Revisiting the Glory Days With One of Japan's Most Violent Biker Gangs 

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This story is kinda depressing. It's like watching an old man clinging onto the past. His friends are gone, the gang is gone, the culture is gone, all that's left are the memories. Reminds us that we all get old one day, nothing is forever, and to enjoy your youth while it lasts.

"You don’t have to bow your head. Just have a heart that cares for others." - Draken

Takemicchi talking about his experience in toman😂

For those who talk about how accurate Tokyo Revengers is, the reason why it's so accurate is because the author of tokyo revengers used to be in biker gangs as well

It's impressive that almost all ended up like Present Osanai

3:55 every tokyo revenger fan know this line.

"The end of the century is waiting for us." Is one of the coolest lines I have heard in a while.

Here after tokyo revengers shocked to see by how much similar the anime is to the reality Edit : Glad i watched it before they censored it XD

They should make a netflix series out of this. With a Japanese cast.

Ever since I started watching Tokyo Revengers, I'm amazed how much detailed information this documentary provides and very accurate it is hearing from both retired and current gang members that still continue the bosozuku culture even if they're very small compared back then. I also found out that the author of TR was a bosozuku gang member himself back in his days.

17:18 Isnt this a present Osanai's Job when he quit Moebius

And just like other commenters, I'm here after watching and reading Tokyo Revengers. Man, the accuracy is surreal. Damn.

3:54 "Give me the bat" "Bring the bat" ( Kiyomasa ) Btw, where Draken?

29:46 takemicchi telling us his good old days

Their jackets r coolest things especially when they flow with the wind while riding those monster bikes. There is a completely differnt aura of freedom in it.

*Great Teacher Onizuka* Edit: lol why am I just now getting all these notifications from a year ago?

What you guys don't seem to understand is that most of these gang members were middle school and high school kids. For most of them, it was just a way to escape school and their everyday life/problems and feel like they belonged to a group. Obviously they don't look very impressive compared to some other gangs, but it's also not very fair to compare them. Just like the interviewee explained, they were a bunch of young kids doing stupid things, they were not highly skilled criminals or mafiosi. I guess the best way to define them would be juvenile delinquents. They were still pretty violent tho, and not competely harmless. There are plenty of reports of slashings, robberies, extortion, assaults, even murders, etc., from bosozuku members. Many of them also went on to become yakuza members once they got older. Lots of bosozuku gangs were directly linked to the yakuza and were a great recruitment pool for them (as well as a way for the yakuza to make some easy money by pressuring them and/or offering them protection in exchange of some "favors"). So, being a bosozuku member was just the first step into criminality for many of those guys. Calling them "clowns" and "a joke" isn't entirely true. Japan officially banned biker gangs in 2002 tho (after a rise in juvenile crime in 2000), and bosozuku members were already declining in numbers before that so it's no surprise they're almost completely gone now.

I wanna see their reaction watching Tokyo Revengers

This is really sad bro, just like Don said it's an old man clinging to the past you can tell by how he talks when he's around other ppl and by himself how he wishes it was still a thing and he's trying to get everyone together to relive some memories but bro just imagine how you'd feel to feel part of something huge and important to everyone around you its the biggest culture and you're young and love that sort of thing and now everyones dead or in jail or gone from the scene and no one remembers them or talks about them except themselves and they have nothing really but insane memories to show for it and now they live out their lives in boring jobs remembering glory days. Imagine your life turning out like this

They should make an anime about this and call it Tokyo revengers.

wait 4:08 "Our biggest rival was the Black Emperor gang", I swear I heard someone mention that the creator of Tokyo Revengers (Ken Wakui) was part of that gang and that's where he got his inspiration of the plot of TR, quote me if I'm wrong ty

I watched this video 3 years ago, had to come back after reading Tokyo Revengers!

29:47 sounds like Takemichi would do.

5:45 Baji's normal day at Toman 😂

Tokyo revengers was my reason to watch this tho

2:06 i aint know they already animated kisaki right before the emma situation

"If you had a time machine, would you go back in time?" Me : "laughs in Takemitci"

I didn't even notice he was missing a pinky until he said he became Yakuza

some of y'all are missing the point. They definitely had ties to the Yakuza, (probly their leaders ended up joining) but they themselves were just small time punks that would fight each other time to time. To me, it seems like these gangs were outlets for lost young kids looking for excitement and brotherhood. They even said most members were like 16-17 years old during their active periods. Kids whose parents wouldn't even pick them up from jail due to their shame and not understanding them. Fighting was part of it, but the things they seem most nostalgic for are their bikes, their jackets, riding with other members, and just being in the gang. That's what makes this documentary so sad. 40 somethings "revisiting the glory days" of their youth, now that them and all their friends have become adults and moved on. While a big part of their lives is now not only looked at as archaic and silly, but is also pretty much extinct.

