Each of the men who appear in Ryu ga Gotoku are awkward. The men who fight with Kiryu. The men who aid Kiryu. Each facing their own destinies, they struggle through their lives. Let us take a look at the way of lives of these men.
Akira Nishikiyama
A friend of Kiryu who causes the unfolding of a deathmatch in RGG1. He kills Sohei Dojima, head of the Dojima Family, in order to protect Yumi, whom he loves. Eventually, he ends up going down a path of carnage, aiming to ascend to the top of the Tojo Clan, the biggest organisation in Kanto. Having lost both the woman he loves and his family, he has no way of life left but to outdo Kiryu, his friend and ultimate obstacle. The carp, passing through the Dragon's Gate, finally becomes a dragon. Perhaps he has borne the destiny of fighting with Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, since the moment the carp tattoo was engraved into his back.
Ryuji Goda
Introduced in RGG2. He is the second chairman of the Go-Ryu Clan, a branch of the Omi Alliance. Seeking hegemony over Kanto, the "Dragon of Kansai" confronts Kiryu. The destiny of the man who bears a tattoo of the Yellow Dragon that "two great men cannot coexist". Disliking cowardly tactics, Goda wants a face-to-face showdown. As a man who has walked the same chivalrous path as Kiryu, this may be why they mutually recognise each other. However, it is because he recognises Kiryu as "the other dragon" that Goda, unable to coexist with another, chooses to fight with him. At the top of Kamurocho Hills, the highest place in town, the two exchange blows. Hearing Kiryu say that he will respond with everything he has, Goda smiles a satisfied smile.
Goro Majima
Introduced in RGG1. Head of the Majima Family. He has an attachment to confronting Kiryu, and pursues him although unconnected to the secrets surrounding the 10 billion. Were there a beast of a man who found that they could only connect with others through fighting them, they would probably be glad to find someone who fights with their full strength. From RGG2 onwards, Majima cooperates with Kiryu, but is his lifelong arch rival with whom he may fight again at any time. In RGG4, his brotherhood with Saejima, a prisoner on death row who is said to have killed 18 yakuza, and that he was supposed to attack along with him is revealed. Why didn't he turn up at the agreed place...? Asked this by the escaped Saejima he offers no words of repentance, and engages Saejima in a duel.
Yoshitaka Mine
Introduced in RGG3. He is the chairman of the Hakuho Clan, a Tojo Clan affiliate. Having lived only for money, he enters the world of the yakuza and pledges his allegiance to Daigo Dojima, Tojo Clan chairman, the first person to accept him for who he is. However, when an attempt is made on Daigo's life, he loses his purpose. Kiryu uses his fists to teach Mine the meaning of trusting people. After fighting with Kiryu, Mine regains himself. At the very end, he realises the bond that has been created between him and Daigo. However, as a yakuza he uses his own life to make amends.
Makoto Date
Introduced in RGG1. A detective from the homicide enquiries department. Not believing that it was Kiryu who killed Sohei Dojima, he continues to search for the truth, resulting in his demotion. In pursuing his conviction, his life is left in disarray. Ten years later he aids Kiryu after he is released from prison, searching for the truth behind the deception in which Kamurocho is entrenched. He is an awkward man who is unable to overlook the truth.
Daigo Dojima
Introduced in RGG2. The son of the Dojima Family head, who was murdered by Nishikiyama. Eventually, as chosen by Kiryu, he becomes the sixth chairman of the Tojo Clan. His fate, bearing a tattoo of Acala, is to protect the mighty organisation. He will support the clan which has so far been propped up by Kazuma Kiryu, once known as the "legendary dragon". However, in RGG4 he is forced to make a tough choice, and ends up fighting the man he respects.