Amazon Prime Video has surprised fans with the sudden announcement of a live-action adaptation of the renowned Yakuza: Like a Dragon series, which will be titled Dragon: Yakuza. It seems they opted for a shorter title.
The unexpected aspect isn’t merely that it’s a live-action adaptation of a video game—there are quite a few of those now, including Amazon’s own Fallout series—but rather that the show already has a director, lead star, and a pair of release dates scheduled for later this year. Here’s what we know:
Masaharu Take, known for directing The Naked Director, is directing the series. Ryoma Takeuchi will star as Kazuma Kiryu, the main character.
The series will consist of six episodes, released in two batches of three episodes each, spaced one week apart (an unusual approach). The release dates for Dragon: Yakuza are October 25, 2024, and November 1, 2024.
It is indeed surprising that the show was announced so suddenly and is set to release in just over four months. This isn’t the typical way such announcements are made. It offers a more detailed look at the storyline, which isn’t a direct adaptation of the first game but rather a “loose inspiration.”
Here’s what we know: The show will mainly be set in the Kamurocho entertainment district, familiar to fans of the games, and will follow Kiryu and three of his childhood friends during two time periods, 1995 and 2005.
Like the games, the protagonist Kiryu is portrayed as a “fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity.”
The story will look into the consequences of his actions in the two time periods. Takeuchi mentioned that the show will feature “intense fighting scenes,” hinting at the wild action the series is known for.
The series was announced at a press conference held at a hotel in Tokyo. One reason Takeuchi was cast is his physicality; he stands 6’1″ and got in impressive shape for the role. According to director Take, Takeuchi performed all his stunts and fight scenes:
“Having someone with such a large physical presence as Takeuchi makes all the difference. I understood that he knows his body better than anyone, so I left it to him to get into shape. Takeuchi did all the action himself as well. It was impressive.”
It’s uncertain whether this is intended to be a miniseries or an ongoing series, but the latter seems more likely, given Amazon’s interest in finding new hits and the profitability of video game adaptations.
The Yakuza series offers a wealth of content across multiple games, and it will be interesting to see how this adaptation turns out. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long.
