Summary
- Project Century, set in 1915 Japan, features new character fighting in arcade-style beat-em-up action gameplay.
- Character resembles Kazuma Kiryu’s live-action actor from 2007.
Some fans have theorized and potentially narrowed down the lead actor for Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Project Century, believing the main character is modeled and portrayed by Kazuma Kiryu’s live-action actor from the 2007 Like a Dragon film, Kazuki Kitamura. Project Century is an upcoming game by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, best known for the Yakuza/Like a Dragon video game series. The developer is no stranger to producing new games outside the usual fare, with Project Century seeming to be one of the most diverse and gritty titles RGG Studio is working on.
Project Century was first revealed during The Game Awards 2024, catching the attention of fans fairly quickly. It is a period piece that takes place in 1915’s Japan, focusing on a brand-new character as he explores a rural town. The trailer showed off how the player would be fighting against a number of mooks in the traditional arcade-like beat-em-up action gameplay style of the Kazuma Kiryu-led games, rather than the JRPG turn-based combat of the Ichiban Kasuga titles. Not only does the action look more realistic and gritty, but it’s gotten fans theorizing about how or if this series is connected to the Like a Dragon universe. One seemingly apparent connection is the main character, who some fans believe is based on the live-action actor for Kazuma Kiryu in 2007’s Like a Dragon.
Related
Is Project Century a Like a Dragon Game?
Ryu Ga Gotoku surprisingly announced Project Century at The Game Awards, with fans debating whether the title is a part of the Like a Dragon series.
As pointed out by Jack Yakuza and Ultra Oak on Twitter, the new protagonist looks extremely similar to Kazuki Kitamura, who portrayed Kazuma Kiryu in the 2007 Like a Dragon film adaptation. Many fans believe this is the case due to their incredibly distinct facial features, or at least the facial model is very similar to him. While many fans are divided on the quality of the film itself, many agree that the fight scenes with Kitamura were incredibly solid, especially when bouncing off Goro Kishitani as Goro Majima.
Kazuki Kitamura and His Work Outside the Like a Dragon Movie
Kazuki Kitamura’s filmography, outside the aforementioned Like a Dragon film adaptation, was also in various live-action anime adaptations, such as 2023’s Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead as Gonzo Kosugi, or the 2024 Golden Kamuy: Hokkaido Tattooed Prisoners Scramble Arc live-action drama as Shirosuke Inudo. Project Century potentially using a big name actor for its lead isn’t anything new either, considering Japanese icon Takuya Kimura was the face model and actor for the main character of the Judgment spin-offs.
This casting decision hasn’t been confirmed yet, as Project Century was only just revealed on December 12. Regardless, a lot of noise is being made about Project Century and its place in the Like a Dragon timeline, some fans believing it could be a prequel that takes place 100 years before the events of the mainline games. Fans will just need to wait for more official information from Sega and RGG Studio about Project Century.
