КОМЕНТАРІ •

  • @IntotheShadows
    @IntotheShadows Рік тому +18

    Get Surfshark VPN at Surfshark.deals/its - Enter promo code ITS for 83% off and 3 extra months for free!

    • @robot336
      @robot336 Рік тому +2

      When you said , I REALY DO MEAN FULL BODY , I GOT THE PUCKER EFFECT MATE 😳😳

    • @theOneOnlyTed
      @theOneOnlyTed Рік тому

      What do you tattoo on a butthole? Does it have to be fully stretched?

    • @blocky2340
      @blocky2340 Рік тому

      You look like ronnie mcnutt but bald

  • @jonathanwatson268
    @jonathanwatson268 Рік тому +197

    I could fall more on the side of necessary evil if it weren't for the human trafficking. That is a bridge too far.

    • @williambigbills-9665
      @williambigbills-9665 Рік тому

      But not every family is okay with it and some say it’s a death sentence. I don’t mean to glorify these guys, but if they didn’t do it someone else would and at least this way you can have more of a warning, watch out for tattoos in Japan. I’d say these guys are the opposite of an anti-hero and honestly I don’t think they would have gotten into human trafficking had it not been for them trying to make up for lost funds from laws. I mean at the current moment you can’t own a home or an apartment in Japan if you’re even remotely involved with the Yakuza, a lot of places won’t even sell you food because laws are so strict on them. It’s one of those things where they are going to struggle through life on a social aspect so they might as well make as much money as they can doing it.

    • @CorinnaAtHome
      @CorinnaAtHome Рік тому +10

      I agree

    • @comettamer
      @comettamer Рік тому +6

      Agreed

  • @Tmaget
    @Tmaget Рік тому +221

    This is a story my dad told me about a friend of his from the Navy. After he left in the 70s his friend stayed in and eventually went to a bar in Japan. There he ends up fighting a young yakuza chasing him off. Later that night three much more senior looking yakuza find him and have the kid apologize to him clearly being beaten again by the more senior men. Take this story as you will.

    • @marktg98
      @marktg98 Рік тому +28

      Pretty sure every other mafia organization in the world would've killed him immediately.

    • @GrievousReborn
      @GrievousReborn Рік тому +6

      ​@@marktg98killed who the former US servicemen or the young Yakuza I'm guessing you're talking about the former US service man

    • @spacerat111
      @spacerat111 Рік тому +52

      I'm sure the fact that drunk Sailors spend tons of money in Yakuza establishments also matters. had the service member been beaten too bad the Navy may have declared all nearby areas off limits to prevent further violence. That could have cost them a ton of money.
      "DAMMIT STOP TRYING TO BEAT UP THE PEOPLE WE EXTRACT MONEY FROM! NOW APOLOGIZE!"

    • @BOYVIRGO666
      @BOYVIRGO666 Рік тому +21

      @@marktg98 Very likely not. Not knowing the exact context but tha yakuza and most other organized criminal groups(with i think the main exception of the mexican cartels for entirely different reasons) would probably have punished the younger gangster. Openly causing problems in a business that makes money is one problem but even worse is going after a foreign national especially a government employee. That is just asking for all the wrong kinds of attention.

    • @marktg98
      @marktg98 Рік тому +8

      @@BOYVIRGO666 That's what I meant. Most other organized crime groups would've killed the young gangster.

  • @route2070
    @route2070 Рік тому +211

    It isn't new for a criminal organization to commit to charity or have ethical rules, as noted by the groups under AL Capome or Bugs Marone. They both opened food banks and ran bread lines during the Depression. The issue becomes when they commit a crime so heinous, no one can ignore it.

    • @theawesomeman9821
      @theawesomeman9821 Рік тому +7

      La Cosanostra, the most advanced Italian movia of the 20th century was also against selling drugs on the streets, according to The History Channel.

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek Рік тому

      +pablo escobar
      +barbecue (current haitian chief gangster)
      +gangs/cartels all over latin america enforcing covid rules and handing out their own food aid in slums

    • @goosenotmaverick1156
      @goosenotmaverick1156 Рік тому +16

      ​@@theawesomeman9821history channel has the credibility of a jellyfish

    • @vladimirmihnev9702
      @vladimirmihnev9702 Рік тому +12

      ​@@goosenotmaverick1156what have the pore jellyfish done to you?

    • @goosenotmaverick1156
      @goosenotmaverick1156 Рік тому +4

      @@vladimirmihnev9702 nothing, but it has no brain, so it can't tell me much 🤣

  • @Baldevi
    @Baldevi Рік тому +106

    I remember watching the news about the Kobe Earthquake, about how the citizens were furious because the government had not sent help of any kind, not first responders, not military to help rescue efforts and guard against looting, and no food or supplies. These people were planning to sue, of course.
    Then these people were explaining how grateful the were that the Yakuza had sent their aid, supplies, men, equipment... and they set out as quickly as possible after the news broke. There was a Yakuza who was asked about this, his face was hidden and voice distorted, and he exclaimed in disgust about how when such disasters came, the government would move very slowly to render aid and support. "They expect us to do their jobs! We do not mind helping, but we're the only ones out here, it's been days; where is the government?"
    So yes, this is a complex and fascinating group of criminals, with such strange ethics, as Western Minds view them, but they are also humans [sometimes] and if the country's government and military can leave a devastated city to gangsters, expecting the Yakuza to do their dirty and expensive work, well... Who is the hero and who is the villain?

