History Wrestling / KazushiSakuraba

* TheApprentice: To Nobuhiko Takada, although he also trained with catch wrestling legend Billy Robinson and muay thay master Bovy Chowaikung.

** Saku was considered next Masahiko Kimura, as he repeated Kimura's victory over a Gracie by using his signature armlock. Very much like the technique (originally called double wrist lock or gyaku-ude-garami) was renamed "Kimura lock" after Masahiko, Saku's finishing move is currently called "Sakuraba Lock".

* FinishingMove: Sakuraba Lock (Kimura Lock) and Cross Armbreaker. He also developed a catch technique called Yurikamome, but he never used it in the ring, and his partner Naoki Sano adopted it for pro wrestling.

* LetsFightLikeGentleman: He decided to attack Ryan Gracie's injured arm at as little as possible at ''Pride 12''.

* LetUsFightLikeGentleman: He decided to attack Ryan Gracie's injured arm at as little as possible at ''Pride 12''.

-->The Gracies really are fools. Fools, idiots, retards, jackasses, buffoons... No matter how many words I line up, I can't express my feelings for them. [[BadassBoast I'll take you on, with your own rules]].

* TheAce: While called the Gracie Hunter, it was really the other way around. No Gracie had ever lost a professional fight since Kimura times and the initial thought among them was that PRIDE had screwed Royler. This sentiment vanished later, but only after other three Gracie brothers fell to Sakuraba.
* AlmightyJanitor: Was notoriusly low in the scale of UWF International, but he proved to be the best fighter come from its Snakepit.

* ArchEnemy: Wrestling/KiyoshiTamura. He was Kazushi's sempai in the old UWF, and it's said that he used to mistreat him. Later, Sakuraba and Tamura went to become aces of their respective companies, PRIDE and RINGS, and after years of negotiations, they faced each other in Dynamite 2008. Tamura won the fight, albeit in a rather uneventful way and against a wrestler who carried more injuries than him.

* {{Badass}}: One of the biggest in the entire Japanese martial history. At the UFC era, a pro wrestler submitting a Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter was like a boy killing a soldier with a willow stick, and Sakuraba did it not once, but many times, and against the very founders of the art.

* CanonDiscontinuity: Though some sites (among them the prestigious Sherdog) cite the bout between Sakuraba and Kimo Leopolodo as Saku's first fight, he has denied it, with no comment about the match's legitimacy. Another example is his 1996 fight against Rene Rooze, which technically is Saku's first shoot fight, but it is not counted as a MMA fight due to its special rules.

* DentedIron: Has got more injuries throughout his career than most of Japanese fighters due to his schedule, but even now, he does not have the retirement in his skyline.

* DifficultButAwesome: Despite some initial success in amateur wrestling (see Instant Expert below), Saku's skills weren't really great as a novice, and it took more years than normal to him to master the art. He said it was not until two or three years that he started to not to get completely wrecked by his training partners.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Countering Marcus Silveira's Kimura lock attempt into a cross armbar for the win, or perhaps more establishing, catching Royler Gracie in a Kimura lock and breaking his arm.

** Saku was considered next Masahiko Kimura, as he repeated Kimura's victory over a Gracie by using his signature armlock. Very much like the technique (originally called double wrist lock or ude-garami) was renamed "Kimura lock" after Masahiko, Saku's finishing move is currently called "Sakuraba Lock".
** He also was considered an expy to Ad Santel, the famous catch wrestler who terrorized the Kodokan judo school in the 20s. Amusingly enough, this time was the inverse in terms of fighting styles, as the Japanese side led by Saku was the one featuring catch wrestling while their foreign opponents were using precisely an ancient variation of judo.

* FinishingMove: Sakuraba Lock (Kimura Lock) and Cross Armbreaker. He also developed a catch technique called Yurikamome, but he never used it, and his partner Naoki Sano adopted it for pro wrestling.

* InstantExpert: During his first day as an amateur wrestler, he curbstomped future bronze medalist Tokuya Ota. RealityEnsues had place, however, as Ota defeated him all the three times they faced each other later.

* SlowMotion: Super Sasadango Machine activated...something in Dramatic Dream Team to make everything around the ring move in slow motion to get an advantage on Sakuraba. Whatever it was sputtered out, leading to Sakuraba regaining the advantage and defeating him.
* SpotTheImposter: The trope was played during his entrance before the fight against Royce. Three men in identical Super Strong Machine masks came to the ring and taunted the crowd and the Brazilian to guessing which of them was Saku, and they did not revealed it until the announcer bellowed Sakuraba's name and he took off his mask.
* SchoolIsForLosers: He was such a pro wrestling fan as a child that he intended to leave the school to enrole in the puroresu world a la Masakatsu Funaki, but his parents convinced him otherwise. Ironically, to his parents's horror, he ended quitting university instead at the last year.

