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Koji Masuzoe 2

Koji Masuzoe (died December 2016) was a Chinese-born Japanese yakuza boss who served as patriarch of the Yomei Alliance's Masuzoe-gumi subsidiary. Masuzoe was a lifelong member of the Saio Triad, serving as their mole in the Yomei until he was murdered by Toru Hirose in 2016.

Biography[]

Koji Masuzoe was born a heihaizi (an undocumented second-born child) in China, and, like many other children born in contravention of China's "one-child policy", he was smuggled to Japan by the Saio Triad and raised in that criminal organization with citizenship papers forged by the Yomei Alliance. Masuzoe was later assigned to infiltrate the Yomei, serving as the Saio's mole while also rising in its ranks and becoming the patriarch of the Masuzoe-gumi. After the Saio boss Big Lo fathered a second son, Masuzoe and his younger colleague Shu Tatsukawa were sent to look after him, and the boy, given the name Yuta Usami, became a member of the Masuzoe's Hirose-gumi subsidiary. In order to prepare Usami as a backup heir to Big Lo, Masuzoe hired a Chinese hostess to make Usami's acquaintance, and Tatsukawa taught Usami Chinese so that he could impress her.

Koji Masuzoe

Masuzoe in 2016

After Usami unknowingly impregnated the Hirose-gumi's guest Haruka Sawamura in 2015, Masuzoe and Usami tried to pressure Haruka into aborting. Since Haruka wanted to keep the baby, she disappeared with Toru Hirose's help, causing Masuzoe and Tatsukawa to plan to eliminate the child and thus preserve the Saio's pure Chinese bloodline. Tatsukawa later established contact with her and persuaded her to come to Kabukicho, where he panicked, believing that the Saio would still kill him and Masuzoe for failing to prevent Yuta from fathering an illegitimate, half-Japanese child. Tatsukawa decided to attempt to kidnap the baby and sell it to Yomei heir Tsuneo Iwami, who secretly sought to use the child and its significance to the Saio to turn Yuta against his father and have Yuta destroy the Saio for him. As a result, Tatsukawa was marked for death by the Saio.

Meanwhile, in December 2016, Masuzoe made enemies with Haruka's guardian Kazuma Kiryu back in Onomichi after the latter interfered with his attempt to punish the Hirose-gumi captain Tsuyoshi Nagumo for failing to collect protection money for Masuzoe's tribute on time. Masuzoe responded by calling for a manhunt against Kiryu, which Kiryu fought off. Kiryu and Masuzoe later butted heads when Masuzoe accompanied Kanji Koshimizu to punish Takaaki Matsunaga for picking a fight with drunk Iwami Shipbuilding employees at his bar, Moreno. Kiryu defeated Masuzoe in an alleyway brawl, causing Masuzoe to cower and warn Kiryu that the Yomei fought for him. Captain Koshimizu emerged from the Hirose headquarters and berated Masuzoe for his pretentious nature, and a cowering Masuzoe fled as Koshimizu made Kiryu's acquaintance. Masuzoe would meet Kiryu a third time while providing security for Takumi Someya's meeting with the Yomei at the Senkoji Overlook Hotel, but Heizo Iwami ensured that Kiryu was not punished for his storming of the hotel, which was caused by a misunderstanding.

Masuzoe was soon recalled to Tokyo by his Saio conspirators, who were finally able to locate Tatsukawa and murder him. Masuzoe grew disillusioned from his triad when Ed Zhang laughingly told him of the cruelties inflicted upon Tatsukawa and his girlfriend, and, not long after, he and several other triads caught Kiryu and the Hirose-gumi infiltrating Saio HQ. They were prevented from shooting the intruders by Big Lo, who instead decided to approach Kiryu about an alliance; it was Masuzoe who told Kiryu to meet Lo at the ruins of Shangri-La.

Downfall[]

Masuzoe's body

Masuzoe's body

On his return to Onomichi, Masuzoe decided to make a break from the Saio and tell Toru Hirose about the true nature of Haruto and Yuta's roles in Iwami and the Saio's war, in exchange for Hirose protecting him from both the Saio and the Yomei. As Kiryu and the Hirose-gumi met with Hirose at the Ryunan Shrine, Masuzoe revealed that Yuta was the heir to the Saio, and discussed his own role in attempting to eliminate Haruto as a threat to the Saio succession. When Masuzoe cowered and said that he did not want to end up like Tatsukawa, Nagumo said that Masuzoe deserved as much for his cruelty.

Later that night, as Hirose and his family prepared to rescue Haruto from the Jingweon Mafia's captivity, a black-clad Hirose shot Masuzoe dead at the docks and let his body float in the bay, where it was later discovered.

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