The Yakuza (or Like a Dragon) franchise has gained massive popularity in the West in recent years, though funnily enough, very rarely have its instalments launched with full English dubs (and even when they do, a great many fans prefer to play it in Japanese). Even so, though longtime series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu has very rarely had an English voice, when he returns in the series’ upcoming instalments, he will be doing so with a new voice actor.
RGG Studio has revealed that YouTuber and voice actor Yong Yea will be the new English voice of Kiryu. He will be starring in Like Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, while Yea has also confirmed via his Twitter page that he will also play Kiryu in Like a Dragon 8. The latter was formally unveiled as Like Dragon: Infinite Wealth earlier this month, and is set to star Kiryu and Yakuza 7’s Ichiban Kasuga as dual protagonists.
Though Yea is widely known due to his YouTube channel, he has had a number of voice acting roles in recent years. His credits include games like Genshin Impact, Lost Judgmenet – The Kaito Files, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, and more.
We first heard Kiryu’s English dub in the original Yakuza game upon its Western release in 2006, with Darryl Kurylo voicing the character. Subsequent instalments in the franchise did not have English voiceovers, until 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which saw Kurylo reprising his role.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is set to launch for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on November 9. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will launch for the same platforms sometime in early 2024. More details on the two titles will be revealed at an RGG Summit event this Fall.