Capitalism ho! Let's Read Kengan Asura
- Thread starter Manic Dogma
- Start date
- Discussion Manga
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I'mma quickly sidetrack back into Sayaka Appreciation Hour just to note how, on top of being a great presenter, she very clearly watches both sumo and pro wrestling and knows exactly what comments to make and how about both of these fighter. I don't know if it's intentional by Sandro or not, but it makes Sayak one of the most fun background characters in the story, and unarguably the best female character in Kengan. She's just the best.
Anyhow, this fight! This fight's fucking great and we're already seeing why. Sekibayashi genuinely could carry every fight he's in by force of personality alone, and in fact I'd wager he's probably the character Sandro has the most fun writing, if these scenes are any indication. As for his backstory, while it's certainly not ideally placed here, I do think it kind of had to be considering what comes later in order to reduce clutter. This way the flashbacks interefere less with the pacing of the fight in order to set things up.
Anyhow, this fight! This fight's fucking great and we're already seeing why. Sekibayashi genuinely could carry every fight he's in by force of personality alone, and in fact I'd wager he's probably the character Sandro has the most fun writing, if these scenes are any indication. As for his backstory, while it's certainly not ideally placed here, I do think it kind of had to be considering what comes later in order to reduce clutter. This way the flashbacks interefere less with the pacing of the fight in order to set things up.
Mister Bad Guy
Mr Mercury to friends
- Location
- Bay Area
- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
Also, while we're all hyping jun, as it should be, Kiozan is just honestly acting like a titan. Every single one of those hits he's laying on look like they're stronger than Ohma's best, and he's also just proven to be an immobile tank or unstoppable jugganaught by parts. He honestly is making a very good showing in both removing the (slightly comedic, I want to say?) common depiction of Sumo and just proving he's a beast.
TheFoxsCloak
Professional Otaku
Another match, and another two banger entrance themes. Like the fighters, both parallel and match their counterparts.
For The Brawler of the Sumo Ring, we have Dengeki Raigo (電撃来迎, Dengeki Raigō; lit. "The Lighting Approach") by yaiba, with more traditional Japanese instruments mixed in that only enhance it, fitting to a practitioner of one of Japan's most famous athletic institutions (and if it sounds familiar, yaiba was founded by Yasuharu Takanashi, the composer for Naruto's also excellent OST).
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPB08q_2wuU
And for Hell's Angel, we have Dark Angel by Funta7, an excellent hype builder that, fitting to a pro wrestler, contains both non-traditional horns and even legitimate fanfare. While I would never call it generic, it immediately brings to mind the industry he is the face for in Kengan Ashura.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yui_ZdYiPB8
As I said, both absolutely fit the hype building theme you would expect, but differ in ways that make it fit their subject perfectly. The traditional touches in Kiozan's are an excellent homage to the storied history of Sumo, while Sekibayashi's immediately conjures images of it playing as he enters for his own show. Just as Sekibayashi said they're both entertainers first, despite the obvious differences, so to do their themes following this matching yet differing thematic.
For The Brawler of the Sumo Ring, we have Dengeki Raigo (電撃来迎, Dengeki Raigō; lit. "The Lighting Approach") by yaiba, with more traditional Japanese instruments mixed in that only enhance it, fitting to a practitioner of one of Japan's most famous athletic institutions (and if it sounds familiar, yaiba was founded by Yasuharu Takanashi, the composer for Naruto's also excellent OST).
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPB08q_2wuU
And for Hell's Angel, we have Dark Angel by Funta7, an excellent hype builder that, fitting to a pro wrestler, contains both non-traditional horns and even legitimate fanfare. While I would never call it generic, it immediately brings to mind the industry he is the face for in Kengan Ashura.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yui_ZdYiPB8
As I said, both absolutely fit the hype building theme you would expect, but differ in ways that make it fit their subject perfectly. The traditional touches in Kiozan's are an excellent homage to the storied history of Sumo, while Sekibayashi's immediately conjures images of it playing as he enters for his own show. Just as Sekibayashi said they're both entertainers first, despite the obvious differences, so to do their themes following this matching yet differing thematic.
Rancorious
Continue? Yes or No.
That match probably left everyone feeling real mad. I didn't even pay for it, and I still felt cheated. All we got out of it was Ali's legs getting busted.
Chapter 77+78 - Sekibayashi and Sumo
Manic Dogma
This, I can't deny.
- Location
- The far side of tired
- Pronouns
- Whatever
Chapter 77 opens with the standoff already over, 'cos Sekibayashi Jun hasn't got time for your bullshit. His arm is scything into Kiozan's guard, visibly rattling him as the Sumo Wrestler tenses to absorb the blow, his teeth gritted with effort and pain. And then again. And again. And again and again and again and again he drives Kiozan back with Mongolian Chops. But the pressure cannot last forever, Kiozan isn't a backwoods lightweight, he quickly picks out the rhythm and attacks as Sekibayashi is winding up a chop. A lightning fast pushing slap, right to Sekibayashi's face. It's a brilliantly executed blow, applied with skill and precision.
For all the good that does him.
"I'm sorry sir, we're fresh out of fucks to give today."
Intimidated by his foe's sheer vigor, Kiozan pauses, and Sekibayashi doesn't miss the opportunity to flex a little. Don't just stand there, he commands while rolling his shoulder, before lunging in to clothesline the fucker. We're in the middle of a fight! He bellows, snapping Kiozan out of his fugue. Sekibayashi returns to his chops, but this time Kiozan is meeting him head on, the space between them a chaotic blur of clashing meat. The sound of it fills the dome, neither fighter backing down in the least.
The peanut gallery is in awe, and Adam Dudley is baffled. Wasn't Sekibayashi getting overwhelmed just a bit ago? How is this now so even again? Wakatsuki is ready with a compelling theory. He points out the two men are from very different sports. Sumo wrestling matches ride a knife's edge of victory or defeat with extremely exact and demanding limits. A match is often decided within a few seconds. By contrast, it's not unusual for a much looser and showier Pro Wrestling match to last over an hour.
He certainly looks like he's having more fun, at least.
Cosmo, even if he doesn't have a particular theory, does notice something else though. As Kiozan gains advantage in the strike-off and forces Sekibayashi onto the defensive, he notices something. Wakatsuki muses in awe on what he's seeing. And Kiozan is deeply, viscerally offended.
Sekibayashi isn't guarding a single blow. If you look back over this match and the Ohma match, you'll realise he hasn't guarded a single blow this whole manga. Which is insane. Cosmo is rightfully concerned, but Nishihonji isn't. In fact, he's simply exhorting Cosmo to pay attention. Especially in this moment, there's something Sekibayashi has in spades that Cosmo lacks. He hopes Cosmo figures it out during this match, because if he does, he'll become much, much stronger.
Oh boy, I wonder if this match could possibly be building up to a philosophical point. This is a really strong moment of intersection though, something Cosmo's arc is really good at going forward. He's almost a protagonist in his own right.
Anyway, as Cosmo and the announcers stare in awe, Kiozan finally runs out of steam. Panting and sweating absolute rivers, all he can do is stare, hands held in half hearted readiness as he beholds the brick wall of beef he's been tenderising for like thirty seconds straight.
How tiny he seems, beneath those glutes.
Kiozan is offended. Deeply so. Especially when Sekibayashi taunts him, asking what the matter is. Are you done already? Veins pulsing in his temples fit to pop, Kiozan demands he stop fucking around and guard. Why aren't you guarding? Are you taking the piss? Sekibayashi doesn't lose an inch of his grin as he tells the Sumo wrestler to slow his roll. He's getting this all wrong. Kiozan lashes out before he can finish, but only delays him for a moment. With Kiozan's palm still smushing the flesh of his cheek, Sekibayashi declares that this?
