Template:Character
・・・大吾さん。俺はあなたと盃交わしたんです。
俺にとってあれは、半端な気持ちじゃなかった。
だからね・・・俺はあなたのためなら、すべてを投げ出す覚悟なんです。常日頃からね。極道の世界の絶対的な絆・・・あなたが俺に教えてくれたもんですよ。— Mine to Daigo, Ryu ga Gotoku Online[1]... Daigo-san. You and I swore an oath. For me, that was not something done halfheartedly. So I'm prepared to put everything on the line if it's for you. I always have been. Within the yakuza, there are such things as absolute bonds... You taught me that.
Yoshitaka Mine (峯 義孝, Mine Yoshitaka) is the main antagonist of Yakuza 3 and the protagonist of the The Man Called Yoshitaka Mine event in Ryu ga Gotoku Online.
He is the former captain of the Nishikiyama Family, the chairman of the Hakuho Clan, and one of the lieutenants of the Tojo Clan. He is also the interim chairman of the Tojo Clan in the absence of both Daigo Dojima and Osamu Kashiwagi.
As the main source of the Tojo Clan's income, he is known as the "Treasurer of the Tojo" (東城会の金庫番, Tōjō-kai no Kinko-ban).
Profile
Appearance
Mine's full tattoo
Mine has the physique to match his rigorous training, hiding a surprisingly well-built figure underneath his signature suit. He has short brown hair, slicked back except for a loose piece swept to the side of his face.
Tattoo
Mine's tattoo covers most of his back and ends at his thighs. It depicts a kirin, a mythical creature said to appear only in the presence of a benevolent leader and become ferociously protective if a pure person is threatened by a malicious one, as befits his view of himself in relation to Daigo. Like the word kirin-ji (麒麟児, lit. "child prodigy"), the tattoo is intended to evoke the image of a genius.[2][3]
Attire
Mine's attire consists of a maroon pinstriped double-breasted suit worn over a black dress shirt, with a gold tie and gold pocket square. He also wears a Hakuho Clan crest pin on his lapel, a black gold-studded leather belt, and reddish-brown dress shoes. He trains in red tracksuit bottoms and gold gym shoes.
His unused Yakuza Kiwami model shows him in a navy blue suit over a white dress shirt and a striped blue tie, similar to what he wears in flashbacks in Yakuza 3.
Personality
Mine's cold personality comes from the hardships he experienced in his early life, further worsened by a breakdown over Daigo's apparent death. He is not afraid to harm those standing in his way. Yet, he is willing to attempt change, accepting Kiryu's words to him after their fight. He seems to have no tolerance to people who speak negatively Daigo Dojima, stabbing one of his own subordinates with a table knife for doing so.
Background
- Main article: The Man Called Yoshitaka Mine
- See also: SSR Yoshitaka Mine/Character Story
Mine was born in 1976 to unnamed parents and orphaned at a very young age. He grew up in poverty, raised in an orphanage by his adoptive father who became terminally ill when Mine was still a child. On his deathbed, his father advised him to make something of his high intelligence and was sorry to leave him on his own. Having spent his childhood rejected by his peers for his background, Mine worked tirelessly to achieve wealth and status.
He became a very successful businessman in adulthood, earning a fortune in insider trading and real estate. Before the age of thirty-one he founded a venture company where he was employed in the capacity of both the company's chairman and the manager of the R&D department. As he had spent most of his life in solitude, it comforted him to have subordinates he could consider friends. He felt he was at a place in life where he could find what he truly wanted: genuine bonds with others.
Mine's acquired lifestyle led him to be surrounded by people who used him for their own gain, resulting in numerous betrayals throughout his life. In 2007, motivated by immediate profit, his trusted colleagues staged what in Mine's view was a coup d'etat in which he was dismissed from his position as the manager of the R&D department. To Mine, this left him as the company's chairman only in name.
