... Also, at 28, Dudley should have a decent career at a hockey player left to him, especially if he's that lethal an enforcer. Either he fucked up on the ice - if he can lay someone out in a single blow on ice, I could easily see that resulting in suspensions, or what is probably more likely is that he went off on what seems to be just one of his usual tirades at (probably) a referee trying to separate a fight. He's definitely banned or suspended or something.
His team kept on losing by points after everyone figured him out and just kept skating away from him. In his own words "f[censored] bunch of f[censored] I'll f[censored] the lot of those f[censored] c[censored]." So he left to start his street fighting career.
His team kept on losing by points after everyone figured him out and just kept skating away from him. In his own words "f[censored] bunch of f[censored] I'll f[censored] the lot of those f[censored] c[censored]." So he left to start his street fighting career.
I mean, this is set in 2016, which is well past the time where pure enforcer was a viable play on the ice (that fell off after the '03 changes), so he's probably something just to have been picked up at all, especially as even back then they didn't (I think) recruit enforcers, you just kind of fell into the role.
If he's got skill at it, physically he's a god for a centre, especially as that core strength should give some absolutely wild snap-shots if his jabs at that good. I could seriously see him being a dominant position on the field, because also look at him, he's 6 4'' and a hundred and seven kilos (and that's pure muscle looking at that physique, so imagine what he's like when he's not cutting), he's an absolute monster to try to block.
(Also, I uh, checked, and Adam Dudley/Imai Cosmo is the most popular kenganverse tag on AO3, at a solid 9.5% of all fics. And they're right. They're goddam right.)
Incidentally, having rewatched the anime version of this fight (it's on Netflix), it's... kinda growing on me?
The 3D models are still kinda hideous, but given a limited budget, 3D animation allows the anime to deliver actual fast flurries of blows with meaningful impacts and fairly clean physical motions that are easy to track. There's momentum and speed to it and it's satisfying to watch.
Also the dubbed voices are pretty fun, and the commentary flows a lot better than it does in some other animated adaptation of fighting manga (fitting for one that is directly inspired by combat sports with actual live commentators).
I also wonder if "The Emperor" was his nickname from his ice-hockey days? I could see it happening if he like, got regular victories over "the King of the Rink" (which is definitely plausible as someone's nickname). Honestly, I think it's the only reasonable source is that it's just a straight up transfer from his last arena.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was supposed to be something like "The Emperor of the Rink" in his ice hockey days, and then when that no longer made sense after his transition (-TO MMA, HIS TRANSITION TO MMA) because MMA isn't played on a rink, it got dropped to just "the Emperor." He definitely would have wanted it changed to "The Emperor of the Ring," but even his manager was like, dude, Wakatsuki Takeshi and the Fang of Metsudo exist, you do not get to call yourself that.
I also wonder if "The Emperor" was his nickname from his ice-hockey days? I could see it happening if he like, got regular victories over "the King of the Rink" (which is definitely plausible as someone's nickname). Honestly, I think it's the only reasonable source is that it's just a straight up transfer from his last arena.
You've touched on how Kengan Asura presents pro wrestling as a legitimate martial art, and as a non-American/Canadian there's something deeply funny to me about how ice hockey is getting the same treatment. The ancient fighting arts of distant Canada, steeped in mystique and wisdom...
In part, anyway. It's not nearly as hyped up or fleshed out as wrestling (or the other performance-art-fighting-treated-legitimately, which will come up later and is another favourite of mine). Plus, rather than having Adam Dudley practice a Ranma-esque style of Ice Hockey Kung Fu, the sport is presented (more plausibly) as a separate arena of accomplishment in which highly specific skills can be developed and then applied unexpectedly to combat. It's a neat conceit, and sets a nice starting bar for the "aha, but I can do this" runbacks that drive these fights along.
This man then offhandedly complemented Cosmo on the cast iron balls he's dragging around, and offhandedly asks him if he wants to learn martial arts. Thus was born the cosmo we know today.
The sort of mad bastard who lunges at a man more than double his weight and tries to pressure him with a flurry of goddamn strikes. I'm not joking, that's literally what he does, but to his credit Dudley seems to be taking him seriously.
