Amazon Prime Video to Debut Live-Action Series Based on Like A Dragon Franchise

The renowned Like A Dragon series from Sega is set to receive a live-action adaptation, with a six-part series scheduled to launch on Amazon Prime Video later this year. According to Variety, the show is being produced by The Fool, with Take Masaharu and Takimoto Kengo at the helm. Takeuchi Ryoma, known for his role in Kamen Rider, has been cast as Kiryu Kazuma, the main protagonist of the games. The series, titled Like A Dragon: Yakuza, will be set across two timelines, 1995 and 2005, and will follow the stories of childhood friends entangled in a narrative involving the Yakuza. Amazon Prime Video promises that the show will "delve into the dramatic stories of modern Japan and its complex characters, including the iconic Kazuma Kiryu, in a way that previous games have not explored." The series will be released in two parts, with the first three episodes airing on October 25, 2024, and the remaining three on November 1. The episodes will be available with subtitles and dubbing in 30 languages. The first game in the series was released by Sega in 2005, under the title Like A Dragon in Japan and Yakuza in Western markets. In 2022, the publisher unified the franchise's name globally to Like A Dragon. The latest installment, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, achieved the highest sales in the series upon its release in January.