Some Guys Have
all the Luck

Some guys have all the pain ..::.. Welcome

Welcome to Some Guys have All the Luck. A one page tribute to Mine Yoshitaka from Sega's Yakuza 3 on Playstation 3. This site features a look at one of my favorite antagonists in the Yakuza series. He is loyal and frustrating. I spent almost every moment I encountered him trying to decide whether I loved or hated him. Sometimes I hated him, sometimes I loved him. This is my tribute, the collection of my thoughts, and my final decision. As usual, my sites are text-centric and filled with spoilers. This site is part of Amassment's One Page, One Month event and is part of the mad tea party.

What is Yakuza 3?

Yakuza (or Ryu Ga Gotoku) Series follows the journey of Kiryu Kazuma, the fourth Tojo Clan Chairman. The third installment has Kiryu in Okinawa running an orphanage. His neighbors have been pestered by someone buying up their land for the upcoming resort or military base. When Kiryu's land comes into question he talks to Nakahara, the yakuza boss that's been buying up the land. He forms a brotherhood with him under Dojima Daigo's (the sixth chairman of the Tojo Clan, and Kiryu's old family) officiation. Daigo promises that the Tojo will back out of the deal because he would never do anything to jeopardize Kiryu's happiness or home. When Nakahara and Daigo are shot by a man that looks like Kiryu's dead father, Kiryu must go back to Kamurocho to unravel the mystery of his father and the truth behind the resort and military base deals. Who has betrayed the Tojo Clan to steal the deeds to the Okinawa land? Through his old connections Kiryu meets with Date who tells him that there are four likely suspects: Kanda Tsuyoshi, Majima Goro, Hamazaki Goh, and Mine Yoshitaka. Some Guys Have all the Luck is dedicated the last but not the least man on the list, Mine.

Some guys get all the breaks ..::.. Mine Yoshitaka

Orphaned at a young age Mine Yoshitaka spent most of his childhood fulfilling his father's wish to make something of himself. Mine spent most of his time studying and later became very rich because of smart business choices. He made most of his money through the stocks which allowed him access to Yakuza. After meeting Kanda he was introduced into the Tojo Clan. Mine is the thirty-three year old, bilingual, President of the Hakuho Family, and a Tojo Clan affiliate. He was welcomed into the clan quickly by Daigo (who was about the same age) and become a trusted affiliate to the sixth chairman. Mine's ruthlessness with money, quick thinking, and calm mind made him a very valued asset for the Tojo Clan.

Mine's Yakuza tattoo is of the Kirin. The Qilin, Kirin in Japanese, looks fearsome and only punishes the wicked. It has a very graceful steps being able to walk on grass without trampling the blades and can also walk on water. Usually a peaceful creature its diet does not include flesh. Kirin's steps are careful as to never harm another living creature and appear in areas ruled by wise and benevolent leaders. Usually gentle it can become fierce when pure people are threatened by sinners. It breaths fire from it mouth and his powers vary from story to story. In general, the Kirin is thought to be a symbol of good omens, prosperity, success, and longevity. According to John and Caitlin Matthew's Element Encycolopedia of Magical Creatures the "Kirin is the Japanese version of the oriental Unicorn. Described as multi-colored creature with a single horn protruding from its forehead, it is considered to be an agent of the gods, dispensing goodness and justice to those who deserve it, and punishing in an appropriate fashion those who do evil deeds."

What do Mine and the Kirin share? In particular, I am tickled by the idea that the kirin appears only to wise and benevolant leaders. Daigo is benevolant to his men and is well liked and respected. What he lacks in wisdom (he's only been chairman for a year or two) he makes up for with unending loyalty and trust in his men. I find it particularly interesting that Mine could have been involved in events in previous games but was not. He looked specifically for Kanda who led him to Daigo. In fact, Mine and the clan flourished because of each other's presence. I am also very intrigued by how to the point Mine could be. As long as it suited the clan and Daigo's ideas he supported it. But as soon as someone tried to betray that, Mine acted in an equal way.

