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After the sudden announcement of the series ending on November 16, Tokyo Revengers fans were skeptical of how mangaka Ken Wakui planned to do justice to each of his characters in such a short time. They feared that a rushed ending would make the series more inconsistent and reflect badly on several characters' journeys.
When Tokyo Revengers chapter 277 came out, the concept of a total reset did not sit well with most readers. They guessed how such an ending would negate years of character development that the cast of the series had gone through. Chapter 278 brought this fear to fruition and caused a significant majority of the fandom to turn on Wakui.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the opinion of the writer and contains spoilers from Tokyo Revengers manga.
Tokyo Revengers ending destroys nearly every character development except Takemmichi and Mikey
Ever since Draken’s death, many Tokyo Revengers fans had hoped, however illogically, for a total reset. However, they were aware that such a move would destabilize the entire story and take away the crucial narrative value of the progress every character has made towards becoming more mature and worldly.
Even when most readers would have preferred their favorite characters to be happy over a pragmatic and fitting end to the series, no one truly dared to believe that mangaka Ken Wakui would take such a shortcut.
The controversial twist in Tokyo Revengers chapter 276
When Tokyo Revengers chapter 274 suddenly announced that the series would end in 5 chapters, the story was in a precarious place with too many unanswered questions. Avid readers immediately feared that not every question would be answered, and such a rushed ending might further complicate the already convoluted concept of time-travel in the series.
When chapter 275 ended with Takemichi’s death and Mikey’s tearful confession, everyone assumed that the latter would inherit the ability to time-leap and rectify the circumstances of this tragedy, especially in the wake of Mikey confessing the truth about Shinichiro. However, destroying every fan theory, in Tokyo Revengers chapter 276, Wakui sent both Takemichi and Mikey 10 years back to the time before the latter’s accident in the original timeline.
As many had feared, by meeting each other before they were supposed to and sharing the knowledge of so many tragic futures, Takemichi and Mikey not only became inseparable but also each other’s primary confidante. While this angered many for the reasons discussed below, the bigger issue was the consequence of such a time leap.
What the total reset entails for Tokyo Revengers
Armed with the knowledge of every terrible thing that might befall their loved ones, and having traveled back in time to a point where they could still prevent all of it, Takemichi and Mikey got to work.
They avoided, in order: Mikey’s accident, Shinichiro’s subsequent depression and inheritance of the time-leaping capacity, Mikey’s Dark Impulses, Haruchiyo’s scars and falling out with Mikey, the estrangement of the Akashi siblings, presumably the house fire that killed Akane Inui and scarred Seishu, Shinichiro’s death, Baji and Kazutora’s incarceration, Baji’s death, Draken’s death, Emma’s death, and associated demises.
Additionally, by somehow befriending Kisaki before the founding of Toman, they also prevent Valhalla from being born. By integrating Black Dragons and Tenjiku into Toman, they avoid the fight between the Shiba siblings and Izana’s death. As readers venture further into this timeline, however, inconsistencies keep piling up.
It is baffling that despite not needing the money to save Akane, which was their primary motivation, Koko and Inui would join the Black Dragons. There is no explanation of the mystery surrounding Hanma, nor is there any additional clarification as to why Takemichi was pushed off the train platform during the first timeline.
Kisaki’s knowledge of time travel is not explained, and neither are the intricacies of time-leaping. In Tokyo Revengers chapter 278, Chifuyu remembers bits and pieces of the previous timelines despite never having been a Leaper or a Trigger. Despite so many inconsistencies and unanswered questions, the key problem that most readers had with the ending was how Wakui thoroughly destroyed the position and development of each of his characters barring Mikey and Takemichi.
Previous concerns over Wakui’s handling of his characters
Since Draken's death, readers had started to point out that Wakui’s goal was to make Takemichi not only fundamental to Mikey but to make the boy the only one Mikey can rely on. It’s a running joke in the fandom that most readers consider chapter 193 to be the end of Tokyo Revengers, and do not want to believe in the Bonten arc’s existence.
Indeed, Takemichi did achieve a perfect future and chose to return to the past to save Mikey nonetheless. A more serious debate that then arose in the fandom was “how much is one life worth”, given that Takemichi’s quest to save Mikey caused the perfect future to disappear. However, as the Three Deities arc progressed and slowly transitioned into the Final arc, Wakui presented Takemichi’s mindset.