This is his "Pro Wrestling."
Then he immediately lays Kiozan's ass out with a vicious elbow to the face. And the audience goes wild.
Charisma.
As usual, and as might be expected of the Kengan Matches' premier showman, Sekibayashi's performance has stirred the audience to a fever pitch. He is, diegetically, intentionally creating peaks and valleys of tension and it's leading everyone watching by the nose. It probably helps that how impressive the feat he just demonstrated was is clear even to the least technically minded person there. It's one thing to appreciate how unnaturally perfect an exchange of parries were, but just hunkering down and eating a barrage of strikes like sunday brunch without being any the worse for wear? That's immediately clear to anyone as tremendous, from any distance and with any amount of knowledge.
This is Sekibayashi's element. This is what he does.
In a frantic rage, Kiozan dashes back in to try and grapple Sekibayashi, break his invincible demeanour by tossing him to the ground. But this time it's he who finds his foe immovable. Sekibayashi stands above him with arms spread, one more dramatic flourish before he goes in for the kill. You just don't get it, do you kiddo? He asks.
Shikano's eyes boggle. Magatani watches in grim silence. The fighters are shocked, with the exception of Wakatsuki. And Sekibayashi reels, truly this time. Not just giving ground for a runup. Face shadowed with rage, Kiozan expresses how he'd never expected to need to use "My Sumo" on a faker like this.
Sekibayashi falls to his knees, and then flat onto his face, eyes vacant. What just happened, ask the announcers.
Now, I'm sure you lot, my lovely audience, have already grasped what just happened. It's fairly clear from my last screencap. But as we move into the next chapter they try to sustain the mystery over the first page. The announcers are genuinely less surprised that Sekibayashi went down than they are by how it happened. They never thought he'd do that! Tomoko, Koyo Academy's secretary for anyone who's forgotten, questions if that's even legal.
As far as I know, it's not illegal for a Sumo Wrestler to kick. It is generally a really bad idea though. And besides.
Kiozan isn't using Modern Sumo anymore.
The chapter delves into a brief…not quite flashback, but brief step into the past to explore a particular fight in Japan's history. On one side, a man calling himself Nomi-no-Sukune. On the other, a man calling himself Taima-no-kehaya.
Make a note of their physiques, this will be important later.
A little research reveals the Nihon Shoki is one of the oldest extant pieces of Japanese Written history, beginning with the creation myths of the time and then moving forward with what I'm given to understand is a shockingly detailed account of almost thirty emperors worth of history. The accuracy of this isn't for me to confirm or deny, but I'm sure namedropping this work means something to japanese readers, if only in a "I recognise that name" sort of way.
In any case, and pertinently to this match, the winning move was a kick. The match was won by Sukune, who crushed Kehaya's pelvic bone with his foot. The oldest forms of Sumo were a more general Martial Art, and Kiozan has apparently been asking himself since he was a child why Sumo stepped back from these deadlier techniques. Now, the answer should be obvious by now, I hope, even to people who's only exposure to Sumo is this Let's Read. Sumo transformed over time into a sport and shinto ritual, its modern form is neither designed nor intended for real, all out brawls. Probably at least in part because of things like how that first match ended! Kehaya was probably crippled for life, certainly at least his career as a fighter was over. Hell, even in Modern Sumo there's still a risk of serious injury, with such massive men colliding and throwing each other around.
None of this makes Sumo less valid or impressive, to be clear, Sumo Wrestlers are still incredible athletes and the sport takes serious skill and dedication to succeed in. This is arguably what the extremely harsh rules for defeat are for, to heighten and hone that skill ceiling, and preserve some sense of that early tension. Kiozan clearly doesn't see it that way, though. He thinks of it in terms of its utility as a fighting style in true, genuine violence. Which it was obviously never going to live up to, it was never supposed to, but that reality escapes him. So, he had a thought, and he believed it a very profound one.
This wakes Sekibayashi up, just in time for Kiozan to hoist him by his scalp again to inform him that it isn't bedtime yet. He still needs to show him "Real Sumo." Which apparently means holding Sekibayashi in place while he slams repeated hook punches into the Wrestler's face.
Adam Dudley very fairly scoffs. How the hell is this shit Sumo? That's just MMA with airs. Nishihonji disagrees. A high kick like that from point blank, and punches like that, neither can be mastered overnight. He compares Sumo to Pankration as one of the oldest martial arts and, well, if he's using it to this level they've got no place to say otherwise. It's Sumo. Or rather, Ancient Sumo. Slightly weird and circular logic I think, but I don't have to argue against it anyway. Someone else will handle that real soon.
Cosmo's attention is only half on the lecture, he's focused on how Kiozan is spacing Sekibayashi out, how incompatible Pro Wrestling is with that sort of style. It's important that it's Cosmo noting this, btw, keep an eye on that.
Back to the fight itself, after beating quite a lot of shit out of Sekibayashi, Kiozan is swaggering over to him. Disingenuously talking like he's impressed with the Wrestler's resilience. Still not gonna guard? He asks. No? Well, no skin off his chin. Your funeral. Then he slams a kick right into Sekibayashi's kidney, and we get an internal shot of his organs groaning under the force.
And yet. Sekibayashi grins. He isn't going down yet. Haruo watches from the fighter's entrance with baffled awe. Why is he smiling? Isn't he at a complete disadvantage? Isn't he being overwhelmed for real? Is he crazy? And…no, he isn't. We go back to the fight, but this time something's different. The blows are landing…sort of…but they're visibly not penetrating as far. His head rolls with a blow to the cheek, he braces against a low kick. His knee gets a bit fucked up any way but, in his own words, so fucking what.
Then, in his head, he notes something. Kiozan's breath is getting pretty heavy isn't it? He can't blame him though, a Sumo Wrestler physique is specialised for short, intense matches. The techniques in Modern Sumo have been refined over time to cause as little strain as possible on that body type, to improve endurance and reduce the risk of strain injury. And hey, remember when I told you to make a note of the physique of those Ancient Sumo fighters? Yeah, that was not a modern Sumo physique. They were lighter, leaner, naturally leaning more toward endurance. And Sekibayashi notes as much in his head. The Martial Art Kiozan is using is incompatible with his body type. Which means a physique already not exactly built for the long haul is having its endurance tapped out even faster. What are you gonna do next, smartass? Bodybuilding? Weight loss? Endurance training? Can you even really call that Sumo?
Bullshit.
As if sensing the lecture, Kiozan responds to Sekibayashi's attempted offense with an almost berserk rush. But he's hasty, haphazard with it. Sekibayashi catches one of his wrists and says hey. Sumo whelp.
Oh hey look, an explicit theme.
He headbutts Kiozan right in the nose, and as the Sumo wrestler reels he tells him that, well, he's reminded of himself. Kiozan is just like Sekibayashi used to be, before he became a true Pro Wrestler. You. Are. Me.
So does the chapter, and this update end. Check in next time for the thesis statement of Match Seven of the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, where the Old Master teaching a lesson through combat isn't a wizened old sage with a beard, but a massive wrestler in his late-30s with dreadlocks.
See you all next time.
For all the good that does him.
"I'm sorry sir, we're fresh out of fucks to give today."
Intimidated by his foe's sheer vigor, Kiozan pauses, and Sekibayashi doesn't miss the opportunity to flex a little. Don't just stand there, he commands while rolling his shoulder, before lunging in to clothesline the fucker. We're in the middle of a fight! He bellows, snapping Kiozan out of his fugue. Sekibayashi returns to his chops, but this time Kiozan is meeting him head on, the space between them a chaotic blur of clashing meat. The sound of it fills the dome, neither fighter backing down in the least.
