Yakuza Kiwami 3’s Recast Controversy Explained

Although it certainly has its fans, Yakuza 3 is often considered to be the black sheep of the Yakuza franchise. The game was the first mainline installment in the series to be released on the PlayStation 3, and while it was rather ambitious for its time, it kind of suffered from some growing pains. Yakuza 3 infamously gained the nickname of Blockuza 3 among fans because most of the enemies in the game constantly kept blocking players’ attacks, thus making combat encounters feel more like a chore than a fun activity. Yakuza 3 was also criticized for its relatively slow-paced story, with many being particularly critical of RGG Studio’s decision to make managing an orphanage a mandatory portion of the game.

Many fans have begged RGG Studio to make a remake of Yakuza 3, in the hopes that the company would fix the problems in the original game, and now, they are finally getting their wish. During the RGG Summit event that took place this week, RGG Studio announced Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, a from-the-ground-up remake of Yakuza 3, which includes an all-new side game starring the game’s antagonist, Yoshitaka Mine. While the reception to Yakuza Kiwami 3‘s reveal has been largely positive, some fans are disappointed with a few of the changes that RGG Studio has made to the game’s characters.

Some of Yakuza 3's Characters Are Getting a Complete Redesign for Kiwami 3, and Fans Aren't Happy

In conjunction with the game’s announcement, RGG Studio revealed the Japanese voice cast for Yakuza Kiwami 3. The company confirmed that, although most of the original voice actors from Yakuza 3 would reprise their roles in the game, some of them would be recast. Three of Yakuza 3‘s supporting characters, in particular, Shigeru Nakahara, Rikiya Shimabukuro, and Goh Hamazaki, will be voiced by completely different actors in the remake. Normally, this wouldn’t be enough to upset fans, but in addition to getting new voices, the faces of the characters are being drastically changed, as well.

In the original Yakuza 3, the character designs for Nakahara, Rikiya, and Hamazaki were all completely original. In other words, they weren’t modeled after certain individuals, like some of the Yakuza series’ characters were. In Kiwami 3, however, all three characters will use the likenesses of their respective voice actors. Nakahara will be played by Ryo Ishibashi, Rikiya will be played by Tokyo Vice star Sho Kasamatsu, and Hamazaki will be played by Teruyuki Kagawa.

Comparing Yakuza 3's Old VAs to Yakuza Kiwami 3's New VAs

Rikiya's New Design Has Beared the Brunt of Criticism from Fans

Because of the changes that RGG Studio has made to these characters, none of them really look anything like they did in the original Yakuza 3. This, as a result, has upset a lot of fans, especially when it comes to Rikiya. Many fans believe that Rikiya’s new face and character design are a massive downgrade compared to his initial incarnation. The original Rikiya had a perm-punch haircut and a dumb but lovable face, which made him look rather unique compared to Yakuza 3‘s other characters. The new Rikiya, however, looks like a run-of-the-mill Yakuza goon, according to some fans, and Sho Kasamatsu’s performance as the character has received a bit of criticism.

Many Fans are Also Disappointed that Kiryu's Red Hawaiian Shirt isn't Returning in Yakuza Kiwami 3

In addition to these recasts, the changes that RGG Studio made to Kazuma Kiryu’s outfit have been somewhat controversial, as well. Kiryu famously wore a red Hawaiian shirt in Yakuza 3, but in Yakuza Kiwami 3, he’s wearing a green one instead. Since the color of Kiryu’s new outfit doesn’t exactly fit with his traditional red-and-white attire, some fans find the change to be unnecessary, especially considering that the red shirt in the original game was intended to be a reference to the classic 1993 yakuza film Sonatine. Despite these complaints, though, most fans seem to be excited about Yakuza Kiwami 3.