SAN DIEGO, California — July 26, 2024 — Today, Prime Video announced the casting of Kento Kaku as Akira Nishikiyama, aka Nishiki, during the Like a Dragon: Yakuza panel at San Diego Comic-Con. The panel for the action-packed TV adaptation of SEGA’s iconic video game series started with the official teaser trailer giving fans a glimpse of the first ever footage from the show. Following the exclusive first look, series lead Ryoma Takeuchi took to the stage alongside his series co-star Kento Kaku as well as James Farrell, Head of International Originals at Amazon MGM Studios, and the show’s executive producer Erik Barmack. The four shared in the audiences’ enthusiasm for the series and spoke about their different roles in bringing the video game adaptation to life.
Adding to the excitement within the room, the panelists surprised fans with exclusive in-room only clips teasing the on-screen portrayal of Ryoma as Kazuma Kiryu and Kento as Nishikiyama Akira. The panel ended with a special video message from Masayoshi Yokoyama, the executive producer at RYU GA GOTOKU Studio in Japan, who shared his behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of the SEGA video game “Like a Dragon.”
The first three episodes of Like a Dragon: Yakuza will debut exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide beginning Thursday, October 24.
About Like a Dragon: Yakuza
Like a Dragon: Yakuza is a crime-suspense-action series as well as a live-action adaptation with an original story based on SEGA’s global hit game franchise, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The story is set in Kamurochō and tells the story of the main character, Kazuma Kiryu and his growth through an original screenplay. The series is directed by the critically acclaimed Masaharu Take and features Ryoma Takeuchi as the lead character, Kazuma Kiryu. Spanning across 1995 and 2005, , the series follows the lives of childhood friends, and the repercussions of the decisions of Kazuma Kiryu, a fearsome and peerless Yakuza warrior with a strong sense of justice, duty, and humanity.
About Prime Video
Prime Video is a one-stop entertainment destination offering customers a vast collection of premium programming in one application available across thousands of devices. On Prime Video, customers can find their favorite movies, series, documentaries, and live sports – including Amazon MGM Studios-produced series and movies Road House, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Fallout, Reacher, The Boys, and The Idea of You; licensed fan favorites American Fiction and The Boys in the Boat; Prime member exclusive access to coverage of live sports including Thursday Night Football, WNBA, and NWSL, and acclaimed sports documentaries including Bye Bye Barry and Federer; and programming from partners such as Max, Crunchyroll and MGM+ via Prime Video Channels add-on subscriptions, as well as more than 500 free ad-supported (FAST) Channels. Prime members in the U.S. can share a variety of benefits, including Prime Video, by using Amazon Household. Prime Video is one benefit among many that provides savings, convenience, and entertainment as part of the Prime membership. All customers, regardless of whether they have a Prime membership or not, can rent or buy titles, including blockbusters such as Challengers and The Fall Guy, via the Prime Video Store, and can enjoy content such as Jury Duty and Bosch: Legacy free with ads on Freevee. Customers can also go behind the scenes of their favorite movies and series with exclusive X-Ray access. For more info visit www.amazon.com/primevideo.
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