AEW superstar Kenny Omega is set to play a small part in RGG Studio’s upcoming game Like a Dragon: Ishin when it launches next month. Specifically, Omega will be appearing as a “Trooper Card” in the game, which will allow players to unleash an attack that has ties to Omega’s in-ring persona.
Recently, we were able to sit down with Omega to learn more about how this crossover with Like a Dragon: Ishin came to be in the first place while also getting a better understanding of what this means to him as a longtime fan of the series. We also received the backstory behind his recent appearance as Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII earlier this month at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
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Origins of the Collaboration
CB: It’s so cool to see you coming to Like a Dragon: Ishin. I’m sure this is a big thrill for you because you are such a fan of the series. So what has this whole process been like? How did this collaboration come about?
Kenny Omega: Yeah, so there was an opportunity that fell into my lap to talk about Ishin, and it was exciting for me because it was one of the very few games in the series that I hadn’t actually played yet. So for Ishin to come out, I was more than happy to talk about it, discuss it, and go out and film some cool hype videos for the game. That was a lot of fun.
That sort of gave birth to the opportunity, while I was in Japan, to tour the facilities, to tour Sega HQ, and just kind of one thing led to another, which led to another, which led to another. I kind of stuck my toes in the Yakuza waters and now I’m knee-deep in the RGG Universe, which is very cool because one little video later and now we received an offer to become a Trooper Card in the game.
To be a part of a series that I’ve just been a fan of for over a decade was something that was inspirational and empowering for me as someone who had just wanted to find a way to get Japan and live, work, and play in that country and be amongst the culture and everything. So now for everything to come full circle and now we’re working together to create some cool stuff, it’s a lot of fun and very rewarding. It’s just as rewarding as any work that I do in the ring. To be able to be in tune with one of my other passions, which is video games, to work more, just to work in a format where I’m actually part of the team and part of the process is really cool.
Extent of Appearance in Ishin
CB: So what’s the extent of your collaboration with Like a Dragon: Ishin in this instance? Is it just going to be just your likeness in the game or is your voice going to be present as well? Are we going to see any of your specific moves that we’re familiar with from the ring appearing in the game as well?
KO: So this idea came about when we were already fresh, Tokyo Game Show is done, they already have a tentative release date for this [game]. And for them to kind of go from there, “Hey, we’ve got this cool idea, it might be difficult, but if it’s possible we want to make you guys into Trooper Cards.” And we had thought, how? It’s already October creeping up to November, how is it possible that you’re going to be able to fit this in? And they very quickly worked on some character art, which of course is my entire likeness, it looks just like me. It’s probably better because they helped make me look at least 10 or 20 years younger, which is much appreciated.
They kind of showed the idea for the power of the card and I loved the idea of it. And for me, the most important thing was, look, I don’t expect everyone on the planet earth to know what professional wrestling is. I definitely don’t expect people to know who I am. That’s an insane expectation to have. But what I do expect to have is, if I’m going to be included with this game, if I’m going to be included in some capacity, I want to positively contribute via this card to make it useful and fun to use for everybody regardless of who you are.
So I feel like we’ve accomplished that with the “Essence of the One-Winged Angel.” It’s a very cool area of effect attack, great for crowd control. It’s just going to be a super cheesy overpowered card that if you’re in a bind and surrounded, it gets you out of it very fast. So I feel like we’ve succeeded in that regard. That when win, lose, or draw, like me, love me, hate me, wish terrible things upon me and my cat, you’ll still love the card. That’s it. There’s no way you won’t.
A Full Circle Moment
CB: How does it feel for you to see this kind of come full circle? Obviously, your wrestling persona has a lot of ties to video games. One-Winged Angel stems from Final Fantasy and now One-Winged Angel’s now coming back in Yakuza except it’s meant as a reference to you rather than being tied to Final Fantasy. I assume that’s sort of a weird, crazy moment for you, right?
KO: Yeah, it’s very odd and very cool at the same moment. I mean, when I saw the suggested name for the move, I was like, “I know that you guys are really tongue-in-cheek at times and you like to parody things, but that’s really on the nose. Is that okay?” And of course, yeah, they we’re cool with it. So it’s very cool that they didn’t have to call it the Five-Winged Angel or anything like that, you know what I mean? The Five-Toed Donkey, anything kind of odd. It’s me through and through. It really is. And I really feel that after seeing the character card art, the attack, and the description of the card, they really had my best interest in mind, much as, of course, I do theirs and the player base. So I just feel like it was a very positive experience, 100%.
Working With Wrestling Fans
CB: Previous games in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series have made it clear that those at RGG Studio are huge fans of professional wrestling. I assume on their end it was just as cool for them to collaborate with you as it was for you to collaborate with them. Did you get that feeling from them and were they kind of having fan moments when working with you?
KO: I mean, I wasn’t sure. Like you said, when you play the games, you can tell that there’s that professional wrestler’s love in the game because there are so many [references]. There’s always some story, always a side quest that involves professional wrestling.
