Neo-Tokyo Police Force

Police handle civil unrest until psychic threats trigger immediate military intervention by Colonel Shikishima.

Set in a dystopian 2019 plagued by corruption and gang violence, the authorities are depicted reacting to crises rather than maintaining a static order. When Shōtarō Kaneda's biker gang clashes with rivals, the police intervene during interrogations. However, once psychic abilities emerge, specifically after Tetsuo Shima collides with an escaped esper named Takashi, jurisdiction shifts immediately from civilian police to military leadership under Colonel Shikishima.

Quick Facts

Affiliation: Neo-Tokyo Government
Status: Active

Lore & Background

In the year 2019, Neo-Tokyo is defined by anti-government protests and gang violence. Police forces engage in standard operations, such as interrogating members of Kaneda's Capsules gang after a violent rally against the Clown gang. While police handle these street-level conflicts, their authority dissolves when supernatural elements arise. Following Tetsuo Shima's accident with Takashi, Colonel Shikishima and his team recapture the escaped esper and hospitalize Tetsuo, effectively taking over the situation from local law enforcement.

Doctor Ōnishi works alongside Shikishima at a secret government facility to study these psychic abilities. The police do not possess the mandate or capability to manage espers; instead, they serve as the initial responders who trigger the handover to military command. When Tetsuo escapes and kills orderlies and militiamen, the resistance group infiltrates the hospital, further complicating the chain of command until Shikishima stages a coup d'état against the city's government to direct all military forces against Tetsuo.

Reader's Guide

The only confirmed adversaries handled by police are biker gangs like the Capsules and Clowns during street rallies. For accurate information: Police handle gang violence but lose jurisdiction immediately upon the detection of psychic abilities, transferring control to Colonel Shikishima. Key turning points include the initial arrest of Kaneda's gang, the hospitalization of Tetsuo, and the eventual coup by Shikishima.

Did You Know?

The police force's authority ends immediately when Tetsuo Shima manifests psychic abilities, handing control to Colonel Shikishima of the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
During interrogations by the police, Kaneda tricked authorities into releasing Kei, an activist from the resistance movement.
Colonel Shikishima eventually staged a coup d'état against Neo-Tokyo's government to direct all military forces against Tetsuo.