Daigo Kazama

Daigo Kazama (風間 醍醐 Kazama Daigo) is a fighting game character from the Rival Schools series of 3D fighting games. He first appears in the arcade version of Rival Schools: United By Fate, in his younger sister Akira's ending, and is first playable in the PlayStation port of the game.

Personality
Daigo may seem strict and harsh, but he is tender at heart. He is the undisputed leader of all the gangs in Gedo High who possesses a magnetic charisma and has a strong sense of duty. Most of the time, his thoughts are with his younger sister, Akira. He is a man of honor who never fights dirty.

Appearance
Like Batsu, Daigo has short-spiked black hair (dark brown in the opening, ending, some CGI artworks and in-game, he had purple highlights at the edge) with upper spike fringe on his head and black eyes. He has a scar on his right eye which was inflicted by Hyo Imawano. His primary outfit is a black long school jacket under a white short sleeve shirt, black school pants and black shoes. The interior of his school jacket is purple (blue green in some artworks and in-game).

As Wild Daigo in Project Justice, his black long school jacket is openly shows his chest with a white bandage to his stomach and bandages on both of his hands. His eyes however becomes red due to brainwashing from Kurow or Yurika.

Rival Schools: United By Fate
Daigo is a student of Gedo High and the leader of the school's gang. Daigo has no set story in the single player mode, although it is explained he set out alone to find the person responsible for the school kidnappings. His ending shows how he briefly defeats Hyo Imawano after the latter scarred Daigo's right eye with his katana. Without warning, Hyo awakens from his unconsciousness and manages to defeat and brainwash him. Afterwards, Akira decides to pose as a boy to enter Gedo High about what happened to her older brother.

Daigo was later rescued by Akira, and his subordinates Edge and Gan.

Project Justice
In Project Justice, Daigo is the central character in the Gedo High story. After returning from a trip that takes place between Rival Schools and Project Justice, Daigo begins ordering his gang to attack random schools, much to the reluctance of Edge and Gan. Edge later discovers that Daigo was ordered around by Momo Karuizawa. As Daigo silently leaves to fight off students in Gorin High, Edge begins to suspect their boss' actions.

By the time Gedo High and Seijyun High begins to have a school gang war, Edge and Gan realizes that Daigo is not the person they truly knew and figures that something had happened to him in during the training trip. Akira and Zaki are confronted by Daigo himself, they discover that he was brainwashed by Kurow. Edge and Gan quickly rush to Akira's aid as she tries to snap her older brother from the brainwash, to no avail, she is forced to fight him. Daigo has two different fates after being defeated; either he succumbs to his injuries or manages to beat Akira before being freed from Kurow's brainwashing.

After being defeated, Daigo is freed from his brainwashed state and reunites with his younger sister. He apologizes to everyone in local schools including Seijyun High School for his actions. Edge and Gan noticed that Justice High School was behind everything as Daigo tells them that the only answer to find out the truth was within Justice High. When Daigo leads his subordinates and Akira and Zaki to the mountaineous area where Kurow is, he explains to them that Kurow was responsible for brainwashing him and using Gedo High as his tool for his dirty schemes. Kurow reveals himself along with his older sister, Yurika and Momo. He attempts to brainwash Daigo once again by playing with his flute only to be repelled by Zaki who uses her chains to get his flute, Daigo returns to normal and angrily wants to teach Kurow a severe lesson for what he did to him from the very beginning.

After defeating Kurow, he escapes and attempts to use Hyo against them but Hyo reveals to him that he was only pretending causing Kurow to get angry as both clashed in a bloody fight. When Hyo gets possessed by his father, Mugen Imawano, Daigo tells Akira and Zaki to take an injured Kurow to the hospital as he has an old score to settle against Hyo, Akira tells her brother that she will wait for him. Edge and Gan decides to join Daigo in his fight.

After Hyo's defeat which leads to his own death, Daigo finally decides to reflect on himself after what he had done previously while being brainwashed. Akira becomes worried of his older brother again as Daigo tells her that he no longer needs her support and his subordinates are already grown. He gives both Edge and Gan his undisputed gang leadership and his school jacket to his sister and leaves to train once more.

Special Moves
All special moves listed here are used by both versions of Daigo.


 * Unique Thrust (Japanese: 無双突き Musou Zuki) - Daigo does a straight punch that may either knock the opponent backwards, or can be chained up to five hits, depending on the punch button pressed for this move's button combination. In Project Justice, this ability is chained up to three hits.


 * Unique Reverse Fist (Japanese: 無双裏拳 Musou Riken) - Daigo does a back-fist strike. Recommended as an anti-air attack.


 * Unique Massive Back - Daigo turns back on his opponent and creates a brief fiery vortex within him to knock his opponents with a single damage. In Project Justice this ability was later removed and was replaced by his new ability Earth Stab.


 * Energy Focus Cluster (Japanese: 気功塊 Kikou Kai) - Although this move has the very same Kanji writing as Akira's, this can only be used in the air, where Daigo unleashes a powerful, beamlike energy blast. Depending on the punch button pressed for this move's button combination, the attack may either be directed 45 degrees downward, or straight ahead. The former is best used against opponents on the ground; the latter is an excellent Air Combo finisher. Normal Daigo's version of this move hits once; Wild Daigo's three times.