The peanut gallery is in awe, and Adam Dudley is baffled. Wasn't Sekibayashi getting overwhelmed just a bit ago? How is this now so even again? Wakatsuki is ready with a compelling theory. He points out the two men are from very different sports. Sumo wrestling matches ride a knife's edge of victory or defeat with extremely exact and demanding limits. A match is often decided within a few seconds. By contrast, it's not unusual for a much looser and showier Pro Wrestling match to last over an hour.
He certainly looks like he's having more fun, at least.
Cosmo, even if he doesn't have a particular theory, does notice something else though. As Kiozan gains advantage in the strike-off and forces Sekibayashi onto the defensive, he notices something. Wakatsuki muses in awe on what he's seeing. And Kiozan is deeply, viscerally offended.
Sekibayashi isn't guarding a single blow. If you look back over this match and the Ohma match, you'll realise he hasn't guarded a single blow this whole manga. Which is insane. Cosmo is rightfully concerned, but Nishihonji isn't. In fact, he's simply exhorting Cosmo to pay attention. Especially in this moment, there's something Sekibayashi has in spades that Cosmo lacks. He hopes Cosmo figures it out during this match, because if he does, he'll become much, much stronger.
Oh boy, I wonder if this match could possibly be building up to a philosophical point. This is a really strong moment of intersection though, something Cosmo's arc is really good at going forward. He's almost a protagonist in his own right.
Anyway, as Cosmo and the announcers stare in awe, Kiozan finally runs out of steam. Panting and sweating absolute rivers, all he can do is stare, hands held in half hearted readiness as he beholds the brick wall of beef he's been tenderising for like thirty seconds straight.
How tiny he seems, beneath those glutes.
Kiozan is offended. Deeply so. Especially when Sekibayashi taunts him, asking what the matter is. Are you done already? Veins pulsing in his temples fit to pop, Kiozan demands he stop fucking around and guard. Why aren't you guarding? Are you taking the piss? Sekibayashi doesn't lose an inch of his grin as he tells the Sumo wrestler to slow his roll. He's getting this all wrong. Kiozan lashes out before he can finish, but only delays him for a moment. With Kiozan's palm still smushing the flesh of his cheek, Sekibayashi declares that this?
This is his "Pro Wrestling."
Then he immediately lays Kiozan's ass out with a vicious elbow to the face. And the audience goes wild.
Charisma.
As usual, and as might be expected of the Kengan Matches' premier showman, Sekibayashi's performance has stirred the audience to a fever pitch. He is, diegetically, intentionally creating peaks and valleys of tension and it's leading everyone watching by the nose. It probably helps that how impressive the feat he just demonstrated was is clear even to the least technically minded person there. It's one thing to appreciate how unnaturally perfect an exchange of parries were, but just hunkering down and eating a barrage of strikes like sunday brunch without being any the worse for wear? That's immediately clear to anyone as tremendous, from any distance and with any amount of knowledge.
This is Sekibayashi's element. This is what he does.
In a frantic rage, Kiozan dashes back in to try and grapple Sekibayashi, break his invincible demeanour by tossing him to the ground. But this time it's he who finds his foe immovable. Sekibayashi stands above him with arms spread, one more dramatic flourish before he goes in for the kill. You just don't get it, do you kiddo? He asks.
Shikano's eyes boggle. Magatani watches in grim silence. The fighters are shocked, with the exception of Wakatsuki. And Sekibayashi reels, truly this time. Not just giving ground for a runup. Face shadowed with rage, Kiozan expresses how he'd never expected to need to use "My Sumo" on a faker like this.
Sekibayashi falls to his knees, and then flat onto his face, eyes vacant. What just happened, ask the announcers.
Now, I'm sure you lot, my lovely audience, have already grasped what just happened. It's fairly clear from my last screencap. But as we move into the next chapter they try to sustain the mystery over the first page. The announcers are genuinely less surprised that Sekibayashi went down than they are by how it happened. They never thought he'd do that! Tomoko, Koyo Academy's secretary for anyone who's forgotten, questions if that's even legal.
As far as I know, it's not illegal for a Sumo Wrestler to kick. It is generally a really bad idea though. And besides.
Kiozan isn't using Modern Sumo anymore.
The chapter delves into a brief…not quite flashback, but brief step into the past to explore a particular fight in Japan's history. On one side, a man calling himself Nomi-no-Sukune. On the other, a man calling himself Taima-no-kehaya.
Make a note of their physiques, this will be important later.
A little research reveals the Nihon Shoki is one of the oldest extant pieces of Japanese Written history, beginning with the creation myths of the time and then moving forward with what I'm given to understand is a shockingly detailed account of almost thirty emperors worth of history. The accuracy of this isn't for me to confirm or deny, but I'm sure namedropping this work means something to japanese readers, if only in a "I recognise that name" sort of way.
In any case, and pertinently to this match, the winning move was a kick. The match was won by Sukune, who crushed Kehaya's pelvic bone with his foot. The oldest forms of Sumo were a more general Martial Art, and Kiozan has apparently been asking himself since he was a child why Sumo stepped back from these deadlier techniques. Now, the answer should be obvious by now, I hope, even to people who's only exposure to Sumo is this Let's Read. Sumo transformed over time into a sport and shinto ritual, its modern form is neither designed nor intended for real, all out brawls. Probably at least in part because of things like how that first match ended! Kehaya was probably crippled for life, certainly at least his career as a fighter was over. Hell, even in Modern Sumo there's still a risk of serious injury, with such massive men colliding and throwing each other around.
None of this makes Sumo less valid or impressive, to be clear, Sumo Wrestlers are still incredible athletes and the sport takes serious skill and dedication to succeed in. This is arguably what the extremely harsh rules for defeat are for, to heighten and hone that skill ceiling, and preserve some sense of that early tension. Kiozan clearly doesn't see it that way, though. He thinks of it in terms of its utility as a fighting style in true, genuine violence. Which it was obviously never going to live up to, it was never supposed to, but that reality escapes him. So, he had a thought, and he believed it a very profound one.
This wakes Sekibayashi up, just in time for Kiozan to hoist him by his scalp again to inform him that it isn't bedtime yet. He still needs to show him "Real Sumo." Which apparently means holding Sekibayashi in place while he slams repeated hook punches into the Wrestler's face.
Adam Dudley very fairly scoffs. How the hell is this shit Sumo? That's just MMA with airs. Nishihonji disagrees. A high kick like that from point blank, and punches like that, neither can be mastered overnight. He compares Sumo to Pankration as one of the oldest martial arts and, well, if he's using it to this level they've got no place to say otherwise. It's Sumo. Or rather, Ancient Sumo. Slightly weird and circular logic I think, but I don't have to argue against it anyway. Someone else will handle that real soon.
Cosmo's attention is only half on the lecture, he's focused on how Kiozan is spacing Sekibayashi out, how incompatible Pro Wrestling is with that sort of style. It's important that it's Cosmo noting this, btw, keep an eye on that.
Back to the fight itself, after beating quite a lot of shit out of Sekibayashi, Kiozan is swaggering over to him. Disingenuously talking like he's impressed with the Wrestler's resilience. Still not gonna guard? He asks. No? Well, no skin off his chin. Your funeral. Then he slams a kick right into Sekibayashi's kidney, and we get an internal shot of his organs groaning under the force.
And yet. Sekibayashi grins. He isn't going down yet. Haruo watches from the fighter's entrance with baffled awe. Why is he smiling? Isn't he at a complete disadvantage? Isn't he being overwhelmed for real? Is he crazy? And…no, he isn't. We go back to the fight, but this time something's different. The blows are landing…sort of…but they're visibly not penetrating as far. His head rolls with a blow to the cheek, he braces against a low kick. His knee gets a bit fucked up any way but, in his own words, so fucking what.
