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5[[quoteright:350:[[Film.{{Yakuza}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/likeadragonmajimashotgun.png]]]]
6[[caption-width-right:350:Ruling Japanese crime VideoGame/LikeADragon.]]
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8
9->''"As Joseph Castellano... put it, 'What is a Gambino crime family? ...does this Gambino crime family have an office? Does the office have a plaque on the door that says, "Gambino crime family?"' In Japan, the answers would be, in reverse order, 'yes,' 'yes,' and 'read our rules and creed.'"''
10-->-- '''Curtis J. Milhaupt and Mark D. West''', ''The Dark Side of Private Ordering: An Institutional and Empirical Analysis of Organized Crime''
11
12TheMafia.... [[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace BUT JAPANESE!!]] Yakuza [[note]]Emphasis on the "ya", despite what [[AcCENTUponTheWrongSylLABle English-language media might say]][[/note]] are Japanese mobsters, sometimes known outside Japan as "the Japanese Mafia", and euphemistically known inside Japan as "anti-social organizations" or "violent groups." [[note]]Or, occasionally, [[Manga/HayateTheCombatButler "those very kind people."]][[/note]] Yakuza insist that their organizations originated in [[JustLikeRobinHood Robin Hood-style]] groups of outlaws and vigilantes during [[JidaiGeki Japan's feudal era]], but scholars believe that they are in fact descended from roving bands of {{Ronin}} who harassed and extorted the local peasantry.
13
14Not that these are mutually exclusive descriptions, though. Tired of robbing the penniless peasants, these Ronin bands often gravitated towards more affluent cities, where they sought employment as [[HiredGuns hired muscle]]. There, they mingled with and frequently joined local urban self-defense groups and mutual aid societies, and this is where their claim of the [[JustLikeRobinHood service to society]] comes from. The fact that these groups were often indistinguishable from [[GangBangers criminal gangs]] is usually blissfully ignored. The modern descendants of such gangs are the very Yakuza groups that are discussed here. Today, some 70% of Yakuza come from ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burakumin burakumin]]'' background, and 10% of Yakuza are [[UsefulNotes/KoreansInJapan ethnic Koreans]] (despite Koreans making up about 0.5% of the Japanese population), both of which are groups which have historically faced discrimination in Japanese society.
15
16There is also an alternative hypothesis suggesting that Yakuza are descendants of legitimate organizations of ''tekiya'', or peddlers of [[HonestJohnsDealership shady or stolen goods]], whose leaders were even allowed to carry swords (when that was illegal for most people following the UsefulNotes/MeijiRestoration). Those groups, though, were often associated with less legitimate organizations of gamblers.
17
18Yakuza has existed since the 19th century, but the real rise of the Yakuza happened after 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 for military use then spread 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.
19
20The name "''yakuza''" came from a traditional Japanese card game called ''Oicho-Kabu'', which is esimilar to Baccarat. Like it, the goal of the game is to reach a total of 9, the last digit of any total over 10 makes your hand. [[note]]A 15 counts as 5, a 12 as 2, and a 20 as 0.[[/note]] Having two of the same card makes it the card number. [[note]]A 10 and a 10 = 10, 1 and a 1 = 1.[[/note]] The [[MedalOfDishonor worst]] hand you can get in the game is an eight, a nine and a three, totalling 20 = [[EpicFail 0]]. 8-9-3 is expressed as "ya-ku-za" phonetically in Japanese.
21
22Please note that real Yakuza never actually use the term "Yakuza", but [[InsistentTerminology prefer more romantic kennings]] like ''Gokudo'' (the outermost path) or ''Ninkyo dantai'' (chivalrous society), tying into the romanticized view of the Yakuza.
23
24Yakuza are also commonly associated with ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyoku_dantai uyoku dantai]]'' groups (basically Japan's nationalist {{right wing militia fanatic}}s), and are commonly accused of doing so in order to camouflage their criminal activities behind a political ideology, which would be protected speech. Some Yakuza groups have close ties with ''uyoku dantai'', and a few have even [[BecomingTheMask adopted the ideology for real]] and [[ReformedCriminal dropped their criminal activities]].
25
26Yakuza 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 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.
27
28As the Yakuza benefit from a degree of legitimacy and transparency, they are not often very active outside of Japan, [[RuthlessForeignGangsters unlike many crime syndicates]]. They do have footholds in other parts of the Pacific and even mainland Asia, but they operate outside of their home turf largely through proxies and alliances, seldom firsthand or alone. Where the average mafioso or triad with sufficient violence and ambition can set up shop anywhere with a large enough presence of their ethnic group, the Yakuza are dependent on the [[NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters societal acceptance and official status they are granted in their hometowns]] to operate at full capacity. The Yakuza succeeds largely through strictly regulated codes of behavior and agreements that keep them from upsetting the general public or drawing the attention of police and government officials, preferring to profit from shady but legitimate or quasi-illicit activity and keeping their actual "crime" as quiet and subtle as possible. Operating in another country without the tacit tolerance of the authorities presents significant difficulties for the Yakuza.
29
30The stereotypical Yakuza character matches the real-world profile fairly closely. He is heavily {{tattooed|Crook}}, a trait so identified with delinquency that many bathhouses in Japan will forbid people with tattoos on the premises. He's AlwaysMale, as female Yakuza are very rare in the male-dominated Japanese society. If you see a woman in a Yakuza clan, she's either a MissKitty in charge of the clan's prostitution deals, a DragonLady (in the rare cases when she works directly with the other male members), [[MafiaPrincess the boss's daughter]] or the boss's consort, known as "''ane''" (Japanese for big sister). He [[SharpDressedMan wears an expensive suit]] and [[SinisterShades dark sunglasses]], and he walks with a distinctive swagger that announces his profession. While he claims a benign interest in the community, he's also likely to be as violent and destructive as his Western counterpart, especially if he feels he is not receiving the respect he deserves -- but this combination of honor and violence allows some works to ascribe {{Samurai}} traits to him. And he may be [[{{Yubitsume}} missing a finger]], either as a punishment or as a loyalty test, a trait so associated with the Yakuza that it's a big reason you rarely see FourFingeredHands in Japanese media. In this sense, the Yakuza can be seen as somewhere in between the finesse of the classic [[TheMafia Italian mafioso]] and the brutality of the [[TheMafiya Russian bratva]]. Gun laws are extremely strict in Japan, so while a clan will certainly have ''access'' to firearms, they rarely carry or use them. Knives are more common, but since bladed weapons also carry the legal implication of premeditated violence, many Yakuza will use non-weapons, such as bats, martial arts weapons, such as bokken and shinai, or traditional weapons with collector/artistic value to fight or do harm, as such implements have plausible deniability as weapons. Besides the legal loopholes, these weapons also add to the traditional and honorable aesthetic Yakuza fiction strives for.
31
32Yakuza are so prominent in Japanese culture that they have 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 ''Film/TokyoDrifter'' and ''Film/BattlesWithoutHonorAndHumanity'' 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 ''Film/KillBill'' and ''Anime/CowboyBebop''. Yakuza also appear quite often in CyberPunk fiction, if only because JapanTakesOverTheWorld is typical of the genre.
33
34The Yakuza have been on a rapid decline in recent years. Laws directly and regulations indirectly targeting Yakuza groups have become increasingly strict since the 90s, 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, which these international syndicates target with ruthless abandon. 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 [[EvilPowerVacuum something far worse would fill the void]].
35
36In fiction Yakuza members will almost always be ethnically Japanese, but they are not homogenous in real life. As said earlier, many in mainland Japan are of Korean descent. There have also been notable cases of Hāfu, people of mixed Japanese ancestry, joining. Yakuza also have a presence in Okinawa and other Ryukyu Islands, whose people are ethnically different from Japanese and have their own languages and customs. Overseas clans in places like Hawaii and California also often have non-Japanese members.
37
38See also TheMafia (and its Russian cousin TheMafiya), TheIrishMob, TheTriadsAndTheTongs, LondonGangster, TheCartel, TheSyndicate, MafiaPrincess.
39
40If you're looking for the Sega franchise about Yakuza, [[VideoGame/LikeADragon click here.]]
41
42----
43!!Examples:
44[[foldercontrol]]
45
46[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
47* ''Manga/AcidTown'' centers around the interactions between several Yakuza gangs and a Chinese "pseudo-yakuza" gang as one of its main plots. Nearly ''everyone'' in the story is Yakuza or connected to someone who is, which is part of what makes the setting a CrapsackWorld.
48* ''Manga/{{Akagi}}'' deals with illegal gambling in post-WWII Japan, Yakuza included.
49* In ''Anime/AkibaMaidWar'', [[CosplayCafe maid cafes]] are simply fronts for entire Yakuza rings, and the waitresses who work there aren't afraid to do the dirty work against the opposition in order to keep up appearances.
