The Yakuza series has a surprising amount of celebrity cameos in the game. Some appearances are more or less just easter eggs, and others are an outright model of the celebrity involved. You will even find that some of their names have been butchered intentionally by Sega (and some are even changed entirely), but retain just the right amount of recall that will make you think that they're definite knockoffs of real stars.

Related: Yakuza: Best References To The Real World In The Series

As they say, you learn something new every day. It just so happens that it never crossed your mind you need to know that even American household names make random appearances in the Yakuza titles — until this article showed up in your feed, that's it. After sifting through most of the series, here are some notable celebrity appearances that will surely entertain you.

10 Nana Katase

Mayumi Madarame in the bar

If you watched Japan's live-action adaptation of Death Note 2: The Last Name, then you've also seen Nana on-screen playing as Kiyomi Takada, one of Light's avid admirers. In Yakuza, she cameos as a hostess named Mayumi Madarame from Club Olivier, whose likeness was modeled after her.

In Yakuza 5, she played a pivotal role in the plot. Although one of Kiryu's many love interests, she was notable for being an amazing companion for him during his hardest times. You should play the fifth entry to find out what Kiryu and Mayumi's relationship looked like, but you should also ready your tissues because this will be a rather bittersweet story.

9 Bae Yong-Joon

Il Yu-Jin hugging lead actress of Our Winter Sonata

In real life, Bae Yong-Joon is popular for his role in the iconic K-Drama tear-jerking classic, Winter Sonata. Named as Il Yu-Jin in the series, he makes a recurring appearance in Yakuza 2, Yakuza 3, and Like a Dragon. He is portrayed as an actor and a singer who has captured the hearts of all the ladies across Japan. He's most memorable for making a fan backflip as a reaction to his hotness in Yakuza 3.

If you're not yet convinced that he's the same guy, in Like a Dragon, one of Il's fans approaches him as a fan of Our Winter Sonata, a surefire way of paying homage to the popular KDrama (and anime). The series follows his fame through his appearances, but his cameo in Like a Dragon completes his career's story. It portrays what happens to some stars after they fade away from the spotlight, and although it's a sub-story, it's nonetheless interesting to see a familiar (and popular) face from the earlier games.

8 Takeshi Kitano

Takeshi Kitano cameo in Yakuza 6

You've probably heard of this guy from your parents, especially if they were part of the fun and hilarious game show named Takeshi's Castle. In Yakuza 6, his role is everything but fun, as he is the patriarch of the Hirose Family.

Related: Best Side Quests In Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Ranked

In the game, Toru Hirose is actually modeled after Takeshi Kitano, so it's actually more than just a cameo. He actually takes up a vital point of the story, and he himself triggers a plot twist. For all the good he's done, such as helping Haruka Sawamura and Kiryu multiple times to name a few, there are some other things about him that you will only know once the game's reached its end.

7 Tetsuya Naito

Tetsuya Naito with signature gesture

If you are, by some luck, a fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), then you know this man as the guy who shouts in mixed Japanese and Spanish. Tetsuya Naito appears in Yakuza 6, along with two other notable NJPW wrestlers.

In this cameo, he's part of a gang called JUSTIS that wreaks havoc all over Japan (in a rather humorous fashion). He, along with his fellow wrestlers, are defeated by the made-up Kiryu-clan later down the line. What makes him stand out is the retention of his ring personality in the game, with random Spanish words being mixed in the fray of his Japanese sentences.

6 Hiroshi Tanahashi

Hiroshi Tanahashi on the street

The second of the three other wrestlers that made it into the series is Hiroshi Tanahashi, better known as The Ace by avid wrestling fans. He, too, makes an appearance and gets badly beaten up (and even shot) by Kiryu.

Tanahashi is proven to be a sturdy opponent, who even uses known wrestling moves to put Kiryu down. But of course, he gets a taste of his own medicine and gets another person whacked on top of him. His funny fight scenes, which include a tooth of his flying off, definitely give him a spot on this list.

5 Kazuchika Okada

The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada looking at something

This list wouldn't be complete without The Rainmaker himself, Kazuchika Okada. He leads the JUSTIS gang and causes trouble around Kamurocho, but he's also put to a stop by Kiryu (ironically while Okada's theme song is playing in the background).

Related: Best Boss Fights In Yakuza Kiwami 2

Much can be said about the Rainmaker's career in real life, but the Yakuza series is Kiryu's world and everybody else is just living in it. With Okada being beaten down, JUSTIS is virtually no more. Not only is this a popular appearance, but also a fun boss fight once you spin people around and throw it at Okada himself.

4 Takaya Kuroda

Takaya Kuroda behind Kiryu in the streets

In the Yakuza universe, nothing is impossible, so even the voice actor of Kiryu himself made a cameo in the game. People have made the joke that Kiryu was talking to himself once his voice actor appeared on-screen.

What makes this cameo more special is that Takaya Kuroda was more or less an NPC tournament staff who complimented Kiryu after a good fight. This is definitely a doppelganger moment since Kiryu's also based off of Kuroda, so meeting another character who looks like Kuroda in the streets confirms that the Yakuza games are just a Kiryu multiverse.

3 Steven Spielberg

Stephen Spinning with a cap and glasses

Back at it with the references, Steven Spielberg is bootlegged as Stephen Spinning in Yakuza 0. Making this appearance even more hilarious, in the game, he's known to have directed Indiana Jeans (subtle) and a famous alien movie.

Related: Strangest Yakuza Minigames

What makes this appearance noteworthy for this list is that it's a confirmed reference to the director, and the same could be said for the entry after this one. In-game, they hire Kiryu as a bodyguard against rather undead attackers for a music video he's about to shoot with another household name.

2 Michael Jackson

Miracle Johnson Posing in the Bar

The King of Pop graced Yakuza 0 with the name Miracle Johnson. As a direct nod to Thriller, a hit you've probably heard of, Miracle Johnson wants the zombie-dressed actors to attack him for real so that he could perform better in the music video.

Miracle appears for a second time in another side quest, wherein he challenges Kiryu to a dance-off in a club, where for once, Kiryu loses at something. Not bad for trying to defeat the King of Pop himself, though.

1 Lady Gaga

Daddy Papa in Seaweed Dress and Seaweed Hat and Pink Blazer

Not a lot of people know about this, but Lady Gaga is speculated to have appeared as Daddy Papa in one of the Yakuza 5 substories. The signs are all there: the signature black round shades, the blonde hair, and the outrageous wardrobe. In this appearance, instead of dressing in her all-too-famous meat dress, she wears the complete opposite: a seaweed dress.

Although her lines in the game are rather unnatural, her non-conformist personality and artistic capability in writing her own songs shine through and pay good homage to the real Lady Gaga.

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