A live-action TV series based on Sega’s Yakuza and Yakuza video games will begin airing on October 25, and more casting details for the show were revealed at San Diego Comic-Con. Japanese actor and model Ryoma Takeuchi will play the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, a role first announced in June, with Kento Kaku also joining the cast as Akira Nishikiyama.
In the Yakuza game series, Nishikiyama grew up in an orphanage with Kazuma, and before the events of the first Yakuza game, Nishikiyama was one of his greatest allies. Nishikiyama is a complex character who murdered Dojima Sohei, the patriarch of the Dojima family, to stop him from sexually assaulting his yakuza friend Yumi Sawamura. Kazuma is willing to take responsibility for Dojima’s murder and serve 10 years in his place. Upon his release from prison, he discovers that his sworn brother has fundamentally changed over the past decade, putting the two into conflict.
Calais debuted in 2007 and has since racked up several credits in television and film projects. His latest starring role is in Netflix’s Ninja House, which tells the story of a family of ninjas who once worked for the government and are descendants of the legendary ninja Hattori Hanzo.
The Yakuza: Like a Dragon Prime Movie series will span two time periods – 1995 and 2005 – and follow not only Kazuma Kiryu, but also his childhood friends and the impact of his decisions. Like the games, the show aims to balance intense action scenes with drama, and will be set in the fictional Kamurocho area, which has been the series’ main base since its inception in the early 2000s.
The official synopsis for the series reads: “Yakuza: Like a Dragon showcases modern Japan and the dramatic stories of these fierce characters, such as the legendary Kazuma Kiryu, that past games have been unable to explore.”