    • @daniels.2720
      @daniels.2720 Рік тому +1

      Didn't see that in New Orleans & Hurricane Katrina > why ??

    • @parable2788
      @parable2788 Рік тому +4

      @@daniels.2720hahahah welcome to America.

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek Рік тому +9

      that actually sounds like it could have been produced deliberately by yakuza-corrupted government officials delaying the response in the knowledge that the yakuza will help and want the opportunity. because regardless of that interview, I guarantee they are happy whenever the state fails and lets the yakuza perform state functions and gain public support through that. and the corrupt officials would want this to happen because yakuza popularity means less effort to combat the yakuza and their government corruption.

    • @PetrSojnek
      @PetrSojnek Рік тому +4

      @@Ass_of_Amalek It's just the other side of the same cultural Japanese coin. To make sure nobody oversteps boundaries and everyone is in their right place, government "needs" to do all sort of "unnecessary" stuff. Which makes them react very very slowly. Combine that with typical refusal of outside help and... well they are quite lucky Yakuza exists to fill the void.

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek Рік тому

      @@PetrSojnek bulls**t

  • @williambigbills-9665
    @williambigbills-9665 Рік тому +38

    I highly recommend reading “confessions of a Yakuza” for anyone wanting to get a glimpse at the life of a Yakuza member. The book isn’t the most interesting but extremely enjoyable and easy to read. It shows how someone is usually brought into the life and how that life works. My favorite part of the book is the main character (who was a real higher ranking Yakuza boss and this book came from his mouth as he lay on his death bed) explaining that one of the members had gotten drunk in a small village and had offended some women along with urinating on a sign. The family boss showed up apologizes to the women and offered to pay them to make up for it and then got on his own hands and knees and cleaned the sign the man had peed on. It’s an incredible read.

    • @MJWPub
      @MJWPub 11 місяців тому +3

      Good call! It is a great read!

  • @starrywizdom
    @starrywizdom Рік тому +26

    The Yakuza have figured out what other criminal organizations have figured out before them -- not only not to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs, but to nurse it back to health if it's sick, thus continuing to reap that sweet, sweet gold. But even if a group or individual is doing what good they do for selfish reasons, it's still better than if they're NOT doing good at all...

  • @PhillipLarsen
    @PhillipLarsen Рік тому +32

    The Yakuza makes me think of how Al Capone did his works. Similar in morals with supporting those in need, but doing the dirty work to make ends meet for a business standpoint. Very fascinating.

  • @mehmedduska924
    @mehmedduska924 Рік тому +27

    My hairdresser grew up in Kobe and remembers the Kobe earthquake in 1995. She told me that the first responders that she remembered were Yakuza.
    At the same time, the Yazuka buys unwanted baby girls from China and raises them to be prostitutes, so I'm torn about them.
    On the one hand, they can do incredible good, but on the other hand, they can do incredible evil.

    • @SoundShinobiYuki
      @SoundShinobiYuki Рік тому +5

      Likewise, my Dad in his youth ran with a certain famous motorcycle club. He dropped the vast majority of the life when he got married and had kids. But after divorcing my Mom he moved into a poor neighborhood with plenty of addiction, burglaries and etc.
      The actual police NEVER did a damn thing to help when his apartment got burgled or he saw people dealing drugs in front of the building. But if he called an “old friend”, our stuff was returned or paid for, or the pushers gone for good the next day. He shared in confidence with me when I was an adult that when a woman he was dating got assaulted by a neighbour a short while before I came to visit, he “took care of him” (and That I didn’t know anything if the police did bother to come by. I’ll just say, they never found the assailant.) He even told me where to run into if the neighborhood bullies were chasing me again and said nobody would dare touch me if they saw me go in (it was the local hangout. I never did end up running in there because it wasn’t near where I usually walked or played). Hell, one time in college a weirdo neighbor was harassing me and my housemates and when I told my Dad, he showed up a few days later from a *three hour drive away*, with his old patches on and bike roaring, in front of the guy’s house to tell him to stay the F away from us. He never laid a hand on him but the guy never went *near* our house again. (Thank GOD our landlady wasn’t there to see it! My own roommates were absolutely terrified.)
      And yet, Dad also remembered the horrible violence from the Quebec Biker War in the 70’s, and the biker gangs are well known to be involved in trafficking of all kinds (from morally grey to outright evil). They got rid of the drug pushers and petty burglars on their turf because they were cutting into THEIR business- and yet it still made the streets safer for the rest of us. 🫤

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek Рік тому +3

      it's just PR because public support is good for business, why the F are you torn?!

    • @mehmedduska924
      @mehmedduska924 Рік тому +1

      @@Ass_of_Amalek because based on what my hairdresser told me, the Yakuza first responders genuinely cared about the people.

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek Рік тому

      @@mehmedduska924 -hairdresser says he has met good yakuza
      -but also yakuza traffic orphans to enslave them as child prostitutes
      HMMMMMMMMM WHAT A DIFFICULT CONONDRUM HMMMMMMMMM 🤔🤔🤔🤔
      holy shit dude you have terrible judgement. there were good nazis too. there are good people in every group.