Sometimes, for example, when Kiryu stages the professional wrestling event for his orphanage, it’s like, yeah, you used professional wrestling as sort of the motivation to make all these children happy and it was really cool and fun. And again, like you said, some of the characters that you control can do wrestling maneuvers. Some of the wrestlers, or some of the people that you fight use wrestling moves. And they’re all animated and performed so perfectly. You can tell that there’s a lot of love and respect and care that goes into what we do as wrestlers. So yeah, it’s very cool, like you said, for things to come full circle, and now wrestlers amongst many other real-world things are kind of collabing more and more with the RGG Universe.
A Larger Role in the Future
CB: You’ve mentioned the RGG Universe here and while Ishin comes out in the early part of this year, there are a ton of other Like A Dragon games in the pipeline. Would you be open to doing more with this series in the future if RGG Studio wanted to bring you back and do something larger in the future outside of just a Trooper Card?
KO: Absolutely. I mean, I’d said this before to other people, but I feel like as a professional wrestler, I would always hope that at some point in time via videotape, DVD, or something streaming, perhaps I would love for my matches at some point, way past my time, for people to be able to digest them and to take some kind of pleasure and watch them. To laugh, to cry, to get angry, or whatever it is. But I would hope that some of my work would eventually, this would be the greatest hope to elicit some kind of emotion.
But as time goes by, we just get older and the things that we can do today aren’t necessarily the things we can do tomorrow. So the one cool thing about possibly being an actual character in a world that truly feels alive, like the RGG Universe, is that your character is kind of preserved eternally. You are in that state, as long as people interact with you and play the game, that’s who they’re going to get. And that person doesn’t age, that person doesn’t get injured. Or maybe they do if it’s part of the story, but you know what I mean. And I feel that to be just a very cool way to leave my mark on the world.
Origins of Sephiroth Entrance
CB: On a bit of a different topic, recently at Wrestle Kingdom you came down dressed up as Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII, which was an incredibly cool moment. I know you’ve worn gaming attire down to the ring before in the past, but I’m curious to know a little bit more about how the Sephiroth cosplay came to be specifically.
Additionally, now that you’ve collaborated with Like a Dragon, do you have ring attire ideas in mind tied to this series? Should we expect you to come down in Kiryu’s gray suit at any point in the future?
KO: For the Sephiroth entrance, I always try to do something special for big matches, especially for matches that are large in the Tokyo Dome. I just sort of have an affinity for making those moments special. Whether it be selfishly for myself, for my friends, or for the fans. I would just want to make things more grandiose than what they really are. And I didn’t really have a specific idea for this Wrestle Kingdom until I got more in tune with the story and the nature in which the match came together. And I remember kind of joking after the Tokyo Game Show when we were sitting down and having some Coke Zero’s at Outback Steakhouse, and I said, “Man, I don’t know if I’ll ever be back here to wrestle.” Because at this point it wasn’t known, it was uncertain. But I said, “Man, if I could come back wouldn’t it be cool if I had this kind of story with this kind of person? And I did the Sephiroth, kind of an homage to Sephiroth, like Nibelheim-like entrance?”
I remember one of my buddies, who’s not a huge wrestling fan, he’s just kind of one of my gaming buddies, and he kind of took a pause and he looked over and he says, “Well, I guess I’ll be seeing you at the Tokyo Dome then because that idea is too good for them to pass it up.” I said, “Man, they don’t know what I want to do, so I don’t think I’ll be back.” And then, lo and behold, the offer came, and I came back, and we did it. So that’s the story behind that.
And for Ishin specifically, boy, I’m super proud of my inclusion and I want people to experience this series. I want people to play this series, to love this series in the same way that I do, because I feel like there’s so much enjoyment that people can take from it. So if by me doing something that can direct some more eyeballs to the game, to the franchise, you best darn believe I’m going to do it. So definitely keep your eyes out for that.
Health Status for 2023
CB: Last question for you is a bit more personal, but how are you feeling now? 2022 was a year full of injury and recovery for you when it comes to your work in the ring. Is this the closest you felt back to 100% in quite some time, and how are you feeling moving forward?
KO: I would say before the Best of Seven Series in the Tokyo Dome, I was feeling pretty good. And after completing the Best of Seven Series, which kind of culminated in a ladder match, and then barely being removed from the match that I did with Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom, it was kind of a slap in the face from reality being like, “Hey, don’t go thinking you’re 100% again. We just let you think that for a couple of weeks. Yeah, this is your new 100% so get used to it, kid.” That was kind of like the crashing back down to reality moment for me. “Okay, I did it, I survived. I’m really proud of this work, but oh boy, it’s going to take a while to recover.” It wasn’t like give me a 24-hour kind of thing. It’s been over a week and I’m still feeling it.
CB: So you’re not trying to dive into any Ironman matches soon?
KO: No. I’ll save those for Danielson. He loves them.