* YouCantFightFate: A funny example happened during the fight between Saku and Carlos Newton. Before the event, Newton had been sparring with Bas Rutten, whose grappling style was similar to Kazushi's due to his time in the similarly catch-based Pancrase, and Rutten coached Newton to look after kneebars after tapping him out with one. Carlos went to the ring reassured, the match started, and after minutes of grappling, Sakuraba submitted him with a kneebar of all things.

-->''[[WorthyRival "Kazushi Sakuraba was a stone in our shoes.]] He was one of the most amazing fighters who came from Japan, and most amazing was his [[GenreSavvy ability to play smart.]] He was able to adapt himself and to figure out ways to break his opponents. He was very succesful at what he did."''

* CoolMask: Used to wear masks during his entrance to remind everyone of his pro wrestling ancestry. In a famous instance, he and his two cornermen came with identical Super Strong Machine masks to hide which of them was Saku.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: He always wore [[RedIsHeroic reddish]] or orange tights. Orange became his signature color, to the point his dojo Laughter7 got a training ring with an orange mat.

** His own style was impredictable enough to nullify his opponent's orthodox sawwiness. To his opponents, it was the first time they saw a wrestling chop thrown towards them.

* SchoolIsForLosers: He was such a pro wrestling fan as a child that he intended to leave the school to enrole in the puroresu world a la Masakatsu Funaki, but his parents convinced him otherwise. Ironically, to his parent's horror, he ended quitting university.

* YouCantFightFate: A funny example of the trope happened during the fight between Saku and Carlos Newton. Before the event, Newton had been sparring with Bas Rutten, whose grappling style was similar to Kazushi's due to his time in the similarly catch-based Pancrase, and Rutten coached Newton to look after kneebars after tapping him out with one. Carlos went to the ring reassured, the match started, and after minutes of grappling, Sakuraba submitted him with a kneebar of all things.

-->''"Kazushi Sakuraba was a stone in our shoes. He was one of the most amazing fighters who came from Japan, and most amazing was his ability to play smart. He was able to adapt himself and to figure out ways to break his opponents. He was very succesful at what he did."''

* JustToyingWithThem: To Royce Gracie's chagrin, Saku did everything except taking seriously their fight. He looked to the camera and mocked the Brazilian's striking attempts, simulated to pull down his gi pants while defending a guillotine choke, and toyed with punches and chops while consistently kicking his leg.

-->''"Sakuraba is the best technician in the world. It seems he is doing technique from a different point of view than ordinary people. [...] I think Sakuraba is a perfect fighter who is creative, doesn't depend on power, and fights with intelligence."''
--->--'''Mark Kerr''' about Saku

* [[YouGottaHaveBlueHair You Gotta Have Red Hair]]: In line with his initial red tights, Saku used to dye his hair bright red.

-->''"In fact, pro wrestling is strong."''
--->--'''Kazushi Sakuraba''', after winning the UFC Japan

* {{Face}}: If MMA has faces and heels, Sakuraba was the top face for the Japanese people.

* GenreSavvy: Kazushi knew that the best way to defeat BJJ grapplers was to keep them away from the ground with his wrestling abilities and strike them. Given that Saku was a shroud grappler as well, he didn't need this strategy very often, but his fight against Royce was won mainly through it. Besides, his own style was impredictable enough to nullify his opponent's orthodox sawwiness.
* GradualGrinder: The aforementioned strategy.

* WorkedShoot: His fight against Kimo Leopoldo is considered to be one. Sakuraba himself said that, oddly enough, he doesn't remember whether it was a work or not, but nonetheless he doesn't consider it as part of his MMA career.

* ArchEnemy: Kiyoshi Tamura. He was Kazushi's sempai in the old UWF, and it's said that he used to mistreat him. Later, Sakuraba and Tamura went to become aces of their respective companies, PRIDE and RINGS, and after years of negotiations, they faced each other in Dynamite 2008. Tamura won the fight, albeit in a rather uneventful way and against a wrestler who carried more injuries than him.

* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: His favorite technique, the Kimura armlock, was used not only as a FinishingMove, but also as a positional weapon to endanger the opponent and force him to reposition.

