Prime Video has announced the casting of Kento Kaku as Akira Nishikiyama, aka Nishiki, during the Like a Dragon Yakuza panel at Comic-Con in San Diego. The panel for the action-packed TV adaptation of the iconic SEGA video game series began with the official teaser trailer, giving fans a glimpse of the first images of the show.
After the exclusive preview, the lead of the series, Ryoma Takeuchi, took the stage alongside his co-star Kento Kaku, James Farrell – head of Amazon MGM Studios’ International Originals – and the show’s executive producer, Erik Barmack. The four shared the audience’s excitement for the series and talked about their different roles in bringing the video game adaptation to life.
Building the excitement in the room, speakers surprised fans with exclusive clips, available only to the audience, which teased the on-screen portrayal of Ryoma as Kazuma Kiryu and Kento as Nishikiyama Akira. The panel concluded with a special video message from Masayoshi Yokoyama, executive producer of RYU GA GOTOKU Studio in Japan, who shared his behind-the-scenes impressions on creating the SEGA video game “Like a Dragon.”
The first three episodes of Like a Dragon: Yakuza will debut exclusively on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories worldwide starting Thursday, October 24.
Like a Dragon: Yakuza is a crime series dense with suspense and action, as well as a live-action adaptation with an original story based on the famous Yakuza: Like a Dragon video game series by SEGA. The story is set in Kamurochō and follows the growth of the protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, through an original screenplay. The series is directed by the renowned Masaharu Take and stars Ryoma Takeuchi as the main character, Kazuma Kiryu. Spanning from 1995 to 2005, the series follows the lives of childhood friends and the consequences of Kazuma Kiryu’s decisions, a formidable and unmatched Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity.