Large and In Charge

The Sumo Bros. are recurring enemies in the Mario franchise, but they are fairly uncommon and have only appeared in a couple of games thus far. They made their debut in Super Mario World, but they weren’t seen again until New Super Mario Bros. U was released 22 years later. The lengthy sabbatical didn’t make them any less dangerous, however. Sumo Bros. usually attack by stomping on the ground with enough force to start fires and create bolts of electricity. Sumo Bros. are formidable foes, and the spikes on top of their heads make them even more imposing since they provide a defense against Mario’s most famous maneuver. Sumo Bros. don’t have to worry about anyone jumping on their heads, but they still have to watch out for fireballs and runaway turtle shells. In that sense, they’re really not all that different from real-life sumo wrestlers.

There are many Pokémon who would make great sumo wrestlers, but Hariyama is obviously the best choice for this list. The “arm thrust” Pokémon loves to test his strength in battle, and he can increase his power by stomping on the ground in a ceremonious manner. Hariyama is strong enough to snap a telephone pole in two, and he can send a 10-ton truck flying with a single slap. He might look overweight, but Hariyama is pure muscle. When he tenses his muscles, his body becomes as hard as stone. Hariyama could stand up to a freight train without flinching, so he shows no hesitation when it comes to challenging other big-bodied Pokémon. Hariyama was made for sumo wrestling, and his body naturally resembles sumo attire. Based on strength alone, Hariyama is probably the most proficient sumo wrestler on this list.

While most of the sumo wrestlers on this list are depicted as honorable and wise, Gan Isurugi is basically a knucklehead. Although he could probably pass for 40, Gan is actually still a high school student. He’s not an especially good student, however, and he was basically tricked into joining a gang because he had no critical thinking skills. His immense strength is the only thing he takes pride in, but he lacks discipline and never even bothers to attend his sumo club. Still, his physicality cannot be ignored. Gan’s size allows him to effortlessly tackle his opponents in battle, and he’s powerful enough to create shock waves just by stomping on the ground! When he’s not busy fighting, there’s a pretty good chance that he’s eating something. His appetite is a lot healthier than his studying habits are.

It’s certainly possible for smaller competitors to defeat larger opponents, but it’s fair to say that heavier sumo wrestlers generally have an advantage. In that sense, Gorons are a perfect fit for the sport. They are a lot larger than typical humans, and rocky growths on their backs suggest that they’re even heavier than they look. Gorons are a relatively peaceful, but they also pride themselves as a warrior race. The Goron elders that inhabit Death Mountain are known to settle their disputes with sumo matches, and none are more proficient in the field than Gor Coron. Link is a brave warrior who never backs down from a challenge, but he is unable to best Gor Coron in a sumo match by his own accord. The legendary “Hero Chosen by the Gods” needs to wear iron boots just to knock the aging Goron off his feet.

Games based on sumo wrestling were relatively common during the 8-and-16-bit eras, but most of them were never released outside of Japan. Sumo Fighter is a rare exception. Unlike most sumo games that tried to mirror the actual sport, Sumo Fighter is a typical side-scrolling platformer. The game follows a fledgling sumo wrestler named Bon-chan (aka Bontaro Heiseiyama) on his quest to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress. Fittingly, most of Bon-chan’s moves are based on actual sumo techniques. He can push his enemies back, throw them off the screen, or stun them with his Earth-rattling stomps. Most sumo wrestlers have to face fellow competitors in controlled environments, but Bon-chan has to contend with ninjas, wolves, and bottomless pits. He has his work cut out for him, but his journey allows him to grow as a sumo wrestler.

If figures that the one person on this list that I’d want to see in a loincloth would be fully clothed. Hinako Shijou may not look the part, but she’s just as capable as anyone on this list. She fell in love with sumo wrestling after attending a match and began looking for ways to practice techniques with classmates. She even tried starting her own female sumo club, but the idea went over like a lead balloon and Hinako was forced to train by herself. Hinako followed the sport closely and worked hard on her sumo techniques for many years, and her devotion paid off when she was invited to participate in the King of Fighters tournament. Hinako’s fighting style incorporates takedowns, throws, slaps, and even headbutts. She weighs only 93 pounds, but she has enough technique to lift men who are four times larger than she is!

The “ring out” formula introduced in Virtua Fighter help define most 3D fighting games that followed. Forcing your opponent out of the ring is the most efficient way to win a match, and this environment is a perfect fit for a sumo wrestler. Many real-world fighting disciplines are represented in the series – ranging from kung fu to pro wrestling – but it wasn’t until Virtua Fighter 3 that a proper sumo wrestler was featured. Taka-Arashi was infamous in the sumo world for his brutality, and his thrill of fighting inspired him to seek out new challenges. Although he was undefeated in his sumo career, Taka-Arashi faced humiliation in the World Fighting Tournament where he had to contend with styles that he was unfamiliar with. Poor Taka-Arashi hasn’t gotten many opportunities to erase his defeat since he is seldom featured in the series.

Ganryu was a rising star in the sumo world before he was pushed out of the sport for his problematic behavior. Apparently, sumo organizations look down on gambling and excessive showboating. His tendency to start matches by breathing fire didn’t earn him any favors either. With sumo off the table, Ganryu began searching for an outlet to test his strength in an honorable fashion. The “King of the Iron Fist” tournament eventually provided him with the opportunity he was looking for. Ganryu is surprisingly agile for a man of his size, but he had his work cut out for him in a tournament that featured martial arts masters, killer robots, sentient training dummies, farting bears, and boxing dinosaurs. When he’s not fighting, Ganryu can usually be found in his Hawaiian restaurant where he serves sumo cuisine.

Released in 1982, Sokoban was a revolutionary game that tasked players with pushing boxes around a warehouse. This premise defined an entire genre in the early 1980s, and the concept was adapted to home consoles, mobile devices, and even calculators. Pushmo is a modern take on the Sokoban concept, and the game mechanics mainly consist of pushing and pulling blocks of various sizes. Who better to push things than a sumo wrestler? Mallo is described as “a strong lad with a good heart,” and the reason why he moves blocks around in the first place is to rescue children who have been trapped in elaborate block structures. Pushmo (and its sequel Crashmo) require Mallo to use strategy in order to succeed. It’s nice for a sumo wrestler to finally be recognized for his mind as well as his strength.

Edmund Honda is an honorable fighter who travels the globe looking for strong opponents to demonstrate his sumo skills against. He aims to show his students – and the entire world – that sumo wrestlers rank among the strongest fighters on Earth. Naturally, E. Honda is also on a path of self-improvement and years to achieve the ultimate title of yokozuna. Sumo often begin their matches with flurry of thrusting palm strikes, and Honda’s trademark “Hundred Hand Slap” technique draws from this concept. He can move his hands faster than the eye can see! Although its his intent to promote sumo wrestling, E. Honda’s repertoire contains moves that would disqualify him from any sumo ring. His diving headbutt would be prohibited in a formal sumo match, but its hard not to be impressed by a sumo wrestler who can disregard gravity.