Fans of the Like a Dragon series were surprised to learn that the long-time protagonist Kazuma Kiryu will have a new English voice actor starting with the upcoming Like a Dragon Gaiden spin-off. The decision has received mixed reactions from the audience.

The new voice belongs to Yong Yea, a voice actor and YouTuber who may be familiar to many video game and anime fans. The developer RGG Studio announced the news on Twitter, also revealing that Yea will participate in the Dragons of Japan talk at Anime Expo.

Yea is not new to voice acting, having appeared in numerous animation and video game projects, such as Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion. His YouTube channel covers video game news, reviews and discussions for almost a decade. He takes over Kiryu’s role from Darryl Kurylo, who voiced the character in English since 2005.

The fans had divided opinions on the new voice. Many were happy for Yea’s appointment, while others criticized the choice. The main complaint was that a YouTuber should not get such a big role just because he is famous for making videos on the website. Yea quickly responded to this, saying that he had been a voice actor for much longer than a YouTuber. Several other voice actors also supported him, and shared their similar experiences of negative feedback.

Yea’s first appearance as Kiryu will be heard in Like a Dragon Gaiden, which tells an interesting story about Kiryu’s retirement years. In the game, Kiryu works as a secret agent for the Daidoji Faction, using the codename Joryu. The game will feature several old and new characters. Yea will return as Kiryu’s voice in the next main installment of the series, titled Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

What do you think of Yea’s selection as Kiryu’s English voice? Do you prefer to play Like a Dragon games in original Japanese? Share your opinion with us in the comments.

Source: GameRant