Over the weekend, Sega released a new trailer for its upcoming remake of Yakuza 3, giving players a closer look at the game’s Japanese voice cast. Despite player outcry, it appears that Sega and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have no intention of addressing the controversy surrounding the casting of Japanese actor Teruyuki Kagawa as one of the game’s major antagonists, Goh Hamazaki.
In 2019, Kagawa was accused of sexual harassment by two women, though it appears there may be another victim. In 2022, he admitted to forcibly kissing, groping, and removing the bra of one of the women. The second accuser says she never received an apology. Shortly after Sega announced that Kagawa had been cast in the role of Hamazaki, images of the actor pulling one victim’s hair started circulating online, and #REMOVEKAGAWA began trending on social media.
Sega and RGG Studio haven’t addressed the backlash, and given the fact that the game’s new six-minute trailer largely focuses on Kagawa’s role, it seems there are no current plans to remove him from the cast. Kagawa is lending both his voice and his likeness to the character, whose appearance in the remake has been significantly changed to mirror Kagawa’s looks.
Goh Hamazaki was voiced by Joji “George” Takahashi in the original game, which first launched on PlayStation 3 in 2009. The remake, titled Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, was first revealed in September, and although fans of the franchise are excited about the remake’s expanded story and playable prequel, many are demanding Sega and RGG re-cast Kagawa, arguing that Sega has previously replaced actors for less serious crimes. In 2019, for instance, Sega re-cast the role of Kyohei Hamura in Yakuza spinoff game Judgment after actor Pierre Taki was arrested for cocaine possession. Voice actor Miou Tanaka took over the role, and the character’s face was altered to no longer resemble Taki.
Polygon has contacted Sega for comment on Kagawa’s role in the upcoming game and will update when the company responds.
Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties is currently set to launch on Feb. 12, 2026.
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