If Western culture has the mafia to represent families with a huge stake in the criminal underworld, Japanese culture has the Yakuza as go-to experts when it comes to shady enterprises. Given the complex history of the Yakuza within Japanese culture, it makes sense for them to have different interpretations depending on the media that present them. Such is the case of the Yakuza in anime, as a lot of Japanese animation do show the Yakuza in a lot of its colorful dimensions.
However, putting aside the more serious parts of the Yakuza lifestyle, some anime do highlight the more hilarious and comedic aspects of life living within an organized crime unit. In fact, some hilarious anime actually feature the Yakuza in extremely memorable moments. Just which anime highlight the Yakuza in the funniest way possible?
7 Great Teacher Onizuka (1999)
Although not necessarily about the Yakuza, Great Teacher Onizuka does exemplify the potential of a former bike gang leader into becoming an inspirational teacher. This is exactly what Eikichi Onizuka wanted, as he finally quit his leadership of his bike gang in order to fulfill his dream of becoming the world’s greatest teacher. Unfortunately for him, the only obstacle in his way is a class of delinquents that just make the job much harder for him.
Unfortunately for said delinquents, Onizuka does have his methods of taming them - be it both legal and illegal. Being a former delinquent, Onizuka thought organized crime like with the Yakuza was the best way to “succeed,” and his adventures with his students often lead to encounters with them. Despite being an old anime, the sheer charm of Great Teacher Onizuka continues to bring fans in to this day.
6 City Hunter (1987)
While not entirely about the Yakuza itself, City Hunter talks of the adventures of Ryo Saeba, Tokyo’s “City Hunter.” Alongside his handler Kaori Makimura, she and Ryo as City Hunters are “sweepers” of the city, maintaining it “clean” from various evildoers and those who wish to sow chaos in Tokyo. As such, Ryo’s clients give him a wide variety of jobs, such as protecting clients, assassinations, and other tasks.
Being a “perfect” assassin, Ryo’s exploits have become known even to the Yakuza. In fact, they’ve on occasion hired Ryo for his services, especially regarding some perplexing cases they couldn’t solve that could threaten the stability of the city. What makes City Hunter and its dealings with the Yakuza extra hilarious is that they, alongside Kaori, do need to stop Ryo from being a womanizer towards clients and the shenanigans the Yakuza try to do to get Ryo’s attention.
5 Seto No Hanayome (2007)
In Seto No Hanayome or “My Bride Is A Mermaid,” being a Yakuza apparently knows no species. After all, when mermaid Sun Seto saves Michishio Nagasumi’s life after almost drowning in the sea, Nagasumi discovers that Sun Seto is actually part of a mermaid Yakuza family. Not only that, but if he wants to remain alive, Yakuza dictates that he has to marry the mermaid he has accidentally seen, Sun Seto, or one of them dies.
Now forced to be married to a mermaid Yakuza daughter, Nagasumi and Sun Seto’s hilarious adventures begin as they try to understand the intricacies of each other’s lives. Of course, being from two different worlds, their attempts understanding both human culture and mermaid Yakuza lifestyle always result in hilarity.
4 Hinamatsuri (2018)
Yoshifumi Nitta is an ordinary member of the Yakuza until one fateful night when a huge box falls over his head. Not only that, but it contains a girl, who only knows herself as Hina, who slowly demonstrates a myriad of supernatural abilities. Since her powers can surely help benefit the Yakuza, Nitta takes Hina in and takes care of her. Thing is, somehow Hina has to use her powers regularly, or she may turn berserk, possibly using her powers against Nitta well.
While Nitta is initially depicted as a guy who couldn’t care less about things, his care towards Hina becomes the start of a wonderful friendship between the two of them. And when other parties aside from the Yakuza start to show an interest in Hina, comedic adventures ensue as the two of them try to survive.
3 Nisekoi (2014)
Sometimes, love just chooses whoever needs it the most, and it doesn’t matter if the two hearts it chooses are from two rival Yakuza groups. In Nisekoi, such is the case, as Raku Ichigo of Shuei-gumi meets a girl named Chitoge Kirisaki, who bumps into him and forces him to lose a pendant given to him by his childhood sweetheart. After forcing Chitoge to help him look for the locket, they start disliking each other for their attitudes.
And unfortunately for the both of them, Shuei-gumi rival Beehive has agreed to settle their differences by marrying off their leaders’ children into each other. As fate would have it, Raku soon discovers that his girlfriend-to-be is none other than Chitoge, who turns out to be the daughter of the Beehive leader. It doesn’t help that, as they have to “fake” their relationship, Raku actually has a crush on Kosaki Onodera, another schoolmate.
2 Back Street Girls: Gokudolls (2018)
It’s not all the time that the Yakuza are mixed into idol culture, but Back Street Girls: Gokudolls is exactly that. In its story, three Yakuza members have disappointed their boss one more time and are offered two options - commit seppuku or suicide, or go to Thailand and undergo sex change operation and train to become idols.
In an odd turn of events, the three Yakuza members “transform” into girls and start training into idols, like any... Yakuza member should? After a year’s worth of grueling training, the three girls finally become idols and have started growing in popularity, but their brotherhood as Yakuza members remains strong as ever. Unfortunately, their Yakuza past is starting to follow them as they rise into stardom.
1 Gokusen (2004)
Kumiko Yamaguchi of Gokusen was just about to start her dream job as a math teacher when she realized her school of employment, Shirokin Academy, is actually an all-boys school with a lot of delinquents. Kumiko easily gets her hands full as she now has to tame this batch of delinquent students, all the while having to hide her true nature as the head of the Ooedo Yakuza Clan.
Despite the comedic nature of the series, Kumiko does have a tragic backstory. She became the acting head of the clan at the tender age of 23 when her parents died a tragic death years prior, and while her grandfather is ill. Thankfully, Kumiko has quite the support system in the form of overprotective yet respectful thugs. And the kids at Shirokin Academy got a taste of their own medicine when Kumiko herself has quite the unique ability of asserting her authority.