Highlights
- Episode 3 of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc delves into the consequences of Naoto's demise, leaving Takemichi stuck in the past and determined to save his friend at any cost.
- The past of Sano Shinichiro, the original founder of Black Dragon, is revealed, shedding light on the animosity between Izana and Mikey.
- A shocking twist occurs as Takemichi is confronted by a traitor within the ranks, leading to a cliffhanger ending and raising more questions for viewers.
The following contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc, "Run Out Of Patience," now streaming on Disney+.
Continuing the momentum from the last episode, which ended on a devastating cliffhanger, Episode 3 of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc titled "Run Out Of Patience," explored the link between Mikey and Izana, which had been teased on multiple prior occasions. Much like preceding episodes in Season 3, this installment featured exposition and moments of high emotional intensity, but fell relatively short on action until the very end.
However, this may soon be rectified in the next episode of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc, once the narrative has built up enough for the fistfights to take center stage. All in all, Season 3 of Tokyo Revengershas not disappointed in its pacing, stakes, or the quality of its narrative, and viewers can only hope that these standards continue for the remainder of this cour. There are a number of important trails of information that can be gleaned from this episode, and there is no doubt that they will have major ramifications on Takemichi's struggle to prevent Mikey and the Tokyo Manji Gang from going down a dark path in the future.
The Consequences Of Naoto's Demise
With the horrific cliffhanger that concluded the previous episode, Takemichi and adult Naoto were forced to shake hands to allow the former to leap into the past once again and change the dreadful situation they found themselves in. Having been shot by Kakucho and Kisaki in the present, Takemichi and Naoto found themselves at death's door, bleeding out in the street with no help in sight. This is by far the worst scenario the pair have faced, mainly due to the threat it poses to Takemichi's ability to leap backward in time.
Returning to the past, Takemichi called on the younger version of Naoto to meet him late at night, as he sought to confirm his suspicions about his trusted ally's potential death. Unfortunately, his fears were all but confirmed when he was unable to journey forward into the present, no matter how many times he clasped the younger Naoto's hand. Forced to confront the fact that he was now stuck in the past for good, with no way back, Takemichi broke down into tears and mourned Naoto, while resolving to save him at any cost.
Sadly, his resolve immediately broke down on recalling the many failures he had endured to date, as he cursed his luck and lamented that he was probably doomed to fail once again. Noticing that someone was approaching him, Takemichi assumed it to be Naoto, only to realize that it was actually Hinata Tachibana, who had heard everything he had blurted out about his time-traveling exploits while wallowing in self-pity. As she comforted him, Hinata inquired about whether the version of him in the future had proposed to her yet, and a flustered Takemichi exclaimed that he had been thinking about marrying her, which she took as a proposal in and of itself.
Stating that she could now die happy, to Takemichi's amazement, Hinata proceeded to sit with him until the sun rose, and left without asking any more questions or discussing anything about time travel, much to his relief. As he recalled what he was fighting for, Takemichi realized that his only option was to push on to save those he loved, and asserted once again that he would take out Izana and Kisaki to rewrite the future into a better one.
Unearthing Sano Shinichiro's Past
While heading back to his home in the early hours of the morning, Takemichi ran into Draken, who was on his way to Mikey's home, and joined him. Reaching the Sano household, Takemichi saw Mikey's room for the first time, as Draken recalled how it was once a shed that served as Sano Shinichiro's garage, where he and Mikey would watch the latter's older brother working on motorcycles. After being informed of the situation to some extent, Mikey recalled that he had run into Izana earlier, but had no knowledge of his time in Black Dragon.
Despite Takemichi already being privy to this knowledge, Draken proceeded to explain that Sano Shinichiro was the original founder of Black Dragon. In fact, Mikey had even spoken to Shinichiro about Toman's founding, as it was a direct response to the Ninth Generation Black Dragon's attack on Kazutora Hanemiya. Shinichiro had given Mikey his blessing at the time, stating that Black Dragon was something he had left for his younger brother to take over.
At that moment, Mikey's younger half-sister Sano Emma entered his room with tea for the trio. As soon as the name Izana Kurokawa was uttered, Emma shared that he was her elder brother, noting that she had not seen him in a while, but had mentioned him to Mikey. Moreover, she was aware of the fact that Shinichiro and Izana were quite close, and even found a box full of letters between them.
On reading the contents of their correspondence, Draken uncovered Izana's jealousy towards Mikey and his fondness for Shinichiro. Hearing this, Mikey promptly stepped out and got on his bike, while Draken and Takemichi theorized that Izana's hatred towards Mikey was the reason behind the formation of Tenjiku, as well as the Ninth Generation Black Dragon's attack on the Tokyo Manji Gang all those years ago.
A Traitor Within The Ranks?
Now, armed with this knowledge, Takemichi met with Chifuyu and the remaining members of the Mizo Middle Five to explain that he wanted to take on Kisaki and Izana alone, only to receive protests in response. The group pledged their undying loyalty to him and stated that he would not have to shoulder his burden alone, since they were all there to help him as both his friends and subordinates in the First Division of Toman.
As Takemichi expressed his gratitude and commenced a strategy meeting to deal with the threat of Tenjiku, he heard someone calling for the First Division Captain from the street below his home. Rushing outside, Takemichi encountered Fifth Division Vice-Captain Haruchiyo Sanzu, with his Captain Yasuhiro Muto, better known as "Mucho." As the Fifth Division surrounded Takemichi and his allies, Mucho approached the First Division Captain and began punching him relentlessly until he passed out, despite Takemichi's protests against infighting in a time of war.
Mucho then proceeded to complain that Izana had given him more work and ordered Sanzu to deposit Takemichi inside the car they had arrived in. Waking up in a dark room, Takemichi was confronted by Mucho once again, as the latter proceeded to turn on the lights in the space, revealing the presence of Seishu Inui and Hajime Kokonoi, who had both been bound and confined in chairs.
To Takemichi's utter confusion, Mucho declared that all the key players were present, as the curtain fell on another jam-packed episode of Tokyo Revengers: Tenjiku Arc. Ending on a cliffhanger that nearly matched the stakes of the previous episode, with an even greater aura of mystery and suspense, this installment in Season 3 has answered many questions, but in the process, it has produced even more points of inquiry.