Yakuza: Difference between revisions
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Japanese mobsters, often called "the Japanese [[The Mafia|Mafia]]" in the West, euphemistically as "anti-social organizations" and "violent groups" (暴力団, ''bōryokudan'') or "the extreme path" (極道, ''gokudō'') by most Japanese, and "charitable/chivalrous organizations" (任侠団体/仁侠団体, ''
Yakuza resemble [[The Mafia]] in that they are very organized crime syndicates, with strict codes of behavior and etiquette, and encompass many levels of ritual and formality. Unlike the Mafia and the Chinese Triads, though, they are not secret societies, and often operate openly, even so far as to maintain offices and carry business cards. Like their Western counterparts, though, they derive most of their profit from extortion, protection rackets, human trafficking, and the like. Yakuza like to maintain that they provide a service to the community, which in return owes them both respect and money. A consequence of being ultra-violent while maintaining a strict honor code is that in fiction they sometimes get to have [[Samurai]] traits, or at least katana.<ref>And there is some truth to their claims of serving the community -- for example, during the string of disasters that struck Japan during the early years of the 21st century, Yakuza groups opened their offices to refugees and donated vast quantities of supplies -- the latter usually under false names and through front companies, on the assumption that the aid would be refused should it be known where it actually came from.</ref>
The stereotyped yakuza character matches the real-world profile fairly closely: he is heavily [[Tattooed Crook|tattooed]] (so identified with
Yakuza are so prominent in Japanese culture that they have even spawned an entire genre of films which are as distinct from western gangster films as the yakuza are from western gangsters. While many of these films are little known in the west, movies like ''Tokyo Drifter'' and ''[[Battles Without Honor and Humanity]]'' pioneered many tropes that western audiences have since come to associate with martial arts and action pictures, and their influence can be detected in productions as diverse as ''[[Kill Bill]]'' and ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]''.
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{{examples|Yakuza make appearances in the following works:}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* The final arc of the second season of ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', "Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise," centers around a war between two rival yakuza groups triggered by the death of one of their bosses, a war that [[The Mafiya|Russian mob]] boss [[The Baroness|Balalaika]] wants to use to gain a foothold in the Japanese underworld. The yakuza, as befitting of the show's tendency to take [[Refuge in Audacity]], play every mafia movie cliche in the book to the hilt, but [[Curb Stomp Battle|unfortunately for them]], Balalaika is a [[Magnificent Bitch]] and [[Combat Pragmatist|doesn't play by their rules]]. And then, Rock and Revy meet up with Yukio Washimine, the girl who is about to become the leader of one of these groups...[[It Got Worse|yeah,]] [[Heel Realization|it doesn't]] [[Downer Ending|end well.]]
* In ''[[Blood
* Yakuza show up a few times in ''[[Darker than Black]]'', but mostly just wind up getting beaten senseless in large numbers.
* In one episode of ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]! Fumoffu'', Sousuke helps strengthen one group, the Mikihara-gumi ({{spoiler|whose boss is Ren's dad}}), against the predations of another group, the Ryujin-kai, {{spoiler|by giving them [[Training from Hell]] and equipping them with weapons and military-grade powered armor/Bonta-kun replica costumes. Yes, you read that right.}}
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* The manga ''Sanctuary'' combines Yakuza with the [[Government Procedural]], with its two [[Magnificent Bastard]] heroes—an up-and-coming Yakuza leader and a junior member of the Japanese parliament—working together to remake Japanese society from the top down ''and'' bottom up.
* ''[[Akagi]]'' deals with illegal gambling in post-WWII Japan, Yakuza included.
* ''[[Gungrave]]'' - tale of unrequited romance & mafia "friendship"... and stars an [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|undead cowboy assassin]] who can only function if filled with blood.
* The crime sindicate the protagonists fight in ''[[Heat Guy J]]'' works a lot like a yakuza syndicate, despite the [[The Mafia|italian names]] everybody on it has.
