Donketsu ドンケツ

Donketsu Review (Rating: 4/5)

Overview

Donketsu is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tashi, serialized in Young King magazine from 2011.
Set in the gritty streets of Kyushu, it dives deep into Japan’s underworld, depicting the hierarchy, loyalty, and decay of modern yakuza organizations. The series later continued with Donketsu: Second Chapter and a few spin-offs.
Although there is no English Wikipedia entry at the moment, readers can refer to the Japanese Wikipedia page for detailed information.

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Synopsis

The story follows Masatoshi Sawada, better known as Rokemasa, a legendary thug once infamous for firing a rocket launcher at a rival gang’s office twenty years ago.
Now, he’s just another small-time member in the Kogetsu-gumi, a branch of the powerful Gachirin-kai syndicate. In yakuza slang, a “donketsu” means someone at the very bottom of the hierarchy—a man with no future and no promotion ahead.
Rokemasa lives from one fight to another, scraping by with intimidation and petty violence. But when he encounters Tatsuo, a young delinquent who looks up to him, his stagnant life begins to shift. Through their uneasy bond, the manga explores what it means to survive in a world where loyalty, power, and money constantly collide.

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Characters

Rokemasa (Masatoshi Sawada)
The protagonist and a veteran gangster known for his wild temper and unmatched toughness. Though feared by others, he’s not simply a brute. Beneath the violence lies a man bound by a crude sense of pride and a faded sense of “honor” that no longer fits the modern world.

Tatsuo
A young street punk who idolizes Rokemasa. His reckless admiration and raw energy contrast with Rokemasa’s weariness. Through their relationship, the manga examines how ideals, loyalty, and disillusionment evolve between generations of outlaws.

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Story Development

At first glance, Donketsu reads like a typical yakuza comic — full of street brawls, gang wars, and scheming bosses. But as the story progresses, it becomes something more human.
The tension between the old yakuza code of “ninkyo” (chivalry and brotherhood) and the new era driven purely by money gives the story its emotional depth. Rokemasa, who lives by outdated principles, often finds himself at odds with a society that no longer values them.
The plot weaves through turf wars, betrayals, and quiet moments of reflection, showing that in the modern underworld, the biggest battle is not against rival gangs, but against one’s own obsolescence.
The pace is rough and grounded — you can almost smell the cigarettes, sweat, and blood in every scene.

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Notable Features of the Manga

• Realistic depiction of yakuza life
  The manga’s strength lies in its raw portrayal of the lower layers of the underworld. It doesn’t glamorize the yakuza; instead, it shows their everyday grind — the boredom, the debts, the fading power.

• Balance of brutality and humanity
  Tashi’s art style is coarse and bold, matching the rough personalities of his characters. Yet between the violence, there are oddly tender or humorous moments that reveal their humanity.

• A perspective from the bottom
  Unlike many gangster stories that focus on the bosses or strategists, Donketsu stays with the men at the bottom — the “donketsu” themselves. This gives the series a rare authenticity and a tragic realism.

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My Impression

Donketsu impressed me with its ability to make the yakuza world feel both realistic and entertaining.
Traditionally, older yakuza manga and films glorified “ninkyo” — the old codes of honor and brotherhood — while modern works often dismiss them as outdated, emphasizing money and power instead.
This manga stands at the crossroads of both eras. By making Rokemasa a unique, in-between figure — not entirely a noble outlaw, but not just a cynical survivor either — Tashi successfully bridges those two tones. It feels nostalgic and contemporary at the same time.

Yakuza culture itself is quite different from the Western idea of the mafia. It has rituals, symbols, and hierarchies that are deeply Japanese — the sake-sharing ceremony (sakazuki), the emphasis on “giri” (duty) and “ninjo” (emotion).
That’s why Donketsu could be fascinating for international readers as well. It provides an authentic look into a culture of organized crime that reflects Japan’s unique sense of loyalty and pride, even in its decay.
Foreign readers might enjoy comparing it to their own country’s underworld — seeing where codes of honor, greed, and survival overlap, and where they diverge completely.

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Conclusion

Donketsu is more than just a violent yakuza story — it’s a portrait of men left behind by time.
Through Rokemasa’s rough existence and his bond with Tatsuo, the manga portrays a world where the old ideals of brotherhood clash with the cold logic of the modern age.
It’s messy, harsh, and sometimes absurdly funny — just like real life on society’s edge.
For readers interested in Japan’s darker side, or those curious about how “honor among thieves” survives (or doesn’t) in a changing world, Donketsu is absolutely worth reading.