The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Tokyo Revengers, "Christmas Eve", now streaming on Hulu.Episode 5 titled Christmas Eve solved perhaps the biggest mystery of the entire season of Tokyo Revengers Christmas Showdown. Of course, fans want to know about Hakkai and Taiju, what will happen to them, the Black Dragon, and the future after the changes.
But something that bugged everyone was the sudden break-up of one of the cutest couples in anime; Takemichi and Hina. And it was precisely on Christmas Eve when it happened. Heartbreaking and explanatory, this episode focuses almost entirely on the relationship between Kisaki, Takemichi, and Hina. The trio have been carrying the story completely so far, and this episode shows why.
Confidentiality Agreement
The episode starts with the group of Takemichi, Chifuyu, Kisaki and Hanma still in the club where they got the information about Taiju. Kisaki wants them to keep their plan and intentions a secret. He is aware about Mikey's state and how Baji's death affected him to the point of being even close to leaving the ToMan or leading the gang to destruction. His intention is to send a message confronting Taiju and change the course of events, so Mikey doesn't ruin what has been built with the gang.
After some debate time with Chifuyu opposing to working with that psycho, Takemichi ends up convincing him. He sees this as an opportunity to get closer to Kisaki, and regardless, it's their best shot at stopping Hakkai. Their reunion at the bridge overlooking the city leaves and iconic picture, for the symbolism and significance it has in the overall series. Together, past, present and future enemies, will put their differences aside for a common goal.
Ore no Hero
It's another day after class, Takemichi walks home with Hina and Naoto. They stop by in a small park, and Naoto leaves saying he hates to waste time. A few words instinctively slip from Takemichi's mouth, "he's just like Kisaki". Shockingly, Hina agrees with him. She knows Kisaki from elementary school. They were together in class, and good friends. Kisaki was a brilliant kid, one of the best in the country and Hina deeply admired him for that. The reveal goes even further, when Hina tells the story of the first time she met Takemichi, something he had forgotten.
She was walking home with Kisaki after class when she noticed a group of thugs abusing a cat. Against Kisaki's advice she ran to stop their gruesome act. The cat ran away, but now they were targeting her to replace the animal. Out of nowhere a kid dressed up as hero jumped and kicked one of the thugs. It was Takemichi, he came to the rescue when he saw the scene developing. However, he got beat up by them, as usual. He managed to save her by taking the beating. It moved Hina to the point of starting to develop feeling for him.
It was even more impressive for her because he knew he was going to lose and did it anyway. Meanwhile, Kisaki was there all the time, looking. Now, Kisaki calling Takemichi a hero makes much more sense. They were always connected, from the beginning, the three of them. What remains unclear is the feelings this provoked on Kisaki and how it might have changed his personality. He definitely seemed like a completely different kid in elementary school.
Nice But A Hoodlum
After this compelling story they part ways while Hina reminds him that they have a date on Christmas Eve at Umishita Park. Takemichi remembers he broke up with her at that exact moment in that exact time and wonders what can possibly make it happen with how much he loves her and how well everything is going. Before finishing that train of thought he bumped into a man who looked pretty much like Naoto in the future. It was their father, Masato Tachibana, and their encounter wasn't exactly an accident.
They go for a coffee nearby as an oportunity to get closer, or so it seemed. Masoto kept praising Takemichi for the good things he was told about him, how he convinced Naoto to follow his father career and become a police officer. But it was just the setting for the real motive behind everything. He wanted to ask Takemichi to break up with Hina. He was a nice kid, but at the end of the day, a hoodlum. The question that made it reasonable was one that Takemichi already knew the answer for, can he guarantee that she is not going to get involved at some point?
Christmas Eve, Umishita Park
The moment has arrived. Takemichi understands Masato's petition and grants it. On a snowy night at Umishita Park, on Christmas Eve, Takemichi breaks up with Hina. His sloppy motives fail to reassure her as he tries to hide the real reason. Hina completely devastated by the unexpected words launches and attack at him, punching him in the face multiple times. At the same time, she is crying uncontrollably, confused on why this was happening to her. To make matter worse, before this scene they had just made cut about Hina telling her mother that she wanted to love Takemichi 10 years from now, the same way she still loves her father.
Takemichi followed the same path once again. He was supposed to change things coming back this time, but he didn't because he still felt that breaking up with her was the right call. Perhaps, one of the main reasons why this feels so wrong. You already broke up with her, and she died anyway, what's the point of breaking her heart like this? A hard pill to swallow for the fans of the couple. Takemichi believes that he has to protect Hina at all costs, and this was the first step in achieving his ultimate goal.
The closing moments of Christmas Eve right after. He meets with Chifuyu, Kisaki and Hanma with his face swollen from Hina's punches. Avoids talking about what happened as they focus on the plan for the next day. They assume Hakkai will be waiting for Taiju inside the Udagawa Christ Church in Shibuya. Takemichi has to go there and talk him out of it while the other three face Taiju to keep him from entering the church. Next week, the actual Christmas Showdown starts in Tokyo Revengers season 2.