‘Tokyo Revengers’ Ending Explained

So ya wanna know how the series Tokyo Revengers ends, do ya punk?

I ain’t no rat! And I sure as hell ain’t gonna tell no wannabe delinquent like youse, asking questions, stickin’ ya nose where it don’t belong! Didn’t your mother ever teach you any respect? Why can’t you just watch one of the live-action adaptations that don’t give nothin’ away?

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Still not leaving? What if I give you a bop on the noggin? Will that change your mind?

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Still here? Alright, normally I don’t do this sorta thing, but you’ve got this wild anime look in your eyes that makes me feel like maybe you can handle it. Maybe you could be … one of us after all. Knuckle up, kid, I’ll tell you how it ends … with a deus ex machina.

A what now?

I know, big word, right? It means “god in the machine” and it basically describes the end of a story where some magical bullcrap happens that allows the protagonists to escape completely unscathed in an unsatisfying way, capiche? It’s like God suddenly snapped his fingers and fixed all your problems. If only, am I right?

So get this: Takemichi Hanagaki went back in time AGAIN and recreated the Tokyo Manji Gang. THEN he challenged his on-again-off-again friend Mikey (who leads the newly founded Kanto Manji gang) to a rumble. You know, a barn-buster. A donnybrook. A scrap to end all scraps. Well, it ended alright, it ended with the crybaby hero getting a sword in the guts. And his ol’ pal Mikey was the one holding it! As Takemichi slowly shuffles off his mortal coil, Mikey grabs his hand. And BAM! The two get transported back in time TOGETHER!

They find each other in the past, and they work together to peacefully unite all the gangs across Japan. It works. This means that Takemichi’s true love Hinata is safe! So what happens next? The pair end up getting married! Happy ending, right?

Well, some fans weren’t so happy. It felt rushed, lackluster, and not nearly as satisfying as the conclusion of the penultimate battle against Kisaki, the most thrilling antagonist of the series. The threads of the final arc were only introduced in this second-to-last arc anyway, so fans just didn’t get enough time to see them play out in a satisfying way. Not only that … the ending is a little too happy? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the boys made it out. But everyone survives and every crisis was averted with time travel. It doesn’t feel like much of a victory if it didn’t cost anything to get there. Capiche?

(featured image: Liden Films)