Just like that, all six feet of Adam Dudley are thrown to the ground. Yamashita celebrates the throw, and consummate showman that he is, so does Sekibayashi. They're in Cosmo's field now. And as Dudley swears at him, the prodigy capitalises, raining blows with his elbows and knees to force a mount.
Eyyyyyyyyy! Wooo hoo! Fun too see Sekibayashi throwing in with Cosmo too.
My favorite two panels from this fight are when Cosmo dodges the first blow from Adam and then the second one is where Adam gets up psychotically. The sense of motion captured in them is impeccable.
I do kinda wonder where Obama and everyone filling the stands are housed. Does the private island have like 20 other resort hotels just offscreen, and it's just that the camera only lingers in the Olympic Village?
Dudley has a big ol' laugh about how easy that was. And this moment is why he's here today. Ronald Haraguchi, CEO of Boss Burger, came to Texas to find his fighter for the Annihilation Tournament. He'd been gunning for Abbot, since the man's a legit heavyweight with previous Kengan Match experience, only to watch him get folded like a lawnchair before they could even speak. And as he watches Dudley take in his victory, a young lady in daisy dukes hanging off his arm and a crowd of random fuckheads saying just…the most random shit, Haraguchi makes his decision. This man will win him the seat of Chairman.
…I'm not kidding about how random they are by the way, one of the ones that gets prominent placement is some dork with his hat on backwards shouting, with great glee and no apparent shame or self awareness, "Holy Testicle Tuesday."
The beauty of media written by people who don't speak english, but try to play with it anyway. Gorgeous.
With a middle finger too powerful to be contained by mere manga paneling.
'Holy testicle Tuesday!' is objectively the best crowd chant imaginable, but props to 'Cowabunga!' and 'Hubba hubba!' for going out there and giving it their all
One interesting detail from the anime adaptation is that it gives us Adam's physical stats… and no one else's. I guess because the power scaling later on is kinda wonky and would fall apart if you tried to put numbers to too many people. I don't remember them that well, but I do recall that Adam can run the 100m dash in 13 seconds and has a max deadlift of 900lbs. Neither of those are quite in the realm of an Olympic gold medal, but it's pretty bonkers for both of those stats to belong to the same person.
Given how many physiologically abnormal fighters there are in Kengan, the relatively minor mutations that Dudley and Rihito display stand out in how far those traits have carried them. Abnormally strong trunk and grip strength are pretty lowkey all things considered but I like how they use them well.
Especially how we see Dudley really use his trunk flexibility and strength to throw haymakers from really weird angles.
No fucking around today folks, we start off the first panel with Imai Cosmo's body fracturing the arena floor, hitting it with such force that he bounces off and cartwheels off into the distance. Adam Dudley smirks after him, fist gently smoking, as Cosmo lands and hacks up a mouthful of blood. He's shaking, and his forearm is already swelling. He didn't have a hope in hell of properly guarding against a blow like that, it was simply too much. He needs to recover, and fast, but his vision swims. The Referee wobbles and distorts before him like he's being paraded through a house of mirrors. He doesn't have any time to waste, he's…
Unfortunately, Dudley isn't wasting any time either. He hoists Cosmo up by the fucking scalp and lays into him again, blowing the boy away. This time Cosmo was some degree of ready for it though, and Jerry points out for our benefit that he jumped back to disperse the damage.
Somehow he got a microphone. Sayaka's as surprised as anyone.
Cosmo lands on his feet rather than his face this time, skidding back on a trail of sweat and blood, eyes wide and feral with determination. He isn't done yet, as much as that hurt, and he knows full well he can't afford to sit back. If he lets Dudley control the pace of this Match, between the man's superior reach and bulk it's over. So instead he attacks. He attacks and he attacks and he attacks some more, darting around the american with speed and ferocity. His blows hammer Dudley's guard like rain, seeking his opening.
He is not the first to find it.
Ronald Haraguchi cackles. Adam Dudley is an experienced street fighter…for some reason he considers it important to point out that Dudley is used to fighting heavyweights, which is very not relevant for him here and also kind of hamstrings my attempt to keep up the drama of the moment. In order to make this panel make real sense I'd need to rewrite it to be more along the lines of having fought smaller people before so he's familiar with anti-heavyweight tactics, and I'm not here to lie to you folks just to make things make more sense.