    • @ruby5787
      @ruby5787 Рік тому +3

      @@mehmedduska924 Just not the little girls begging for mercy while they're being raped, right? When you don't see women and girls as people, then it's very easy to "care about the people"

  • @ARIXANDRE
    @ARIXANDRE Рік тому +223

    Can't really answer but Kazuma Kyriu has taught me more about nobility, honesty, chivalry than my parents.

    • @alexchu3599
      @alexchu3599 Рік тому +38

      Majima Goro taught me how to turn into a beyblade and cast shadow clone on my enemies only to get pummeled by a Taiga.

    • @giantred
      @giantred Рік тому +19

      He ALSO taught me to think outside the box and never be afraid to grab a bicycle to beat somebody down with. The only problem is I live in the states so everyone locks up their bikes *grumbles*

    • @badfoody
      @badfoody Рік тому +7

      but bruh, Kiryu left the Yakuza. He only "returned" to beat them up

    • @oliver6287
      @oliver6287 Рік тому +3

      American dad is the best anime

    • @damiancrowley569
      @damiancrowley569 Рік тому +3

      Kazuma Kiryu teaches the most important lessons

  • @wesleymorris6862
    @wesleymorris6862 Рік тому +156

    "A necessary evil to keep darker powers at bay" is another way to describe most levels of government as well...

    • @j-ski308
      @j-ski308 Рік тому

      Idea if an American comparing western ways to Asian ways is laughable.

    • @BonShula
      @BonShula Рік тому

      Omg the government is so corrupt. I imagine like you that Bush did 9/11

    • @pedrofelipefreitas2666
      @pedrofelipefreitas2666 Рік тому

      The state is just a legitimized mafia, you can argue we need the state, but at the end of the day they declare themselves the authority over a physical region and charge you for a service you can't choose not to pay with the cost of not paying being prison or death.

    • @professor_kraken
      @professor_kraken Рік тому +12

      The only difference between government and gangster rule is that we tolerate the established governments as legitimate.

    • @zachsalg3106
      @zachsalg3106 Рік тому +4

      ​@professor_kraken I would definitely say a lot of communities world wide tolerate their local gangs more than their government

  • @melissamaddron6171
    @melissamaddron6171 Рік тому +17

    Al Capone opened a soup kitchen during the Great Depression from what I understand. Criminal organizations can definitely separate "business" from community efforts.

    • @daniels.2720
      @daniels.2720 Рік тому +4

      Yakuza did the same with the tsunami that hit

  • @UmatsuObossa
    @UmatsuObossa Рік тому +120

    I think the reason that a mafia organization like the yakuza can be "ethical" while criminal comes down to Japan's strict moral codes combined with the way that their society severely ostracizes anyone seen as 'abnormal' in even the simplest of ways. It leads to a bunch of people that WE would see as still good or decent people having no place in normal society to fit in. They were still brought up on Japan's ethics, but their eccentrisms leave them as outcasts. And these outcasts are drawn to come together in some way...such as the yakuza.

    • @WhitneyDahlin
      @WhitneyDahlin Рік тому +25

      I completely agree with you. The thing is in real life there is basically no such thing as someone who is pure good or pure evil. Evil people can do wonderful good things, and good people can do terrible hurtful things. No one is all good or all bad. We are all a mix of both. Who we are on our worst most selfish days is the exact same person as on our best most empathetic days. Life isn't like a movie where it's easy to tell who is a bad guy and who is the good guy.

    • @parable2788
      @parable2788 Рік тому +6

      @@WhitneyDahlinwell said

    • @peternystrom921
      @peternystrom921 Рік тому +3

      Then its the murder, rape, Drugs, human trafficing.

    • @WhitneyDahlin
      @WhitneyDahlin Рік тому +4

      @@peternystrom921 but not all of them participate in all of those! You can't just stereotype all of them into the same box. I'm sure there are some who are generous and charitable and just sell some dr***s on the side and don't hurt any innocent people. It's not like gangs here in the US who have no honor and go out of their way to hurt innocent people all the time.

    • @MrTVx99
      @MrTVx99 Рік тому +2

      @@WhitneyDahlin Do good deeds once in a while and the government can't shut you down without huge backlash from the public. An evil entity being in good relationships with the general public is really not something unique to this organization. They are a criminal organisation who make their own rules. They wouldn't be so rich and influential if they didn't.

  • @rosaria8384
    @rosaria8384 Рік тому +21

    Yakuza always tend to call themselves a honorable organization. They always run those legitimate companies where artists, real estate, and gaming industries benefited from the Yakuza's efforts, but it's always just a facade for those who fight organized crime, as they treat Yakuza as boryokudan: organized gangs.
    Yakuza also partake in criminal activity in a feudal system with a strict code, hence their yubitsume (finger cutting) and the structural formula they did with a godfather.
    So yeah, Yakuza always was two faced just to suit to two different narratives.

    • @imalittletoxicjustalittle
      @imalittletoxicjustalittle Рік тому

      how does that make sense when you had no way to tell who they were and tried NOT to be identified? how are they "two faced"? i get not liking them but i dont get your reasoning for me the sex stuff is fucked but lets be honest other criminal organisations are way worse

    • @PrinceZakariyya
      @PrinceZakariyya Рік тому

      They also produce CP

    • @rosaria8384
      @rosaria8384 11 місяців тому

      @@imalittletoxicjustalittle Matter of perspective. For lowlifes, yakuza are like their idols, for government people, they are criminals, for artists, they were lifesavers of careers, and many other perspectives.