50* Kanzaki in ''Manga/{{Beelzebub}}'' is the second son of the Kanzaki-gumi ''oyabun'' or family head. It allows him to abuse the other members with complete impunity while being himself a {{Japanese delinquent|s}}, which the Yakuza generally despise.
51* ''Manga/BiNoKyoujin'' is built around this premise, in which the {{Seme}} Kabu falls for former StreetUrchin turned smuggler Nirasawa, his {{Uke}}, and takes him as his henchman. The story notably explores the problems such a relationship would cause in a Yakuza clan where the presence of an "''ane''" (title given to the leader's wife) is a ''sine qua non''.
52* In the ''Manga/BlackJack'' story "Tetsu of the Yamanote Line", the titular Tetsu (a notorious pickpocket) makes the mistake of stealing money from a guy who turns out to be a yakuza member, and the guy's fellow mobsters take the money back and [[FinGore cut Tetsu's fingers off in retaliation.]]
53* The final arc of the second season of ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', "Fujiyama Gangsta Paradise," centers around a war between two rival yakuza groups triggered by the death of one of their bosses, a war that [[TheMafiya Russian mob]] boss [[TheBaroness Balalaika]] wants to use to gain a foothold in the Japanese underworld. The yakuza, as befitting of the show's tendency to play every mafia movie cliche in the book to the hilt, have a code, but [[CurbStompBattle unfortunately for them]], Balalaika is a {{Magnificent B|astard}}itch and [[CombatPragmatist doesn't play by their rules]]. And then, Rock and Revy meet up with [[YakuzaPrincess Yukio Washimine]], the girl who is about to become the leader of one of these groups... [[FromBadToWorse yeah,]] [[HeelRealization it]] [[TraumaCongaLine doesn't]] [[DownerEnding end well.]]
54* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'':
55** 7th Squad lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba, who is patterned after a yakuza, complete with shades and the tattoo taking up most of his back space.
56** As president of the Shinigami Man's Association, he seems to have carried this trait over to a degree. Meetings of the association consist of the various male lieutenants wearing similar glasses and leaving their haori draped open across their shoulders.
57* In ''Anime/BloodPlus'', Mao Yahana's unseen father is a Yakuza; she steals money from him so she can afford to follow the heroes all over the world.
58* A yakuza group shows up in the anime version of ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' since Misumi Tanaka, the local TeamMom and the military's liaison to the kids in the robot, turns out to have Yakuza ties (she was previously married to a mid-ranked Yakuza boss named Ichirou [[spoiler: who was murdered some years ago]]). They mainly play a role in protecting and looking after the kids... in particular [[spoiler: Jun Ushiro, who is the son of Ichirou and Misumi, though he doesn't know it at first]].
59* ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'' has the Port Mafia which can be count as one. While never hesitant to crime they have their own strict codes for it, and in-universally is said to be a legal organization.
60* Though it's not openly mentioned, Sei from ''Anime/BurstAngel'' is implied to be a yakuza leader, or at least a YakuzaPrincess.
61* Denji, the main character of ''Manga/ChainsawMan'', was condemned to a life of poverty partly because a yakuza group made him pay off his deceased father's debts. On the whole, the series treats the yakuza with little kindness, showing them to be a bunch of stupid, short-sighted thugs with a serious case of MoralMyopia. Even Katana Man, the most dangerous yakuza member, is shown to be a self-deluding spoiled brat who won't acknowledge his grandfather's crimes against Denji.
62* Underneath all of the Science Fiction and Western trappings ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' is essentially a classic Yakuza story, pitting a "noble" yakuza (Spike) against a "nihilist" yakuza (Vicious).
63* The erotic-comedy ''Manga/DanceTillTomorrow'' has some pretty funny scenes when the main character discovers his theater troupe is practicing in an office building shared by Yakuza. After accidentally disrespecting their boss, they manage to placate him by offering half-price tickets to their next play. HilarityEnsues when he shows up with ten other serious looking Yakuzas, 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.]]
64* Yakuza show up a few times in ''Anime/DarkerThanBlack'', but mostly just wind up getting beaten senseless in large numbers.
65* ''Literature/{{Durarara}}'':
66** In one episode, 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 stay out-of-sight unless the various [[MobWar delinquent wars]] get so bad that they need to intervene.
67** One particular Yakuza group, Awakusu-Kai, becomes a lot more prominent in the later LightNovels when Izaya exploits some in-fighting and [[spoiler:frames Shizuo for the murder of three of their men]]. Even more, [[spoiler: the pint-sized YakuzaPrincess of the clan, Akane Awakusu, strikes up an InterGenerationalFriendship with Shizuo]].
68* The {{seme}} and FetishizedAbuser from Ayano Yamane's ''Manga/FinderSeries'', Ryuuichi Asami, is a yakuza leader. The series also features members of both his group and of rival organizations.
69* In one episode of ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu'', 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 TrainingFromHell and equipping them with weapons and military-grade powered armor/Bonta-kun replica costumes. Yes, you read that right.]] For bonus points, [[spoiler:Sousuke goes through the training ''in his Bonta-kun armor'' (i.e. through most of the episode), with Kaname acting as his "translator"]].
70* In ''Manga/{{Gantz}}'', two Yakuza are among the first group of hunters.
71* There's a big organization of them, the Jugondou, in ''Manga/GaRei''. They even have supernatural ties, including connections in...[[OurVampiresAreDifferent Transylvania]]?
72* In ''Literature/TheGardenOfSinners'', Shiki Ryougi's father was a Yakuza leader, and [[spoiler:as shown in the DistantFinale, Shiki herself has become the new head of the Ryougi family]].
73%%* Almost everybody in ''Manga/Gekkoh.''
74* In ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'', of the Four Devas of Kabuki-cho, Jirochou is the leader of the yakuza. Some of his exchanges with his daughter have the formality and speech patterns seen in yakuza movies.
75* The main character of ''Manga/{{Gokusen}}'' is a schoolteacher whose coworkers do not know she is the granddaughter of a powerful ''oyabun'' (yakuza boss).
76* A common feature in ''Gokushufudou: Manga/TheWayOfTheHousehusband'', despite the fact that the eponymous character retired from that life long ago to become, well, a HouseHusband. He regularly meets acquaintances from rival groups and they all engage in mundane, everyday activities like "trying out new appliances" or "shopping for groceries" as though they were all conducting yakuza business.
77* Given that Section 9 works for Interior Security, yakuza don't make many appearances in ''Franchise/GhostInTheShell'', usually only in the role of supplying real terrorists with illegal goods. They feature more prominently in ''Innocence'', but appear as nothing but a gang of regular thugs.
78* In the final arc of ''Anime/GreatPretender'', "Wizard of Far East", Makoto starts working for a yakuza group, ostensibly to take them down, but finds himself BecomingTheMask.
79* In one arc of ''Manga/GTOTheEarlyYears'', Eikichi and Ryuji accidentally steal and wreck a young yakuza leader's PreciousPreciousCar, and are forced to come up with 100 million yen in a day or they'll be given CementShoes and tossed into the bay.
80* ''VideoGame/{{Gungrave}}'' - tale of unrequited romance and mafia "friendship"...and stars an [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot undead cowboy assassin]] who can only function if filled with blood.
81* The "very nice men" that start the plot of ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler''. Ironically enough, [[EvenEvilHasStandards they are more honorable]] than Hayate's Parents themselves.
82%%* ''Anime/HeatGuyJ''
83* Feature prominently in ''Manga/{{Hinamatsuri}}''; main character Nitta is an up-and-coming member who joined through their business associations, and thus lacks their traditional experience with violence. Being a comedy series, however, they're played for laughs, along with most everything else.
84* In ''Manga/{{Holyland}},'' Yuu's RoaringRampageOfRevenge 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. Later on, he shows up again to tell Masaki to do something about the teen gangs pushing Shiromon / True before the adults have to get involved.
85* ''Manga/IchiTheKiller'': 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.
86* [[spoiler: Otaha]] of ''Anime/{{Karas}}'' was a yakuza enforcer before he got killed [[spoiler: and turned into Karas]].
87* In ''Manga/KaseiYakyoku'', the male lead Taka Itou, his younger brother Saburou and a kid named Junichirou Uchida (the brother of one of Taka's love interests) are involved with the Yakuza of TheRoaringTwenties, though not entirely by choice. Taka's boss is seen on-screen, and he's a brutal Yakuza whose only sort-of soft spot is for his daughter Nami, [[spoiler: despite having killed ''his own wife'' when she tried to cheat on him by basically raping a teenaged Taka]].
