Goofily-depicted literal mafia is everywhere nowadays.
Summary:
Yakuza like to project the image of a noble criminal.
They are known to do protection rackets, drug dealing and even human trafficking.
Most Japanese media depict yakuza as either noble and cool, or goofy and harmless.
This is due to yakuza acting in the open and often owning shares in media companies.
Modern Japan has plenty of issues. The work culture is so toxic and unlivable there’s an entire term for death by overwork (Karoshi). Its previous overpopulation issue transformed into a population decline, as less and less people pursue relationships due to either not having time thanks to the aforementioned toxic work culture, or the otaku culture providing lonely souls with plenty of 2D wives and husbands. And of course, you can’t forget Japan’s still ongoing organized crime issue.
Real life yakuza are not nice
Yakuza like to project the image of noble, if necessary evil and protectors of their communities — and, in fact, they do provide community services whenever the situation grows dire. During the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami catastrophe, yakuza groups opened their offices to refugees, and sent many trucks and supplies to affected areas.
And make no mistake, these ARE organized crime syndicates. Despite their projected noble image, they still do everything, from protection rackets to drug trade, to even something as disgusting as human trafficking. Two main reasons yakuza are tolerated by the law enforcement are their community service, as well as their claim of both holding back foreign criminal elements and cracking down on unorganized crime in their territories. In fact, both police and public alike know the addresses of, at least, their above-counter businesses!
One would’ve thought these criminals had to be depicted in the media as the image of modern society’s corruption. And while some anime like Chainsaw Man and, surprisingly, My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia) do exactly that (well, okay, MHA does it with a caveat that it’s Overhaul’s radical clique who’s the problem, not yakuza themselves), many don’t.
Yakuza in anime
Most Japanese media, including anime, likes to project that same image of a noble criminal they like so much. In the Way of the Househusband (Gokushufudou) and Hinamatsuri, both former and current yakuza alike are loveable and practically harmless goofballs, danger only to other yakuza. The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting (Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari) and a Girl and her Guard Dog (Ojou to Banken-kun) tell us that yakuza make for fantastic babysitters/guardians — and that’s to say nothing of the common positive portrayal of these gangsters across the rest of the medium. Why is that?
Yakuza are treated as semi-legitimate businesses in Japan, and many of their businesses coincide with media conglomerates. This means that there’s a high chance for these criminals to have a direct line of influence on the production of your favorite show. And since they are interested in promoting this image of harmless and/or chivalrous necessary evil — this is exactly what the industry does.
Not to say you can’t enjoy the media that does their bidding, but it’s something to keep in mind. No drug-peddling human trafficker is a decent human being, regardless of what the media claims.
Goofily-depicted literal mafia is everywhere nowadays.
Summary:
Yakuza like to project the image of a noble criminal.
They are known to do protection rackets, drug dealing and even human trafficking.
Most Japanese media depict yakuza as either noble and cool, or goofy and harmless.
This is due to yakuza acting in the open and often owning shares in media companies.
Modern Japan has plenty of issues. The work culture is so toxic and unlivable there’s an entire term for death by overwork (Karoshi). Its previous overpopulation issue transformed into a population decline, as less and less people pursue relationships due to either not having time thanks to the aforementioned toxic work culture, or the otaku culture providing lonely souls with plenty of 2D wives and husbands. And of course, you can’t forget Japan’s still ongoing organized crime issue.
Real life yakuza are not nice
Yakuza like to project the image of noble, if necessary evil and protectors of their communities — and, in fact, they do provide community services whenever the situation grows dire. During the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami catastrophe, yakuza groups opened their offices to refugees, and sent many trucks and supplies to affected areas.
And make no mistake, these ARE organized crime syndicates. Despite their projected noble image, they still do everything, from protection rackets to drug trade, to even something as disgusting as human trafficking. Two main reasons yakuza are tolerated by the law enforcement are their community service, as well as their claim of both holding back foreign criminal elements and cracking down on unorganized crime in their territories. In fact, both police and public alike know the addresses of, at least, their above-counter businesses!
One would’ve thought these criminals had to be depicted in the media as the image of modern society’s corruption. And while some anime like Chainsaw Man and, surprisingly, My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia) do exactly that (well, okay, MHA does it with a caveat that it’s Overhaul’s radical clique who’s the problem, not yakuza themselves), many don’t.
Yakuza in anime
Most Japanese media, including anime, likes to project that same image of a noble criminal they like so much. In the Way of the Househusband (Gokushufudou) and Hinamatsuri, both former and current yakuza alike are loveable and practically harmless goofballs, danger only to other yakuza. The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting (Kumichou Musume to Sewagakari) and a Girl and her Guard Dog (Ojou to Banken-kun) tell us that yakuza make for fantastic babysitters/guardians — and that’s to say nothing of the common positive portrayal of these gangsters across the rest of the medium. Why is that?
Yakuza are treated as semi-legitimate businesses in Japan, and many of their businesses coincide with media conglomerates. This means that there’s a high chance for these criminals to have a direct line of influence on the production of your favorite show. And since they are interested in promoting this image of harmless and/or chivalrous necessary evil — this is exactly what the industry does.
Not to say you can’t enjoy the media that does their bidding, but it’s something to keep in mind. No drug-peddling human trafficker is a decent human being, regardless of what the media claims.
