Ryū ga Gotoku: Gekijōban (also known as Yakuza: Like a Dragon) was the first adaptation of the popular action game series by Ruy Ga Gotoku Studios in 2007 and directed by Takashi Miike. Based on the video games published by Sega, it did not make much of an impact outside of Japan, although the franchise has since experienced great growth in the West. Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku made a shift from action to turn-based JRPG genre in the last two instalments (Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth), and Infinite Wealth has in fact been the fastest-selling instalment to reach one million copies sold, with a quality that makes it a firm contender for GOTY of 2024.
So it’s no surprise that Amazon Prime Video, in its new video game adaptation project (which is already successful with the Fallout series), is betting on the Japanese criminal underworld and the story of Kazuma Kiryu.
The upcoming live action TV series Like a Dragon: Yakuza already has an official premiere date on Prime Video, and it will premiere on 24 October. Amazon has also just released the first trailer, where we see Kiryu (played by Ryoma Takeuchi) as he gets his iconic dragon tattooed on his back and enters the ring ready for a fight. The trailer also gives us a glimpse of some locations in Tokyo’s fictional Kamurocho neighbourhood, inspired by the real Kabukichō, the birthplace of most of the stories in the video game series.
Let’s hope that Amazon has also managed to transform the story of the games into a great TV adaptation.
Are you looking forward to watching Like a Dragon: Yakuza when it premieres in October?