The same night, he witnessed an assassination attempt on Daigo Dojima that left four Tojo men dead. Contrasted with what had just happened to him, the incident had a lasting impression on Mine. He became obsessed with finding out what Daigo's subordinates saw in him that they would die to protect.
With his investigation at a standstill, he decided he needed to see what caliber of man Daigo was for himself. He bribed Tsuyoshi Kanda to introduce him to the Nishikiyama Family under the guise of wanting to expand his business.
Mine used aggressive methods to acquire property for the Nishikiyama Family, poaching third-tier families from under other Tojo organizations to get at their territory. The family's profits skyrocketed as a result. Their success caused conflict with the second acting patriarch of the Nishikiyama Family, which ended in Mine and Kanda driving him out. Though Kanda claimed credit for Mine's work and became the third patriarch, Mine shot up the ranks as his right-hand man.
As Mine had hoped, their success did not escape Daigo's notice, who was aware Mine was the one working behind the scenes. He warned him his methods went against the moral code of the yakuza and would end up getting him killed. Mine considered Daigo naïve and disregarded his advice, certain he would change his tune if enough money was put in front of him. Not satisfied that he understood enough about Daigo just yet, he continued his ways.
While transporting seven hundred million in payments to HQ, Mine and Kanda were ambushed by the second acting patriarch along with men from several families Mine had poached. Outnumbered, Kanda abandoned Mine and drove off with the money, a betrayal that left Mine in a near-suicidal state of despair. Daigo intervened, offering the second acting patriarch one billion yen in exchange for Mine's life and even taking a bullet for him. When asked why he would risk his life for someone like him, Daigo told Mine that it was natural to him, as he considered every member of the Tojo Clan his family.
This ultimately lead Mine to realize that the yakuza was exactly what he had been searching for, a society in which the bonds between men ruled supreme. For the first time in ages, Mine had found someone he loved and respected, and he came to consider his bond with Daigo his reason to live. With Daigo's support and his own clear thinking and financial prowess, he soon became the chairman of the Hakuho Clan as well as lieutenant advisor to the Tojo Clan.
Involvement
Yakuza 3: 2007-2009
Mine, alongside Hamazaki and Kanda, in the executives meeting called in by Kashiwagi after Daigo is shot
After Daigo is shot, Kashiwagi, acting as interim chairman, calls a meeting with the current Tojo Clan executive members to discuss the current crisis. Mine sides with Kashiwagi, on the matter of calling in Kiryu to take over before further action is taken.
Mine meets Kiryu for the first time in Purgatory, having come to apologize for Kanda's actions the previous night, as that it was him who funded the Nishikiyama Family to allow them to stage a coup against the other families. Looking to resolve the matter, he shows Kanda's decapitated head.
Mine and Kiryu in Purgatory
A flashback in Mine's office reveals, Kanda is angry over his defeat by Kiryu, destroying antiques in Mine's office. While Mine calmly tells him to refrain from destroying any more expensive antiques, as he doesn't comprehend their value, Kanda lunges at Mine in animosity, To Kanda's shock, Mine effortlessly counters him. After further consecutive blows, Kanda helplessly falls to the floor, pleading mercy, while Mine explains to him how he has outlived his usefulness and orders his subordinates to execute him away from his office.
Back in the present, Mine addresses that, thus, he hopes to consider the matter is closed and that there is nothing to worry about in regard to Goh Hamazaki, either, since the Snake Flower Triad's defeat will have forced him into hiding. Kiryu expresses his disapproval over Mine's actions, asking if this is what Daigo would have wanted. Mine responds to Kiryu how his reluctance to give up the orphanage caused Daigo to be shot and that his idealism is nothing more than hypocrisy. Assuring Kiryu and his allies that he will continue on for the sake of the Tojo Clan, he leaves.
