Based on situations, the authority usually goes to the ones who can establish the most dominance in a setting above the others. Well, in this world, everyone’s hypercharged with abilities and intensified feelings, be it justice or hatred.

Of course, the mafia thinks they’re in charge. But of course, the police also thinks that they are in charge. Well alright then. We can just take a look into the history of either side, and it is your pick to see who has the upperhand.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

(actual screen cap from police website. lol good job)

Prides itself in upholding justice. Even has helplines for if you’re caught in an earthquake while driving. So prepared huh? Well they have gained the reputation over the years for being the good-doers. Has the respect of the general population because they really don’t cause any trouble at all, unless they’re in pursuit of a suspect (likely that of the mafia). As what the youth would say – ‘shit gets real’. They have tankards and machine guns and policemen with the ability to freeze suspects in pursuit. They also have men who can shoot laser out of their eyes under the ‘Special Taskforce of Japan’. They are only employed when there is a dire need for such destructive power.

With such strengths that the normal folks of Japan wouldn’t have, the peace is Tokyo is usually kept at quite a moderate level. Ruled over by fear and belief in the government – people seem to listen quite well to the police force.

Then again, the mafia is rampant in Japan at this time – and they are clearly smart enough to wreck havoc and evoke terror subtly. Beyond the smiling faces of the working class strolling through the streets of Japan, a sense of fear seems to be present in their gaze. The Yakuza has its reigns over the population using forms of extortion, threats to sell their women into the prostitution ring or to casually just leave their loved ones’ heads at their front door like that of a grotesque ornament. They don’t even have to sign their name, but their acts of terror just screams ‘Yakuza’.

I would say that they have authority over the people by invoking fear, whereas the police force has authority more on a superficial level.

The mafia has an edge over the police force though. The oyabun merely has a thought in his brain and then orders his kobun to settle it. It’s quite smart too, that the kobuns would usually outsource to their other men to do their dirty work. Those men would usually be the most banal of choices – a clerk at a media company, the telemarketer down the street, or even the banker from the local bank who smiles and says “have a nice day!” to every customer he sees. In this way, it’s hard for the police to actually have anything to nail the Yakuza down for their crimes – especially since these men are paid off heftily or threatened to have their entire family killed for their debts for whatever reason. It’s tragic, but to the Yakuza? It’s just business. No hard feelings.

In some twisted sense, there’s a symbiosis between the police and the Yakuza. But with recent pressure put down on nailing the mafia, the lines have been blurred even further and things have gotten dicey. Who will gain the upperhand? We’ll see. The collusion between mafias would be a really bad omen for the people of Japan.