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Tokyo Revengers (東京リベンジャーズ) (2021 film)

Tokyo Revengers (東京リベンジャーズ) is a 2021 Japanese live-action film directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa, adapted from Ken Wakui's manga Tokyo卍Revengers, which is serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine.1 • 2 It was released in Japan on July 9, 2021, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.3 • 2

Key factDetail
ReleaseJuly 9, 2021 (Japan); distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures3 • 2
Director / writerDirected by Tsutomu Hanabusa; screenplay by Izumi Takahashi1 • 2
SourceKen Wakui's manga Tokyo卍Revengers (Weekly Shonen Magazine, Kodansha), which had sold over 8 million copies at the time2 • 3
Runtime120 minutes4
Story coverageAdapts the manga through volume 4, chapter 31, ending with the "8/3 conflict"5
Music and theme songMusic by Yuta Yamada; theme song "Namae wo Yobu yo" by SUPER BEAVER2
ProductionFuji Television, Warner Bros. Pictures, and Kodansha; production company Kadokawa Daiei Studio2

Spoilers

Plot

The film follows Takemichi Hanagaki, a 26-year-old part-time worker living at rock bottom in 2017, who learns from the news that Hinata Tachibana, his only girlfriend from high school, was killed along with her younger brother Naoto in a gang war involving the delinquent alliance Tokyo Manji Gang (東卍).6 • 15 The next day, returning from his part-time job, Takemichi is pushed from a train platform and, facing death, finds himself transported ten years back to 2007, the high point of his life, as a high schooler.6 • 15 He begins a "revenge" on his own life, standing up to the gang to save the girl he loved.3

Cast

The film stars Takumi Kitamura as Takemichi Hanagaki, with Yuki Yamada as Ken Ryuguji (Draken), Yosuke Sugino as Naoto Tachibana, Mio Imada as Hinata Tachibana, Nobuyuki Suzuki as Masataka Kiyomizu, Hayato Isomura as Atsushi Sendo, Shotaro Mamiya as Tetta Kisaki, and Ryo Yoshizawa as Manjiro Sano (Mikey), the leader of Tokyo Manji Gang.1 • 2

Production and release history

A delayed shoot. The film was originally scheduled for release on October 9, 2020.7 Filming was interrupted twice by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the production finally wrapped on its 309th shooting day, far beyond the one to one-and-a-half months that is standard for a Japanese live-action film.7 The delay worked in the film's favor: while it waited for release, the television anime adaptation launched and the property's popularity grew.7

The film was screened internationally at the Japanese Film Festival 2021, held by The Japan Foundation, Sydney across five major Australian cities from October 29 to December 5, 2021.8 A Blu-ray and DVD release followed on December 22, 2021.2

Adaptation approach

The film condenses the manga's opening arc into a two-hour running time, covering the story through volume 4, chapter 31, up to the 8/3 conflict in which Draken is nearly killed during the Musashi festival on August 3.5 Reviewers noted that the screenplay cut scenes judiciously while avoiding original endings or plot inventions, staying close to the source.7 • 9 A CINEMAS+ review described it as a steady, respectful live-action adaptation that handles the confrontation with the Mobius gang within two hours without forcing an original conclusion.9

The film is the first of a three-part live-action series. It was followed in 2023 by the two-part sequel Tokyo Revengers 2: Bloody Halloween – Unmei (前編) and – Kessen (後編), which together complete the Bloody Halloween arc.10 • 11

Reception

Anime critics writing in a 2022 Real Sound roundtable called the film the biggest hit among 2021's live-action manga adaptations, and cited it as an example of how adaptations that can shoot in real locations succeed more readily than fantasy or science-fiction properties that require expensive production design.12 Critics also singled out the casting: Cinema Today's reviewers praised the ensemble as a successful casting case, highlighting Yuki Yamada's charisma as Draken and Ryo Yoshizawa's performance as Mikey.13 A Real Sound comparison of the live-action and animated versions noted that the franchise's portrayal of stylish delinquents, unlike conventional images of the genre, was a factor in its broad support.14

References

  1. 東京リベンジャーズ, JFDB (Japanese Film Database)
  2. 映画『東京リベンジャーズ』公式サイト, Warner Bros. Japan
  3. TOKYO REVENGERS, Fuji Television Network
  4. 東京リベンジャーズ (2020)：キャスト・あらすじ・作品情報, シネマトゥデイ
  5. 東京リベンジャーズの実写映画は何巻どこまでやる？, Anitage+
  6. INTRODUCTION｜舞台「東京リベンジャーズ」公式サイト
  7. 細野真宏の試写室日記：映画版の出来は？, 映画.com
  8. Japanese Film Festival 2021, Nichigo Press
  9. 『東京リベンジャーズ』レビュー, CINEMAS+
  10. 「東京リベンジャーズ」実写映画は全3作！, ciatr
  11. 東京リベンジャーズ映画の順番は公開順, リベンジャーズ図鑑
  12. 2021年を振り返るアニメ評論家座談会【後編】, Real Sound
  13. 東京リベンジャーズ (2020)：映画短評, シネマトゥデイ
  14. 『東京リベンジャーズ』吉沢亮＆林勇、マイキーの多面性を体現, Real Sound
  15. Movie: "Tokyo Revengers"｜TOKYO LOCATION BOX OFFICIAL SITE

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026

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