Mikey’s Death in Tokyo Revengers, Explained

The Tokyo Revengers storyline has seen tons of unexpected twists and turns, especially considering that this universe involves time travel as well. Since fans have been thrown back and forth between the past, present, and future, many still have burning questions surrounding Mikey’s death in Tokyo Revengers.

Mikey dies numerous times throughout the Tokyo Revengers storyline, including mysterious accidents, deaths under odd circumstances, forcing others to kill him, and even attempting to take his own life. However, Takemichi always tried to save Mikey, and it seems that he manages to return to the past to prevent Mikey’s tragic fate after Mikey’s future self finally asks for help.

Although Mikey has technically died several times throughout the course of the series, he is actually still alive thanks to the actions of his time-traveling ally. Stick around to find out everything there is to know about Mikey’s most notable deaths in Tokyo Revengers, as well as how exactly he survived.

What Happened to Mikey in Tokyo Revengers?

Formally referred to as Manjiro “Mikey” Sano, Mikey started off being happy and carefree, with a loveable personality. He is the younger brother of Shinichiro Sano and half-brother of Emma Sano, and he took the role of the main deuteragonist in Tokyo Revengers – although, he would ultimately turn into the main Tokyo Revengers antagonist.

The cause for Mikey turning dark has had many Tokyo Revengers fans confused for quite some time, and it also directly affects his fate. He begins having “dark urges” that he cannot control – and most fans believed that this was due to pain, suffering, and mental illness.

However, it is later revealed that Mikey really only turned dark as the result of a curse, likely worsened by his inner turmoil. It’s revealed that he was consumed by a curse to Shinichiro for killing an old man for his time-leaping abilities, which led to Mikey being the indirect cause of his loved ones’ deaths.

Mikey was very much aware of his state, although he felt he could not control it or his own actions. He also felt a deep sense of guilt and remorse merely for existing, as he believed that he could not control his surroundings and only made things worse by being alive – which had a huge impact on his fate.

Did Mikey Die in Tokyo Revengers?

Mikey has always been seen as the one with the most unfortunate fate, and he actually dies numerous times throughout the Tokyo Revengers storyline. He has suffered due to accidents leading to him being comatose (alive but suffering severe brain damage), died due to gunshot wounds, and much more, including notable instances where he forces his own death.

Naoto Shoots Mikey

The most notable death of Mikey involves him begging Takemichi Hanagaki to shoot him in the head after revealing that Mikey had killed all those people, forcing Hanagaki to hold up a gun to Mikey’s head. However, Hanagaki refuses to kill Mikey, after which Mikey holds a gun to Hanagaki’s head – creating a situation where Hanagaki must kill Mikey or be killed.

Naoto appears and thinks that Mikey is simply trying to kill Hanagaki, after which Naoto shoots Mikey. It’s then revealed that Mikey still had his safety on, meaning he was never intending to shoot Hanagaki, and Mikey thanks Naoto for killing him, as he knew that Hanagaki would never have shot him.

In Mikey’s final breaths, he told Hanagaki that his life was suffering, and he did not want to live like this anymore. Hanagaki vowed that he would do anything to change Mikey’s fate, which ultimately led to a string of back-and-forth events jumping between the past and future.

Mikey Jumps off a Building

After some time, Hanagaki manages to complete his mission of saving Hinata, after which he returns to the future and Mikey is still alive. However, Mikey is a completely different person – seemingly turned dark, now the leader of the most dangerous criminal ring in Japan.

He shoots Hanagaki several times on a rooftop without mercy, shortly before leaping off the top of the building. Hanagaki still managed to catch him, and they have a short conversation where Mikey finally asks Hanagaki for help, and Hanagaki promises to save him at any cost.

Right before both Hanagaki and Mikey die, Hanagaki opens his eyes to see that he is back in the past. He realizes that he has regained his time-traveling abilities due to his new mission to save Mikey.

Is Mikey Still Alive in Tokyo Revengers?

After Hanagaki returns back to the past, it’s shown that Mikey is still alive in the past. Coupled by Hanagaki now having his time leaping abilities back, this means that Mikey could very well be saved after a future self finally reached out for help – hopefully, his dark and unfortunate fate can finally be prevented.

For more details on the twists and turns throughout Mikey’s life, and how he ended up surviving, check out the video below thanks to Serious Spark.

It seems that Mikey is alive and well by the end of the Tokyo Revengers storyline, although it certainly comes with tons of struggle and hardship for Hanagaki. Hanagaki realizes that he needs to head further back in time in order to save Mikey, as traveling through numerous timelines still failed.

The final arc in Tokyo Revengers sees Hanagaki confront Mikey directly, although Mikey ends up stabbing Hanagaki in their fight, nearly killing him due to losing it under a Karmic curse. Both Hanagaki and Mikey are transported back in time to when they were children just before Hanagaki dies.

Quite a few fans believe that both Hanagaki and Mikey are at least partially aware of past timelines as well as the tragic events that would unfold as they age. Due to this change of scenario, Mikey and Hanagaki work together in order to save themselves as well as their lost friends, preventing the tragic fates of everyone in the process.

Mikey and Takemichi: A Happy Ending

After ensuring everyone’s safety, Hangaki and Mikey permanently disband the Tokyo Manji Gang. In Tokyo Revengers Chapter 278, titled “Revengers”, they are shown several years later at Takemichi Hanagaki and Hinata’s wedding – as seen below thanks to SKAnime.

Of course, there are a few inconsistencies and unanswered questions, all of which could be explained by simply filling in the gaps using vague time-traveling rules. However, many of the darkest and most notable moments throughout the storyline seem to have simply been discarded.

While many fans weren’t satisfied with the controversial ending of Tokyo Revengers, these inconsistencies definitely didn’t stop the teary-eyed smiles from forming on happy fans’ faces. It’s also shown that at least some of the characters are at least partially aware of the events that occurred in the other timelines, as Chifuyu states that Takemichi Hanagaki has really gone through a lot of trouble to make sure that everyone is alive, safe, and happy.

Mikey is shown to be carefree and happy – finally completely free from the darkness and curses that drove him to madness and death in other timelines, as he celebrates Takemichi’s wedding along with their lifelong friends. Everyone appears to be happy, with relatively normal, safe, and stable occupations, and the closing scene sees Hinata tossing her wedding bouquet into the air – an unexpected yet incredibly heartwarming and wholesome end.

While Mikey has danced on the line between a broken protagonist and antagonist for quite some time, he still seems to be a fan-favorite with a dark and painful burden – which he has tried to escape by even forcing his own death. However, it appears that his future may have been changed for good once and for all. Hopefully, he will remain alive and stable, maintaining his childlike and loveable character.