Fans want a recast for the Yakuza 3 remake voice actor after it came out he was involved in a sexual harassment case

It’s hard to believe RGG wasn’t aware of Kagawa’s scandal when they cast him in Kiwami 3. It made major headlines three years ago for serious misconduct.

Ryu Ga Gotoku has been spoiling us lately. First we got Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii back in February, then the Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, and a title reveal for their new IP, Stranger Than Heaven. And just recently, they dropped the big news: a full Yakuza 3 remake. Kiwami 3 and its bonus story Dark Ties are set to launch on February 11, 2026. But the hype took a hit when people found out about one of the remake’s voice actor’s past scandal, and now fans are calling for a recast.

Kiwami 3’s voice actor drama

Go Hamazaki, who appeared in Yakuza 3 and later Yakuza 4, was originally voiced by George Takahashi. But in the upcoming remake, he’s getting a new voice actor. RGG hasn’t really explained why they decided to recast him (maybe Takahashi wasn’t available during development) but it’s not unusual for them to do this. They’ve done it before and probably will again in the future. The real drama isn’t about recasting a veteran voice actor, though; it’s about the choice of Teruyuki Kagawa to take over both his voice and likeness.

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In 2019, Teruyuki Kagawa was involved in a sexual harassment case. He forcibly touched a hostess and took off her bra, even passing it around to colleagues. The story only came out in August 2022, and Kagawa admitted what happened, apologizing publicly through his agency, Lotus Roots, on August 25, 2022.

After the story came out, Kagawa faced serious professional fallout. Toyota Motor Corporation didn’t renew his contract as editor-in-chief of Toyota Times, a bunch of his TV appearances got canceled, and he was removed from hosting a kids’ show.

So it’s no surprise that this old controversy is making the rounds again now that he’s been cast as the voice of Hamazaki in Kiwami 3. The incident is pretty well-known in Japan, Kagawa hasn’t really been on TV since it happened, so for Yakuza series fans, RGG’s decision is really surprising.