The characters of the Reborn! Set in a fictional town called Namimori in modern Japan , the series' main protagonists are of Japanese descent. However, their connection to an Italian Mafia family results in a majority of other characters introduced being mainly of Italian descent, including most of its antagonists. The story centers on middle school student Tsunayoshi "Tsuna" Sawada , who finds out that he is the heir to the most powerful Mafia family, the Vongola. The current Vongola boss thus sends his most trusted member, the titular character and infant hitman , Reborn, to train the future boss.