Manjiro Sano

IntroductionSynopsisRelationshipsImage Gallery

* Manga
* Anime

* 2008
* 2017
* 2005
* 2003
* Child
* First timeline
* 14th Time Leap
* 18th Time Leap
* Kisaki's vision

* 2018
* 2005
* 2003
* c. 2000
* Child
* First timeline

Kurokawa family

* Izana Kurokawa (adoptive older brother)

Ryuguji family

* Ken Ryuguji (brother-in-law)

**Manjiro Sano** (佐野 (さの)  万 (まん) 次 (じ) 郎 (ろう) , *Sanō Manjirō*?), or **Mikey** (マイキー,  *Maikī*?), is a founding member and the former leader (総長, *Sōchō*?) of the Tokyo Manji Gang. In a past timeline, Mikey was the leader of the Kanto Manji Gang. He is the deuteragonist and final antagonist of the *Tokyo Revengers* manga series and its anime adaptation.

## Appearance

Mikey is a teenager of below-average height with pitch-black piercing eyes and long blonde hair that is only tied at the top with the hair on the sides moving freely.

In the original timeline, adult Mikey's hair was slicked back, and he still had his CB250T motorcycle.

In his second appearance as an adult, Mikey appears with short black hair and a dragon tattoo on his neck similar to the ones Draken and Takashi Mitsuya have. He rides a CB205T owned previously by his brother, Shinichiro Sano.

In the latest present timeline, he has short white hair with a middle part undercut hairstyle and a Bonten tattoo on his nape with a design similar to his adoptive brother's, Izana Kurokawa's, earrings. He is noted to be thinner, deranged, and with heavy bags under his eyes.

In the final time leap, he has a short black hair which is parted at the middle. He is seen wearing a dark blue suit and a racing helmet and suit seen in a visualization of Mikey racing.

Mikey's manga appearance around the year 2000Mikey's manga appearance in 2005 with Toman uniformMikey's manga appearance in 2005Mikey's manga appearance in 2008Mikey's manga appearance in 2018Mikey's manga appearance in the 14th time leapMikey's anime appearance in 2005Mikey's 2005 anime appearance in a MA-1 jacket
## Personality

Mikey is usually a carefree teenager who loves to joke and play pranks around those he considers his close friends. He cares for them greatly and is determined to protect their honor. He rarely shows any sign of weakness, as he believes himself to be the foundation and support for Toman, and if the pillar himself were to display weakness, Toman would also be weakened.

As Toman's leader, his aura changes dramatically, becoming imposing and commanding. While Toman's members respect Mikey, they also hold a degree of fear towards him and his immense prowess. Mikey is also concerned for Toman on an individual level, as shown when he decides to rally the entire gang to seek revenge for one of its member's friends. Despite his imposing aura as Toman's leader, Mikey is still a child at heart. He has childish tendencies and loves to sleep whenever he feels like it.

The events that transpire throughout the story force Mikey to quickly mature. He is still an incredibly charismatic leader, but there is now an underlying melancholy beneath the surface. Indeed, within Mikey, there exists a great darkness. He is forced to carry the burdens of a troubling past, teetering between treading the right path and succumbing to that darkness. He usually hides this with his carefree grin. Without the right people to guide him, he becomes corrupted, turning into one of the most heinous criminals in the present. It is a large mission of Takemichi to make sure Mikey never veers off the right path ever again. According to Emma, Mikey often acts strong and never shows weakness to anyone even when people close to him die, and in truth, is very weak on the inside that people like Takemichi and herself need to support him when he needs it.

Even in instances where Mikey succumbs to that darkness, there are conflicting aspects of his personality and contradicting behavior. He is seen to be attracted to and seeking to embrace a life of violence, committing multiple atrocities or otherwise enabling his enforcers to carry them out without any apparent sign of emotional response, acting with indifference and a cold poker face, being even capable of hurting or even gunning down dear friends of his. At the same time, he tries to distance himself from his friends, likely knowing he won't be able to control his impulses, trying to separate himself from taking central command of his crew, and even going as far as attempting suicide as a means to seek both solace and a way to put an end to the chaos he helps create.

