibaura Wharf just the day before, and that Naoki Katsuya's fingerprints were at the scene of the crime. When confronted later, Katsuya mentions he was framed, and when asked about Morinaga's death, Aizawa responds evasively, leaving Morinaga's true killer unclear.

SPOILERS END HERE. (Return)

Fighting Style[]

Morinaga is joined by Aizawa in his boss fight. He and that latter fight alongside Kiryu as AI companions too, the first half of the Yamagasa Headquarters long battle. Morinaga is a refined Taekwondo user, albeit a very simplistic one. His fighting style makes use of basic punches and kicks without much variety. His moveset is listed below:

a Rush Combo comprised of a lunging left jab, a right cross, a left hook (sometimes excluded), and a right high roundhouse kick;
a second combo consisting of a hopping left high roundhouse kick, a rapid left backfist-right cross, and a right push kick;
a hopping left high roundhouse kick,
a hopping right high roundhouse kick,
a hopping left push kick-left jab-right body cross-left jab-right cross when Aizawa grabs Kiryu from behind (unused),
quickstep combos, including:
- a right Thai roundhouse kick after sidestepping right, followed by a right body jab-left body cross; and
- a left Thai roundhouse kick after sidestepping left, followed by a left body jab-right body cross; and
a right punt kick as a downed attack.

His attack trails are indigo.

Trivia[]

Morinaga's recovery is left unexplained; blood can clearly be seen erupting when he is shot by Aoyama. When Kiryu asks him if him being shot was a setup, Morinaga responds evasively.