Then, in his head, he notes something. Kiozan's breath is getting pretty heavy isn't it? He can't blame him though, a Sumo Wrestler physique is specialised for short, intense matches. The techniques in Modern Sumo have been refined over time to cause as little strain as possible on that body type, to improve endurance and reduce the risk of strain injury. And hey, remember when I told you to make a note of the physique of those Ancient Sumo fighters? Yeah, that was not a modern Sumo physique. They were lighter, leaner, naturally leaning more toward endurance. And Sekibayashi notes as much in his head. The Martial Art Kiozan is using is incompatible with his body type. Which means a physique already not exactly built for the long haul is having its endurance tapped out even faster. What are you gonna do next, smartass? Bodybuilding? Weight loss? Endurance training? Can you even really call that Sumo?
Bullshit.
As if sensing the lecture, Kiozan responds to Sekibayashi's attempted offense with an almost berserk rush. But he's hasty, haphazard with it. Sekibayashi catches one of his wrists and says hey. Sumo whelp.
Oh hey look, an explicit theme.
He headbutts Kiozan right in the nose, and as the Sumo wrestler reels he tells him that, well, he's reminded of himself. Kiozan is just like Sekibayashi used to be, before he became a true Pro Wrestler. You. Are. Me.
So does the chapter, and this update end. Check in next time for the thesis statement of Match Seven of the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, where the Old Master teaching a lesson through combat isn't a wizened old sage with a beard, but a massive wrestler in his late-30s with dreadlocks.
See you all next time.
Last edited:
Kuja
I'M A SQUIIIID
- Location
- AZ
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And his name is JUN CENA
*smashes a Casio keyboard with both fists*
- Pronouns
- They/Them
There is nothing else I need to add today.
no.
Pink Flamingo Cabal Grand Vizier
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Yeah, this match is rad, but the central conceit of Kiozan's "style" is extremely dumb. I'm sorry, but Adam is completely right; "primal sumo" is just doing MMA while being fat. Not being fat will make you a better athlete at basically every sport except modern-day sumo, because modern-day sumo has rules specifically built to favor fat guys. Like, not every sport is best served by an extremely lean physique, but one like Kiozan's is optimal for sumo and maybe strongman competitions, and even most strongmen have a lower bodyfat percentage than him.
Manic Dogma
This, I can't deny.
- Location
- The far side of tired
- Pronouns
- Whatever
Kiozan got them juicy shanks, it's true. Sekibayashi may have better defined glutes, but he can't compare to how caked up our boy is.
no.
Pink Flamingo Cabal Grand Vizier
- Location
- Pennsylvania
If Kengan does nothing else right, it is a masterclass in how to emphasize the strength and power of the masculine physique while also making it look beautiful and sexy. See Itagaki? You don't need to make your punchy blorbos look like a bunch of turkey drumsticks shrink-wrapped in leather.
- Location
- Wörms, the half continent
Kiozan's kicks are honestly terrifying, and like, for all that Jun is and deliberately does roll with the punches, he lacks anything like Indestructible or the sheer mass which gives Harou or Julius their durability, it is pretty clear that Sekibayashi has something going on to let him take that much punishment, given like... he got up again after being hit by that kick. Twice, actually, I looked over the match again, and Kizuan walks up and kicks him in the stomach after that head shot. Man should be in no shape later on, but god, just a tank on two legs.
You're missing something great here, which is that as he says bullshit, Sekibayashi feints with an elbow, and Kizoan visibly flinches, which is probably why Kizoan goes into a beserk rush, it's another bit of Sekibayashi playing up against his opponent's pride, baiting them with his showmanship. Honestly, besides his truly impressive durability, his ability to just play the match is probably Sekibayashi's biggest skill.
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Rancorious
Continue? Yes or No.
Fedor for Kengan Annihalation Tournament
Rancorious
Continue? Yes or No.
Season 3 of the anime dropped.
Wade Garrett
Just trying to do the right thing
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Honestly if I was going to pick someone from that era for Kengan, Fedor is my choice for GOAT but if it's an anime death tournament Wanderlei Silva all the way
Mister Bad Guy
Mr Mercury to friends
- Location
- Bay Area
This is half-true. Sumo bans kicks above a certain area: leg sweeps and tripping are legal, but you can't kick anywhere above the waist or pelvic region. So while you can throw a kick in sumo sometimes, the kick Kiozan threw out is the sort of thing that would get him disqualified the moment his foot made contact.
This is, in fact, kind of the point, as Sekibayashi starts to touch on more and more. Kiozan's "primal sumo" is bullshit - it's the result of a petulant child who claims to know the sport better than everyone else, but also doesn't demonstrate any understanding of why it is the way it is. It's powerful, but that's because of a mix of surprise and Kiozan's nigh-superhuman level of conditioning. Kiozan is the kind of guy who only thinks of a martial art in terms of how good it makes you at beating up a guy on the street, and he wants to warp sumo into a win-at-all-costs bloodsport, even if it means getting rid of everything that makes it special or valuable. That's why he's wrong, and that's why he's positioned against a guy whose fights are entirely staged.
- Location
- boundless optimism
Kiozan would have won if he simply rolled over Sekibayashi like Katamari Damacy. This is the true sumo, as revealed to me in a dream by the gods Takemikazuchi and Takeminakata, where they bounced around the ring like bowling balls.
- Location
- Georgia
Kengan Asura is manga of highs and lows. And the Highs can be pretty damn up there.
The Hell's Angel is one of them.
Sekibayashi has a strong shot of being one of the best characters in the manga. I love this guy and all I know about Pro Wrestling comes from SuperEyepatchWolf!
Also if anyone is interested, the anime FINALLY came out with a new season doing a good chunk of the second round fights. I honestly feel the animation is much improved.
The Hell's Angel is one of them.
Sekibayashi has a strong shot of being one of the best characters in the manga. I love this guy and all I know about Pro Wrestling comes from SuperEyepatchWolf!
Also if anyone is interested, the anime FINALLY came out with a new season doing a good chunk of the second round fights. I honestly feel the animation is much improved.
Rancorious
Continue? Yes or No.
Wanderlei has a strong personality and a style that communicates said personality well going for him, but Fedor is like if the Fang of Metsudo was an MMA fighter.
Rancorious
Continue? Yes or No.
I mean, I said that first but you know what fine give him likes what do I care?
On a serious note, I love how the new season turned out and the interview-based intro is sick. Too bad it's all spoilers for this thread.
- Location
- Georgia
I mean, I said that first but you know what fine give him likes what do I care?
On a serious note, I love how the new season turned out and the interview-based intro is sick. Too bad it's all spoilers for this thread.
You probably did, but this thread moves fast when Dogma updates. You know how it is.
Also yeah massive spoilers for this thread, we aren't even near where the first season ended.
Chapter 79 + 80 - Conviction and Tenacity
Manic Dogma
This, I can't deny.
- Location
- The far side of tired
- Pronouns
- Whatever
Kiozan, howling his hate and frustration to the rafters, charges Sekibayashi again. Just go down already, you old man! He screams, but of course Sekiyabashi will not go down. Sekibayashi goes down when Sekibayashi pleases. And right now he has better shit to do.
Like teach.
Dude's fucking QUICK when he wants to be.
As soon as the first page is over we dip back into flashback space, but rather than an abstract timeslip for the audience's benefit, this time it's diegetically a memory flashing through Sekibayashi's head. Some years ago, four, five or maybe even longer, he isn't sure, the Rokushinkai school of Karate was holding a tournament. A no holds barred open tournament for fighters of other styles to challenge the school's strength. The only thing the tournament banned was eye gouging. This was before MMA, apparently, but rather in the era of something called Vale Tudo. A translation note tells me that it's a precursor to MMA, based in Brazil, and a quick google confirms that much.
