Tokyo Revengers chapter 271: Shinichiro meets the old time-leaper and finds a shocking way to travel back in time
While Tokyo Revengers chapter 271 moves the plot ahead and shows the first time Shinichiro travels to the past, it is frustratingly short on the details of time-leaping. The identity of the old man, presumably a third time-leaper, remains undisclosed.
Readers were shocked to see the developments in this chapter, especially regarding Shinichiro’s version of the Dark Impulses. However, Wakui further complicated the notions of time-leaping and created some inconsistencies in his series with Tokyo Revengers chapter 271.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from Tokyo Revengers chapter 271.
Tokyo Revengers chapter 271 shows parallels between the two timelines as Shinichiro travels to the past for the first time
In the last chapter, Haruchiyo was released from prison and Shinichiro took him and Baji to visit Mikey, who was in a terrible state. A month later, Mikey passed away and Shinichiro became inconsolable. When Wakasa took him out for a drink, they came across a group of people who claimed to have met a time-leaper.
Shinichiro beat up the entire group as he interrogated them about the whereabouts of the time-leaper.
Tokyo Revengers chapter 271 is titled Red Hot.
Chapter summary
Tokyo Revengers chapter 271 starts with Shinichiro and Wakasa meeting the old man under a bridge. The latter does not believe in time travel and leaves after failing to convince Shinichiro of the same. The old man tells the eldest Sano sibling that he will not part with the gift of time-leaping because he had to “kill the person in front” of him to get it.
In his moment of desperation, Shinichiro clobbers the man to death with a steel pipe. The old man then mocks that Shinichiro has chosen to kill as well. After further beating the man to ensure his death, the former Black Dragon president desperately waits to travel back in time, but nothing happens, causing him to lament that he killed the man for nothing.
The next day, Sanju informs Baji that he will check up on Shinichiro. On his way to the Sano house, the boy sees the young man standing on the railing of a bridge, and rushes to stop him from committing suicide. Shinichiro informs him that it is the anniversary of Mikey’s accident and he wishes to go back to that day. He had killed a man in vain, and could no longer find the will to live.
As Shinichiro tumbles down onto the muddy river below, he believes his life to have ended. But just then, the taletell signs of time-leaping take place around him. When Shinichiro opens his eyes, he finds himself transported to the day of Mikey’s accident, with his little brother happily playing with the toy plane.
Observations
Tokyo Revengers chapter 271 does not clarify the identity of the old man. It can be someone unrelated to the plot so far, but it can also be someone from the canon timeline (dubbed timeline 0). The old man does not say exactly how he got the power to time travel. There was no mention of triggers. The old man only mentioned killing the person in front of him, but not that the said person was the previous time-leaper.
Shinichiro’s face while killing the old man resembles Mikey during his Dark Impulse episodes. In fact, Tokyo Revengers chapter 271 draws quite a few parallels between the two timelines. Apart from the Dark Impulses of the two brothers, the scene of Shinichiro killing the old man is an exact replica of him being killed by Kazutora. It is also reminiscent of Baji during the Valhalla battle and Haruchiyo hitting his sister during the final battle.
The scene of Shinichiro jumping down from the bridge is eerily similar to Mikey jumping down from the roof in the Bonten timeline. Interestingly, Haruchiyo was present in both cases. Shinichiro’s first time-leap is similar to Takemichi’s first leap. They both jumped from a high place, or were pushed, in the latter’s case, and fell to their certain death. Both bumps happen without a trigger.
Final thoughts
Tokyo Revengers chapter 271 further complicates time-leaping in the series. If killing the previous time-leaper is the way to gain the power, Kazutora should be a time-leaper given that he killed Shinichiro.
Conversely, Takemichi should not be a time-leaper at all considering he did not kill anyone but was a victim of a murder attempt himself. However, the person who pushed Takemichi may have mistaken him to be a time-leaper already, and committed the crime in an attempt to steal the power.
Haruchiyo has become incredibly important to the plot. It is unlikely that Shinichiro time-leaped as frequently as Takemichi, with a good possibility that this was his first and last time travel. However, if he does make a habit of it, Haruchiyo is most likely to be his trigger.
In either case, mangaka Wakui needs to elaborate more coherently on the concept of time travel in his series. Hopefully, the next chapter will focus on the intricacies of this power and how it is transferred.
Quick Links
Aratrika Baidya