While Kiryu and Date meet with the Minister of Defense Ryuzo Tamiya and learn that Tamiya's former secretary, Toma, approached Mine to help acquire land for the resort deal, Mine travels to Downtown Ryukyu, Okinawa by plane. With the employ of the Tamashiro Family he destroys Sunshine Orphanage to further the resort development project. Mine orders the family to stall Kiryu in Okinawa while he travels back to Tokyo to find Daigo at Toto Hospital. During the plane journey, his subordinates discuss how Mine becoming the Seventh Chairman is something worth celebrating. Mine overhears their conversation and stabs one of the men's hand with a dinner knife for insulting Daigo.
At Toto Hospital, he sits beside Daigo when he receives a phone call from Andre Richardson. Mine assures him, in English, that everything is going according to schedule and that there will be no changes in the plan with Kiryu is about to arrive.
Kiryu meets Mine, along with Daigo brought up there on a stretcher, on the hospital roof. When Kiryu accuses him of having plotted to murder Daigo in order to become the Tojo Clan's Seventh Chairman, Mine reveals to him that he is an orphan just like him, as well his true (albeit misguided) motives behind his actions. Unable to cope with Daigo being in a coma after being shot, he sought power to fill that loss. To fulfill that ambition, he has two obstacles: first, to compassionately kill Daigo in his vegetative state and second, to kill the person whom Daigo thought of the most highly, Kiryu. Kiryu points out the futility in Mine's actions, and that his isolation was a result of his self-centredness, prompting Mine to shoot at him out of rage. To get through to Mine, Kiryu challenges him to a duel to prove him wrong, which Mine accepts gladly and mentions how he won't be easily beaten. After a gruelling fight, Mine is defeated.
Mine vs. Kiryu
After Mine's defeat, he lies down on the rooftop, exhausted. He receives an urgent phone call from his secretary, whom he thought he mattered to. When it turns out she called to discuss a business deal, Mine laments how it all goes back to money, yet everyone desires bonds of friendship and love is in all of us, before cutting off the call. Mine asks Kiryu whether his clear state of mind means that his life has ended, who responds that as long as one is still alive, they can start anew. He helps Mine up, shortly before the CIA agents appear.
However, Mine confirms that they are not CIA and that it was just a cover for the Black Monday organization. Richardson points out how Mine's and Kiryu's roles have come to end. Before Richardson executes them both, Daigo suddenly recovers from his coma and shoots him and his men. While seemingly safe, Kiryu rushes to Daigo and Mine falls back to his knees over Daigo awakening, Richardson gets back up and attempts to shoot Daigo. Mine charges him instead, Richardson shoots at him, but Mine forces him to the edge of the roof. Standing there, Richardson struggling in his hold, Mine shares his regrets for his actions, confesses that he is not worthy to be beside Daigo and that he wishes he had met Kiryu sooner. While Daigo and Kiryu shout for him to stop, Mine throws himself along with his former collaborator Richardson off the roof.
Fighting Style
Despite looking like a businessman, Mine is a very strong fighter. He possesses a tremendous amount of strength, as proven when his few punches easily cripple Kanda in spite of him being a resilient powerhouse fighter.
Mine's fighting style appears to be based on mixed martial arts.
Gameplay
Mine fights in four different stages. As his health goes down Mine will go into one of these states
First Stage
Mine will start off in his normal form and returns to his normal state after running out of heat.
Dodging State
In this stage, Mine is shown to display an Orange Aura. He will start to bob and weave every one of your attacks and may even counter with an uppercut.
Strength State
Mine will start using a combo of fast haymakers and spinning backfists. What also makes Mine's special attacks strong is the invincibility he gains from the attacks. He will also display a Red Aura.
Healing State
During this state, Mine can go into a recovery state and will slowly recover health. During his recovery state, he has super armor to absorb all attacks. He also can counter grabs during this state. Mine will display a Blue Aura.
Trivia
- There is an unused model of Mine in Yakuza Kiwami's files. The attire strongly resembles what he is seen wearing in flashbacks in Yakuza 3.
