Teenage manga gangs influenced by Japanese comics are being arrested across Russia

The Kremlin has accused a youth subculture born out of a Japanese manga series of trying to destabilize Russian society after a spate of mass brawls.

Last weekend, more than 450 teenagers – believed to be members of the “movement” PMC Ryodan, made up of fans of the Hunter x Hunter manga comics – were arrested in Russia after fighting broke out in shopping malls across the country.

Despite its origins in teenage fiction, senior Russian officials – as well as ordinary citizens – have cracked down on the group, saying it was set up by Moscow’s western enemies to sow discord across the country.

After the brawls, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, said his office had “paid attention” to the group.

Vasily Piskarev, chairman of the Russian parliament’s security committee, said the group’s only goal was “destabilization.” […] through our youth’. Others said the arrested teenagers should be sent to the front lines in Ukraine.

The Kremlin has accused a youth subculture born out of a Japanese manga series of trying to destabilize Russian society after a spate of mass brawls. Pictured: Teenagers are seen in Russia wearing black hoodies with a spider in it, a nod to the Hunter x Hunter manga comics

Despite its origins in teenage fiction, senior Russian officials – as well as ordinary citizens – have spoken out against the teenagers, saying the movement was created by Moscow’s western enemies to sow discord across the country

The Ryodan teenagers, who are generally between 14 and 15 years old according to The Times, are inspired by the comic series, which tells the story of a boy who sets out on a quest to join the elite “Hunters” group.

The comics were also adapted into an anime TV show in 2011.

Specifically, the teens stylize themselves after the fictional shadowy troupe in the series called “Phantom Troupe” (Ryodan means “the Troupe” in Japanese), also known as the Spider. In the series, its members are tattooed with a black spider and their respective number within the organization.

The PMC Ryodan teenagers wear black hoodies with the same spider with the number four on the back and long black hair and plaid pants.

They were reportedly involved in fights across the country, with authorities cracking down on what Peskov described as a “pseudo-subculture.”

But despite their growing reputation across Russia – fueled by politicians and media coverage with headlines like “How to find out a child has ended up in PMC Redan: Instructions for parents” – the teenagers seem to be the target.

While “PMC” in PMC Ryodan stands for Private Military Company (like PMC Wagner), social media posts by members of the group suggest it was adopted “for fun”.

Other users suggest the name was given to the teenagers after unexpectedly fending off larger groups of older thugs.

In recent weeks, the PMC Ryodan group has quickly become the butt of hate and has been gripped by national hysteria.

However, there is little evidence that the group has any political ambitions. Rather, its members seem to just want the freedom to dress however they want.

Footage posted by malls on social media showed the youths being attacked by older thugs in tracksuits calling themselves “Anti-Ryodan” to hunt the teens down.

These counter-groups have quickly mobilized into violent mobs, sharing videos online of themselves attacking anyone they suspect of being “ryodan.”

While some of the fights resemble school canteen fights rather than street battles between rival gangs, some clips have shown the teenagers being threatened with knives and broken bottles, and their hair violently cut with a blade.

Pictured: Fights break out between members of the PMC-Ryodan group and anti-Ryodan thugs in a shopping mall in Russia

Footage posted by malls on social media showed the youths being attacked by older thugs in tracksuits who call themselves “Anti-Ryodan.” Pictured: A group of anti-Ryodan thugs pose for a photo

Anti-Ryodan Telegram groups often share memes (example shown) depicting violence, which portray thugs in tracksuits as heroes fighting an ideology. The memes also show similarities to white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ groups

Investigative news outlet Bellingcat, which accessed some of the anti-Ryodan Telegram channels, reported finding videos of Ryodan teenagers being beaten in mall bathrooms or in the woods.

In some cases, the teenagers were said to have been pointed at them with guns when they were beaten.

Several of the anti-Ryodan members met at a shopping center in St. Petersburg on February 25. Fighting broke out, videos showed teenagers being chased down escalators and police eventually closed the Gallery mall.

According to Bellingcat, more than 200 young people were arrested in total.

Elsewhere, hundreds of the schoolchildren allegedly belonging to the group were arrested by officers on Wednesday in Kurgan, a region in central Russia.

Regional governor Vadim Shumkov called them “mummy revolutionaries” and suggested sending them to war against Putin in Ukraine.

In Khabarovsk, a city in Russia’s Far East, elite officers in bulletproof vests rounded up dozens of other PMC Ryodan “members”.

The perpetrators are reportedly Russian football hooligans and other “patriotic” youth known as “Ofniki”.

On Ryodan’s social media channels, these men are usually portrayed wearing Adidas tracksuits. One post in a group called them “bald motherf******s wearing Adidas”.

Anti-Ryodan Telegram groups often share memes depicting extreme violence, portraying the tracksuit-wearing thugs as heroes fighting an ideology. The memes also show similarities to white supremacist and anti-LGBTQ groups.

While Russia is publicly cracking down on the Ryodan teenagers, they have also faced cross-border backlash in Ukraine.

Left: An image from the Hunter X Hunter manga series. Specifically, the teens stylize themselves after the fictional shadowy troupe in the series called “Phantom Troupe” (pictured right) (ryodan means “the troupe” in Japanese), also known as the Spider. In the series, its members are tattooed with a black spider and their respective number within the organization

Left image: A spider with the number Four on its back in the same style from the Hunter x Hunter series. Right: A person with the same spider tattooed on their back

Members of the group reportedly gathered in Kiev, Odessa and Dnipro and were confronted by police.

Since the Putin invasion last year, Ukraine has been under martial law, meaning large gatherings can be restricted by authorities.

The Kiev police called the group an instrument of “Russian propagandists” aimed at “destabilizing the internal situation in Ukraine”.

In Minsk, Belarus, 200 young people were also arrested there.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk