History UsefulNotes / Bosozoku

The ''bōsōzoku'' didn't become a staple of Japanese popular culture until somewhere between the late '70s and early '80s, during their real-life peak. The media form where they were most popular was in ''{{manga}}'', where the ''bōsōzoku'' genre was a brief but highly productive genre (along with its close cousin, the ''[[JapaneseDelinquents yankii]]'' genre), and probably gave them a reasonable boost of romanticization. In contrast, other media were less friendly: television mostly used them for cheap sensationalism (or the butt of the jokes in [[VarietyShow variety shows]]), their controversy made them taboo for contemporary ''{{anime}}'' other than [[AllBikersAreHellsAngels inspiration for generic villains]] (at least until the [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]] boom), the nascent VideoGame medium was more concerned with fantastical and/or [[UsefulNotes/TheBlockbusterAgeOfHollywood Hollywood]]-influenced settings, and films made by big studios were for a long time out-of-touch with contemporary trends, preferring to use western exploitation films like ''Film/TheWildAngels'' for inspiration.

* The UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 game ''Ane-san'' is a BeatEmUp composed of an [[ImprobablyFemaleCast all-female cast]] made up of ''ladies'' gang fights. It's considered in its homeland as a [[QuirkyWork bakage]] for its weird art direction and minigames, such as the [[FaceOfAThug scary face contest]], the [[GameOfChicken chicken racing game]], the [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou room decoration feature]], or the [[DreamSequence intermission poems]]. It's also commonly thought to have been designed as a DistaffCounterpart of the ''VideoGame/ChoAniki'' series, even sharing the same composer.

* ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'':
** ''VideoGame/Yakuza2'': It's revealed in a substory that Yuya, the bouncer for the host club Stardust, used to head up a ''bōsōzoku'' gang called "Black Thunder" back in his the day, but left that life behind him after he befriended Kazuki and helped set up Stardust. Unfortunately, some of his former gang members don't appreciate him deserting them them and try to confront him at his club over it, forcing Kiryu to intervene.
** Being set in TheEighties, ''VideoGame/Yakuza0'' features ''bōsōzoku'' thugs (though not their bikes) as regular enemies on the streets of Sotenbori, alongside their cousins in delinquincy, the ''yankii''.
** In one sidequest in ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'', Ichiban helps out a small-time ''bōsōzoku'' grew called the Purple [[GratuitousGerman Kaisers]] after one of their members gets abducted and held hostage by some yakuza.
* UsefulNotes/PlayStation2's low-priced ''Zoku-sha King'' series (Sometimes translated as ''Maxxed Out Racing'') is a ''bosozoku'' racing game franchise. Most of them deal with four-wheeled vehicles, although one of them (''Kyousou! Tansha King'', translated as ''Motorbike King'') is about motorcycles. Notably, they were supervised by notable real-life ''bosozoku'' magazine ''Champ Road''.

* The UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 game ''Ane-san'' is a BeatEmUp composed of an [[ImprobablyFemaleCast all-female cast]] made up of ''ladies'' gang fights. It's considered in its homeland as a [[WidgetSeries bakage]] for its weird art direction and minigames, such as the [[FaceOfAThug scary face contest]], the [[GameOfChicken chicken racing game]], the [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou room decoration feature]], or the [[DreamSequence intermission poems]]. It's also commonly thought to have been designed as a DistaffCounterpart of the ''VideoGame/ChoAniki'' series, even sharing the same composer.

* In ''TabletopGames/{{Cyberpunk}}'', Yorinobu Arasaka was once the heir of corporate overlord [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Saburo Arasaka]] who proceeded to leave the family to found a Bosozoku gang known as the "Kotetsu no Ryu" (Steel Dragons) as his way of rebelling against his father. While he's returned to the fold by the time of ''Videogame/Cyberpunk2077'' it's possible to find his old jacket as a unique lootable item.

The ''bōsōzoku'' started to get identified as such by police since 1972, when the cases of assault and blackmail by motorcyle-riding teenagers against civilians started to rise. In a short time, the number of gangs exponentially rose, and violent riotous fights between gangs equipped with knives, [[MolotovCocktail Molotov cocktails]], [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden swords]], [[TwoByFore square timbers]] or even [[FightingWithChucks nunchucks]] were increasingly frequent, to the point of becoming a national threat -- it was at this time when the gangs started forming into coalitions to protect each other, and while the quantity of battles decreased, the number of participants in each skirmish was much higher (up to 600 in the biggest riots), thus the collateral damage higher. This proliferation of large-scale gangs had two direct consequences: the creation of strict anti-juvenile delinquency laws, and the foundation of hierarchical, almost militaristic structures within ''bōsōzoku'' gangs, both which would impact to the rapid downfall of the subculture in [[TheEighties the late Eighties]] (ironically, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard in the latter case]] -- after all, "unruly rebelliousness" and "militant power structures" are rather opposite concepts).

