Yakuza Live-Action Series Coming to Prime Video

Streaming giant Prime Video will release “Like a Dragon,” a live-action series adaptation of the SEGA game franchise “Yakuza Like a Dragon.”

The six-part crime-suspense-action series is directed by Take Masaharu (“100 Yen Love”) and Takimoto Kengo (“Kamen Teacher”) and stars Takeuchi Ryoma (several “Kamen Rider” titles) as the character principal, Kiryu Kazuma. .

It will be uploaded to Prime Video in two batches of three episodes on October 25 and November 1, with subtitled and dubbed versions in 30 languages.

The series’ story takes place across two time periods, 1995 and 2005, and follows the life, childhood friends and repercussions of the decisions of a fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, of duty and humanity. The screenplay and story are by Sean Crouch and Nakamura Yugo, with a Japanese screenplay by Yoshida Yasuhiro and Yamada Kana.

Launched in 2005 by SEGA, the “Yakuza” game series positioned itself as an entertaining game for adults and was a huge success among its target audience. The series “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” depicts the lives of fierce but passionate gangsters and people living in a massive entertainment district, Kamurochō, a fictional district modeled after the violent Kabukichō district of Shinjuku, which serves as the backdrop for the gameplay.

The series “features modern Japan and the dramatic stories of these intense characters, like the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, that games of the past were unable to explore,” Prime Video said.

Production is by The Fool. Executive producers are Erik Barmack, Roberto Grande and Joshua Long.

“I put my heart, soul and the experience I have accumulated over 35 years into ‘Like a Dragon: Yakuza,’” director Take said.

“The unlimited appeal of Japanese content from Japan and other parts of the world has grown exponentially. As Prime Video Japan continues to offer a variety of content across genres, adapting an internationally popular gaming franchise that has such deep resonance and layered characters presents a unique charm and indeed an extremely compelling watch,” said James Farrell, Head of International Originals, Amazon MGM Studios.

“Since the day I first wrote the original script for “Yakuza,” I never thought about revisiting any of my work on the series. That’s because I understand all too well the challenges and difficulties that come with remaking a completed title. However, if I were ever sent into the past through some sort of cosmic joke, this is the experience I would want to create. If I had to go through the ordeal anyway, I would want to create the most engaging versions of Kamurochō and Kazuma Kiryu – and this series has it all,” said Ryugagotoku studio head and executive producer Yokoyama Masayoshi. “Even though the games allow you to experience their world through a subjective lens, this adaptation will be the ultimately objective way to enjoy the show. I’m confident that fans of the series will be drawn to the way it brings the games to life and adds new surprises. Newcomers, I’m sure, will simply find themselves invested in the series’ gritty realism.