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[lone_horse]

User Name/Nick: Danii
User DW: Yarnzipangirl
E-mail: Gamenotifications@gmail.com
Other Characters: Jonathan Sims, Warren Kepler

Character Name: Kazuma Kiryu (this is the western order, he mostly goes by Kiryu)
Series: Ryu Ga Gotoku / Yakuza
Age: 48
From When?: End of Yakuza 6, after his faked "death"

Inmate/Warden: Kiryu would be coming as a warden. He’s lived a long and varied life, including two different stints in prison himself, one of which was entirely undeserved (honestly, both of them are but he actually did the thing for his 3 year stint). He grew up in and lived in a very cutthroat, dangerous criminal world and forged his way with the help of friends and his own strength and sacrifice. He knows very well what it is to try to do the right thing with all the wrong options and he’s a patient, thoughtful and even poetic soul with a fist like a Mack truck: well suited to the barge. He has a lot of perspective on just how hard it is to try to do the right thing, just how cruel and evil the world can be, and just how many times you have to do something to try and keep the things you’ve worked for when it seems like everyone and everything is always working to tear it away from you. Also? He is a dad who’s used to working with people who’ve had rough childhoods, as he ran an orphanage back in Okinawa.
Item: Kiryu will be bringing his smart phone, and much like in his game, his information will be part of his interface. He’ll get most of his information via text message and the Troublr app on his phone. He will more than likely make mistakes with it because this old man has a little trouble with technology at times.

Abilities/Powers: So Kiryu’s ‘powers’ are a slightly complicated subject, because the world definitely has a certain amount of magnified or extreme reality to it. The world of RGG is one which has people who get up from Mortal Kombat-esque finishers without medical assistance regularly. The human frailty slider is turned WAY down low in this universe; really the only thing that does anything like real damage to people in the games are guns and even then... only in cut scenes. On a meta level, reality is deeply influenced by will and force of personality and narrative circumstances; in one case, Kiryu's bullet wound maintains for a whole 'level' and in another case, he literally ripped off his shirt to show a spotless shoulder after being shot like five minutes ago.

This is also a world that has shown ghosts, yokai, magical objects, and unreasonably accurate psychics... and what is clearly mystical martial arts, which Kiryu is a practitioner of. He can utilize a variety of techniques and the capability to channel his will/soul/"heat" to protect himself from blows and projectiles, allow him superhuman feats of strength and speed, heal himself if necessary, summon a dragon made of energy to bolster his blow, and perform some fantastic martial acrobatics. Some specifics can be found here to give you an idea of them, though those listed are only from Yakuza 0.

Even aside from that, Kiryu is a beast, physically. Martially. As in, he has single handed, both in small groups and literally en masse, fought whole armies by himself. This is not an exaggeration. In fact, sometimes he’s done this in a row. At 30 and 40+. He is legendary among the yakuza of his world for pretty much being an unbeatable curbstomping force who can always get back up and kick your ass and as far as the series canon is concerned, this is absolutely true. Including against two tigers, a bear, and a shark. Hand to hand, weapons, etc. he’s studied them with a number of masters and he has a disgusting amount of personal experience given a guy who really just wants to live a simple life on a beach and raise some kids. He has an unreal pain tolerance (has numerous times fought ridiculous battles while gunshot or otherwise damaged), and can take an outrageous amount of damage and keep fighting. He’s a brutal and practical fighter who tends to use whatever’s around him to do damage, and for being a fucking *tank*, he’s fast and more acrobatic than you’d think with those snake skin shoes. And tank is no joke; he's taken a metal pipe to the face at full force multiple times, then been shot multiple times, and *still* won and despite what I said above, there is no one in the games who can match that or who doesn't stare in something between awe and horror and wonder how he does it. The reason why I went into this is because as far as he's concerned, he's a 'normal man' but like... the evidence does not bear up, even to other people in his own world. He's *essentially* a superhero. He just chooses to wear a grey suit and red shirt instead of a cape.

