The Takazumi-gumi (Yakuza)
The Yakuza are relative newcomers to the underworld of Emerald City, coming to power in the early 1990’s. In that time, they have made a significant impact on the criminal scene, with the Takazumi-gumi becoming the most influential Yakuza clan in the city. Headquartered in Little Osaka, the clan has spread its influence throughout the city’s legal and illegal enterprises, making it a dangerous force to contend with.
The gumi (clan) is operated in a very traditional Japanese manner, following a strict hierarchy of family and houses, with a vertical relationship where a foster son owes complete allegiance to a foster father. Members of the gumi cut ties with their families and transfer their loyalties to the bosses directly above them, creating a ‘father’—‘elder brother’—‘younger brother’ relationship. The syndicate is operated almost exclusively by men, though occasionally women are permitted to join and are most often referred to as ‘older sister.’
The Takazumi-gumi’s head, or Oyabun, is the villain known as the Steel Shogun, a powerful and dangerous supervillian in his own right. He gives the impression of being a benevolent family head to those below him, even appearing to be quite forgiving of those who make blunders or wrong him, though they quickly come to a grisly end at the hands of other members of the clan. The Steel Shogun is directly assisted by his son and So-Honbucho (headquarters chief), Takazumi Ryu, on one hand, and his daughter, Takazumi Tomiko on the other, who acts as his unofficial advisor due to her precognitive powers.
Directly below the Steel Shogun are his senior advisors, who primarily perform all the organizational duties required for the smooth operation of the gumi. They are also in charge of their own turfs in other areas of the city and perform services for their own advisors, accountants, and enforcers. On the same level as the senior advisors are the first and second lieutenants who directly oversee the street gangs and foot soldiers of the gumi.
The Takazumi-gumi is deeply involved in a number of illegal activities, but focus primarily on gambling, money laundering, loan sharking, pornography, prostitution, and smuggling (including drugs, weapons, and people).
They also participate in a unique form of protection racket which is aimed at large corporations. The clan purchases a small amount of stock, which allows them to attend stockholders meetings where their very presence frightens the other stockholders. The companies are encouraged to pay a fee to keep the Yakuza away. In a similar fashion they obtain incriminating or embarrassing information about a company’s practices or leaders with the intention of blackmail. Once they gain a foothold in these companies though, they work to protect the company from having such scandals exposed to the public.
As a matter of principle, theft is not recognized as a legitimate activity by the Takazumi-gumi. This is in line with their idea that their activities are semi-open and in fact serve to protect the Japanese community; theft by definition would be a covert activity considered a trespass upon the on the people they are ‘protecting.’
Unlike many of the other criminal syndicates in the city, Takazumi-gumi is more than happy to enter into alliances with gangs of other races, primarily with those of Vietnamese or Korean origin. The Steel Shogun is also interested in forming an alliance with the Golden Dragon Society, but since the death of the Dragoneye, discussions have slowed.
Along with their criminal endeavors, the clan is also involved in many legal ventures, some of which are quite large. Nearly all of the brothels, cinemas, and gambling establishments are owned and/or controlled by the Yakuza, as well as many of the Japanese restaurants and travel agencies. Furthermore, the gumi usually does not conduct any actual business operations directly; rather they are typically managed by non-Takazumi members who pay the gumi a fee.
The Takazumi-gumi has been trying to infiltrate Emerald City’s government and police force for more than a decade, but have so far been unsuccessful. Any attempt to corrupt the police has led to those involved being exposed by the ECPD’s internal investigation unit. The clan has gained a foothold in city government, primarily in lower-level administrative positions, but so far nothing with any real power or access to damaging information.
They hope these operatives will eventually find evidence of wrongdoing that will allow them to begin blackmailing certain key council figures.
The headquarters of the Takazumi-gumi is the top two levels of the 65-floor Harada Tower, one of the many soaring skyscrapers in the busy Downtown district. The penthouse apartment is the personal living quarters of the Steel Shogun, which he shares with both his children and a close personal staff of retainers. The penthouse can only be accessed through a private elevator equipped with retina and fingerprint recognition systems. The apartment is decorated in traditional Japanese style, with rooms separated by paper screens, polished wooden floors, and any evidence of high technology hidden from casual observation until needed. On the roof there is a helipad, private swimming pool, and small Japanese garden. The penthouse is protected by seven guards at all times: two attending the Shogun directly, one each for Ryu and Tomiko, one guarding the roof access, and two guarding the elevator foyer.
The floor immediately below the penthouse is the operational headquarters for the clan. Here are the clan’s powerful computer systems, a large meeting room, a number of private offices, and a small arsenal for the use of the ten guards that patrol the area. Access to this floor is by security pass only, while the foyer is monitored by a security guard and a closed-circuit video system. The rest of Harada Tower is dedicated to various business concerns and offices, as well as lawyers, private medical specialists, brokers and accountants, many of whom owe some allegiance to the Takazumi-gumi.
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