One of the most iconic things about The Warriors is the wide range of gangs which are portrayed in the film. Here you can learn more about the gangs which The Warriors encounter as well as some of the lesser-known gangs which you only get to briefly see in the film.
The Warriors
The Warriors from Coney Island are framed for the murder of Cyrus, the leader of The Riffs, whilst attending the big meeting up in The Bronx, forcing them to have to bop their way back to Coney. The gang is comprised of 120 members, plus affiliates, but only 9 members of the gang made their way to The Bronx; Ajax, Cleon, Cochise, Cowboy, Fox, Rembrandt, Snow, Swan and Vermin. The Warriors have brown pleather vests with a patch on the back.
Turnbull AC’s
The Turnbull AC’s are the first gang that The Warriors encounter as they flee the big meeting in The Bronx. The Turnbulls are a mixed-race, skinheaded gang who ride around in an old school bus which has been painted green. They are a tough gang armed with chains and planks of wood and are from Gunhill in The Bronx. The Warriors have to outrun the Turnbull ACs in their bus to make their train at Gunhill Station. According to the video game, the leader of the gang is called Birdie who can’t walk and has a wheelchair.
Orphans
The Warriors encounter The Orphans after their subway train gets halted at Tremont due to a fire which has broken out near the station. The Orphans are a really low-class gang who were not on The Riff’s network and were not invited to the big meeting up in The Bronx. The gang has around 30 members who are armed with knives and razor blades and are neither smart nor tough. They think they are a big shot gang after one of the gang, called Apache, shows a newspaper clipping that talks about some of their raids. Mercy, before joining The Warriors, hung around with The Orphans but decided to leave as she wasn’t impressed by them. The Orphans initially let The Warriors move through their territory in peace before Mercy tries to stir things up after asking for one of their vests. The leader of The Orphans, Sully, then makes an ultimatum to The Warriors and asks them to take their colours off before walking through their territory. After The Warriors decline, The Orphans chase after The Warriors and prepare to fight them. However, they get wasted after Swan throws a molotov cocktail at a nearby car, which explodes, taking out at least one of their gang. According to the video game, Sully owns an auto repair yard.
Baseball Furies
Swan, Ajax, Cowboy and Snow encounter The Baseball Furies after fleeing the cops in the subway and exiting the station right in the middle of the Furies’ turf at Riverside Park in Manhattan. Dressed in New York Yankee baseball outfits and with multi-coloured face-paint, the Furies don’t speak and silently chase after The Warriors armed with baseball bats. They are a gang with plenty of strength and stamina and are a very distinct gang due to their striking appearance and mute nature. The video game gives the leader of the gang the name Cobb, presumably after baseball legend Ty Cobb. He wears a black outfit and has a double bat.
The Lizzies
The Lizzies are an all-female gang who seduce Vermin, Rembrandt and Cochise after they arrive at Union Square station in Manhattan. The Lizzies take them back to their apartment where they tell The Warriors to relax and pick any girl that they want. After a while, The Lizzies lock the door and say “so you’re the famous Warriors – the guys that shot Cyrus”. They attempt to shoot The Warriors as they try to escape and are a lousy shot which gives The Warriors enough time to break out of the apartment.
Punks
The Punks hang out in a subway station in Bowery, Manhattan dressed in brightly coloured outfits with dungarees. Like the Baseball Furies, this gang doesn’t speak and they just sit or stand and stare at their opponents. The leader of the gang wears rollerskates and is armed with a flick knife. The Punks follow The Warriors into a bathroom where they then fight.
The Rogues
The Rogues, from Hells Kitchen in Manhattan, are led by Luther, the crazy guy who shot Cyrus just because he “likes doing things like that” and then frames The Warriors. They cruise around the city looking for The Warriors in their hearse so they can kill them before they can explain how it wasn’t them who shot Cyrus. Luther, and his right-hand man, Cropsey, often call in to their mentor to get updates on where The Warriors are in the city and on how the other gangs in the city are trying to stop them. According to the video game, Luther acquires his gun from a fight with the cops.
Gramercy Riffs
The (Gramercy) Riffs are the biggest gang in the city and were led by Cyrus until he was shot by Luther at which point Masai takes over as the leader of the gang. The Riffs have very good martial arts skills and exercise discipline which is evident when you see them lined up whilst Masai addresses them. The Riffs are based in an underground bunker in Gramercy, Manhattan and have their own van. The Riffs turn up at Coney Island armed with hockey sticks to avenge the death of Cyrus.