* TheAce: While called the Gracie Hunter, it was really the other way around. No Gracie had ever lost a professional fight before and the initial thought among them was that PRIDE had screwed Royler. This sentiment vanished later, but only after another three Gracie brothers fell to Sakuraba.
* AlmightyJanitor: Was notoriusly in the lower scale of UWF International, but he proved to be the best fighter come from its Snakepit.
* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He is known as a firm antithesis to this trope, always friendly and humorous, but he adopted a similar image to build tension before his fight with Royce. As he put:

** After the fight, he hugged Royce and gave Hélio Gracie a handshake, and claimed to be becoming friends with Royce. He did have, however, a brief dialectic confrontation with Hélio about who had symbolically won the fight.

* ConfusionFu: His fighting style include all manner of unorthodox and puroresu-esque moves, like Mongolian chops, aerial stomps, cartwheel guard passes and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking silly antics]].

* CoolMask: Used to wear masks during his entrance to remind everyone of his pro wrestling ancestry. In a famous instance, he and two cornermen came with identical Super Strong Machine masks to hide which of them was Saku.

* DentedIron: Has got more injuries throughout his career than most of Japanese fighters due to his schedule, but even so, he does not have the retirement in his skyline.

* PassingTheTorch: Ended his career in PRIDE without a candidate to hold his torch, but Olympic judoka Hidehiko Yoshida was chosen by the management to become the next native star. Also Yoshihiro Akiyama was considered a Saku sucessor, but his oil-caused fall from grace after his fight with Kazushi took away this aspiration.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: He always wore [[RedIsHeroic reddish]] or orange tights.

* OneOfUs: Is a long time anime and manga fan, and once shot a promo with ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'' action figures.

* TheAce: While called the Gracie hunter, it was really the other way around. No Gracie had ever lost a professional fight before and the initial thought among them was that Pride had screwed Royce. Yes, this sentiment vanished later but only after another three Gracie brothers fell to Sakuraba.

** After the fight, he hugged Royce and gave Hélio Gracie a handshake, and claimed to be becoming friends with Royce. He did, however, have a brief dialectic confrontation with Hélio about who had symbolically won the fight.

* CanonDiscontinuity: Though some sites (among them the prestigious Sherdog) cite the bout between Sakuraba and Kimo Leopolodo as Saku's first fight, he has denied it, without comment about the match's legitimacy. Other example is his 1996 fight against Rene Rooze, which technically is Saku's first shoot fight, but it is not counted as a MMA fight due to its special rules.

* CoolVsAwesome: The reason behind his fight against Wrestling/MasakatsuFunaki. The two (along with Kiyoshi Tamura) were considered the best shoot-style wrestlers, and Funaki had challenhed him on the basis that their styles would make for an entertaining contest.

* DentedIron: Has got more injuries throughout his career than most of Japanese fighters due to his schedule, but even so, he has not the retirement in his skyline.
* {{Determinator}}: After a 90-minute fight against Royce, Sakuraba showed up for the next tournament bout against the 50 lbs heavier, much better rested, and universally feared striker Igor Vovchanchyn. And he managed to go the distance for another 20 minutes, fighting well enough for the match to be considered a draw. He lost at the end when his corner threw the towel to not to risk further his health.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: After his return to wrestling, he kept his MMA spats as opposed to regular wrestling high boots.

* GenreSavvy: Kazushi knew that the best way to defeat BJJ grapplers was to keep them away from the ground with his wrestling abilities and strike with them. Given that Saku was a shroud grappler as well, he didn't need this strategy very often, but his fight against Royce was won mainly through it.
** Besides, his own style was impredictable enough to nullify his opponent's orthodox sawwiness.

* HeroKiller: Handed Royce Gracie, who at the time was considered almost unstoppable, his first loss.
* HyperCompetentSidekick: Back when Kazushi was an apprentice, his master Nobuhiko Takada travelled to the Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu Club to retrain before his rematch with Rickson Gracie, as he had contacts with his owner Marco Ruas (also a notoriusly enemy to Rickson), and Sakuraba accompanied him to carry his bags. Eventually, after Takada was schooled by resident grapplers, Sakuraba came forward and tapped everybody out.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Sakuraba's trademark Mongolian chop backfired rather spectacularly during his fight against Nino Schembri, who headbutted him and knocked him out with soccer kicks after countering the move.

