Despite how far video game adaptations have come over the years, there’s been one glaring omission: there hasn’t been a good prestige drama based on a Japanese game. Like a Dragon: Yakuza finally solves that problem, delivering a high-stakes drama that dives into the criminal underworld of Japan’s yakuza, based on Sega’s series of the same name. It takes a bit of time to find its footing, but the sheer raw talent of the cast makes this a story that hits hard and doesn’t let go.
Like a Dragon tells a story of found family and acceptance, following four young orphans who are forced to contend with the world of the yakuza, and how they each struggle to retain their humanity in the face of its brutality. Two timelines are woven together across the show’s six episodes, and while there’s initially some awkward pacing and confusion, the way everything comes together is unforgettable.
Like a Dragon’s biggest strength is that it takes inspiration from its video game counterpart but clearly strikes out in its own bold direction and doesn’t feel bound by having to re-create anything. The show largely takes place in Kamurocho, a fictional red-light district based on the real-life location in Tokyo. In the world of Like a Dragon, two massive yakuza clans control the city: the Tojo Clan and Ohmi Alliance.
In 1995, the four teenage protagonists — Kiryu, Nishikiyama, Miho, and Yumi — hatch a plan to rob an unassuming arcade to hit it big and finally leave their orphanage. What they don’t know is that the arcade is a front for the yakuza’s business, and the act leaves them indebted to the Tojo Clan, with no choice but to join the criminal organization. While this storyline plays out, we simultaneously flash forward 10 years, with Kiryu being released from prison into a drastically different world.
Between these two timelines, Like a Dragon dives deep into how each of its four main characters has struggled with their new lives — how their childlike innocence has been beaten out of them through the sheer cruelty of its unforgiving world. But a core theme is how Kiryu himself has retained his morality despite going to prison. He comes back into the world of the yakuza with a strong moral core and sense of justice, which is interestingly juxtaposed against the experiences of his siblings.
The performances by Kiryu (Ryoma Takeuchi), Nishiki (Kento Kaku), and Yumi (Yumi Kawai) are a strong-as-steel foundation for this show to build on, with each giving deeply emotional performances that have real complexity and layers — especially considering we’re essentially seeing two versions of these characters with two time periods. Takeuchi’s Kiryu especially is a tremendous highlight, a daydreaming boy turned into a stoic warrior who nonetheless has a heart of gold that’s never been chipped away. But past that, the rest of the cast also gives stellar performances that make this world feel grounded, from the far too-tired-for-this-stuff Detective Date (Subaru Shibutani) to the deliciously cold and uncaring Dojima (Masaya Kato), head of the Tojo’s Dojima Family.
Like a Dragon’s other biggest strength is that it’s unapologetically authentic. The show is unafraid to use Japanese terms and yakuza jargon, and the set design and costuming in particular are a fascinating glimpse at 1995 and 2005 Japan. The floral shirts and Punch Perm haircuts make Like a Dragon feel like a period piece just as much as a drama, exploring the life and inner workings of the yakuza and the seedy city of Kamurocho. It’s also beautifully shot, making fantastic use of space and angle to heighten the character’s emotions.
But at the same time, this show is taking inspiration from the video games, blending in a sense of surrealism and ridiculousness. There’s just a little edge of unreality to Like a Dragon that gives it extra flavor — from the Fight Club-esque underground combat arena to a secret mass surveillance room run by a police-officer-turned-yakuza. It’s that mix of the familiar and the unknown that makes Kamurocho such a compelling setting; it’s grounded and realistic but with a hint of the unknown.
However, as someone who’s intimately familiar with the games, I wonder if that dedication to authenticity might turn some new viewers off at the start because of one key problem. Like a Dragon does a poor job of explaining its setting and story; there’s very little in the way of exposition and setup in the first episode. You don’t get a good primer on what these criminal organizations are, and if you don’t know some of these key Japanese terms and honorifics, you’ll just have to intuit your way through some dialogue.
The show’s first episode is by far its weakest because of the poor setup, but it does do a good job of introducing you to its charming cast of characters. The second episode is a drastic step up that really starts to dig into the character drama, and steadily notches things up from there. If you can get over that initial hump, there’s a lot to love about Like a Dragon, and the confusion of its two timelines comes into more focus, tightening things up with the character stories.
For video game fans, there may be some trepidation toward this show as it essentially does away with one of the more beloved aspects of the games: the inherent off-the-wall goofiness. The yakuza games have always been known for their bizarre blend of melodramatic crime drama and almost slapstick humor, but this show leans heavily into the drama, and it's a wise choice. As an adaptation, it still manages to embrace so much of what makes the video games special: the themes of found family and finding your place, complex character relationships with emotional conclusions, and bone-crunching action.
Despite its opening stumbles, Like a Dragon: Yakuza is another massive video game-based success for Prime Video, delivering a grounded complex drama that’s befitting of one of the most surprising video game franchises of the last decade. It’s a treat that does something a little different for fans of the games, and has enough to offer as a drama for anyone that’s coming in for the first time. It follows in the footsteps of Fallout earlier this year, as an adaptation that really “gets” what makes the video games tick, and uses that as inspiration for doing something new and exciting — another reminder that even more good games are becoming great shows.