The central catalyst for this darkness is loss. As Mikey's loved ones either suffer or die, it affects Mikey on a very personal level, to the point he later claims their souls guide him, much to the surprise and worry of everyone present who question the veracity of said statements. Along with the increasing body count, Mikey's mental and emotional state deteriorates accordingly. Although he is still capable of acting composed and normal the effects of this growing darkness become more apparent even to Mikey himself. It is a result of this loss that renders Mikey vulnerable to manipulation and subsequently degrades his moral compass. In fact, in every timeline with a dark future, the cornerstone was triggered through the death of those closest to Mikey which allowed third parties to fill the void in his heart with evil.

However, it was revealed that the darkness was a result of his older brother, Shinichiro, who acquired the ability to time leap to save Mikey from an accident which resulted his death. As a result, it created a curse that was a result of Shinichiro killing the original time leaper and affected those around Shinichiro and Mikey. Believing he couldn't contain his darkness any further, he distanced himself so he could prevent them from dying because of the curse. However after he and Takemichi both time-leaped into the distant past, the curse has ceased to exist and Mikey is finally free from his violent impulses.

## Skills and Abilities

### Authority

As the leader of Toman, Mikey has absolute control over its members. His presence is able to strengthen the entire gang as a whole, amplifying everyone's strength, making Toman an incredibly formidable and dangerous opponent for enemies.

### Fighting Prowess

Mikey is regarded as the strongest member of Toman and arguably the series from a fighting standpoint. His epithet, the Invincible Mikey, is indicative of his strength and how he is revered among other delinquent groups. He is strong enough to incapacitate other elite gang members with a single kick, and his enemies often remark that they cannot believe that he is a mere teenager.

He favors kicks more than punches, as it deals much more damage and eliminates his height disadvantage, making him able to go toe-to-toe with tall opponents. Although he has great punching ability, his kicks have crushed cars. The destructive power behind his legs is so infamous, his kicks are regarded as being "nuclear".

On top of his fighting ability, Mikey possesses a prodigious physical condition manifested in multiple ways. For one, his lightning-fast reflexes make him insusceptible to surprise attacks. His leg strength is such that he could not only lift an entire person holding him with one leg but also use that same leg to deliver a devastating instant KO kick to another enemy, defeating both instantly.

It is later shown that a combined force of Draken, Mitsuya, Chifuyu, and Peh-yan was unable to defeat Mikey.

### Martial Arts

Unlike most delinquents, Mikey has actual martial arts experience that was honed into him ever since he was a child. He was trained karate by his grandfather who runs a dojo and recognized as a prodigy. Due to this, his fighting sense, flexibility, and reflexes are unparalleled.

His signature and finishing move is a high right roundhouse kick that is executed at a blinding speed to the opponent's temple, which has caught all but the strongest opponents off guard. It hooks the opponent's head and slams it into the ground. Almost all who are hit by this kick get knocked out instantly. This kick has also been seen done using Mikey's left leg.

### Endurance

Mikey is also shown to have remarkable endurance and resilience. He has been hit by blows that would have knocked out most individuals, yet he can still shake them off and keep fighting. The few times that he has been knocked out, he awoke quite quickly. Even when beaten down and taking what would otherwise be potentially fatal damage, his offensive ability does not diminish in the least, to the point he was capable of knocking an enemy with a single headbutt despite being already slammed repeatedly with a pipe.