88* The mage clans in the Anime version of ''Literature/KazeNoStigma'' are depicted using yakuza tropes with ''oyabun'' (bosses), princesses and intergenerational conflict over clan succession. It's an example of tropes as easily recognizable cultural shorthand.
89* The seme in Kazuma Kodaka's ''Manga/{{Kizuna}},'' Kei Enjouji, is the HeroicBastard of a Yakuza boss and has the ''perfect'' Yakuza looks except for the tattoo. [[spoiler: Enjouji himself didn't know about this until his mother died and he got a letter telling him the truth.]] His heritage bites him ''badly'' once when [[spoiler: some mooks run over his uke, Ranmaru, when they were actually trying to kill Enjouji and Ranmaru pulled a DivingSave for him]].
90** 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 [[BodyguardCrush bodyguard,]] a rather badass Yakuza guy named Masanori Araki, who has been his caretaker ever since Kai was a child. Your mileage will HEAVILY vary on his being {{Squick}} or not.]]
91* ''Manga/{{Kochikame}}'': Goshogawara is the boss of a family of [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything Yakuza who don't do anything]]. Well, they do look out for ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' collectibles for their boss.
92* There are two Yakuza girls in ''Anime/KujibikiUnbalance'' and while one is a rough tomboy cardshark, the other is an {{ojou}} KidSamurai with a katana.
93* ''Manga/TheKurosagiCorpseDeliveryService'':
94** Sasayama looks like a yakuza stereotype come alive, what with his FaceOfAThug, crude language, pinstripe suit, missing leg, BaldOfEvil and very visible head-scar, and frightens the whole crew into submission on his first appearance by making them think their latest client had mob ties. [[spoiler:He's actually a former police detective (as readers of ''Manga/MPDPsycho'' would know) forced into retirement by the loss of his leg and currently a social worker.]] More entertainingly, [[InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals his cousin looks practically identical to him]] despite having entered a completely different line of business, which makes Numata snark that peg-legs must be a family trait.
95** The crew disrupt an actual yakuza operation in volume 6: [[spoiler:The yakuza run an operation around providing people's dead relatives a post-mortem marriage, leading to said dead relatives' ghosts seeking out and killing the 'partners' provided to them by the yakuza through a marriage shrine. In the end, the ''oyabun'' of the gang suffers a KarmicDeath courtesy of the same shrine.]]
96* ''Manga/LoveMode'': Reiji Aoi is tall, dark, and, at least once, mistaken for yakuza. The fact that his business include a variety of shady businesses probably doesn't help matters much.
97* Yakuza-apparent are {{mooks}} in the ''Literature/MaiHimeDestiny'' light novel series.
98* About half the main cast of ''Manga/MyBrideIsAMermaid'', including the heroine, are yakuza mermaids. Being a light comedy, they're played positively enough to be samurai-ish; they have a few swordspersons around, and San uses a Japanese pun to riff on 'chivalry'. [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything They never do anything Yakuza-ish]] because they're too busy screwing up Nagasumi's life.
99* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': The Shie Hassaikai is apparently [[TheRemnant one of the last few surviving Yakuza groups]] in Japan since the rise of All Might and other heroes, during which the Yakuza were declared villains. Not only had Magne never even seen one before Overhaul, but Toga didn't even ''know'' what a Yakuza is. When Mr. Compress explains that "[Overhaul is] an endangered species left over from old times", Overhaul says he isn't wrong. [[spoiler: While he attempted to rid society of Quirks and the so-called "Hero Syndrome", his true goal was to bring the Yakuza back to its former glory for the man who brought him into the group.]]
100* ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'':
101** The frog summons have a Yakuza theme going on, starting with their names. Gamabunta is named after Bunta Sugawara, best known for starring in the yakuza series ''Film/BattlesWithoutHonorAndHumanity'', while Fukasaku is named after Kinji Fukasaku, director of the first eight films of the series. Gamaken is named after Ken Takakura, who was considered something of a rival to Sugawara when they were alive. Gamahiro and Shima are both named after Hiroshima, whose dialect is stereotypically used by Yakuza in popular culture. In addition, Gamabunta speaks in the Hiroshima dialect and has the mannerisms of a Yakuza.
102** In the main series' HighSchoolAU ending and its OVA ''Anime/ShippuKonohaGakuenDen'', NewTransferStudent Naruto's goal is to become the yakuza leader of all of Japan.
103* They make an appearance in Chapter 7 of ''Manga/NekoDeGomen''.
104* In ''Manga/{{Nisekoi}}'', the central plot is kicked off when the yakuza group run by Raku Ichijou's father gets into a turf war with an incoming Mafia family, which goes to a truce when he's declared the boyfriend of the MafiaPrincess daughter of the rival family, Chitoge Kirisaki. Naturally, the two can't stand each other, but they agree to maintain the facade because neither wants to see gang warfare. [[spoiler: Just as naturally, [[BecomingTheMask they start falling for each other for real]].]] Some moments [[ShownTheirWork analyze how the mafia and the yakuza differ]], such as how openly each operates and how acceptable the concept is in Japan versus other parts of the world.
105* Somuku Kanou in ''Manga/OkaneGaNai'' runs a yakuza-approved LoanShark business in Shinjuku.
106* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
107** Some pirate crews in this setting show parallels with the Yakuza: use of familial terms like "Big Bro", tattoos, an initiation ceremony involving drinking sake, and so on. Johnny and Yosaku, who ''aren't'' pirates, fit the Yakuza member stereotype even better.
108** In ''God's Present to the Future'' from ''Manga/Wanted1998'', Bran, at one point, come across some yakuza guys walking down the street, from whom he pickpockets a pistol he'll use later. They're depicted in the stereotypical way, one of them even has a bokuto (wooden sword) across the shoulder.
109* Ritsu Kasanoda of ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' is apparently a young yakuza boss. Also in the episode introducing Renge, she drags two students that are of Yakuza families to play the role of baddies in her elaborate movie of the Host Club.
110* In the ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'' episode "A Man's Path", a corrupt policeman goes to desperate lengths to pay his debts to the Yakuza.
111* In ''Anime/{{Parasyte}}'', Gotou [[EstablishingCharacterMoment makes his debut in the series]] by [[https://youtu.be/K0YfDFJj0zM massacring a local Yakuza clan]] in [[{{Gorn}} brutal]] and [[CurbStompBattle one-sided]] fashion, simply to test his capabilities against a large group armed with blades and firearms.
112* Kagetora from ''Manga/{{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.
113* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' has the publicity finally backfire on a Yakuza group: [[spoiler:Homura Akemi, the show's resident badass, apparently has no problem locating their headquarters and uses her TimeStandsStill power to walk right in and [[KarmicThief pilfer a bunch of pistols, shotguns and ammunition for her witch-killing needs]]]].
114* ''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?!")
115* In ''Manga/SaintYoungMen'', [[PalsWithJesus Jesus]] befriends a large group of Yakuza members, partially due to their belief that he's secretly a Yakuza prince (after he mentioned that he was [[ExactWords crucified by the authorities and got out by the will of his father]]). Of course, his influence brings out the best in them. [[TheMessiah He's Jesus. Befriending outcasts and criminals is just what he does.]]
116* Similarly, in ''Manga/SakuraGari'' (which also takes places in Tokyo of TheRoaringTwenties), the Yakuza forcibly recruit Masataka's beloved older brother Takafumi and get him to be in debt with them. Masataka's handsome boss Souma offers to pay for it, but only if [[WorkOffTheDebt Masataka]] [[ScarpiaUltimatum becomes his lover.]] [[spoiler: While Souma ''does'' pay up, Takafumi dies when he is tortured in police custody.]]
117* The mythical permutation of Yakuza is seen in a ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'' inspired episode of ''Anime/SamuraiChamploo'', in which one Yakuza family is presented as being run by a kindly and benevolent patriarch who created the organization to be a refuge for social outcasts. On the other hand, the opposing group were common thugs, and this type of Yakuza sometimes shows up as the [[VillainOfTheWeek villain of the episode]] (i.e. the sex slavery ring was implicitly run by them, given the reference to one mook [[{{Yubitsume}} losing a finger]] if guilty of further incompetence).
118* ''Manga/{{Sanctuary}}'' combines Yakuza with the GovernmentProcedural, with its two MagnificentBastard 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.
119* In ''Manga/SayonaraZetsubouSensei'', one of the teachers at the school is shown to have a Yakuza tattoo on his back, which freaks the protagonist teacher out. One episode shows the main characters trying to avoid being caught doing something embarrassing which can be photographed and used to shame them... but said teacher is shown having the ability to deftly avoid any camera which tries to photograph him.
120* ''Manga/StarStrikeItRich'': Hana is the head of the Jinguuji group, an independent group of Yakuza. Unfortunately, it is already one of the weakest ones and it is losing members, so she struggles to make money.
