  |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, strong drug use, extremely traumatic themes, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
| “ | ...Well, I suppose I've been going on long enough. It's almost ironic, wouldn't you say? Masumi Arakawa leaves two sons behind... One who worships the ground he walks on. And the other who spits on his grave. One works to rehabilitate the yakuza. And the other, in all his hatred, sends them to their doom. We're mirror images, he and I. | „ |
| ~ Ebina comparing himself to Ichiban Kasuga before fighting Kiryu. |
Masataka Hikawa, also known as Masataka Ebina, is one of the two main antagonists (alongside Bryce Fairchild) and final boss of Sega's 2024 action-adventure RPG video game Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
He is the captain (later Acting Chairman) of the Seiryu Clan who is planning the "Second Great Dissolution", a seemingly innocent scheme in which he recruits every ex-yakuza into the Seiryu Clan and rehabilitates them into a normal life in society. In reality, he holds a severe hatred for the yakuza and is desperately plotting ways to eradicate all of their kind in an act of revenge against his father, who is revealed to be Masumi Arakawa.
He was voiced by Hiroki Hasegawa in Japanese and by Daniel Dae Kim in English (who also voiced Johnny Gat in the Saints Row franchise and Hiroshi Sato in the Legend of Korra series).
Appearance[]
Ebina is a tall, middle-aged man with an oval face, a light goatee and mustache, and black hair that parts on the right. He possesses a lean build with well-defined muscles.
Attire[]
Ebina wears a dark grey, pinstripe three-piece suit, with a Seiryu Clan pin on his left lapel. He also wears a black dress shirt with a purple tie, a black leather belt. black oxfords dress shoes, and a silver analogue watch.
Tattoo[]
Ebina's tattoo provides major symbolism. It depicts an Oni, a demonic yokai in Japanese mythology. An Oni is a bloodthirsty demon known for their superhuman strength and power. The oni was syncretized with Hindu-Buddhist creatures such as the man-devouring yaksha and the rakshasa, and became the oni who tormented sinners as wardens of Hell (Jigoku), administering sentences passed down by Hell's magistrate, King Yama (Enma Daiō). The hungry ghosts called gaki (餓鬼) have also been sometimes considered a type of oni (the Kanji for "ki" 鬼 is also read "oni").
A snake is also depicted on the tattoo, and snakes in Japanese mythology are often associated with intelligence, transformation, cunning-ability, but also rebirth and regeneration. With the snake breathing out fire, in can be inferred that it symbolizes eternal suffering, which fits Ebina as a bloodthristy man who seeks to kill and take revenge against the Yakuza by condemning and isolating the Yakuza on the Palekana Island, much like how Oni would torment sinners in Hell. The three pronged flame also resembles the Palekana's flame, which provides his connection to the Palekana.
Personality[]
In the beginning, Ebina was seen to be that of a polite and formal gentleman, always speaking in a calm and polite tone. As Kasuga points out, Ebina appeared to be a humble man, since he admits that he only became captain of the clan, mainly because he earned it, since the Great Dissolution and the death of the Seiryu clan's previous chairman, Ryuhei Hoshino has left the Seiryu clan short-handed. He also apologize for the trouble his security caused for Kasuga and his friends, admitting that the clan takes security measures very seriously, and does also admit that he merely wanted to test the "Heroes of Yokohama" in action. He also shows shades of nobility, since he was willing to follow Takabe's orders on accomplishing the Second Great Dissolution, which would mark the end of the yakuza and give all of them honest lives.
However as the story progressed, Ebina's nature began showing some sinister shades, as he been moving his operations to Hawaii to move waste that can't be dispose of, with his business partner, Palekana, which quickly rose Kiryu's and the others' suspicion, since Palekana is hunting down Akane (Kasuga's possible biological mother) and Lani (Palekana's true successor). Not only that, but he and Sawashiro also did an interview with Tatara channel, revealing that Kazuma Kiryu was alive and that they did indeed meet. This caused Seonhee to believe that both Ebina and Tatara are in cahoots with each other, using Tatara's influence to his advantage. To make matters worse, it was revealed that Ebina was one of Japan's best cops, before joining the Seiryu clan to takeover the clan.
