───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KARAKURA NEWS | What happened to Karakura's Yakuza?
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Voiced & Written by:
Kyohei Miura
─────────────────────────────────────
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
KARAKURA NEWS | What happened to Karakura's Yakuza?
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Voiced & Written by:
Kyohei Miura─────────────────────────────────────
[!] Woah. The entire report was a video recording. Well... unless you were reading a paper copy... Then you're just stuck with text. Oh well. After clicking play, you’re introduced to a slightly older-looking male… A weird hybrid between mature and brute-ish, yet with a fair-toned face. He sits still in his office chair, directly adjacent a cigarette, though, he’s not touching it. Suddenly, he begins. [!]
Bushidō Loyalists: The Yakuza
"For as long as Japan has existed, so have the Yakuza; A groupa' Bushidō Loyalists, thrivin' off a fierce, unwavering determination to protect their honor, livin' to serve their Oyabun’s every order. Course', Karakura is no exception when it comes to Yakuza presence. Although the overall numbers of Yakuza families within Karakura have dwindled, the overwhelmin' power and influence they once held over our small Island is damn-near undeniable. Hell, we even had an openly affiliated mayor, who’s reasons behind campaigning were rooted deep with black-mail and bribery, as I’m sure you’re all aware."
[!] Kyohei pauses, slicking his hair back from his eyes and forehead. A cloth eye-patch can be seen on his left eye, creepy. [!]
"Despite the recent shift in both presence and power across ALL of Japan, the impact the Yakuza had, and potentially continues to have, on Karakura’s history is immense; both bad and good. But to understand this more in-depth, we gotta' figure out..:"
What the hell happened to Karakura’s Yakuza?
"Karakura’s most notable Yakuza family can easily be traced back to The Akihito Clan (Not to be confused with The Akihito Family), a groupa' robin-hood like figures within Karakura’s criminal under-world, who practiced more as a business, than a criminal organization. Although no longer really present in Karakura itself, The Akihito Clan has become a notorious name through-out main-land Japan, with numbers supposedly in the thousands. Considerin' this, I sat with Skylar Tsu, former associate and high-ranking member of The Akihito Clan’s Karakura Branch, to find out the motives behind many of the members' levels of loyalty, what set The Akihito Clan apart from other Yakuza's, and just what exactly happened to Karakura’s most feared and respected Yakuza family."
[!] Kyohei rolls off screen, leaving his cigarette blazing away in his ash-tray... The video ends, and cuts to: [!]
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Interview #1: Skylar Tsu; Club-owner, Ex-Yakuza
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[!] A red-haired, stoic-looking woman is the focus of the recording. The camera doesn't really move much through-out the recording, but it's easy to tell that Kyohei is sat behind it. [!]
M. Kyohei: “Right” - “Now that the formalities are outta’ the way…”
[!] Kyohei leans forward in his chair; Subtle creaks and pangs ring through-out the room, followed by the squeak of fabric-cloth on leather. In any other scenario, the noise would be shrugged off as simple ambience. But not here. Here, it carried a weight of anticipation, as if something greatly important was about to be said. [!]
M. Kyohei: “I’m sure I don’t need to,” - “But I think it’s important I say this.” He pauses, considering his words carefully. “I’m not asking, nor do I want you to spill any family secrets here; I think it’s in both our best interests that we keep this as discreet as possible.”
M. Kyohei: “If you don’t wanna’ answer a question, then simply don’t. - I’ll get the memo.”
[!] Skylar sits as stoically as ever, stiffened in her chair, seemingly slightly offended that Kyohei would even have to say this. She leans an arm onto the side of her chair. [!]
S. Tsu: “I know how this all works.” Her fingers itch at the side of her head, indicating boredom. “You can ask away now.”
M. Kyohei: “So… I’ll start by askin’ your name.” Kyohei seemed nervous. Weird for someone like him. He clears his throat, pushing nerves, and other feelings, to the side. “Then we’ll move onto the more taxin’ questions.”
S. Tsu: “Skylar Tsu”
[!] Kyohei nods… Slightly on edge from the lack of personality from Skylar. [!]
M. Kyohei: “And what exactly was your correlation to The Akihito Clan.”
[!] Skylar drops her chin, trying to find the words she’s searching for. [!]
S. Tsu: “I worked directly for the Karakura branch up until my late twenties, where I was moved to a branch in China, for about two years.”
M. Kyohei: “But you’d say you were a pretty prominent member durin’ your time in Karakura’s Branch?”
S. Tsu: “Yes. - I was a well-known member here.”
[!] Kyohei gives a small nod. He was TRYING to let Skylar do most the talking… But clearly, that wasn’t going too well… [!]
M. Kyohei: “Movin’ on from that…” Kyohei scratches at his neck, leaning forward. “Obviously, loyalty to the family patriarch is one of the most fundamental aspects of a Yakuza clan.” He clasps his hands together, placing them idly on the table in front of him. Kyohei spoke fluently on the matter. It was clear he’d done his research. “I’m sure you witnessed that first-hand.” - “What do you think motivates these individuals to go so far for their families?” He pauses, though he's not finished. “Whether that be takin’ the fall for a crime they didn’t commit, followin’ every order to a T, or in some cases; even dyin’ for their Oyabun’s?”
[!] Skylar tenses, her voice going stark and strong, in contrast to the previous evident boredom. [!]
