Like a Dragon: Yakuza’s Kiryu actor knows exactly why the adaptation’s already-divisive time jump scenes are important: "We wanted to depict the humanity"
Oct. 27, 2024Exclusive: Ryoma Takeuchi breaks down why the 1995-set scenes are crucial to the Prime Video series' story
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There’s already been early talk of fans not gelling with the back-and-forth time jumps of Like a Dragon: Yakuza. But, as Kiryu actor Ryoma Takeuchi explains, the skipping back to the wannabe Dragon of Dojima’s early life in Kamurocho is crucial to understanding the growth of the Prime Video series' cast of characters.
“Depicting these characters in their childhood in 1995 in the drama was a very important element,” Takeuchi told GamesRadar+ (via translation).
“Even myself as a person, and I think it’s the same for everyone, how you spent your childhood and how you grew up and [were] raised and the people around you actually makes who you are as a person when you become an adult,” Takeuchi says. “And I think depicting those backgrounds was a very important part of this drama.”
“We need to set a very clear reasoning behind why they ended up in this kind of life,” Takeuchi explains. “And also that was the mindset of [director Masaharu Take]. He wanted to depict this very much in this drama… We wanted to get the storyline pretty much linked up with the game itself, so the fan would be thrilled with it. But of course, at the same time, we wanted to sort of depict the humanity or the human drama aspect in this work. And this part of focusing on the young people in 1995 was a very important part of [it].”
The first three episodes of Like a Dragon: Yakuza are now streaming worldwide on Prime Video. For more, check out the fullLike a Dragon: Yakuza release schedule, our verdict of the first season in theLike a Dragon: Yakuza review, and our ranking of thebest Yakuza games.
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I’m the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you’ll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.
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