Even if I've never been in Japan, this documentary gives me goosebumps. Such nostalgic vibes. Oh and I love that the current members are wearing their senpai's jackets from 80s.

Comments Section: 50% Tokyo Revengers 40% About the culture itself 10% Memes Where my Shonan Junai Gumi and Great Teacher Onizuka bois at??

Homeboy is down bad. You can really feel the pain of how much he longs to relive his youth. I wonder if the author of Tokyo Revengers feels this as well? I don’t blame him. Adult life is bleak; especially if you had a memorable joyful young life.

I love that part, "As soon as I heard those motors, my concept of school disappeared." classic

Vice guy: The subculture is dying Toman: *revs engine*

How sad, "he's the last one, representing the gang by himself".

"Biggest rival is the black Emperor gang" I think ken wakui, the author of Tokyo revengers was in there.

Originally Japanese biker gangs were considered as the result of stress because of the societal shifting during the rapid economic growth in the post-WW2. After bikes have become cheaper in the 70's, young boys were attracted to the biker gangs and formed "Bousouzoku". They had their peak period in the beginning of 80's however, they become more and more strict and violent mainly because of their half-forced tradition and respect for their elders (Senpai). Ironically, those strict rules and tradition were the main reasons why "Bousouzoku" failed to attract young boys and started decreasing in the mid-80's. I was born in Japan in 1990, but even then "Bousouzoku" was near the extinction. And as you can see in the video, now the former members are just another old men ;)

All I can see is Akira.

What the younger people here don't realize is how different Japan used to be than it currently is today. That country has an extremely violent past (especially internationally). Everything changed after WW2 and it has become a generally peaceful country today.

29:05 I teared up with his expression right there. You could see he was reminiscing his glory days. Nothing but love and respect for this man

They all gangster till Mikey bring the entire manji gang with him

Every anime fan is here for Tokyo Manji Gang

The hardest gangsters wear crocs

Just so you know The main guy being interviewed is doing well for himself as a kick boxer. So at least those fists are still being used even if its not in the street like it used to.

Please try to imagine. You are a Japanese teenager, influenced by this style, customize your bike to this style and run around the city without a gang team affiliation. When a members of bosozoku finds you, they stop you and asks for your affiliation. There you are solicited by a local gang to "can't refuse". In the worst case, if you were running "without permission" in another city, you would be subject to "hunting".

24:51 Dude this looks so fckin badass, Truly Japanese Gang

It looked very weird but bruh, that dude Igarashi wasn't lying about his highseat looking sick when he takes it for a ride. 25:24

I spent about a week in Japan recently to watch the Formula 1 race. I stayed in a hotel in Nagoya on the 25th floor. Saturday night I woke up in the middle of the night and realized it was the sound of one lone Bosozoku guy revving his bike that woke me up. I only heard it for about 10 seconds before it stopped, but big ups to him for keeping the style alive and creating the highlight of my trip!

31:28 idk why I'm getting sad by seeing this scenes

When they speak... They actually do sound like their impersonation in anime. Did not expect that XD. Guy reminds me of Great Teacher Onizuka.

This documentary always touches me because I feel identified with that guy, remembering days of glory, adventures, of everything that is now a memory, is so nostalgic.

3:54 kiyomasa shouting for the bat 😂

2:23 Literally Tokyo Manji

I didn't expect this to be so poignant. After that description of the sight of the many bikes up ahead, seeing that one lone soldier of a lost cause on the road hit me with a pang of sadness.

Lot's of people seem to have not watched the whole video or missed a key part, one of the older ex-bosozoku talks about how his leader giving him praise he never received anywhere else was the only reason he stayed in the gang; "It felt good to be acknowledged by someone I admired" the look on his face tells a story of it's own. These were just people who nobody wanted but each other, at the end of the day, fighting for glory and over petty stuff is what tore them apart like any family. (Vroom brap honda hawk 2 nice bikeo)

That was cool i hope we get to see more of that kind of stuff.

Come on, you don't give credits to figure8productions for the old footage you stole to them ?

The reckless family was a youth culture of Japan, but in the 21st century the Japan Road Traffic Act was revised, crackdown became severe and the number decreased. I agree. It has decreased as much as a ninja, but I am still active even now. The reckless family

Seeing the last dude in the team roll up by himself really made me sad lol

22:01. This is a funny situation. Lmao.

