#The end sounds kinda critical but I actually like Akiyama as a character quite a bit!

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Here's my King of Pentacles card!

Definitely an obvious choice, but I went with Akiyama for this one. If you're interested in reading more about the King of Pentacles and my reasoning for choosing Akiyama for this card, I'll put that under the cut:

Upright, the King of Pentacles is the ultimate rags-to-riches story. He did not inherit his obscene wealth. He earned it through his own hard work. But unlike other wealthy individuals who come from similar circumstances, but lose their connection to the less fortunate, the King of Pentacles has chosen to uplift those around him and share his wealth.

In this generosity we see someone who has faith in their ability to make enough money to replace what they're giving away. To the King of Pentacles, the lives of the people he's helping are much more precious than the numbers in his bank account.

The King of Pentacles accrued his wealth in the traditional ways-- he's not one to gamble and he doesn't typically indulge in frivolous spending. Through his hardships he has learned the importance of controlling his spending and investing wisely. Showing off or taking risks on a whim no longer appeal to him. He would much rather use his money to help people and actually make a difference in other people's lives.

Emotionally, he's not all that in touch with his own feelings or the feelings of others. This is largely due to this king feeling like he has other things he'd like to devote his attention to. While he definitely cares about his loved ones and the people he serves, this can manifest in criticism or advice that you might not have asked for.

Reversed, we see a King who no longer supports his people. Whereas the upright King of Pentacles is generous and confident that he will make back everything he gives away (and then some), the reversed King of Pentacles sees no value in generosity. His controlled spending habits have become penny-pinching and cheap and his confidence is replaced with an almost desperate need for wealth in all its materialistic qualities.

Despite his obsession with all things commercial, this reversed king doesn't have that much money. It seems to just slip out of his hands, being spent on gambling or other impulse-purchases that he can't afford.

His previous lack of emotional intelligence is now downright cruelty. He is aware of others feelings and thoughts, but he simply does not care. He is now completely inwardly focused, choosing to take what he wants regardless of how it affects others.

Akiyama definitely fits the upright version of the King of Pentacles. Considering he runs a loan business that doesn't charge any interest, I'm not saying anything all that revolutionary.

Reversed though, I think there's a more interesting discussion to have about Akiyama's character and how it relates to this tarot card.

So I'm not a huge fan of the way Akiyama treats women in Yakuza 4. For one, the male customers he has get these personalized tests that make them face the issues that caused them to seek a loan in the first place, but then for the women it's just "work at my hostess club, go on a date with me, or be willing to do sex work". When looking at Akiyama's treatment of women in 4, specifically Yasuko, we see a man who wants something and engineers situations to manipulate the woman into giving him what he wants. Yasuko says so herself that she can't really decline a date with the person who decides whether or not she gets the loan.

And while Akiyama isn't evil or even necessarily doing this consciously, we see someone who is willing to hold the promise of a loan over the heads of the people who have something he wants.

Akiyama wants to help people and that's great, but there's also a dark side to his generosity.