Prime Video’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza Leaves Out Series’ Most Iconic Song… Then Posts a Clip of Kiryu Singing It

Prime’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza series is out now, and while it’s certainly an interesting adaptation of the infamous Like a Dragon series, we weren’t totally keen on it for a number of reasons.

Among its many glaring omissions is most of the silly, recreational goofiness that Kiryu and his buddies get up to in the games. But fortunately, Prime Video tried to rectify that just a little bit by posting a clip of Kiryu at karaoke, singing one of the series’ most iconic songs:

And now, a song. #LikeADragon @PrimeVideo pic.twitter.com/8npKGvYFcC

— RGG Studio | Like a Dragon & Yakuza Series (@RGGStudio) October 26, 2024 That is, of course Baka Mitai, or I’ve Been a Fool, Kiryu’s signature song from the games that he’s been able to sing at just about every possible karaoke opportunity offered him since Yakuza 5.

For those who are less familiar, the Like a Dragon franchise is a series, high-stakes, action-packed crime drama, and most of its main series plots reflect that. It’s full of big, beefy men kicking the crap out of one another one minute, and then having big, deep emotions the next. Serious stuff.

But it’s also one of the wackiest franchises in gaming, packed with subplots and side stories where the main characters (usually Kiryu) get wrapped up in goofy antics ranging from running from zombies to assisting grown men in diapers. Between these activities, the cast can partake in all sorts of recreational activities, usually including arcade games, batting cages, mahjong, and yes, karaoke. “Baka Mitai,” was introduced as a karaoke song in Yakuza 5, but has since reappeared in both Yakuza 0 and the remake of the original Yakuza Kiwami, which the Prime series is based on. It’s since become a fan favorite, both due to Kiryu’s emotive performance of it in-game as well as its thematic ties to his struggles throughout the series.

While leaving it out of Like a Dragon: Yakuza isn’t the worst offense they could have committed, it is emblematic of larger omissions of much of the series’ more eccentric tone. So it’s both delightful and frustrating to see Prime drop this clip they just had lying around of Ryoma Takeuchi as Kiryu, frankly nailing this song. I mean, dang! He’s even staring sadly at a photo of his buddies from when they were younger!

You can read our full thoughts on Like a Dragon: Yakuza in our review here, where we praised the series’ character work but said there was “sadly nothing very interesting for them to do” in a series that has “so little that’s very Yakuza in tone, and it’s so limited in inspiration from the games that there’s hardly much you’ll recognize from them.” The first three episodes are available on Prime right now.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].

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