Amazon has introduced an authentic live-action collection for Prime Video based mostly on Sega’s profitable Like a Dragon sport collection, beforehand often known as Yakuza.
Merely titled Like a Dragon: Yakuza and together with six episodes, this authentic collection is directed by Masaharu Take, finest identified for the drama collection The Bare Director. Made in Japan, the collection stars the vastly standard Japanese drama and stage actor Ryoma Takeuchi within the position of Kazuma Kiryu.
Like a Dragon: Yakuza can be accessible on Amazon Prime in over 240 international locations and territories worldwide, launched in two batches on October 25 and November 1, 2024.
A brand new story loosely based mostly on the unique Yakuza
The live-action crime-suspense collection relies on an authentic screenplay loosely impressed by the primary sport within the collection, 2005’s Yakuza. It is going to be set primarily within the Kamurocho leisure district, straight from the video games, and follows Kiryu and three of his childhood pals in two time intervals, 1995 and 2005.
Just like the video games, protagonist Kiryu is described within the present’s press launch as a “fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a sturdy sense of justice, responsibility, and humanity”, and the story will cope with the repercussions of his actions within the two time intervals. Takeuchi commented that the present will embody “intense combating scenes”, alluding to the wild motion the collection is famed for.
The collection was introduced at the moment at a press convention on the picturesque Lodge Gajoen Tokyo. On the occasion, Takeuchi and Take mentioned the method of adapting the acclaimed sport collection for a live-action drama.
Talking of the tattoo on his again and sculpting his physique for the position, as seen in the important thing visible picture launched at the moment, Takeuchi stated, “You may’t play Kiryu Kazuma with out entering into form, so I knew I needed to throw myself into it. This was a job not solely for me but in addition for the costume and make-up groups. It took two and a half hours simply to organize for this shot.”
He added, “It’s partly Kiryu Kazuma and it’s partly me. I bought so near the half that it was exhausting to differentiate the place he ended and I started. That included entering into form for the half, the costume and so forth. Slightly than appearing the a part of Kiryu, I really feel like he grew to become a part of the household.”
Director Take stated, “Having somebody with such a massive bodily presence as Takeuchi makes all of the distinction. I understood that he is aware of his physique higher than anybody, so I left it to him to get into form. Takeuchi did all of the motion himself as effectively. It was spectacular.”
Of Kiryu’s place within the story, Take stated, “In 1995, the protagonist remains to be younger and he makes a lot of errors, and these result in him spending a decade in jail and the results he faces when he will get out in 2005. I attempted to indicate these variations within the two time intervals, and the forged helped to attain this as effectively.”
Taking their positions in entrance of a golden folding display emblazoned with a dragon harking back to the tattoo on Kiryu’s again, the actor and director made a symbolic prayer for the present’s success.
Meet the brand new Kazuka Kiryu
Takeuchi broke by means of along with his position as Shinnosuke Tomari in a number of Kamen Rider initiatives. His credit embody a cameo in 2019’s Detective Pikachu film adaptation as a Pokémon coach, in addition to offering the voice for Justice Smith’s character Tim Goodman within the Japanese dub. He additionally has a profitable profession in stage appearing, and earlier than that was a budding soccer participant.
In a press launch, Masayoshi Yokoyama, head of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and government producer of the brand new drama collection, stated, “Whereas the video games allow you to expertise their world by means of the subjective lens, this adaptation would be the finally goal option to benefit from the present. I’ve little doubt that followers of the collection can be drawn to the way it brings the video games to life and provides new surprises. Newcomers, I am positive, will discover themselves invested merely within the gritty realism of the present.”
The Like a Dragon sport collection is developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and printed by Sega. The primary sport, upon which the Amazon collection can be partly based mostly, was launched in 2006 within the West, with IGN praising its story and awarding it 8.2/10. The sport spawned a globally profitable franchise, with a number of sequels and spinoffs, a film adaptation directed by Takashi Miike in 2007, and a remake of the primary sport titled Yakuza Kiwami in 2016.
The collection was renamed Like a Dragon in 2022, and the newest entry, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, was launched globally in January 2024, receiving 9/10 scores from each IGN and IGN Japan.
Daniel Robson is Chief Editor of IGN Japan. Discover him on Twitter here.