Five members of the Bad Lobster biker group arrested by Ebina police

Residents live in mild fear of the gang and hope their daughters never bring a Bad Lobster home for dinner.

On the 18th, Kanagawa Prefectural Police arrested five boys aged 17 to 19 for reckless riding such as wavering across lanes and running red lights during an encounter on 31 August of last year along a 1.4-kilometer (0.9-mile) stretch of road in Ebina City, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Police say this is just one incident in a series of provocative behavior by the gang riding minibikes. It’s not uncommon for Japanese teens to form biker gangs and enjoy being a nuisance, but what is uncommon about this group is their name: Bad Lobster.

The name, which is originally in English (Baddo Robusuta), is a play on the name of their city which contains the Japanese word “ebi” that refers to creatures of both the lobster and shrimp families. Considering the low intimidation factor of the word “shrimp” they wisely opted for the “lobster” definition.

English speakers might be thinking that this name would sound a lot more edgy when read and heard by Japanese people, much like how “Akuebi” might sound dark and mysterious to our own ears. However, reaction online would suggest that “Bad Lobster” is just as lame sounding to Japanese people as it is to us.

“LOL!”
“So they’re from Ebina… I get it.”
“That’s quite a pun boys.”
“It’s not terrible. It’d probably make a good name for a sports team.”
“So do they give their enemies food poisoning?”
“Bad Crayfish.”
“What is the difference between a lobster and a crayfish anyway?”
“They totally should have called themselves ‘Ebil Lobster.'”
“Well they do sound bad.”
“Cool!”
“Do they threaten people by saying, ‘Don’t you know I’m a Bad Lobster?!'”
“Do they rumble with the Tiger Prawns?”
“I’m a Bad Salmon.”
“Great, now I want to go to Red Lobster.”

Others pointed out that “Bad Crab” would have been a good choice because the English words “crab” and “club” are homonyms in Japanese. Of course, that wouldn’t fit in with the whole “ebi” pun since “kani” is the Japanese word for “crab.”

But, as admitted by others, it’s not the worst name either. Anyone who’s ever experienced bad lobster in their life will attest that it’s no laughing matter, so it does have an element of hazard to it. On the other hand, it’s a little catchy too. Upon hearing it, it’s hard to resist singing it to myself in a Fred Schneider cadence – “BAD LOBSTER!!!♫”

According to the investigation, Bad Lobster was formed to keep other bosozoku out of Ebina. Presumably, if an outside crew like Discreet Relationship rode into town, a member would inform them that they are on Bad Lobster turf. This would instantly make them hungry for a seafood combo platter and send them on their way.

Hopefully, this tale of wild antics and crazy crustaceans doesn’t scare people away from the fine city of Ebina where we assure you most people are good lobsters.

Source: Kanagawa Shimbun, Itai News
Top image: Pakutaso
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