Ichiban Kasuga (Japanese: 春日 一番 | Hepburn: Kasuga Ichiban, also nicknamed Ichi | Japanese: 一) is a character from Sega's media franchise Yakuza (also known as Like a Dragon). Ichiban is first introduced in the 2018 mobile game Ryu ga Gotoku ONLINE, a freemium collectible card game spin-off that is exclusively released in Japan. Ichiban is the lead character in the 2020 video game Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the first main series Yakuza title which does not feature recurring series lead Kazuma Kiryu as a playable character. Ichiban is voiced by Kazuhiro Nakaya in Japanese, and by Kaiji Tang in English. Within the series, Ichiban is originally a low-ranking member of the Arakawa Family, a subsidiary yakuza family of the Kanto-based Tojo Clan. He willingly goes to prison for a murder that he did not commit at the turn of the 21st century, having acquiesced to the request of his clan patriarch, Masumi Arakawa. Upon his release 18 years later, Ichiban discovers that Arakawa has apparently betrayed the rest of the Tojo Clan to the Omi Alliance, a rival yakuza organization based in Osaka, and finds himself stranded in the city of Yokohama after he is shot by Arakawa following an attempted confrontation. A destitute Ichiban starts a new life and forges new connections in an unfamiliar city, where he is eventually thrust into a conspiracy involving a money laundering scheme that involves Japan's political establishment.
Ichiban was designed by franchise developers Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio for Ryu ga Gotoku ONLINE, though a decision was later made by executive director and franchise creator Toshihiro Nagoshi and his team to position Ichiban as the lead character of future mainline entry games. Despite sharing certain traits in their backstories, both characters have little in common with each other in terms of personality, as Ichiban is written to be more emotive and outspoken in temperament.
The character has received a generally positive response from critics and players in the video game community, with the consensus that he is a suitable choice to succeed in Kiryu's role as the lead character in future games.