### Charisma

Mikey is blessed with unparalleled charisma, something noted by both insiders and rival delinquents, which allows him to maintain his crew in line and garner the respect of other gang leaders. This charisma is, however, a double-edged sword, as while he has the potential to rally and lead the entire delinquent world under his banner, this power can easily become distorted and incredibly destructive. By manipulating Mikey into evil, third parties are effectively capable of weaponizing Mikey's charisma for their own agenda, creating the most dangerous gangs possible in the present in multiple timelines while ruling behind scenes as the true masterminds.

### Intuition

Mikey has a rather unique and fairly keen sense of intuition that manifests in differing somewhat supernatural ways. Upon his first encounter with Takemichi, he was somehow able to tell that he was not a normal middle schooler, although he couldn't fully understand the true extent of Takemichi's nature, and remained somewhat suspicious about who and what he was, due to being capable of somewhat predict future events. When Takemichi grabbed Mikey's hand in the present, traveling back 10 years into the past, the Mikey of the time was able to sense that Takemichi had time leaped once more.

Another application manifests as a result of his deep bond with his friends. Due to this Mikey is capable of detecting their wills. He correctly deduced that Mitsuya was going to do something on Christmas night and even discern his location, saving his friends from a predicament. He claims that his big brother and Baji's souls guided him.

### Mechanical Knowledge

As the younger brother of Shinichiro, an expert mechanic, Mikey possesses abundant knowledge about machines, motorbikes in particular. He can fix and assemble parts of a motorbike well.

## Appearances

**Manga Appearances**Chapters in order of appearance
#### Toman Arc

* Chapter 3 - Resolve
* Chapter 4 - Relieve
* Chapter 5 - Revolve
* Chapter 10 - Reply
* Chapter 11 - Reburn
* Chapter 12 - Remind

#### Moebius Arc

* Chapter 13 - Regret
* Chapter 14 - Resort
* Chapter 15 - Revive
* Chapter 16 - Reignition
* Chapter 17 - Redivide
* Chapter 18 - Rechange
* Chapter 21 - Revolt
* Chapter 22 - Reconflict
* Chapter 23 - Reseek
* Chapter 24 - Revoke
* Chapter 27 - Regain
* Chapter 28 - Reel
* Chapter 29 - Respect

#### Valhalla Arc

* Chapter 35 - Odds and Ends (mentioned)
* Chapter 36 - Anyone's guess
* Chapter 37 - Enter the stage
* Chapter 38 - Break up
* Chapter 39 - My buddy
* Chapter 40 - No pain, no gain (mentioned)
* Chapter 42 - Once upon a time (flashback)
* Chapter 43 - In those days (flashback)
* Chapter 45 - Take out on (flashback)
* Chapter 46 - Make up my mind
* Chapter 47 - Level with (mentioned)
* Chapter 48 - No way (flashback)
* Chapter 49 - Grow apart
* Chapter 50 - Before dawn
* Chapter 51 - Open fire
* Chapter 52 - Never fear, I'm here
* Chapter 54 - Below the belt
* Chapter 55 - No match for
* Chapter 56 - The one
* Chapter 57 - Look up for
* Chapter 58 - Dead or Alive (flashback)
* Chapter 59 - Get mad
* Chapter 60 - One and only
* Chapter 61 - In tears
* Chapter 62 - Last wishes
* Chapter 63 - One for all
* Chapter 64 - End of war
* Chapter 65 - My fam
* Chapter 66 - Have an affair
* Chapter 68 - Sunday best
* Chapter 69 - Big moment
* Chapter 70 - Tide turns (flashback)
* Chapter 71 - Same old same old (mentioned)
* Chapter 73 - A crybaby (mentioned)
* Chapter 74 - Get back (flashback)
* Chapter 75 - Let one down (flashback)

