Like a Dragon: Yakuza is getting another live action series

June 4, 2024 Luke Henderson

Sega and Prime Video have announced that this October will see Like a Dragon: Yakuza bring the iconic characters of the beloved videogame series back to tv screens, in an all-new six episode series.

Details on the show are light, but we do know that it will be directed by Masaharu Take, and the series will feature Ryoma Takeuchi as the lead character, Kazuma Kiryu. In 1995 and 2005, spanning across two time-periods, Like a Dragon: Yakuza, an original crime-suspense-action series, follows the life, childhood friends, and repercussions of the decisions of Kazuma Kiryu, a fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity.

There are six episodes in this series, three of them will release on October 25 and then the remaining three will arrive on November 1, just a week later.

Since the day I first put pen to paper on the original “Yakuza“'s script, I've never once thought about revisiting any of my work on the series. It's because I understand all too well the challenges and hardships that come with remaking a finished title. However, if I were ever sent to the past through some kind of cosmic joke, this is the experience I'd want to create. If I had to go through the wringer anyhow, I'd want to make the most engaging versions of Kamurochō and Kazuma Kiryu I could —and this show has it all. There is no question that Prime Video’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza will become another landmark release for the Like a Dragon series. While the games let you experience their world through the subjective lens, this adaptation will be the ultimately objective way to enjoy the show. I have no doubt that fans of the series will be drawn to how it brings the games to life and adds new surprises. Newcomers, I'm sure will find themselves invested simply in the gritty realism of the show. If anything, I'd love to watch this version alongside audiences all around the world—experiencing all of its intensity and soaking in every single second.

Masayoshi Yokoyama, Head of RYUGAGOTOKU Studio and Executive Producer

This is not the first live action take on the games with the 2010 movie Ryūgagotoku gekijō-ban and then then 2010 tv series Kurohyou ryūgagotoku shin Fumi. This will however be the first time it will release globally at the same time.