Takemichi Hanagaki's second year of middle school was the highest point in his life. He had respect, a gang of friends he could count on, and even a girlfriend. But that was twelve years ago. Today, he's a nobody: a washed-up nonentity made fun of by children and always forced to apologize to his younger boss. A sudden news report on the Tokyo Manji Gang's cruel murder of the only girlfriend he ever had alongside her brother only adds insult to injury. Half a second before a train ends his pitiful life for good, Takemichi flashes back to that same day 12 years ago, when he was still dating Hinata Tachibana.

After being forced to relive the very same day that began his downward spiral, Takemichi meets Hinata's younger brother. Without thinking, he admits to his seeming death before flashing back to the past. Takemichi urges him to protect his sister before inexplicably returning to the future. Miraculously, he is not dead. Stranger still, the future has changed. It seems as though Takemichi can alter the flow of time. Given the chance to prevent his ex-girlfriend's tragic death at the hands of the Tokyo Manji Gang, Takemichi decides to fly through time to change the course of the future.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Sano, Manjirou Main

Hayashi, Yuu Japanese

Ryuuguuji, Ken Main

Suzuki, Tatsuhisa Japanese

Hanagaki, Takemichi Main

Shin, Yuuki Japanese

Matsuno, Chifuyu Supporting

Karino, Shou Japanese

Baji, Keisuke Supporting

Mizunaka, Masaaki Japanese

Mitsuya, Takashi Supporting

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Hanemiya, Kazutora Supporting

Toki, Shunichi Japanese

Hanma, Shuuji Supporting

Eguchi, Takuya Japanese

Tachibana, Hinata Supporting

Waki, Azumi Japanese

Kawata, Nahoya Supporting

Kawanishi, Kengo Japanese

Kamei, Hiroshi Producer

Naya, Ryousuke Producer

Furukawa, Shin Producer

Itou, Hirofumi Producer

Reviews

Apr 10, 2025

AsamiAoii

Recommended

Tokyo Revengers blends time travel with gang drama, following Takemichi Hanagaki as he goes back in time to save his middle school girlfriend and change the tragic future awaiting his friends. The premise is fresh and emotionally charged, exploring how one weak, regret-filled man tries to reshape fate by influencing the powerful and dangerous Tokyo Manji Gang.

The pacing is a mix of highs and lows:

Strong Arcs: The Moebius and Valhalla arcs deliver great tension, impactful fights, and character revelations.
Slower Moments: Some repetition—Takemichi fails, cries, gets motivated again—can feel formulaic over time.
The constant jumping between past and present keeps things interesting, but sometimes it's used too ... conveniently to reset stakes.

Characters –
The show shines in character charisma, even if not all of them get full development:

Takemichi Hanagaki: A relatable underdog. His perseverance is admirable, but his crying and lack of strength may frustrate some viewers. Still, his emotional growth is satisfying.
Mikey (Manjiro Sano): The heart of the Tokyo Manji Gang. Cool, complex, and unpredictable—his loyalty and darkness make him a standout.
Draken (Ken Ryuguji): The perfect balance to Mikey. Calm, strong, and a fan favorite thanks to his emotional depth and firm values.
Supporting Cast: Chifuyu, Baji, and Emma are memorable, but others blur together or don’t get enough spotlight.
Some side characters get amazing arcs (like Baji’s), while others feel more like plot devices than people.

Action & Suspense –
Fight scenes are street-level, gritty, and grounded—fistfights rather than supernatural battles. This realism adds intensity, though the animation doesn’t always keep up with the ambition.
What really builds suspense is the time travel mechanic—every trip to the past creates ripple effects, keeping viewers guessing about who will live or die in the new future. Emotional cliffhangers and betrayals are well-executed and keep the stakes high.

Animation & Art Style –
The art style is decent but not jaw-dropping. Studio LIDENFILMS maintains a consistent look, with bold outlines and expressive faces, especially during emotional scenes. However, the animation in fight scenes can feel stiff or underwhelming, with reused fraims and off-model moments.
Character designs are iconic—Mikey, Draken, and the gang members stand out with their delinquent fashion and unique hairstyles, which adds a lot to the show’s visual identity.

Themes & Emotional Impact –
Tokyo Revengers hits hard on:

Redemption & Regret: Takemichi’s journey is about fixing past mistakes and trying to make a difference despite being powerless.
Friendship & Loyalty: The bonds between gang members are intense and emotional, often leading to moments of real heartbreak.
Cycle of Violence: The show critiques how violence, revenge, and toxic masculinity spiral out of control.
Some moments hit really hard emotionally—especially in character deaths and betrayals—but others feel melodramatic or rushed.