* The villains of ''VideoGame/RoadBlaster'' (set in America) are a highly organized biker gang who've been terrorizing the population. The player is a one-man CrusadingWidower that goes on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge after his bride-to-be was murdered in a traffic accident that he survived. The ''bōsōzoku'' gang and the whole game is closely modelled after the first two ''Film/MadMax'' films and derivatives such as ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', who where immensely popular in Japan.

* The villains of ''VideoGame/RoadBlaster'' (set in America) are a highly organized biker gang who've been terrorizing the population. To apprehend them, the police has developed a task force and specialized cars to beat them. The ''bōsōzoku'' gang and the whole game is closely modelled after the first two ''Film/MadMax'' films and derivatives such as ''Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar'', who where immensely popular in Japan.

* Katana's redesign from ''Film/SuicideSquad2016'' has a mishmash of ''bōsōzoku'' traits, like a heavy use of Chrysantemums, ''kanji'' lettering and a ''tasuki'' sash. However, the rest of the costume seems to have been more inspired by modern BikerBabe clothing.

* Many of the [[''Manga/Crows'' works]] of Takeshi Hiroshi feature Bosozoku. Of particular note are the recurring gang The Front of Armament, or TFOA, who we follow through several generations of leadership between ''Crows'' and ''Worst'', as well as witnessing their origins in special spinoff chapters.

The ''bōsōzoku'' started to get identified as such by police since 1972, when the cases of assault and blackmail by motorcyle-riding teenagers against civilians started to rise. In a short time, the number of gangs exponentially rose, and violent riotous fights between gangs equipped with knives, [[MolotovCocktail Molotov cocktails]], [[WoodenKatanasAreEvenBetter wooden swords]], [[TwoByFore square timbers]] or even [[FightingWithChucks nunchucks]] were increasingly frequent, to the point of becoming a national threat -- it was at this time when the gangs started forming into coalitions to protect each other, and while the quantity of battles decreased, the number of participants in each skirmish was much higher (up to 600 in the biggest riots), thus the collateral damage higher. This proliferation of large-scale gangs had two direct consequences: the creation of strict anti-juvenile delinquency laws, and the foundation of hierarchical, almost militaristic structures within ''bōsōzoku'' gangs, both which would impact to the rapid downfall of the subculture in [[TheEighties the late Eighties]] (ironically, [[HoistByHisOwnPetard in the latter case]]).

The more violent Bosozoku groups typically had a very militaristic aesthetic and spirit, idealizing loyalty and fearlessness unto death. Uniforms were initially inspired by those worn by soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army and pilots and kamikaze of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, though they became increasingly flamboyant and impractical, and they often bore signage and banners with fearsome slogans. Larger gangs were run with a strict hierarchy by a command structure of ranked officers leading specific units and squads of members, with militant names like strike force, flying column, special forces, imperial guard, cavalry, etc., sometimes including unique uniforms flourishes or privileges to display rank and unit. This ensured a degree of order and camaraderie among such large numbers of delinquents, but as such the punishment for misconduct or betrayal was organized and severe, and a falling out between different factions could become an all out war. Some gangs were less structured, or drew inspiration from western bikers or flashy Yakuza, and later color gangs, but the militant, regimented bosozoku gang is still the most common stereotype in media.

However, it wasn't until the early '80s, during the peak of their craze, that the ''bōsōzoku'''s highly pseudo-nationalistic IconicOutfit (inspired after some ''uyoku dantai'' uniforms) was made widespread between the gangs. This costume usually consisted of jumpsuits or ''tokkō-fuku'' (longcoats named after the ''tokkōtai'' kamikaze pilots, and originally an honourable item worn only by the leader, especially for important gatherings), and sometimes a scarf/gauze mask to conceal their identity and/or ''hachimaki'' headbands, both the traditional festival type and the WWII-style ''[[WearingAFlagOnYourHead hinomaru]]''. Other stereotypical clothing accessories may include the ''tasuki'' sash or ''jika-tabi'' boots. Their clothing was usually embroidered with slogans written in [[DelusionsOfEloquence needlessly complicated]] ''kanji'', whether vaguely patriotic or simply cool-sounding English catchphrases, plus all sorts of far-right imagery like the Emperor's Chrysanthemum Seal, [[UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan Rising Sun flags]] or the Nazi ''[[ThoseWackyNazis hakenkreuz]]''. ''Ladies'' gangs are usually portrayed in similar clothing, but with a penchant for [[HighHeelPower high heels]] and open ''tokkō-fuku'' jackets showing their ''{{sarashi}}''.

