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Tokyo Revengers as an anime certainly tackles with an interesting set of characters, along with the supernatural element of time travel being possible for Takemichi. Many of their characters have a level of human decency for the most part, and the story goes through great lengths to show the great change in ideals, priorities, and effects of the past to the future. With the Christmas Showdown arc closing in, the Black Dragons have made their debut and the Tokyo Manji Gang make their return from season 1. However, it certainly has been a while since we've seen the gang led by Mikey, so who exactly are they, and why is the story mainly revolving around them for most of the plot?

The plot and themes surrounding Tokyo Revengers are simple, if also well-explored overall. With Hanagaki Takemichi having led a mostly unfulfilling life, an unlucky break pushed him into a train tracks, and sent him to the past. 12 years to be exact, and all the way back when the Tokyo Manji Gang started rising to make a name for themselves. The interesting detail, however, is that the Tokyo Manji Gang in Takemichi's present and future became an immoral, violent gang that committed various crimes with no remorse. Except that in the past, while its members may be rough and loud, there is a certain sense of camaraderie between them and a growing brotherhood. Which begs the question of where did it go wrong, but also how the Tokyo Manji Gang even came to be.

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Small Beginnings, And Rise To Influence

Tokyo Revengers - Mikey In His Younger Years

One of the many factors that contributed to the rise of the Tokyo Manji Gang, started with Draken and Mikey's first ever meeting. Originally meant to be a trap, Mikey proved his worth and his attitude towards other delinquents; impressing Draken at the time, and the two quickly became fast friends from there on.

A bit of undetermined time passes, and the two of them decided to form a Biker Gang that started off with a few select middle schoolers in their group. The original founders and members of the Tokyo Manji Gang started off as simple hooligans, but they had a sense of honor which remained even after bumps on the road and with the occasional troublesome member in their ranks.

Tokyo Revengers introduces us to the Tokyo Manji Gang as the criminal organization that has committed various crimes, but when Takemichi goes to the past...needless to say, we see Mikey and Draken as clearly different people then how they are supposed to be in the future. For one, the gang bears the Manji symbol, which is actually supposed to have a positive meaning in the story. Mikey may be lax and has a tendency to be defensive and pretty violent at times, but he nevertheless had a good compass in Draken, who helped keep him emotionally supported at times.

Eventually, with Takemichi's help and some of his involvement, the Tokyo Manji Gang in the past remains a biker gang that has its ideals slowly challenged but eventually upheld. Which is to say that the members themselves are honorable at times, and even more of a brotherhood when push comes to shove. The best part about it is that the inspiration for the Tokyo Manji Gang came from the one figure that Mikey looked up to in a sense, his older brother, Shinichiro Sano. Due to a tragedy that was explained in the first season, Mikey's brother died, leaving with Mikey an idealized version of his brother. This inspired Mikey to make his own biker gang, since Shinichiro himself was the leader of a biker gang before.

Connecting The Dots

Tokyo Revengers Christmas Showdown

Tokyo Manji Gang started off with a rough, albeit well-intentioned and honorable start, but as seen in the future due to the involvement of Kisaki Tetta, the Tokyo Manji Gang begins to descend deeper and deeper into darker aspects of the world. No crime became too much for the members, and Mikey had disappeared off the face of the earth despite being its leader, leaving most of the control and management to Kisaki. As a result, the Tokyo Manji Gang became the sole organization responsible for the deaths that moved Takemichi to want to save the friends he made in the past, and fight for a better future for everyone in the process. However, despite all this, what more is there to the Tokyo Manji Gang after everything that has been said?

The Tokyo Manji Gang may have started off relatively well and Kisaki Tetta is one of the major reasons why they turned bad and notorious in the future, but considering the schemes go even deeper into the story than many of us first realized; the story is not yet over for the gang to begin with. After all, with season 2 promising a new biker gang to go up against, and with Takemichi's greatest threat and obstacle so far being the leader, it is safe to say that the Tokyo Manji Gang will still be heavily involved in the story for episodes to come. Perhaps we might see how Mikey and Draken changed so much in the future, as well as which key events particularly forced the Tokyo Manji Gang to turn into the organization of crime in the future. Tokyo Revengers as a story never holds back any punches, as shown by the characters' actions, and even its dedication to expanding on the Tokyo Manji Gang. Of course, where they will end up in the future by the end of the anime is to be seen.

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