Not to be confused with the vehicle manufacturer Maibatsu Corporation, or the game developer Kaihatsu.
The Zaibatsu (財閥, "financial clique") is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertically integrated business conglomerates. In Grand Theft Auto 2, a powerful Japanese-American crime syndicate referred to as the Z-Men use the Zaibatsu Corporation as front throughout Anywhere City, USA.
History[]
Grand Theft Auto 2[]
Zaibatsu Corporation hide behind the guise of a pharmaceutical corporation that manufactures a wide array of products and distributes them in Anywhere City. They also have a website, which describes them as "the world's last major privately owned corporation".
In reality, they are a powerful conglomerate in the criminal underworld of the United States that runs both legitimate and illegal businesses, and are more than willing to eliminate anyone that obstructs their goals. During the events of GTA 2, they have gone so far as to employ countless armed thugs to fight a massive, bloody turf war with the other gangs of Anywhere City in all three of its main districts.
Members of the Zaibatsu Crime Syndicate, or "Z-Men", are known to wear black or dark grey suits (in the Game Boy Color port of GTA 2, they also appear to sport white headwear, possibly hats or helmets) and drive customized Z-Type cars with a black color scheme and the organization's golden (white in the GBC port) "Z" symbol painted on the roof.
They appear frequently throughout the Grand Theft Auto 2, as their presence can be seen and felt in all three districts of Anywhere City. They became embroiled into a violent struggle over control of business interests and gang territories with all other gangs in Anywhere City during the period of which Grand Theft Auto 2 is set in.
The following gangs that contests the control by the Zaibatsu Corporation are: Yakuza, the Rednecks, the Scientists, the Loonies, the Hare Krishna, and the Russian Mafia. They were presumed to be the most powerful criminal organization of all in Anywhere City during the time of Grand Theft Auto 2. The top-ranking leaders of the Zaibatsu Corporation frequently refer to the GTA 2 Protagonists by the nickname they gave him, "Gecko".
GTA 2: The Movie[]
In the film/movie rendition of Grand Theft Auto 2, Claude Speed is shot dead by a Zaibatsu assassin sent to avenge for his theft of Zaibatsu merchandise.
Products of Zaibatsu[]
Advertised:
- Zoom Zoom - Energy stimulant.
- Silky Milky - Breast implants that "feel and taste like the real thing".
- Doesn't Need Anything (DNA) - Baby food.
- Hush - Self-reliant sedative.
From their in-game car crushing / manufacturing plant:
- Medicine.
- Body armour.
- Weapons.
Electricity:
- Zaibatsu owns the electrical power stations in Anywhere City.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The Zaibatsu Corporation also exists in some different form in the 3D Universe, only mentioned in Grand Theft Auto III.
- In the final version, they appear to be a legit business rather than a criminal organization front. The company never makes a physical appearance in-game nor display any real evidence of conducting criminal activities.
- Information on Rockstar North's GTA III: Game Design Document reveals that the 3D Universe's Zaibatsu Corporation was once a prominent Yakuza-owned front in Shoreside Vale.
- "Zaibatsu" or "財閥" in Japanese, was a kind of Japanese conglomerate considered to hold significant financial and political influence in society. This fits with the 1970s and 1980s dystopian sci-fi theme of GTA 2, of which massive, corrupt private interests are a mainstay.
- Their favourite radio station is Futuro FM, however, after the Futuro FM building is destroyed in Radio Za-Za!, they will instead listen to Lithium FM.
- Ironically, Lithium FM is the favourite radio station of their rivals, the Loonies, who are also responsible for Futuro FM's demise.
- Once the player reaches the Industrial District, the tutorial NPC erroneously mentions them as the "Zaibatatsu".
See Also[]
- FriedMind Pharmaceutical Corporation - An antagonistic pharmaceutical corporation in the HD Universe.