According to canon, he is the reincarnation/alternate universe version of two historical figures: Sakamoto Ryoma and Miyamoto Musashi. He’s also been a successful real estate manager, an award-winning cabaret club owner, an ace at street racing, a licensed cab driver, a city mascot/internet meme, a champion pocket circuit racer, and both babies and cats love him to a nigh supernatural degree. ^_^

Personality:
Kiryu Kazuma is both exactly what he looks like and not at all. He oozes hard-boiled cool, and he's definitely the kind of guy who tends to digest his feelings leaning over a railing on a rooftop with a cigarette as he strikes a dramatic silhouette against the flashy lights of the downtown strip. He is also, however, the kind of guy who lives to race pocket sized cars on a little play track. Who pecks his messages out awkwardly in a chat room to tell a cute girl that she's very nice and that he's having a good time talking to her. Who has no qualms stopping in public to make goo goo noises to a baby and play with them to make them smile and laugh again when they get fussy. In fact, despite the perpetual resting scowl face, it's very telling that people on the street have absolutely no problem asking Kiryu Kazuma to dress up in a mascot outfit and entertain children or finish up the voice acting for their dating sim.

Because behind that very intimidating exterior is the heart of a poet and an honor-bound warrior who most of all wants to take care of the vulnerable and use what strength he has to protect them. His favorite thing to do is work with children, and he's genuinely good with them; being with kids is pretty much the only way we've ever seen his face relax or gotten a true smile out of him. He cares about how kids are raised and making sure that they grow up with people who want them and love them and support them. Kiryu grew up in an orphanage and while he has a complicated emotional relationship with the man who raised him (which is fair given the man also killed his birth parents and he found this out on said man's deathbed), he knows how harsh the world can be and he wants more than anything to show that care to the ones most in need of it.

He's intensely aware of the kind of social and societal stigmas people can face due to where they come from, the choices they've been forced to make, and the mistakes they've made in the past... or even just who they are and what they've had to live through. He is always willing to lend an ear (or a fist) in their defense and care. This includes sex workers, queer folks, and former yakuza like himself who are trying to make an above-board life for themselves. It would be wrong to say that Kiryu doesn't judge people. Kiryu’s judges, because he needs to to take action, but his code is anything but discriminatory.

Kiryu definitely is the sort of person who takes in a lot more than they admit or acknowledge. He's very likely to say absolutely nothing about a situation that he's seemingly missed the nuances on or hasn't understood before quietly asking a question a few moments later that cuts right to the heart of the issue. Part of this is about respect for him, for people's choices and for their dignity, but another part is because quite frankly, it serves his purposes. Like his fighting, he's a practical man and he doesn't give away benefits or information freely. He has no issue letting people think they've fooled him or that he hasn't noticed something if it serves his purposes or he feels it's better for their happiness. He listens a lot, takes a great deal of care with his words most of the time. Sometimes this can make him seem quiet or passive, but really, he's anything but.

The best way to describe his general modus operandai is that he's exceptionally genuine and even in his later years, willing to believe in people's potential and their best selves, supporting them in their dreams and helping them to achieve them even at deep inconvenience (and sometimes a lot of pain) to himself. Because when it comes down to it, if he can let his actions speak for themselves, he absolutely will. He's very much a calming presence, moving and acting and speaking with deliberation, usually asking for clarification before moving forward, at least when he hasn't had one of his emotional buttons pushed.

He takes some time to get to know, as much because his facial expressions tend to be on the microscopic side and said quiet consideration. He's not an easy man to pin down and depending on your approach, he can either be as easy as pie or the most difficult son of a bitch on the planet. Once you're someone Kiryu calls friend? Iron clad trust. There's been at least one case where everything pointed towards one of his trusted allies having betrayed him and his immediate response was 'nope, lemme go talk to him'. Not even an ounce of doubt. Usually he's right about that but, well... when he's wrong, he's *dead* wrong. He's definitely not the most intelligent guy in the world; a little gullible, reacts with his heart more than his head, definitely not book smart. He's a quick learner and willing to put in the effort for things, but an intellectual he is not. Technology especially is something he has issues with.

But I mean, none of this is surprising for a protagonist type, a hero type. That gets exceptionally more difficult, however, when your main ecosystem and the only world you know and the only environment you really feel comfortable taking real action in is the criminal underworld, usually using violence. And despite having been burned by it before, Kiryu maintains his principles and his priorities even in these kinds of settings and situations, sometimes especially though. Not that this always goes well; he's got a pretty good sense motive but he's exceptionally bad at figuring out how terrible people scheme because it's just not how he's built.

