Warning: Spoilers for the relationship between Mikey and Izana in the past, and the Sano/Kurokawa family’s backstory in the manga
Tokyo Revengers season 3 has put the pedal to the metal like never before. For every question that’s answered new ones take their place, and the narrative gives no space or time for respite for either the protagonist Takemichi Hanagaki or the viewers. Now the latest episode has delivered a plot twist that may be the foundation for this arc’s whole conflict.
In season 3, episode 3, we finally find out the reason why Izana Kurokawa sees, at least in the current past timeline, Manjiro Sano, or Mikey as he’s better known, as someone to take down. It stems from envy, from Izana’s desire to have experienced what Mikey had: a family.
Deprived of a family
Mikey, Draken, and Takemitchy have now learned from Emma Sano that Izana is her older brother. By extension, this makes him Mikey’s older brother, and the late Shinichiro’s younger sibling (the only one he regularly communicated with). That being said, what episode 3 does not reveal yet is that Izana does not actually share the same blood with the Sanos.
The Sano family tree is one of the most complicated in the series. Emma is half-sister to Mikey and Shinichiro and they share a father in Makoto Sano. Emma’s mother is Karen Kurokawa, who was also Izana’s up until the point that she callously decided to put him up for adoption as he’s the result of her ex-husband’s affair.
This betrayal, combined with jealousy of Mikey, twisted Izana’s personality into the cold-blooded one we are introduced to. When reading Izana’s letter to Shinichiro in episode 3, it becomes clear that the Tenjiku leader grew to loathe the Tokyo Manji founder for his blissful family life. With Kisaki Tetta whispering in his ear, it becomes understandable how Izana could become fixated on crushing the adoptive younger brother he never got to truly know.
Tune in to the rest of Tokyo Revengers season 3, with episodes dropping each Tuesday, to see how this deep-seated family feud plays out in the Kanto Incident.
