In movies, comic books, video games and 80s videos, all street gangs are assembled around a loose theme--like rollerblading, ancient Vikings, or love of classic opera. And they're all either constantly brawling in the streets after kidnapping somebodys girlfriend, or else dancing in them to help save the neighborhood rec center from an evil real estate agent. Yes, in pop culture gangs are colorful, memorable, goofy and kind of awesome. But reality, as it is so often, is a buzzkill. Real gangs are not quirky or thematic at all; theyre usually just poverty stricken youths with access to guns and a poor concept of the importance of life. Notice I said "usually," and not "always." Some gangs saw shit like the Baseball Furies and the Mad Gear Gang and said: "Fuck it. We can top that."

5 Sukeban: Japanese Schoolgirl Gangs

When you hear the words "schoolgirl gang," your mind likely reels off half-remembered scenes from the kind of Cinemax movies they can only show at two in the morning, but they are very real. In Japan theyre called Sukeban and theyre just like everything else in that country: adorable, confusing and potentially lethal. Sukeban gang "colors" were always some variation of the sailor-style school uniform--usually modified with patches, stencils and lengthened skirts--and they often sported cartoonishly bright dyed hair and colored socks. Doesn't sound like Anime yet? Many reports even state that their weapon of choice was... the Yo-Yo. They couldn't be more stereotypical Anime characters if one of them was a robot and the whole thing took place on a spaceship. But then, if the Sukeban were an Anime, there'd probably be thousands of them and the whole thing would be plagued with outlandish ultra-violence... which it totally was!

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

"So long as basic logic works in this country, this is a non-threatening sight."- Last Words of Unfortunate Tourist

As for the ultra-violence: Minor slights against your Sukeban were punished with cigarette burns and beatings, while major trespasses were dealt with by lynching. Lynching. The Klan phased that shit out for being too hardcore, and even their slap on the wrist was a cigarette to the face. And as for numbers: The largest Sukeban was the Kanto Women Delinquent Alliance; they were 20,000 members strong. That's not even remotely believable; a mid-sized city comprised of nothing but vicious Asian schoolgirls and their deadly toys. It sounds like something a pervert would make up in a bizarre fetish forum. But it was, and is, a reality.