Since the end of the Black Dragon arc, the rise of Tokyo Revengers is undeniable. By planting strong stakes like the fatal fall of Mikey or the dramatic situation of the present, Ken Wakui has totally captured our interest. And as if that weren’t enough, chaos also reigns in the past when the mysterious Yokohama Tenjiku gang grieves the members of the Toman, in the most violent way possible.
So who is this new adversary? Why is he here? Do we not have here yet another rival clan of Tokyo Manji dedicated to bringing another batch of dramas and fights? Far from it, also the strength of this fifteenth volume comes from its way of approaching the Tenjiku as an enigma as mysterious as it is formidable. The enemy is powerful but above all shrouded in mysteries, whether in what binds its members that the origin of his hatred against the group of Takemichi. The author does not hesitate to multiply the data and connect the new enemy to many elements already mentioned in the series. This whole journey could have been complex and lost us, but Ken Wakui manages to make the whole tangible by distilling the data into suitable scenes, and providing us with each information at the right time. Little by little, we understand the full content of the danger which is akin to a sort of fatal antagonist, although the series are still far from being concluded. In all this tumult, a shock revelation will shake us, but the effect will undoubtedly be less on many readers since this element had been revealed in the teasing page of volume fourteen. Pity.
It is therefore a promising arc that takes shape little by little, through a succession of events that hardly leaves us unmoved. In addition to the frantic pace of the story, we appreciate the constant highlighting of characters so far in the shadows. On the cover, Nahoya and Soya Kawata bring a real breath of fresh air to the cast, where the mysterious Izana appears as an intriguing figure, as fascinating as he is disturbing.
And without revealing anything about the progress of the volume, it is clear that the author always manages very well the balance in the comings and goings between eras, and especially the rise in power of each opus. The last sequence of the volume is arguably the strongest and the most surprising, upping the drama that strikes the future world. Again, the final arc feel is there, even if it isn’t. Under these conditions, closing this fifteenth volume is even more frustrating than the previous times, and one wonders how such a promising arc could evolve. After fifteen volumes, Tokyo Revengers is far, far from falling in interest, energy and efficiency. An addicting story as always!