 * Unique Kick (Japanese: 無双蹴り Musou Geri) - Daigo does a spin-kick. Depending on the kick button pressed for this move's button combination, Daigo may end the attack after the second spin-kick, or may add a powerful forward kick that knocks the opponent into a random obstacle in the field, scoring a bonus hit. Using both versions alternatively is a very good way to confuse the opponent, making the latter's chances of connecting a combo after a Tardy Counter very slim.


 * Earth Stab (Japanese: 大地突き Daichi Zuki) - Daigo punches the ground, generating a quake that knocks the opponent down, even from a distance. This ability was a replacement to his Unique Massive Back from the original game.

As Normal Daigo

 * True Unique Superior Fist Thrust (Japanese: 真・無双正拳突き Shin Musou Seiken Zuki) - Daigo starts with a straight punch, stunning the opponent. He then follows with a series of punches and kicks, and finishes the move with a powerful straight punch with knockback effect. This move's startup is fast, but if blocked, the opponent can deliver a swift counterattack.


 * True Massive Back (Japanese: 真・漢の背中 Shin Kan no Senaka) - It is a powerful version of Unique Massive Back. Daigo turns his back on his opponent, and is then surrounded by a fiery vortex ascending from the ground. More hits can be scored by repeatedly tapping the kick button. Startup is slow, and is best reserved as an anti-air attack against jump-in opponents.


 * Hard Energy Focus Cluster (Japanese: 硬気功塊 Kou Kikou Kai) - A more powerful version of Daigo's Energy Focus Cluster. Like the Energy Focus Cluster, this may be fired either straight ahead or 45 degrees downwards, depending on the punch button pressed for this move's button combination.

As Wild Daigo

 * Wild Unique Superior Fist Thrust (Japanese: 暴走・無双正拳突き Bousou Musou Seiken Zuki) - A little different from the True Incomparable Superior Fist Thrust. Has a faster recovery delay than the Phoenix Fury, though.


 * Wild Massive Back (Japanese: 暴走・漢の背中 Bousou Kan no Senaka) - Daigo unleashes a very powerful burst of energy exploding from the ground. He has super armor throughout this move. The major downside of this move is its horrible startup time and recovery delay when blocked.


 * Wild Hard Energy Focus Cluster (Japanese: 暴走・硬気功塊 Bousou Kou Kikou Kai) - Compared to the Hard Energy Focus Cluster, this move hits only once, but more powerful. Similar to Powered Akira's Energy Focus Cluster. Like the Energy Focus Cluster and Hard Energy Focus Cluster, this may be fired either straight ahead or 45 degrees downwards, depending on the punch button pressed for this move's button combination.

Team-Up Techniques

 * Size Within Size (Japanese: 漢の中の漢 Kan no Naka no Kan) - Team-Up assist by the normal Daigo. The active character punches the opponent away from him/herself, and Daigo stands in the space between them. The opponent vainly makes a punching bag out of Daigo, who then Tardy Counters the last blow, and retaliates with a massive uppercut. He then leaves the field, with the active character bowing to him. If blocked, however, this has poor recovery time.


 * Man in the Middle of Insanity (Japanese: 男の中の狂気 Otoko no Naka no Kyouki) - Team-Up assist by Wild Daigo. The active character punches the opponent into an awaiting Wild Daigo, who then pummels the opponent a few times, throws the opponent to the active character, and delivers a massive uppercut before 'staggering' away from the field. The final blow inflicts damage on the active character as well, and is not recommended if the player's character is low on health.

Party-Up Technique

 * Both versions of Daigo do the Gedo Top.

Cameo Appearance
Daigo has appeared as a card in SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash.

Trivia

 * The following details on Daigo's life is as described.
 * Little is known about Daigo's academic performance, other than the fact that he excels in Japanese language, both in reading and writing. To this day, school subjects where he performs poorly remain undisclosed.
 * He and Akira are orphans, they lived together in his home before Akira moved to the Seijyun dorms. Their parents has a friend who owns their garage.
 * He was the breadwinner of the family after their parents died.
 * He likes his sister's cooking when she prepares meals for him.
 * Since he's the undisputed leader of all gangs within Gedo High School. He was a 3rd year student in United by Fate. Later while having his training trip and gives his leadership position to both Edge and Gan in their good ending. He was a 4th year student in Project Justice.
 * He is shown to be outgoing in the School Life Mode where he usually stays either in parks or the rooftop of the school. But in Project Justice, he always go on his training trip.
 * He was not seen in Physical Education Day, Beach Overnight and the Night Festival due to conflict schedules.


 * His given name is sometimes misspelled as Diago.


 * Daigo, his design and his fighting style has been compared to Kazuya Mishima and Jin Kazama from Namco's Tekken games. Additionally, Daigo and Akira's surname is also shared by Jin, his mother Jun and his relative Asuka.


 * He is the only Rival Schools character to be voiced by two different people. Kōichi Yamadera voiced him in United by Fate; and in Project Justice, the role went to Akio Ōtsuka.