#### Black Dragon Arc

* Chapter 82 - Own up
* Chapter 83 - Big brother
* Chapter 86 - Be serious about
* Chapter 97 - Sibling rivalry
* Chapter 100 - Hundreds of times (flashback)
* Chapter 104 - Christmas night
* Chapter 105 - No one can match
* Chapter 106 - Dawning of a new era
* Chapter 107 - Tight-knit
* Chapter 108 - The light of my life
* Chapter 109 - Not apt to give any way
* Chapter 110 - Best wishes
* Chapter 111 - Season opener
* Chapter 112 - You're fired
* Chapter 113 - You have my word
* Chapter 114 - On my way home (flashback)
* Chapter 115 - Turn over a new leaf (picture)
* Chapter 116 - Far from home
* Chapter 117 - Last order
* Chapter 118 - Life comes and goes
* Chapter 119 - Too late to be sorry
* Chapter 120 - Can take it (mentioned)
* Chapter 121 - Last but not least (mentioned)

#### Tenjiku Arc

* Chapter 123 - You're not my type (flashback)
* Chapter 126 - Two peas in a pod (mentioned)
* Chapter 128 - Gang of four (mentioned)
* Chapter 129 - The longest day
* Chapter 130 - Pep party
* Chapter 131 - Rest in piece (flashback)
* Chapter 132 - The big baddy (visualized)
* Chapter 133 - Sell out (mentioned)
* Chapter 134 - Mortal enemy (mentioned)
* Chapter 136 - My lot in life
* Chapter 137 - Run out of patience
* Chapter 138 - stick together (mentioned)
* Chapter 140 - Back-stab (mentioned)
* Chapter 141 - Lay out a plan (visualized)
* Chapter 144 - Big-hearted
* Chapter 145 - Go-to guy
* Chapter 146 - A bad hunch
* Chapter 147 - The root of all evil
* Chapter 148 - Don't freak out
* Chapter 149 - Arch villain
* Chapter 150 - Damn it
* Chapter 151 - Just do it
* Chapter 152 - Rise against (mentioned)
* Chapter 153 - NocteKing (visualized)
* Chapter 155 - Turn the tide (mentioned)
* Chapter 166 - Brave heart (flashback)
* Chapter 167 - Who wouldn't (mentioned)
* Chapter 168 - Headliner
* Chapter 169 - The home front
* Chapter 170 - Homecoming
* Chapter 171 - Showdown at the summit
* Chapter 172 - Lose your touch
* Chapter 173 - The one and only
* Chapter 174 - Nothing is left
* Chapter 175 - Admonitions are not sweet
* Chapter 176 - What was been left
* Chapter 177 - Déracinée
* Chapter 178 - Paradise lost
* Chapter 179 - End the standoff
* Chapter 181 - Take a vow (mentioned)
* Chapter 182 - Present to the mind (flashback)
* Chapter 183 - Lay the plan (flashback)
* Chapter 184 - Wind something up
* Chapter 185 - Meet his fate
* Chapter 186 - It's been real

#### Bonten Arc

* Chapter 187 - Way to go
* Chapter 188 - The lion of the day
* Chapter 189 - Break up
* Chapter 190 - Until next time
* Chapter 193 - Feel great! (mentioned)
* Chapter 194 - The keepsake
* Chapter 195 - lingering scent
* Chapter 196 - Can say that again
* Chapter 197 - Be left behind the times (visualized)
* Chapter 198 - Lose myself in memory (flashback)
* Chapter 199 - Sincerely yours (present, video)
* Chapter 200 - Crack a smile (flashback, video)
* Chapter 201 - What's up?
* Chapter 202 - Get away
* Chapter 203 - Don't give a damn
* Chapter 204 - Give me a hand
* Chapter 206 - Let you down (flashback)

