Pack your bags for Kamurochō because Sega‘s Yakuza series is coming to Prime Video, thanks to an upcoming live-action adaptation, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, on October 24, 2024! Based on the mega-popular Yakuza video game series, Like a Dragon: Yakuza follows Kazama Kiryu, the steadfast protagonist from the original games. Japanese actor Ryoma Takeuchi (Kamen Rider Drive) plays Kazama in the series, featuring plenty of street toughs feeling the wrath of Kazama’s mighty fists of fury.
Plot details about the show remain a mystery. However, it is said to have six episodes, with Kazama exploring the mean and unpredictable streets of the fictional entertainment district Kamurocho. Like a Dragon: Yakuza is set in 1995, similar to the plot of the game Yakuza Kiwami. It’s recommended that people interested in the show play Yakuza Kiwami before watching the show, though it’s optional. If you plan to play the game, remember that it can take up to 100 hours to see everything in a Yakuza game.
Sega’s Yakuza series has grown in popularity in recent years. The first game, Yakuza, was released in 2005. Many sequels and spinoffs followed, but the series became a mega-hit in the U.S. with 2016’s Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. The latest installment of the franchise, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, features Kazama Kiryu teaming up with Ichiban Kasuga, a frizzy-haired himbo with a heart of gold and a Dragon Warrior obsession.
The Yakuza series is hard-hitting but also very silly. In addition to the game’s street-brawling mechanics and RPG elements, Kazama and Ichiban fight perverts, rescue runaway wigs, foil serial urinators, murder karaoke machines, and spend far too much yen on Gotcha machines. The game includes mini-games to boost character stats and introduce hijinks to an otherwise “serious” plot about loyalty, honor, and overcoming adversity in a city trying to kill you. The latest entry, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, is a delight. I’m in the middle of playing it now, and I’m having a blast! It’s unclear if Prime Video‘s Like a Dragon: Yakuza series will carry the same tone as the games, but I hope it does to some extent.