  • @komm6668
    @komm6668 Рік тому +9

    Currently on Yakuza 5.

  • @ghidorahs1fan209
    @ghidorahs1fan209 Рік тому +26

    I was a escort in Australia and the best of any of the mobs I worked with was the yakusa. They were always very kind and respectful the worse was the triad.

    • @imbored1979
      @imbored1979 7 місяців тому

      If you don't mind me asking, how disrespectful were the Triads?

  • @deleted_215
    @deleted_215 Рік тому +41

    Yeah the Yakuza call themselves “honourable” and have an honour code well so did the Imperial Japanese Army and see how honourable and well-behaved those guys were

    • @MrNajibrazak
      @MrNajibrazak Рік тому +3

      as a Malaysian that worked in the USA and Japan i must say, they still have more honor than your average joes though not gonna lie.

    • @imalittletoxicjustalittle
      @imalittletoxicjustalittle Рік тому

      the yakuza are honrable and do live by that code though, i can tell you know very little about crime do you know what jamican yardys do to people who owe them money and stuff? they all rape them then through them off a roof (yes men to). there is wayyyy worse than the yakuza.

    • @vane909090
      @vane909090 Рік тому

      They killed, pillaged, r4ped, and did human experiments honorably.

    • @MJWPub
      @MJWPub 11 місяців тому

      the Army/Navy/Manchukuo Police/Kempeitai all each separately hired the yakuza to get help in exploiting the Chinese during the occupation! That's a lot of gambling & opium dens and whole lotta protection money to pay! The Army etc etc were all expeceted to make a profit for themselves while in China!

  • @blackest24
    @blackest24 Рік тому +10

    Tokyo Vice is a severely underrated show that touches on the Yakuza

    • @williambigbills-9665
      @williambigbills-9665 Рік тому +3

      They spin it too much for entertainment and less about facts. They make things that are very minor in the life seem like much larger than they really are. I get why, but also makes it seem like they are trying to glorify it more than what it really is. But I’d say for someone who is just dipping their toes in and doesn’t want to spend days and months reading it’s a good place to get started and get a taste

  • @DadCanInJapan
    @DadCanInJapan Рік тому +5

    When I first moved to Japan (1980s), I was posted in a traditionally burakumin village, and it wasn't uncommon to see yakuza around. The local school was a mess, all the windows broken. I pitied the students who had to sit near the windows in winter; I was able to stand at the front of the class where the huge heater was. I knew which students' fathers were in the yakuza and all I had to do to keep the students in line was to say that I would tell their parents (who were always respectful to me, and I to them). Eventually, they all got together and built a brand new school, that looked absolutely amazing, but I had already moved on by that time.

  • @willdornan9929
    @willdornan9929 Рік тому +3

    I’m really glad Simon is making full length videos on this channel again. It’s easily my favourite channel on UA-cam.

  • @ignitionfrn2223
    @ignitionfrn2223 Рік тому +9

    5:50 - Chapter 1 - Origins
    8:15 - Chapter 2 - Modernisation
    10:10 - Chapter 3 - Post WWII
    13:15 - Chapter 4 - Humanitarians & Unofficial law enforcement
    16:40 - Chapter 5 - Ethical gangsters or mob rule
    - Chapter 6 -

    • @grapefruitinstrument1394
      @grapefruitinstrument1394 Рік тому +2

      You seem to have made a typo in chapter 5. It clearly says Gangasters on screen 😛

  • @1003JustinLaw
    @1003JustinLaw 11 місяців тому +2

    Neither angels nor demons, they are like the youkai of their country's folklore. Sometimes malicious, sometimes benevolent, sometimes mischievous and other times helpful, but always mysterious and unknowable, hidden away in their own world and acting by their own rules.

  • @jamesrochon2195
    @jamesrochon2195 Рік тому +26

    THEY ARE NOT HONORABLE!ANYONE WHO ENGAGES IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN! 😡

  • @nutmegz9534
    @nutmegz9534 5 місяців тому +1

    When I lived in Japan, there was a lot of "shady" activity in my town-- mostly foreign nationals and suspicious older Japanese men. The Yakuza would always hang out the train stations and throughout the neighborhood to watch that students got home safely.
    It was very, very weird.

  • @ImpalerVladTepes
    @ImpalerVladTepes Рік тому +4

    I think the Yakuza is far from the only criminal org involved in philanthropy: Pablo Escobar was known for building nice condos for the regular people in his city. Their motivation isn't really altruistic as the more they can get the public on their side, the easier for them to carry out crimes without getting the cops called on them or the locals cooperating with the cops.
    Also, for the record, the Yaks' "ethical conduct" is as much a myth as the Italian mob's ideal of Omerta: it's complete BS.

    • @Th3Professor
      @Th3Professor Рік тому +1

      It's not such an outlandish thing.
      The Kray twins were loved in their neighbourhood.
      These smart criminals know very well how to put the horse that is the public in front of their carts.
      Would you, as a police officer, go down a street that you know is antagonistic towards police and sympathetic towards the high ranking criminal who lives there?