Eventually, all of that was confirm true when Sawashiro reveals that Ebina is not only using the Second Great Dissolution as a ruse to gather the yakuza, but he also propose that Kasuga goes to Hawaii to seek out Akane, just so he could curry favor with Bryce. When it was revealed, Ebina's true nature begins to surface out as he stabbed Masafumi Narasaki, the Seiryu clan lieutenant, to death and tortures Sawashiro, to the point of losing his eye. He then reveals that he has disdain for the yakuza, name-calling them insults like "filth" or "trash"
It is later revealed why he has such extreme hatred towards the yakuza: It is revealed that Ebina is actually the son of the late Masumi Arakawa and the late Yuriko Hikawa, with Ebina's past being a hard life since his mother was always frail and the burden of raising Ebina took a toll on her, which was made worse when Hikawa's underlings abandoned the clan. Despite his mother's last request of not wanting her son to hate Masumi or the Hikawa underlings who abandoned her, his heart was full of hatred and rage towards the yakuza who made their lives a living hell. He first joined as a police officer to get his shot, but when the Great Dissolution occurred and following that, the death of Arakawa, his desire of vengeance only grew worse and he worked with both Bryce and Eiji to get his chance to destroy the yakuza, no matter what. After revealing this, more of his true nature begins to show that underneath that formal image of his, is a insane but yet clearly broken man driven by hatred towards the yakuza who ruined his and Yuriko's lives.
Despite this, Ebina clearly has signs that all for his hatred of yakuza, he knows that revenge will not satisfy him at all. After all, he joins them in order to infiltrate the Seiryu clan, even getting a tattoo. He's painfully aware of his hypocrisy and doesn't even want to deny them. After getting defeated by Kiryu, he doesn't understand why Kiryu won't finish him off, believing that no matter if they retire to an honest life, disband their clan for good, or apologize for their deeds, they'll always return to the life of a yakuza, something that Ebina believes he'll be capable of, stating that Kiryu should finish him off before he'll return, heavily implying that he wishes to die. It only takes Kiryu, who is crying with tears, apologizing and begging Ebina to give all yakuza (including Ebina himself) the chance to atone for their deeds to let go of his self-destructive vendetta against the yakuza.
Biography[]
Background[]
Ebina was born around January 1977 as Masataka Hikawa, the son of Yuriko Hikawa and Masumi Arakawa. Arakawa, unaware of his son's birth, left Yuriko to raise Ebina on her own. A frail single mother, Yuriko struggled to raise Ebina, and the former Hikawa Family members paid her no attention. Growing up, Ebina resented Arakawa for abandoning Yuriko, and Hikawa and the Hikawa Family for "[spouting] the nonsense that yakuza bonds were thicker than blood," while ignoring him and his mother. As a middle school student, Ebina's mother passed away, and her last words were telling him not to hate the Hikawa Family. Ebina did not understand why he shouldn't, and sought revenge. As an adult, he joined and later became an elite bureaucrat of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, wishing to eradicate the yakuza.
In 2019, Ebina caught news of the Great Dissolution and later Arakawa's death. He was devastated that the yakuza suddenly became civilians, theoretically being treated as one now, and the fact that he would never be able to kill Arakawa with his own hands. Believing he may never achieve vengeance against the yakuza, he began theorizing ways to exact his revenge. He came up with the idea of rallying up large groups of yakuza members at his disposal, and soon joined the Seiryu Clan, quickly being promoted to captain by Mamoru Takabe purely based off of his earnings. At some point, Ebina became acquainted with Bryce Fairchild. Around 2021, Takabe was arrested, leaving Ebina to become the acting chairman. Through Bryce, Ebina met Eiji Mitamura, someone sharing a similar hate towards the yakuza. Eiji managed to get Jo Sawashiro freed from prison, and with little convincing, Ebina got him to join the Seiryu Clan.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth[]
Ebina first appears when Ichiban, Adachi, and Nanba infiltrated the Seiryu Clan headquarters where he reveals himself as the acting chairman of the clan, as well as having been the captain of the clan, having joined the clan after the Great Dissolution. He later takes the three to a warehouse where he reveals that because of the Five Year Ex-Yakuza Clause, many former Yakuza members are unable to find work and lives on the streets, to which the chairman Takabe tried to provide a way to give them a honest living.
