EXCLUSIVE: This ‘Tokyo Vice’ Episode 6 Sneak Peek Takes Us Deeper Than Ever Into the World of the Yakuza

Tokyo Vice is a trip to another world. Based on the memoir of the same name by reporter Jake Adelstein, the HBO Max show is a descent into the glamorous but dangerous realm of the yakuza, the Japanese organized crime groups that seem to have their bloody fingers in every story Adelstein uncovers. And based on the exclusive clip provided to Decider by HBO Max, we’re about to go deeper than ever before.

At the end of Tokyo Vice Episode 5 (which debuted last week), aging yakuza boss Ishida (Shun Sugata) narrowly escaped an assassination attempt ordered by the much younger rival boss Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida)—a newcomer to the Tokyo scene who’s been cutting in on Ishida’s territory. 

In this exclusive clip seen above, set at a tense meeting between all the local ganglords, Tozawa attempts to buy Ishida’s forgiveness…but as one of the other yakuza bosses notes, some debts cannot be repaid with money alone.

Will Tozawa offer the necessary apologies, in whatever form they take? Or will his attempt to take over Tokyo continue? Looks like we’ll soon find out.

Tokyo Vice episodes 6 and 7 will debut on HBO Max on Thursday, April 21.

Sean T. Collins (@theseantcollins) writes about TV for Rolling Stone, Vulture, The New York Times, and anyplace that will have him, really. He and his family live on Long Island.