  • @Dragosteaa
    @Dragosteaa Рік тому +5

    Yakuza Guide to Babysitting is easily one of the most calm, wholesome & poignant anime on Earth. I sincerely can’t recommend enough :)

  • @naokoshiuzuke1693
    @naokoshiuzuke1693 Рік тому +2

    Weird input: Harukichi Yamaguchi in that photo looks like a Japanese Jonny Depp to me

  • @ajkleipass
    @ajkleipass Рік тому +15

    I cannot argue in favor of crime, organized or otherwise, but I would be surprised if the Yakuza were the only ones doing things for their community. Others might be more subtle or more integrated into legitimate businesses that their actions go completely unnoticed.

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek Рік тому +6

      during the covid lockdowns, a bunch of latin american cartels and gangs were the ones both enforcing contact restrictions and supplying essential goods to people living in the slums they operate out of. lots of criminal organisations like to cultivate a robin hood image because broad public support can provide a lot of security to them. pablo escobar was very famous for really substantially helping the poor of medellin, and he tried to grow a political career out of it (failed only due to state intervention). haiti is currently run more by gangs than by the government, and those too are trying to create opportunities to gain actual governing power by doing parts of the government's job. one big gang leader who likes to put on such a show for foreign TV crews goes by the name "barbecue".

    • @fett713akamandodragon5
      @fett713akamandodragon5 Рік тому

      @@Ass_of_Amalek Yeah the cartel and other assorted responses during the rough beginning of the pandemic was surprising and refreshing in a way

    • @williambigbills-9665
      @williambigbills-9665 Рік тому

      @@Ass_of_Amalekthe Mob in America was known for giving out money and helping poor families in their neighborhoods as well. I think during one of the hurricanes the Bloods and Crips did a bandana tying (a truce) to help their communities.

  • @tinkerstrade3553
    @tinkerstrade3553 Рік тому +3

    Considering taxes, we all pay protection. If they're happy, we should be too.

  • @deadcat6085
    @deadcat6085 Рік тому +17

    thank you for watching. this video was sponsored by Yakuza

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek Рік тому

      the script may as well be, it's terrible

    • @NFSBeast2365
      @NFSBeast2365 11 місяців тому

      @@Ass_of_Amalekhow?

    • @Ass_of_Amalek
      @Ass_of_Amalek 11 місяців тому +1

      @@NFSBeast2365 it exaggerates the positives of the yakuza, losing perspective, and the repeated claim that the yakuza's public good deeds are unique to them or rare among criminal organisations is just completely wrong, it's actually super common, almost universal. the script also paints government backing of the yakuza as if it was based on the yakuza just earning so much respect, when in reality it's obviously because many individual politicians are bought off, same as with all other major criminal organisations everywhere.

  • @bretfisher7286
    @bretfisher7286 Рік тому +12

    No amount of do-goodery can ever excuse the abuses of criminal organizations. This is the stereotype of public relations-- one of the world's most filthy occupations, and the most corrupt activity of all, since it's all about knowingly protecting the victimizer, and knowingly, yet secretly, victimizing the innocent.

    • @inquisitorbiden8522
      @inquisitorbiden8522 Рік тому

      I agree with you, one issue that arises with removing organized crime is that there ends up being complete chaos, for example when the head of mexican cartel was arrested, the fractured factions waged a very bloody war without any restraint, there will always be these organisations that will pop up I would consider its a part of human nature, how would you suggest criminal organisation should be dealt with ?

    • @bretfisher7286
      @bretfisher7286 Рік тому

      @inquisitorbiden8522 Honestly, I have no idea. I can speculate.
      Only generally healthy social conditions will generally discourage corruption and the entry of individuals into criminal undergrounds. The more people perceive that they can't succeed by way of legitimate and legal pursuits, the more often they'll choose to turn to criminality.
      I mean that alienation occurs in absolutely every human society, and most often in modern industrialized societies-- and alienation is behind criminality.
      So little can be done in the way of dicincentives to criminality if the overall perception is one of discouragement about opportunities in legitimate work.
      I haven't even addressed the romanticization of criminality; this is also a strong contributor, as we can clearly see in the United States. Much of our criminality has no real objective basis. It comes from simple emptiness, from aimlessness and the existential vacuum.
      To summarize, the overall health of a society is a huge factor in the making of criminal enterprises, and yet it's incredibly complicated and multidimensional. It's truly a collective outcome by everyone in the society: government, economy, and the common person.

  • @AngeliqueStP
    @AngeliqueStP Рік тому +2

    Rather reminiscent of when mob boss Al Capone ran soup kitchens for the destitute and downtrodden.

  • @vina3451
    @vina3451 Рік тому +2

    Junko Furuta and Fan Man-Lee.

  • @comettamer
    @comettamer Рік тому +2

    With this video having dropped, I do believe it would be rather interesting to see a similar one later on the Chinese Triads.

  • @ryanacorn5367
    @ryanacorn5367 Рік тому +10

    If you accept the reality that society with humans in it (who are inherently flawed) will inevitably have some level of crime present. And if we also accept that societally organization is preferable to disorganization, then the concept of well organized crime is the best or least objectable version of a thing that can not be avoided

    • @Utardiaresident
      @Utardiaresident Рік тому

      You absolutely nailed it! Society must always find a way to cater to its darker elements. Pretending this can be eradicated is a fools dream. At least with some level of organization they can represent a limited level of honorable behavior. Organization by its very definition is a better level than chaos. There will be human trafficking and other horrible crimes because there is a market for it. At least with some detectable level of honor I would assume it is better than the alternative. This idea requires the acceptance that there will always be a darker element to any society, and the only way to truly make tings better for people that live under this particular yoke could really benefit from a law based system under which they could operate more legitimately.

