Template:Character infobox Masato Arakawa (荒川 真斗, Arakawa Masato), also known as Waka (若) and Ryo Aoki (青木 遼, Aoki Ryō), is the main antagonist of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. He is the current governor of Tokyo as well as the founder of the non-profit organization Bleach Japan.
Personality
Though he and Ichiban Kasuga are the same age, Masato can be considered the opposite of his adoptive brother, as a calm and quiet individual who prefers to keep to himself. He treats Kasuga as a servant, but has a strong sense of faith in the captain of the Arakawa Family, Jo Sawashiro.
Appearance
Masato has a slim build. His short black hair is combed back save for two loose pieces on either side of his face, and he has a neatly-kept goatee. His attire consists of a dark gray pinstriped suit over a gray and black patterned shirt and black dress shoes. He also has gold stud piercings in both ears and wears a silver chain necklace.
When not using a special drug that allows him to stand up, Masato uses a wheelchair.
Background
Masato was born to an unnamed mother and Jo Sawashiro on January 1, 1977 in the bathroom of a department store. He was locked in coin locker #99 at Shinjuku Station and abandoned by Sawashiro, who wanted nothing to do with him. Masumi Arakawa retrieved him, unknowingly believing him to be his child with Akane, who he had instructed to hide their baby in a coin locker in order to keep him safe while they were being pursued by members of Hikawa Industries. However, it was a cold night, and hypothermia set in before Arakawa was able to take Masato out of the locker and bring him to a hospital, resulting in multiple organ failure.
Masato used a wheelchair from a very young age due to chronic illness, which he had always experienced a great deal of shame about. At the age of five, he was once in such distress about his inability to walk that he had to be restrained from hitting his legs, a sight that ultimately inspired Sawashiro to join the Arakawa Family in order to watch over him. Ichiban Kasuga was tasked with Masato's care some time after his induction into the Arakawa Family.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Trivia
- The kanji characters in the name Masato are a combination of his father and grandfather's names: 真 (masa), the first kanji in Masumi Arakawa's given name and 斗 (to), the first kanji in Toshio Arakawa's given name.