121* The family that the protagonist of ''Manga/StopHibariKun'' goes to live with after his mother dies is a yakuza family.
122* In ''Manga/{{Tekkonkinkreet}}'', the yakuza act as unwelcome agents of change in Treasure Town.
123* All of ''Manga/TokyoCrazyParadise'' is ''centered'' around the Yakuza- more specifically their young leader Ryuji and his female bodyguard Tsukasa.
124* In ''Manga/TokyoShinobiSquad'', yakuza often terrorize entire neighborhoods in order to take over the land and renovate it into upscale shopping centers for personal profit at the expense of the local businesses and the people living there. Jin exterminates a group who wanted to blow up an arcade he frequents.
125* Episode 7 of ''Literature/{{Trapeze}}'' deals with a yakuza member who has a phobia of sharp objects and eventually starts wearing [[GogglesDoSomethingUnusual ski goggles]] to protect his eyes.
126* ''Manga/TheVoynichHotel'':
127** One of the guests is an ex-Yakuza named Taizou Kuzuki, who becomes involved with the NinjaMaid Helena. By his own admission he wasn't exactly a high-ranked member, though he does have ''irizumi'' tattoos on his shoulders and upper back. [[spoiler:Later in the series, Kuzuki's DarkAndTroubledPast catches up with him... in the form of the ''yakuza'' from his former group, who come to claim the huge sum of money he stole from them [[DefectorFromDecadence before escaping]]. They [[EyeScream brutally]] [[EarAche torture]] [[FinGore him]], and even brag about having not just killed his brother (who was planning on leaving the group with Taizou) but having his back tattoos flayed off and displayed on the wall of their headquarters. [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend Helena]] [[LudicrousGibs is... unhappy]] when she shows up and sees what's happened.]] Amusingly enough, his tattoos convey his strength within the group with RPGElements; apparently his big brother was special enough to have a magic resistance rating.
128** Towards the end, [[spoiler:Mamiya's LittleMissBadass younger sister kills everyone in the headquarters of Kuzuki's yakuza group, believing that, after hiring them to kill Taizou, they double-crossed them and got Mamiya killed]].
129* The Haguro family from ''Manga/WolfGuyWolfenCrest.'' The son of the leader, Haguro Dou, is the BigBad, and towards the end [[spoiler: he gathers a group of them so they can "help" him violently gangrape Aoshika, triggering Inugami's RoaringRampageOfRescue]].
130* ''Manga/YakitateJapan'' has a [[SeriousBusiness baking battle]] to determine the successor to a Yakuza family.
131* In ''Manga/YuYuHakusho'', Yusuke's 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, solely mentioning that Atsuko and some "friends" had something to do with it.
132[[/folder]]
133
134[[folder:Comic Books]]
135* In the [[Creator/FrankMiller 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 [[TheMafia mafia ties.]] Probably because we already knew about Gotham's mafia (pretty much ripped from ''Film/TheGodfather''), and the Joker had to be a wild card. (Hence the name.)
136** The Yakuza are one of the many crime factions in Gotham City in the main DCU.
137* They have grown into almost a symbiotic relationship with the Judges of Hondo Cit in Comicbook/JudgeDredd, both hating but ultimately having to relay on the other.
138* [[Comicbook/{{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 wasn't amused.
139* The Yakuza exist in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, but just as the Mafia takes a backseat to the Maggia so too does the Yakuza take a backseat to fictional Japanese underworld groups such as Clan Yashida and The Hand. The most prominent Yakuza members in the MU are members of Clan Yashida, and unsurprisingly they usually clash with ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}.
140* In ''Comicbook/{{Nikolai Dante}}'', just as mafiya families reinstated [[{{days of future past}} Imperial Russia]], so a yakuza network known as Black Dragon took over Japan and most of the Pacific Rim. They were a significant threat to Russia, until much of their territory was destroyed in a catastrophe that Tsar Vladimir totally had nothing to do with, honest.
141[[/folder]]
142
143[[folder:Fan Works]]
144* ''Fanfic/MegamiNoHanabira'': The Yakuza appear as the Chaos-aligned faction in the story, lead by a man of undisclosed rank named Shusui Naito. Their aim is to spread the Demon Summoning Program outside the city for the sake of empowering the underclass as part of a deranged, WhiteGuilt-ridden scheme by their leader.
145* ''Fanfic/DigimonChildrenOfTime'': As revealed in ''Children of the Present'', Ryo Akiyama is the heir to a yakuza group, and Rika's grandmother Seiko was once a mob wife.
146* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' the Organization is funded mainly by this, and also it's the background of [[spoiler:Tsuruya's family]].
147* ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3966181/1/The_Prince The Prince]]'' by Neverending Odyssey is a ''Manga/DeathNote'' [[AlternateUniverseFic AU]] where Light Yagami is kidnapped by the Yakuza when he's eleven years old [[spoiler: and this harsher upbringing ironically [[NobleDemon results in him being much more merciful and careful]] when he adopts his Kira persona]].
148* In ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' {{Dark Fic}}s, it's not uncommon to have Kiku aka Japan directly involved with the Yakuza. [[UnfortunateImplications ... Uhm.]]
149* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7161848/1/893 893]]'' Harry Potter is raised by the Yakuza and so becomes a very independent, badass ProfessionalKiller.
150* In ''Fanfic/NeonMetathesisEvangelion'', the local yakuza begins to beat down whatever NERV employee they can find in the seedier parts of town in order to teach NERV a lesson about their arrogance after [[spoiler: Toji is injured while piloting an Evangelion, which his father the local ''oyabun'' took personally.]]
151* Jokingly referenced at one point in ''Fanfic/DoingItRightThisTime'', when Hikari's father makes a comment about Toji's dad [[{{Yubitsume}} "...missing a suspicious number of fingers"]], to which Hikari rather crossly retorts that the man is actually a carpenter who injured his hand in a workplace accident.
152* In ''Fanfic/RanmaSaotomeChiMaster'', Qiáng Wang manages to gain control over a yakuza group based out of an area close to Nerima by [[YouKillItYouBoughtIt killing its leader]].
153* ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14997911/chapters/34760702 The Horsewomen Of Las Vegas]]'' features the Yakuza as one of the crime organizations in the story. They are run by Wrestling/AntonioInoki in the story, but he does not appear. Instead, the Yakuza are represented by two of his top, personally-trained capos, [[Wrestling/KanakoUrai Asuka]] and Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura.
154* In [[https://www.deviantart.com/slifofinadragon SlifofinaDragon]]'s ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' [[ModernAUFic modern day]] fanfics, we’ve got the Date syndicate (led by UsefulNotes/DateMasamune) and the Toyotomi syndicate (led by UsefulNotes/ToyotomiHideyoshi).
155[[/folder]]
156
157[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
158* ''WesternAnimation/IsleOfDogs'': One of the groups in on the Kobayashi [[TheConspiracy conspiracy]] is the local yakuza, in charge of public opinion via intimidation and misinformation. [[CorruptPolitician The mayor]] is also shown to have yakuza tattoos.
159[[/folder]]
160
161[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
162* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' has Clint Barton (now going by The Ronin) kill several of these right before Black Widow recruits him.
163* ''Film/BulletTrain'' features a number of Yakuza characters, with the biggest threat being the Russian leader of a Japanese crime family.
164* Pretty much every single Japanese character in ''Film/TheFastAndTheFuriousTokyoDrift''.
165* The Bride goes after O-Ren Ishii, the queen of the Yakuza, and her personal army, the Crazy 88, in ''Film/KillBill 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 LadyOfWar boss we meet.
166* In ''Film/CrowsZero'', the father of the protagonist Takaya Genji is a powerful Yakuza boss. Genji later befriends Katagiri Ken, a lowlife in a rival Yakuza organization.
167* Many of Creator/TakashiMiike's films are about Yakuza, including ''Film/IchiTheKiller'' and ''Film/{{Gozu}}''.
168* ''Film/BlackRain''. The protagonist is a UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity cop who catches the renegade Yakuza Sato, but then has to recapture him once Sato escapes custody in Osaka. Along the way he [[EnemyMine makes a deal]] with Sato's main rival, a much more traditional, old-school ''oyabun'' named Sugai, to take him down, and Sugai makes a point of shaming Sato's dishonorable behavior.
169* ''Film/TheYakuza''. Right there in the title.