    • @KindredKin
      @KindredKin Рік тому +1

      Some level of crime yes, but vast majority can be eliminated with a strong social safety net that avoids people from getting desperate. By providing basic necessities, such as housing and food, and simulltaneously a path to self sustainability. Personally I think organized crime is usually a symptom of weak safety nets.

  • @kasenibaraki3770
    @kasenibaraki3770 Рік тому +3

    Literally just finished playing Yakuza Kiwami, so the timing on this couldn’t have been more perfect

    • @mukkah
      @mukkah 6 місяців тому

      Bruh go play song of life, take small break then crank out The Man Who Erased His Name.
      Song of Life has a nice 1-5 game recap to go through pre game, a LONG arse buncha chapters story (hence, take a small break after lol)
      And TMWEHN is short, perfect size and DAMN... right in the feels, man u.u,

  • @takaotsu3592
    @takaotsu3592 Рік тому +3

    As a Japanese I have to say Yakuzas are a thing of the past. Most members are old folks and membership has fallen drastically. It’s not noble like how the films and games portray.

  • @frenchsong87
    @frenchsong87 Рік тому +1

    I was so confused, the guy in the thumbnail looked like Johnny Depp and I was like what is this video about?!? 😂

  • @rocketamadeus3730
    @rocketamadeus3730 Рік тому +3

    Even Yakuza understand soft power.

    • @SoundShinobiYuki
      @SoundShinobiYuki Рік тому

      There’s also an old saying, “Reputation spills less blood”. Just having people THINK you’re capable of something terrifying- but never even doing it- can get impressive results. (My own Dad ran with a certain club when he was younger. My Dad has beaten someone up maybe twice in his life and one of those times it was to protect me. He wasn’t a big guy and definitely didn’t look scary day to day. But if some shit in our neighborhood was being a nuisance he could put his old leathers and a bandanna on go over to them and give a good glare, raise his voice just right, and people would run away in terror.

  • @mikefunnell5179
    @mikefunnell5179 Рік тому +1

    I thank you for the way you handled this video.
    You gave the details of what happened with respect.

  • @itstonberrytime
    @itstonberrytime Рік тому +2

    8:20 interesting! So Yakuza is literally
    八つ (yattsu) 九 (kyuu) 三 (san)
    8. 9. 3.
    So we've been spelling it wrong this whole time! It should be Yakusa not Yakuza 😅

  • @TheItalianTrash
    @TheItalianTrash 6 місяців тому +1

    Moral of the story: If you want overall lower crime rates then you need higher levels of organized crime.

  • @danielsantiagourtado3430
    @danielsantiagourtado3430 Рік тому +3

    Always with interedting topings at hand 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

  • @adrianishtar0
    @adrianishtar0 Рік тому +6

    Japanese words emphasize the first syllable; so it is YA-ku-za not ya-KU-za.

  • @rachelbarrie5359
    @rachelbarrie5359 Рік тому +2

    What happened to your Maneaters of Tsavo video, Simon? Thank you for the videos. It's very educational, entertaining and interesting. Perfect way to help me through my trauma.

  • @In_swedish_the_jam_means_sylt
    @In_swedish_the_jam_means_sylt Рік тому +1

    Code of honour is such a relative term tho 😂

  • @supernoodles91
    @supernoodles91 Рік тому +1

    @8:49........nice pants!😂

  • @HappyHighwayman
    @HappyHighwayman Рік тому +11

    Having a code doesn't make you ethical.

    • @calebbean1384
      @calebbean1384 Рік тому +3

      Sure it does. That's what ethics is, following a code. It doesn't make you moral though

    • @HappyHighwayman
      @HappyHighwayman Рік тому

      @@calebbean1384 You're right my bad :)

    • @williambigbills-9665
      @williambigbills-9665 Рік тому +1

      @@HappyHighwaymanthe thing was though that the Yakuza started out having a moral code, selling cheaply made stuff isn’t wrong. It’s just as time went on they had to make a few extra bucks and then a few more. It’s like the snow ball rolling down a hill. What started as a group of misfits watching each others back, turned into a crime syndicate.

    • @HappyHighwayman
      @HappyHighwayman Рік тому

      @@williambigbills-9665 Sure, but it doesn't give them "honor". It's not honorable to ruin lives for your own benefit.

    • @williambigbills-9665
      @williambigbills-9665 Рік тому

      @@HappyHighwayman but it makes them more honorable than most that they use their power to also help the communities.

  • @LunaWingz
    @LunaWingz Рік тому +4

    I remember working in Japan and the cops in Japan are kinda meh. If you need help, you find a yakuza 😂

  • @MorningStarChrist
    @MorningStarChrist Рік тому +2

    We're talking about a country that has the record for the longest running royal family.
    The ties to hierarchy run deep in that nation.

    • @eadweard.
      @eadweard. Рік тому +1

      Is that relevant?

    • @MorningStarChrist
      @MorningStarChrist Рік тому

      ​@@eadweard. yes.
      It helps explain how deep seeded roots maintain a certain level of political power.
      It's my understanding that the clan has relatively ancient ties to the highest levels of society.

  • @Boe-Temeraire
    @Boe-Temeraire Рік тому +4

    There are certainly worse gangs in the world. They aren’t good, but they definitely aren’t the worst of the worst.

