Episode 43

## "Rise against"

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**"Rise against"** is the sixth episode of the third season and the 43rd episode overall of the *Tokyo卍Revengers* anime series, produced by Liden Films.

## Synopsis

When Takemichi and Inupi goes to visit the grave of Shinichiro, he runs into Izana, Mikey, and Emma. However, Emma was hit with a baseball bat by Kisaki, who suddenly ran into them on a motorcycle, and as she was being carried to the hospital, she died on Mikey's back. Takemichi, who watched the whole thing unfold before his eyes and could do nothing, realized that it was Emma's death that triggered Mikey and Tokyo Manji's descent into darkness, but he could not take it back. Draken stands before Emma as she lies in the comfort room.

## Summary

Izana tells Tetta Kisaki that the decoy for the attack on Emma has been turned in, ensuring Kisaki's safety. Kisaki says he is confident that he knows Mikey better than anyone; he tells Izana that leadership does not require intelligence, it requires "influence". Calling Mikey the Supreme "Medium", he believes Mikey's potential will be destroyed if he continues to associate with who Kisaki sees as lowlives from Toman. Kisaki reveals that he manipulated Kiyomasa into stabbing Draken this plan failed when Takemichi intervened, saving Draken's life. Izana remarks that Takemichi seemed insignificant when he first encountered him. Kisaki says that his next plan was creating Valhalla and designating Mikey as the leader; however, Baji saw through his plan, so Kisaki manipulated Kazutora into stabbing Baji. Kisaki vows to eliminate anyone who interferes with his plans; he says that although he never felt satisfied, watching Mikey lose his loved ones felt sublime. He says that with Mikey as the "medium", he will be reborn; Izana asks if directly killing Emma was required for this, as he does not understand why Kisaki would risk dirtying his hands, since he could have simply manipulated Emma's death, just as he had in the past. He asks Kisaki what inspired this change; Kisaki responds by asking why Izana only asked that of him, when he has killed Izana's blood relative. Izana says that in the ten years that he was institutionalized, Shinichiro was the only person who visited him; his love was the only thing fulfilling Izana. Izana tells Kisaki that he only cares about what Shinichiro loved; now, Kisaki's malice is what fulfills him. Because of this, Izana will allow Kisaki to manipulate him. Comparing himself to Mikey, Izana says that they are both feeling empty; leaving to manipulate Mikey, he tells Kisaki that Toman is his' now. Overlooking the city, Kisaki taunts Takemichi internally, wondering what he can do now.

At Asagaya Hospital, Takemichi watches as Draken reacts in shock to seeing Emma's body. Mikey is reduced to a catatonic state from the trauma of Emma's death. Draken tells Mikey to go outside with him; Mikey is silent when Draken asks what happened. He angrily punches Mikey in the face, demanding as to why he let it happen; Takemichi insists that he is to blame, as he was beside her when the attack occurred. He begs Draken to attack him instead of Mikey. Ignoring him, Draken punches Mikey once more, telling Mikey that he started Toman to protect his loved ones; as Takemichi grabs on to Draken, trying to stop his attack, Draken continues punching Mikey, telling him of his failures to achieve that: Pah-chin and Kazutora are detained in a juvenile correctional facility, Baji is dead. On top of this, Emma is dead, a fact Draken cannot bear to say aloud. As he and Mikey lie on the ground, Takemichi begins to reason with Draken, telling him to overcome and accept the events; however, he realizes the absurdity of this, as he has been unable to accept Hina's death himself, going to the past in an attempt to change the future. He realizes that Mikey was unable to accept Emma's death, along with the pain of losing others, which turned him evil. Defeated, Takemichi knows he cannot reverse this fate.