Hey, it was where the Gracie family hosted their big challenges. How about that?
Anyway, since Vale Tudo was still popular and MMA hadn't formalised itself into the very specific sort of fighting it sports these days, there was a bunch of fighters of different styles entering, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kung Fu, you name it. There was even someone calling himself a ninja. And of course, such a grand stage could not but attract the showmen of public Martial Arts. In steps the Super Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, with one of their biggest headliners.
and Slightly Younger Sekibayashi
Yeah, this is still before Sekibayashi hit the big time. He's getting there, by his own words, but only close. Not there. And watching Kurachi obliterate people through the first and second rounds inspired him! His conviction that Pro Wrestlers are the strongest people around held firm.
But, in his own words, he didn't know a damn thing.
The next round, Kurachi wasn't fighting a scrub. He was fighting one of the heaviest hitters in the tournament. It seems like Sekibayashi doesn't remember the guy's style, only the showers of blood he knocked out of Kurachi. Who didn't guard a single blow. Right to the very end.
In an alleyway by the building where the tournament was being held Kurachi rests, and Sekibayashi rages. You could have won, he howls, if you'd only guarded yourself! Why did you throw the match? Kurachi repeats the question to himself, shaking his head. No, that's the wrong outlook. There's no guarding in Pro-wrestling, his only option was to take it. Bear that weight. Sekibayashi, to my eyes equal parts offended on Kurachi's behalf and struggling to reconcile his broken conviction, points out that this wasn't pro wrestling. This was an open martial arts tournament. He didn't have to be limited by pro wrestling! Kurachi laboriously pushes himself to his feet, presses a fist into Sekibayashi's chest and, with a smile, asks him a question in turn.
"What's the point in being a pro wrestler if you've lost your faith in pro wrestling?"
…
I used to play Yugioh. Quite a lot, actually. We had a local club where teens like I was back then would gather, decks to hand, and duel for the better part of a saturday afternoon. I was pretty good, too! Had a couple of pretty top tier decks as things went in a casual, local scene. Later on though, I found a particular archetype, the Fabled. A group of Light Element fiends, with ornate armour and little, impish familiars. I loved them. Particularly with some support they'd gotten a while back they were very good at swarming the field and fuelling Synchro plays, but never really broke out into the competitive scene. Sure, if things went well they could create nasty endboards for the time. But their combos were fragile, they struggled to recur resources and had some significant consistency problems.
Particularly in an age where top tier Xyz decks like Wind-ups were coming into their own, playing Fabled wasn't a smart move. And yet. I persevered. I refined my decklist, as best I could with the cards I had access to. I developed my understanding. And though I'd struggle nevertheless, sometimes I'd fucking well win, even against the top tier decks. Because I believed, and pushed that clunky, flawed archetype to the limits of its ability. And in believing, pushing forward with full sincerity, I'd win where sometimes even better decks couldn't.
It's a funny angle to take, for a story like this. Especially in a moment where Sekibayashi is, essentially, the protagonist. The manga isn't presenting Pro Wrestling as actually being practical, or its strengths having hidden depths that make it genuinely better than true, specialised martial arts. As Cosmo noted last time, it's a disadvantage! But it's not without its strengths. And Sekibayashi, as he matured, came to believe sincerely in those strengths. Dedicate himself to them. And in the process elevated them to the point where he can overwhelm Martially Chauvinist "my MMA is so fucking practical you a little bitch" shitwads.
And, well. Fighting at a disadvantage and coming back to take the win anyway is just good drama, no?
By contrast…well. Back in the present Kiozan manages to slip free from the headlock, half from Sekibayashi beginning to lose steam and half from his body being lubricated with sweat and blood. But even if he's tired and battered, to Kiozan's continuing disgusted surprise, Sekibayashi just refuses to go down. Sekibayashi taunts him with it. Do you want to know why I'm not going down, he asks. Kiozan tries to dismiss it. We're in the middle of a fight, shut the fuck up. But as Shikano notes, chatting shit is endemic to pro wrestling, so no. Sekibayashi will not shut up. Instead he'll point out that Kiozan has no core. No sincerity.
"You don't love Sumo at all, do you?"
This clearly isn't totally right. Kiozan wouldn't flip his shit as hard as he does at this if he didn't, on some level, love Sumo. But Sekibayashi is far, far from wrong. Kiozan doesn't believe in Sumo. Of fucking course he doesn't! Look at him, in his fucking kickboxing stance! Look at how easily he gets shaken! He has no centre, no foundation for his mental, nothing to anchor him against the battering tides of Sekibayashi's trash talk.
Of course he isn't managing to overwhelm Sekibayashi, even when by rights the martial art he's using should be something the Pro Wrestler should struggle with. Sekibayashi is used to struggle, he's embraced his art even where it is lacking. By contrast, Kiozan hasn't sought to refine or advance his Sumo, he's abandoned it for quick roads to victory. Adopting stances and techniques without building the foundation they require.
And of course, a weak mental game cracks easily.
Kiozan charges Sekibayashi in a berserk rage. None of the refined slaps or strikes of earlier, he's throwing wild haymakers and gripping Sekibayashi's head and rearing back to headbutt him over and over and over. Back in the entrance corridor, Akiyama Sakura notes how sloppy his attacks are getting to their collective boss. This…isn't good.
Sorry sir, still no fucks in stock. Check in tomorrow, maybe?
Sakura begins to call out to Kiozan, to tell him to calm down, but she's stopped. Magatani doesn't respond to her half-spoken question. He just grins. Everything's apparently going according to plan?
Back in the ring, Kiozan's done headbutting, hammering Sekibayashi with a vicious haymaker. And he makes to follow up with a second one. But Sekibayashi has found his moment to take his turn back. He snakes his arm in under Kiozan's and, one-armed, whips him around and into the floor. Yamashita calls out the attack as…hey, an arm whip, neat. Sekibayashi's put himself back in the fight's driving seat. But he doesn't follow up. Rolling his shoulder, shaking off a sheet or two of sweat, he relaxes a little. Alright, he says, that's enough of that. Wake up, kiddo. Time's up. The CEOs watch in silence as Kiozan rises to his feet, quietly agreeing with Sekibayashi. Yeah, it's about time we ended this. But quiet isn't the same as peaceful, and Sekibayashi's instincts are sharp. He can tell Kiozan hasn't calmed down even a little. No, he's gotten so fucking mad that it's wrapped around into cold, icy murder.
He abandons his high stance, and drops low and wide, into an orthodox Sumo starting stance. And quietly, deliberately informs Sekibayashi that if he won't go down the normal way, Kiozan will just have to kill him. Sekibayashi celebrates the trash talk, but is caught up short when Kiozan adjusts his stance even lower. Right down to the floor, with both fists held parallel to it.
"You're supposed to take all of my attacks…aren't you, Pro Wrestler?"
I don't recall the name of this stance. But it's a real thing. Abandoning all defence and stability for a singularly overwhelming, explosive strike. Getting down that low gives a strong angle of attack on the opponent's center of mass, and coils up the legs and core nice and tight.
And sure enough, the next instant, Kiozan vanishes from sight.
Now, I could be mean, and leave you there. This is enough wordcount for a chapter, if a slightly short one. But I know y'all have been excited for this one, so let's keep going. Make it a real blowout.
Chapter 80 reels back the clock a couple of seconds, as Sekibayashi notes the stance Kiozan is taking. Lowering his center of Gravity as far as it'll go. And then the manga asks the reader a question. Where are the most developed muscles in a Sumo Wrestler's body? Why…of course it is the legs. Not just to support their massive bodies, but also to resist the force of equally massive men, and blow them away in turn. Hell, one of the most powerful maneuvers a Sumo Wrestler can perform, which takes advantage of the huge bellies they develop, is simply lifting their opponent off his feet and pitching him bodily to the ground. And you know how the old saying goes. Lift with your legs, not your back.