After serving in the Tojo clan he became close to Daigo. He respected and admired him, stating that what he did is for the chairman. In fact, Daigo respected and trusted Mine, which was something he had never had before. This led him to be very attached to the sixth chairman. After Daigo is shot, the heads of the families hold an emergency meeting. Kashiwagi suggests bringing back the fourth chairman, Kiryu Kazuma to stand in. Mine agreed because he knows that Daigo trusted and respected him. Mine wanted what is best for the clan and he feels that while Daigo is out, Kiryu would still uphold the ideals and structure that he had come to admire. Unlike Hamazaki or Kanda, Mine wanted things to stay as they were - with Daigo in charge. He didn't care for the inner politics he merely wanted his friend better. He instructed Kanda to leave Kiryu alone and later kills Kanda for not heeding his advice. He tried to make good with Kiryu by bringing him Kanda's head, but when asked about what he is going to do Mine states that he will do what is best for the Tojo Clan based on his ideals and he will not allow anyone to get in his way. This caused friction with Kiryu, whom he openly supported until they met face to face.

As we can see with Kanda's murder, we know that Mine punishes in accordance to his ideologies and moods. He supported Kiryu coming back and wanted things to remain the same. As time passes and Daigo still hasn't healed or become concious, Mine starts to worry. This worry (and fear of being left alone) pushes him to take over the Tojo Clan. He would rather his friend die than live on machines. He would rather Daigo dead than half alive.

Mine allowed for Kiryu to be brought back only on the pretense that when Daigo got better he would take over again. As Daigo's condition remained steady, Mine shifted between his anger and abandonment at such a rapid pace that at one minute he destroyed Kiryu's home and then the next stabbed one of his own men for badmouthing Daigo. Everything Mine did was to solidify his place within the Tojo Clan. For much of the game, he wavers between antagonizing Kiryu and supporting Daigo (who ultimately have the same goal). The issue is that Mine doesn't want anyone but Daigo to be in charge and so long as it suits him, he will agree to anything. On the other hand, he hates Kazuma's trusting nature. In part, because the only thing he ever wanted was to be trusted and to have a friend (which he felt confident he had with Daigo).

It's a Love/Hate Relationship, Mine

When confronted with the idea that Kiryu may not follow his or Daigo's ideas perfectly, Mine changed his tune. He wanted nothing more than Daigo well and running Tojo Clan. I respect that about him, but wish he would have taken a moment to step back and breath. Mine turned out to be very stubborn in his ways. It wasn't until the end of the game when Mine realized that Kiryu could have been a saving force or grace for himself had he opened up and trusted him. Mine took steps to win Kiryu's trust! He tried to make things right by bringing him Kanda, but was not met as well as he would have liked to have been. Kiryu and Majima were suprised he could be so ruthless. This reaction, I think is what ultimately pushes Mine to the idea that he cannot (and should not) trust or work with Kiryu. I believe he had come to expect a certain amount of gratitude for his work from his friendship with Daigo. The fact that Kiryu did not seem to be of the same mind simply filed the older man into a "non-necessity" in Mine's mind.

He takes out his rage on the Kiryu's Orphanage one minute and the next stabs one of his own men for badmouthing Daigo. Although he loathes the happiness that Kiryu's children have, I think it made him realize how much he loathed his own path. All of the children were happy and worked together. I don't believe that was something he had growing up. He levels the orphanage and moves on, heads back to Kamurocho to go see Daigo. He knows he'll have to fight Kiryu, but he spends hours with Daigo, not pulling the plug - instead lamenting over the idea of losing his only friend.

As Kiryu made his way through Kamurocho he unraveled the strings of mystery. One of the Tojo affiliate heads had betrayed them. Kanda tried to kill Kiryu, Hamazaki led Majima to the resort deals, and Mine had supported Daigo's decisions one-hundred percent. Ultimately, Mine proved to be the mastermind working behind the scenes to fulfil an idea that would make Tojo clan rich. He wanted to help Daigo. That desire to help eventually led to a sort of loathing. He threatened to kill Daigo so that he wouldn't have to live on machines and then fought Kiryu to try and solidify his ideas. They are interrupted by Anderson and as they face trouble, it is Daigo who saved them. He rolled off the bed and shot their adversary. After a moment of shock Mine seemed relieved. When Anderson got back up, Mine did the only thing he could think of. He launched himself and Anderson off the top of Toto Univeristy Hospital stating that he wished he'd met Kiryu sooner. When Daigo asks Kiryu whether or not Mine betrayed, Kiryu answers with, "No."