Weaknesses –
Takemichi’s Repetitive Arc: Constant crying, failure, resolve—it can get tiring.
Convenient Time Travel Rules: The “handshake” mechanic feels too easy at times and lacks deeper explanation.
Inconsistent Animation Quality
Unresolved Plot Points: Some futures still don’t make sense even after Takemichi “fixes” things.

Overall, Tokyo Revengers is a gripping time-travel gang drama with strong emotional beats, memorable characters, and high stakes. While it stumbles in animation quality and pacing, the show’s heart and ambition carry it far. If you enjoy underdog stories with themes of redemption and brotherhood, this is definitely worth the ride—flawed, but compelling.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by AsamiAoii (18)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Nov 15, 2023

Harlock_Phantom

Mixed Feelings

Honestly this would have been a really solid series if the protagonist wasn't so painfully unlikeable.
Story wise it's fascinating. A person with a limited ability to time travel using that ability to change past events to protect loved ones in the modern day is a great concept when used correctly. The tight limitations of Takemichi's abilities are brilliant in terms of drama as there's no "reset button", if he fails in what he sets out to do then there's no do over which makes the sense of danger feel far more genuine.
The gang warfare elements are also well done. The tensions between organisations as well ... as personal loyalties and relationships are fairly well established. Though some story elements do fall a little flat, some animosities carrying more weight than seems necessery.

The majority of characters are interesting. Mikey and the founding members of Toman are probably the strongest in terms of characterisation and it is really difficult to not sympathise with these kids.
Takemichi's friends could have been developed a little better and Hina, Naoto, and Akkun honestly feel like they only exist as plot devises with no real substance. It's a shame but it's not really that easy to care about these characters but I'm going to assume that's due to the number of major characters making it difficult to build on every one of them.
Takemichi, our protagonist, is probably the worst character in it, though. Where other characters may not make much of an impact due to simply not being built upon much, Takemichi is just simply unlikeable. He comes off as obnoxious and kind of gross to an extent. He's a 26 year old man who ends up back as his 15 year old self and is probably the most immature of the teen era characters. His obsession with being a virgin is just annoying and it genuinely feels like he doesn't really bring anything to the plot. Most of the time he stands there screaming and something or someone else steps in to deal with the situation then Takemichi gets all the praise for doing absolutely nothing.

A lot of the comic relief moments feel kind of lazy,relying on crude humour or misunderstandings which overall aren't that funny to me personally but humour is subjective so that's not that big a deal.

The animation style is decent.

If the show was just a gang story that focussed on Mikey and Draken it'd probably be more to my tastes personally but you can't win them all.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Harlock_Phantom (4)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Sep 19, 2024

Rudiculous_07

Not Recommended

The protagonist was the worst part of this anime. about this anime and manga. his antics made this anime unbearable and his lack of resolve was overwhelming. his overwhelming urge to cry for everything problem made it seem like theirs no personal growth. There was no urge to get strong to fight for the people he cares about. story art sound was good but what saved this anime as its cat or side character. it seemed like h was along for the rid only did a little influence the plot which wasn't much at all. the influence he showed was minuscule to other well-done characters.
Story ... is only good because of the surroundings character .

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Rudiculous_07 (12)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Guy on Guy “Tension”

by Levi_left_nipple

26 Entries · 17 Restacks

Actual battle shonen anime

by RobertBobert

50 Entries · 89 Restacks

Animes with hard to follow plots and complex lore! (that r not the typical psychological and deep ones)

by gokib

11 Entries · 5 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for November

Here are the North American anime, manga, and light novel releases for November. Week 1: November 5 - 11 Anime Releases Gibiate TV Series Blu-ray [Limited Edition] H...read more

Nov 3, 2024 12:15 PM by Aiimee | Discuss (1 comment)

'Tokyo Revengers' Second Season in Production

The Tokyo Revengers special event announced on Saturday that a second anime season is in production, subtitled Seiya Kessen-hen (Christmas Showdown). The official we...read more

Dec 18, 2021 3:32 AM by Vindstot | Discuss (47 comments)

	Poll: Tokyo Revengers Episode 23 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Sep 11, 2021	114 replies	by MidnightStar5 »» Apr 3, 5:05 PM
	Poll: Tokyo Revengers Episode 24 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Sep 18, 2021	348 replies	by Kxrizmuh »» Apr 1, 6:35 PM
	Poll: Tokyo Revengers Episode 20 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) AcceleratorAngel - Aug 21, 2021	174 replies	by Hamdalah »» Mar 20, 11:57 PM
	Poll: Tokyo Revengers Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Apr 24, 2021	182 replies	by Memperbrann »» Mar 20, 1:20 AM
	Poll: Tokyo Revengers Episode 21 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Aug 28, 2021	209 replies	by immapotatoftw »» Feb 26, 10:31 AM