History Main / Yakuza

* Japanese Yakuza appear in military thriller ''Literature/{{Victoria}}''. Though they do not play a major role in the story, protagonist John Rumford interacts with them during his mission to Imperial Japan, and they assist him with his "demonstration" viz. the Chinese. The main representative he deals with displays most of the associated stereotypes.

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]

The Yakuza have been on a rapid decline in recent years. Laws directly and regulations indirectly targeting Yakuza groups have become increasingly strict since the 90's, public opinion of their image has suffered and their membership has begun to dwindle, with informal organized crime and unaffiliated white collar crime filling the vacuum. Some in law enforcement worry about the impact that the death of the Yakuza may have on Japan, as for better or worse the Yakuza have kept gun violence, street crime and drug trafficking low in the country, and are often the only obstacle for aggressive street gangs running wild and RuthlessForeignGangsters setting up shop, with some Yakuza clans even taking pains to protect Japan's lucrative tourism industry. As the Yakuza are relatively legitimate and strictly regulated, it is surprisingly easy for police to monitor their activity, and groups will even cooperate with police (if only to sell them a patsy or cut a deal) to come up with solutions for crimes that demand retribution. Compared to gangs and syndicates with less established relationships with the authorities, the Yakuza can be argued as the LesserOfTwoEvils, and since much of their business revolves around moneylending, sexwork and controlling other criminals, the victims of their violence are often considered AcceptableTargets by the general public. Were the Yakuza to disappear, some fear that something far worse would fill the void.

* In the HighSchoolAU ending of ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' and its OVA ''Anime/ShippuKonohaGakuenDen'', NewTransferStudent Naruto's goal is to become the yakuza leader of all of Japan.

* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'':
** Tachibana is often cast in this role. Sometimes, he also appears as the leader of a Yakuza group.

Yakuza resemble TheMafia in that they are very organized crime syndicates, with strict codes of behavior and etiquette, and encompass many levels of ritual and formality. Like their Western counterparts, they derive most of their profit from [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord extortion]], ProtectionRacket, drug trafficking, and the like. They like to maintain that they provide a service to the community, which in return owes them both respect and money. But unlike the Mafia or [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs the Chinese Triads]], Yakuza are not secret societies. They often [[LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub operate openly]], even so far as to maintain offices and carry business cards. And their strict code of honor and dedication (at least superficially) to "protecting the community" means that they're often an accepted part of Japanese society, and even the police will leave them alone as long as they don't carry guns, deal in drugs, or harass the tourists (which the honor code doesn't allow anyway). They even [[NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters police their own territories and deal with street-level crime]], as such crime would reflect ''very'' badly on the local boss (or ''oyabun'') and be seen as a sign of weakness. As humorist Creator/DaveBarry put it, nothing in Japan can be disorganized -- not even the crime.

* A lot of Creator/TakeshiKitano's movies feature him playing a yakuza, including ''Film/{{Sonatine}}'', ''Film/{{Boiling Point}}'', ''Film/{{Kikujiro}}'', ''[[https://yakuzamovies.com/brother/ Brother]]'', and ''Film/{{Outrage}}''.

* On one episode of the Israeli sitcom ''[=HaPijamot=]'', the LocalHangout owner is extorted by a Yakuza member. The whole situation is PlayedForLaughs: the man extorting him comes in wearing stereotypical {{ninja}} clothing and says nothing but ‘Yakuza!’ when notifying the owner of the extortion with a note, and it turns out he’s actually the man dating the [[TheSmurfettePrinciple main female lead]], [[StockForeignName Suzuki]][[note]]Israelis are usually not even aware that it’s a legitimate ''last'' name, and would just associate it with the automobile company[[/note]], who doesn’t speak a word of Hebrew and communicates via impromptu origami.

* The Gokudou-kai in ''VideoGame/{{Police 911}}''.

If you're looking for the Sega franchise about Yakuza, [[VideoGame/{{Yakuza}} click here.]]

* ''Literature/MachineOfDeath'': "Improperly Prepared Blowfish" is set entirely in a Yakuza office. The characters are an ''oyabun'' (boss), his two subordinates who have a SenpaiKohai (senior-junior) relationship, and the ''oyabun'''s mistress.