And even for a Sumo Wrestler, the narration is eager to tell us, Kiozan's legs are abnormally well developed. He can maintain the speed of a Sumo Charge for far further, and raise it much higher. He's strictly limited to forward motion, but within the range of his charge he's faster than Murobuchi Gozo.
Fucking Bring it on, says Sekibayashi.
Okay, now he gives a fuck.
It is, bar none, the most powerful blow Sekibayashi has ever taken. In this contest the winner was Sumo.
…funny, isn't it, how the instant Kiozan went back to the things he's refined the longest and dedicated himself the most to, he managed to strike a telling blow? Now that's cohesive theming kids, take notes. Shame, though. It's too little, too late. Kiozan collapses to his hands and knees, the grin of triumph rapidly falling from his face. And, well.
He's shaking. It takes him a moment, but he manages to get back to his feet. And when he does, with a huff of triumph, Sekibayashi grins down at Kiozan again. Pro Wrestling's got some pretty bitching defence, huh? He asks, as Kiozan stares bug-eyed, frantically wondering how the fuck he's the one on the ground while Sekibayashi still stands.
Up in the stands, Wakatsuki helpfully explains to the rest of the peanut gallery, and us.
At the moment of impact, Sekibayashi lowered his upper chest. This bumped down Kiozan's head, ever so slightly, so he hit the Pro Wrestler 's chest with the fragile, less cushioned parts of his skull. He's probably suffering through an absolutely vicious concussion right now. And this is a core element of Sekibayashi's style. Ordinary defences, Wakatsuki explains, minimise damage to the user. But Sekibayashi takes blows from angles that break down the opponent's form in ways that damage them. The harder his opponent hits, the more they fuck themselves up in the process as he misaligns their punches and makes them fuck up their wrist. It's not realistic, but it's rooted in real risks of mis-placing or mis-executing a blow.
And it's something that only a Pro-Wrestler is likely to come up with. This is basically the opposite side of the coin from kayfabe, from Selling The Hit. A foundational skill in Pro Wrestling, IRL and here, is taking pretend hits and blows safely. Both for the receiver and the striker. Here Sekibayashi is taking that knowledge and inverting it.
You know, Kiozan was hitting very hard indeed.
Wakatsuki goes on to compare this to Cosmo's zone, directly addressing the boy and clarifying that it's the sort of crazy shit only a defence specialist could pull off. Sekibayashi has mastered the art of Destroying while Defending.
As Cosmo processes this, off to the side, Nishihonji quietly prays Cosmo understands now. He's excellent, a genuine prodigy, but there's a reason his first match lasted so long. He lacked this exact sort of confidence. Unshakeable belief in oneself. Total belief in your passion, your style. Until you can act without thought, but not unthinking. Decisiveness born of complete understanding.
He lacks conviction. Sekibayashi has it in spades.
My fucking god those lines of action.
A power bomb with the combined weight of Sekibayashi and a Sumo Wrestler. Over 300 kilograms total, right to the back of Kiozan's head. By rights that should kill him, but Kengan Fighters are just Built Different. So instead he's merely instantly concussed, and passes out a few seconds later. Sekibayashi congratulates him on being, in the end, a pretty fucking good entertainer. Thanks to Kiozan, he got to end this match in style.
The winner of Match eight is Sekibayashi Jun. As if you ever doubted.
The next page we get a brief summary of the themes of this match from Wakatsuki, just for the people who struggled to keep up. Sekibayashi might be fighting at a constant disadvantage with Pro Wrestling's very specific image and limits, but he dedicates himself to that style with complete confidence, and makes its unique strengths work. Kiozan, by contrast, looked down on his own much more complete style with disdain and started picking up a different martial art without dedicating himself to it either. Halfhearted both ways. This fight did not prove that Pro Wrestling is stronger than Sumo, so much as Sekibayashi's conviction overcame Kiozan's weaker will.
It's a bit trite and flatly delivered, but it's one page, and after reading this match you're probably still on a high. Moving on.
Back with Magatani, the man himself is apparently quite content with his loss, laughing heartily over it. Sakura watches quietly, before revealing herself to be much more incisive than her framing previously suggested. This is exactly what he wanted, isn't it? He doesn't answer her conclusively, smugly deflecting her question, but we get a flashback that essentially confirms it. Kiozan's elder brothers came to Magatani and directly requested this of him. They believe Kiozan has the talent to take Sumo to even greater heights than either of them are capable of, but he's…well, you've seen. They asked Magatani's help to give him a reality check, basically. And he agreed, out of a sense of what seems like fatherly obligation (he's apparently been looking out for them for decades), and didn't really think Kiozan could win the tournament, so this was his tactic. Still, it seems to bug him that it was Gandai specifically who delivered the blow. And we see the rivalry between them was, perhaps, closer than Shikano ever thought.
Hard cut away. Sekibayashi strode proudly away from his victory a colossus, indomitable and poised as an Adonis. Now that he's out of sight of the audience, he's let the Kayfabe drop, and has paused to hack up a great big lungful of blood. Admitting to himself, in the privacy of solitude, how much that fucking hurt. Amusingly, given he's clutching his stomach, it seems like only that big charge is really bothering him. Unfortunately, he's not alone. Someone approaches from behind. Still, he doesn't take it personally. You again? Sekibayashi says, noting that they caught him at a bad time before politely asking they don't tell anyone they saw this. Pros aren't supposed to break Kayfabe, you know, he tells Kono Haruo as the boy stares down in awe and wonder.
He stutters a little, then. The question is on his lips, but he struggles to make himself say it. Struggles to hope. Can he change? Sekibayashi looks on silently, as Haruo's self-loathing spiral plays out in front of him. I'm a piece of shit, Haruo says. He betrayed everyone's expectations, hit rock bottom. Do you think that even I can change, he sobs.
After 6 minutes and 47 seconds, Sekibayashi advances to the second round…and acquires a new pupil. I love this moment. Sekibayashi lives to inspire people, after all, doesn't he?
End chapter.
Holy shit. What more can really be said? This isn't my favourite match of the first round, possibly not even the first bracket, but god damn it might just be the best written. The flashbacks might be a little terse in their delivery, but otherwise fucking hell, what a perfect demonstration how to fucking do a Tournament Fight. This whole match is a tightly delivered little story arc unto itself, with a clear and resonant theme and easily digestible action. It even almost manages to avoid Kengan Asura's habit of bogging down its ideas in flat, stodgy moments of ill-considered exposition. Sekibayashi and Kiozan are clear foils for each other, and their conflict follows naturally, especially with Kiozan's clear tendency toward projection.
This match sold me on Sekibayashi, my first time reading this manga. I'd managed to get through the Ohma fight not really feeling it, but here I believed. What a boldly written character, to take something the author pretty clearly feels strongly about, and hold back from making their schtick just the wanky best…and still manage to make that character convincingly phenomenally good anyway. Without reintroducing a hint of wank. And then, as the cherry on top, using him to elevate and restore life to another character who is otherwise entirely spent. It's honestly impressive how many little relationships and webs of interaction this huge cast is creating, and really works to justify itself.
Beyond that, I think I've said all I need to during the review itself, and this has already become the longest update so far, so I'll let you go.
See you all next time, as we begin setting up for the second bracket.
Like teach.
Dude's fucking QUICK when he wants to be.