- In Yakuza 6, Mine's ghost may appear in photos taken at the lowest floor of the Millennium Tower, at the parking lot on Shichifuku East, on the roof of the Tenkaichi Commerce Building, and in front of the elevators next to Smile Burger.
- In a poll conducted in 2013, Mine was voted the tenth most popular character in the Yakuza series, coming in at 100,042 votes.[4]
- In a poll conducted in 2018, Mine was voted the fifth most requested character for Ryu ga Gotoku Online, coming in at 154,426 votes.[5]
- Mine was in consideration to be the main protagonist of Part 2 of Ryu ga Gotoku Online at one point, alongside Ryuji Goda and Shun Akiyama.[6][7]
- Mine is depicted as bilingual, able to speak English as well as Japanese.
- Mine has an affinity for baseball, as he had no opportunity to participate in the sport as a child due to being unable to afford the equipment.
- As shown in Yakuza 3 and later Ryu ga Gotoku Online, Mine is an avid art collector and often finds himself in antique stores and auctions looking to acquire new pieces for his collection. According to Ryu ga Gotoku Online, this is because "paintings cannot betray anyone."
- Mine is a shareholder in several if not all taxi companies operating in Kamurocho.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ryu ga Gotoku Online (Ryu ga Gotoku Studio, Android/iOS/Windows, November 21, 2018) - (SSR) Yoshitaka Mine Character Story (Part 3)
- ↑ "A Deeper Understanding of Ryu ga Gotoku: Reference Room." Ryu ga Gotoku 10th Anniversary Book, Kadokawa, 2015, p. 97.
- ↑ http://fftranslations.atspace.co.uk/ (March 4, 2016) - All of Horitomo's Ryu ga Gotoku work - Horitomo: This is a design which, like the word "kirin-ji" (child prodigy), calls to mind the image of a genius. The common image of a kirin is actually one where it has the face of a dragon, and with the way that it's leaping upwards, this composition would make it look like Kiryu's tattoo. I looked through old materials and, though it isn't particularly popular, I drew a kirin with a face more like that of a deer.
- ↑ 龍が如くスタジオ 公式 (October 6, 2011) - "『龍が如く』最新作 制作始動映像" (0:34 - 0:48)
- ↑ https://ryu-ga-gotoku.com (September 12, 2018) - 「龍が如く」シリーズキャラクター総選挙 (Ryū ga Gotoku series character sō senkyo, lit. "Ryū ga Gotoku series character general election") - Archive
- ↑ https://famitsu.com (September 25, 2019) - 【龍オン】『龍が如く オンライン』第二部主人公が郷田龍司になる理由や“黄龍放浪記”の展望について、シリーズチーフP横山昌義氏、脚本担当の竹内一信氏を直撃 ([RyūOn] Ryū ga Gotoku Online dainibu shujinkō ga Gōda Ryūji ni naru riyū ya “kō ryū hōrō-ki” no tenbō ni tsuite, shirīzuchīfu P Yokoyama Masayoshi-shi, kyakuhon tantō no Takeuchi Kazunobu-shi o chokugeki, lit. "[RyuOn] The Main Character of Ryū ga Gotoku Online Part 2: Masayoshi Yokoyama and Kazunobu Takeuchi, Who Are in Charge of the Script, Interviewed Point-blank about the Prospect of The Wanderings of the Golden Dragon and Why Ryuji Goda Was Chosen as the next Protagonist") - Archive
- ↑ https://dojimasdragongirl.wordpress.com (October 4, 2019) - Another Famitsu interview – Yokoyama and Ryu ga Gotoku Online writer Takeuchi - Interviewer: "So tell us why you chose Ryuji to take over as protagonist in Part Two. Though from what you said before, I get the feeling you could use any character who’s particularly popular with the players, no matter who they are?"
Yokoyama: "To be honest, there was a chance of either Mine or Akiyama becoming the protagonist too." - Archive
Gallery
Yakuza Kiwami
Yakuza 3
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Ryu ga Gotoku Online
