The yakuza Japan's traditional gangsters are famous especially outside Japan where the
country's criminal underworld ranks next to sushi or Godzilla when it comes to their respective
fame and popularity. However in popular media the images of the Japanese gangster vary
ranging from chivalrous Robin Hood-like characters to violent mobsters without honor and
dignity. The present volume addresses these differences i.e. the way yakuza are presented in
Japanese and Western popular media. Films and autobiographical novels inspired by historical
events or personal experiences but also by existent and sometimes even expected stereotypes
therefore often already represent a specific image of the Japanese mafia that is more like an
artificial construct than actual reality. The contributions in this book consequently intend to
discuss the images of the Japanese yakuza in popular media to offer a first insight into a very
important yet so far understudied topic related to the history of and existent narratives
within Japan's popular culture.