S. Tsu: “We were devoted to the cause, regardless. Our Oyabun wasn’t just some boss who dished out orders. They were a man of great power, and were well-deserving of the respect they garnered.” - “We swore oaths. Oaths of our loyalty, for these precise reasons.” - “Then again, some of us just had nowhere else to turn to, and The clan provided us with what we needed to survive, sometimes even more.”
[!] Kyohei continues to listen to Skylar silently, unmoving. No gestures, no words. He clearly wants nothing but authenticity from her answers. Seeing that she is finished, he finally speaks: [!]
M. Kyohei: “Now; There’s no shortage of misconceptions about The Yakuza. Harsh words, comparing them to glorified foreign mafiosas, just with a further level of extremity.” He speaks swiftly, shifting his hands to his lap. “All criminal organizations seem to focus abundantly on loyalty; The Chinese Triads of Hong Kong… The Korean Mafia… Even New York’s Italian Mob..” Kyohei clears his throat. “What I’m asking is.., What is it, you think, that separates the Akihito Clan; No, the Japanese Yakuza as a whole, from these other cut-throat organizations?”
[!] Skylar scoffs. She’s clearly amused by the comparison. [!]
S. Tsu: “There’s no comparison to be done there. The Yakuza are nothing alike Mafia’s, or ‘pop-up gangs’. We worked businesses. GOOD Businesses.” - “We provided protection for those who had none. Funded charities.” She pauses, before continuing with a profound amount of passion. “It was honest work. We never cursed out blades with blood of the innocent, and IF we did? It was with the blood of those who had tried to damage us.”
M. Kyohei: “And how would you say your life has been now that Akihito no longer serves within Karakura?” - “I can imagine that’d be one tough pill to swallow.”
[!] Kyohei cups his hands over the mic. Muttering something to Skylar, followed by a small laugh. He returns his hands to the table, continuing. [!]
S. Tsu: “Well, sure. It was difficult in the beginning. No orders… No authority… It’s far from easy; Being thrown out of a strict deal like Akihito. No more needing to wear suits 24/7. No more constant bowing, either. I still catch myself doing old habits from time to time.” She sighs; Nostalgia clearly hitting home. “Once you kick-start your own set of rules for living, it all gets easier. New work comes in, and it’s right back to business.”
[!] Kyohei clears his throat, resuming his tough, formal voice. [!]
M. Kyohei: “Well, ya’ seem to be doin’ well for yourself.” Kyohei smiles, leaning back in. “But I’m gettin’ side-tracked.” - “One more question for you, n’ I’ll let you go.”
[!] Skylar gives a nod, while Kyohei shifts in his chair, his posture changing. He places a hand the camera, causing it to shake. The interview is clearly coming to an end. [!]
M. Kyohei: “Without revealing too much, what exactly happened to Akihito’s Karakura Branch, in your own words?” His eyes Narrow on Skylar. “There’s plentya’ rumors.” He shrugs. “But I figure better to hear from a direct source, rather than go off some other random BS.”
[!] Skylar’s jaw tightened. She knew this question was coming sooner or later. [!]
S. Tsu: “Well.” She sighs. “It was passed down to a new lead. The captain, or Senior Administrator, took over. By now, I was working in-land, over in China. News reached of the disbandment…” - “Turns out the captain hadn’t grieved the former Oyabun’s death well. Went Tyrant on the entire clan; Causing its decline.”
[!] Kyohei sucks in air through his teeth, as Skylar shuts her eyes. [!]
M. Kyohei: “Yeash… Sounds rough. I’m sorry to hear that.” He goes to turn the tape-recorder off, pausing at the last second. “You wanna’ promote anythin’ while you got the chance? Or maybe just add a few words on the topic ya’ didn’t get to say in your answers.” He waits patiently.
S. Tsu: “I own a club now, Club Umbra to be exact.” - “I did my best to stay strict to the classy business style, in honor of the clan.”
[!] Kyohei gives a nod, before… [!]
Click.
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[!] The video abruptly cuts once more. It's clearly been quite some time since the other videos were recorded. Kyohei looks... drained, and he's sat in an entirely new office..? [!]
Conclusion?
"Well... That was somethin'. But hey, there it is; Mystery solved! You heard it here first... After a long ass time, we finally now know that Karakura's Akihito Clan didn't close down due to some wild gang drama, nor did it go bankrupt. Seems the closure was nothin' short of the result of a man who lost someone he held dear to him. But, hey. Not like it's really our business in the first place. However, if ya' needed that closure, then there ya' go."
"Either way, ya' can't deny that the controversial influence The Akihito Clan held over Karakura was wild - A real legend of both triumph n' tragedy. It's a shame all that's left to show for it is an empty office... A place that once bustled with business, now nothin' more than a hole in a wall. With all that bein' said, though, it's important for us to note that The Akihito Clan Yakuza family is not entirely gone. Hell; I hear things are really rampin' up for Shinjuku's Akihito Clan, however... That's another story for another day, I suppose."
[!] He clasps his hands together, leaning forward in his chair. Kyohei idly taps his fingers against his desk. [!]
"For now, there aint' much in termsa' Karakura Yakuza. Will a group step up n' try to fill the massive shoes The Akihito Clan left empty? Who's to say... Only time will tell. Well, for now that's been me... Kyohei Miura. Sorry for the uh... Belated intro. See you folks whenever."
[!] The recording cuts to black. [!]