** It's implied (and PlayedForLaughs) that Shizune's father Jigoro ([[spoiler: who is Lilly's paternal uncle]]) is not just a high-ranked CEO, but a just as high-ranked Yakuza: he is a huge guy, he's a major JerkAss who swears by the "RatedMForManly" rules, his ''very'' successful businesses are never really explained, he not only owns a katana ''but parades around with it every single time he appears'', etc.

* Featured in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "The Twisted World Of Marge Simpson". After Homer hires the Springfield Mafia (led by Fat Tony) 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 family lawn. The [[MisterBig pint-sized]] Yakuza leader just stands there ominously during the brawl doing nothing, prompting Homer to resist taking shelter because he assumes that the guy is going to do something really cool at any moment. As soon as Homer gives up and retreats inside, the little Yakuza indeed does ''[[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome something]]'' cool, causing Homer to groan in disappointment that he had missed it. He later comes crashing in through the Simpsons' kitchen window, and [[JapanesePoliteness apologizes]] to them before dashing back outside.

--> '''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 [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial nothing to do with the Japanese Mafia]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': the episode "The Cat and The Bat" has Hideo Katsu, the leader of a group called The Dragon's Fangs. Comicbook/{{Catwoman}} made the mistake of [[RobbingTheMobBank 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 tried to give it back when she found out that was the case; fortunately, Batman was more willing to listen than Katsu was.

* Creator/SeijunSuzuki made several increasingly surreal, stylish, over-the-top yakuza films in the 1960s.

** ''Film/BrandedToKill'': The #3 killer in Japan botches a job and becomes a target for #1 in this highly stylized example from Creator/SeijunSuzuki.

* ''Manga/Reborn2004'': Although taking place in Japan, they originate in Italy. [[note]]Dino does have the tattoos though[[/note]]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?!")

* They make an appearance in Chapter 7 of ''Manga/NekoDeGomen.

See also TheMafia (and its Russian cousin TheMafiya), TheIrishMob, TheTriadsAndTheTongs, TheCartel, TheSyndicate, MafiaPrincess.

Yakuza has existed since the 19th century, but the real rise of the Yakuza happened after the World War II. Japan had lost the war, and one of the nasty little secrets of the war had been the Imperial military jacking up the ''[[UsefulNotes/KatanasOfTheRisingSun senrin]]'' with methamphetamine. When the military had collapsed, it left behind [[BottledHeroicResolve a Mt. Fuji size stockpile of meth]]. Yakuza seized it, and began trading on it. The SuperSerum intended to military use now spred to the civilians, and while it ''did'' certainly aid on reconstruction of Japan so quickly after the WWII, it also caused a widespread meth addiction epidemic among the Japanese. Yakuza made good money on the illicit drug trade, and it still today controls the Japanese drug market. Unsurprisingly, methamphetamine is the most popular drug in Japan.

* Even although TV stations don't always refer to him by the Y-word, this is Wrestling/MasahiroChono's whole [[TheGimmick gimmick]], which some have alleged is not really a gimmick at all seeing as no yakuza has ever attempted retribution on him for misrepresenting their company. Chono is in fact many a yakuza's favorite wrestler for his [[SharpDressedMan impeccable dress]], speed, agility, and "Yakuza Kick" FinishingMove. Videos of his matches have reportedly been used by correctional officers in an effort to steer violent criminals towards athletics.
* Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara likes to style himself as a Yakuza, to the point he founded a promotion named Fyjiwara Gumi (''gumi'' being the term commonly used for Yakuza organizations).

* In Wrestling/{{WWE}}, Wrestling/YoshihiroTajiri was given a Yakuza-themed gimmick as part of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFegvJTzWKQ Kyo Dai]] faction in the early [=2000s=]. However the faction was short-lived because Tajiri said that the ''real'' Yakuza might start becoming insulted by the portrayal and enact legitimate retribution.
* In Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, Kenzo Suzuki led a stable completely devoted to the theme, the aptly named La Yakuza. The storyline was that Suzuki was being secretly supported by the real life yakuza in order to start a Japanese invasion of AAA, which would take the form of guest Japanese wrestlers showing up as members of the group. The whole angle was short-lived, though, and only lasted some months.

* Yakuza-apparent are mooks in the ''LightNovel/MaiHimeDestiny'' light novel series.