As someone who spends most of their time studying I understand it can be very lonely even in the pursuit of knowledge to make a better life for oneself. I believe that Mine spent so much of his time studying that he often neglected working with others. This in turn made him more guarded which made it harder for him to make friends. When someone opened up to him first he felt perfectly justified in holding onto that friendship with everything he had. As someone who is still studying well into their adult life (let's face it, Mine's not that much older than I am), I feel that I can relate to Mine in terms of working hard to be successful but not being very savvy when it comes to forming friendships. This issue is compacted when we do make friends because the smallest slight against our friends can be quite a detrimental and frantic force.

I understand Mine's desire to keep things the same, to keep his friends close, to want to trust others and being unable too. I understand his need to have loyalty and friendship and not know where to start with any of it. Ultimately, Mine gives his life to save Kiryu and Daigo. He wished to have met Kiryu sooner and thinks that maybe in his next life that they would be friends. It's a great thought, I think. Because he wanted desperately to be trusted and at the end, I believe Kiryu made the right choice telling Daigo that Mine had not betrayed him. I believe that Kiryu understood how lonely Mine really was. I also believe that for all the mistakes he made, Kiryu believed that Mine was (and tried very hard to be) a likable and good man. I think the hardest part for Mine was not talking to people, I assume he was very good at explaining himself to get what he wanted. He was calm and composed, he could make a decision in a snap and do what needed to be done. I think that his trouble came from the people around him. When faced with people that genuinely wanted to be around him, he shut down. He simply didn't know how to react because it was so foreign. I have experienced being let into a group based on mutual trust and friendship and made closer and better friends. It's hard, it's scary, I still don't know how I'm supposed to react or behave. But I cherish every friend that I have made and I'm always afraid I'm going to mess it up somehow. Mine's reactions to losing his good friend and wanting more friends but not wanting to deal with people using him are all perfectly justifiable in my mind. I won't tolerate people stepping all over me or my friends, and for that reason, I think he and I could see eye to eye.

It is because of his strong desire to love and be loved that I ultimately love him. Yes, there were times when I yelled and screamed at him. There were times when I shook my head in disappointment, but there were also times that I wanted nothing more than to hug him and tell him that it would be alright. It is for the few moments that I felt so close to him, that I could share his pain because I knew it, that I decided I loved him in the long run. I know what it's like to be the kid who studies, who shies away from everyone and everything in the pursuit of knowledge for a better life (I'm still doing it, to be honest). And so I know how hard it is to keep friendships and how much people around me can be mad about it. I want desperately to say that all of my friends understand and that they'll still be there for me. But that's not true and it never will be. In part, I love Mine because I relate too well to him. And it's all those things I was yelling and screaming at him about that I should be yelling and screaming about in my own behavior.

Why Some Guys Have all the Luck?

Cherri had been listening to Some Guys Have all the Luck by Rod Stewart while I was talking about making a Mine shrine. This song has always symbolized longing and the knowledge that for everything that is done some things are just out of reach. In particular the idea that the dreaming man wants nothing more than someone to love. At the same time, he knows it's just a dream and that "as real it seems, I ain't that lucky." For me, it goes back to longing. Mine wanted nothing more than to be accepted, liked, and trusted. He was, but he didn't seem to see that (it is just a "dream" after all)! Kiryu wanted to give him the chance to be a friend, but everything Mine had done at that point struck me as a sort of "this is what I want, but it can't last. Not after everything". All my speculation aside, the kirin is supposed to symbolize prosperity and luck. Both of which Mine had in spades (even though at the end it was bad luck).

Some guys do nothing but complain ..::.. Sitely

Layout

You are viewing the first (1st) version of Some Guys Have all the Luck . Mine images from google with textures from Hybrid Genesis. Throw My Hands Up in the Air, Chinacat, and Gabriola font from Da Font.Created in Paint Shop Pro 8 and coded in NotePad. Site is best viewed in Firefox with 1200 x 800 resolution. Thanks to Cherri for her patience and feedback!

Sayonara

Link Some Guys Have all the Luck

http://madness.rayjah.net/miyo