Instead, he tends to rely on his friends. For friends, he has no trouble opening up, admitting his feelings and his fears, and asking for help. He fully acknowledges things he’s not good at and has no problem asking for help or advice in most situations (because making decisions for other people and being in charge? his least favorite thing). Kiryu's accomplished a lot through trusting the right people and in general, he tends to trust the right people. He also tends to take people at face value. For him, that is very much a choice, a show of respect; he tries to engage with people in the way that they present themselves. He can and will delve a little deeper if he feels that his time or efforts have been disrespected, but largely he won't. And yes, it's caused problems for him before.

On the flip side, he has no qualms turning to and using violence. He doesn't like to, would prefer he didn't have to, but his world is dark and full of jerkwads and you bet he'll do something about it when it's staring him in the face. None of his principles have any issues with beating the living snot out of someone that's being a fucking asshole, even if he knows he's stronger than them. In fact, that's 1. always the case in his world and 2. why he'll choose violence in the first place. The important thing is that they're being a fucking asshole and he's going to stop that shit. He’s fully aware of his capabilities and will take on challenges that sound absolutely insane with absolute confidence. See Exhibit A. He won't punch 'down' in the grand scheme of things (as I mentioned above), but taking down some socially/financially/emotionally powerful asshole with his fists is 100% his jam. He's also fighty enough that he often uses a bout as a way of getting to know someone. He doesn't like to fight without a reason, but those reasons aren't always negative.

What cynicism that Kiryu has is in knowing the kind of warping force that money and power can be, that small people will use every avenue they have to be small, and that everything he does, even the best of actions, have consequences. He's not at all blind to the harsh reality of the world; as I said, he knows that the man he called father assassinated his parents. He knows that a haphazard mistake he made as a teenager ended up killing a man and the domino effect of that death nearly led to the destruction of his city. He's knocked people around, kicked people's teeth in, been used as a pawn by his superiors and had his best friend utterly betray him for the crime of *checks smudgy arm writing* taking the fall for him and spending ten years in prison also... existing? What I'm saying is that the years have definitely taken their toll. He saw his daughter lose her career as a singer and become ostracized for the very act of acknowledging him and loving him. People *can* be terrible. But he knows just as well that good friends can be trusted, people can be kind, and that there's always a high road, even if it's not easy. Like, an example? When he befriends a group of yakuza who are keeping a piece of information from him, he keeps defending and protecting them, because it's clear they're decent people. And they ask him why. And he says because the more he helps them, the more likely it will be that they'll tell him what he needs to know. One of them points out that, at this point, it's clear he could wipe the floor with them, all of them, beat the information out of them toot sweet. Kiryu's response? "I never thought of that." And he walks out. That's the kind of guy he is.

His main faults center around his need to get involved in things and a complete lack of concern or understanding of his value and his status, especially to other people, which tie together into a neat bundle of throwing himself into danger and letting himself get wrecked and not realize just how much of an impact it's going to have on the people who care about him. He once brought a man into his home who'd literally just up and stabbed him in the street due to a grudge and his daughter (rightfully) had a conniption fit at him about it because she wanted nothing to do with him and was pretty content to let him rot on the beach (and his daughter is very much as kind as he is, she's just a lot more savvy in many ways and somewhat less forgiving). He immediately dives into a situation if he feels that things are unfair or wrong, sometimes without a full understanding of the whole picture or the potential consequences. As he says in Y4: "It took me forty years to realize this. But for guys like us... our lives aren't really our own. There's always someone new to help. Someone we need to protect." Because that all might be true, but he struggles with it, because he knows it has a cost. One he's paid quite a few times.

The fact that he's a fricking legend and doesn't acknowledge that has caused it's share of issues too, because he doesn't really want the responsibility involved with it; when the Dragon of Dojima rolls into town, it raises alarms. People pull him into plots because they want his clout or his blessing or his approval. He might think of himself as a civilian, very firmly, in many senses... but no one else does most of the time. This plays out even in the Tojo Clan that he, by and large, supports as his position vs the position of the acting chairman (usually Daigo, his surrogate son in a lot of ways who he essentially gave the job to) can make things awkward for Daigo and undermine him both to others and, occasionally to himself. Daigo's mentioned more than once that Kiryu's actions can complicate his job and make him doubt himself.

