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“ | Who did you say was inept? Who'd you say has less potential than Kiryu? Here's a gift you can bring to hell with you... The man who killed Dojima... It was me! And don't forget it. | „ |
~ Akira Nishikiyama to Matsushige after he stabs him. |
Akira Nishikiyama, also known by his nickname Nishiki and known as Akira Nishiki in the English dub for the first three games, is a major character in the Like a Dragon series.
He served as one of the two main antagonists (alongside Kyohei Jingu) as well as the final boss of Yakuza and it's remake Yakuza Kiwami, one of the two deuteragonists (alongside Makoto Makimura) of it's prequel Yakuza 0 (specifically serving as the deuteragonist of Kiryu's story arc and an minor character of Majima's story arc), and a posthumous character for the rest of the series. In the spin-off Like a Dragon: Ishin, Nishikiyama appears as an antagonist and takes on the role of the Japanese samurai Okada Izo.
He is the first patriarch of the Nishikiyama family and is the sworn brother of Kazuma Kiryu. Once a loyal and kind friend, he became a cold and ruthless man who wanted to prove his superiority over Kiryu. After being defeated, he realizes the error of his actions and sacrifices himself to kill Jingu. Despite his death, Nishiki is still heavily remembered by Kiryu, who still grieves for him.
He was voiced by Kazuhiro Nakaya. In the English dub for the first game on the PS2, he was voiced by Michael Rosenbaum who voices Lex Luthor in Smallville.
Biography[]
Past[]
Nishikiyama grew up in Sunflower Orphanage alongside Kazuma Kiryu and Yumi Sawamura. At the age of seventeen, Nishikiyama and Kiryu decided that they would become yakuza and joined the Dojima Family, after their foster father Shintaro Kazama beats them up out of disapproval of their actions, despite being yakuza himself.
Yakuza 0[]
Set in 1988, Yakuza 0 explores Kiryu and Nishikiyama's friendship before everything changes in Yakuza. Nishikiyama was involved in the Empty Lot incident. One time, Nishiki drives Kiryu to an empty spot in the woods. He offers his sworn ally his last smoke and attempts to kill him because he doesn't wish Kiryu to die a horrible death, but couldn't bring himself to shoot him and lets Kiryu go. He assists Kazuma Kiryu and prevents him from beating Keiji Shibusawa to death, telling him that it's not worth it, and if he were to eventually "cross that line", they would do it together. Ironically, this is not the case later on.
Yakuza[]
Seven years after the events of Yakuza 0, Nishikiyama and Kiryu are continuously rising up the Dojima ranks, with Kiryu's ascension being much more rapid due to his actions in Yakuza 0, gaining him the name "the Dragon of Dojima". Nishikiyama casually admits his jealousy towards Kiryu, but this jealousy would be a factor that turns Nishikiyama into a different man. On a stormy night, Sohei Dojima, patriarch of the Dojima family, kidnaps Yumi and tries to rape her. Nishikiyama follows them and ends up murdering Dojima. Kiryu arrives onto the scene and willingly takes the blame, and serves ten years in prison. While Kiryu is in prison, Nishikiyama goes through a tragic series of events, one being the death of his sister Yuko Nishikiyama. After Kiryu is released from prison, he learns that Nishikiyama is no longer the man he once knew. Kiryu sees this for himself as Nishikiyama calls him over to a bar that they used to hang out in. Nishikiyama offers Kiryu a chance to join him and work alongside him in exchange for a girl named Haruka Sawamura, which Kiryu has been taking care of. Kiryu refuses, and Nishikiyama ends their brotherhood there. For the rest of the game, the Nishikiyama family continues to antagonize Kiryu. Nishikiyama himself is not seen again until the end of the game, where Kiryu and Nishikiyama engage in their final battle. In the end, Kiryu is victorious, but was nearly killed by Kyohei Jingu. At last, Nishiki decides to be the man that Kiryu once knew by stabbing Jingu, before both he and Jingu died.
Legacy[]
Even after Nishikiyama's death, the Nishikiyama family continued to cause problems for Kiryu, with each new patriarch being more horrible than the first, with the second patriarch Koji Shindo going as far as to stage a coup. The family would finally disband in 2009 when Tsuyoshi Kanda, the third patriarch, died at the hands of Yoshitake Mine.
In Yakuza 6, Kiryu can capture images of Nishiki's bloody ghost in places like Serena.
Personality[]
Before Yakuza, Nishikiyama was a model modern yakuza, and he often made fun of Kiryu for being old-fashioned and not getting in with the times. Despite this, Nishikiyama was very loyal to Kiryu, as seen when he takes on Goro Majima in order to protect Kiryu. Nishikiyama was also very popular with the ladies, which he only did in order to gain the respect of higher-ups. After Nishikiyama's transformation, he becomes a cold, ruthless person. He has no problem with killing off any disobedient family members. He is also very manipulative, as he uses a woman's love for him to his advantage in order to give away Kiryu and Haruka's position, then later sends goons to kill her. He hates being called useless or being compared to Kiryu, which is what sparked his transformation in the first place.
Quotes[]
Yakuza 0[]
“ | What does killing this guy get you? A lot of nothing! Someday, if the time ever comes where you have to cross that line… I’m crossing it with you! | „ |
~ Nishiki urges Kiryu not to kill Shibusawa. |
Yakuza/Yakuza Kiwami[]
“ | What, you think you’re better than me? Bring that shit Kazuma! Ten years in the joint made you a fuckin’ pussy! | „ |
~ Nishiki taunts Kiryu during the final battle of the original game (English Dub) |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Nishikiyama shares the same voice actor as the series' newest protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga.
- Nishikiyama's theme in the original Yakuza is remixed for each boss encounter with him throughout the rest of the games.
External links[]
- Akira Nishikiyama on the Heroes Wiki.
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Villains | ||
Tojo Clan Omi Alliance Daidoji Faction Other Criminal Organizations Police Bleach Japan Mr. Shakedowns Mutoh Realty Order of Munan Chohept Onast Amon Clan Other Spin-offs See Also |