Amazon has announced Like a Dragon: Yakuza, a live-action television series adaptation of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios and Sega’s long-running Like a Dragon (formerly Yakuza) series. It will be a story centered on series mainstay Kazuma Kiryu and will follow his life in 1995 and 2005 across six episodes.
The first three episodes drop Oct. 25 and the last three episodes hit Amazon Prime Video on Nov. 1, and, according to Variety, the series will be subbed and dubbed in 30 languages.
The logline for the series describes it as a story set in two time periods – 1995 and 2005 – and follows the life, childhood friendships, and repercussions of the decisions of Kazuma Kiryu, a Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity. If you’re familiar with the series, given the time periods at play here, it sounds like Like a Dragon: Yakuza could be loosely adapting the storyline of Yakuza 1.
Take Masaharu (100 Yen Love) is directing the series alongside Takimoto Kengo (Kamen Rider), and stars Takeuchi Ryoma (various Kamen Rider movies and series) as Kazuma Kiryu. You can see him in the image below:
Variety reports Like a Dragon: Yakuza will “depict the lives of fierce yet passionate gangsters and people living in a huge entertainment district, Kamurochō, a fictional district modeled after the violent Shinjuku ward’s Kabukichō, that acts as the backdrop of the gameplay.” Amazon says the series “showcases modern Japan and the dramatic stories of these intense characters, such as the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, that games in the past have not been able to explore.”
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios studio head and series executive producer Yokoyama Masayoshi told Variety the following:
“Since the day I first put pen to paper on the original Yakuza script, I’ve never once thought about revisitng any of my work on the series. It’s because I understand all too well the challenges and hardships that come with remaking a finished title. However, if I were ever sent to the past through some kind of cosmic joke, this is the experience I’d want to create. If I had to go through the wringer anyhow, I’d want to make the most engaging versions of Kamurochō and Kazuma Kiryu I could – and this show has it all.
“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 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.”
Like a Dragon: Yakuza hits Amazonz Prime Video starting on Oct. 25 and will finish on Nov. 1 this year.
News of this series follows the release of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, the eighth mainline installment in the video game series, back in January. You can read Game Informer’s Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth review here. After that, read Game Informer’s exclusive interview with the leads behind the Like a Dragon series to learn about the future of Ryu Ga Gotoku studio while visiting its offices.
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