Aahana Swrup
‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza’ is a Japanese crime action show that follows the stories of four orphan kids as they shed their pasts behind and enter a world of crime. The show sports a dual timeline, oscillating between 1995 and 2005. Kazuma Kiryu has always dreamed of joining the Yakuza and becoming the Dragon of Dojima, a.k.a. the best fighter in town. Consequently, he and his closest friends, Yumi, Miho, and Akira Nishikiyama, end up moving to the city center of Kamurochō to work under the Dojima Clan. Fast-forward to 2005, Kazuma finishes his decade-long prison sentence and returns to the city to find two Yakuza clans on the brink of a lethal conflict.
With billions of yen missing and a deadly serial killer on the loose, Kazuma finds himself reunited with old friends to prevent an all-out war. As the narrative jumps back and forth between the past and the present of Kazuma and his friends, it sustains mysteries of both eras, compelling fans to speculate about everyone’s morality and motives. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Like a Dragon Yakuza Recap
When Kazuma Kiryu was a child, he saw the Dragon of Dojima fight in an underground ring and adopted him as a lifelong idol. Now, in his teenage years at the Sunflower Orphanage, Kazuma plans out a heist with his friends and fellow orphans, Akira “Nishiki” Nishikiyama, Yumi, and Miho. Despite their inexperience, the group manages to pull off the theft, securing enough money to skip town and start a new life. Nonetheless, these dreams fall apart the next morning when gang members storm the orphanage. As it turns out, the teenagers made the mistake of stealing from the Dojima Family, which belongs to the Yakuza Tojo Clan. Still, the orphanage master, Shintaro Kazama—who has a history with the gang—intervenes at the right moment.
Thus, Kazama accompanies the four teens to apologize to Sohei Dojima, the Yakuza family patriarch. At first, Sohei expects to be paid for the indiscretion in blood. However, Kazuma surprises everyone by pleading with the other man to let him join his crime family. He reveals that he has always wanted to be the new Dragon of Dojima and pulled off the heist to prove his worth to the leader. In exchange for an opportunity to do so, the teen offers up his own life. Consequently, an amused Sohei books a fight for him the following evening. The same invites Kazama’s anger and disappointment in his ward. Yet, that evening, when Kazuma struggles with the fight, Kazama gives him some advice that ties the match in a double knockout.
While this ensures Kazuma’s place in the gang, Nishiki has to beg Sohei and almost cut off his finger to showcase his commitment to earn his own spot beside his friend. In the end, Kazuma and Nishiki join the Dojima Family together—starting from the ground up—while Miho and Yumi become hostesses at the Serene Club to pay off their debts. As such, the four begin a new life together. During this time, Yumi tries to track down her estranged older sister, Aiko—with middling results, while the boys try to move up the ranks by helping Sohei with his dream Millennium Tower project. Naturally, the four undergo many changes during this time. Surprisingly, even though Kazuma insists he won’t let the underworld make a killer out of him, he ends up getting arrested for murder and serves ten years in prison.
Eventually, as Kazuma gets released from prison, he finds Kamurochō is much worse than he left it. In the time that he’s been gone, Nishiki has somehow taken over the Dojima Family as their new patriarch. Furthermore, a masked serial killer has been terrorizing the city on and off for the past few years. Meanwhile, a recent theft of the rival Ohmi clan has a simmering battle between the two crime families. The perpetrator behind this crime is Aiko, Yumi’s older sister. In the ensuing attack at one of Aiko’s known haunts, her young daughter, Haruka, nearly evades death—thanks to Kazuma. Nonetheless, Aiko remains oblivious to the same and runs away in grief.
Consequently, Kazuma brings Haruka to Yumi’s apartment, which leads to a reunion between the three old friends. Nonetheless, it’s apparent that much has changed about their dynamic. Still, the three find themselves with a shared goal of finding Aiko to stop the brewing gang war. However, as they try to follow Aiko’s trail, they realize that they aren’t the only ones after the woman. The masked killer, known as the Demon of Shinjuku, has returned from his hiatus and is dropping bodies once again. As his latest victim is revealed to be Oishi, Aiko’s ex and the last man to have seen her, it becomes evident that the Demon has his sight set on the woman.
Like a Dragon Yakuza Ending, Explained: Did Kazuma Kill Sohei Dojima?