170* ''Film/{{Yojimbo}}'''s plot is centered on a gang war between two opposing factions of crime families in a dying town, each one backing a local businessman to become mayor and hoping to hire the titular hero's services. Notably, the term "yakuza" is never spoken aloud, with most characters preferring to use the term "gambler," since the crime families originally fought over control of the town's lucrative gambling trade. It's not a very glamourous take; the vice they trade in looks every bit as cheap and tawdry as it is and most of them are just greedy, cowardly weaklings who can't even muster up the will and bravery to properly have a brawl in the street until one family's AxCrazy leader shows up with a [[GameBreaker revolver he got while travelling]]. Some of the [[BookEnds first and last events of the film]] are a local farmer's son running away to try to have a short and exciting life of adventure and luxury as a criminal, [[spoiler: and him being the only yakuza the hero spares when he slaughters the remaining henchmen in the finale, gruffly telling him a long, boring life of growing food is better than what lies in front of him]].
171* A lot of Creator/TakeshiKitano's movies feature him playing a yakuza, including ''Film/{{Sonatine}}'', ''Film/BoilingPoint1990'', ''Film/{{Kikujiro}}'', ''[[https://yakuzamovies.com/brother/ Brother]]'', and ''Film/{{Outrage}}''.
172* ''Film/BattlesWithoutHonorAndHumanity'' 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 [[{{Yubitsume}} traditional pinky sacrifice]] turns into [[ItMakesSenseInContext a pinky tug-of-war with a chicken]].
173* The ''Film/NihonNoDon'', in sharp contrast to the ''Battles'' series, places the ''yakuza'' in a much more corporate post-war atmosphere through a historical epic-style lens in a similar vein to the ''Film/TheGodfather''. That being said the betrayals, double-crosses and honorable facades from the ''Battles'' films remain and are emphasized with political jockeying and high-level corruption thrown into the mix, in a way mirroring what the RealLife ''yakuza'' syndicates had become by the 70s.
174* The Iron Claw Yakuza clan from the Creator/DolphLundgren film ''Film/ShowdownInLittleTokyo'', led by evil Yakuza boss Yoshida, who murdered Kenner's parents long ago.
175* ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'', based on the Creator/WilliamGibson 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.
176* ''{{Film/Predators}}'' has a Yakuza member among its cast who is [[TheQuietOne mute through most of the film]] - not because of not speaking English, but because he already lost [[Main/{{Yubitsume}} two fingers for talking too much]].
177* ''Film/TheStreetFighter'' and its sequels portray the Yakuza as the main villains.
178* ''Film/War2007'' features the Yakuza fighting {{the Triads|AndTheTongs}} in UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco.
179* In ''Film/ThePunisher1989'', the title character has killed off so many Mafia members the Yakuza is able to take control. They return as a faction in ''Film/PunisherWarZone''.
180* Creator/SeijunSuzuki made several increasingly surreal, stylish, over-the-top yakuza films in the 1960s, films that started semi-normal and eventually got so weird that Suzuki was fired.
181** ''Film/DetectiveBureau23GoToHellBastards'': Possibly the most normal one Suzuki made despite the bizarre title. A private detective infiltrates a yakuza gang and winds up successfully taking down all the yakuza in the neighborhood, for no other reason that he really doesn't like yakuza.
182** ''Film/YouthOfTheBeast'': A hoodlum named Jo gets himself hired as an enforcer by a yakuza gang. He's actually a disgraced ex-cop, who believes that someone in the gang killed his old partner. Jo is determined to get revenge.
183** ''Film/TokyoDrifter'': A young Yakuza, cut adrift when his ''oyabun'' retires, wanders Japan before he's forced to return to Tokyo to settle affairs with his old boss and their rivals.
184** ''Film/BrandedToKill'': The #3 killer in Japan botches a job and becomes a target for #1 in this highly stylized film.
185* ''Film/TheWorldOfKanako'': At one point, main protagonist Akikazu gets abducted by the Yakuza who are looking for [[spoiler:Kanako]] because [[spoiler:she and Matsunaga]] have been causing lots of trouble with their [[spoiler:blackmailings of child molesters]]. They present [[spoiler:Matsunaga]] who is kept in a body bag, sliced up but still alive. On realizing that Akikazu seems to want [[spoiler:Kanako dead too]], they give him the name of the person who was ordered to kill Nagano (= Detective Aikawa).
186* ''Film/AColtIsMyPassport'' is a 1967 Japanese film about a Yakuza hit man who is betrayed by the leader of his gang after carrying out a job to assassinate the leader's rival.
187* In ''Film/{{Taxi}} 2'', the protagonists have to liberate a Japanese state secretary and a policewoman who is the girlfriend of one of the heroes from a Yakuza gang. Commissaire Gibert [[{{Malaproper}} briefly refers to them as "Jacuzzis".]]
188* ''Film/PigsAndBattleships'' is about a rather penny-ante, small potatoes yakuza gang. Interestingly, unlike most films in this genre that generally portray the yakuza as cool and badass, in this one they're bumbling StupidCrooks.
189* ''Film/LostGirlsAndLoveHotels'': Kazu is a Yakuza member, and has the tattoos of his clan over his torso.
190* ''Film/WalkCheerfully'' might be the earliest example, being a 1930 film about a yakuza hoodlum who decides to go straight to win the love of a virginal good girl.
191* In ''Film/{{Kate}}'' the protagonist is hired to assassinate a yakuza target. The yakuza's counterstrike leaves her with only 24 hours to live, during which she declares war on the rest of their organization.
192* ''Film/YakuzaApocalypse'': Genyo Kamiura is a vampire in charge of a Yakuza that's been protecting a small neighbourhood. Nobody knows he's a vampire, though.
193* ''Film/JirochoFuji'' is a VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory portrait of a RealLife 19th century yakuza. Jirocho and his men are affable [[NeighbourhoodFriendlyGangsters Neighborhood-Friendly Gangsters]] who fight turf wars with other gangs but make it a point to not hurt "straight people", and don't even seem to do anything criminal other than run gambling dens.
194[[/folder]]
195
196[[folder:Literature]]
197* Creator/WilliamGibson's Literature/SprawlTrilogy contains many references to the Yakuza, which has become a major international force. In "Literature/JohnnyMnemonic", the Yakuza send a vat-grown cyborg assassin to kill the main character.
198* The Yakuza are one of the main antagonists of Ragnarök, the sequel to ''{{Literature/Valhalla}}''.
199* In Creator/CharlesDeLint's {{cyberpunk}} novel ''Svaha'', the Yakuza (or, to use in-universe slang, the "yaks") are the primary antagonists -- in Canada.
200* In the Literature/ChooseYourOwnAdventure book ''[[http://www.gamebooks.org/show_item.php?id=514 Mystery of Ura Senke]]'', the case's MacGuffin [[note]](a centuries-old Japanese tea bowl that is worth ''millions'' of yen and is the treasure of the famous Ura Senke tea ceremony academy)[[/note]] is sought by '''many''' people and groups in Tokyo. One of these associations is the Yakuza, and in one of the sub-plots the FeaturelessProtagonist might be kidnapped by them while playing the KidDetective role. Whether s/he gets out of their influence sphere alive, again depends on the reader's decisions.
201** Likewise, the main plot of ''[[https://gamebooks.org/Item/405/Show The Lost Ninja]]'' consists of saving a Japanese guy named Saito([[spoiler: a ninja and the cousin of your best friend Nada]]) who gets kidnapped by the Yakuza due to a loan he took from them but failed to pay back. Again, whenever Saito is successfully rescued and the main protagonist lives to tell the tale or not depends on the reader's decisions. [[spoiler: With that said, [[CuttingOffTheBranches canonically]] speaking, the protagonist did succeed in rescue him, since she is alive and safe in the two book sequels ''Ninja Cyborg'' and ''Ninja Avenger'' and the events of this book are referenced.]]
202* Mentioned in ''Literature/SnowCrash''. As part of his sales pitch, a Mafia recruiter points out that the Yakuza is often called the Japanese Mafia, but the Mafia is never called the Italian Yakuza.
203* Literature/TimeScout's ''TheSyndicate'' is composed of TheMafia, TheMafiya, 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.
204* In ''Literature/TheManWithTheRedTattoo'', Literature/JamesBond has to deal with a Japanese nationalist terrorist who is a "Dark Lord" of the fictional Ryujin-kai yakuza gang.
205* ''Literature/MachineOfDeath'': "Improperly Prepared Blowfish" is set entirely in a Yakuza office. The characters are an ''oyabun'' (boss), his two subordinates who have a Senpai-Kohai (senior-junior) relationship, and the ''oyabun'''s mistress.
206* ''Literature/{{Technomancer}}'' by MK Gibson: Have managed to survive to the 23rd century by becoming the Techkuza. They're basically [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot magical samurai cyborg gangsters.]]
207* ''Literature/TheWitchOfKnightcharm'': Megumi's parents were abused and functionally enslaved by Yakuza, which motivates her to join an evil WizardingSchool and learn TheDarkArts so she can get strong enough to kill the gangsters and free them.