What does mean something though, is when Ronald McBastard points out just how much bigger and stronger Dudley is. Cosmo's technique may well be better, but his opponent can turn the match around by landing a single punch. As we've seen! That's pretty much exactly what he did when Cosmo had him mounted. Cosmo might as well be paper fluttering in the breeze, before The Emperor.
Now, of course, we know what kind of manga this is. But shhhh, let's see how this actually plays out.
Dudley rushes Cosmo as the boy recovers from that last blow and, to his shock, Cosmo charges back. A fierce straight opens a cut across Dudley's chin and takes a bit out of his ear, and the moment's distraction opened by that pain is enough for Cosmo to uncork a right shiner of a roundhouse kick right into Dudley's jaw. It doesn't KO him of course, it doesn't even knock him off his feet, but it puts him off balance just long enough for Cosmo to take some distance and contemplate his situation.
It's not great, all told. He's tougher than Cosmo could have imagined, there's no opening to close in. But if Cosmo keeps his distance and lets it turn into a battle of attrition, then he's at just as much of a disadvantage there. Rock and hard place are closing in on Cosmo from both sides.
But Cosmo didn't get this far by being the sort of person who sees an insurmountable wall and just folds. He exhales, centering himself, and slicks his hair back with his own sweat. Fine. Down to the wire it is. It's time to show people what the King of Stranglers can really do.
Cold as ice.
They've both taken stances, and are poised to strike. Jerry notes it looks like they're ready to end this in the next strike, we have entered the last exchange of the fight.
They stand, frozen for long moments, sweat streaming off them in sheets.
Every fighter picks out that they're about to move immediately before they do.
It's a simultaneous attack. Cosmo darting low with hands ready to grasp. Dudley charging high with a hammerblow fit to crush stone. Dudley's High Stick Shot hurtles down as Cosmo activates THE ZONE-
Dudley hoists Cosmo's limp body up by his ragged shirt, laughing himself hoarse. Thus do we face the harsh truth, of the overwhelming superiority of strength. How helpless technique is in the face of sheer power.
Dudley sneers at the boy he sees in his hands, panting, biceps pulsing. He hears the boy try to call him a son of a bitch, but cuts off the insult with another bone-cracking punch.
On the punches rain, even after he sees the boy hit the floor, an avalanche of spite and indulgence. The perfect sandbag, he says.
He howls at the broken body he sees before him, Cosmo's mangled body lying in a crater stained with blood. Dudley demands to know if that's it, demands he keep fighting, The Emperor is only just starting to have fun god damn it!
The ref's voice echoes through Adam Dudley's head. That's enough. Huffing, he turns. Really? You're gonna stop this already?
Then he freezes.
Adam Dudley never even noticed. Not until reality beat hard enough on his delusion to be heard. He never struck Cosmo at all. The match is over, but it was won by Cosmo, with a perfectly placed Triangle choke.
The first match of the Annihilation Tournament goes to The King of Stranglers. Living up to his name.
In the stands Sekibayashi guffaws wildly. What a ballsy way to end it! Wakatsuki agrees, he doesn't think Dudley even realises he's been choked yet. Then he explains the Zone.
It's a funny sort of technique, more a quirk of timing and exploitation of the limits of human attention than anything you'd traditionally call a martial arts technique. The practitioner discerns the precise interval in which the opponent is fully committed to an attack, usually a space of time occupying less than a tenth of a second, and using that instant to move into their blind spot. Cosmo has the technique down perfectly, and seems to disappear to enemies who fall victim to it. This was what happened to that Agnostic Front guy.
Sekibayashi asks Wakatsuki if he could pull that off, and without hesitation the Wild tiger gives a firm no. In fact, in his opinion, Imai Cosmo is the only person who can fight like that. Purely the realm of genius, of prodigy.
As Ronald tries to cope, and the Magatanien crew ruthlessly mock him and his fighter (Kiozan claims he'd kill Cosmo before he got a chance to strangle him, which is probably what Adam Dudley thought too, you smug prick) Cosmo strides proudly out of the arena. Nishihonji is waiting there to tell him what a good job he did, for all it was a narrow win, to get some rest, something to eat…and to catch Cosmo when he all but collapses into his bro's arms. Then hocks up a bit more blood all over the guy's nice white dress shirt.
