Like a Dragon: Ishin lore - Who is Sakamoto Ryoma, and what is his role in the story?

In February 2023, a classic Yakuza spin-off game, is coming West, with Like a Dragon: Ishin. Set in the late 1860s at the end of the Tokugawa regime, it brings together many of the most popular Yakuza characters back into one place for an epic story.

A historic set-piece, it will still feature all the ridiculous side stories, fun mini-games, and violence that fans expect.

But who is the main protagonist, Sakamoto Ryoma? What role does he play in this grand story? He is played by Kiryu Kazuma and voiced by Takaya Kuroda, but what more is there to know?

Warning: This article contains mild spoilers for the story of Like a Dragon: Ishin

---

Who is Sakamoto Ryoma in Like a Dragon: Ishin?

In Like a Dragon: Ishin, many of the popular Yakuza characters take on the role of important historic characters. Naturally, Kazuma Kiryu portrays perhaps the most famous samurai in human history. In the game, Sakamoto looks just like Kiryu, except, of course the samurai topknot.

He even still has the little stubble goatee that Kiryu is famous for. Sakamoto Ryoma starts off as the lowest class of samurai (goshi), but his swordsmanship is second to none in Tosa, his hometown. Ryoma was going to help reform the government in Tosa. This is when tragedy strikes and changes the course of history for the protagonist.

Thanks to a fight with the Joshi - one of the highest class of samurai - he wound up in prison, beaten and tied up. His foster father and mentor, Yoshida Toyo, broke him out of jail, informing the guard that he would be the one to slay Ryoma when it was time to deliver judgment.

However, ultimately, Sakamoto Ryoma takes the fall for his mentor’s death and must find the real killer to prove his innocence. In order to do this, he takes on the name of “Saito Hajime”, and joins the Shinsengumi. The Shinsengumi, a special police force, houses the only users of the Tennen-Rishin style in Kyoto, the style used to slay his mentor.

With this in mind, Ryoma joins the historic police force in Like a Dragon: Ishin, determined to find the man who killed his father and bring them to justice.

---

Sakamoto Ryoma, from historical terms compared to Like a Dragon: Ishin

Ryoma’s story is significantly different compared to the historical figure he portrays. He was still a low-ranking samurai from Tosa, but he fought the government as “Saitani Umetaro” during the Bakumatsu. He fought for democracy, the abolition of the feudal system, and a “moderate modernization and industrialization of Japan.”

More than just a skilled samurai, he was key in the alliance between Satsuma and Choshu - the Satcho Alliance. As a neutral third party, he was able to bring the two parties together, who formerly had irreconcilable differences.

This ultimately created a powerful military force to rival the Tokugawa Shogunate. He is also known as the “father of the Japanese navy.” He worked under Katsu Kaishu to create a more modern naval force, thanks to Western aid.

Though he was a key figure in the Meiji Restoration, he would be assassinated before it could take place. He was killed in December 1867, alongside his companion, Nakaoka Shintaro. In Like a Dragon: Ishin, Sakamoto Ryoma does take on a new name, that of Saito Hajime.

Throughout Ryoma’s real life, he was constantly at odds with the Shinsengumi, and never joined their ranks. Saito Hajime was a real man, and this large portion of Like a Dragon: Ishin, while exciting and dramatic, is pure fiction.

Sakamoto Ryoma would live to see the resignation of Tokugawa Yoshinobu in 1867, but was assassinated shortly after at the age of 31. Known as the Omiya Incident, the Shinsengumi would be blamed. Their leader, Kondo Isami, would be executed as a result, but the Mimawarigumi were actually behind the murder.

In both historical texts and Like a Dragon: Ishin, he was a hero and a visionary. The historical man dreamed of a Japan where all men were created equal, similar to the American ideal. This made him an excellent choice of character for Kazuma Kiryu to portray in Like a Dragon: Ishin.

Kazuma Kiryu is often seen as a man of valor and great ideals, fighting for the weak and standing up for what he views as right. As one of the most respected and idolized men in Japanese history, it was a perfect fit to see Kazuma Kiryu take on this role.

In the upcoming remake of the classic Yakuza spin-off, Kazuma Kiryu will go into battle once again, taking on the role of Sakamoto Ryoma.