7:30 the guy started talking about he then became a Yakuza, in which I then looked for his hands if any of his fingers had been taken off as an offering to his Boss, and there it was :) or wasn't

00:33 to 00:50 would make a good sample for music

18:17 well said. That is true rehabilitation. It must be very difficult integrating back into "normal" society as it the case for many soldiers.

俺の親も元暴走族だったけど暴走族にもいろんな人がいるって言ってたよ。 ただ仲間と走りたくて暴走族してた人もいれば環境が劣悪で非行に走って自分の存在価値を見いだしてる人とかもいたらしい。 ガキの遊びだと思われるかもしれないけど色々な感性が敏感になる10代だからこそ、非行に走って自分がどういう存在か確かめたかったんだと思う。

got my motorcycle 2 months after i seen this video, thesis guys where so inspiring the way the talked about the machine.

i'm sorry to break the vibe but nina mona doesn't mean anything in french...

I like how the main guest here gradually started taking in that MC role for the camera xD

Fan fuct: In case you forgot, Wakui was a delinquent too during the 2000s and Tokyo Revengers was inspired by gangs/delinquents during that time. Wakui didn't know how delinquents looked like today in modern era so they came up with the time leap idea and portrayed delinquents in the 2000s. They said Ken Wakui was one of the members of the black emperor.

16:48 He looked totally nerdy until the jacket came off, Holy shit! All those tough tattoos!

16:28 All the 26 previous leader will be face palmed when they see this weak introduction.

Imagine forming a Gang with strict rules and fights within other gangs but instead of doing bad deeds, you only do good deeds and ride all day long with the gang. Legit a sight worth seeing.

I realise his pinky finger was cut off

The level of nostalgia is amazing... shivers

After reading Bakuon Rettou and then watching this video I’ve gained a greater appreciation for the manga/author and also a better understanding of bosozoku. (Also the similarities between irl and the manga are pretty uncanny. For example the Zeros have a very similar uniform to the Specters, and their arch enemies are the Red Emperors which are similar to the Black Emperors.

ex leader is missing that pinky finger.

no joke this gives me valhalla vibes, compared to valhalla tokyo manji is way more chill yk

One of the few honorable gangs. They didnt sell drugs, extort or human traffick. They just like to fight and be tough. Gangs has always been about unity and brotherhood, and didnt always involve drugs and those other scummier crimes.

28:20 lmao Black Emperor is the actual gang Tokyo Revengers was based on

fun fact, if you look at his left hand he has half a pinky finger because they cut that off when you leave the yakuza.

is that real onizuka or what?

ONIZUKAAAA

Fun fact the author of Tokyo revengers said he was in the rival gang and it was the inspiration of his manga.

20:54 Don't tell them but "Nina Mona" means nothing in French lol

When you invite the real deal, you can see he's truly the real deal, pulling contacts left and right, to see a different perspective from different gangs, its so interesting

3:45 that's Kiyomasa asking for bat to beat up Takemichi

It's very fascinating that the unique things exist in Japan and some other countries. I really read a lot of Yakuza related things back when I was a child, and I still am fascinated how they work. My youth was not thrilling as theirs, that's why I admired them even though it's quite illegal.

13:50 This guy is clearly Great teacher Onizuka

They are called Bosozokus And i hope people just appreciate this and watch it than calling everything gangs do Tokyo Revengers like- 💀

I really enjoyed this documentary. Thanks VICE Japan. Hello from Seattle Washington U.S.A.

The gang leader looks super dangerous in his crocs ;)

I've talked to my parents about our time living in Japan. One of the things they told me is they were told to watch for the motorcycle gangs

0:47 this line went HARD fr

Reminds me of Toyko Manji Revengers, a manga series. I think it is a great story, but dont expect the MC to suddenly become a badass, he excels at something else other than just fighting. A must read!

in japan its all about respect..

You can tell that guy is not part of the yakuza anymore by looking at his left pinky. It gets chopped and delievered to the boss when you want to leave the yakuza world

Those jackets are fire! Yakuza series did good to makeing those gangs look like the real ones

real shit in this video. This is wisdom knowledge about how free life was back in those days...pay attention when elders are speaking, theyve been living longer than us..some real shit what they were saying.🙏

If you look closely the red hair guy lost his left pinky finger to yakuza

Want to know of their most glorious days? Interview Great Teacher Onizuka, he will show you the ropes.