208* ''Yakuza My Brother'' by Yaakov Raz is a fictionalised account of the time the author, an anthropologist, spent with the Kyokuto-kai Yakuza family during the '80s and early '90s.
209[[/folder]]
210
211[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
212* ''Series/TheDailyShow'' interviewed [[http://www.cc.com/video-clips/1stsxc/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-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 [[RefugeInAudacity secure a visa to get into the US and receive a liver transplant, and then got livers for some of his friends.]] His story was made into the ongoing HBO series ''Series/TokyoVice''.
213* An episode of ''Series/CSIMiami'' 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 errors in the episode.
214* The ''Series/LawAndOrder'' episode "Gaijin" involves a murder committed in New York City by the Yakuza.
215* The ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' team inadvertently ends up having to con the Yakuza when they try to shut down a sweatshop in "The Runway Job."
216* A ''Series/TimeTrax'' episode deals with the Yakuza. Darien's first run-in with them results in one of the Yakuza [[{{Yubitsume}} cutting off his own finger]] as punishment for failure.
217* ''Series/DeadliestWarrior'' had the golden age Mafia [1920s] fight against the golden age Yakuza [post UsefulNotes/WorldWarII]. [[spoiler: The Yakuza lost, however.]]
218* The BodyOfTheWeek on one episode of ''Series/QuincyME'' was an LAPD detective investigating a Yakuza group that was working out a gun buy from TheMafia. 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...
219* A very, ''very'' TooDumbToLive Yakuza boss is featured as the AssholeVictim in a ''Series/OneThousandWaysToDie'' segment. Basically, he performed [[{{Fingore}} an improvised]] {{Yubitsume}} on a bad karaoke singer and swallowed it whole, therefore he chokes on it... and dies when his even dumber bodyguard performs a Heimlich maneuver incorrectly on him.
220* In the J-Drama version of ''Manga/BoysOverFlowers'', Akira Mimasaka's family is related to the Yakuza.
221* On one episode of the Israeli sitcom ''Series/{{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.
222* ''Series/HawaiiFive0'': The Yakuza control many of the corrupt cops the team runs into, as well as the corrupt governor, and blew up the car Steve's Mother "died" in. Adam, Kono's love interest, is the son of a Yakuza leader and was targeted when he tried to clean up his family's business and killed his brother who was trying to kill Kono.
223* ''Series/{{Daredevil|2015}}'' has Nobu, a Japanese crime boss as part of [[ComicBook/TheKingpin Wilson Fisk]]'s empire. In season two they show up again when ComicBook/{{Elektra}} has Murdock investigate the dealing her father's company is involved in. They end up finding that the organization is [[SubvertedTrope not the Yakuza]] but in reality the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse's version of [[spoiler:the Hand, a {{Ninja}} clan. ''Series/{{Iron Fist|2017}}'' and ''Series/{{The Defenders|2017}}'' reveal that there are more factions to the Hand other than the Japanese one]].
224* ''Series/{{Deputy}}'': "10-8 Paperwork" has the main villain as a Japanese-American gangster connected with crime syndicates both in the US and Japan. Though the Yakuza is not specifically named, he has their telltale tattoos showing from under his shirt. He's in the US as the emissary for a deal with a [[TheCartel Mexican drug cartel]] to traffic cocaine within the Southwest.
225* ''Series/GiriHaji'' is all about the relationship between the Yakuza (who are portrayed as both noble and corrupt, often simultaneously) in both Tokyo and London, other mobs, and civilians.
226* ''Series/{{Oshin}}'' has examples of both noble Yakuza and corrupt Yakuza:
227** Oshin's friend [[spoiler: and HopelessSuitor]] Ken is portrayed as quite the noble Yakuza who helps out the main protagonist when she tries to establish herself in Tokyo.
228** When Oshin and her best friend Kayo work in an eatery and begin selling sake in it, the local Yakuza feel threatened and try to kick them out. Thanks to her deals with Ken, however, Oshin manages to win them over to her cause.
229* The ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'' episode "Log Jam" involves [=MacGyver=] going undercover in a logging company in the Pacific Northwest, whose owners are being forced by Yakuza gangsters to illegally log protected forest land so they can sell the logs for outrageous profit back in Japan.
230* In an episode of ''Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles'', the Connors came up against a group of fake Yakuza as part of a complex attempt to con them out of a large sum of money. The "yakuza" quickly admitted to being fake as soon as they discovered [[MuggingTheMonster what the Connors were willing and able to do]] to get their money back.
231* ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle'': Given the Japanese control over the Western US, it's not surprising to learn the Yakuza are in control on the illegal side of things. Even the feared Japanese military police don't usually cross them, since they have connections in high places.
232* On ''Series/SchittsCreek'' one of Alexis's wild adventures apparently involved the Yakuza. When Ted remarks that she can't go for a run in her high heels, she replies:
233->''"Tell that to me at 21 escaping the Yakuza!"''
234* ''Series/SWAT2017'': "Ekitai Rashku" sees the team extraditing a Yakuza clan gangster back to Japan then, once he's busted out of custody by his cohorts, aiding the Tokyo Police in getting him back.
235* ''Series/GiriHaji'' is about a detective who follows his ex-yakuza brother to London in hopes of stopping a gang war between the yakuza clans of Tokyo.
236* ''Series/{{Deputy}}'': "10-8 Paperwork" has the main villain as a Japanese-American gangster connected with crime syndicates both in the US and Japan. Though the Yakuza is not specifically named, he has their telltale tattoos showing from under his shirt. He's in the US as the emissary for a deal with a [[TheCartel Mexican drug cartel]] to traffic cocain within the Southwest.
237[[/folder]]
238
239[[folder:Music]]
240* 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.
241* There are persistent rumors that rock/pop/ vocalist Music/{{Gackt}} is either a member or somehow in massive debt to the Yakuza.
242* The Yakuza has deep ties to all of the Japanese music industry independent of genre, style, band size, or notoriety. VisualKei in particular is infested with Yakuza. There are rumors that Japanese hardcore punk band Gism have Yakuza ties and will go after producers of bootleg records and merchandise. Similar rumors exist about Music/DirEnGrey.
243** At least one craft guitar and guitar gear maker, which shall not be named because no one wants to be whacked, but whose clients included a {{Music/Loudness}} guitarist, a {{Music/Loudness}} and {{Music/X Japan}} bassist, and a Nightmare bassist, is operated by a ''blatant'' Yakuza member.
244* Though always officially denied, NewAge 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.
245* [[https://youtu.be/-RJSbO8UZVY Youngblood]], by Music/FiveSecondsOfSummer, has the visual style for the music video (Tattoos, bikes, leather jackets, "gangster" theme, etc.).
246[[/folder]]
247
248[[folder:Pinball]]
249* Much like the movie it was based on, ''Pinball/JohnnyMnemonic'' has these. They also have their own mode, aptly titled "Yakuza Strike".
250[[/folder]]
251
252[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
253* Even although TV stations don't usually 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, among other things because no yakuza has ever attempted retribution on him for offending or misrepresenting them. 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.
254* Wrestling/YoshiakiFujiwara likes to style himself as a Yakuza, to the point he founded a promotion named Fujiwara Gumi (''gumi'' being the term commonly used for Yakuza organizations).
255* Wrestling/{{TARU}} used to play a Yakuza-style character in his times as the manager of the Crazy MAX stable. Even after he switched to a more occult-influenced character as part of the Voodoo Murders, he has still retained traits, like the tattoos, mannerisms, and well tailored suits whenever not wrestling. Like Chono, though, it's unclear whether this is merely a character or there is something more behind, especially because before becoming a pro wrestler, Taru was a karate master of a brand very popular among real Yakuzas.
256* A master martial artist MaskedLuchador working primarily in AULL [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep is known as Yakuza]]. Frequent seekers of his services include Robin Maravilla, El Psicópata, Rocky Santana, Sadico, Último Gladiador and Terry Dos Mil though given this is lucha libre, they typically want help winning AULL's trios titles, rather than anything typically associated with other Yakuza.
257* 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 feared that the real Yakuza might become insulted by the portrayal and enact legitimate retribution.
258* 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 (only Wrestling/TakuyaSugi and Go Shiozaki came from Japan to join it), and closed in less than a year.
259[[/folder]]
260
261[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
262* [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld Unsurprisingly]], due to the great degree with which the game was influenced by Creator/WilliamGibson, ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' includes plenty of Yakuza in varying capacities. The fact that the default setting for the game is the West Coast of the [[DividedStatesOfAmerica former U.S.]] may be a contributing factor, though. Mitsuhama Computer Technologies is a MegaCorp that started out as a Yakuza money laundering operation [[CutLexLuthorACheck but long ago surpassed them]].
