If you’re a fan of games starring Takaya Kuroda playing a tattooed Yakuza member, you might instinctively draw comparisons with the character he’s most famous for, Kazuma Kiryu from the Like A Dragon/Yakuza series. Promise Mascot Agency seems to be diving into those waters, but their developers are quick to clarify that their intention was never to simply mimic the Dragon of Dojima.
During a recent interview, which also touched on the unexpected involvement of former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida and Deadly Premonition creator Swery in the game, I had a chance to chat with Kaizen Game Works—the creative minds behind Paradise Killer and now Promise Mascot Agency. We discussed what led them to cast Kuroda as Michi, their Yakuza protagonist.
Unlike the recruitment of Yoshida and Swery, Promise Mascot Agency director Oli Clarke Smith explained that casting Kuroda wasn’t a calculated move by the Kaizen team. “Our game has similarities [with that series], as it’s an open-world Yakuza crime drama,” Smith elaborated. “We didn’t actively seek him out because we didn’t want to come off as the guys simply copying the Yakuza games. But during auditions, he just showed up.”
“Clearly, his agent knows how to find roles that say ‘Yakuza man’, and he just appeared out of nowhere,” Smith mentioned. “Our localization team was handling auditions, and when they said ‘Kuroda-san has auditioned, and he’s got the most compelling voice of everyone,’ we couldn’t refuse him. So, of course, we decided to work with Kuroda-san.”
While the team was thrilled to collaborate with such a seasoned actor, they did have some concerns about how his casting might be perceived. Rachel Noy, Kaizen’s art director, admitted, “We worried about people pegging us as Yakuza knockoffs, which—yes, we adore the Yakuza games, but we’re also huge fans of various Yakuza books.”
“When Kuroda came on board, we debated whether this was a wise choice,” she said, “but his performance as Michi ultimately won us over. As an indie studio, we have the freedom to follow our instincts without navigating endless PR red tape.”
“Michi resembles Kiryu in some ways,” Clarke Smith acknowledged, “but we’ve given him a unique twist. Kiryu may appear emotionally detached, but he’s always aware of his surroundings. Michi, on the other hand, joined the Yakuza family young and naive, becoming insular in his outlook. As his world broadens, he’s grappling to make sense of it all, making him somewhat more naive compared to Kiryu.”
Smith pointed out that Michi’s character wasn’t designed as a Kiryu spare. Instead, the goal was to create a player surrogate who fits seamlessly into the game’s Japanese Manzai comedy-influenced “buddy cop dynamic” with Pinky, a mascot in the agency.
Curious about the quirky charms of Promise Mascot Agency? Don’t miss our latest preview! I spent a few lively hours aiding Michi and Pinky as they rescue costumed individuals from deceptively normal doors.
