All 3 Time Leapers in Tokyo Revengers

With the second season airing as we’re writing this, Tokyo Revengers has once more entered the spotlight after the manga’s controversial ending shocked fans around the world. Now, with the story being as complex as it is, it is only natural that people keep asking questions about it and in this article, we are going to answer one such question. Namely, time travel is one of the principal elements of the story of Tokyo Revengers, but only a handful of characters in the story actually had that ability. In this article, we are going to talk about them.

There are just three known Time Leapers in the story of Tokyo Revengers. There are probably more, but these guys haven’t been introduced so there is nothing about them that we can say. In this article, we are going to present each Time Leaper individually and tell you a bit about them, their stories, and their abilities.

Time Leaper

The Time Leaper was the first known user of the time-leaping ability. His real name as well as his backstory are unknown, but it is known that he was a homeless man from whom Shin’ichirō Sano stole the time-leaping ability. As you can see, he was an old man with a long, shabby, black beard and a very manic visage, but that can be attributed to his overall lifestyle. Plus, his behavior heavily indicated that he had, indeed, gone mad because of his ability.

The Time Leaper claimed that the ability was quite difficult to possess and that he had murdered the former bearer; that murder was, according to him, proof that he was able to use the power. This is why he mocked Shin’ichirō and his reasons for wanting the power, as Shin’ichirō only wanted to save his brother using the ability.

But how did this guy even come into the story? During a conversation in a bar in Tokyo, Shin’ichirō overhears some jokes about a homeless man who claims that he can travel through time. Shin’ichirō, knowing what he wanted to do, concluded that he might know where the homeless man could actually be, and then goes to him to ask him some questions. Time Leaper quips, laughing at Shin’ichirō’s wish to save Mikey, that he was forced to murder the previous possessor of the time-leaping ability in order to gain it, concluding that there was no chance he would give it to Shin’ichirō.

The Time Leaper refuses to provide Shin’ichirō with any additional details, as it becomes clear that he has gone mad from the power; he is completely bewitched by the power and firmly believes that he is the only one capable of using it. Shin’ichirō then charges the insane Time Leaper thinking only of saving Mikey, smacking him in the head and sending him to the ground. When Shin’ichirō strikes him, the Time Leaper laughs like a madman and realizes that the power had driven him completely mad. Out of retaliation, Shin’ichirō kills him and then steals the time-leaping ability from him.

Aside from this, not much is known about this mysterious character. How he used his powers is unknown and we only know that he killed his predecessor and thus, forcefully, inherited the powers. The circumstances of this murder are unknown, so we do not know whether he was aware of these powers and whether he even wanted them, or just got them by chance and then became mad after overusing them. These are all, sadly, questions that have been left unanswered.

Shin’ichirō Sano

Shin’ichirō Sano was the founder of the 1st generation of the Black Dragon and the older brother of Mikey, Emma, and Izana. His personality was similar to Takemichi’s and his fighting ability was weak, but he was proud of his great charisma. He was a highly respected person in the criminal world of Japan as the founder of the Black Dragon. He led the gang with a humble heart and was treated with remarkable respect, while also being a big brother to all three of his siblings.

Even years after his death, members of the following generations still hold him in high esteem. Along with other gangs, he enjoyed working on motorcycles and often tinkered in his garage. The garage where he worked became a refuge for his colleagues to relax. His most prized possession was his motorcycle, which Mikey inherited. He died on August 13, 2003.

Baji and Kazutora broke into Shin’ichirō’s bike shop to steal a motorcycle from Mikey, but while doing so, Shin’ichirō caught Baji red-handed. Not knowing who Shin’ichirō was, Kazutora rushed to save Baji by hitting the older man over the head with a wrench, killing him. Even after his death, people continued to appreciate him. Although he had already passed away before the events of the story, Shin’ichirō continues to have an influence on the motivations of several main characters.

Five years after his death, Mikey reveals to Takemichi that Shin’ichirō was also a time traveler. In that “original timeline”, after Mikey’s accident, Shin’ichirō studies Medicine to be able to take care of him, but Mikey dies four years later. Days later, together with Wakasa, he goes to a bar to drink, where he overhears a group talking about a “time traveler”. Shin’ichirō finds that time traveler who is nothing more than a homeless person, whom he asks how to return to the past.

The homeless man mockingly replies that he acquired power after killing someone, to which Shin’ichirō kills him by hitting him over the head several times with a metal tube. Later, he tries to go back to the past, but seeing that nothing happened, he is horrified because he committed murder. The next day (which was July 30, the same date Mikey suffered the accident) Shin’ichirō throws himself off a bridge despite Sanzu trying to stop him and surprisingly returns in time to the past (July 30, 1999), right at the moment when Mikey plays with his plane.

Thanks to this, he manages to prevent Mikey’s accident, the death of his grandfather, and Emma’s escape. Later he witnesses Mikey beating Sanzu for crashing the plane (when Senju was the culprit). He then talks to Mikey about what happened, to which Mikey replies that he acted unconsciously. After Mikey and Sanzu make up, Shin’ichirō asks Sanzu to stay friends with Mikey and they shake hands. At that moment, Shin’ichirō returns to the future, where he cries with happiness when he sees Mikey still alive, heading to the garage to repair his motorcycle.

Later, he meets Sanzu, who tells him the memories of what happened in the “original line”. Shin’ichirō explains what happened and the two decide to keep it a secret. He later meets a little Takemichi, being beaten by 3 children who wanted to hurt Hina. Seeing Shin’ichirō’s strength after scaring the children away, Takemichi asks how he can be strong like him to become a “hero”, to which Shin’ichirō takes his hand and gives him his “power”, telling him that he can use it to protect someone.

Back at the garage, he watches as Baji tries to steal his motorcycle and is hit by Kazutora with a wrench. In the last moments of his life, Shin’ichirō remembers what the drifter told him before he died that he “will be cursed” when he acquired the power to travel in time. In the new timeline, Shin’ichirō does not die, as he is seen giving Mikey a motorcycle for his birthday. Eleven years later, Shin’ichirō owns a motorcycle shop.

Takemichi Hanagaki

Takemichi Hanagaki is the captain of the first division of the Tokyo Manji, president of the 11th generation of the Black Dragons, a member of the Brahman, and founder of the 2nd generation of the Tokyo Manji Gang. Before the time jump, he was a part-time employee living in a dirty apartment and spending his days wasting time, but one day his ex-girlfriend from high school Hinata Tachibana and her brother was killed by a member of the Tokyo Manji.

His fighting ability used to be mediocre, and he was the weakest member of the Tokyo Manji, but as he returned to the past, he began to develop mental strength in order to save the future of his closest friends. He grows to the point where he can fight Taiju Shiba and Izana Kurokawa, and overwhelm Kiyomasa and Kisaki. In a flashback, it is revealed that it was Shinichiro who gave Takemichi the power to travel through time. After successfully preventing Hina’s death in the future, Takemichi is forced to return to the past to save Mikey who has fallen for the dark urges.

In the final confrontation with Mikey, Takemichi is apparently killed by him but travels back in time to 1998, where he sees Mikey again, who manages to recognize him, since he too traveled back in time. In the new timeline, Takemichi has become one of the founders of the Tokyo Manji Gang, where he assumes the role of substitute leader. Eleven years later, Takemichi marries Hina.