Amazon's live-action Like a Dragon: Yakuza lead knows there's "no point in trying to surpass the original game" so they're portraying Kazuma Kiryu in their "own way"

Ryoma Takeuchi, the actor behind Amazon's live-action Like a Dragon: Yakuza series, is well aware of the weight of the role he's taking on.

Last month, Sega announced that the Yakuza series, now rebranded as Like a Dragon, will be getting a live-action, TV show adaptation on Amazon. It's not the first time the series has gone the way of live-action, though it will be the first time in this era of "are video game adaptations kind of good now?" The show will unsurprisingly be about series mainstay Kazuma Kiryu, with this particular outing seeing Ryoma Takeuchi taking on the role. Takeuchi recently spoke with IGN Japan about joining the series, where he spoke about his feelings on portraying a character from a pre-existing series, and the challenges that came with that.

"I was surprised to be offered this role," Takeuchi explained. "I knew about the game series and had played the first game at my uncle’s home. It’s a real challenge to play a character from an existing work, and I considered very carefully whether I was suited to portray Kiryu, and whether it was right for me. From the beginning, I knew I would have to give it everything I have, or I’d never pull it off." For Takeuchi, it very much became about crafting his own version of Kiryu, saying he had to create the character "from scratch." Of course, with a character as beloved as Kiryu, there are also some expectations from fans to consider.

"I have great respect for the feelings of the fans," Takeuchi continued. "But when I play a character, I have to express them in my own way, so I can’t pay attention to the preconceptions of others. I researched the games for myself, to identify Kiryu’s qualities and embody them in my own way. Of course, I hope the fans will be happy with my portrayal - but I can say with confidence that I’ve done my best to play Kiryu. There’s no point in trying to surpass the original game; rather I wanted to show respect to the games while making something new as an artist."

Takeuchi has been working as an actor now for about a decade, best known for portraying the lead role in Kamen Rider Drive. He's also no stranger to video game adaptations, as he also voiced Justice Smith's character Tim Goodman in the Japanese dub of Detective Pikachu (where he also had a cameo as a Pokemon trainer early on in the film).

Like a Dragon: Yakuza is set to air on Prime Video later this year, on October 24.