The news that Amazon were working on a live-action adaptation of the Yakuza or Like a Dragon series of video games came out of nowhere, but now we have our first big update and a good look at the series.
Like a Dragon: Yakuza is based on the very first game in the series, originally released for PS2 in 2005 and remade and expanded for modern systems in 2016 as Yakuza Kiwami. It follows honorable Tojo Clan member Kazuma Kiryu, who takes a murder charge in 1995 for his oath brother Akira Nishikiyama. After 10 years in the joint, Kiryu is released in 2005 only to find the world around him has changed, especially the Tojo Clan and his friend Nishiki, who's now embroiled in a political conspiracy involving 10 billion yen.
Amid the close-up tattoo action, we can see a few glimpses of iconic Kamurocho locations like Theater Square, a club that looks like Stardust and the famous arch on Tenkaichi Street. We also see what looks like Tojo Clan HQ and Kiryu kicking ass in the colosseum, so even if we haven't seen him in his iconic grey and red suit just yet it looks faithful to the original so far.
Joining Kamen Rider Drive star Ryoma Takeuchi as Kiryu is Kento Kaku, known for the Netflix series House of Ninjas. He'll be playing the villainous role of Nishiki, and certainly looks the part even if his hair isn't as long as the original. Still, we'll have to wait for a longer look at the series to better judge if it captures the vibe of the games, but so far it at least looks the part.
Ryu Ga Gotoku executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama, who worked on the series since the beginning but took over the role of studio head after Toshihiro Nagoshi left in 2021, spoke about the series in a video released alongside the trailer at SDCC. Basically, he says don't expect the series to be an exact copy of the game, cos there are some parts that surprised even him, but he's sure Amazon's new take on the game's story and characters willl satisfy fans.
Like a Dragon: Yakuza premieres on Prime Video October 24, with the first 3 episodes dropping then and the final 3 a week later. Are you guys looking forward to it? Do you think the trailer looks close to the game? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