* ''[[Katekyo Hitman Reborn]]'': Although taking place in Japan, they originate in Italy.<ref>Dino does have the tattoos though</ref> However, shortly after Dino's introduced they pretend Tsuna's been kidnapped by a Yakuza gang, and the name Reborn gives Gokudera and Yamamoto is a real Yakuza... who the two proceed to beat up looking for their boss ("What'd you do with Jyudaime?!")
* All of the manga ''[[Tokyo Crazy Paradise]]'' is ''centered'' around the Yakuza- more specifically their young leader Ryuji and his female bodyguard Tsukasa.
* In the ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]'' manga, Yusuke's [[Hot Mom]], Atsuko Urameshi, has some kind of... ''connections'', shall we say... with the local yakuza. Specifically, she gets her buddies to intimidate Yusuke's principal into letting him back into school after he comes back to life. The anime version [[Bowdlerise]]d this away.
* There's a big organization of them, the Jugondou, in the ''[[Ga-Rei]]'' manga. They even have supernatural ties, including connections in... [[Our Vampires Are Different|Transylvania]]?
* ''[[Yakitate!! Japan]]'' has a [[Serious Business|baking battle]] to determine the successor to a Yakuza family.
* In ''[[Tekkon Kinkreet]]'', the yakuza act as unwelcome agents of change in Treasure Town.
* Kagetora from ''[[Psyren]]'' is a yakuza, from the outfit to the sunglasses to the manner of speech. Rather than tattoos, his body is heavily scarred from fighting.
* {{spoiler|Otaha}} of ''[[Karas]]'' was a yakuza enforcer before he got killed {{spoiler|and turned into Karas.}}
* ''[[Kochikame]]'': Goshogawara is the boss of a family of [[The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything|Yakuza who don't do anything]]. Well, they do look out for ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' collectibles for their boss.
* ''[[Ichi the Killer]]'': just about every character; the majority are actively in an organization, others are either ex-yakuza or had/have some other 'professional' connection with them.
* In one episode of ''[[Durarara!!]]'', the reporter goes to some of them to ask about the strongest man in Ikebukuro, and there's some discussion about how they have business in the area but pretty much stay out-of-sight unless the various [[Mob War|delinquent wars]] get so bad that they need to intervene.
** One particular Yakuza group, Awakusu-Kai, becomes a lot more prominent in the later [[Light Novels]] when Izaya exploits some in-fighting and {{spoiler|frames Shizuo for the murder of three of their men}}.
* Underneath all of the Science Fiction and Western trappings ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' is essentially a classic Yakuza story, pitting a "noble" yakuza (Spike) against a "nihilist" yakuza (Vicious)
* In ''[[Holyland]]'', Yuu's [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge]] after {{spoiler|Shinichi is attacked}} extends to attacking drug pushers, which leads to one of these telling Masaki to put a lid on Yuu's activities lest the latter wants their attention.
* The seme in Kazuma Kodaka's manga ''[[Kizuna]]'', Kei Enjouji, is the [[Heroic Bastard]] of a Yakuza boss, and has the ''perfect'' Yakuza looks except for the tattoo.
** For worse, one of Kei's rivals for Ranmaru's love is his half-brother Kai Sagano, the legitimate heir to their Yakuza clan. {{spoiler|And then he starts falling for his [[Bodyguard Crush|bodyguard]], a rather [[Badass]] Yakuza guy named Masanori Araki, who has been his caretaker ever since Kai was a child. Your mileage will
* The erotic-comedy manga ''Dance 'Til Tomorrow'' has some pretty funny scenes when the main character discovers his theater troupe is practicing in an office building shared by Yakuza. After accidently disrespecting their boss, they manage to placate him by offering half-price tickets to their next play. [[Hijinks Ensue]] when he shows up with ten other serious-looking Yakuza, scaring the actors so bad most of them forget their lines. {{spoiler|While remaining totally stoic during the play, the boss tells them afterward he found it hilarious. So much so that he winds up attending every showing. He later becomes a casual acquaintance of the protagonist, at one point helping him collect debts from people by using his intimidation tactics.}}
* The Haguro family from ''[[Wolf Guy Wolfen Crest]]''. The son of the leader, Haguro Dou, is the [[Big Bad]] and [[Complete Monster]] ''extraordinaire''.