It's a relatively minor moment, and the manga moves on very quickly, but I'd like to linger for a moment to point out that a precedent is developing. This result should be fairly familiar. Remember Ohma vs Sekibayashi? How after that was over the lighter fighter was absolutely fucked up, even in victory? Yeah, while this is definitely a martial arts manga where sheer mass frequently gets overcome by skill, Kengan Asura is surprisingly grounded in how it doesn't mean you get out scott free. If mass is good for one thing, it's soaking up damage. I wonder how much Cosmo can recover before his next match the day after tomorrow?
Especially since, no matter who wins the next match, his opponent will be another heavyweight.
End chapter.
So, that was the first match of the annihilation tournament, and you know what? It's a promising start. It was probably pretty easy to guess who'd win based on nondiegetic factors, but Kengan Asura's strong track record of very rarely truly worfing people begins here. Cosmo vs Dudley was a strong back and forth match where both fighters got ample opportunity to demonstrate how frightening they are. The standout moment to me is the hallucination, which makes for a really strong "wait what" bait and switch moment that genuinely got me the first time I read it. It's a really creative way to emphasise the power of Cosmo's Zone gimmick, lent authenticity by the way oxygen deprivation really can do shit like that. Probably not so intensely, but it can certainly drop people into delusions and cause hallucinations. It's a great use of Shonen style heightened reality to add impact to a twist.
Incidentally, this chapter gives us Cosmo's profile, and it's honestly interesting? Most of Sandro's commentary on the writing and conception of the character is pretty much as you might expect, but it's interesting to hear about the artist's difficulty in getting his design down. We've all seen his magical, shapeshifting shoulders, but it was especially his hair that gave the guy trouble. To the point that the earliest versions had an afro!
Also, apparently he likes older women. One for the cougars, I guess.
There is a great breakdown of this fight (in the anime, but whatever) by the channel Scenic Fights on Youtube. In it, one of the hosts relates their experiences being choked out, and how disorienting the whole affair can be. In that respect, Dudley's hallucination and out-of-body experience this chapter are an artistic representation of a real experience! I found that particularly fascinating. They produce some fun videos, and I'll link to their breakdowns of Kengan Ashura fight scenes as they conclude in the Let's Read.
Also, I think Dudley may have gotten out of this fight completely clean. Other than a kick to the leg and some bruises on his forearms, I think the man just got dropped by a choke and that was it. Meanwhile Cosmo looks like he needs to go in for meatball surgery. Every hit is worse on a smaller guy.
The standout moment to me is the hallucination, which makes for a really strong "wait what" bait and switch moment that genuinely got me the first time I read it. It's a really creative way to emphasise the power of Cosmo's Zone gimmick, lent authenticity by the way oxygen deprivation really can do shit like that. Probably not so intensely, but it can certainly drop people into delusions and cause hallucinations. It's a great use of Shonen style heightened reality to add impact to a twist.
Yeah, for people who aren't keeping up with the chapters as Manic posts 'em, it does really well at slipping in those couple frames of the artery being choked off without being obvious. You can (or, well, I did, dunk on me as you will) totally miss it until you see the legitimately surreal stuff happen, then pause and register where it started.
... I'm not looking forwards, to the upcoming match, to be honest.
And so, while we're here, let's focus on our lads! Cosmo proves that he is just... a genius. I think like two (?) people can ever really use something like the Zone, which really lends credance to just how much of a prodigy he is.
If only he had the frame of his master, he'd be an absolute terror, with just some more force to his strikes, and bulk to absorb hits. But even so, we can see just the level of power he can pack into that body.
Unironically Adam would have had it in the bag if he just kept away from Cosmo. If his jabs pack the power of a good straight then all he really needed to do was keep in outboxing range and pounded the twink Cosmo to mulch. Unfortunately he is currently in chapter like 10, 20 of Adam Dudley's Fuckin' Adventure, so he had to take an L for his character development down the line.
Doesn't matter how many Kengan wins he has, some twinks are made for obliteration.
Also now that the match is over will someone take that silly 'Emperor' title off of Adam? Not only does it have nothing to do with anything as has been pointed out, but there's only one Emperor of the United States.
