🏮 Kabuki
“If you can’t find it in Kabuki, you don’t need it. Or maybe you just can’t afford the price.”
Kabuki is a dense, labyrinthine sub-district within Watson District. When Night City’s Asian population fled the destruction of Old Japantown and Little China during the War, many came here — transforming what was once an ordinary neighborhood into a chaotic maze of narrow alleyways, neon-lit markets, and rooftop ripperdoc clinics.
📋 Overview
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Parent District | Watson District |
| Zone Type | Rebuilding Urban Center |
| Dominant Gang | Tyger Claws |
| Threat Level | Low to Moderate |
| Character | Crowded, neon-lit, noisy, vibrant |
📜 History
The Refugee Wave
Much of Night City’s Asian population relocated to Watson during and after the War. When Old Japantown became a Combat Zone and Little China fell into siege conditions, families who’d lived in those neighborhoods for generations had no choice but to flee.
They came to Watson — specifically, to Kabuki.
| Origin | Refugees |
|---|---|
| Old Japantown | Japanese families, businesses |
| Little China | Chinese merchants, communities |
| Eastpark | Various Southeast Asian populations |
Building Over the Ruins
Kabuki wasn’t built — it grew. New structures were built on top of old. Streets became tunnels. Alleyways sprouted second-floor walkways. The neighborhood became three-dimensional, a maze that newcomers can’t navigate without a guide.
🏙️ Layout
The Roundabout
The central plaza that serves as Kabuki’s main meeting point and navigation landmark. Most directions in Kabuki start with “from the Roundabout.”
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Center | Open space with food stalls |
| Surrounding | Major businesses, money changers |
| Atmosphere | Crowded day and night |
| Security | Tyger Claws visible, keeping order |
The Markets
Every available inch of street space is crammed with stalls. Some are legal. Most are grey market. All of them compete for attention.
| District | Specialty |
|---|---|
| Food Row | Synt-noodles, vat-grown yakitori, real vegetables (rare) |
| Tech Alley | Salvaged parts, cracked shards, burner agents |
| Fashion Row | Kitsch knockoffs, used clothing, cyberware covers |
| Medicine Market | Pharmaceuticals, combat drugs, questionable quality |
The Rooftops
Kabuki’s second layer. Walkways connect rooftop to rooftop, creating an elevated network where ripperdocs and fixers do business away from street-level eyes. The rooftops are where the real deals happen.
| Level | Use |
|---|---|
| Level 2 | Walkways, small clinics |
| Level 3+ | Apartments, hidden facilities |
| Roofs | Lookout posts, Tyger Claw territory |
🛍️ Economy & Services
Kabuki is the beating heart of Night City’s grey and black markets.
Markets
| Category | What You Find |
|---|---|
| Food | Cheap eats for workers and refugees |
| Tech | Cyberdeck parts, programs, electronics |
| Clothing | Style on a budget |
| Weapons | Knives, some firearms (hidden stalls) |
| Information | Fixers, data brokers, rumor traders |
Services
| Service | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ripperdocs | Variable | Dozens of small clinics |
| Fixers | Low to Mid | Good for entry-level jobs |
| Braindance Parlors | Questionable | Entertainment and worse |
| Money Changers | Reliable | Convert eddies to goods |
| Joytoys | Present | Spillover from Jig-Jig Street |
Ripperdocs of Kabuki
Kabuki has more ripperdocs per square meter than anywhere in Night City. Quality ranges from “excellent but discreet” to “will kill you for your chrome.”
| Clinic Type | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Back-alley | Cheap, risky, no questions |
| Rooftop | Better quality, harder to find |
| Tyger-connected | Good work, gang tax |
| Mobile | Vans that move around |
⚔️ Tyger Claws Control
The Tyger Claws are the undisputed masters of Kabuki. They don’t just run this neighborhood — they are this neighborhood.
What They Control
| Activity | Notes |
|---|---|
| Protection | Every business pays a fee |
| Gambling | Underground parlors |
| Braindance | Entertainment venues, some illegal |
| Enforcement | They keep the peace — violently |
| Markets | They get a cut of everything |
The Rules
| Rule | Consequence |
|---|---|
| No violence in the markets | Bad for business — gangers relocate you |
| Pay your dues | Non-payment gets messy |
| Respect the Claws | Disrespect is punished publicly |
| No competition | Other gangs get driven out |
Moxes Presence
The Moxes maintain a presence near Kabuki’s borders, especially areas adjacent to Jig-Jig Street. They protect working men and women from predators — including, sometimes, the Tyger Claws.
🌆 Atmosphere
Day
- Markets open, vendors shouting
- Neon still visible in the shade
- Workers buying lunch
- Tourists wandering lost
- Delivery drones overhead
Night
- Peak activity — this is when Kabuki really lives
- Neon everywhere, overwhelming
- Music from competing venues
- Crowds denser than daytime
- Tyger Claws more visible
- Rooftop deals happening
Sensory Details
| Sense | Experience |
|---|---|
| Sights | Neon, crowds, narrow streets, vertical layers |
| Sounds | Vendors hawking, music competing, languages mixing |
| Smells | Frying food, ozone, incense, humanity |
| Touch | Being bumped constantly, pickpocket checks |
🎲 GM Resources
Job Hooks
| Hook | Details |
|---|---|
| Cargo Recovery | Something was stolen in the markets |
| Ripperdoc Problem | Competition needs handling |
| Market Protection | Someone’s not paying their dues |
| Information Buy | Find a specific data broker |
| Rooftop Meeting | Dangerous negotiation upstairs |
Notable Locations
| Location | Description |
|---|---|
| The Roundabout | Central plaza, navigation landmark |
| Lucky Dragon Casino | Tyger Claw gambling den |
| Dr. Chen’s Clinic | Respected rooftop ripperdoc |
| The Neon Buddha | Bar with neutral zone status |
| Tech Alley | Row of electronics hawkers |
Related NPCs
Kabuki is full of potential contacts:
| NPC Type | Notes |
|---|---|
| Fixers | Entry-level jobs, market contacts |
| Ripperdocs | Installation, healing, information |
| Vendors | Eyes on the street, rumors |
| Tyger Claws | Gang contacts (dangerous) |
| Lucius Rhyne | Community organizer in Watson |
🔗 Related Topics
- Watson District — Parent district
- Tyger Claws — Dominant gang
- Moxes — Adjacent presence
- Old Japantown — Where refugees came from
- Little China — Where refugees came from
- Markets — Trade rules
(Source: Cyberpunk RED Core Rulebook, pp. 294, 306)