San Diego Comic-Con: Prime Video’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza reveals Kento Kaku as Akira Nishikiyama, aka Nishiki, alongside the teaser trailer for the TV adaptation of the iconic SEGA video game
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.
