Key Takeaways
- The Like a Dragon franchise expands with a TV series and Yakuza Kiwami’s Switch port on October 24.
- Fans express cautious optimism about the live-action adaptation’s ability to balance the franchise’s drama and humor.
- Between the TV series and Yakuza Kiwami’s Switch port, newcomers will have multiple ways to experience the first Like a Dragon game’s story.
Like A Dragon: Yakuza, and the Nintendo Switch port of Yakuza Kiwami both drop on October 24. A TV series covering the events of the first Like a Dragon has been in the works for a long time, and fans will finally get to see what it looks like soon. The Like a Dragon franchise carries a distinct legacy that may be difficult to live up to, but the creatives behind the show have voiced confidence in their work.
The Yakuza series has gone through a lot in the past couple of years, including a name change to Like a Dragon, which was focused on more effectively aligning the series’ marketing with releases in Japan. Part of spreading the word of the Yakuza series has been figuring out how best to package the content to new audiences. Sega may be hitting two birds with one stone by getting the first game’s remake over to the Switch while the TV series that covers the same story begins to air.
Related
7 Yakuza Games Are Getting New Physical Editions
Seven games in Ryu Ga Gotoku’s Like a Dragon series are all getting brand-new collector physical editions, starting with two essential Yakuza games.
Fans of the Like a Dragon series can watch the first episode of Like a Dragon: Yakuza when it drops on October 24, and those who want to cruise through the story at their own pace can play the Switch port of Yakuza Kiwami that comes out on the same day. It appears that the debate about an entry point for the Like a Dragon series may be fully settled now that the first game’s story is becoming significantly more accessible.
Yakuza Kiwami Switch Port and Like a Dragon: Yakuza Release October 24
Fans have voiced cautious optimism about a live-action adaptation of any Like a Dragon media. It can often be difficult for shows targeting new audiences to balance the many aspects that make a game series such as Like A Dragon appealing to its core fanbase. Although the Like A Dragon series is known for lots of dramatic, tense story beats, a lot of that content is sandwiched between goofier moments of downtime. Apprehension towards the adaptation could be warranted by some, factoring in the precedent set by the cancelation of shows like Halo, which fans felt walked a similar tightrope poorly. Regardless, much of the press surrounding the new show promises faithfulness to the source material.
The new TV show Like a Dragon: Yakuza appears to be a straightforward take on the narrative that delves further into the nuances of relationships between characters like Kiryu and Nishki. There’s plenty of room to explore the drama that unfolds as the story goes on. If the show happens to take itself entirely seriously, then the Switch port of Yakuza Kiwami may come in handy, as newcomers will not want to miss out on the sillier side that Like a Dragon has offered to so many players. It may take some time for people to fully form an opinion of the show, but the source material is more readily available than ever for gamers to dive into.
Yakuza
Sega’s Yakuza franchise is a series of action-adventure and role-playing games that revolve around characters who are a part of or associated with dangerous criminal organizations.
The various games in the series tend to be led by gripping, emotional narratives but are supplemented by hilarious side stories and enjoyable mini-games that give players a welcome break from the drama.