The lack of concern for himself is just, unfortunately, kind of a part of him at this point. Between a best friend who constantly felt the need to tear him down to feel like his equal and one rather extensive experience of being used as a fall guy by the organization he worked for, that mental equation of I'm only as good as I'm useful to other people was written all over him. When he took the fall for said best friend and spent 10 years in jail for a murder he didn't commit and got expelled from his crime family for it and Literally No One He Knew came to visit him in all that time... I figure that's about when the feeling cemented. A veritable lifetime of being the linchpin for the Tojo Clan / Kamurocho and the solution they fall back on when everything is at it's most dire has done it's work on him, as has the few times he's done what he deems as 'selfish' and seemingly had it blow up in his face one way or another. His eyes are always on the greater good, the community, and the legacy he'll leave behind for others. To the point where sometimes he makes stupid and even harmful decisions either for it or while pointedly trying to resist it. It's definitely something that he struggles with, knowingly.

His other struggle has to do with straddling the world of the yakuza with civilian life. With wanting to be a civilian and yet tending to live and believe in the ways of the yakuza, using violence to solve problems when he has to (not his favorite method, but again, good at it) and believing in many of the more traditional aspects of the system. He gets deeply offended when a Tojo patriarch he fights has no tattoo on his back, noting that if a family doesn't follow the values that a man wears on his back, they are nothing and very much doomed. He's the first to point out when a yakuza does something that violates the rules, such as harming civilians and you bet he'll get into it with his fists.

TLDR Fighty himbo middle aged dad just wants the underworld to stay saved for 5 minutes so he can retire, goddammit.

Barge Reactions: ‘Nani?’ Okay, all jokes aside, Kiryu has dealt with and experienced a RIDICULOUS amount of weird shit. And his answer to it is always to take it in, accept it to a certain degree, and then categorize it with his own life experience. He tends to take things at face value and at least respect people's beliefs even if he doesn't necessarily share them. Though he can be a little naive at times. (This is a man who legit thought there was going to be a zombie invasion of Kamurocho because his friend decided to make his gang members dress up in make up and lurch around) so yeah, a little gullible, though not really bitter when he finds out he was duped. He tends to approach new and interesting things with enthusiasm and curiosity, as well as a willingness to learn. He tries to appreciate anything new or interesting someone shows him and is courteous and patient with quirks or odd tastes or bizarre behavior right up until someone’s an asshole and even then he tries to steer things off course. While he has more than enough fist to go around, he’s actually a very peaceful dude: if he CAN deescalate, he’s going to try to right up until someone makes it clear there’s no changing the outcome. A very ‘I won’t start the fight but I’ll end it’ kind of man. He doesn’t take well to seeing injustice or shitty behavior around him but he tries to solve it the most peaceful way possible. He won’t like some of how the Admiral works, but he'll accept that the world isn't fair and that it doesn't make a lot of sense to try to rehabilitate people in 'heaven' where everything is fair and good. People who abuse those systems, though, he has very little tolerance for.

Deal: Kiryu wanted to prevent the death of a man named Osamu Kashiwagi, believing his death started a downward spiral for the Tojo clan. Upon discovering he’s alive (which is going to fuck him up a little), he’ll switch to asking for Rikiya Shimabukuro who died to save him.

History: Kazuma Kiryu @ Yakuza Wiki

Sample Journal Entry:

I got to see him walk.

It was just a few steps, but I got to see it. All of them, watching and waiting, her arms spread open wide, his eyes so wide watching his son.

I know he'll have more steps. I know he'll reach her arms. And I know I won't see it. I know I can't see it, not if their lives to be peaceful. Not if they're to be safe.

And even knowing that, I have to be here. The ache in my chest, the emptiness in every room tells me this: I have to be here, a different world, a different universe. Because only that distance will keep me from running back. And I can't. I won't.

For Haruka.

For Haruto.

For Yuta.

For Taichi and Eri and Koji and Ayako and Mitsuo and Riona and Shiro and Izumi. Even for Mame.