Due to the show’s dual timeline, mysteries of the past and the present persist simultaneously. For instance, the reason behind Kazuma’s imprisonment remains a constant source of intrigue even after people continue to brandish him as an “Oyagoroshi,” a.k.a, Father-killer. After Kazuma and Nishiki join the Dojima family, they accept Sohei as their new “father.” Therefore, considering the former’s constant idolization of the Dojima family, his potential involvement in Sohei’s death naturally necessitates an explanation.
In 1995, while Kazuma and his friends were living in Kamurochō, they all sustained big dreams. This meant a top spot in the crime family for the boys, a reunion with Aiko for Yumi, and a lucrative career for Miho. Miho, the youngest of the group and Nishiki’s biological sister had big aspirations of moving out of Japan, finding love, and starting a family. For the same reason, she dedicated herself to her work as a club hostess. She knew when to flash a smile, what conversations to cultivate, and how to offer pleasant company to her patrons. Nonetheless, given the nature of the profession, the same also translates to excessive drinking. Therefore, despite health scares and the concerns expressed by her friends, Miho continues pushing herself to the limit.
Inevitably, this results in Miho damaging her kidney beyond repair. The kidney transplant surgery that ensues requires a lot of time and money, neither of which the girl has. As such, Kazuma begs Sohei for an opportunity to return to the fighting matches to make extra money. The same well and truly begins his journey to becoming Dojima’s Dragon. Every fight he wins earns him new ink, contributing to the slowly building dragon on his back. Furthermore, they can use his winnings to help out with Miho’s hospital bills. Still, the girl remains on the shortlist for a kidney transplant, unable to procure a match.
Meanwhile, Sohei grows concerned with Kazuma’s rapid rise through the ranks. On the other hand, he’s also in need of extra cash to fund his dream project: the Millennium Tower. Thus, he comes up with a master plan. Sohei bribes Nishiki to foil Kazuma’s last match and offers to arrange a kidney transplant from the black market. Sohei knows people are likely to bet in Kazuma’s favor due to his track record. Consequently, by ensuring his loss and betting against him, the leader would be able to collect a hefty profit. Even though Nishiki is conflicted about the same, he goes through with the plan and attempts to drug his friend’s water during the game’s halftime.
Nonetheless, Yumi catches Nishiki in the act. As a result, he has no choice but to reveal the truth to Kazuma and beg him to throw the match and save Miho’s life. Kazuma may not be Miho’s biological brother, but he cares for the girl the same. Therefore, even in his battered state, he tries to let his opponent win. Yet, at the last moment, as he recalls Miho’s interest in his fighting techniques, he ends up delivering an uppercut to his opponent that knocks the other man out. Thus, a disgruntled Sohei pulls out of his end of the deal, leaving Miho to die. However, Nishiki discovers another jarring truth. As it turns out, Sohei had been lying about the black market arrangement from day one.
Worse yet, Sohei also convinced the doctors to lie about Nishiki not being a match for Miho. Therefore, he could’ve donated the kidney to his sister and saved her life all along. Nevertheless, now it’s too late for the procedure. As a result, Nishiki visits Sohei with the intention of killing him. Moments after he shoots the man, Kazuma arrives in his own vindictive fury, which dissipates once he takes in the scene. Nishiki has just killed the head of the Dojima Family in his own lair. The rest of the gang have heard the gunshot and are gunning for the killer’s demise. As such, Kazuma decides to take the fall for his friend and accepts the false title of Sohei Dojima’s killer.
Who is the Demon? Why Do They Kill?
Back to the present, the biggest mystery remains the Demon Masked Killer’s identity and the reason behind their calculated killing spree. Initially, it’s easy to imagine that Miho might have been the killer, given her stark absence from the present timeline. Nonetheless, the reveal of her disproves that theory. Still, the killer seems to retain a connection to Nishiki. Thus, once Kazuma and Yumi successfully track Aiko down, Yumi is apprehensive about sharing the information with the new Dojima leader. Yumi and Aiko have had a tumultuous relationship from the start. Still, the younger woman cares about her sister’s well-being. For the same reason, she’s desperate to find her and stops her from committing suicide at the lake.
Nonetheless, the decision is taken from Yumi’s hand as Nishiki calls her to let her know he has kidnapped Hakura and will only be returning her once the money has been returned. As it turns out, Nishiki has indeed changed significantly in the last decade. Likewise, he has also made his share fair of enemies. In fact, one of the crime families from the Tojo clan wants Nishiki out of the picture. As such, after convincing the Clan leader to kick the Dojima Family out of the Tojo Clan, the rival leader arrives at the Tower to finalize the process.
