Live action Like A Dragon series coming to Amazon Prime video
Six episodes will be released this year, starting in October
Sega's popular Like A Dragon series is the latest video games franchise to get a live action adaptation, with a six-part show heading to Amazon Prime Video later this year.
Variety reported that the series is being produced by The Fool, and will be directed by director Take Masaharu and Takimoto Kengo. Kamen Rider actor Takeuchi Ryoma has been cast as the games' main hero, Kiryu Kazuma.
The show — entitled Like A Dragon: Yakuza — will be split across 1995 and 2005, and follows the stories of childhood friends caught up in a story involving the Yakuza.
Prime Video said the series will "[showcase] modern Japan and the dramatic stories of these intense characters, such as the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, that games in the past have not been able to explore."
The first three episodes will be released on October 25, 2024, followed by the other three on November 1. Episodes will be subtitled and dubbed in 30 languages.
Sega released the first game in the series in 2005, known as Like A Dragon in Japan but renamed Yakuza in Western markets. In 2022, the publisher dropped the Yakuza branding in favour of making Like A Dragon the global name for the franchise.
The most recent entry, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, became the fastest-selling title in the series when it launched back in January.