Taiga Saejima

Nicknames: 18-Counts Saejima The Slayer of Eighteen Stone-cold Hitman Tiger of the Tojo Tiger of Sasai Arena Names: Legendary Hitman Supreme Tiger Other Names Meathead Yakuza

Biographical Age: 47 Date of Birth: December 22, 1964 Place of Birth: Kansai Nationality: Japanese

Physical Hair Color: Black Eye Color: Brown Height: 190 cm (6′ 3″) Weight: 93 kg (205 lbs) Blood Type: A Associations

Relationships Unnamed father (however, if Saejima ever sees him again, Saejima wouldn't hesitate in beating him to death.) Unnamed stepmother Yasuko Saejima (stepsister: currently dead) Hideki Sasai (former patriarch: not dead but is senile) Goro Majima (friend, oath brother: Alive) Goh Hamazaki (oath brother: in coma) Shigeki Baba (brother: Alive) Daigo Dojima (superior, advisee: alive) Kazuma Kiryu (friend, rival: dying of cancer) Shun Akiyama (friend: alive) Tatsuo Shinada (ally: alive)

Occupation Member of the Sasai Family (formerly) Patriarch of the Saejima Family (formerly) Lieutenant Advisor of the Tojo Clan (formerly) Affiliation Tojo Clan (formerly) Sasai Family (formerly) Saejima Family (formerly)

Other

Fighting Style Wrestling and Muay Thai-based brawling

Special attack Saejima learns a new special attack called "Tiger Puppetry" where he swings an enemy around by their legs or arms to deal massive damage to them and any surrounding enemies. He can start this from a normal grab or cancel into it from a combo once he is in Heat mode.

Saejima's unique Rage Actions include Essence of Bell Ringing, which can be started from a wallbound and has Saejima pick up the enemy as they fall and slam them head first into a wall, following up by throwing them to the ground. Essence of Clotheslining: which can be done after the enemy rebounds off the ground from a charge attack and has Saejima throw the enemy into the air and clothesline them on the spine before smashing them into the ground with an elbow drop. Essence of Super Heavy Weapons: a rage Action for the aforementioned heavy weapons where Saejima slams a heavy weapon onto the enemy and slams it again on them while they're on the floor, breaking it, and Essence of Smashing, which breaks clean through enemy guards with a massive front kick and stomp. Essence of Finishing: A rage action where Saejima pins down an enemy, winds up his own fist, then gives his enemy a brutal face-crushing punch to the face. Essence of Beatdown: When almost weakened, Saejima will pin down his foe and will punch them down in the face for 1 minute straight. Tiger Essence of Shockwave: a punch to the ground that sends a massive shockwave that blasts multiple enemies off the ground. Tiger Essence of Braining: where Saejima turns a grabbed enemy upside down and jumps high up in the air then slams them head-first onto the floor; and Tiger Essence of Blitzing: a shoulder tackle into 3 other enemies and a shoulder throw on the last enemy.

Combos Saejima's Rush Combo is only 3 hits: a right body shovel hook, a left body shovel hook, and a right hook. Regular finishers include a left elbow, a right straight punch to the body, and a right knee to the stomach. His charged finishers include a left overhand followed by a right uppercut, a right body hook followed by a right push kick and a flying right knee followed by a downward double hammerfist and an upward double hammerfist. When his charged attacks are released, he gains invincibility frames.

Basic attacks Saejima's heavy attack is a front push kick. Holding the heavy attack button will make him do a double spinning backfist (Wind-up Top), and holding the heavy attack button for even longer will make him do a jumping uppercut (Great Bomber). His running attack is a left shoulder bash, which can be followed up with a grab-and-throw by holding the heavy attack button if he is in Rage Mode. His downed attack is a left kick.

Grab From a grab, Saejima can light attack to do a 3-punch combo, heavy attack to violently knee the opponent (this can be charged with a Charging Knee) and grab to lift the opponent overhead and slam them into the ground, causing them to bounce up to Saejima's shoulder. He can also follow up the Charging Knee with the last 2 hits of his 4th finisher combo.

Blocking, dodging and reversals Uniquely, Saejima cannot quickstep; instead he rolls to avoid attacks. He has a knockback where he uses a strong upward backfist. Herculean Spirit makes Saejima completely immune to flinching during all animations as long as he is in Rage mode. If an enemy attempts to grab Saejima during this state and he is not attacking, he takes very minor damage while lightly flinching, effectively also making him immune to grabs.

Counterattacks Saejima gains a counterattack called "Tiger Dragon Drop": this headbutt deals massive damage, but does not send enemies flying; instead, it stuns them, leaving them open to attack.

Unlike his more technical counterpart Kiryu, Saejima relies almost entirely on his natural prowess in combat. His fighting style appears to be based on professional wrestling combined with heavier elements of Muay Thai such as brutal elbow and knee attacks, making use of his inhuman strength and durability to violently crush his opponents.

Saejima is considerably more durable in combat than the other fighters as his charge attacks grant him super armor during the charge and attack animations, resulting in staggering him during an attack being very difficult. He has low movement speed and many of his attacks have longer wind-ups than other characters. His heavy attacks can be charged to deal more damage and will cause enemies to rebound, and can also be used to set up Rage Actions in battle when they are knocked midair or against the wall. His Rage aura is blue, though his soul orbs are green. He assumes an ortodox, open handed stance with his hands slightly curled, possibly referencing a tiger's claws and/or the wrestling element of his fighting style.