Everyone has things they treasure. Things they need to protect. I've been promised something impossible for my work here, something as impossible as this place. But the one thing for certain is that if I'm here, I can't be there. And that is worth whatever this place asks of me.

Sample RP: Kiryu @ TDM

Special Notes: I offer this in tribute. If you want a grin.

More seriously, I do realize that I'm apping someone after just reclaiming someone else. But the fact is that having him on the TDM helped me get back into the saddle a bit and rolling; I've actually already gotten Jon's AC for the month done and Kepler's off by maybe a couple of comments. If you'd prefer I wait for another month, I totally get that, however.

Comments

Warden Post (for Reference)

[lone_horse]

Character Name: Kiryu Kazuma (given name Kazuma)
Character Journal: lone_horse
Status: Warden
Pairing Information: Kiryu Kazuma is both exactly what he looks like and not at all. He oozes hard-boiled cool, and he's definitely the kind of guy who tends to digest his feelings leaning over a railing on a rooftop with a cigarette as he strikes a dramatic silhouette against the flashy lights of the downtown strip. He is also, however, the kind of guy who lives to race pocket sized cars on a little play track. Who pecks his messages out awkwardly in a chat room to tell a cute girl that she's very nice and that he's having a good time talking to her. Who has no qualms stopping in public to make goo goo noises to a baby and play with them to make them smile and laugh again when they get fussy. In fact, despite the perpetual resting scowl face, it's very telling that people on the street have absolutely no problem asking Kiryu Kazuma to dress up in a mascot outfit and entertain children or finish up the voice acting for their dating sim.

He’s lived a long and varied life, including two different stints in prison himself, one of which was entirely undeserved (honestly, both of them are but he actually did the thing for his 3 year stint). He grew up in and lived in a very cutthroat, dangerous criminal world and forged his way with the help of friends and his own strength and sacrifice. He knows very well what it is to try to do the right thing with all the wrong options and he’s a patient, thoughtful and even poetic soul with a fist like a Mack truck. He has a lot of perspective on just how hard it is to try to do the right thing, just how cruel and evil the world can be, and just how many times you have to do something to try and keep the things you’ve worked for when it seems like everyone and everything is always working to tear it away from you.

He's intensely aware of the kind of social and societal stigmas people can face due to where they come from, the choices they've been forced to make, and the mistakes they've made in the past... or even just who they are and what they've had to live through. It would be wrong to say that Kiryu doesn't judge people. Kiryu’s judges, because he needs to to take action, but he's anything but discriminatory.

The best way to describe his general modus operandai is that he's exceptionally genuine and willing to believe in people's potential and their best selves, supporting them in their dreams and helping them to achieve them even at deep inconvenience (and sometimes a lot of pain) to himself. He also tends to take people at face value. For him, that is very much a choice, a show of respect; he tries to engage with people in the way that they present themselves. That doesn't mean he lacks a sense motive score, however; despite some appearances, he's actually pretty good at spotting someone's intentions even if he'll try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Kiryu's definitely a fighty sort of gentleman; despite being gentle and never wishing to fight without good reason, he is very very good at it and to some degree gets to know people through his fists by his own description. If you've got an inmate who needs to have someone they can spar with, he's definitely your dude.

He's very good at boiling down problems to their base issues and tends to see to the heart of matters with compassion, understanding, and most of all, a willingness to listen over all else. Over his life, he's learned just how much people just sometimes need to be listened to, to know their voice is heard, to have someone willing to act as a sounding board. He's not a silent observer, though, and has a pretty good understanding of when something needs to be said and when it won't help, no matter how true or right he might be.

He's not much of an intellectual, so someone on that level might give him some difficulty, but neither is he stupid. He's intensely practical, and understanding of practical concerns, even if he tends to think a little more loftily when it comes to his own actions. He's dealt with a lot of odd people who have a lot of odd problems, so he's not going to be thrown too hard by most of what an inmate might throw at him, but he's not the sort to assume his experience makes him an expert in what someone's dealt with. He's always willing to reevaluate someone and accept their growth, help them towards it, and provide them the trust they might need to reach that state even if it means (quite literally) a knife in the stomach.

In short, he's a pretty good all arounder who's going to have a bit more understanding for people raised with a criminal background and/or people raised in the system (given his own upbringing as an orphan).