As soon as the first page is over we dip back into flashback space, but rather than an abstract timeslip for the audience's benefit, this time it's diegetically a memory flashing through Sekibayashi's head. Some years ago, four, five or maybe even longer, he isn't sure, the Rokushinkai school of Karate was holding a tournament. A no holds barred open tournament for fighters of other styles to challenge the school's strength. The only thing the tournament banned was eye gouging. This was before MMA, apparently, but rather in the era of something called Vale Tudo. A translation note tells me that it's a precursor to MMA, based in Brazil, and a quick google confirms that much.
Hey, it was where the Gracie family hosted their big challenges. How about that?
Anyway, since Vale Tudo was still popular and MMA hadn't formalised itself into the very specific sort of fighting it sports these days, there was a bunch of fighters of different styles entering, Muay Thai, Boxing, Kung Fu, you name it. There was even someone calling himself a ninja. And of course, such a grand stage could not but attract the showmen of public Martial Arts. In steps the Super Japan Pro Wrestling promotion, with one of their biggest headliners.
and Slightly Younger Sekibayashi
Yeah, this is still before Sekibayashi hit the big time. He's getting there, by his own words, but only close. Not there. And watching Kurachi obliterate people through the first and second rounds inspired him! His conviction that Pro Wrestlers are the strongest people around held firm.
But, in his own words, he didn't know a damn thing.
The next round, Kurachi wasn't fighting a scrub. He was fighting one of the heaviest hitters in the tournament. It seems like Sekibayashi doesn't remember the guy's style, only the showers of blood he knocked out of Kurachi. Who didn't guard a single blow. Right to the very end.
In an alleyway by the building where the tournament was being held Kurachi rests, and Sekibayashi rages. You could have won, he howls, if you'd only guarded yourself! Why did you throw the match? Kurachi repeats the question to himself, shaking his head. No, that's the wrong outlook. There's no guarding in Pro-wrestling, his only option was to take it. Bear that weight. Sekibayashi, to my eyes equal parts offended on Kurachi's behalf and struggling to reconcile his broken conviction, points out that this wasn't pro wrestling. This was an open martial arts tournament. He didn't have to be limited by pro wrestling! Kurachi laboriously pushes himself to his feet, presses a fist into Sekibayashi's chest and, with a smile, asks him a question in turn.
"What's the point in being a pro wrestler if you've lost your faith in pro wrestling?"
…
I used to play Yugioh. Quite a lot, actually. We had a local club where teens like I was back then would gather, decks to hand, and duel for the better part of a saturday afternoon. I was pretty good, too! Had a couple of pretty top tier decks as things went in a casual, local scene. Later on though, I found a particular archetype, the Fabled. A group of Light Element fiends, with ornate armour and little, impish familiars. I loved them. Particularly with some support they'd gotten a while back they were very good at swarming the field and fuelling Synchro plays, but never really broke out into the competitive scene. Sure, if things went well they could create nasty endboards for the time. But their combos were fragile, they struggled to recur resources and had some significant consistency problems.
Particularly in an age where top tier Xyz decks like Wind-ups were coming into their own, playing Fabled wasn't a smart move. And yet. I persevered. I refined my decklist, as best I could with the cards I had access to. I developed my understanding. And though I'd struggle nevertheless, sometimes I'd fucking well win, even against the top tier decks. Because I believed, and pushed that clunky, flawed archetype to the limits of its ability. And in believing, pushing forward with full sincerity, I'd win where sometimes even better decks couldn't.
It's a funny angle to take, for a story like this. Especially in a moment where Sekibayashi is, essentially, the protagonist. The manga isn't presenting Pro Wrestling as actually being practical, or its strengths having hidden depths that make it genuinely better than true, specialised martial arts. As Cosmo noted last time, it's a disadvantage! But it's not without its strengths. And Sekibayashi, as he matured, came to believe sincerely in those strengths. Dedicate himself to them. And in the process elevated them to the point where he can overwhelm Martially Chauvinist "my MMA is so fucking practical you a little bitch" shitwads.
And, well. Fighting at a disadvantage and coming back to take the win anyway is just good drama, no?
By contrast…well. Back in the present Kiozan manages to slip free from the headlock, half from Sekibayashi beginning to lose steam and half from his body being lubricated with sweat and blood. But even if he's tired and battered, to Kiozan's continuing disgusted surprise, Sekibayashi just refuses to go down. Sekibayashi taunts him with it. Do you want to know why I'm not going down, he asks. Kiozan tries to dismiss it. We're in the middle of a fight, shut the fuck up. But as Shikano notes, chatting shit is endemic to pro wrestling, so no. Sekibayashi will not shut up. Instead he'll point out that Kiozan has no core. No sincerity.
"You don't love Sumo at all, do you?"
This clearly isn't totally right. Kiozan wouldn't flip his shit as hard as he does at this if he didn't, on some level, love Sumo. But Sekibayashi is far, far from wrong. Kiozan doesn't believe in Sumo. Of fucking course he doesn't! Look at him, in his fucking kickboxing stance! Look at how easily he gets shaken! He has no centre, no foundation for his mental, nothing to anchor him against the battering tides of Sekibayashi's trash talk.
Of course he isn't managing to overwhelm Sekibayashi, even when by rights the martial art he's using should be something the Pro Wrestler should struggle with. Sekibayashi is used to struggle, he's embraced his art even where it is lacking. By contrast, Kiozan hasn't sought to refine or advance his Sumo, he's abandoned it for quick roads to victory. Adopting stances and techniques without building the foundation they require.
And of course, a weak mental game cracks easily.
Kiozan charges Sekibayashi in a berserk rage. None of the refined slaps or strikes of earlier, he's throwing wild haymakers and gripping Sekibayashi's head and rearing back to headbutt him over and over and over. Back in the entrance corridor, Akiyama Sakura notes how sloppy his attacks are getting to their collective boss. This…isn't good.
Sorry sir, still no fucks in stock. Check in tomorrow, maybe?
Sakura begins to call out to Kiozan, to tell him to calm down, but she's stopped. Magatani doesn't respond to her half-spoken question. He just grins. Everything's apparently going according to plan?
Back in the ring, Kiozan's done headbutting, hammering Sekibayashi with a vicious haymaker. And he makes to follow up with a second one. But Sekibayashi has found his moment to take his turn back. He snakes his arm in under Kiozan's and, one-armed, whips him around and into the floor. Yamashita calls out the attack as…hey, an arm whip, neat. Sekibayashi's put himself back in the fight's driving seat. But he doesn't follow up. Rolling his shoulder, shaking off a sheet or two of sweat, he relaxes a little. Alright, he says, that's enough of that. Wake up, kiddo. Time's up. The CEOs watch in silence as Kiozan rises to his feet, quietly agreeing with Sekibayashi. Yeah, it's about time we ended this. But quiet isn't the same as peaceful, and Sekibayashi's instincts are sharp. He can tell Kiozan hasn't calmed down even a little. No, he's gotten so fucking mad that it's wrapped around into cold, icy murder.
He abandons his high stance, and drops low and wide, into an orthodox Sumo starting stance. And quietly, deliberately informs Sekibayashi that if he won't go down the normal way, Kiozan will just have to kill him. Sekibayashi celebrates the trash talk, but is caught up short when Kiozan adjusts his stance even lower. Right down to the floor, with both fists held parallel to it.
"You're supposed to take all of my attacks…aren't you, Pro Wrestler?"
I don't recall the name of this stance. But it's a real thing. Abandoning all defence and stability for a singularly overwhelming, explosive strike. Getting down that low gives a strong angle of attack on the opponent's center of mass, and coils up the legs and core nice and tight.
And sure enough, the next instant, Kiozan vanishes from sight.
Now, I could be mean, and leave you there. This is enough wordcount for a chapter, if a slightly short one. But I know y'all have been excited for this one, so let's keep going. Make it a real blowout.