* [[KickChick Kick Dude]]: He was not a master kicker like other shooters, but his fighting style include plenty of effective leg kicks to weaken his opponents.

* RedBaron: "Gracie Hunter", "IQ Wrestler", "Saku", "Nihon no Kyuuseigun" ("The Savior of Japan") and "Ikeru Densetsu" ("The Living Legend").

!!! "Gracie Troper":

* TheAce

'''Kazushi Sakuraba''' (b. 1968) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er and UsefulNotes/MixedMartialArts fighter, best known for his role in the existence of PRIDE Fighting Championships. He originally started as a pro wrestler in Union of Wrestling Forces International, learning the style of shoot wrestling under the tutelage of legend Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada. Kazushi showed brilliancy and ascended swiflty in the roster, but UWF International closed before he could achieve a bigger status. He joined Kingdom, a promotion founded from UWF remnants, but he found a new field in the blooming MMA world: where his mentor Takada had failed, falling at the hands of Brazilian jiu-jitsu chieftain Rickson Gracie, Kazushi thrived, gaining popularity after winning the UFC Japan tournament against a BJJ black belt despite being, like Takada, just a pro wrestler. He then moved to PRIDE and showed his skills submitting several BJJ fighters, eventually making the impossible at the time and defeating a member of the Gracie family, Royler. Sakuraba went to beat Rickson's brother Royce in a fight which made history and turned him into a legend, getting nicknamed "Gracie Hunter", and later added Renzo and Ryan to his record. Hailed as a national hero by Japanese press, Sakuraba became PRIDE's native ace, fighting superior opponents throughout a grueling five years career and getting known by his unorthodox, pro wrestling-influenced style. Aside from his BJJ hunts, Kazushi also held victories against three of his own's style best wrestler, Wrestling/MasakatsuFunaki, Wrestling/KenShamrock and Ikuhisa Minowa. Passed his prime, he later moved to HERO'S and DREAM promotions, but his many injuries told the world that his era had passed. Currently, Sakuraba is unoficially retired from MMA and working pro wrestling for Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling.

* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: He always wore reddish or orange tights.

* DefeatMeansRespect: When visiting Marco Ruas's Beverly Hills Jiu-Jitsu academy, local students looked him down for being Japanese, and one of them, a Greco Roman wrestling champion, challenged him to a match. Saku accepted and [[CurbstompBattle threw him down with a judo seoi nage in mere seconds]]. After it, he was seen with new respect.

* {{Determinator}}: After a 90-minute fight against Royce, Sakuraba showed up for the next tournament bout against the 50 lbs heavier, much better rested, and universally feared kickboxing god Igor Vovchanchyn. And he managed to go the distance for another 20 minutes, fighting well enough for the match to be considered a draw. He lost at the end when his corner threw the towel to not to risk further his health.
* DoesNotLikeShoes: After his return to wrestling, he kept his MMA spats a sopposed to regular wrestling high boots.

* GenreSavvy: Kazushi knew that the best way to defeat BJJ grapplers was to keep them away from the ground with his wrestling abilities. Given he was a shroud grappler as well, he didn't need it very often, but his fight against Royce was won mainly through this strategy. Besides, his own style was impredictable enough to nullify his opponent's orthodox sawwiness.
* HeroKiller: Gave Royce Gracie, who at the time was considered almost unstoppable, his first loss.

* WorkedShoot: His fight against Kimo Leopoldo is considered to be one. Sakuraba himself said that, oddly enough, he doesn't remember whether it was a work or not, but nonetheless he considers his participation in the UFC Japan his first MMA experience.

* UsefulNotes/Atheism: A self-confessed atheist.

* ArrogantKungFuGuy: He is known as a firm antithesis to this trope, always friendly and humorous, but he adopted a similar image to build tension before his fight with Royce.
-->"The Gracies really are fools. Fools, idiots, retards, jackasses, buffoons... No matter how many words I line up, I can't express my feelings for them. [[BadassBoast I'll take you on, with your own rules]]."
** After the fight, he hugged Royce and gave Hélio Gracie a handshake, and claimed to be becoming friends with Royce. He did, however, have a brief dialectic confrontation with Hélio about who had won the fight.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Countering Marcus Silveira's keylock attempt into a cross armbar for the win, or perhaps more establishing, catching Royler Gracie in a keylock and breaking his arm.

* JapaneseSpirit

* PassingTheTorch: Ended his career in PRIDE without a candidate to hold his torch, but Olympic judoka Hidehiko Yoshida was chosen by the management to become the next native star.