John Wick – Real-life Crime Syndicates and the High Table

The High Table is the organization with most authority and it rules above all in the John Wick Universe. Under the supervision of the ‘Elder’, the High Table council consists of 12 members from criminal organizations that exists in real life.

Organization such as the Administration, the Continental Hotel and other services in the underworld are all under control of the High Table.

 

 

Circulation of the ‘Gold Coin’ which is the currency used for the underworld, disposal of corpses, doctor treatments, taxi driving, and car sales services between those in the underworld are all controlled by the High Table as well.

Exact members of the High Table, from which organization the members origin and all information about the High Table isn’t revealed yet. However the revealed organizations of the High Table originate from many real-life underworld crime syndicates.

 

 

Ruska Roma – Russian ‘Romani’

The Ruska Roma which John Wick was a part of and grew up from isn’t a crime syndicate(or at least not a syndicate revealed to the world) in real-life.

However, its origin and information help reveal a lot of John Wick himself. ‘Ruska’ means ‘Russian’ while ‘Roma’ refers to the ‘Romany’ or ‘Romani’ people that is also known as ‘gypsies.

Romany is a race without a distinctive history left as record, however they are believed to be Indian-Aryan(Aryan doesn’t refer to the German race rather Iranian) and they’ve relocated all over the world.

 

 

Jonathan ‘John’ Wick who is also known as Jardani Jovonovich (John Wick’s name in Russian is Джарданы Джовонович) was born in Byelorussian Soviet Union and became a member of the Ruska Roma.

The Ruska Roma’s name itself explains a lot of information of John Wick such as why he might have had relationships with the Russian Tarasov Mob and why he may have travelled all over the world before he met his wife and after she died.

His Romany, Romani or Gypsies origin also amplified the mysterious legends of John Wick even further.

 

 

Camorra – Naples based Italian Mafia

Camorra is a Campania region (Campania is an administrative territory which Naples is the capital city) based Italian crime syndicate which Gianna D’Antonio and Santino D’Antonio featured in John Wick episode 2 led.

 

 

he term ‘Camorra’ in Italian itself literally means ‘gang’. The Camorra is a crime syndicate with a history up to 200 years and is believed to have powerful political connections in Naples and the Campania region.

Unlike the Cosa Nostra, the clans of Camorra are rather independent from each other.[1]

 

Left : Campania Map, italy    Right :New York Camorra

 

Sicilian Mafia (La Cosa Nostra) – The Original ‘Mafia’

The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra is the most representative Italian mafia. In general, ‘mafia’ refers to the Sicilian Mafia. The term ‘Mafia ‘is believed to originate from Sicily noun ‘Mafiusu’ which means ‘bravery’, ‘swagger’.

The name ‘Cosa Nostra’ translates as ‘Our Thing’ which explains its character as an alliance of family or clans.

As the term mafia used to specify the Sicilian Mafia but the term ‘mafia’ became more genera, the name Cosa Nostra was used to explain the Scillian Mafia.

 

 

The Mafiosi (brave men in Sicilian) hired by Gabellotto which were entrepreneurs that leased land are known as the first of the official Sicilian Mafia.

The Scillian Mafia was once oppressed during Benito Mussolini’s’ Fascist party regime, however redeemed themselves by helping the Allied Forces landing on the Sicilian coast.

The Sicilian Mafia became influential in the United States as well after this period. This is depicted in the famous movie ‘Godfather’.[2]

 

 

‘Ndrangheta – Calabria Italian Mafia

‘Ndrangheta is another Italian crime syndicate that is known to hold a seat on the High Table. As of 2023, among the Italian crime syndicates, the ‘Ndrangheta is believed to be the most influential crime syndicate present on all over the world.

‘Ndrangheta originates from the Calabria region of Italy. Believed to have formed in the 1800’s, ‘Ndrangheta is believed to have originated from the Greek term (many Calabrian dialect originated from Greek) ‘Andragathía ‘ which means ‘honor’.