Boppers
The Boppers, from Harlem in Manhattan, wear bright purple hats and waistcoats and can be seen bopping their way to the big meeting.
Boyle Avenue Runners
The Boyle Avenue Runners wear a plain black outfit that has a red trim. The leader also wears a jacket with black and white detailing.
Electric Eliminators
The Electric Eliminators stand out from the crowd in their bright electric yellow bomber jackets.
Gladiators
The Gladiators are seen paying for subway tokens and making their way through the turnstile in their outfit which simply consists of black vests and blue jeans.
Hi-Hats
This gang from Soho, Manhattan look like a cross between mime artists and clowns. Wearing red and black outfits with black tophats and white painted faces, they can be seen in the subway and at the meeting in The Bronx.
Hurricanes
The Hurricanes, a hispanic gang from Spanish Harlem, are seen at the big meeting up in The Bronx.
Jones Street Boys
Like their rival gang, The Saracens, The Jones Street Boys are from Bensonhurst. This gang wears an outfit with black and yellow stripes. The Jones Street Boy can be seen in the foreground of the photograph.
Moonrunners
The Moonrunners can be seen wearing silver jackets and purple tops with necklaces with moon pendants. They travel to the big meeting from their turf in Pelham in The Bronx.
During the scene where all the gangs are fleeing from the conclave, you briefly see this logo emblazoned on the back of a silver bomber jacket.
Panzers
The Panzers, seen in the subway, wear camouflage jackets and hats. The gang leader looks like a young Laurence Fishburne.
Saracens
The Saracens are the rival gang of the Jones Street Boys and are based in Bensonhurst. They wear minimal outfits which are plain black with a white edge trim.
Satans Mothers
The Satans Mothers are a motorcycle club gang from Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, as denoted by the “MC” on their vests which cover yellow t-shirts.
Savage Huns
Seen on the platform of the subway, The Savage Huns from Chinatown in Manhattan wear green outfits and brown hats.
Van Cortlandt Rangers
The Van Cortlandt Rangers stand next to the Satans Mothers at the big meeting and wear black and white striped outfits with matching hats.
List of Gangs
This is the official list of gangs that were in the movie and is based upon a list in the official movie script. It contains fictional and real gangs. The logos of the Alley Cats and Wizards were produced for the movie but are not visible in any of the scene
The Alley Cats,
The Amsterdam All-Stars,
The Baseball Furies,
The Black Hands,
The Blackjacks,
The Big Trains,
The Boppers,
The Boyle Avenue Runners,
The Charlemagnes,
The Colt 45′s,
The Dealers,
The Delaney Rovers,
The Dingos,
The E Street Shufflers,
The Easy Aces,
The Electric Eliminators,
The Eighth Avenue Apaches,
The Fastballs,
The Fifth Street Bombers,
The Filmores,
The Firetasters,
The Five Points,
The Gerrards,
The Gladiators,
The Go Hards,
The Gun Hill Dancers,
The Gramercy Riffs,
The High Hats,
The High Rollers,
The Homeboys,
The Hoplites,
The Howitzers,
The Huks,
The Hurricanes,
The Imps,
The Jesters,
The Jones Street Boys,
The Judas Bunch,
The Jupiters,
The Knockdowns,
The Knuckles,
The Lizzies,
The Locos,
The Magicians,
The Meatpackers,
The Moonrunners,
The Napoleons,
The Nickel Steaks,
The Nightriders,
The Ninth Avenue Razors,
The Orphans,
The Panzers,
The Phillies,
The Plainsmen,
The Punks,
The Queen’s Bridge Mutilators,
The Real Boys,
The Red Hook Shooters,
The Roadmasters,
The Rogues,
The Romans,
The Runaways,
The Saracens,
The Saratogas,
The Savage Huns,
The Shanghai Sultans,
The Southern Cross,
The Speedwagons,
The Stevedores,
The Stilletos,
The Stonebreakers,
The Terriers,
The Turks,
The Turnbull AC’s,
The Van Cortlandt Rangers,
The Warriors,
The Whispers,
The Wizards,
The Xenophones,
The Xylophones,
The Yo-Yo’s,
The Youngbloods,
The Zodiacs,
The Zulus.
The Destroyers
The Destroyers are worthy of a mention here. They are a gang created by Rockstar Games for The Warriors video game released in 2005. The Destroyers were a gang that shared turf in Coney Island making them enemies with The Warriors. The logo shown was their tag used in the game.
