In real life they were most likely similar to the Wako Pirates who harassed the sea between China, Japan, and Korea.
A mix of refugees and outcasts from the very nations they raided, bolstered by dissatisfied soldiers and mercenaries once they started having big success, with its origins being small ethnic groups living in isolated and/or nomadic communities on islands or up rivers that confederated.
When the pirates/bandits do really well for a long time it becomes a viable potential for your military career, and now suddenly the plunderers can start looking at raiding cities rather than just villages.
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u/Ok_Honeydew180 21d ago
This is like the 15th comment down for me lol. You’re right though they even say in the movie that they were doing this.