Like a Dragon: Yakuza Cast and Crew Explain How to Bring Kamurocho to Life

Amazon Prime brought the two leading actors to San Diego Comic Con 2024 to promote their six-episode TV adaptation of the Like a Dragon franchise. Joining Executive Producer Erik Barmack and Head of International Originals James Farrell, Ryōma Takeuchi (Kazuma Kiryu) and Kento Kaku (Akira Nishikiyama) gave a sneak peek of the series development work to an eager panel room. Directed by Masaharu Take, who worked on "The Naked Director," the live-action series promises to entertain and surprise diehard fans of the game.

Donned in opposing colors reminiscent of their characters, Takeuchi and Kaku were all smiles as they took their seats. After the moderator played a new teaser trailer, the two executives explained how the project came to be. "Erik and I were friends for a long time, and I lived in Japan for six years," said Farrell. "We were looking for something big to appeal to our 250 million viewers around the world." Erik Barmack described how production began as he started to play the games in his basement. "I was in the middle of Kiwami 2, and in the scene where Kiryu was beating up a bunch of grown men in diapers, my son—who was five at the time—asked what I was doing." The producer described how engrossed he was in the Like a Dragon world and saw the potential to tell a story from the long-running series.

When asked, Takeuchi and Kaku confessed they believed they had big shoes to fill their roles. "I was surprised at the initial offer," said Takeuchi. He previously worked with the director ten years ago, and this is the second time they've collaborated on screen. "After having an in-depth conversation with him, we need to bet our lives on this to do this right. It's an opportunity for me to reinvent and add to the character Kazuma Kiryu. I've ensured that I can add my take as well."

"The first time I got this offer for Nishiki was two years ago, and I was thinking about turning it down because it was too big and famous," admitted Kaku. All the panelists expressed shock by this statement, including his co-star Takeuchi. "Everyone around the world knows the legendary game. When I talked to the director, he had a strong passion for making a new version of Like a Dragon. It made me excited, and before I realized it, I had already agreed to do it."

Despite being taken aback, Takeuchi agreed he could understand Kaku's feelings. "It's a huge responsibility. The fans are pretty harsh, too! Please take it easy on us." Of course, both actors took their roles very seriously. While preparing for their roles, Takeuchi and Kaku voiced the importance of not simply " mimicking" Kiryu and Nishiki. "It's an opportunity to reinvent and add a new color to the franchise. We don't want to cosplay, mimic, or imitate the character. Embodying the flaws of the character and taking it all in is the most important thing." Takeuchi trained hard for the show, making sure to tone up and do justice to the moves that fans expected to see on screen. "You feel that support from the actual living character on your back. When I felt cornered in scenes, I felt Kazuma on my back, and that's what pushed me forward."

Nonetheless, there were challenges with his journey to match Kiryu's physique. Because he had no training regimen for his role prior to production, Takeuchi had to focus on getting into shape. He described the downside of not being able to eat all the delicious food on set, as it took him six months to get into shape. Although he couldn't divulge all the details of exactly what he did, the lead actor emphasized that the essence of the training was more than just "buffing up." Together, he and the audience watched behind-the-scenes of his workouts and martial arts drills. He laughed as he told the crowd how he'd changed since then. "If we do another season, I will need to train up again. The ‘me’ in production and now are so different, as you can see. During those tough grueling times when my heart was failing, Nishiki was there to help me." Kaku bluntly responded, "I was just watching."

Moving on to their relationship's descent from friends to foes, Kaku was asked about his experience as Nishiki. The character goes from an orphan to the patriarch of the Dojima family and is living his best life while Kiryu sits in jail. "You say he's suave—and maybe he seems to like it out on the outside—but inside, he's the most pitiful and unfortunate individual. Throughout the episode, he goes through all the emotions a human being can have. I think he's a person that every person can relate to in the show. Between two timelines, you get to enjoy two completely different sides of him." The panelists showed a clip of Nishiki's rise from 1995 to 2005, where he goes from begging on his knees, cutting off his finger to prove his worthiness, to leading the charge of a group of men.

Kiryu and Nishiki's evolving relationship is core to the series, meaning their actors also went through a brotherly bond of their own onscreen and offscreen. To Takeuchi, it was an organic relationship they built on set. He gave a further detailed explanation of how their characters' development paralleled their own personal development. "Being torn apart and coming back together ten years later, having that struggle in an attempt to form a family, is the essence of the drama and game. Forming a family is what draws me to the story and this franchise." On the other hand, Kaku portrays their connection and relationship in a simpler way. "We just talk a lot. Like how to elevate this show, our hobbies, working out, and dirty talk. In this show, Nishiki and Kazuma are brothers, and I wanted to be like a brother to him in real life."

Before entering a quick fan Q&A, the creative executives were asked how they characterized Yakuza's home turf, Kamurocho, into a live-action world. As the setting is a character itself and integral to the world of 1995 and 2005, Farrell credited Barmack and his team for bringing the amalgamation of contradictions to life. "Take-san rebuilt an entire city block, and the details of this project matter," said Barmack. "From the quality of the suit Kiryu wears to how the lights shine during different times. These represent the characters' origins when they're starting out and aspirational. Their rise to power and corruption of power. Things like the Millenium tower, which shows up in the game, and the place where Nishiki and Kiryu meet and who's in the background and what they wear plays into the authenticity of the story."

After hearing that, fans asked how faithful the adaptation would be to the games. "If you were to write a synopsis of the Yakuza world, it'd be longer than a Tolstoy novel," explained Barmack. "For us, in the first season, having an origin story with Nishiki, Kiryu, and Yumi was super important. Covering the world and what's happening with the Tojo clan, the Omi alliance, and these broader elements of criminality that come into the game are key." The producer further described how fan-favorite characters, like the Florist, are important to the series. However, this TV series isn't a pure recap of the game and reiterates the need to emphasize certain elements from the franchise. "For example, in the first season, bringing Yumi's character forward and having more of a love triangle early on makes good television while still being faithful to the core material." Barmack highlighted how crucial it is to accentuate different things within this season so that if they have future ones, they can then explore material they couldn't fit in.

For fun fanservice, Takeuchi mentioned his favorite characters from the series. "In terms of emotional connections, it's Yumi. But there's a very peculiar character in the show who says, "Kiryu-chan!" You know who it is," he smiled as he looked at the Goromi cosplayer sitting near the front row. Kaku turned to Takeuchi to tell him his favorite is Kiryu because he's "really impressed by how he concentrates on his character."

Last but not least, Yakuza fans needed to know if a certain koi fish tattoo would appear or if there was a karaoke scene. "I do karaoke personally all the time but… not in the season itself," laughed Takeuchi. "Tattoos will be part of the show, but singing may come eventually," interjected Barmack. "When you start to figure out how to boil down this world to six episodes, it becomes challenging because there's so much source material to pull from."

Before heading out, the moderator had one final surprise: a surprise interview with Executive Producer Masayoshi Yokoyama and his comments on the live-action series. Like a Dragon: Yakuza releases on October 24 on Amazon Prime.