* They make an appearance in chapter 7 of ''[[Neko-de Gomen!
* Almost everybody in ''Gekkoh''
* While the word "Yakuza" is never used in either version, Chojiro Tokumatsu from ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V]]'' is obviously a Yakuza leader. The most [[Might as Well Not Be in Prison At All| powerful man in the Neo Domino prison (even the guards are terrified of him)]] he is nonetheless a [[Noble Demon]] whom the heroes are able to ally themselves with.
* Tatsu, the main character of ''The Way of the Househusband'', used to be a high ranked yakuza before meeting and marrying [[Salaryman|salarywoman]] Miku. Now he is a [[House Husband]] who tackles domestic chores and housewife duties with the same attitude (and, to an extent, similar methods) he had when in his previous career.
* ''[[My Hero Academia]]''; the main antagonist of the Shie Hassaikai Arc is Kai Chisaki (aka Overhaul), a Yakuza leader. Overall, the Yakuza have dwindled in number since All Might first debuted, the Shie Hassaikai being one of the last few surviving groups. Toga doesn't even know what a yakuza is, and Compass Man claims Kai is "an endangered species leftover from old times".
== [[Comic Books]] ==
* In the [[Frank Miller|Dark Knight Universe]], the Joker was apparently a member (or at the very least bears a tattoo of a large red dragon on his back), as opposed to his usual depiction as having [[The Mafia|mafia ties.]] Probably because we already knew about Gotham's mafia (pretty much ripped from ''[[The Godfather]]''), and the Joker had to be a wild card. (Hence the name.)
** The Yakuza are one of the many crime factions in Gotham City in the main DCU.
* They have grown into almost a symbiotic relationship with the Judges of Hondo Cit in [[Judge Dredd]], both hating but ultimately having to rely on the other.
* [[Daredevil|The King of Hell's Kitchen]] has a yakuza group hopped on MGH trying to take Hell's Kitchen for them after the fall of the Kingpin. In this story, the Yakuza are played like a bunch of greedy thugs with tattoos and katanas. Daredevil [[Oh Crap|wasn't amused]]
== Fan Works ==
* In ''[[Kyon: Big Damn Hero]]'' the Organization is funded mainly by this, and also it's the background of {{spoiler|Tsuruya's family}}.
* ''[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3966181/1/The_Prince The Prince]'' by Neverending Odyssey is a ''[[Death Note]]'' [[Alternate Universe Fic|AU]] where Light Yagami is kidnapped by the Yakuza when he's eleven years old {{spoiler|and this harsher upbringing ironically [[Noble Demon|results in him being much more merciful and careful]] when he adopts his Kira persona.}}
* In ''[[Drunkard's Walk|Drunkard's Walk S]]'', dimensional traveler Doug Sangnoir makes use of the Minato-area yakuza organization the Minato-kai to get sufficient (and sufficiently good) false paperwork and ID that he can live "aboveboard" in Tokyo. (He notes that this is not an uncommon tactic for him in worlds with governments that are organized and centralized enough to require it.) It later transpires that the Minato-kai are aware of the Sailor Senshi and their enemies, and are willing to provide them with aid -- especially after Sailor Moon rescues its leader's granddaughter from the same juku where Sailor Mercury awoke to her powers.
== [[Film]] ==
* Pretty much every single Japanese character in ''[[The Fast and the Furious]]: Tokyo Drift''.
* The Bride goes after O-Ren Ishii, the queen of the Yakuza, and her personal army, the Crazy 88, in ''[[Kill Bill]] Part 1''. The Yakuza also feature heavily in O-Ren's tragic [[Backstory]], with Boss Matsumoto and his men, who killed O-Ren's parents when she was just a little girl which prompts her rise as the [[Lady of War]] boss we meet.
