Yakuza

The Yakuza function as a transnational network of crime families whose roots trace back to Japan. Comparable to a Mafia, they hold themselves to a strict internal code, carve out territory into governed fiefdoms, and earn their money through unlawful dealings. One of their more lucrative schemes involves recruiting people with no other options and turning them into Devil hunters who do the dangerous work for the organization.

The syndicate first enters Denji's life through inherited debt. After his father died owing them a staggering sum for reasons never explained, the obligation fell onto Denji, who was forced to repay it by slaying Devils. One branch eventually signed a pact with the Zombie Devil, but the arrangement collapsed when Denji slaughtered the entire group in retaliation for their treachery. Their conflict with him did not end there.

Seeking payback for the death of his grandfather, a Yakuza handler killed by Denji, Katana Man launched a campaign against the organization's enemies. Backed by Akane Sawatari, he assaulted Tokyo Special Division 4 and cut down numerous officers before he was subdued and Sawatari perished. His capture left his grandfather's branch in ruins. Long after Makima's grip on him was broken, Katana Man briefly cooperated with Public Safety, hoping they would help him rebuild the syndicate, only to abandon them once he allied with Asa Mitaka's faction to face Chainsaw Man inside the Tokyo Devil Detention Center.

The branch tied most closely to Denji's story was led by Katana Man's unnamed grandfather, a handler who oversaw debtors and ran his own syndicate before being killed. Katana Man, the grandfather's heir, stands as the faction's most prominent figure, though he later parts ways with it. Akane Sawatari operated alongside them as an associate and died during the war against Public Safety. The group also keeps connections to Denji's father, Denji himself, who was pressed into service, and in an altered timeline where Pochita never existed, a betrayed Denji watches the Yakuza get wiped out by Power during her rampage. Notably, even these criminals concede that the syndicates running the Soviet Union and China make them seem like angels by comparison.