263* Since ''TabletopGame/{{BattleTech}}'''s Draconis Combine is basically a collection of Japan tropes JustForFun/RecycledInSpace, the yakuza are quite naturally alive and well there as well. Several protagonist and important supporting characters are either members themselves or at least maintain connections, and nobody less than Theodore Kurita himself sponsored the creation of several yakuza [=BattleMech=] units to help bolster the ranks during his reforms of the Combine's military. They're generally portrayed as being much more honorable and loyal to the Combine than the Warlords who command much of the regular military, and even help protect Theodore from several attempts to overthrow him.
264* In the ''Hudson City'' sourcebook for the TabletopGame/HeroSystem, the Yakuza are one of *many* organized crime factions active in Hudson City, and not even the most powerful one. Inside the Little Tokyo neighborhood, though, they're not to be crossed.
265[[/folder]]
266
267[[folder:Video Games]]
268* The ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' series (or ''Ryū ga Gotoku'', 龍が如く, formerly the ''[[ShapedLikeItself Yakuza]]'' series [[MarketBasedTitle in the West]]) is probably the preeminent example of Yakuza in modern video games. Most of the series' playable characters and antagonists, as well as many of its side and supporting characters, either are or affiliated with the Yakuza and the plotlines of the game always principally involve Yakuza groups. In many ways, the series can be seen as a deconstruction of the Yakuza ideal, with Kiryu (and to a lesser extent Kazama) representing and trying to live the romanticized ideal of yakuza being a largely benevolent group and a shield for the people against overbearing rulers, and most of the conflict in the series comes from that ideal running headfirst into the everyday reality of organized crime in the 21st century.
269* Team Rocket in ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Gold and Silver]]'' are an organized crime group that strongly resemble Yakuza. Localizations include additions that make them more Mafia-like, renaming the boss Giovanni; the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries anime dub]] further gives Team Rocket's Meowth a New York accent and most of the members gangster-themed names (instead of samurai-themed in the original).
270** In ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'', Team Skull can be seen as wannabe-Yakuza. [[spoiler: In ''Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon'', the ''real'' Yakuza - Team Rainbow Rocket - turn up to cause trouble immediately after Team Skull is disbanded, posing a much greater threat as an organised syndicate made up of all the previous enemy teams in the franchise.]]
271* ''VideoGame/RedSteel'' basically revolves around a CivilWar within the [[BlackAndGrayMorality least evil]] Yakuza clan.
272* The Yakuza shows up from time in various ''VideoGame/MafiaWars'' missions.
273* In ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' roving bands of Yakuza can be found around New Reno and will attack the player if provoked. However, they don't appear to closely follow Bushido and will occasionally flee from combat and state it's better to be "a live coward than a dead hero".
274* ''VideoGame/JitsuSquad'' have a stage set in Neon Boulevard, a fictional urban area inspired by Japan's Shinjuku District, which is ruled by the dreaded "Yakuzo" crime gang. The Yakuzo's mooks are even dressed like stereotypical Yakuza gangsters, with tattoos and dark glasses.
275* The Ronin in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'' are a [[GangOfHats samurai-themed]] Japanese-American biker gang (who also [[WhiteGangbangers recruit locally]]) that are strongly implied to be backed by a Japan-based Yakuza clan via their leader's ''oyabun'' father.
276* ''VideoGame/MapleStory'' 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 [[BadassDecay cat mittens]].
277* The Gokudou-kai in ''VideoGame/Police911''.
278* In ''VideoGame/RainbowSix: Take-Down Missions in Korea'', a Yakuza gang are orchestrating a series of seemingly unrelated terrorist attacks to cover the expansion of their activities into South Korea.
279* The Yaki [[SpacePirates pirate]] faction in the ''[[VideoGame/{{X}} X-Universe]]'' are explicitly Yakuza [-[[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]]-] ([[BilingualBonus Fun fact]]: the word "yaki" means "many yakuza" in Japanese.)
280* Yakuza feature prominently in ''VideoGame/SoldierOfFortune''.
281* Members of the Yakuza play roles in the ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games, especially in ''[=GTA3=]'' and ''Liberty City Stories''.
282* In ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'', common Yakuza thugs occasionally show up as random encounter enemies, like in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' and the original ''VideoGame/{{Persona 1}}''.
283** The Ashura-kai from ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' are essentially the game's own take on the Yakuza. They provide goods and shelter for civilians, but in exchange they are rarely ever not armed. They also run [[spoiler:a human trafficking operation based in a secret facility, drawing their neurotransmitters out by force to use as demon food, and raising children in said facility in order to keep up with demand]].
284** ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy'' has Satake and the Kantou haguro-gumi, but they're good guys. A bit quick to agitate, but good.
285** ''VideoGame/Persona3'' has the Kirijo Group, complete with a company-owned High School ([[spoiler:that doubled as a Shadow research facility]], a (presumably) company-owned hospital capable of holding its patients hostage without raising eyebrows, and access to military-grade weaponry, is either this or a very corrupt and powerful local corporation... And in Japan, there's usually very little to separate the former from the latter. There's also officer Kurosawa's "connections"... Which appear to have no problem giving a police officer access to lethal weaponry to sell off-the-counter to schoolchildren. It's vaguely implied that his 'connections' are Kirijo pulling strings, too.
286** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' features the Yakuza pretty heavily. The third main target is powerful ''oyabun'' Junya Kaneshiro, a greedy sociopath who gleefully blackmails and exploits teenagers, and [[spoiler:CorruptPolitician Masayoshi Shido]] has extensive Yakuza connections, as revealed in the second-to-last [[MentalWorld Palace]]. There's also ex-Yakuza Munehisa Iwai, who's both the Hanged Man Arcana Confidant and the team's primary supplier of weapons and armor; despite the gruffness and general shadiness, he's a good man at heart.
287* In ''VideoGame/{{Robopon}}'', there's Riggs Construction Company. Their formula is as follows—find people, tell them to pony up for protection, blow up the houses of the people that don't pay. Rinse and repeat.
288* In the 2014 Halloween comic for ''SupplementalMaterial/TeamFortress2'', Merasmus the magician made deals with the yakuza in order to gain funds for his [[AmusementParkOfDoom Carnival of Carnage]]. He's already [[{{Yubitsume}} lost one finger]], though, and thus is very desperate to get his carnival up and running so he can pay them back as soon as possible.
289* Ryuuji Yamazaki from ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' and ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' fame is a Yakuza leader, though he lacks the typical tattoos. The [[AudioAdaptation Seventh SNK Character Sound Collection]] states that he entered the Yakuza as a teenager and used to be TheDragon to a powerful ''oyabun'' from Okinawa, Sorimachi, who wanted him to be his successor. [[spoiler: Sorimachi's death is what pushed the already unstable Yamazaki fully into AxCrazy mode.]]
290* The James Bond video game ''VideoGame/{{Nightfire}}'' features Yakuza as hired henchmen of [[BigBad Raphael Drake]], though it does raise the question on how Drake, a Westerner, was able to gain their loyalty. Yakuza appear as the main mooks in the level ''Double Cross'' and the first mooks faced in ''Phoenix Fire''.
291* The "Eternal Sun", from the 2005 ''[[VideoGame/{{The Punisher|THQ}} Punisher]]'' game, are a Yakuza group encountered in the last third of the story, involved in a MobWar with [[TheMafia the Gnucci's]], the [[TheMafiya Russian Mob]] and ComicBook/TheKingpin.
292* Lo Wang deals with Yakuza quite a bit in the ''[[VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2013 Shadow Warrior]]'' series. In the first game (a reboot of the original), they are his primary opponents in the first part of the game before the demons show up, and later show up in Zilla's headquarters having been granted power in the same fashion as [[spoiler:Zilla himself]] and sport glowing eyes. In ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior2'', they rule the villages and other areas that are not run by Zilla or overrun by demons, and Lo Wang clashes swords with them on more than a few occasions.
293* In ''Videogame/{{Overwatch}}'', Hanzo and Genji Shimada were the heirs to a criminal empire as well as being trained ninjas. Hanzo was the elder and the heir apparent while Genji was the younger brother who disassociated with his family's criminal activities, which led to the clan forcing Hanzo to assassinate his brother. Genji survived the attempt thanks to Overwatch and helped bring down the organization.
294* The Yakuza show up as an enemy in ''VideoGame/{{Chaser}}''. The protagonist is forcibly enlisted by the local Italian mafia to fight them for several levels, until the player manages to wipe out both groups.
295* ''Videogame/Payday2'' has DLC character Jiro, a former Yakuza assassin who came to America and joined the Payday Gang in search of his son.