 

 

The ‘Ndrangheta is an alliance of ‘ndrina’ which are family-based clans under the control of a supreme council. The ‘Ndrangheta’s operation are currently known as one of the largest world-scale operations that might estimate to 60 billion USD worldwide.[3]

 

 

Yakuza – (Japanese Yakzua) ヤクザ, やくざ

 Also known as the Japanese Mafia, the term Yakuza is believed to have originate from the combination of 8(や), 9(く), 3(ざ) of a Japanese card game Oicho-Kabu. This combination is known to be useless thus, the term itself referred to ‘useless’ people.

Some argue that it originated from the term Bakuto(博徒) which means itinerant gambler referring to the Yakzua as an ‘antisocial organization’.

 

 

It is believed that Yakzua were organized by alliance of families and incorporating group members for mutual protection due to the strong regionalism in Japan.

Yakuza clans grew based on their regional roots and expand to many fields including politics throughout the years.

Yakzua clans are highly competitive with each other and competitive so there are many Yakuza clans operating on mainland Japan and even overseas.

The Yamaguchi-gumi clan is one of the largest Yakzua clan and probably the most representative Yakzua clan in public and media features.[4]

 

Left : Yamaguchi-gumi clan  symbol

 

 

Triad (Sanhehui, Chinese Mafia) 三合會

Triad literally translates as ‘Alliance of three organizations. There are many stories of the origins of the Triad. Some argue that it originated from the Han Chinese trying to restore the Ming dynasty and overthrow the Qing dynasty (Qing dynasty is a Manchuria based regime).

The origin of the three organizations that he names Triad suggests is also not certain. However, the term ‘Triad’ became more of a representative term for all of the Chinese Mafia.

 

 

Some may refer it to the ‘Black Society’, however the term ‘Black Society’ is more inclusive of all criminals of Chinese which makes it a more inclusive term.

The Triad was once powerful in terms of politics as well as one of their main business was to work with the government(more specifically the democratic government).

 

 

However, as the communist party of China took over and their powerful anti-criminal laws took place, many of the triad were relocated to Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas.

Many operations were oppressed by Mainland China and Taiwan but still many Triad clans operate in regions where governmental power is weak and overseas.[5]

 

Bratva – Russian Mafia(братва́)

The Russian Mafia is called Bratva(братва́)which means ‘Brotherhood’ ins Russian. The origins although not exactly the Bratva trace up to the 1700’s where bandits of the people with a Robin-Hood-like status emerged swearing they would never reside with the government.

Already the Russian Mafia profited from trades in the black market during the communist USSR government, however the collapse of the USSR forced skilled ex-KGB agents and hardened veterans to join crime organizations.

 

 

The Russian Mafia expanded operations and would start to even hold summits of crime lords to manage their disputes and discuss operations.

Thus, there are various individual Russian Mafias operating and the term Bratva refers to them all inclusively. The Russian Mafia is known for their hierarchical structure and detailed management structure.[6]

 

 

Upon the expansion of the John Wick universe, more information of the High Table and which real-life crime syndicates are involved may be revealed.

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[1] Pike, John. “Military.” Camorra - Neapolitan Mafia, https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/camorra.htm.

[2] About Don TanoI’m full-blooded Sicilian born from the noise of the Vucciria market and the gentle sound of the waves of Mondello. I grew up eating “pane e panelle” and “pasta con le sarde”. But most of all, et al. “The Sordid History of the Sicilian Mafia.” We Are Palermo, 27 Dec. 2017, https://wearepalermo.com/the-history-of-sicilian-mafia/.

[3] Occrp. “What Is the 'Ndrangheta?” OCCRP, https://www.occrp.org/en/ndrangheta/what-is-the-ndrangheta#what-do-the-ndranghetas-operations-look-like.

[4] Author(s) A Johnson. “Yakuza: Past and Present.” Yakuza: Past and Present | Office of Justice Programs, https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/yakuza-past-and-present.

[5] “Chinese Triad Society.” Obo, https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780195396607/obo-9780195396607-0115.xml.

[6] 4, July. “Bratva: The Emergence and Growth of the Russian Mafia.” Brewminate, 13 Jan. 2023, https://brewminate.com/bratva-the-emergence-and-growth-of-the-russian-mafia/.