Highlights
- Episode 1 of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc sets the stage for a high-intensity season opener, as Hanagaki Takemichi and Matsuno Chifuyu race to uncover the secrets of the new delinquent group, Tenjiku, who are out to destroy the Tokyo Manji Gang.
- The episode raises important questions about why Takemichi cannot create the future he desires, hinting at sinister forces driving Mikey and the Tokyo Manji Gang towards a bleak and violent future, despite Takemichi's efforts.
- Takemichi suspects that Kisaki, a common variable in his past failures, is manipulating the future to suit his twisted ideals. Determined to make him atone for his sins, Takemichi takes on Tenjiku in a fight, only to be surprised by an old childhood friend, Kakucho, who is now devoted to Tenjiku's leader, Izana Kurokawa.
The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc, "The Longest Day," now streaming on Disney+.
Kicking off the longest segment of the narrative in the series to date, Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc premiered on October 4 with an action-packed episode that condensed much of the arc's setup into a high-intensity season opener. After being attacked by Tenjiku — a mysterious new group of delinquents that is out to destroy the Tokyo Manji Gang — Hanagaki Takemichi and Matsuno Chifuyu rushed to uncover the secrets behind their new adversaries.
Laying out the foundation for the rest of Season 3 to come, Episode 1 of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc, titled "The Longest Day" raises a few important questions about why Takemichi is unable to create the future that he desires. In the process, it alludes to some of the more sinister forces that may be involved in driving Mikey and the Tokyo Manji Gang towards a bleak and violent future, despite all of Takemichi's best efforts to prevent this.
The Start Of Tenjiku's Assault
Picking from the very moment that concluded the Christmas Showdown Arc earlier this year, Takemichi, Chifuyu, and the Mizo Middle Five found themselves surrounded by a swarm of Tenjiku's troops after dealing with their lower-ranking members. As the group began to consider their options in the face of being outnumbered, a familiar figure stepped into view and confronted a kneeling Takemichi. Kisaki Tetta, now clad in the bright red of Tenjiku instead of the black garb of the Tokyo Manji Gang, informed Takemichi of his new role as Tenjiku's General Staff Officer.
Stating that Takemichi would never be able to comprehend how he was always one step ahead, Kisaki proceeded to declare that he intended to create his own Toman and force Mikey (Manjiro Sano) to accept him at any cost. He then proceeded to leave the scene, but not before testing Takemichi by telling him that he had to find a way out of the unfavorable odds he was facing at the time. The menacing presence of Mochizuki Kanji, one of Tenjiku's senior officers did not help either, as he proceeded to hurl a beaten Chifuyu towards the group and then announced that he was headed to Shinjuku where another fight was occurring.
Fortunately for Takemichi and his subordinates, Nahoya Kawata (Smiley) — Toman's Fourth Division Captain — and his younger brother Souya Kawata (Angry) arrived on the scene and managed to diffuse the dire situation by charging at the crowd with their bikes to disperse Tenjiku's troops. On seeing Souya, Takemichi fell into utter confusion, as he was unaware that Nahoya had a younger brother, despite everyone else around him having prior knowledge of this fact. A rare moment of levity amid an otherwise grim episode. After ensuring that most of the group was all right, the twin brothers called on Takemichi and Chifuyu to accompany them, as they went to seek out Tenjiku's hideout for revenge.
Can Kisaki Time Leap Too?
On the way, the brothers proceeded to ambush and interrogate two members of Tenjiku, as Chifuyu and Takemichi discussed the troublesome situation they found themselves in. With Toman under attack from all sides, and little knowledge of the threat they faced, the duo began to speculate on the reason behind their repeated failure to alter the future favorably. The latest loop, which saw Kisaki kicked out of Toman after the fall of Black Dragon, had resulted in a future where Mikey ended up killing most of Toman's members, altering the gang's trajectory to one filled with even more violence and death than previous incarnations.
Takemichi began to wonder whether someone else was manipulating the future and changing it further to suit their objectives with each loop, realizing that such an explanation would account for why each successive outcome had grown increasingly worse. Naturally, as Kisaki was a common variable in each of his past failures, Takemichi began to suspect that he was the one undoing his hard work. Although the idea seemed preposterous, there was an undeniable truth in how the future always seemed to have a version of Toman that operated in line with Kisaki's twisted ideals. Once the idea began to take root, Takemichi pledged to make Kisaki atone for his sins at any cost.
At this moment, Chifuyu brought up an important point about Kisaki's growing desperation, as the last loop had resulted in his own death, which would make travel back to the future impossible. Soon after, the Kawata brothers rushed back to share that they had been able to glean the location of Tenjiku's hideout after interrogating its members, prompting the group to set off once again. Elsewhere, Takashi Mitsuya, Toman's Second Division Captain, was embroiled in a battle with Mochizuki Kanji, and managed to hold his ground until Tenjiku's Haitani brothers arrived on the scene and caught him out with a surprise attack. Simultaneously, as the violence spread to other parts of the city, Shion Madarame, a former leader of the Ninth Generation Black Dragon, mercilessly beat up Toman's already incapacitated troops.
A Blast From Takemichi's Past
On finally reaching Tenjiku's hideout, the quartet of Takemichi, Chifuyu, Angry, and Smiley, were stunned to see a massive cohort of Tenjiku members ready to take them on. However, just as the battle was about to start, an intimidating Tenjiku member with buzzed black hair and scars across his face ordered his comrades to fall back, stating that he would take on the Toman members on his own. He went on to challenge Takemichi to fight him as the First Division Captain, stating that he heard how the one occupying that rank was one of Toman's strongest fighters.
Unperturbed by his opponent's taunts and determined to prove himself, Takemichi charged forward with resolve and punched him squarely in the face, sending him flying backwards. Initially surprised by his own strength, Takemichi was even more shocked at realizing that the Tenjiku member he had knocked out was actually Kakucho, an old childhood friend. Greeting each other with delight on this unlikely reunion, Kakucho stated that he once saw Takemichi as his hero.
However, that time had passed, and he was now solely devoted to Izana Kurokawa, Tenjiku's leader. In their final exchange, Kakucho inquired about Kisaki's true nature, as Takemichi explained his past treachery towards Toman, requesting that he be allowed to meet him, in order to ascertain whether he could time leap. Unfortunately, Kakucho denied his request, stating that the only place they would be able to meet Kisaki was on the battlefield. Just prior to this conversation, Mikey had run into Izana as he sat on a parapet overlooking the sea.
After complementing Mikey's bike, Izana proceeded to introduce himself and state that they would be seeing each other around. The suspense hanging in the air here was palpable, embodying how first episode of this cour did well to build up the tension for the upcoming conflict between the two gangs, as Takemichi and his allies attempt to undo their failures and seek out the future they desire once again.