Sano "Mikey" Manjiro is the leader of the Tōkyō Manji Gang, better known as Tōman. Despite this central role in the narrative of Tōkyō Revengers, he's a very hard man to get a read on. Trying to look into the inky blackness that is his stare is unlikely to fetch the desired results. A lot of people know of Mikey's power, influence, and charisma, but if asked to talk about him personally, few people would be able to answer properly.
Fortunately, there are ways to get a better understanding of Mikey. His background and personality are provided to the reader in bits and pieces throughout the Tōkyō Revengers narrative. Here's everything there is to know about Mikey as is provided by the series thus far.
1. Who Is Sano Manjiro?
A lot about Sano can be explained by looking at his family. He was raised in a dōjō and taught martial arts by his grandfather. His older brother owned a motorbike shop before he was tragically killed by one of Mikey's gang members. He adopted the name "Mikey" so that his half-sister Emma wouldn't feel self-conscious about her own western name. Just by looking at these people, it becomes apparent how Mikey got his name, why he's so good at fighting, and what got him into biking.
Mikey can't convey his personality well through his icy stare, but his words and actions speak loudly for him. He can be childish and carefree when he's around friends, but he acts more authoritative when he has to be a leader for Tōman. He also tries to avoid showing weakness. He can be either as sympathetic or as cruel as the situation demands.
2. How Did Sano Manjiro Become Leader of Tokyo Manji?
Mikey founded Tōman in 2003 during his first year of middle school. He founded it along with five of his friends; Ryūguji "Drakken" Ken, Mitsuya Takashi, Hayashida "Pah-chin" Haruki, Baji Keisuke, and Hanemiya Kazutora. They didn't get a lot of respect because of how young they were, but they could ride motorbikes and butt heads with the best of them.
There were two key factors to the rise of Tōman and they both have to do with Mikey. The first was his overwhelming power; Mikey was strong enough to take on all of Tōman's founding members, but he instead channeled that power into beating rival gangs into submission. He's also able to win over hearts with his magnetic charisma. He can lead, rally, and raise the spirits of his fellow gang members thanks to his charm and empathy. This makes both him and his gang into a powerful united force.
3. How Strong Is Sano Manjiro?
Mikey is one of the strongest characters in Tōkyō Revengers if not the strongest. One of his greatest sources of power is his martial arts training; from a young age, he was taught how to fight by his grandfather. This intense training combined with his keen instincts and raw power make him a real force to be reckoned with. This battle prowess has earned him the title "Invincible Mikey."The most devastating moves in his arsenal are his powerful kicks.
An unsuspecting opponent will be swiftly dropped to the ground by Mikey landing a clean kick to their head. Not only that, but he was able to deliver these kinds of kicks even with somebody grabbing onto his leg; he'll lift the person up with his leg and still kick with enough force to knock out his initial target. Whoever challenges Mikey will have to make sure they can deal with these kicks.
4. Is Sano Manjiro Good or Bad?
Mikey walks a fine line between good and evil. Despite being the head of a violent biker gang, he has a steady moral compass. He highly values his friends and family and will always try to do what he believes is best for them, which can either work for or against him. There are several points throughout Mikey's history where important people in his life have met tragic ends and that in turn sends him to a dark place. In this regard, he's a good person, but he's also highly corruptible.
Many of Takemichi's objectives when traveling to the past involve preventing Mikey's tragic descent. If somebody died, for example, that's one less person in Mikey's life to keep him from going over the deep end. Without his friends to nurture his kindness, Mikey turned into one of the most notorious gang leaders with the worst gang in modern Japan.