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* A lot of Takeshi Kitano's movies feature him playing a yakuza, including ''Sonatine'', ''Boiling Point'', ''Kikujiro'',''Brother'' and ''[[Outrage]]''.
* ''[[Battles Without Honor and Humanity]]'' deconstructs Yakuza films in a particularly brutal way by telling the story of post-war Yakuza betraying everyone and everything for money and power. It also memorably depicts many of the traditions of the Yakuza in a less than favorable light; for example, the traditional pinky sacrifice turns into [[It Makes Sense in Context|a pinky tug-of-war with a chicken]].
* The [[Dolph Lundgren]] film ''[[Showdown In Little Tokyo]]''.
* ''[[Johnny Mnemonic]]'', based on the [[William Gibson]] short story, features the Yakuza as the primary antagonist, seeking the information stuck in Johnny's head. Takeshi Kitano slums as a Yakuza bigwig in the film.
* ''[[Predators]]'' has a Yakuza member among its cast (who is [[The Quiet One|mute through most of the film]] - not because of not speaking English, but because he already lost two fingers for talking too much)
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* ''[[War]]'' features the Yakuza fighting the [[The Triads and the Tongs|Triads]] in [[San Francisco]].
== [[Literature]] ==▼
▲== Literature ==
* [[William Gibson]]'s [[Sprawl Trilogy]] contains many references to the Yakuza, which has become a major international force. In "Johnny Mnemonic," the Yakuza send a vat-grown cyborg assassin to kill the main character.
* In [[Charles de Lint]]'s [[Cyberpunk]] novel ''Svaha'', the Yakuza (or, to use in-universe slang, the "yaks") are the primary antagonists—in Canada.
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* [[Time Scout]]'s [[The Syndicate]] is composed of [[The Mafia]], [[The Mafiya]], and these guys. Their control of Japanese construction made them, effectively, the most powerful people in Japan. They even show up as tourists on the Time Terminal, occasionally.
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==▼
▲== Live-Action TV ==
* ''[[The Daily Show]]'' interviewed [http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-november-16-2009/jake-adelstein Jake Adelstein] (he was also interviewed by ''60 Minutes''), a reporter who wrote a book about a particular Yakuza boss who was able to [[Refuge in Audacity|secure a visa to get into the US and receive a liver transplant, and then got livers for some of his friends.]]
* An episode of ''[[CSI: Miami]]'' revolves around the Yakuza, but for some reason insists on never using the word and instead referring to them as "Sakiru." This is the ''least'' of the [[Did Not Do the Research|errors]] in the episode.
* The ''[[Law
* The ''[[Leverage]]'' team inadvertently ends up having to con the Yakuza when they try to shut down a sweatshop in "The Runway Job."
* A ''[[Time Trax]]'' episode deals with the Yakuza.
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* The [[Body of the Week]] on one episode of ''[[Quincy]]'' was an LAPD detective investigating a Yakuza group that was working out a gun buy from [[The Mafia]]. Said detective was stabbed in the heart with a tanto (a dagger shaped like a miniature katana). As luck would have it, Quincy's Japanese-American assistant Sam Fujiwara knew some people...
== [[Music]] ==▼
▲== Music ==
* Japanese Trip-Hop artist [[DJ Krush]] was a Yakuza member before beginning his musical career. Actually, he once found [[Yubitsume|a severed finger]] [[Squick|wrapped in paper on his desk]]; after discovering that it had belonged to his best friend, he decided to leave.
* There are persistent rumors that rock/pop/ vocalist [[Gackt]] is either a member or somehow in massive debt to the Yakuza.
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* Though always officially denied, [[New Age]] musician Kitaro is rumoured to have connections to the Yakuza, with his fame at least partially being due to their influence. These rumours are, in no small part, due to his first wife being the daughter of a former leader of one of the more influential clans.
