Kosei Yuzawa

Age: 38 years old

Birthday: August 24, 1981

Height: 223 cm

Weight: 182 kg

Hobbies: Takemoto's leader, subordinates, making sweets, E TV

CV: Yasuhiro Mamiya

Kosei Yuzawa is a Yakuza character from *Ninja Vs. Gokudo*, serving as the second-generation leader of the Takemoto Group located in Kabukicho. He is a giant man with long black hair tied at the nape of his neck, and his back bears a tattoo of Aizen Myo-o, the guardian deity of love, family, and passion. He is a trusted confidant of Kiwami Kimura, who is the shadow leader and head of the Eight Extremes of Destruction.

Despite his intimidating appearance, Kosei Yuzawa is surprisingly clever. He enjoys watching science programs on E TV, and his calm insights in battle are often attributed to the knowledge he gains from educational television. He's also quite skilled at making sweets, with his handmade chocolates being praised by his group members as tasting better than Godiva's; his recipes even appeared in a Yakuza-oriented women's magazine.

Kosei Yuzawa was picked up by the first-generation leader, Takemoto, in Kabukicho when he was a teenager and honed his skills. He later became infatuated with Kiwami Kimura's capabilities, despite initially looking down on him as a "scrawny guy." He admitted his mistake after Kiwami Kimura distinguished himself, and despite Kiwami Kimura being ten years his junior, Kosei Yuzawa treated him with respect and polite language. They shared a close bond, occasionally exchanging playful banter, such as Kosei Yuzawa jokingly remarking, "If someone else were the group leader, I wouldn't have this trouble."

Kiwami Kimura considered Kosei Yuzawa his best subordinate, stating after his death that "He was a comrade who was too good for me," and expressed irritation at Gamute for mocking his death. Kosei Yuzawa loves the old, good days of Gokudo and detests the frivolous nature of modern Kabukicho. Unlike the deeper grudges of other Eight Extremes, his dissatisfaction with society is more vague, stemming from a lonely and impoverished childhood due to his "parent lottery" circumstances.

He is relatively conventional among the Yakuza shown in the story, caring deeply for his subordinates. He raised the Ninja Disaster Orphans—Keisuke, Buddha, and Takashi—whose parents were killed by ninjas, imposing rules like not allowing them to commit murder until adulthood. For instance, when the orphans accidentally bumped into a child, they immediately apologized without any intimidation, a reflection of Kosei Yuzawa's principles. He adheres to a personal principle of not directly harming law-abiding citizens, though he is fine with indirect acts like "ore-ore" scams, partly due to his group's financial difficulties.

However, he harbors no mercy for his enemies, smiling as he massacres rival hooligans and Yakuza members, revealing his true ruthless Yakuza nature. This "enemy" category extends to politicians hostile to the Yakuza, and even their families can become targets. Despite his actions, he possesses the self-awareness that he and his kind are evil individuals who deserve to fall into hell. This contrasts sharply with most low-ranking Yakuza who believe they are victims of society and that law-abiding citizens deserve to be exploited. His relatively smaller scale of societal hatred compared to other Eight Extremes allows him the leeway not to harm general civilians, making him "the weakest" in terms of destructive intent.

Kosei Yuzawa is a power-hitter with superhuman strength, capable of tearing off a human head like a grape with his bare hands. However, he is physically surpassed by several others (for raw power, Golden Ball from the "Broken Children" is on par), and his combat technique is not particularly refined. He is self- and other-proclaimed as the weakest and most ordinary member of the Eight Extremes of Destruction.

Yet, Kiwami Kimura specifically expressed hope that "if the weakest Kosei Yuzawa wins against a ninja, it will light a beacon of hope for the Gokudo's tomorrow." His weapons include a regular automatic pistol and a Seki short sword (dosu), a birthday gift from Kiwami Kimura.

Gokudo Technique: Advancing Yakuza Liner

This technique is incredibly simple: Kosei Yuzawa charges forward undeterred by damage and simply knocks opponents away. His thick muscular armor can withstand direct pistol hits even in a sober state without the "Hell Pass," merely bleeding and claiming "eating Matsusaka beef will heal it." This toughness is remarkable, especially considering that even the superhuman Teito Eight Ninjas get injured by bullets. Later flashbacks show him conversing normally even after suffering a severe neck wound and massive blood loss from Gamute.

