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Tokyo
was riding high on the tsunami of global economic supremacy
when the Bubble broke in ‘91. Then things fell apart. Hundred
billion yen building complexes were left half-finished, and
salarymen started having instant ramen for lunch as the slush-money
supplies dried up. And slowly, the hidden Japan began to emerge,
crawling in from the shadows on the outskirts of town. Biker
gangs and Chinese mafia; loansharks and slave-traders; Doomsday
cults, madmen and thieves.
Those were the days of the first All-Tokyo StreetWar — where
young gangs met and clashed and slid into ruin down streets
slick with their own blood. Then a single crew of unstoppable
riders appeared to put an end to the violence and bloodshed.
Through fair-handed dealings and iron-fisted fighting skills,
the Soul Crew gang blazed a path for the future of Tokyo’s young...
.... until, under circumstances still riddled with doubt and
accusations, the leader of the Soul Crew was viciously killed.
The tenuous balance of power was thrown out of whack, and every
street tribe with pride, dreams or ambition felt the shockwave
of his fall like a call to arms. The Second StreetWar was ignited.
At the height of the fighting, an ominously worded challenge
to the leaders of the toughest gangs appeared in graffiti scrawls
all over town:
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"Fellow
Citizens:
We have all grown tired of this bitter strife. And so
I now call on each of you in the name of peace and love.
You all know how useless and regrettable these recent
squabbles are, and how wasteful of the blood of the young.
I have a modest proposal to remedy this unfortunate situation:
I call for a fighting tournament solely between the chosen
leaders of each worthy gang a decisive battle that will
spare the limbs and lives of the young, while settling
the thorny question of which group has the power needed
to rule Tokyo.
I have already taken the liberty of arranging the arenas
of combat I will inform you of the exact dates and times
for each match in the near future. Of course, the fights
will be held in secrecy, and the results will not be made
public. This is a fight for honor, not fame; only the
particpants will know where they stand in regard to each
other when the fighting has ended.
A final word: I regret that under no circumstances can
a refusal to participate be accepted. In the event that
any of you do not attend, I will make arrangements to
have flowers sent to the funeral. I look forward to meeting
each of you at the appointed hour.
-
RED RUM"
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Several of the recipients of this very peculiar challenge shrugged
it off as a practical joke or thought it was a trap set by a
rival gang. But when members of their crews were found face-down
in Tokyo Bay, the truth of its warning became very clear. There
will be no RSVPs.
.And
so the latest battle for the streets of Tokyo begins in an atmosphere
of secrecy and mistrust. Who is the shadowy Red Rum? What is
the true purpose of this new tournament? Eight young fighters
set off into this vortex of mysteries, seeking answers, and
the right to call themselves worthy of the Last Bronx.
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