  • @Kaltagstar96
    @Kaltagstar96 Рік тому +3

    When Simon mentioned that some American soldiers had dealings with the black market post WW2, is that how the Yakuza managed to get a foothold in the US? Like I imagine if you're wanting to get your product stateside, having contacts in the US army might help. Also while the Yakuza are certainly bad people, they're obviously capable of doing good things, but I don't know if their good acts outweigh the heinous shit that they do.

  • @supernoodles91
    @supernoodles91 Рік тому +1

    220 gun battles yet only 36 deaths? Not very good shots were they!😂

  • @pamelamays4186
    @pamelamays4186 Рік тому

    Some former Yakuza are getting prosthetic fingers in order to hide their pasts.

  • @egpmh2891
    @egpmh2891 11 місяців тому +1

    One little fact you left out is that a great number of pro wrestlers, pro wrestling company owners, sports owners, and sport players are all Yakuza in Japan as well; in fact, the Godfather of Japanese wrestling Rikidozen was a high-ranking Yakuza he actually was murdered during an argument with a member of rival Yakuza family. Rikidozen's students in wrestling are also Yakuza including names like Antonio Ioki and Giant Baba. Other big wrestlers in the Yakuza are Great Kabuki and his student Great Mutah, Great Sasuke, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Kazuchika Okada, Satoshi Kojima, Tetsuya Naito, Toru Yano, Masahiro Chono, Yuko Miyamoto, and Mistuhara Misawa just to name a few. NJPW, AJPW, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and BJW are all run or have been run by Yakuza wrestlers. Within these companies if two or more wrestlers get into a fight in public, they have to compete in what is called a DEATH MATCH. Why? It is seen as "making too much noise." Thus, as punishment you have to legitimately fight with the one(s) you argued with in a real-life fight usually with deadly weapons or animals and sometimes you might fight above a pool with live wires and water bombs. Many times, the loser(s) is/are the one(s) who died. There is also a famous stake house in Japan that only serves Japanese wrestlers and the Yakuza, it is considered an honor and that you made it to the top if you get to eat there or even get a jacket from there if you are a wrestler or Yakuza.

  • @Tini_Scrapitti
    @Tini_Scrapitti Рік тому +2

    It is not about ethics, but all about mass bribery.

  • @MichaelEilers
    @MichaelEilers Рік тому +2

    Starting to see some AI art popping up in these, I guess it was inevitable

  • @88MrRich
    @88MrRich Рік тому

    4:17 Yami-Michi war: 220 gun battles but only 36 deaths. They’d do well to spend some time on the shooting range.

  • @NGSxXPuffDaddyXx
    @NGSxXPuffDaddyXx Рік тому +3

    majama at 4:18 lol

  • @mcdonkey500
    @mcdonkey500 Рік тому

    in my experience yakuza members like karaoke, playing mahjong and eating absurd amounts of food to get stronger

  • @HombreGato
    @HombreGato Рік тому

    Kudos for that image of Goro Majima ❤

  • @random_duck1
    @random_duck1 9 місяців тому

    In Brazil theres something called Tribunal do Crime (Criminal Court) thats the criminals following "honest crimes ethics" or something like this, which sould ridiculous in Portuguese and in English but i think you get what I mean.

  • @jorgelotr3752
    @jorgelotr3752 Рік тому

    8:34 I know that that card pattern (a simplification of their version of the extinct Portuguese pattern of the Spanish-style) is quite obscure (doesn't even help that the numbers of all four suits have the same design), but those are clearly three fives (not only are there five "5" ideograms at the top, numbers are marked by the bars, so 4 slanted + 1 straight = 5 in total).

  • @Lee-in-oz
    @Lee-in-oz Рік тому

    A little from colum A, a little cmfrom column B

  • @pluto6154
    @pluto6154 Рік тому +5

    So early the script is still warm

  • @Will51781
    @Will51781 10 місяців тому

    Honestly, I thought that was a picture of kid rock.

  • @BonShula
    @BonShula Рік тому

    "Ethical Gangsters" is a hilarious title

  • @EsotericFood
    @EsotericFood Рік тому +1

    14:50 “partly due to their innate nature” wat?!

  • @YouTubecanfuckagoat
    @YouTubecanfuckagoat Рік тому

    Most “organized groups” understand optics far better than you would credit.

  • @24934637
    @24934637 Рік тому +9

    I get the impression that they act in a similar way to a certain very well known, but very poorly understood 'Motorcycle gang', who do a tremendous amount of work for charities, and don't cause ANY hassle for anyone who isn't involved in their business......Get involved in their business, and piss them off, and you'll see a dark side fairly swiftly, but leave them alone, and they'll leave you alone.

    • @SoundShinobiYuki
      @SoundShinobiYuki Рік тому +4

      Yeah. My dad ran with them in his youth. THEY helped us more when our house got burgled or a friend/family got assaulted or drug pushers were in front of our apartment than the police ever did.
      And yet, Dad was also WELL aware (from experience) that if you crossed them you could wind up dead in a ditch.

    • @mukkah
      @mukkah 6 місяців тому

      Man, I remember that time that girl crossed the Hell's Angels and got turned into a prostitute. Should've left them alone lmfao XD
      Gtfooh with that bullshit

  • @zch7491
    @zch7491 Рік тому

    Don't bring a gun to a sword fight 😤

  • @timothygreer188
    @timothygreer188 11 місяців тому

    Addressing the end of the video: While the Costa Nostra are not as powerful as they once were they are still around, involved mostly gambling and money laundering. Following hurricane Sandy, two of the largest families did quite a bit financially (huge donations to several Archdiocese) and in volunteer work with the Red Cross.

