Amazon has announced an original live-action series for Prime Video based on Sega’s successful Like a Dragon game series, previously known as Yakuza.
Simply titled Like a Dragon: Yakuza and including six episodes, this original series is directed by Masaharu Take, best known for the drama series The Naked Director. Made in Japan, the series stars the hugely popular Japanese drama and stage actor Ryoma Takeuchi in the role of Kazuma Kiryu.
Like a Dragon: Yakuza will be available on Amazon Prime in over 240 countries and territories worldwide, released in two batches on October 25 and November 1, 2024.
A new story loosely based on the original Yakuza
The live-action crime-suspense series is based on an original screenplay loosely inspired by the first game in the series, 2005’s Yakuza. It will be set mainly in the Kamurocho entertainment district, straight from the games, and follows Kiryu and three of his childhood friends in two time periods, 1995 and 2005.
Similar to the games, protagonist Kiryu is described in the show’s press release as a “fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity”, and the story will deal with the repercussions of his actions in the two time periods. Takeuchi commented that the show will include “intense fighting scenes”, alluding to the wild action the series is famed for.
The series was announced today at a press conference at the picturesque Hotel Gajoen Tokyo. At the event, Takeuchi and Take discussed the process of adapting the acclaimed game series for a live-action drama.
Speaking of the tattoo on his back and sculpting his body for the role, as seen in the key visual image released today, Takeuchi said, “You can’t play Kiryu Kazuma without getting into shape, so I knew I had to throw myself into it. This was a job not only for me but also for the costume and makeup teams. It took two and a half hours just to prepare for this shot.”
He added, “It’s partly Kiryu Kazuma and it’s partly me. I got so close to the part that it was hard to distinguish where he ended and I began. That included getting into shape for the part, the costume and so on. Rather than acting the part of Kiryu, I feel like he became part of the family.”
Director Take said, “Having someone with such a large physical presence as Takeuchi makes all the difference. I understood that he knows his body better than anyone, so I left it to him to get into shape. Takeuchi did all the action himself as well. It was impressive.”
Of Kiryu’s place in the story, Take said, “In 1995, the protagonist is still young and he makes a lot of mistakes, and these lead to him spending a decade in prison and the consequences he faces when he gets out in 2005. I tried to show those differences in the two time periods, and the cast helped to achieve this as well.”
Taking their positions in front of a golden folding screen emblazoned with a dragon reminiscent of the tattoo on Kiryu’s back, the actor and director made a symbolic prayer for the show’s success.
Meet the new Kazuka Kiryu
Takeuchi broke through with his role as Shinnosuke Tomari in multiple Kamen Rider projects. His credits include a cameo in 2019’s Detective Pikachu movie adaptation as a Pokémon trainer, as well as providing the voice for Justice Smith’s character Tim Goodman in the Japanese dub. He also has a successful career in stage acting, and before that was a budding soccer player.
In a press release, Masayoshi Yokoyama, head of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and executive producer of the new drama series, said, “While the games let you experience their world through the subjective lens, this adaptation will be the ultimately objective way to enjoy the show. I have no doubt that fans of the series will be drawn to how it brings the games to life and adds new surprises. Newcomers, I'm sure, will find themselves invested simply in the gritty realism of the show.”
The Like a Dragon game series is developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and published by Sega. The first game, upon which the Amazon series will be partly based, was released in 2006 in the West, with IGN praising its story and awarding it 8.2/10. The game spawned a globally successful franchise, with multiple sequels and spinoffs, a movie adaptation directed by Takashi Miike in 2007, and a remake of the first game titled Yakuza Kiwami in 2016.
The series was renamed Like a Dragon in 2022, and the most recent entry, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, was released globally in January 2024, receiving 9/10 scores from both IGN and IGN Japan.
Daniel Robson is Chief Editor of IGN Japan. Find him on Twitter here.
