Kazuo's younger brother, Kazushi Kiriyama, ended up joining the Rebel Alliance (and later the New Republic), serving as an officer in the Rebel Army. That made some officers, such as Grand Admiral Zsinj and General Maximilian Veers, distrust him, due to his brother's reputation of leading Rebel forces to victory on battlefields such as Zaajda, Ukio, and Thyferra; no one was foolish enough to actually tell Kazuo of their beliefs.