In a video recently released by a popular YouTuber, Sega President Haruki Satomi and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio Representative Masayoshi Yokoyama could be seen making a direct offer to Japanese Mixed Martial Artist Mikuru Asakura to join the cast of the upcoming Yakuza 8. A glimpse of Yakuza 7's characters could also be seen in the video as the actor tours the development studio.
Masayoshi Yokoyama, the new executive producer, and director of the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has confirmed a while ago that the story of Yakuza 8 was nearly finished, and that several cast members of Yakuza 8 have started recording their lines. However, he also stated that as a producer he has to keep the Yakuza series going, and therefore, he has to make some serious changes to the base formula of the series, and include new surprises. It seems that the addition of Mikuru Asakura into the mix is one of those choices intended to keep the series alive for the future.
Mikuru Asakura has been a professional MMA fighter since 2012, and is a highly accomplished competitor with 19 victories so far. He is known as the older brother of Kai Asakura, and the two of them are not just fighters but also popular YouTubers in Japan.
The released video, which confirms Mikuru's inclusion into Yakuza 8 was actually published on his own
Around ten minutes into the video, we can see what looks to be Yu Nanba, Koichi Adachi, and our hero Ichiban Kasuga, but with a different hairstyle instead of his well-known afro. It is unknown what role Asakura will be playing in the upcoming Yakuza 8 game, but he has the conversational and communicative abilities to make him stand out in any role, whether enemy or ally. In the conversation at the beginning, it was also hinted that there is another title in development currently at the studio, and according to earlier statements, it isn't just one title, but "many".