Yorinobu Arasaka is the second child of Saburo Arasaka. He is a very prominent figure in the game. The players first learn of Yorinobu after being hired by Dex and Evelyn Parker, renowned as the heir of the Arasaka empire and one of the most powerful men in Night City.
Aside from those reputations, there is so much more to Yorinobu than meets the eye. He may not be the most honorable man, but then again, he is an Arasaka. Yorinobu is a fairly interesting man when looked at closely. There are things about him many may not know just by playing the game once.
10 Leaving The Family
Yorinobu Arasaka went to The University of Tokyo for his education. When he graduated at the age of 21, Saburo Arasaka revealed the nature of the company to the young and impressionable Yorinobu.
Saburo told him how the company became so powerful and rich, killing the innocents and manipulating as many as possible for extortion and political influence. Yorinobu, upon learning this, felt disgusted and contempt, though he hid this from his father. That night, he decided to leave the family under the cover of night.
9 The Steel Dragons
After leaving the Arasaka family compound the night of the celebratory dinner held in his honor, Yorinobu Arasaka would not resurface again until four years later. During this timespan, Yorinobu managed to gather a group of Tokyo nomads. He called his group The Steel Dragons.
The main goal of The Steel Dragons is to expose Arasaka's dirty secrets and destroy the corporation altogether. Using Yorinobu's knowledge of Arasaka facilities and corporate procedures, the group would constantly be successful in damaging Arasaka.
8 The Johnny Silverhand Of Tokyo
During the rise of Yorinobu's rebellion, his reputation and action closely mirrored that of Johnny Silverhand's, save for the music career. He was the leader of a band of miscreants and was labeled as a Rockerboy by many.
Yorinobu would constantly gather and rile up the masses to rebel against corporate power. He, alongside the Steel Dragons, would constantly attack Arasaka muscle and expose information regarding the company's wrongdoings.
7 His Father Was Heartbroken
Despite Yorinobu and Saburo's vanquished relationship, Saburo felt heartbroken and betrayed when Yorinobu left the family after he revealed the company's secrets to him. Later, when Yorinobu would resurface and attack the company, the lingering feelings of betrayal only grew.
Saburo was deeply saddened, but being the goal-oriented person that he is, he also acknowledged that Yorinobu needed to be stopped. As an effect of Yorinobu's betrayal, Saburo would hide the true nature of the company to his youngest daughter, in fear that she too would run away like her brother.
6 Kei Arasaka Hated Him
When Yorinobu Arasaka betrayed the family, left them, and returned a gang leader opposing the family company, the rest of the family had very varying emotions. Saburo was intensely heartbroken, and so was Hanako. Kei Arasaka, the eldest brother, on the other hand, felt absolute hatred.
When Yorinobu kept on attacking Arasaka, Kei swore to kill him when given the chance. During the Fourth Corporate War, Kei managed to finally capture Yorinobu. Instead of killing him, he had him imprisoned.
5 He Kept In Touch With Hanako
Hanako Arasaka is Yorinobu's younger sister from the same mother. While Yorinobu abhorred Kei, he still felt deep care for his sister. Hanako and Yorinobu would later reconnect through the net. It is here they reconciled with one another.
Yorinobu swore to free his sister one day from the clutches of his father. Hanako, at this time, was extremely reclused from the outside world, only ever getting a glimpse of it via the net.
4 The Fourth Corporate War
The Fourth Corporate War saw the massive battle between Militech and Arasaka. Knowing that Yorinobu had great contempt for Arasaka, Militech tried to recruit him to their side. However, Yorinobu declined their proposals as he had other interests in mind.
During the war, Yorinobu supplied the Japanese government with information about Arasaka, which lead to the nationalization of Arasaka's native offices. During this, Kei managed to catch up to Yorinobu and imprison him.
3 He Once Reconciled With His Father
One of the aftermaths of the Fourth Corporate War was the death of Kei Arasaka, the CEO of Arasaka Corporation at the time. Despite hating each other in life, Yorinobu attended his brother's funeral.
During the funeral, Yorinobu and Saburo met once again. It was here they managed to reconcile their relationship, even just for a little bit. After Hanako's continued pleas, Yorinobu got welcomed back into the family. Despite this, he still continued his efforts of bringing the corporation down.
2 He Is The Leader Of The Arasaka Taka Faction
After the Fourth Corporate War, various Arasaka factions formed, all led by different Arasaka members. The Kiji Faction was led by Hanako. The faction's goal was to unite Arasaka with the NUSA. The Hato Faction was led by Michiko Arasaka, Kei's only daughter. This faction was the liberal wing of Arasaka.
Yorinobu had his very own faction, the Taka Faction. This faction followed Yorinobu's goals of bringing down the corporation. The Taka Faction was in constant opposition to the other factions. While Hanako led the Kiji Faction, Yorinobu knew Saburo was still the one in power. Until such time that Saburo falls, the Taka Faction would continue to clash with the corporation itself.
1 Destroy From Within
Yorinobu spent years upon years of doing nothing but bringing down Arasaka. However, he later noticed that the company was nowhere close to being toppled. In fact, it only grew more powerful. This is when he realized Arasaka was impossible to defeat, unless he does it from the inside.
This is when Yorinobu began to accept his fate as the heir of Arasaka, knowing he would later take control of the company and that's when he would destroy the empire from within. With Hanako's help, Yorinobu would be accepted into the family again, but his plans never stopped, thus leading to the events of Cyberpunk 2077.