Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Video Games That Netflix Should Adapt Into Animated Series
While the entire Yakuza series would be perfect for an anime, Like a Dragon has so many anime-esque aspects that would make it a marvel to watch, especially thanks to its dorky main character.
Ichiban Kasuga is an ex-yakuza who gets thrown into the world after being in prison for 20 years. His process of reacclimating to society is inspiring and fun to watch play out, as he meets many new people who are also down on their luck, causing them all to bond over the hardship.
Despite being dealt a pretty crappy hand, Ichiban is positive and inspires those around him. He’s also a huge nerd who loves the Dragon Quest video game series. And because of this, Ichiban treats life like a role-playing game where he fights thugs turn-based style, has different jobs he can obtain and use in battle and gets himself into weird and wacky situations.
Like a Dragon focuses heavily on silly action/fighting, and visual gags. That includes things like doing break dancing moves to fight enemies, a lightning storm gathering around Ichiban whenever he calls a friend for help, and helping a naked man covered in bubbles shop for clothes around town. Due to the absurdity of these visuals, it would be a lot easier to portray via animation – not to mention and they’d lose some charm if attempted in live-action.
This insanity is all on top of a serious Japanese crime drama that everyone is wrapped up in, so the comedy and seriousness is often pretty balanced. A live-action Yakuza series would be entertaining, but the outlandish humor could be tenfold if it were animated.