#### Three Deities Arc

* Chapter 207 - The final act
* Chapter 208 - Turbulent period (visualized)
* Chapter 209 - Get a grip (flashback)
* Chapter 210 - Face the music (flashback)
* Chapter 213 - Living legends (cover only)
* Chapter 214 - The engine fired (mentioned)
* Chapter 215 - After a storm comes calm (mentioned)
* Chapter 216 - Shows her color (mentioned)
* Chapter 217 - Have never seen anything like it (flashback)
* Chapter 218 - Queen it over (mentioned)
* Chapter 221 - Ups and downs of his fate
* Chapter 223 - Good old days (flashback)
* Chapter 224 - Cutthroat
* Chapter 225 - Free-for-all
* Chapter 226 - Dynamic duo
* Chapter 228 - Beat hell out of
* Chapter 229 - Go easy on
* Chapter 231 - Blood-chilling
* Chapter 232 - It takes two to tango
* Chapter 233 - Better late than never
* Chapter 234 - There is no mending
* Chapter 235 - Just be yourself (cover only)

#### Kanto Manji Arc

* Chapter 236 - Band of brothers (visualized)
* Chapter 240 - Go into retirement (flashback)
* Chapter 241 - A forced smile (flashback)
* Chapter 242 - Inherit the crown (flashback)
* Chapter 243 - Wide array of
* Chapter 244 - The showdown battle
* Chapter 245 - Grow up to
* Chapter 246 - Giant Killing
* Chapter 247 - Hey dude
* Chapter 250 - Turn the table (flashback)
* Chapter 251 - Get out of hand
* Chapter 252 - Bring back
* Chapter 253 - The worst is come
* Chapter 256 - Behind the scenes (flashback)
* Chapter 258 - Strange bedfellows
* Chapter 259 - Like a something demoniac
* Chapter 260 - Squaring off against
* Chapter 261 - Opposite sides of the same coin
* Chapter 262 - To rout and ravages
* Chapter 263 - Be strong (flashback)
* Chapter 264 - Not only the force but also... (flashback)
* Chapter 265 - Stand by me (flashback)
* Chapter 266 - Make vision a reality
* Chapter 267 - To signal a counterattack
* Chapter 268 - Another such
* Chapter 269 - All things must pass (flashback)
* Chapter 270 - Worth my while (flashback)
* Chapter 271 - Empty wish (flashback)
* Chapter 272 - Over again (flashback)
* Chapter 273 - Carry on
* Chapter 274 - No holding back
* Chapter 275 - Cold hearted
* Chapter 276 - Get over
* Chapter 277 - At last
* Chapter 278 - Revengers

#### Tokyo Revengers: Letter from Keisuke Baji

* Chapter 1 (Letter from Keisuke Baji) - Letter (picture)
* Chapter 8 (Letter from Keisuke Baji) - The imitation (mentioned)
* Chapter 9 (Letter from Keisuke Baji) - Anger management (mentioned)
* Chapter 14 (Letter from Keisuke Baji) - Assembly

**Anime Appearances**Episodes in order of appearance
#### Toman Arc

* Episode 3 - Resolve
* Episode 4 - Return
* Episode 5 - Releap

#### Moebius Arc

* Episode 6 - Regret
* Episode 7 - Revive
* Episode 8 - Rechange
* Episode 9 - Revolt
* Episode 10 - Rerise
* Episode 11 - Respect

#### Valhalla Arc

* Episode 13 - Odds and Ends
* Episode 14 - Break up
* Episode 15 - No pain, no gain (flashback)
* Episode 16 - Once upon a time (flashback)
* Episode 17 - No way
* Episode 18 - Open Fire
* Episode 19 - Turn around
* Episode 20 - Dead or Alive
* Episode 21 - One and only
* Episode 22 - One for all (flashback)
* Episode 23 - End of war
* Episode 24 - A cry baby
* Episode 25 - It is what it is (visualized)
* Episode 27 - Stand alone
* Episode 28 - Family bonds
* Episode 29 - Christmas Eve (mentioned)
* Episode 31 - Sibling rivalry
* Episode 32 - Strive together
* Episode 33 - Dawning of a new era
* Episode 34 - The light of my life
* Episode 35 - On my way home
* Episode 36 - Last order

