Amazon's Like a Dragon: Yakuza TV show cast reveal that they have never played the games: "we wanted to do our own version"

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Exclusive | The cast explain why the team behind the new adaptation actually stopped them from playing the games

like a dragon yakuza amazon prime video tv show
(Image credit: Prime Video)

Excitement is building for the upcoming release of TV show Like a Dragon: Yakuza, Amazon's latest video game adaptation which hopes to follow in the footsteps of their hit series from earlier this year Fallout.

Based on the crime video game series of the same name, the Prime Video show will see actor Ryoma Takeuchi take on the lead role of Kiryu, a fearless Yakuza warrior. Spanning two timelines, we will see how his actions affect not only the criminal underworld but his relationship with childhood friend Akira Nishikiyama, who here is portrayed by Kento Kaku.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ at SDCC (via translators) following the reveal of the show's first teaser trailer, the actor duo spoke passionately about the series but had arguably a surprising answer when we asked them whether they played the games ahead of shooting - either for research or just for fun.

Not only has both of them never played the Yakuza games, but as Takeuchi revealed the team behind the new Amazon show actually asked them to avoid doing so. As he explained though, they had their reasons: "I know these games - everybody in the world knows these games. But I haven't played them. I'd like to try them but they had to stop me because they wanted to - for the character in the script - explore from scratch. That's why I decided not to play."

Adding onto that, Kaku emphasized that whilst their show does continue the legacy of the games, they also wanted to put their own stamp on it. He concludes: "I definitely knew the property very well but I didn't realize the franchise was this globally big. We decided we would make sure we would do our own version, relive the characters, take their spiritual elements, and embody them on our own. There was a clear line we wanted to draw but everything on the bottom was respect."

The first three episodes of Like a Dragon: Yakuza will premiere on Prime Video on October 24, with new episodes following weekly.

For what else should be on your radar, check out our guide to the upcoming TV shows to watch out for.

Emily Murray
Emily Murray
Writer

Emily Murray is a former Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar+, once responsible for overseeing all the online content for Total Film and SFX magazine. Emily has previously worked for the BBC, Zavvi, UNILAD, Yahoo, Digital Spy and more. When Emily isn't writing about film and TV, she can be found cuddling her cat on the sofa, likely bingeing New Girl for the millionth time (Nick Miller is the love of my life). You can also find her waxing lyrical about Christopher Nolan on a podcast dedicated to his filmography.

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