Many readers agreed that Mikey, who had sacrificed so much for others, deserved to have others care for him just as fiercely. However, Draken’s death remained a sore topic, and no one appreciated Wakui’s attempt to make Takemichi Mikey’s sole tether to the light. In the middle of this debate, however, Wakui fleshed out several characters and took them through their separate journeys.
Mitsuya’s grief at Draken’s death and his determination following his controversial fashion show, the tumultuous lives of the Akashi Siblings and Senju’s evolution into a leader, Kokonoi and Inui’s conquering of their trauma surrounding Akane’s death, Chifuyu’s breakdown and his subsequent fight with Takemichi, Takemichi’s own journey towards leadership, Kakucho’s sacrifice, and many more. Much as wakui’s creative choices continued to baffle and anger the fandom, everyone appreciated the growth of every character during this arc.
The chief issue with the ending of Tokyo Revengers manga
What mangaka Ken Wakui does via this sort of total reset, is that he removes the catalysts that shaped his characters and their relationships with other people. Despite that, however, he somehow implies that the relationships and the people remain the same, only happier and alive.
Logic dictates that if Baji and Kazutora never went through Shinichiro’s murder, their bond with each other and Mikey would never be the same. The starting point of Chifuyu and Takemichi’s friendship was their collaboration over the Valhalla case and Baji’s demise, without which they can never forge as strong a bond.
Additionally, without going through the fallout with Taiju, neither Hakkai nor Yuzuha would find themselves. In this timeline, Kokonoi never had to overcome his obsession with Akane to view her, himself, and Seishu as separate entities. Two 10-year-olds cannot cure domestic abuse, prejudice, emotional inclinations, or family feuds simply by virtue of knowing the future.
In the last two chapters of Tokyo Revengers, Wakui wipes out his entire series from existence. It only exists in the minds of Mikey and Takemichi, and by never going through the incidents from the story, no character other than these two are the ones whom readers have known for all these years.
Co-dependency
This brings us to the other key problem fans have with this ending: Takemichi usurping everyone’s places. Now, this might be the wrong way to phrase it given that both he and Mikey still value every single person in their lives.
But as seen from Tokyo Revengers chapter 277, Takemichi shares the memories with Mikey which were solely Draken’s before. He supports and carries Mikey through situations that only they are privy to, diminishing the effect that people like Baji or Sanzu had on Mikey.
Conversely, Mikey also takes away some of the key moments that strengthened Takemichi’s bonds with Chifuyu or Akkun, perhaps even Hinata. The most tragic loss is Takemichi’s friendship with Naoto, who does not play any vital role in the former’s life this time around.
This is the kind of symbiotic, cocooned, co-dependent relationship that most readers feared, a dyadic bond where these two characters only have each other. No matter how close they may be to other people, even if they disclose the truth of every timeline to their loved ones, Takemichi and Mikey remain the only ones who have suffered through it.
Final thoughts
The entire Tokyo Revengers fandom can surely see and appreciate the appeal of this reset, to see one’s favorite character alive, thriving, and happy is a blessing. it would be inaccurate to say that the whole fandom dislikes the ending when a considerable part of the fandom is enamored by this conclusion of their beloved series.
To see Takemichi and Hinata finally married, to see Haruchiyo and Inui without their scars, and to see Izana reunited with his siblings is what the fans of these characters did not even dare to hope about. And yet, it is these fans who express the most discontent about this ending, because, in essence, these are not the characters they know.
Every person is shaped by what they experience and how they experience it. Even when the person and their innate nature remain the same, by experiencing different things, one person can flourish into several different people. As stated before, by removing the catalyst, Wakui not only removes the evolutions of his characters but also their interpersonal equations.
The logical conclusion to such a reset is that the characters whom we see in Tokyo Revengers chapter 278 are not the ones we’ve known and loved throughout the series. They may be the same characters, but they lack the progress they made throughout the series, and as such the readers are not invested in them in the same way.
Tokyo Revengers is both beloved and popular, and as such, it has a cult-like following. This conclusion to such a gruesome and complex series has enraged even the most devout of fans. While criticizing such controversial conclusions is every reader’s right, we must not forget that this is mangaka Ken Wakui’s series.
These are his characters, whom he has loved and nurtured for more than six years. However we may disagree with his creative choices, readers must respect the talent and effort that has gone into the making of the magnum opus.