#### Tenjiku Arc

* Episode 37 - When it rains, it pours (flashback)
* Episode 38 - The longest day
* Episode 39 - Mortal enemy
* Episode 40 - Run out of patience
* Episode 41 - Come back to life (flashback)
* Episode 42 - A bad hunch
* Episode 43 - Rise against
* Episode 44 - Turn the tide (vision)
* Episode 46 - The blue ogre (flashback)
* Episode 47 - Brave heart
* Episode 48 - Nothing is left
* Episode 49 - Paradise lost
* Episode 50 - Meet his fate

## Battles

**Battles**

1. Manjiro Sano vs. Nobutaka Osanai
2. Manjiro Sano vs. Shuji Hanma
3. Manjiro Sano vs. Kazutora Hanemiya, Chome and Chonbo
4. Manjiro Sano vs. Kazutora Hanemiya
5. Manjiro Sano vs. Taiju Shiba
6. Manjiro Sano vs. Izana Kurokawa
7. Manjiro Sano vs. Kakucho
8. Manjiro Sano vs. South Terano
9. Manjiro Sano vs. Takemichi Hanagaki
10. Haruki Hayashida vs. Manjiro Sano
11. Tokyo Manji Gang vs. Manjiro Sano and Shuji Hanma
12. Takemichi Hanagaki vs. Manjiro Sano: Rematch

## Etymology

* The name **Manjiro** means "ten thousand" (万) (**man**), "next" (次) (**ji**) and "son" (郎) (**ro**).
	+ The nickname **Mikey** means "who is like God"/"Who Is Like The Lord?" in English.
		- **Mikey** is a short form of the name **Michael**.
* Mikey's surname **Sano** means "help, aid" (佐) (**sa**) and "field, wilderness" (野) (**no**).

## Trivia

* According to the first official character book:
	+ His favorite food are Dorayaki, Omurice (with flag on top), and Taiyaki (fish-shaped cake filled with red-bean paste).
	+ He dislikes spicy food.
	+ His image color is red.
	+ His special skill is disarticulation of Motorbikes.
	+ The person he respects or admire is himself.
	+ The people he dislikes or fears is no one.
	+ Mikey's relationship chart:
		- Draken: greatly trust
		- Takemichi: like
		- Emma: younger sister
	+ His dream is to create an new era for rowdys.
	+ His heroic story (or failure story): Being able to use sleeping boxing instead of drunken boxing.
	+ His favorite spot is the tip of his towel.
	+ A daily activity of a certain day (from morning till bedtime):
		- Go to school just for the lunch service after being woken up by Draken. He is charging (sleeping) all the time during class. He charges (sleeps) during lunch break too. Then he rides his motorcycle all night to the Toman rally with Draken.
	+ From the question "Who do you want to be your lover?", Mikey was ranked number 1 from Top 3 Worst Boyfriends.
	+ From the question "Who do you want to marry?", Mikey was ranked number 2 from Top 3 Worst Husbands.
	+ From the question "Who's the fastest runner?", Mikey was ranked number 1 from Top 3 Best Runners.
	+ From the question "Who's likely to be rich?", Mikey was ranked number 2 from the Top 3 Worst.
	+ From the question "Who do you want as subordinate?", Mikey was ranked number 1 from the Top 3 Worst.
* Mikey ranked first in the Character Popularity Poll with a total number of 10288 votes.

## References

*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 5.
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 3 (p. 18).
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 123 (p. 12).
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 3 (p. 23).
*Tokyo Revengers Character Book 2: Walhalla · Black Dragon* (p. 76)
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 116.
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 278 (p. 6).
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 104.
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 54.
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 54.
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 104.
*Tokyo Revengers* Manga: Chapter 97.
*Tokyo Revengers Character Book: Tenjo Tenge*
 "応募総数53589票！ 『東京卍リベンジャーズ』キャラクター人気投票結果発表!!". *Magazine Pocket (in Japanese)*. Retrieved on March 30, 2023.