The role-playing game Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth kicked off 2024 with its release in January, but fans of the dramatic Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio series have yet another exciting development to anticipate. Autumn will witness the launch of a series based on the original Yakuza game.
Amazon has announced the production of Like a Dragon: Yakuza, a dramatic Japanese series based on the Sega’s first criminal franchise released in 2005.
The show’s lead will be the formidable Yakuza warrior, Kazuma Kiryu, portrayed by actor Ryoma Takeuchi. Directorial responsibilities lie with Japanese film-maker Masaharu Take.
Like a Dragon: Yakuza will narrate Kiryu’s life, childhood friendships, and the repercussions of his decisions, exhibiting his unique persona embodying a fearsome yet humane Yakuza warrior with an innate sense of justice and duty.
The narrative will unfold across two timelines — 1995 and 2005. The plot, derived from the game, sees Kiryu taking fall for a crime he did not commit. After a decade-long prison term, he returns to a changed world.
Prime Video will exclusively premiere Like a Dragon: Yakuza on 25 October. The first three episodes will be released on the same day, followed by the rest on 1 November.
Worthy of note, Like a Dragon: Yakuza is not the first screen adaptation of Yakuza. There has been a full-length movie in 2007, and another film adaptation was announced in 2020, which has since fallen off the radar.
