The Ronin

The Ronin are a gang in Saints Row 2, Saints Row: Total Control and Saints Row IV.

Overview[]

Their gang colors are glossy yellow and matte yellow, and their rackets control the gambling and prostitution that is active in Stilwater. They fill the power void in control of sin crimes created by the destruction of the Vice Kings by the 3rd Street Saints.

Shogo Akuji left Japan to spread The Ronin to America, one of the newest gangs to establish itself in Stilwater with their ruthless violence. Recruiting from both the city's Asian and Caucasian population, the gang grew in numbers, attracted by the flashy bikes and custom leathers. Their crimes involve peddling vice through gambling, prostitution, street-racing, and protection rackets, and their power even reaches into the boardroom of corporations like Ultor. American faction leader Shogo, as Johnny Gat puts it, "spends more time on his hair than his bike". This gives the impression that he does more gang claiming than gangbanging.

The Ronin have traits from Japanese Bōsōzoku biker gangs, with deeply held traditions and respectable honor above all else. They are very turf oriented, believing in flying their flags in enemy neighborhoods despite the risk. Patrolling territory on yellow bikes and in flag colors, The Ronin disrespect enemies caught in their area and quickly attack when provoked. Even though members actively and oftentimes take part in gang shootings and killings, members also stick true to their name. Every member carries a Samurai Sword on the back of their yellow or black jackets, a few members of The Ronin make references to training at the dojo, suggesting the gang has its own training facilities.

They wear a yellow and black leather jacket, yellow shirt, belt, white or yellow pants and a samurai sword attached to the back of their jackets.

The Ronin are a primarily Asian-American gang whose colour is yellow and whose symbol is a dragon. Their leader is Shogo Akuji, and his second-in-command is Jyunichi. Their international leader is Kazuo Akuji, Shogo's father. They reside in the suburban area of Stilwater, and specialize in illegal gambling activities and pimping. They drive Kenshins, Tetsuos, Hayate Z70s and Wakazashis, similar to the Westside Rollerz in Saints Row.

Storyline[]

The Ronin do not initially care about the revival of the infamous 3rd Street Saints until they show their passion to regain the city of Stilwater and eliminate every gang who comes in their way. When truly challenged, The Ronin have no problem with bringing the drama to rival turf, initially planning on entering the Saints' turf. The plan is soiled by the leader of the 3rd Street Saints. One of the lieutenants, Jyunichi, takes the fight into personal matters and attempted to kill both the Saints' leader and Johnny Gat.^[4] The plan ends with the near fatal injury of Gat and the death of his long time girlfriend Aisha. The Saints' leader takes the life of Jyunichi after receiving an anonymous tip from Shogo. With the death of one the most important members of the gang, Shogo further loses his father's respect.^[5]

They own part of the Poseidon's Palace in the Hotels & Marina District, which is robbed by the Saints,^[6] and own an underground casino in the Marshall Winslow Recreation Center, which is destroyed by Playa.^[7] They also take part in protection rackets, as Ultor paid The Ronin to protect them.^[8] But as events unfold and Shogo proves to be a pathetic leader, Kazuo Akuji comes to America.^[9] While there, he speaks on behalf of The Ronin to negotiate the protection contract that Shogo had agreed to. Akuji proved his calculated business skills and loyalty to the gang, when he declined Ultor's offer for not providing a larger offering at the negotiating table. The Ronin are skilled sword fighters, using katana and a karate-combat style in melee fighting.

Members[]

Kazuo Akuji - Founder and International Leader - Deceased.

Shogo Akuji - American Leader - Deceased.

Jyunichi - Second-in-Command and Chief Enforcer - Deceased.

Trivia[]

In Japanese, a Ronin is a samurai without a daimyo (leader). Some of the Ronin gang members make comments that although they are called "The Ronin", they do have a leader.
The Japanese form of the name, 浪人, is used as part of vehicle decals.^[10]
Some Ronin members, including Jyunichi, speak Japanese during cutscenes. This is left untranslated in the English version of Saints Row 2, but they have been fully translated from Japanese in the Italian, French, Dutch, German, Danish and Spanish versions of the game.
Defeating The Ronin unlocks the Seppuku Achievement on Xbox 360.
- Seppuku is a form of Japanese ritual suicide originally reserved only for samurai as a part of the samurai honor code.
They wield Silenced VICE 9s in cutscenes.^[11]
The Ronin Jackets are available for purchase in the Corporate Warfare DLC. The vest is available at Impressions and customized with two patterns and all colors. A fleur-de-lis is engraved onto the back of the jacket. The Ronin logo and sword cannot be added on the back of jackets.
Most Ronin vehicles are set to the radio station 97.6 K12 FM.
The Ronin and Jyunichi appear in Saints Row IV,^[12] and in-game dialogue incorrectly refers to Jyunichi as the "head of The Ronin"^[13] but Jyunichi died before both Shogo and Kazuo and was never leader of The Ronin.
Unlike the other gangs in Stilwater, The Ronin's connections stretches to the Stilwater Police much like the Vice Kings as there are no wanted posters for any Ronin members.
The Ronin are the first gang to use swords, with the second being the Deckers.
The Ronin share some similarities to the Vice Kings as both are gangs in yellow who have large connections to the police, pimp prostitutes, and manage gambling operations.
The Ronin also resemble the Westside Rollerz as both gangs are made up of young Asian American and Caucasian men who operate primarily out of the Suburbs and drive fast imported vehicles.
Ronin in black jackets are much stronger than those in yellow jackets, and appear far more often depending on how much of Stilwater the Saints control. For instance, if The Brotherhood and Sons of Samedi are both eliminated, then virtually all the Ronin enemies are the tougher ones wearing black jackets.
The Ronin are featured under R in The ABCs of Saints Row.^[14]
The Logo for the First Strike Dojo looks similar to the Ronin's logo.