== [[Video Games]] ==▼
* The ''[[Ryu ga Gotoku]]'' series (or as it's more commonly known, ''Yakuza'') is about a former yakuza by the name of Kazuma Kiryu who took the fall for his blood brother's not unjustified killing of the patriarch of their family, and ten years later returns to the Kamurocho district (a fictionalisation of the real Kabukicho in Shinjuku City, Tokyo) after his release from prison, where he quickly finds himself being pulled back into the Yakuza underworld. One of the recurring themes of the series is its portrayal of Kiryu as a kind of Quixotic figure, for whom honour, justice and care for the little guy are not just PR spin but something he genuinely practices, and how that leaves him caught between the older generation who might as well be feudal warlords and the newer generation who find maintaining even a thin veneer of civility and values a hindrance to the pursuit of power.
▲== Video Games ==
* Furio Tigre, from ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney]]: Trials and Tribulations'', has connections with Yakuza (or the Mafia in the translation). {{spoiler|Mostly, he owes a Yakuza/Mafia boss a large sum of money after almost killing his beloved granddaughter in a car crash. For worse, the girl has sorta fallen for him, so he uses her in his plans.}}
** Dee Vasquez also had her own Yakuza thugs in the first game.
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** [[Badass Normal|Johnny Gat]] even goes so far as to refer to the head of the organization as "the Oyabun".
* ''[[Maple Story]]''. oddly enough, features bad guys resembling the Yakuza in Zipangu, a Japan themed world. In the original version they were pretty dark, using guns , katanas and nunchakus to hurt you. The American version replaced those with [[Bowdlerise|squeaky hammers]] and [[Badass Decay|cat mittens]].
** In a later update they go back to the original models for the American version.
* The Gokudo-kai in ''[[Police 911]]''.
* The Azai Corporation in ''[[G Senjou no Maou]]'' plays a huge part in the game, as the main character's motivation is to repay his debt to them.
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* The Yaki [[Space Pirate|pirate]] faction in the [[X (video game)|X-Universe]] are explicitly Yakuza <small>[[Recycled in Space|IN SPACE!]]</small> ([[Bilingual Bonus|Fun fact]]: the word "yaki" means "many yakuza" in Japanese.)
== [[Western Animation]] ==▼
▲== Western Animation ==
* There is an urban legend that ''[[Bob the Builder]]'' cannot be shown in Japan as he only has [[Four-Fingered Hands|four fingers on each hand]]—which could be misconstrued [[Yubitsume|as a finger cut off by the Yakuza.]]
* Likewise, this is usually cited as the reason why [[Donkey Kong Country|Donkey and Diddy Kong]] have gone from four fingers on each hand to five.
* This is ''actually'' the reason Mudokons were [[retcon]]ned into having three fingers instead of four in the ''[[Oddworld]]'' series.
* Ditto ''[[Theme Park]]'', and allegedly, ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]''. Trimming down to four fingers on each hand has been a staple technique of animation for decades, so this is probably bogus.
* Featured in ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'', after Homer hires the Mafia to protect Marge's pretzel business, her rivals engage in some tit-for-tat by hiring the Yakuza, leading to the memorable quote, "They'll kill ya five times before ya hit the ground!!!" The Yakuza and the Mafia then have a big gang brawl on the Simpson lawn. The [[Mister Big|pint-sized]] Yakuza leader just stands ominously during the brawl, prompting Homer to resist taking shelter before finding out what he's going to do. After Homer retreats inside, we see the little Yakuza [[Funny Background Event|doing backflips through the Simpsons' window]].
* Briefly mentioned for a joke in a ''[[South Park]]'' episode:
{{quote|'''Officer Barbrady:''' I'm sure you're wondering why we're standing in a pile of money with no pants on. I can assure you it has [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|nothing to do with the Japanese Mafia]].}}
* ''[[The Batman]]'': the episode "The Cat and The Bat" has Hideo Katsu, the leader of a group called The Dragon's Fangs. Catwoman [[Robbing the Mob Bank| makes the mistake of stealing a statue from him]] (not knowing that he was a mobster or that the statue really contained a data disc within it that contained the Yakuza's secret family chart), causing Katsu to believe she was sent by a rival family. Catwoman nervously tries to give it back when she finds out that was the case; fortunately, Batman is more willing to listen than Katsu is.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
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