296* ''Videogame/AHatInTime'' has the Nyakuza from the second DLC pack, Nyakuza Metro. As you could've guessed from the name, they're all cats led by "the Empress", a [[KnightOfCerebus legitimately scary]] mobster with a front as a legitimate jeweler. Aside from their leadership, [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything they mostly sell Hat Kid fashion and discuss food trucks and the metro's crazy layout]]. [[spoiler:Until the Empress puts a million-dollar bounty on Hat Kid's head, dead or alive. Then they turn out to be [[NotSoHarmlessVillain not so harmless]].]]
297* ''VideoGame/TheTwentyFifthWard'' has the Okiai syndicate, which Tsuki, the protagonist of "Matchmaker", was a former member of. Their resurrection after previously being thought to have been abolished by the police is a major plot point.
298* Given that ''VideoGame/BinaryDomain'' is set in a {{Cyberpunk}} future Japan ''and'' produced by the same studio behind the ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' series, it's almost inevitable that the Yakuza would turn up in some fashion. In this case, Beetle Team's infiltration into [[LayeredMetropolis Upper Tokyo]] is assisted by a crime boss named Mifune, who controls the black market and vice trades in the ruined slums of Shibuya and supplies the [[LaResistance anti-government resistance cells]] operating there with weapons and equipment.
299* One of the playable protagonists in ''VideoGame/WorldOfHorror'' is a low-ranking Yakuza [[GetawayDriver wheelman]] named Haru, who becomes embroiled in all the freaky eldritch activity going on in Shiokawa when his brothers pick the wrong creepy mansion to raid and get slaughtered by a cryptid, leaving Haru as the [[SurvivorsGuilt guilt-ridden]] SoleSurvivor. His proficiency with weapons and close-quarters fighting makes him one of the more combat-oriented protagonists, and his Yakuza ties grant him a couple useful black market perks when shopping for supplies.
300* Yakuza are the primary antagonist in ''VideoGame/{{Wreckless}}: The Yakuza Missions'' and its sequel where they've set up a presence in Hong Kong and Chicago.
301[[/folder]]
302
303[[folder:Visual Novels]]
304* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' has the local Sonozaki family. One of the main characters, Mion Sonozaki, is a [[MafiaPrincess Yakuza Princess]] of the family.
305* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'':
306** Dee Vasquez has her own Yakuza thugs in [[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney the first game]].
307** Furio Tigre, from ''[[VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyTrialsAndTribulations 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.]]
308** One of the clients in ''VisualNovel/ApolloJusticeAceAttorney'', Wocky Kitaki, is the son of a Yakuza boss.
309* In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', Shirou Emiya's Japanese-styled BigFancyHouse is technically owned by the local yakuza. They allow him to stay there as a favor to his deceased father Kiritsugu Emiya, with whom they were on very good terms. Shirou's guardian and teacher, Taiga Fujimura, also happens to be [[YakuzaPrincess the yakuza boss's granddaughter]], though there is no indication that she takes any part in the family business.
310* The Azai Corporation in ''VisualNovel/TheDevilOnGString'' plays a huge part in the game, as the main character's motivation is to repay his debt to them.
311* ''{{VisualNovel/Sampaguita}}'', the 3rd game of the ''{{VisualNovel/Yarudora}}'' series, has them as one of the antagonist factions which are after the main heroine, Maria Santos. And they're ''certainly'' not above [[WouldHitAGirl hitting a girl]].
312* Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, the Ultimate Yakuza from ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'', is the heir to the largest Yakuza family in Japan. [[spoiler:There are two other characters with connections to the Yakuza: Fuyuhiko's dead sister Natsumi, who used to be the original heir candidate, and Peko Pekoyama, who is Fuyuhiko's bodyguard and hitwoman; Peko kills Mahiru Koizumi, who was involved in Natsumi's murder, after the latter pushes Fuyuhiko's BerserkButton, starting a ThanatosGambit to save him.]]
313* The Yakuza are never seen in ''VisualNovel/CrescendoJP'', but they have [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom a vital role in one of the paths]]. [[spoiler: Yuka Otowa's parents were in massive debt with them and were DrivenToSuicide for it, which completely ruined Yuka's life.]]
314* ''VisualNovel/DramaticalMurder''
315** Koujaku, one of Aoba's love interest, is the son and heir of a yakuza. [[spoiler: But one day, his SuperPoweredEvilSide took over and killed his family.]]
316** [[spoiler:Virus and Trip]] are members of the local yakuza, and ther aforementioned Koujaku recognizes them as such.
317* ''VisualNovel/KatawaShoujo'':
318** Kenji swears up and down that Lily is a YakuzaPrincess and that a young man who once in a while hangs out around her is a Yakuza hitman. The "young man" turns out to be Lily's {{bifauxnen}} sister Akira, who wears suits because she works as a lawyer.
319** 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, 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.
320* In ''VisualNovel/LoveBakudan'', Teru is the boss of the Tokugawa yakuza clan. Depending on what route you are on, her story role will differ; she can be an antagonist, an ally, or even a love interest.
321* In ''VisualNovel/PrincessEvangile'', [[TheHero Masaya]] encounters two Yakuza thugs who are {{Evil Debt Collector}}s for loan sharks that his father owes money to. While the older one is AffablyEvil and is strictly there for business, his underling resorts to violence as a first option.
322* In ''VisualNovel/SpiritHunterNG'', Akira's best friend, Seiji Amanome, is the heir to a Yakuza boss. The Amanome name is infamous throughout the city, and Seiji frequently uses his connections in the game to gather information, get rid of nuisances, or serve as protection for him and Akira. As a result of being so closely tied to the Yakuza, Seiji is a sadistic person who gets a thrill from threatening others.
323[[/folder]]
324
325[[folder:Web Animation]]
326* ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'': Almost every male character except Kuroki have played this role. Tachibana appears to be most likely character to play a yakuza. Sometimes, he is the leader of a yakuza group.
327** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p978A9Gqi5g Etra-chan]] appears to be a [[MafiaPrincess Yakuza Princess]] and also kidnaps Akamatsu, forcing the rest of the cast to rescue him. [[spoiler: It turns out to be her own prank to enact a revenge against the cast for [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpmLFeR7DWM pranking her]] back then, with Akamatsu going along with her plan after his capture and the Yakuza members are actually her chefs who dressed up like the real deal.]]
328** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwqBESoIzgs Yuri]] sells the mansion that she inherinted from her parents to the Yakuza to prevent it from falling to Akamatsu's hands. When Akamatsu finds out that the mansion was sold and his divorce with Yuri was complete, he throws his phone out of anger and it accidentally hits one of the members, causing him to be beaten up.
329** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uoFkrhkbLA Hiiragi]] insults a group of Yakuza members led by Katsura. While Hiiragi was let off for being a part-time worker, thanks to Katsura's intervention; however, they eventually beat Hiiragi up when he tried to cause trouble at his former workplace that fired him.
330** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFm5nD6Mh9k Hiiragi and Akamatsu]] force Kuroki to meet a local Yakuza gang led by Tokusa so they would stop bullying him for one week. However, this turns out to be mistake because Kuroki explains them why he visited them, causing Tokusa and his right-hand man Tachibana to scold both bullies and teacher Akane for their actions.
331* ''WebAnimation/GossipCity'' has the Uwasa and Yamanba Yakuza gang. Unlike most examples, they are portrayed as sympathetic and they even help the protagonists by punishing the antagonists that torment them.
332[[/folder]]
333
334[[folder:Webcomics]]
335* ''Webcomic/MobTies'' centres around several groups of Japanese mobsters.
336* ''Webcomic/FourCorners''' villain, Taisuke Arakawa, who is the son of a yakuza boss.
337* ''Webcomic/FurryFightChronicles'' has Shun Gonfano and the sumiguza as the equivalent of yakuza in the story.
338[[/folder]]
339
340[[folder:Web Original]]
341* French-Japanese Website/YouTube video creator [[https://youtube.com/c/LouisSan Louis-San]] has made several documentary videos about the Yakuza and the fascination and myths around them. Himself indulges in the fascination, especially about their codes of honor.
342[[/folder]]
343
344[[folder:Western Animation]]
345* Featured in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E11TheTwistedWorldOfMargeSimpson 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.
346* Briefly mentioned for a joke in a ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode:
347-->'''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]].
348* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'': The episode "[[Recap/TheBatmanS1E6TheCatAndTheBat The Cat and the Bat]]" has Hideo Katsu, the leader of a group called the Dragon's Fangs. 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.
349* WesternAnimation/{{Archer}} reveals that Pam engages in drifting with the Yakuza. She also engages them in a drug deal (and [[TooDumbToLive rips them off by paying in counterfeit cash]]). They're only spared when Sterling directly intimidates [[Creator/GeorgeTakei the New York Yakuza boss]] and figures out a way for him to end the conflict without shame.
350[[/folder]]
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