The more violent Bosozoku groups typically had a very militaristic aesthetic and spirit, idealizing loyalty and fearlessness unto death. Uniforms were initially inspired by those worn by soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army and pilots and kamikaze of the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service, though they became increasingly flamboyant and impractical, and they often bore signage and banners with fearsome slogans. Larger gangs were run with a strict hierarchy by a command structure of ranked officers leading specific units and squadd of members, with militant names like strike force, flying column, special forces, imperial guard, cavalry, etc., sometimes including unique uniforms flourishes or privileges to display rank and unit. This ensured a degree of order and comraderie among such large numbers of delinquents, but as such the punishment for misconduct or betrayal was organized and severe, and a falling out between different factions could become an all out war.

The iconic ''bōsōzoku'' image is that of a low-speed zig-zagging motorcade gang making lots of loud noise and threatening whoever comes around, whose members engage in criminal activities with their peers. The average ''bōsōzoku'' was a delinquent teenager, and it was common to retire shortly before or after the age of majority at twenty -- at least before Japan's increasing average age problem. Some low-ranked ''{{yakuza}}'' found an easy target of their activities with them, giving them drugs and weapons in exchange for [[LoanShark money funds]] (and an easy way to recruit people, if they needed somebody to do dirty jobs) -- the most faithful of them becoming eventually official pawns. By the time of their downfall in the late '80s, alternate ways of juvenile delinquency, such as the more American-influenced ''[[{{Gangbangers}} color gangs]]'' (カラーギャング) and the trendy ''teamers'' (チーマー), made the ''bōsōzoku'' look rather old-fashioned and outdated. Some of the adult ''bōsōzoku'' who refused to reform themeselves are most likely to be in ''hangure'' (半グレ, lit. "half" + "[[{{Delinquents}} gurentai]]"/"grey") gangs which, despite having no relation with traditional organized crime groups like the ''yakuza'' or ''bōryokudan'' (instead acting like loose networks of adult delinquents) and being direct rivals, engage in very similar criminal activities[[note]]Some of them include phone frauds, [[PreemptiveDeclaration remodeling frauds]], [[LoanShark moneylendering]], dubious demolition/waste jobs, shady nightlife/adult industry business, teenage "model" (sex shop) scouting, product hoarding, etc. Many ''hangure'', owing to their thuggish origins, have also been seen using direct physical violence[[/note]].

Their origin can be traced to [[TheSixties the Sixties]]' ''kaminari zoku'' (カミナリ族, lit. "thunder tribe"), close cousins of the [[GreaserDelinquents Greasers and Rockers]]: youngsters who could afford motorcycles, subsequently [[LoudOfWar removed their mufflers]] and [[DrivesLikeCrazy rode them recklessly]] on roads. However, excluding their annoying noise, they weren't much of a concern to Japanese society... At least, before motorcycles became cheap enough for the average high schooler to buy in [[TheSeventies the Seventies]], thanks to [[Analysis/JapanTakesOverTheWorld Japan's fast economic growth]] -- and among those teenagers, your average {{Delinquent|s}}, who was more concerned with causing ruckus than anything resembling proper racing.

For a long time, their choice of costume was almost indistinguishable from the British ''Ton-Up Boys''/''Rockers'' in the '60s, or the American ''[[GreaserDelinquents Greasers]]'' in the '70s. However, it wasn't until the early '80s, during the peak of their craze, that the ''bōsōzoku'''s highly pseudo-nationalistic IconicOutfit (inspired after some ''uyoku dantai'' uniforms) was made widespread between the gangs. This costume usually consisted of jumpsuits or ''tokkō-fuku'' (longcoats named after the ''tokkōtai'' kamikaze pilots, and originally an honourable item worn only by the leader, especially for important gatherings), and sometimes a scarf/gauze mask to conceal their identity and/or ''hachimaki'' headbands, both the traditional festival type and the WWII-style ''[[WearingAFlagOnYourHead hinomaru]]''. Other stereotypical clothing accessories may include the ''tasuki'' sash or ''jika-tabi'' boots. Their clothing was usually embroidered with slogans written in [[DelusionsOfEloquence needlessly complicated]] ''kanji'', whether vaguely patriotic or simply cool-sounding English catchphrases, plus all sorts of far-right imagery like the Emperor's Chrysanthemum Seal, [[UsefulNotes/ImperialJapan Rising Sun flags]] or the Nazi ''[[ThoseWackyNazis hakenkreuz]]''. ''Ladies'' gangs are usually portrayed in similar clothing, but with a penchant for [[HighHeelPower high heels]] and open ''tokkō-fuku'' jackets showing their ''{{sarashi}}''.

