At Amazon's request, the lead actor of the "Yakuza" series has not played the original game

Amazon Prime Video announced a live-action adaptation of the popular game series "Yakuza" earlier this year, starring Ryoma Takeuchi as Kazuma Kiryu and Kento Kaku as Akira Nishikiyama. The story is an original script and tells the growth story of the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, with two timelines.

After the first trailer for the show was released, Takeuchi Ryoma and Kaku Kento were interviewed by foreign media GamesRadar+ at the San Diego Comic-Con International, where they were asked if they had played the "Yakuza" series of games, and their answers were surprising.

Takeuchi Ryoma and Kaku Kento said they had never played the Yakuza series of games. Takeuchi Ryoma further revealed that it was actually Amazon that asked them not to play the original games. He said: "I know these games, everyone in the world knows these games. But I haven't played them. I wanted to try it, but they (Amazon) stopped me because they wanted to explore from the beginning - for the characters in the script. That's why I decided not to play it."

In addition, Kento Kaku also emphasized that although the series continues the tradition of the game, they also want to put their own stamp on it: "Of course I know the game very well, but I didn't realize how influential it is worldwide. We decided to make our own version, revisit the characters, draw on their spiritual elements, and reflect them in our own work. We want to draw a clear line, but the bottom line is respect."

The live-action drama "Yakuza" is expected to premiere on October 25.