During this time, Nishiki reveals that the rival leader has actually fallen into his trap as he opens fire at his enemies. As the lights go out and the Demon makes an appearance, the killer’s identity becomes evident. Nishiki has been the Masked Killer all this time. Miho’s death broke something intrinsic inside the boy, especially after he found out that he could’ve easily saved her life by donating his own kidney. The vengeance he doles out immediately after her death by killing Sohei Dojima is of little comfort. Nonetheless, it’s the only way he can cope with his grief. Therefore, as Kazuma takes the blame for Nishki’s actions, the latter continues his killing spree and goes after several Yakuza gang members. At the scene of the crime, he leaves his mark behind in the shape of a pentagram carved on the bodies of his victims.
Nishiki actually wants to kill every Yakuza member as twisted revenge for Miho’s death. For the same reason, he has been going after the Tojo and the Ohmi Clan. Likewise, he’s now after Aiko to exploit Ohmi’s stolen fortune as a tool to further aggravate the two Clan’s relationship. He ends up achieving the same once the Ohmi and Tojo leaders waiting downstairs recognize the violence unfolding at the Tower. This incites a battle between the two Yakuza gangs, which is bound to result in their mutual destruction.
Why Does Nishiki Want Kazuma Dead? Does He Die?
Kazuma takes the lift upstairs to confront Nishiki as the Ohmi and the Tojo clan engage in battle outside the Tower. As a result, he realizes that his friend has been the deadly killer all along. Nishiki’s violent anger isn’t confined to other gangsters. He also holds a grudge against Kazuma for winning the fight that was supposed to save Miho’s life. Even though the revelation of Sohei’s deceit confirms that he had been playing Nishiki, the latter can’t forgive his friend for winning the fight despite knowing it would endanger his sister. Therefore, even after Kazuma saved him from prison and shouldered his sins, he continues to brew in his hate for him.
Thus, Nishiki has been planning to lure Kazuma into fake niceties before delivering him to his death all this time. As such, it becomes evident that Miho’s death cemented Nishiki’s own demise in some ways. Ever since his sister died, the man has been on a path of bloodthirst that has shed him of his identity and transformed him into a demon-like killer. Consequently, a showdown between him and Kazuma is inevitable. As the two fight, Nishiki is liberal with his blades, making Kazuma bleed at every opportunity. Still, Kazuma holds back his punches, unwilling to kill his childhood best friend.
In the end, Nishiki begins to realize his own folly as Kazuma accuses him of becoming selfish in the wake of Miho’s death. The truth is Nishiki is simply lost and unable to find his way outside of the violence and pain he can inflict on others. He’s desperate for an escape and unable to find one. Ultimately, the man lunges at Kazuma in an attack but ends up getting stabbed by his own blades. As he’s dying, Kazuma carries his wounded friend out of the Tower to allow him a glimpse at sunlight before Nishiki succumbs to his demise.
Who is the Old Dragon of Dojima?
While Nishiki and Kazuma’s fight was unfolding inside the Tower, Yumi managed to put a stop to the gang war between the Ohmi and Tojo Clans by returning the former’s stolen money. However, the night has also taken a toll on the woman. In the fight to ensure the money doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, Aiko dies, giving her life up to make up for her last mistake. Still, despite her grief, Yumi is there for Kazuma as he exits the Tower, bloodied and bruised. With Kazama’s help, she helps Kazuma and guides him back home. Yet, an unfortunate revelation awaits the other man.
In his dying moments, Nishiki had shared a secret with Kazuma. Although the four friends had been orphans from the start, they never knew how their parents died. As it turns out, all of their parents fell victim to the Dragon of Dojima. As Kazama extends a shoulder for Kazuma to lean on, revealing his slashed back, it allows the latter a glimpse at the older man’s back. Thus, he realizes Kazama sports a dragon tattoo on his back, which makes him Dojima’s previous dragon.
It was Kazama whom Kazuma had witnessed fighting in the ring all those years ago. This also explains why the older man was so persistently against the younger boy’s decision to train for the title. Kazama has firsthand experience of the horrors that one experiences as Dojima’s Dragons. One of these horrors includes the assassination of many, including Kazuma and Nishiki’s parents. As a result, Kazuma realizes that the orphanage master took them in and continues to feel responsible for them, likely due to his guilt. The reveal comes as a betrayal and a shock as it concludes Kazuma’s narrative for now.
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