A particularly ironic offshoot is that of the ''toho bōsōzoku'' ("Walking bōsōzoku") from northernmost Japan, who can't take their motorcycles in frozen highways and keep making the same rowdy behavior, but on-foot. They've also been seen making noises in festivals and other places which don't let vehicles in. Some of them are simply amateur gangs who could buy ''bōsōzoku'' clothes but can't afford a vehicle yet. Another similar phenomenon is that of preadolescent kids who modify their bicycles with typical ''bōsōzoku'' modifications -- even those have received small fines, probably to [[AndThatsTerrible warn them of]] their idols' wrong behavior.

RockAndRoll was an important inspiration for Japan's rebellious youth in the '70s, and became a staple of ''bōsōzoku'' and ''yankii'' culture: once thought as old-fashioned during the '60s, Japanese bands like ''Carol'', ''Cools'' or ''Yokohama Ginbae'' made rock, leather jackets, and pompadours popular again overnight. However, some rising rock superstars, like ''Carol'''s Eikichi Yazawa, took the decision to alienate a big part of their audience and ban any ''bōsōzoku'' from their audience to stop possible fights and other turmoil. For some reason, the eighties' ''bōsōzoku'' culture was also heavily into [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlorian Nameneko]] merchandising, a brief fad based in photos of [[CuteKitten cute kittens]] dressed as delinquents.

Japanese police technically classifies the ''bōsōzoku'' into two subsets: the ''kyōdō kiken'' (associative hazard), and the ''ihō kyōsō'' (illegal racing) types. The former subset is the well-known gang type; the latter is the more obscure offshoot of the ''kaminari zoku'' dedicated to street racing. These racers are more known as the ''hashiriya'', and [[DoNotCallMePaul don't like to be associated]] with the standard ''kyōdō kiken''-type ''bōsōzoku'', because their profile is much more discreet than their cousins (since they're on the average more likely to be individualistic) and their vehicle modifications tend to be purely functional. Unlike the ''kyōdō kiken''-type ''bōsōzoku'', the number of ''hashiriya'' bikers has managed to stay afloat, peaking in the 10s -- in fact, since their downfall in the '90s, the former ''kyōdō kiken''-type ''bōsōzoku'' have borrowed traits from the ''hashiriya'', such as being grouped on small individualistic and easily dispersible gangs, or having a bigger emphasis on racing.

Nowadays, their longest-lasting legacy in Japanese media is being a shorthand of a RetiredBadass, seen whenever a middle-aged character is revealed to be a former ''bōsōzoku'' / ''ladies''. This is especially useful for female characters, who rarely have any chance of being associated in a movement wholly composed of tough girls.

Since [[TheNineties the Nineties]], their membership has been rapidly declining, with most of the biggest gangs being already disbanded -- a 2019 police report estimates 150 groups (composed by roughly 5,710 ''bōsōzoku'', including over 1,200 ''hashiriya''), in comparison to their 1981 peak of 835 groups (composed of roughly 38,900 ''bōsōzoku'' + 1,420 ''ladies''). Some of the most noticeable reasons of their fall are a series of increasingly harsh police penalties, Japan's population ageing and declining birthrate, motorcycle enthusiasts being more interested in the ''hashiriya'' subculture, increasingly expensive vehicle and gasoline prices, the shift to eco-friendly vehicles, and an increasing disinterest of vehicle purchases in younger generations worldwide.

However, the ''bōsōzoku'' aesthetic is getting a revival through the ''kyūshakai'', clubs composed of former ''bōsōzoku'', young people who appreciate their style, and adults who didn't get to experience them in their heyday. Unlike their inspiration, though, they steer clear of any violent act or hierarchical organization, and drive vehicle parades on their free time such as weekends. However, they're still driving vehicles with illegal modifications, so they're closely monitored by the police (who usually receive complaints of their noise), in case one of them wants to emulate their inspiration further and drive recklessly on their own.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' features the "Dragon Chopper" as one of the Foot Clan's vehicles. Its pseudo-Japanese decoration, tall mufflers, high seat and flag are reminiscent of some of the average ''bōsōzoku'' bike customizations, although [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/tmnt/images/6/67/Dragon_bike.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130825054945 its concept art]] makes the comparison even more obvious.