This plan is revealed in the warehouse, where Ebina explains that the clan has been using the warehouse to gather "trash" around the globe, such as evidence of a president's adultery or illicit money transfers and secretly stores them for safekeeping and will dispose them if a client requests it. He also reveals that Takabe intended to coordinate with all the remaining Yakuza organizations and dissolve them, in which would be the Second Great Dissolution and should it succeed, the Yakuza will truly become a thing of the past. He also proposes to work with Kasuga and the others in hopes of achieving Masumi's last dream of giving the Yakuza a normal life. Before they left, Ebina also introduces Sawashiro to Kasuga, Adachi, and Nanba, much to their shock and confusion.
However, throughout the game, Kiryu Kazama, alongside Adachi, Nanba, and Saeko, and Seonhee goes to meet with Ebina and Sawashiro, where it is later revealed that Ebina actually got the idea for a waste management business from Palekana, which also runs a similar business on Nele Island, although he claims he has no knowledge of Palekana hunting down Ichiban's mother Akane. However, he and Sawashiro corroborate with the VTuber Hisoka Tatara of Kiryu being, as well as claims of him reviving the Tojo Clan, revealing his status to the world. However, Sawashiro, who was going behind Ebina's back, reveals to Kiryu and his team of Ebina's plan, which involved in using Kasuga to draw out Akane as bait as a favor for his partner Bryce and he made a deal with him to store all of Japan's nuclear waste on Nele Island, which will allow the Japanese government to resume their nuclear industry, and the two amassing wealth. Later on in the series, Ebina announces on the Tatara's channel that he will disband the Seiryu Clan and that they will be reborn as the nonprofit organization Bleach Japan, as well as revealing his partnership with Palekana and his plan to pass their Yakuza rehabilitation program to the government. However, it is revealed that it was pre-recorded and it was used to draw in Kiryu and his team to the Tojo Clan headquarters, further exposing him as a result. Afterwards, he proceeds to murder Masafumi Narasaki and then burns down the Tojo Clan headquarters, destroying the sacred place that held the clan for many years, with Kiryu later on sadly learning of its destruction.
In the finale of the game, Ebina contacts Kiryu and Kasuga, revealing that the rehabilitation program has been approved by the government and that he is holding Sawashiro hostage in the iconic location of the franchise; the Millennium Tower. This leads to the group spitting up into two: while Kasuga and his team (Adachi, Joon-gi, Tomizawa, and Chitose) would confront Bryce at Nele's Island, Kiryu and his team (Nanba, Saeko, Zhao, and Seonhee) would head to the tower, rescue Sawashiro, and defeat Bryce and end his plan once and for all.
Following Bryce's defeat and Chitose's confession of being Tatara and how her VTube channel was being use by Eiji for selfish reasons, Kiryu and his group finally confronts Ebina, and finds a battered and barely alive Sawashiro. Ebina then reveals his past and his plan for vengeance; which is forcing the hundreds of former Yakuza members on Nele Island with the nuclear waste disposal there, slowly torturing them with radiation poisoning and then die as a result. Eventually, Kiryu and his team battles Ebina, and after a tough battle, Kiryu defeats Ebina. Ebina then demands Kiryu to kill him as he gives off a rant about the Yakuza and how he will only crawl back up like the rest of the other yakuza. However, Kiryu spares as he sympathizes with Ebina's anger, while tearfully begging Ebina to give the Yakuza, including himself, a chance to atone for their mistakes and even goes so far to apologize to Ebina, before going unconscious. Afterwards, Ebina is arrested for his crimes and after hearing Kiryu's words, decides to let go of his vengeful desires.
