WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Tokyo Revengers Episode 3, "Resolve," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Whether it's for his stupidity or bravery, we have to commend Takemichi on Episode 3 of Tokyo Revengers. At the very least, he must have a rock-hard skull for enduring so many punches to his stomach and face without falling unconscious. Anime logic aside, Takemichi's strength isn't whether or not he can throw a punch -- it's his sheer determination in standing up for what he believes in in the latest episode.
12 years ago, he ran away at the sign of a fight. Now, Takemichi is done doing that. If he wants to change the future, then first, he'll have to change himself.
As expected, Takemichi's challenge against Kiyomasa results in him getting his butt handed to him. While his friends yell for him to give up, and Akkun ready to jump in with a knife to kill Kiyomasa, Takemichi refuses to back down. He knows that as soon as he surrenders, he'll lose his only chance to get close to the leaders of the Tokyo Manji Gang (Toman). It's not his life at stake right now: It's Hinata's. So, he declares that he won't lose and if Kiyomasa wants to win, he'll have to kill Takemichi.
Luckily for him, a tall figure with a blond braided ponytail and a tattoo of a dragon on the side of his head strolls in to interrupt, and immediately, everyone in the vicinity freezes. It's Draken, the Vice Commander of Toman. Trailing after him -- and finishing off the last of the dorayaki -- is the person that Takemichi has been searching for: Sano Manjiro, more commonly known as Mikey, the Commander. Mikey doesn't look like much when compared to Draken but he exudes a quiet charisma and strength that demands respect wherever he goes.
Mikey makes a beeline for Takemichi, grabs the back of his head and asks him whether or not he's a middle schooler. Takemichi worries that Mikey might know something about his time-traveling abilities, but immediately after, Mikey breaks into a smile, dubs him with a new name, "Takemitchy," and declares they're going to be friends. As he and Draken walk away, Mikey denounces the underground fight clubs, which is far from what Takemichi expected, and far from what he thought Mikey would be like.
Later on, it's revealed that when Mikey said he wanted them to be friends, he really wanted them to be friends: He and Draken pull Takemichi out of class, half-terrifying Takemichi. He's not sure what to make of them -- Mikey and Draken are every bit the typical delinquents, with them beating up the third-years and then literally using them as stepping stones. But then again, they're also full of surprises.
Because Hina saw the threatening aura that Mikey and Draken had, she immediately assumes that Takemichi is in danger when they arrive to extract him from school, and her instincts kick in. She marches up to Mikey and slaps him across the face before pulling Takemichi away from them, despite her hand shaking in fear, leaving Mikey lamenting the loss of an opportunity to be friends.
Takemichi, meanwhile, is ready to take the hit but not before asking Mikey not to hurt Hina. Mikey pulls back and with a teasing smile, admits he was just joking. He practically skips away, telling them that he doesn't hit girls. He even tells Takemichi to take good care of her, showing his respect for Hina.
As Takemichi gets to know Mikey and Draken more, he realizes that Mikey took an interest in him because he reminded him of his older brother who died. Like Mikey's brother, Takemichi never backed down from a fight, even when all the odds were against him.
He also learns about Mikey's motivations. He wants to go back to his brother's era when there was an abundance of biker gangs. Although they fought all the time, the gangs in those times were honorable and exemplified bravery and loyalty -- rarely seen in today's delinquents. Mikey expresses his wish to create a new era of delinquents and invites Takemichi to join him in making his dream come true.
Already, from these two incidents, Takemichi can tell that Mikey isn't who he thought he was. Mikey isn't a bad guy. And if it isn't Mikey who's responsible for the corruption of the Toman, it has to be the other leader: Kisaki Tetta.