As Toman awaits their leaders at Musashi Shrine, they wonder what is going, as the battle with Tenjiku is approaching. Chifuyu cannot get ahold of Mikey, and Akkun cannot get ahold of Takemichi. Just then, Inupi pulls up in his motorcycle, informing them of the events. At the hospital, Mikey is still in his catatonic state, having lost the will to fight. Takemichi tries reminding him that their battle with Tenjiku is tonight; Toman cannot fight without Mikey's orders. He tells Mikey that Emma was killed by Kisaki. These methods are to no avail, as Mikey is still unable to speak. Takemichi vows to fight Tenjiku, even if he has to face them alone. Upon seeing Emma's body, Hina sobs in shock. Just then, Takemichi tries to cheer her; he draws faces of himself and Hina on his fingers, where he plays out a scene of him comforting her. This angers Hina, as Takemichi does not seem to understand the gravity of the situation. As she exclaims to him that it is not funny, Takemichi tells her that he worked as a part-time department store cleaner when he was twenty-one, where a child kept getting lost. He used this method as a way of cheering up the child, but it just made the child cry more. He reflects on his uselessness and ineptitude throughout his life. He tells Hina that he is going to fight; the "finger version" of him tells Hina that he will protect her, as heroes do not run away. Takemichi tells a tearful Hina that he wants to see her smile; as he turns away, he vows to protect her, even at the cost of his life.

Chifuyu meets Takemichi outside the hospital, bringing him to the shrine where Toman is waiting. They announce that Emma has died in an accident, which means that neither Mikey nor Draken will be able to fight; this creates nervousness, as Toman is without most of their captains already. Inupi agrees, pointing out that they will be unorganized, believing that they should not be fighting. Takemichi acknowledges this, as preparation would increase their chance of winning; however, he insists that they fight Tenjiku tonight, which angers Toman, causing them to turn their backs on him. This does not surprise Takemichi and Chifuyu, but Takemichi believes that not going would play into Kisaki's hands. Having originally planned to fight alone, he tells Chifuyu that he is fighting Tenjiku, even if he has to do so alone. Chifuyu offers to fight alongside him, though he expects both of them to die at Tenjiku's hands. Just then, Akkun exclaims to Takemichi that he is going with him as well, as Takemichi never runs away from a fight, prompting Yamagishi, Makoto, and Takuya to all agree to fight with them. Behind them, Smiley, having snuck out of the hospital in a wheelchair, remarks that Takemichi does not start fights he knows he will win. Mitsuya, in the same condition as Smiley, concurs, adding that Takemichi never runs away due to being an idiot. He tells Takemichi to bring Hakkai and Angry along to the fight, who remind Takemichi not to carry Toman's burden alone. Chifuyu tells Toman that although the odds are against them, running away would ensure the end of Toman, leaving them with no choice but to fight. This riles up the Toman; as they chant in support, Takemichi tells Chifuyu that he wants to save Emma and Baji as well, believing nothing is impossible.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

1. Tetta Kisaki
2. Izana Kurokawa
3. Masataka Kiyomizu (vision)
4. Keisuke Baji (vision)
5. Kazutora Hanemiya (vision)
6. Shinichiro Sano (mentioned)
7. Takemichi Hanagaki
8. Ken Ryuguji
9. Manjiro Sano
10. Emma Sano (corpse)
11. Haruki Hayashida (mentioned)
12. Chifuyu Matsuno
13. Atsushi Sendo
14. Kazushi Yamagishi
15. Takuya Yamamoto
16. Makoto Suzuki
17. Hinata Tachibana
18. Seishu Inui
19. Nahoya Kawata
20. Souya Kawata
21. Takashi Mitsuya
22. Hakkai Shiba
23. Ryohei Hayashi

## References

 "ON AIR | TVアニメ『東京リベンジャーズ』公式サイト". *tokyo-revengers-anime.com (in Japanese)*. Retrieved on November 3, 2023.
 "STORY | TVアニメ『東京リベンジャーズ』公式サイト". *tokyo-revengers-anime.com (in Japanese)*. Retrieved on November 3, 2023.