Like a Dragon: Yakuza cast and crew explain how to bring Kamurocho to life

Amazon Prime invites the two stars to San Diego Comic-Con 2024 to promote their six-episode TV adaptation like a dragon Franchise. Join as Executive Producer Eric Barmack James Farrell, Head of International Originals, Takeuchi Ryoma (Kima Kiryu) and Sage of Calais (Akira Nishikiyama) presented the series’ development to an enthusiastic panel room. Directed by Masaharu Takeru of Naked Director, the live-action series is expected to entertain and surprise die-hard fans of the game.

Takeuchi and Kaku, wearing opposite-colored clothes reminiscent of their respective characters, took their seats with smiles on their faces. After the host played the new trailer, the two executives explained the origins of the project. “Eric and I have been friends for a long time, and I lived in Japan for six years,” Farrell said. “We’re looking for something big to attract a global audience of 250 million people.” Eric Barmack He described how production began when he started playing games in his basement. “I was in the middle of ‘Kiwami 2,’ during a scene where Kiryu is beating up a bunch of grown men in diapers, and my then five-year-old son asked me what I was doing.” The producer described how engrossed he was like a dragon world and saw the potential for storytelling from this long-running series.

When asked, Takeuchi and Kaku admitted that they believed they were capable enough to fill their roles. “I was surprised by the initial offer,” Takeuchi said. He worked with the director ten years ago, and this is their second time working together on screen. “After having an in-depth conversation with him, we needed to put our lives on the line to get this right. This was an opportunity for me to reinvent and add to the character of Kazuma Kiryu. I’ve made sure that I can bring my The view added brilliantly.

“The first time I received an offer from Nishiki was two years ago, and I was considering rejecting it because it was too big and too famous,” Kaku admits. All panel members expressed shock at the announcement, including his partner Takeuchi. “People all over the world know this legendary game. When I talked to the director, he had a strong passion for making a new version of the game. like a dragon. This excited me and before I knew it, I had agreed to do it.

Although taken aback, Takeuchi admits he understands how Kaku feels. “It’s a huge responsibility. The fans are tough too! Please go easy on us.” Of course, both actors take their roles very seriously. When preparing for their roles, Takeuchi and Kaku expressed the importance of not just “imitating” Kiryu and Nishiki. “This is an opportunity to reinvent and add something new to the franchise. We don’t want to role play, imitate, or imitate the character. Embodying the character’s flaws and absorbing them all is most important. With real, living characters on their backs. When I feel cornered in a scene, I feel Kazuma on my back and that’s what pushes me forward.

Still, he had his share of challenges in matching Kiryu’s physique. Since he didn’t train for his role before filming, Takeuchi had to focus on staying in shape. He described the downside of not being able to eat all the delicious food on set because it took him six months to get back into shape. Although he could not reveal what exactly he did, the actor emphasized that the essence of training was more than just “honing.” He joined the audience for a behind-the-scenes look at his workouts and martial arts training. He laughed as he told the crowd how he had changed since then. “If we play another season, I will need to train again. As you can see, the ‘me’ in labor and the ‘me’ now are so different. During those difficult times when my heart failed, Jin was there to help Kaku said bluntly: “I was just watching. “

Next, their relationship turns from friends to enemies, and Kaku is asked about his experience as Nishiki. The character grew from an orphan to the head of the Dojima family, living his best life while Kiryu was in prison. “You say he’s very urbane – and maybe he likes it on the outside – but on the inside, he’s the most miserable, unfortunate person. Throughout the series, he experiences every emotion a human being can have. I think he is a human being. The panelists played a clip of Jin’s rise from 1995 to 2005, from begging on his knees and cutting off his fingers to prove his worth to leading a group of men into battle.

Kiryu and Nishiki’s evolving relationship is at the heart of the series, meaning their cast members experience their own bromance both on and off screen. For Takeuchi, it was an organic relationship they developed on set. He further explains in detail how their characters’ development parallels their own personal development. “The struggle to build a family after being torn apart and back together after ten years, that’s the essence of the show and the game. Building a family is what attracted me to this story and this series.” On the other hand, adding to depict their connection and relationship in a simpler way. “We just talked a lot. Like how to improve the show, our hobbies, working out and swearing. On the show, Nishiki and Kazuma are brothers and I want to be like him in real life.”

Before jumping into a quick fan Q&A, the creative lead was asked about how Yakuza’s home town of Kamurocho was shaped into a live-action world. As the scene is a character in its own right and an integral part of the world of 1995 and 2005, Farrell credits Barmack and his team for bringing the ambivalent fusion to life. “Wushan rebuilt an entire neighborhood, and the details of this project were important,” Barmack said. “From the quality of the suit Kiryu wears to how the lights shine at different times. These represent the characters’ origins and aspirations. Their rise to power and the corruption of power. Something like the Millennium Tower, it shows their origins and aspirations. ambition.

After hearing this, fans asked whether the adaptation was faithful to the game. “If you want to write a synopsis yakuza Barmack explained: “It was very important to us in season one to tell the origin story with Nishiki, Kiryu and Yumi. Covering the world and the Tojo clan, the Omi Alliance and these broader criminal elements in the game What happens is key. The show is not a pure review of the games and reiterates the need to emphasize certain elements of the series, such as taking Yumi’s character forward and having more early on in the first season. More love triangles would be beneficial.

for entertaining fan serviceTakeuchi mentioned his favorite character from the series. “In terms of emotional connection, it’s Yumi. But there’s a very peculiar character in the show who says, ‘Kiryu-chan!’ You know who he is,” he said, smiling at Goro. role player Sit near the front row. Kaku turned to Takeuchi and told him that his favorite was Kiryu because he was “impressed by the way he focused on his role.”

last but not least, yakuza Fans need to know if there will be some kind of koi fish tattoo or if there will be a karaoke scene. “I personally do karaoke a lot, but… not during the show season itself,” Takeuchi laughed. “Tattoos will be part of the show, but singing may end up happening,” Barmack interjected. “When you start figuring out how to condense this world into six episodes, it becomes challenging because there’s so much source material to draw from.”

Before heading off, the host has one last surprise: an unexpected interview with executive producer Ayoshi Yokoyama and his comments about the live-action series. Like a Dragon: Like a Dragon Released on Amazon Prime on October 24th.