Tyger Claws

The business strategy of the Tyger Claws was similar to the Yakuza. Crossing the lowest level member could cause a quick and violent reaction from the entire gang, but if they got what they wanted, everything should be fine.   The top brass of the Claws believed business was preferable to war in the long run, but many of the rank-and-file gangers were sadistic brutes prone to violence. Abduction, torture, sexual assault, and cruel or unusual killings were just a few examples of their depravity. It was not uncommon for young, brash, or drunk Tygers to undermine the gang's ideologies by abusing their status on their turf, harassing outsiders, and provoking fights. This behavior was considered dishonorable by their crime bosses, but an outsider reacting to ganger's behavior in kind would rarely go unpunished.   Most people outside of the gang's ranks who were provoked, wisely avoided direct confrontation with Tygers - unless they had connections with high-ranking members of the gang

Japantown was Night City's lead nightlife district and the Tygers controled a significant portion of it. They owned more businesses in Night City than any other gang: bars, restaurants, braindance clubs, brothels, and casinos. Many of these businesses were registered as legal businesses, but acted as fronts for illegal operations and money laundering.   The gang made most of its money from human trafficking and prostitution. The Tyger Claws also made money from manufacturing and distributing drugs, most notably "glitter". Tygers also hired themselves out for hit jobs.   The gang also had corporate connections who visited their establishments to blow off steam and have fun. The Claws had especially close ties to Arasaka upper management, who outsourced them side-jobs, paying them with cybertechnology and military-grade automatic weapons

The Tyger Claws are one of the oldest and most powerful gangs in Night City, with a history deeply rooted in corporate manipulation, community ties, and an evolving vision of organized crime. Their origins trace back to the 2030s, when they began as a motorcycle club backed by the Arasaka Corporation. By 2020, they had evolved into a small combat gang operating in the original Japantown and its surrounding residential areas. Their role was more than just criminal — they were occasionally used as proxy protectors of the local Japanese population, thanks to Arasaka’s financial and technological support. Members of the gang were known for their use of reflex-boosting cyberware and martial arts, reflecting both their roots in Japanese traditions and their embrace of advanced combat tech.   The events of the Night City Holocaust in 2023 proved to be a turning point for the gang. With Arasaka expelled from North America, the Tyger Claws were left without their main benefactor and plunged into a vulnerable state. However, their story did not end there. The Night City Co-Prosperity Sphere (NCCS), a new alliance of Japanese corporations, soon recruited the gang, redirecting their purpose. Led by the famous actor Shinobu Nakagawa, the NCCS moved the Claws into the northern part of the city, particularly the Watson Development. Under this guidance, the gang was restructured as the Tyger Claws, now tasked with protecting Japanese communities and operating with a semi-legitimate face. To help with this, a sub-group called the Kimen-Gumi was created to act as the public face of the organization. The Kimen-Gumi managed legal security contracts and even collaborated with the Night City Police Department, presenting the image of a disciplined, community-oriented organization.   Despite this public front, the gang never abandoned its criminal roots. Many Arasaka sleeper agents who remained in the city after the corporation's withdrawal embedded themselves within the Claws, carrying out covert operations and maintaining long-term loyalty to Arasaka’s goals. Meanwhile, the Claws began establishing their new base in the Nakagawa Kabuki Theater in Kabuki and started reclaiming parts of Old Japantown, slowly expanding their influence. The Kimen-Gumi served as a clean façade, but their operations were taxed heavily by the Claws, who collected protection money, controlled night markets, and profited from pachinko parlors. The gang’s leadership ensured they avoided clashing with the NCCS, preserving the crucial relationship with one of their primary financial backers. A key figure during this period was Hayato Nakagawa, the adopted son of Shinobu Nakagawa, who quickly rose through the gang’s ranks due to his talent and connections.   In 2042, Shinobu Nakagawa died under mysterious circumstances, plunging the Tyger Claws into a brutal civil war. The conflict centered around control of the Nakagawa Foundation and the future leadership of the gang. After considerable bloodshed, Hayato emerged victorious, inheriting the Foundation and taking on the name “Shinobu the Second.” He left the management of the Foundation to his wife, Ryoko Fujiwara, who had played a critical role in securing his power. Hayato was joined by two key advisors: Takeru Akagi, who led the Kimen-Gumi, and Zenjyu-bou. With their guidance, the gang maintained the appearance of legitimacy, but internally, the Claws faced a growing identity crisis.   Though they had the wealth of the Foundation and continued support from the NCCS, Ryoko's tight control of finances and the city’s increasing stabilization meant the Claws could no longer rely on external corporate support as they once had. Many corporations within the NCCS began shifting toward private security, leaving the Claws to fend for themselves. They depended more on their Kimen-Gumi contracts and criminal enterprises, including trafficking, smuggling, extortion, and the use of long-hidden caches of Arasaka weapons left over from the Fourth Corporate War. Hayato, now burdened by both leadership and the creeping decay of the gang’s influence, turned increasingly to cybernetic enhancements to cope with the pressure and physical toll.   By 2045, tensions grew as the gang faced external threats from rivals like Maelstrom, who began moving into Old Japantown, and the Kanzaki, one of the last remaining yakuza families in Night City. Even with these conflicts, the Tyger Claws maintained significant control over Watson and Japantown, with operations stretching into South Night City and Charter Hill. Their public mission of protecting the Japanese community persisted, but underneath the surface, the Claws operated with the cold, calculated efficiency of a criminal syndicate. Like Arasaka before them, they used the promise of protection and legitimacy as a tool to gain deeper control over the neighborhoods they operated in.   In 2067, their violent legacy reached a boiling point when members of the gang raped and murdered a prostitute. Elizabeth "Lizzie" Borden, a former sex worker and advocate for others in the industry, retaliated by killing three of the perpetrators. That same night, the Claws killed Lizzie and destroyed her club. Her murder sparked massive riots across Night City and led to the birth of The Mox gang, formed in her memory to protect sex workers and sexual minorities. Though the Tyger Claws eventually reached a deal with the Mox, avoiding open conflict, the incident left a lasting scar on the gang's reputation. The Mox never forgot, and a bitter enmity remained between the two factions.   By the 2070s, the Tyger Claws had grown into one of the largest and most powerful criminal organizations in Night City. They controlled vast territories in Westbrook and Watson, operated from a new base in Japantown, and modeled themselves on traditional Asian organized crime groups such as the yakuza and triads. The gang was predominantly made up of Japanese and other Asian members, maintaining their cultural identity while pushing forward a strategy of expansion and consolidation. Motorcycles remained a core part of their identity, and their use of cyberware became even more common and aggressive. Their ties with the Arasaka Corporation strengthened again during this period, especially as Arasaka began to reestablish itself in global affairs.   Despite their power, the Tyger Claws were not without internal problems. The gang was large and fractured, with multiple factions vying for control, influence, and profits. Infighting was common, but rarely spilled into public view. When outsiders threatened their control, the gang quickly closed ranks, presenting a unified and lethal front. Once the external threat was removed, internal rivalries would resume behind closed doors.   Throughout their long and complex history, the Tyger Claws have remained a dominant force in Night City, blending public respectability with private brutality. They have changed with the times, adapting to shifting power dynamics, economic pressures, and political upheaval. While their original mission was rooted in protecting their community, the modern Claws are a hybrid of old-world honor and new-world ambition, loyal to their traditions but always seeking more power, influence, and control over the city’s veins.