An ongoing campaign against the recasting of a character in Yakuza Kiwami 3 — a remake of the original PS3 game — has gained some additional momentum today, as SEGA’s released a new trailer that focuses on the title’s Japanese voice talent.
Goh Hamazaki, one of the game’s main antagonists, was recast for this remake, with September’s initial reveal confirming that he would now be played by Japanese actor Teruyuki Kagawa. Kagawa lends both his likeness and his voice to the character in Kiwami 3.
However, this isn’t just some kind of backlash against change. Shortly after said reveal, fans spread word of Kagawa’s past: in 2019, he was accused of sexually harassing two women. In 2022, Kagawa officially admitted to sexual misconduct against one of those women through his agency.
Photographs from one of the incidents, in which Kagawa can be seen forcibly grabbing a woman by her hair, immediately started circulating online.
Fans began rallying around a ‘#REMOVEKAGAWA’ slogan on social media and the like, with the backlash only growing as SEGA, seemingly, continues to ignore the outcry.
And now, as noted, Kiwami 3’s latest trailer stars the man himself. In fact, he’s the very first character you see, just 13 seconds into the video.
Needless to say, the YouTube comments section is absolutely packed with the aforementioned hashtag, along with criticism aimed directly at SEGA and developer RGG Studio for casting Kagawa in the first place.
Again, the companies have yet to comment on any of this. During an official SEGA livestream two weeks ago, in which English-speaking presenters showcased some Kiwami 3 gameplay, the live chat was swamped with ‘#REMOVEKAGAWA’ — but it was never acknowledged on the broadcast.
Many fans have argued that the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series has often depicted scenes of sexual harassment — and so having Kagawa be a part of the property simply goes against what the games so obviously condemn.
It’ll be interesting to see if SEGA or RGG Studio produce any kind of statement on the matter — especially as the title’s release date draws closer, and the noise potentially gets louder.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is set to launch on the 12th February, and so you’d think that it’s probably too late to take the criticism to heart and actually replace Kagawa. Still, there seem to be plenty of people demanding action.
