Template:Character infobox
Ichiban Kasuga (春日 一番, Kasuga Ichiban) is the main protagonist of Ryu ga Gotoku Online and the main protagonist of the Yakuza series from Yakuza: Like a Dragon onward.[1]
The dragon tattoo on his back earned him the nickname "The Dragon of Rock Bottom" (どん底の龍, Donzoko no Ryū).
Appearance
Kasuga wears a maroon suit over white shirt with the collar popped. His hair is styled into an afro after his release from jail in 2019. Prior to this it was styled into a punch perm, growing out long enough during his time in jail to be tied into a short ponytail.
Personality
Biography
Kasuga was born in a soapland in Kamurocho on New Year's Eve, 1977. The son of a prostitute and an unknown father, he was abandoned shortly after his birth in an alleyway. Raised by a snack bar owner and homeless people, he lived mostly on the streets. After graduating middle school, he resorted to whatever means necessary to earn money and support himself, leaving his education for good. He spent most of his days fighting street punks for cash. However, one day he severely injured a person and sent them to the hospital. This person was the underling of a yakuza well known for his malice.
The yakuza sought revenge, and they managed to capture him. They tortured him to the brink of death, and fearing for his life he blurted out the name of a feared yakuza, Masumi Arakawa, saying he wouldn't be happy if he found out they had messed with Kasuga. Kasuga hoped mentioning his name would somehow get him free, but it only backfired. The family that held him captive were enemies of the Arakawa Family. They summoned Arakawa to their office, assuming Kasuga was part of his family. Arakawa arrived and asked the men what they wanted to do with Kasuga, replying to Arakawa, the men demanded payback for their member's injuries, as Kasuga nearly killed him. To Kasuga's surprise, Arakawa gave them his finger, taking responsibility for his actions. The men quickly let Kasuga go.
Kasuga followed Arakawa and tried to apologize, but Arakawa punched him, saying he didn't cut his finger off for his sake. He explained to Kasuga that being a yakuza meant you had a reputation to uphold. Kasuga asked why he didn't just tell the truth, but Arakawa said he didn't know. He decided then and there he'd follow Arakawa for the rest of his life. He waited outside of Arakawa's office for 100 days before the older man finally broke down and agreed to make him a yakuza
On the 31st of December, 2000, Arakawa and Kasuga stood in the family office, discussing how one of their boys was involved in a murder of a Tojo Clan member. Arakawa wanted Kasuga to retire and take blame for the murder. Kasuga happily obliged, wanting to payback what Arakawa did for him all those years ago. On January 1, 2001, he happily turned himself in.
In 2019, Kasuga was freed from prison, returning home to Kamurocho. He was surprised and angered to find that while he was away, the Tojo Clan was exiled, and the Omi Alliance was now in control. He was even more shocked to find out that his boss and father figure, Arakawa, was supposedly the man who betrayed the Tojo and let the Omi into Kamurocho.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Ryū ga Gotoku Online
Kasuga is the main protagonist of Ryū ga Gotoku Online.
Trivia
- The name "Ichiban" (一番) literally means "number one" in the context of being the best.
- Kasuga shares the same voice actor as Akira Nishikiyama, Kazuhiro Nakaya.