Fighting Style[]
Ebina is a highly capable opponent, being able to hold his ground against Kiryu and his whole party by himself. He proves to be rather impressive in terms of agility and acrobatics, while also being a remarkably skilled swordsman. His boss fight is split into two phases: one where he fights unarmed, and a second where he wields a katana.
Unarmed[]
Ebina's unarmed style centers around flashy, powerful kicks, involving flips and spinning similar to the Vietnamese martial art “Tricking”. His attacks include:
- Eternal Torment — a Rush Combo made up of a right downward tornado kick, a jumping left spinning heel kick, and an inverted version of Kan Ogita's handstanding roundhouse kick-cheat gainer. Each attack targets a different party member, though he may target someone with this attack more than once. It’s possible to cancel this attack with Kiryu’s guard counter.
- Pierce the Muladhara — a ducking right vertical lunge punch to the crotch before taking a knifehand back stance. This attack inflicts 'Sleep'.
- Wheel of Samsara — a jumping right double spinning heel kick. Hits party members 360° around himself.
- Guilty Conscience — Yoshitaka Mine's taunt, which cancels party member's stat buffs and has a chance to inflict 'Rage'.
Katana[]
Ebina picks up a katana midway through the fight, during the QTE animation sequence. His attacks include:
- Maelstrom of Hate — a Rush Combo made up of a side flip downward slash, an upward diagonal right-downward diagonal right slash, a butterfly flip into a crouching rightward slash, an upward diagonal left slash, and a flying sword thrust. Each attack targets a different party member, but may continue attacking someone more than once. This attack can be cancelled by Kiryu’s guard counter.
- Cripple the Manipura — an attack comprised of a lunging underarm sword thrust and an upward diagonal left slash across the solar plexus. This attack inflicts 'Paralyze'.
- Fall from Grace — an attack where his sword projects a barrage of shock waves 360° around himself, consisting of a downward diagonal left slash before switching to a reverse-grip hold, a 180° turning rightward slash, a upward diagonal left-180° turning leftward slash, a reverse-grip underarm thrust, and a 360° leftward slash.
- Vengeance Served — a hopping right punt kick, performed after knocking a party member down.
- Sanguine High — twirling his sword twice, regenerating 1000 health points and cancels his stat buffs and debuffs.
Like Eternal Torment, Maelstrom of Hate can target multiple party members.
Trivia[]
- Due to the fact that Kiryu's role in Infinite Wealth may be his final role in the Yakuza/Like A Dragon franchise as a whole, Ebina is ultimately the final opponent for The Dragon of Dojima.
- Ebina and Kosei Shishido are noted to be different parallels when it comes to the yakuza. Where Shishido wanted to ensure the survival of the yakuza, as that life was the only life he ever had, Ebina ultimately wants to destroy it, due to the yakuza being responsible for his personal tragedy.
- Three of Ebina's attacks are named after Chakra points and terms used in Hinduism and Tantric Buddhism:
- "Pierce the Muladhara" is a punch aimed towards the crotch. The Muladhara is a Chakra point located at the base of the spine.
- "Cripple the Manipura" is an under-armed sword thrust and an upward diagonal up-slash across the solar plexus. The Manipura Chakra point is located in the solar plexus.
- "Wheel of Samsara" is a jumping double spinning heel kick. Samsara is the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Hinduism.
External Links[]
- Masataka Ebina on the Yakuza/Like a Dragon Wiki
- Masataka Ebina on the SEGA Wiki
[]
 Villains
| ||
|
Tojo Clan Chairmen: Masaru Sera | Yukio Terada Dojima Family: Sohei Dojima |
Daisaku Kuze |
Hiroki Awano |
Keiji Shibusawa |
Lao Gui |
Yoneda Others Omi Alliance Chairmen: Tsubasa Kurosawa Go-ryu Clan: Ryuji Goda |
Hiroshi Hayashi |
Self Proclaimed Third Patriarch Others Daidoji Faction Other Criminal Organizations Jingweon Mafia: Daejin Kim |
Yeongmin Ji |
Joon-gi Han Police Bleach Japan Mr. Shakedowns Mutoh Realty
Amon Clan Other Spin-offs
| ||