While his toughness and power might seem less impressive compared to other Eight Extremes (especially with Hanako Saito, who boasts far greater physical prowess), the true essence of the Advancing Yakuza Liner lies in his mental fortitude. It's about overcoming fear by becoming "mindless" and advancing relentlessly. This mental strength is his most troublesome aspect for opponents. Due to this characteristic, he is exceptionally resilient against illusions that appeal to the opponent's emotions, proving key for Kiwami Kimura in countering Yuka Ito.

After surviving the Akasaka Grand Explosion, Kosei Yuzawa was ordered by Kiwami Kimura to create "bait" for ninja hunting. At the Kabukicho Underground Facility (nicknamed Kabuchika), he abducted and massacred Yakuza and hooligans who opposed Kiwami Kimura. He quickly sensed Nodoka Matsumoto, one of the Teito Eight Ninjas, infiltrating the facility. He then lied to the Ninja Disaster Orphans about needing a non-existent sports drink, using the ruse to evacuate them to safety.

He immediately took the "Hell Pass" and confronted Nodoka Matsumoto, but his subordinates were instantly engulfed in flames and wiped out by Nodoka Matsumoto's abilities. Powerless, Kosei Yuzawa himself was pierced in the stomach and set ablaze. However, he accidentally fell into a pool of blood from the hooligans he had just executed, successfully extinguishing the flames. To regain consciousness from the pain, he stabbed himself in the abdomen.

Using the lives of all his surviving subordinates as a stepping stone, he unleashed the Gokudo Technique: Advancing Yakuza Liner and pierced Nodoka Matsumoto's chest with the short sword Kiwami Kimura had given him as a birthday present. Simultaneously, his own head was severed by Nodoka Matsumoto's Dark Blade, and he died. In his dying moments, he saw illusions of his benefactor, the former group leader, the orphans who ultimately died, and the subordinates who fell with him. The former leader welcomed him, saying, "No... not a stray dog. That's the dignified death of a true 'Man,' Kosei." Kosei Yuzawa, a man of both cold resolve and warm heart, rejoiced tearfully in reuniting with his true family as he was consumed by the flames of hell.

Even though it was a mutual kill, the fact that Kosei Yuzawa killed a ninja was a major advancement for the Yakuza side. Kiwami Kimura praised his achievement and expressed irritation at Gamute for mocking his death. As Kosei Yuzawa had once told his subordinates, Kiwami Kimura, unable to express emotion, did not shed a single tear. However, Kiwami Kimura later apologized, saying, "Forgive me, Kosei. I... cannot shed tears of sorrow for you. So... at least let these tears of blood atone," clearly showing his condolences through action instead of sad emotions.

The death of Kosei Yuzawa, a long-time and trusted subordinate, was not trivial for Kiwami Kimura. Kosei Yuzawa continues to appear in flashbacks even after his death. He has also been re-evaluated by readers whenever the cruel behavior and wickedness of later-appearing Yakuza characters are shown. While he tends to be seen as a saint, it is important to remember that he was a self- and other-proclaimed villain who was perfectly willing to commit "ore-ore" scams.

The author, Shinsuke Kondo, has a friend named Kosei Yuzawa (湯沢光生) who has been an assistant since the era of *Retsu!!! Date Senpai* and also served as an assistant for *My Hero Academia*; this person is believed to be the origin of Kosei Yuzawa's name.

The author stated that Nodoka Matsumoto's strength was intentionally "exaggerated to make it a desperate battle for Kosei Yuzawa." Perhaps because of this, many readers felt that Kosei Yuzawa seemed more like the protagonist in that conflict.

In storyboards released before serialization, Kiwami Kimura did not mourn Kosei Yuzawa's death at all; instead, he instantly forgot his existence and even treated his body like trash, a shocking and completely opposite outcome. In this sense, Gamute's attitude towards Kosei Yuzawa and his actions of mocking his final moments can be said to have partly taken over Kiwami Kimura's role from the storyboard version.

Ninja Vs. Gokudo

Macho Villain

Ideal Boss

Evil Charisma