Chapter 80 reels back the clock a couple of seconds, as Sekibayashi notes the stance Kiozan is taking. Lowering his center of Gravity as far as it'll go. And then the manga asks the reader a question. Where are the most developed muscles in a Sumo Wrestler's body? Why…of course it is the legs. Not just to support their massive bodies, but also to resist the force of equally massive men, and blow them away in turn. Hell, one of the most powerful maneuvers a Sumo Wrestler can perform, which takes advantage of the huge bellies they develop, is simply lifting their opponent off his feet and pitching him bodily to the ground. And you know how the old saying goes. Lift with your legs, not your back.
And even for a Sumo Wrestler, the narration is eager to tell us, Kiozan's legs are abnormally well developed. He can maintain the speed of a Sumo Charge for far further, and raise it much higher. He's strictly limited to forward motion, but within the range of his charge he's faster than Murobuchi Gozo.
Fucking Bring it on, says Sekibayashi.
Okay, now he gives a fuck.
It is, bar none, the most powerful blow Sekibayashi has ever taken. In this contest the winner was Sumo.
…funny, isn't it, how the instant Kiozan went back to the things he's refined the longest and dedicated himself the most to, he managed to strike a telling blow? Now that's cohesive theming kids, take notes. Shame, though. It's too little, too late. Kiozan collapses to his hands and knees, the grin of triumph rapidly falling from his face. And, well.
He's shaking. It takes him a moment, but he manages to get back to his feet. And when he does, with a huff of triumph, Sekibayashi grins down at Kiozan again. Pro Wrestling's got some pretty bitching defence, huh? He asks, as Kiozan stares bug-eyed, frantically wondering how the fuck he's the one on the ground while Sekibayashi still stands.
Up in the stands, Wakatsuki helpfully explains to the rest of the peanut gallery, and us.
At the moment of impact, Sekibayashi lowered his upper chest. This bumped down Kiozan's head, ever so slightly, so he hit the Pro Wrestler 's chest with the fragile, less cushioned parts of his skull. He's probably suffering through an absolutely vicious concussion right now. And this is a core element of Sekibayashi's style. Ordinary defences, Wakatsuki explains, minimise damage to the user. But Sekibayashi takes blows from angles that break down the opponent's form in ways that damage them. The harder his opponent hits, the more they fuck themselves up in the process as he misaligns their punches and makes them fuck up their wrist. It's not realistic, but it's rooted in real risks of mis-placing or mis-executing a blow.
And it's something that only a Pro-Wrestler is likely to come up with. This is basically the opposite side of the coin from kayfabe, from Selling The Hit. A foundational skill in Pro Wrestling, IRL and here, is taking pretend hits and blows safely. Both for the receiver and the striker. Here Sekibayashi is taking that knowledge and inverting it.
You know, Kiozan was hitting very hard indeed.
Wakatsuki goes on to compare this to Cosmo's zone, directly addressing the boy and clarifying that it's the sort of crazy shit only a defence specialist could pull off. Sekibayashi has mastered the art of Destroying while Defending.
As Cosmo processes this, off to the side, Nishihonji quietly prays Cosmo understands now. He's excellent, a genuine prodigy, but there's a reason his first match lasted so long. He lacked this exact sort of confidence. Unshakeable belief in oneself. Total belief in your passion, your style. Until you can act without thought, but not unthinking. Decisiveness born of complete understanding.
He lacks conviction. Sekibayashi has it in spades.
My fucking god those lines of action.
A power bomb with the combined weight of Sekibayashi and a Sumo Wrestler. Over 300 kilograms total, right to the back of Kiozan's head. By rights that should kill him, but Kengan Fighters are just Built Different. So instead he's merely instantly concussed, and passes out a few seconds later. Sekibayashi congratulates him on being, in the end, a pretty fucking good entertainer. Thanks to Kiozan, he got to end this match in style.
The winner of Match eight is Sekibayashi Jun. As if you ever doubted.
The next page we get a brief summary of the themes of this match from Wakatsuki, just for the people who struggled to keep up. Sekibayashi might be fighting at a constant disadvantage with Pro Wrestling's very specific image and limits, but he dedicates himself to that style with complete confidence, and makes its unique strengths work. Kiozan, by contrast, looked down on his own much more complete style with disdain and started picking up a different martial art without dedicating himself to it either. Halfhearted both ways. This fight did not prove that Pro Wrestling is stronger than Sumo, so much as Sekibayashi's conviction overcame Kiozan's weaker will.
It's a bit trite and flatly delivered, but it's one page, and after reading this match you're probably still on a high. Moving on.
Back with Magatani, the man himself is apparently quite content with his loss, laughing heartily over it. Sakura watches quietly, before revealing herself to be much more incisive than her framing previously suggested. This is exactly what he wanted, isn't it? He doesn't answer her conclusively, smugly deflecting her question, but we get a flashback that essentially confirms it. Kiozan's elder brothers came to Magatani and directly requested this of him. They believe Kiozan has the talent to take Sumo to even greater heights than either of them are capable of, but he's…well, you've seen. They asked Magatani's help to give him a reality check, basically. And he agreed, out of a sense of what seems like fatherly obligation (he's apparently been looking out for them for decades), and didn't really think Kiozan could win the tournament, so this was his tactic. Still, it seems to bug him that it was Gandai specifically who delivered the blow. And we see the rivalry between them was, perhaps, closer than Shikano ever thought.
Hard cut away. Sekibayashi strode proudly away from his victory a colossus, indomitable and poised as an Adonis. Now that he's out of sight of the audience, he's let the Kayfabe drop, and has paused to hack up a great big lungful of blood. Admitting to himself, in the privacy of solitude, how much that fucking hurt. Amusingly, given he's clutching his stomach, it seems like only that big charge is really bothering him. Unfortunately, he's not alone. Someone approaches from behind. Still, he doesn't take it personally. You again? Sekibayashi says, noting that they caught him at a bad time before politely asking they don't tell anyone they saw this. Pros aren't supposed to break Kayfabe, you know, he tells Kono Haruo as the boy stares down in awe and wonder.
He stutters a little, then. The question is on his lips, but he struggles to make himself say it. Struggles to hope. Can he change? Sekibayashi looks on silently, as Haruo's self-loathing spiral plays out in front of him. I'm a piece of shit, Haruo says. He betrayed everyone's expectations, hit rock bottom. Do you think that even I can change, he sobs.
After 6 minutes and 47 seconds, Sekibayashi advances to the second round…and acquires a new pupil. I love this moment. Sekibayashi lives to inspire people, after all, doesn't he?
End chapter.
Holy shit. What more can really be said? This isn't my favourite match of the first round, possibly not even the first bracket, but god damn it might just be the best written. The flashbacks might be a little terse in their delivery, but otherwise fucking hell, what a perfect demonstration how to fucking do a Tournament Fight. This whole match is a tightly delivered little story arc unto itself, with a clear and resonant theme and easily digestible action. It even almost manages to avoid Kengan Asura's habit of bogging down its ideas in flat, stodgy moments of ill-considered exposition. Sekibayashi and Kiozan are clear foils for each other, and their conflict follows naturally, especially with Kiozan's clear tendency toward projection.
This match sold me on Sekibayashi, my first time reading this manga. I'd managed to get through the Ohma fight not really feeling it, but here I believed. What a boldly written character, to take something the author pretty clearly feels strongly about, and hold back from making their schtick just the wanky best…and still manage to make that character convincingly phenomenally good anyway. Without reintroducing a hint of wank. And then, as the cherry on top, using him to elevate and restore life to another character who is otherwise entirely spent. It's honestly impressive how many little relationships and webs of interaction this huge cast is creating, and really works to justify itself.
Beyond that, I think I've said all I need to during the review itself, and this has already become the longest update so far, so I'll let you go.
See you all next time, as we begin setting up for the second bracket.