Like a Dragon: Yakuza – New video game adaptation coming soon to Amazon Prime Video

Prime Video has just released a full trailer for its next video game TV series adaptation, centered around a series of RPGs from Sega.

Like a Dragon: Yakuza is based on Rya Ga Gotoku Studio’s hit RPGs, a series made up of 13 main games and spin-off titles. Running since 2005, it follows ex-Yakuza Kazuma Kiryu and his battle to uncover a conspiracy between his former employers, the Tojo Clan, and his best friend.

Lead actor Ryoma Takeuchi, playing Kazuma, shows off his dragon back tattoo from every angle in the trailer but it quickly evolves to showcase various fights, explosions, and tense stand-offs. The show is entirely in Japanese, with subtitles for international audiences.

The series’ story is split across two timelines, 1995 and 2005, following two childhood friends and the impact the Yakuza had on their lives and relationships.

What did Prime Video take from the original games?

This isn’t the first time that Amazon has tried to adapt a video game into a TV show, building on the recent success of Fallout – which is now preparing for its second season. To capture that gaming audience, there are several shared characteristics with the games, including the setting (a fictional distinct of Tokyo called Kamurochō) and recurring fan-favorite character Goro Majima, identifiable through his eye patch and played here by Munetaka Aoki.

That’s ahead of the character getting his very own game, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC in February.

The games are dominated by intense martial arts fights and some humor, especially in the later games. However, Amazon’s adaptation is seemingly leading with the former rather than the latter, taking a more serious tone and skimping on the jokes – at least from the initial look of the trailer.

The TV series will seemingly focus largely on the plot from the games Yakuza and its remake Yakuza Kiwami. It will be available to watch on Prime Video from October 24 worldwide.

Featured image: Prime Video

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