In June of 2024, a television adaptation of Sega’s Yakuza series was announced for Amazon Prime Video as an adaptation of the first game, called simply Yakuza, or Like a Dragon in Japan, released for the PlayStation 2 back in 2005. Fans were skeptical of the project, but hype persisted due to the critical acclaim that Amazon’s recently released Fallout adaptation received. When the October 2024 release date came, the show was hit with mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, many comparing it to Paramount’s Halo adaptation for its lack of similarities with the source material.
The series stars actor Ryoma Takeuchi as the Yakuza series’ main protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, with Kento Kaku playing Akira Nishikiyama, a character featured in both the original Yakuza, and 2015’s Yakuza 0. Toshiaki Karasawa plays as Shintaro Kazama, another recurring character introduced in the original Yakuza, and Munetaka Aoki appears as Goro Majima, a recurring antagonist in the game series.
On its own, the show is… fine. It’s a decent Japanese Yakuza drama, nothing special, but the problems lie with its attempts–or lack thereof–to adapt the game franchise. Many fans have claimed that it feels like the people writing the show were simply handed terms from the franchise, with little to back them up. While it includes locations, characters, and some basic plot points from the 2005 game, it misses the nature of the series it’s adapting.
One of the things that the Yakuza franchise is most known for is its silliness. The goofy animations, the minigames, and the meme-worthy moments make the series not just a game, but a constant presence in online culture. Even if you’ve never played a Yakuza game, you’ve likely heard of its characters, seen memes and jokes about it, or seen a silly GIF including one of its characters. The show often fails to capture this same magic, falling into the trap of being a generic drama series. Action scenes are more serious, and, while that is fine on its own, it doesn’t really feel fitting for this franchise. The show seems to be constantly trying to take itself seriously, rarely taking a break to have fun and/or be funny.
Even when the show is serious, it still misses the more serious parts of the games. Despite its goofiness, the Yakuza games have also had commentary on something social, political, or both, in passing dialogue or as key points of the game(s). It also misses other miscellaneous things that may seem small, but lead to the show misrepresenting an important aspect of a character, such as the way Dojima is portrayed visually, with him being a fat, slimy character in the games, compared to just being a normal looking guy in the show.
To give some credit, the acting is pretty good, and there’s some decent character development, but, as I said before, the biggest strength is the show’s foundation. This could make for a pretty decent Yakuza drama if it wasn’t attempting to directly adapt the game(s), or if it was using new characters set in the same universe. Overall, I give Amazon’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza a 6/10
