Interview Ryoma Takeuchi, Star of Amazon’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza Series, On Becoming Kazuma Kiryu

[LIONT4MER]

Like a Dragon: Yakuza, a live-action Amazon Originals drama series based on Sega’s long-running game franchise, will begin broadcast on Prime Video on October 25. Directed by Masaharu Take (The Naked Director), the show partly follows the story of the first game, 2005’s Yakuza, while telling an original story. The show follows series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu in his misadventures in Japan’s crime underworld, set in the fictional Tokyo red light district Kamurocho in both the mid-1990s and 2005.

Playing stoic antihero Kiryu is actor Ryoma Takeuchi. Takeuchi played the titular role in Kamen Rider Drive in 2014, quickly reaching a wide audience in Japan, before going on to feature in multiple prestige drama series and films.

Full interview: Ryoma Takeuchi, Star of Amazon’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza Series, On Becoming Kazuma Kiryu


As someone who's invested 600+ hours across all of RGG's games, I'm really excited for this live-action adaptation! Plus Ryoma actually wants to play this role to full perfection for the fans

 

[GremlinKing]

I ve only played Yakuza kiwami when it was free on ps plus, might try the whole series later but eh this guy doesn't look the part but the interview has me hopeful, he's a great young Kiryu if they re going with that AKA his 0 story

But I doubt that since it ll be better they go a more deeper pattern than the game or alternatively

 

[Herman.GG]

Will give it a thumbs down if he doesn't tiger drop the shit out of Nishkiyama in the season finale xD

 

[Azazel]

600+ Hours across all the franchise sounds wicked dude, hopefully u had fun in all of em since I heard some bad things about Yakuza 3
I ve only played till Kiwami 2 so I yet to play the rest, hyped for the show, was skeptical at first but the more I see how passionate this guy is, the better hopes I get

 

[RompShaker]

Nice, it looks like the Actor is passionate about this instead of treating like another gig, I mean the Yakuza series has a golden history in the gaming world, all the cast should take their roles seriously

 

[Yacht]

“I’m excited to see what will happen,” he says. “The games are popular overseas, but the show includes elements that may be uniquely Japanese, and Kiryu is a very Japanese character. The show also has a specific flavor that may be different from other successful game adaptations, so I’m curious to see how it will be received.

You know what I was worried but now I'm actually excited on what they could tell differently here
I always love when these adaptations take their own spin on the narrative, risky but effective if done right