Since the Tokyo Revengers manga began, fans have been wondering why someone would have pushed our protagonist in front of a train. The series began with Takemichi traveling back to the past after supposedly dying in his original timeline. Many theories about this have been shared throughout the years that the manga has been in print.
Nonetheless, in Tokyo Revengers chapter 273, Ken Wakui gave us the reason why someone would attempt to kill Takemichi in chapter one. The issue began after his fateful encounter with Shinichiro. This brief meeting is what would define the future of our protagonist, due to the gift that the older Sano brother gave him. Keep reading to learn more about the topic.
Takemichi was pushed to awaken his time-leaping abilities in Tokyo Revengers
During Tokyo Revengers chapter 273, fans saw Shinichiro struggle with the idea of keeping his time-leaping powers after saving Mikey. While the young man was ecstatic that his wish was made true, having killed someone to obtain it did not sit well with him. That is why, when he saw a brave small boy who deserved the power, he gave it to him without a second thought.
The boy turned out to be none other than our hero, Takemichi, who met Mikey’s brother without even realizing it. The protagonist spent years without understanding what Shinichiro had gifted him and went as far as to forget their encounter. However, the people with whom Shinichiro shared his time-traveling adventures with did not.
When Shinichiro died, there was no one left to save Mikey from the Dark Impulses that were awakened when the canon timeline was created. They seemingly decided to search for the time-leaper Shinichiro told them about before his death.
When he told his friends about his time-leaping adventures, Shinichiro must have also explained how he acquired the powers and how he awoke them. In Tokyo Revengers chapter 271, it was revealed that the oldest Sano encountered the original time-leaper. The old man told him that he needed to kill in order to obtain the time-leaping power.
Shinichiro was desperate at the time and did so, but he did not time travel after killing the man. It was not until he tried to end his life by jumping off a bridge that his powers manifested. Instead of dying, the young man woke up in the canon timeline of the series. This confirms that the only way for him to activate his time-travel abilities is by experiencing death.
To force Takemichi to activate his powers, he needed to die somehow in the first timeline of Tokyo Revengers. As such, one of the people whom Shinichiro told his secret must have tried to force Takemichi to awaken the power. Their plans have worked since Takemichi became like a surrogate brother to Mikey. From that point on, the boy has been trying to save Manjiro.
Were they trying to get Takemichi’s power?
Another popular theory amongst the Tokyo Revengers fandom is that the person who pushed Takemichi must have done so to acquire the power. Shinichiro had to kill the old man to obtain the power that he wanted in the original timeline, so it stands to reason that killing is the way to obtain the ability. However, this is not true, and Shinichiro’s closest friends are aware of this fact.
In chapter 273, Shinichiro gave Takemichi his time-leaping powers by simply shaking hands with the boy. There was no death, no violence, only a simple handshake and the desire to pass the power along. This small moment confirms that the ability to time-leap needs to be granted willingly, as people will not obtain it by simply killing its users.
Whoever tried to kill Takemichi must have been aware of this fact, as Shinichiro made it very clear in the story that he understood how the powers worked. They were not trying to forcefully take the powers from our protagonist, but rather allowing him to access his time-leaping abilities.
Who is responsible for Takemichi’s murder attempt
While this has not been revealed in the manga, many fans theorize that the person who pushed Takemichi must have been one of Shinichiro’s close friends. Wakasa, Benkei, and Takeomi are some of the only people who were aware of the Black Dragon leader giving his power away. One of them could have pushed Takemichi to force him to go back in time.
Another possibility is Haruchiyo, who used to be Shinichiro’s trigger. As a trigger, Sanzu remembers everything about the original timeline of the series. This means that he remembers Mikey falling down the stairs and dying months later. He wants to prevent this future at all costs, as proven by his desperation every time Manjiro is in danger.
Final thoughts
Tokyo Revengers chapter 273 may be one of Ken Wakui’s most informative and well-thought-out entries in his manga. In just a couple of panels, the manga creator gave fans the answers to many of the mysteries that have been bothering the fandom for months.
Without even having to explicitly say it, he also revealed why someone would be interested in pushing Takemichi in front of a train. The who and why is yet to be revealed in the Tokyo Revengers manga, but it is fair to assume that this will be revealed soon.
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