The High&Low franchise started in 2015 with a television drama High&Low: The Story of S.W.O.R.D., which was broadcast in October.[4] One of its slogans was that every character in the franchise was a leading character.[5]
Overview
High&Low's story began in a town that was once under the rule of a powerful organization called "Mugen". But after a fight with the enemy they could not crush, the Amamiya Brothers, Mugen suddenly broke apart and became a legend of the past. Afterwards, five new gangs were formed and took control of the area; based on the initials of the five gangs that lead each territory, the town began to be known as the "S.W.O.R.D. Area".[1][6]
Founded by Kohaku, Tatsuya, and Tsukumo, and later joined by Cobra and Yamato, Mugen was the gang that used to control the area. It disbanded after a fight with the Amamiya Brothers.
Masaki and Hiroto Amamiya are the brothers that even the powerful Mugen could not defeat. They have superior martial arts skills that can knock down hundreds of opponents. Their eldest brother, Takeru, disappeared years ago and they were looking for him.
Sannoh Rengokai was led by former Mugen's member Cobra. They took control of the northeastern part of the S.W.O.R.D. Area and strived to protect the citizens of the "Sannoh Shopping Street".
DTC
Sannoh Rengokai's member Dan, Tettsu, Chiharu formed a small sub-unit called DTC. They often met in the Itokan Diner and joked together.
Getting their name from their all white attire, the White Rascals were based in a hip nightclub called "Heaven", which was run by their boss, Rocky. Following the principle of their boss, they fought to protect the women within their area.
Oya Koukou was the high school where bad boys from all over Japan went to. As many of its graduates became yakuza, it was often considered a reserve force for various gangs.
The Part-time School
The Part-Time School gang consisted of bad boys who refused to graduate and continued to fight each other, many of whom were older than 20. Their leader was Murayama.
The Full-time School
The Full-Time School was for high school students who went to school to fight. They were led by Todoroki. However, as new students like Fujio Hanaoka came to the school, the equilibrium of Oya Koukou's Full-time School collapsed into various factions that competed for hegemony.
Led by Smoky, the Rude Boys consisted of orphans who lived together in the "Nameless Street" as a family. All skillful in the use of Parkour, they formed this army on their own to protect their home.
Daruma Ikka
Theme Song: DJ Daruma from PKCZ® - "Voice of Red feat. GS"
Daruma Ikka was led by the menacing Hyuga Norihisa, whose family's gang was defeat by Mugen. Daruma Ikka was a gang of people who hated Mugen and controlled all the rights of festivals in the area. Accompanied by his friend, the Tousetsu Brothers, Ukyo and Sakyo, they gather people who hates the Mugen gang and establish the Daruma Ikka.
The highly fashionable and musically inclined Mighty Warriors, led by ICE, were a bunch of fierce fighters. Based in the coastal regions near the S.W.O.R.D. Area, they would do anything to accumulate money to achieve their dream of music and fashion.
The female counterpart of Sannoh Rengokai in the Sannoh district. All dressed in pink bosozoku-style jackets, they drove around on their re-modeled bikes.
Chanson
The Korean gang who sought to control the S.W.O.R.D. Area and then expanding into the rest of Japan.
The general name for all gangs inside the prisons of the "Rasen Area", which is located near the S.W.O.R.D. Area, there are several gangs in those prisons. Normally, when a street gang member is thrown inside one of those prisons, he would be forced to join one of them in order to protect himself within the dangerous environment. However, Jesse, later known as the "King of the Prison", creates a new gang on his own after he is imprisoned, and very soon his gang becomes the strongest of all. Jesse's gang consists only of people from the same "Little Asia Area" as himself, which ensures their unity remains strong even when "outside" of the prison.
