Kazuma Kiryu is one of the most important video game characters ever created — a yakuza gangster with a heart of gold that tries to retain his humanity in an increasingly violent world. For two decades, the Yakuza video games have explored Kiryu as a character, giving fans the chance to quite literally see him grow old and tired. It’s so rare to see a video game character’s life explored so thoroughly, and Kiryu has always been the heart of Yakuza, both for his humor and stoic personality. Translating such a beloved character into live action is no small task, and interestingly Prime Video’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza took a different approach, as lead actor Ryoma Takeuchi was asked not to play the games for his portrayal.
“I pay full respect to who he is in the game, but I didn’t want to be that Kiryu,” Takeuchi tells Inverse. “I could just play the game and get the essence of Kiryu extracted, but I wanted to be cautious that does not really confine me from doing what I think is right. I wanted to portray his humanity in the drama. It’s a difficult phrase to translate, but it’s important — Kiryu Kazumi in the game is Kiryu. But me, I’m also Kiryu.”
