Fans of the Yakuza series are calling for a boycott of the recently announced Yakuza Kiwami 3 after it was revealed that one of the actors has been accused of sexual harassment. In 2016, Japan’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio began releasing remakes of the original Yakuza games, giving them the name Yakuza Kiwami. The second entry in the series received its remake in 2017 and was released worldwide the following year. Since then, fans have been waiting eagerly for news about Yakuza Kiwami 3.
In mid-September, a mention of Yakuza Kiwami 3 appeared and then disappeared from RGG Studio’s official website, fueling fan excitement and rumors about the game’s imminent reveal. That announcement came just a week later, with a new trailer that also shared that Yakuza Kiwami 3 will feature a new side story called “Dark Ties” that follows the origins of Yoshitaka Mine. But the upcoming release will of course feature other updates and changes, some of which fans aren’t happy about.
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Yakuza Kiwami 3 Has an Actor Who's Admitted to Sexual Misconduct
Three of Yakuza 3’s characters will be getting a redesign and recast in Yakuza Kiwami 3, which has many gamers unhappy. Shigeru Nakahara, Rikiya Shimabukuro, and Goh Hamazaki will have completely new actors in the remake, with performer Teruyuki Kagawa brought on to voice Hamazaki. The actor is well known in Japan, with a career that’s spanned over two decades in both film and television. However, in 2019, Kagawa was accused of sexual harassment, an action that he admitted to in 2022. As a result, his association with Toyota, where he served as a public face of the company, was terminated. Fans of the Yakuza series are asking RGG Studio and publisher Sega to do likewise.
However, some people are angered that Kagawa was hired for the job in the first place. As a high-profile actor in Japan who has played leading roles and even won awards, fans are dubious that RGG Studio and Sega were unaware of the sexual harassment accusations against the person brought on to play Goh Hamazaki. Fans are calling for a boycott of Yakuza Kiwami 3, asking for gamers to cancel their pre-orders to show their outrage.
There is also currently a petition on change.org about the issue with nearly 2,500 signatures at the time of writing. The petition points out that “the Yakuza/Ryu Ga Gotoku franchise is about morality… Knowing that, it is abhorrent to knowingly hire a person who has admitted to sexual misconduct.” So far, there has been no response from either the game’s developer or publisher.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 is slated to release on February 11, 2026. Given that, it’s likely that the voice lines for Goh Hamazaki have already been recorded and his new likeness created and animated. However, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that RGG Studio or Sega may see fit to remove Teruyuki Kagawa from the role, especially if fan backlash becomes impactful enough.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- February 11, 2026
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood, Intense Violence, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
- Publisher(s)
- Sega
