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CRIME action show Like a Dragon: Yakuza releases worldwide tomorrow on Amazon Prime.
The American-Japanese series will premiere with the first three episodes, followed by the remaining three on November 1.
Adapted from Sega’s Yakuza video game series, the live action set in 1995 and 2005 follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu (Ryoma Takeuchi) during his years as a Japanese transactional organised crime syndicate member - Yakuza - and his dynamic with childhood friend Akira Nishikiyama (Kento Kaku).
“I was surprised to be offered this role,” Ryoma said in an interview.
“I knew about the game series and had played the first game at my uncle’s home. It’s a real challenge to play a character from an existing work, and I considered very carefully whether I was suited to portray Kiryu, and whether it was right for me.
“From the beginning, I knew I would have to give it everything I have, or I’d never pull it off,” he added, describing the character as ‘strong, well-built and heroic’.
The video game franchise released its first instalment in 2005 for PlayStation 2. It was positively received in Japan for its innovative gameplay and cinema-like storytelling.
Released worldwide in 2021, the adapted namesake video game, which serves as the eighth mainline title in the series, earned nominations including for Best Role-Playing Game at the 2020 Video Game Awards.
