Summary
This article contains heavy spoilers for Chapter 13 of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Proceed with caution.
TheLike a Dragonseries has dabbled quite a bit in showcasing the redemptive qualities of its antagonists, withInfinite Wealth’s Yamai being a compelling addition to the fray. Despite being set up as a villainous figure inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s earlier chapters, his turn toward ally is an interesting one, spurred on by the influence of bothIchiban and Kiryu. The gamble Ichiban takes toward trusting the gang leader is one that leaves those like Tomizawa fretful, though luckily for the team, his inclinations toward Yamai’s true character aren’t wrong; as someone who also carries a heavy weight, Ichiban can empathize, especially after the extent of Yamai’s backstory is revealed.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Yamai shares parallels with Seonhee, among other characters, due in part to his admiration for Tojo legend Kiryu. His adversarial nature is called into question when he’s made known of Kiryu’s sickness; despite having the ability to easily kill Kiryu, he instead opts for the honorable route, having his doctor tend to his wounds and allowing Ichiban and the team to get him back to Japan. As a former Tojo clan member with a complicated past himself, this respect is revealed to be multi-faceted, as he later confides in Ichiban that Kiryu’s strength to run head first toward his problems is what he finds so commendable.
Yamai’s Character Arc in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
From Villain to Ally
First impressions establish Yamai as a man willing to go the lengths to see his syndicate surpass Hawaii’s opposing gangs, though once the true nature behind the search for Akane is revealed, his intentions fall in line with her and Lani’s safety. Going so far as to offer them refuge when Palekana’s Hakus grow more fervent and hostile acrossLike a Dragon’s Hawaii, his efforts align with Ichiban’s own, effectively making them allies. When the team has finally reunited Lani with Akane, the question of how to get them to Japan is one without any solutions considering Palekana’s influence. That is, until Yamai offers his boat to take them and Ichiban’s team across the sea, making a deal with Japan’s coast guard.
After a tense showdown withInfinite Wealth’s Barracudas, Ichiban and the team are able to get to Japan safely, being met by Makoto Date on shore. It’s revealed that Yamai’s deal for safe passage was at the expense of himself, as he sees that Date arrest him for the murder of his old patriarch, a killing that has lingered long in his mind after his escape to Hawaii. Before this can happen, however, Yamai flees for one last thing to do; facing his former matriarch, the one who spurred him to murder, is when he can finally detail what happened in his past to Ichiban and the others.
Yamai’s Past
Yamai tellsIchiban and the teamabout his former matriarch, Yui Tabata, whose husband he killed at her request. An impressionable twenty-year-old, Yamai’s murder of his patriarch was done out of unrequited love, which Yui took advantage of and later framed as being his own idea. This was done so that the affair she had with the Tabata’s family captain could be continued without interference from her husband, taking no heed of the consequences it would bring to Yamai. These are the events that led to Yamai escaping to Hawaii, though the hauntings of his past would continue to chill him for years after. Finally back in Japan, he is able to face her, only to see that she’s been struck with Alzheimers, a shell of who she once was.
After confiding in Ichiban and the team, Yamai goes back to Date to face his responsibilities head on, turning himself in for his past crimes. The reveal of his backstory leaves a breadth of similarities between him and others throughoutLike a Dragon’s history; the mistakes of a young Yakuza like Saejima, the labeling of being a patriarch killer like Kiryu when he took the fall for Nishiki. Despite the complicated nature of his actions, the merits of Yamai in the respect that his syndicate holds for him and his turn toward atonement helps make him a compelling anti-hero that shows there’s more to him than what’s on surface level, providing nuance tothe ‘enemies to allies’ trope.
