{"id":56242,"date":"2023-01-26T14:50:11","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T14:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/kenny-omega-once-boycotted-yakuza\/"},"modified":"2023-01-26T14:50:11","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T14:50:11","slug":"kenny-omega-as-soon-as-boycotted-yakuza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/26\/kenny-omega-as-soon-as-boycotted-yakuza\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenny Omega as soon as boycotted ‘Yakuza’"},"content":{"rendered":"

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B<\/strong>eneath six foot of hulking muscle and a profession in pummelling fellow wrestlers into the bottom, AEW legend Kenny Omega is an enormous nerd. It\u2019s no secret: his signature transfer within the ring, One Winged Angel, is a homage to Final Fantasy 7<\/em><\/a>\u2018s iconic villain Sephiroth. At last month\u2019s Wrestle Kingdom 17, Omega entered the sector dressed as Sephiroth<\/a> (full together with his theme tune blaring) earlier than profitable the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.<\/p>\n

When he isn\u2019t beating different wrestlers into submission, Omega is a big fan of Japanese role-playing video games (JRPGS) like Final Fantasy<\/em><\/a>. Speaking to NME<\/em>, Omega says that a few of his different favorite video games embrace Chrono Trigger<\/em><\/a> and Earthbound<\/a><\/em>, and explains he\u2019s \u201calways been fascinated by the culture and almost everything that\u2019s come from Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt like this place was calling me,\u201d recollects Omega, who says that past these JRPGs, he owed his due to Japan for every part from his favorite anime to wrestling promotions was. As Omega grew older, he discovered his love for Japan\u2019s skilled wrestling scene solely grew stronger, and he remembers considering \u201csomehow, some way, I need to find a way to Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Omega wouldn\u2019t get to tour the nation till 2008, years into his wrestling profession. Before that, Omega says he discovered solace from an unlikely supply: Sega<\/a>\u2018s Yakuza<\/em> sequence, an open-world motion recreation that tells the story of Yakuza member Kazuma Kiryu as he brawls his method by way of an intricate felony conspiracy.<\/p>\n

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Like A Dragon: Ishin! Credit: Sega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore I was able to make those dreams come true, playing [the first] Yakuza<\/em> when it was released for the PS2 was my way of artificially living in that world, of living vicariously through the characters,\u201d says Omega, who beloved leaping into the sport \u201cto walk the city streets and feel like a dude struggling to make ends meet, just trying to make something of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fast-forward, and Omega \u2013 now a bonafide legend in Japan\u2019s wrestling scene and past \u2013 shall be starring within the upcoming remake of Yakuza<\/em> spin-off Like A Dragon: Ishin<\/a>. Omega will characteristic as a Trooper Card referred to as \u2018Essence Of The One-Winged Angel\u2019 (in fact) in Ishin<\/em>\u2018s Battle Dungeon side-game, and the wrestler is ok singing his personal praises.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether you know me or don\u2019t, or like wrestling or don\u2019t like wrestling, [Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio<\/a>] crafted up a Trooper Card that\u2019s just all-around useful,\u201d says Omega. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I can say it\u2019s busted, but I mean\u2026it\u2019s great for crowd control. If you guys want a card that\u2019s reliable and can carve down foes, you\u2019re gonna want the Kenny Omega Trooper Card.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Like A Dragon: Ishin! Credit: Sega.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Though the cameo looks like a match made in heaven, Omega isn\u2019t solely positive the way it happened. \u201cThere\u2019s no specific answer \u2013 I don\u2019t even know what I did,\u201d laughs Omega, who says that attending to tour Ishin writer Sega\u2019s headquarters might have proven off his \u201cdeep and profound\u201d love of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Of course, the wrestler additionally shot his shot and informed Sega how lengthy he\u2019d wished to work with the corporate. Eventually, Omega was invited to star in a promotional video for one in every of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio\u2019s showcases, which in flip led to his look in Ishin<\/em>. However, it\u2019s doubtless Omega didn\u2019t convey up the one-sided grudge he held with the developer whereas he was wrestling within the New Japan scene.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did collaborations with Bandai Namco<\/a> and various animation companies,\u201d Omega explains. \u201cThere was a moment when some of our guys in New Japan turned up in Yakuza 6 <\/em>and as soon as it was announced and I wasn\u2019t involved, I did the very mature thing \u2013 the adult thing \u2013 and said I\u2019m gonna boycott your series. I\u2019m not gonna play it, because you should know how much this means to me, gosh darn it.\u201d<\/p>\n