He is also the only protagonist that can grab heavy objects like motorcycles and scooters and use them as weapons, which do even more damage than regular two-handed weapons. He has a huge health bar that covers a quarter of the screen, but his Rage gauge is smaller compared to the rest of the other characters.

In 1985, Saejima was tasked with assassinating key members of the Ueno Seiwa Clan in a ramen shop alongside Majima. Later that year, on April 20, Saejima was visited by Majima and received six handguns from him. Despite Majima's insistence, and his concern for Yasuko's safety, Saejima made it clear he did not intend to tell his step-sister of their inevitable fate, telling Majima that it was "bad luck".

On April 21, Saejima parked outside of the ramen shop, waiting for Majima. With the Ueno Seiwa Clan arriving before Majima did, Saejima took all six handguns, entered the ramen shop, and gunned down every member of the Ueno Seiwa Clan inside. By 6:05 P.M, Saejima had turned himself in to the police, though he remained silent throughout the entirety of the interrogation.

A few months later, Saejima received the death penalty, and was immediately transferred to the Tokyo Penitentiary.

Saejima was born in Kansai to unnamed parents. At a young age, his parents divorced, and his father took sole custody of him. At some point between 1970 and 1975, Saejima became the older stepbrother to Yasuko after his father married another woman. In his youth, he hoped to one day attend college and become an elementary school teacher. However, Yasuko's mother passed away suddenly when he was twelve, and he and Yasuko were taken in by distant relatives, but both children felt they were a burden on their surrogate family. Saejima left, and took Yasuko with him. The two struggled financially on their own; Saejima was denied a loan, and remained unable to get a proper job due to his age.

Their situation was further complicated when it was discovered that Yasuko was in need of a kidney transplant, and the only compatible donor was her estranged birth father. Saejima traveled to Osaka to find his stepfather - a low-ranking member of the yakuza - who refused to donate his kidney without being paid for it. With few options left, Saejima turned to a life of petty crime to help finance the operation. It was not long before he came into contact with Hideki Sasai, who, after besting Saejima in a street fight and hearing of his struggles, offered him a place in his family in exchange for the funds for Yasuko's procedure. It is likely that during this time, he met his oath brother, Goro Majima, who was working with the allied Shimano Family.

Due to the long period(s) of time spent in prison, he is often confused by technology and current slang. Saejima speaks Kansai dialect, having spent much of his life in Osaka.

Though Saejima often comes across as a strict, no-nonsense individual, he has shown his moments of light-heartedness and wisdom. He has been known to use somewhat deep metaphors in conversation, particularly with his sworn brother Goro Majima. He also shows an artistic side not seen in the other protagonists as he enjoys woodcarving, which he is surprisingly skilled at.

Also, Saejima's most terrifying feat consists in when he killed Yamata-no-Orochi, a man-eating bear that was 4 meters tall, literally the most dangerous animal that exists, and Saejima beated that thing to death while Saejima was agonizing in the cold weather. Or also, that Saejima once stopped a max-speeding car with a haymaker punch when it tried to run over Saejima.

Saejima is exceedingly blunt, and is never one to beat around the bush in a conversation. This can lead to him sounding harsh or pessimistic, but his words are usually meant with the best of intentions.

Saejima's selflessness surfaces often in the series, especially apparent in his willingness to return to jail prior to the events of Yakuza 5 and Yakuza 6 in order to clear his name for the good of the Tojo Clan, as well as in his speech after the fight in Purgatory's coliseum, refusing to kill his opponent even with the promise of information from The Florist of Sai. During his youth, he gave up his dream of becoming an elementary school teacher in order to take care of his step-sister, Yasuko Saejima, even though he was just 15 at the time.

Throughout the series, he is shown to be incredibly loyal, seeking out both his old patriarch and his oath brother immediately upon his escape from the penitentiary where he is held during the events of Yakuza 4. This nature inspires intense admiration from friend and foe alike; on multiple occasions, Saejima has foiled potential traitors simply by winning them over. However, his ability to encourage others has also been met with fierce opposition later on when situations escalate.

Of all of the protagonists in the series, Saejima is the most sensitive, being described as "delicate inside" in contrast to his outward appearance. He cries frequently, and appears to have PTSD from the trauma caused by his actions during the Ueno Seiwa Clan hit. He describes the experience as "terrifying", and says that he has nightmares of the men he killed.

He remains silent in the face of a death penalty after the Ueno Seiwa hit; believing that his brother Majima had betrayed him, he planned to atone for his crime in solitude, only breaking out after Goh Hamazaki provoked him with false information about Majima.

Saejima has a tattoo that covers his entire back, the tattoo features a roaring tiger surrounded by bamboo grass. This is primarily representative of his stark opposite traits to Kiryu and being similarly skilled in battle; in Buddhism, the tiger and dragon are said to be equal to each other, representing different symbols of power. The tiger is more headstrong and relentless, while the dragon is more patient and wise. Their polar opposite personalities and fighting styles shine throughout the series and as they confront each other, with Saejima powering through nearly every opposing attack and Kiryu always waiting for the right moment to strike. The grass symbolizes his place in the Sasai Family, as the kanji for bamboo grass (笹) is used in Sasai (笹井).

Saejima is tall and powerfully built. He has an immense size and his brute strength actually surpasses even Kiryu. He uses his size to his advantage in combat, often charging and overpowering his opponents with brute force, his head is shaved and he retains a buzz cut hairstyle in all of his subsequent in-game appearances. He usually sports a military-esque outfit. He has a slightly more pronounced beard. Saejima's current attire consists of green and gray camouflage cargo pants, a black leather double grommet belt with a silver double prong buckle, and black ankle length leather combat boots.