  • @mercenarygundam1487
    @mercenarygundam1487 6 місяців тому

    Wasn't there a Yakuza that wears an eye patch and stalks a guy through literally everywhere?

  • @MrJjones543
    @MrJjones543 Рік тому

    I imagine they are very effective security. A Yakuza guy tells me to stop what I'm doing I'm going to stop what I'm doing.

  • @maverickbna
    @maverickbna Рік тому +1

    There's a really good satirical comedy making fun of the Yakuza - it's a Japanese film called Minbo: or the Gentle Art of Japanese Extortion (1992). It rattled the real Yakuza enough that someone attacked the director of this film, Juzo Itami.

  • @ryanwilson6036
    @ryanwilson6036 Рік тому

    Thought Johnny Depp was on the thumbnail for a second

  • @davidhughes4089
    @davidhughes4089 Рік тому +3

    I mean you could make a similar claim re: local "charity" as the Columbian or Mexican cartels

  • @AndrewTraver
    @AndrewTraver Рік тому

    Honestly, looks kinda like Johnny Depp in the thumbnail XD

  • @JenniferElizabeth311
    @JenniferElizabeth311 Рік тому +3

    Junko Furuta. They let members get away with that. F*ck those guys. That's one of the worst true crime cases ever that several seasoned true crime veterans refuse to delve into. Only someone purely evil could do such a thing, and only someone just as evil would be perfectly fine and unbothered by such a horrific (there are no words close to describing what she went through) act against anything living - let alone a young woman who did nothing wrong.

  • @nancycurtis7315
    @nancycurtis7315 Рік тому +1

    Terrific video. Gives both sides of the story, without bias. Beautifully presented, as always. Greetings from Dimboola, in Victoria,Australia.

  • @ryanhorton607
    @ryanhorton607 Рік тому

    I didn't know Johnny Depp was in the Yakuza .. lol

  • @33wolf33
    @33wolf33 Рік тому

    If there's anything I've learnt in my life it's that. Nothing is free, however it doesn't cost much to try to be a decent person.

  • @justinakers3196
    @justinakers3196 Рік тому

    The hells angels are kinda like this. Do some awful and really good things. Hard to know how to feel about them

  • @avaevathornton9851
    @avaevathornton9851 Рік тому +2

    You can have ethical gangsters as long as you have unethical laws.

  • @MarijaEnchantix
    @MarijaEnchantix Рік тому +1

    Simon will hate me for this, but aren't you supposed to stress the first syllable in "Yakuza"? "YAkuza".

  • @rogerpenske2411
    @rogerpenske2411 Рік тому +1

    MAFIA = Make America Friggin Italian Again

  • @lazydroidproductions1087
    @lazydroidproductions1087 Рік тому

    I think there’s one important thing that we are forgetting, and it’s that basically every other mafia organization emerged because there was a need to support the people that the government was not fulfilling, feared standing against controlling regimes, like with Japan and Sicily against their feudal lords, or to create order when the government was basically non-functional, like in Russia, or simply just to protect against a government that did not like you, like many in America. I am no organized crime expert, but I know that a lot of these groups really did put in the work to support their people, or at least said they did, even while being horrid criminal organizations. Protection money protect you as much from the people you pay it to as it does from anyone else who might hassle you

  • @THEASWINISM
    @THEASWINISM Рік тому

    THAT IS NOT D COMPANY 😂😂😂

  • @ryand2529
    @ryand2529 11 місяців тому

    So much evil versus so little good?

  • @burnnotice2536
    @burnnotice2536 Рік тому

    They're kinda like the Hell's Angels, a very charitable "motorcycle club" in the U.S. that used to be a biker gang.

  • @andrewwright.
    @andrewwright. Рік тому +1

    the real top G

  • @bman54950
    @bman54950 Рік тому

    Oh yay

  • @30secondsflat
    @30secondsflat Рік тому

    Kinda thought the thumbnail showed Johnny Depp

  • @atomicskull6405
    @atomicskull6405 Рік тому

    Sega apparently had (and probably still has) yakuza links. Apparently it's pretty common for japanese video game companies.

  • @keithmoore5306
    @keithmoore5306 Рік тому

    yeah the difference between the mafia and government is size and most people have higher opinion of the mafia!!!

  • @harwil32
    @harwil32 Рік тому +1

    Hold on this isn't vsauce

    • @petessmile8169
      @petessmile8169 Рік тому +1

      I thought the same thing but in reverse when I saw vsauce😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

  • @darkop3191
    @darkop3191 Рік тому +2

    Did i just see Goro Majima?! lol what a crossover

  • @labla8940
    @labla8940 11 місяців тому

    8:30 Not sure what those characters were as translation They were not Katakana or Hiragana Closet I can see is Ka Ha Mi

  • @Ninon__
    @Ninon__ Рік тому

    13:23 what is he saying? It sounds like “costco way down” someone please help, the captions aren’t helping

  • @Miggeddy
    @Miggeddy 8 місяців тому

    I love the tattooes ❤
    Id like to have one, but i heard at least 5000€, probably 10 or maybe more with colour and so on 😅