Very often we speak of imitation by the younger ones. These tend to take as a reference the idols of the moment, very often singers, actors or other younger personalities such as influencers, but sometimes it happens that imaginary characters and groups are taken as a starting point, as happened recently with Hunter X Hunter.
Hunter x Hunter manga was born 25 years ago and during this time Yoshihiro Togashi has recorded many characters. Some of them are criminals who have gathered in a certain group that often appears as antagonists in the various sagas. The mighty hunters of the Genei Ryodan, also known by the name "Spider" or by the translated name of the Ghost Brigadehowever, ended up at the center of a scandal in Russia.
In fact, a group of youth gangs was formed under the Soviets who decided to call themselves "Redan PMD", Redan being the Russian pronunciation of Ryodan, from Genei Ryodan. These boys They wear chunky black hoodies with a spider print, with a number 4 and a design similar to that in the Hunter x Hunter manga. There are many posts on Telegram, some with photos as you can see in the tweets below, showing the situation.
The phenomenon that started in Russia has also spread to Ukraine. At the moment the news is making the rounds in the Russian newspapers and the government announces that there will be measures in this regard and then makes accusations against Kiev, which according to the Russian government was the instigator of these operations. This is certainly a very problematic imitation it has little to do with Hunter x Hunter and which could lead to further bans from Russia.
It has a new origin #Militia In #Moscowcreated by teenagers named "#PMC #redan".
— Erik Korsas (@KorsasErik) February 24, 2023
One of the distinctive features is black hair, clothes & a spider with the number "4" on the jackets.
The #Russian PMC attacks people of non-Russian appearance in Moscow shopping malls. pic.twitter.com/X548wZ1fat
257 підлітків затримали у Харкові за спробу масової бійки. View more messages #redan, яка прийшла до нас з росії. Військової кампанії це не стосується, так називають себе жартома. #львів #harkіv #луцьк #київ pic.twitter.com/bwUaDgFEGu
— Свідки Святого Хаймарсу (@ShobShho) February 27, 2023