Masashi Kunieda (国枝 政, Kunieda Masashi) is a character featured in Yakuza Kiwami.
Background[]
Kunieda is a member of the Nikkyo Consortium, one of the Tojo Clan's most powerful yakuza organizations. Kunieda served as the Consortium's Captain underneath its first President, Masaru Sera, before becoming the organization's second president upon Sera's ascension to the Tojo chairmanship in the early 90's.
Involvement[]
Yakuza Kiwami: 1995-2005[]
After Kazuma Kiryu was convicted of murdering his patriarch, Sohei Dojima, he was expelled from the Tojo Clan by Chairman Sera. This surprised Kiryu, since he was expecting a banishment from the organization, which would have meant that he would be forever branded as an enemy of the Tojo and forbidden from returning to Tokyo under penalty of death. Instead, with a simple expulsion, the door was left open for him to possibly rejoin the Clan in future. Months later, however, an assassin attacked him in the prison cafeteria, claiming to be acting on orders from Chairman Sera.
Ten years later, once he was released from prison, Kiryu encountered the assassin once again. Upon being confronted, the assassin revealed that it had actually been Kunieda who'd ordered him to kill Kiryu, without Sera's knowledge. Later on, Kiryu was approached by President Kunieda himself in Purgatory. The Second President was searching for Akira Nishikiyama, Kiryu's oath brother and the primary suspect in their investigation into Chairman Sera's murder. Despite the current bad blood between them, Kiryu refused to inform on his oath brother, especially after Kunieda claimed that the Nikkyo Consortium would murder Nishiki if he turned out to be guilty of Sera's assassination.
Angered by Kiryu's refusal to collaborate, Kunieda and several of his bodyguards attacked Kiryu outside Purgatory, hoping to force him into providing them with the information they required. Despite their impressive combat skills, Kiryu managed to defeat Kunieda and his men and demands that they leave Nishiki to him. Once the battle is over, Kiryu questions Kunieda as to why he would send an assassin after him against Sera's wishes. Kunieda then reveals that it was Sera who ordered the attack, fully expecting Kiryu to be able to defeat his assassin: Sera wanted Kiryu to be able to return to the Tojo Clan, but he knew that other members of the Clan would still be vengeful for Kiryu's crime and would try to take him out themselves. So, by sending an assassin of his own, Sera made it clear to all the other Tojo patriarchs that only he as Chairman could order Kiryu's death. Kunieda also claims that the assassin was a test to see if Kiryu was worthy of survival.
After their conversation, Kunieda tells Kiryu that he will leave Nishikiyama to him for the time being, but insists that the Nikkyo will not wait forever and that if Kiryu doesn't avenge Sera eventually, they will resume their mission to take out his killer.
Fighting Style[]
Kunieda uses Bruce Ebinuma's moveset.