Sanwakai

The Sanwakai (三和会^?, lit. "Sanwa Gang") is a recurring yakuza crime syndicate led by Sabu that was first featured in Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun.

Appearances[]

Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun[]

The Sanwakai appear as the final opponents. In the Arcade version, the Sanwakai stabs Hiroshi and Kunio chases after them for revenge. Upon arriving outside of their office, Kunio will fight against some goons before entering and facing off against Sabu and more of his goons. In the Famicom version, Hiroshi is kidnapped by the Sanwakai at the beginning of the game and Kunio eventually reaches their office where he traverses through a maze of doors to reach Sabu.

Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka[]

With Sabu planning to get revenge on Kunio for his defeat in Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun, he adopts Ken to use him as a way to frame Kunio and Riki for a hit and run. While the two are later incarcerated, Sabu begins to use his influence to have the Sanwakai take control over Nekketsu and Hanazono High School with plans on taking over Shinjuku and Roppongi with the help of Shinji and his crew.

While Shinji warns the protagonists to not dig into Ken any further after he is defeated at his hideout, the group continues to get involved further after hearing from Takayama that Sabu was the mastermind behind Ken and the framing of the hit and run. Kinji would later order Lisa and Joe to kill Kunio if they see him arrive at his disco club in Roppongi. After Kinji is defeated, he states that Ken is currently at the pachinko parlor in Shinjuku. The group fights off some Sanwakai goons outside of the parlor and on the second floor before confronting Sabu and Ken for the first time. During the meeting, Sabu would shoot Misako and Kyōko before leaving and hiring Misuzu as a bodyguard right before he was getting ready to leave for his mansion. Takayama leads the boys to his mansion and leaves to get evidence for Sabu and Ken's arrest. Kunio and Riki face off against many Sanwakai goons in the area before eventually having to get through Misuzu and Ken. After Ken is defeated, Sabu activates the mansion's self destruction device and fights against Kunio and Riki.

Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Special[]

River City: Tokyo Rumble[]

Following Sabu's defeat in Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun Special, Sabu would enlist the help of his brother Lee and the two would mastermind a plan together for taking control over Tokyo by using the Kanto Lion Alliance as a front. Sabu would later have the Sanwakai kidnap Kunio's teacher Madoka and reveal his involvement to him after he shot Shishiō following his defeat to the protagonists in Shinagawa. Sabu and Lee lead the group to Hong Kong where they are then defeated.

River City Girls[]

In this continuity, Sabu is currently incarcerated with his daughter Sabuko acting as the Sanwakai's Chairwoman in his absence.

Misako and Kyoko storm the Sanwakai Tower after being pointed towards the Sanwakai by Noize as a possible location where Kunio and Riki may have been taken. On the top floor of the building, Sabuko makes it clear that the Sanwakai had no involvement in Kunio and Riki's disappearance and fights the girls for defeating so much of their men. Upon being defeated, Sabuko is kicked outside of the window.

River City Girls 2[]

Following Sabuko's defeat in River City Girls, she gets ready to strike Misako and Kyoko with her katana immediately after her fall upon spotting them on the street, though is stopped by Ken as he picks her up and explains that he's been watching her the entire time as he takes her to see Sabu in prison. At the prison, Sabu expresses his disappointment in Sabuko for failing him and breaks out to resume operations at the Sanwakai. Sabu would take control over the entirety of River City in a flash as retaliation and instead move Ken into his second-in-command where he would then decide to contract Blaire, Tsuiko and Primo and have the protagonists expelled from River City High. Following their expulsion, the Sanwakai would pay students to keep watch over Kyoko's house to ensure the group never comes outside again.

Months later the protagonists would finally leave the house in order to get themselves a copy of the Vampire Punchers sequel, though would coincidentally run into Ken again at the movie theatre and fight against him. After Ken's defeat, Sabuko anonymously hands a letter to the girls requesting help in taking down Sabu, though in reality she only planned on using the girls to shame Ken and earn back her father's respect. The protagonists then gradually fight their way through the city defeating Sabu's subordinates and taking away the Sanwakai's control over the respective areas. Upon defeating Primo in Ocean Heights, he reveals to the girls that they'll need a fourth emblem from Ken in order to get into the Sanwakai Tower.

After Ken's defeat at River City High, Sabuko reveals to the protagonists her true intentions and has her men strap bombs to their friends in order to ensure that they don't follow her or go near the Sanwakai again. Outside of the Sanwakai Tower, Sabuko is seen pointing a katana towards Ken and taunts him the same way he did to her before grabbing his hand to get themselves on a helicopter in order to get away. The protagonists successfully damage the helicopter and have Sabuko and Ken leave the scene to wait for their father to finish dealing with the group. In the underground of the tower, Sabu is seen waiting for the protagonists and is eventually given a serum that greatly increases his strength. Sabu will attempt to fight the group after he is reached, though he is ultimately defeated and gets punched through the roof by the protagonists.