Yakuza 3 Remake Backlash Blows Up Again as Actor Guilty of Sexual Harassment Stars in New Trailer

A persistent initiative against the recasting of a character in Yakuza Kiwami 3 — a reimagining of the original PS3 title — has gained further traction today, as SEGA launched a new trailer highlighting the game’s Japanese voice actors.

Goh Hamazaki, a key antagonist in the game, was reallocated for this remake, with the initial revelation in September confirming that Japanese actor Teruyuki Kagawa would now portray him. Kagawa contributes both his appearance and voice to the character in Kiwami 3.

Nevertheless, this isn’t merely a reaction against change. Shortly after the announcement, fans circulated information about Kagawa’s history: in 2019, he faced allegations of sexually harassing two women. In 2022, Kagawa publicly acknowledged sexual misconduct towards one of those women via his agency.

Images from one of the incidents, featuring Kagawa forcefully grasping a woman by her hair, quickly began to spread across the internet.

Supporters started to rally around a ‘#REMOVEKAGAWA’ slogan on social media, with the backlash intensifying as SEGA seemingly continues to overlook the uproar.

And now, as mentioned, Kiwami 3’s most recent trailer prominently features the man himself. In fact, he is the first character to appear, just 13 seconds into the footage.

Unsurprisingly, the YouTube comments section is filled with the mentioned hashtag, alongside criticism directed at SEGA and developer RGG Studio for casting Kagawa to begin with.

Once more, the companies have not yet issued any statement on the situation. During a SEGA livestream two weeks ago, where English-speaking presenters showcased some Kiwami 3 gameplay, the live chat was overrun with ‘#REMOVEKAGAWA’ — but it went unacknowledged during the broadcast.

Many fans have argued that the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series has frequently portrayed scenes of sexual harassment — and thus, having Kagawa associated with the brand is in direct conflict with the messages the games explicitly denounce.

It will be intriguing to see whether SEGA or RGG Studio generate any kind of statement regarding this issue — particularly as the release date approaches, and the uproar may amplify.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is scheduled to debut on February 12, and you’d expect that it may be too late to heed the criticism and actually replace Kagawa. Still, it appears there are numerous individuals calling for action.