Israel Adesanya, the former UFC Middleweight champion, is not only renowned for his lethal skills in the octagon but also for his passion for anime. Despite his status as one of the finest middleweight champions in the MMA world, fans were pleasantly surprised to learn about ‘The Last Stylebender’s’ love for anime.
Adesanya’s anime journey started in his childhood with classics like Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, laying the foundation for his deep love of the medium. Over time, he delved into different anime genres, solidifying his status as a dedicated fan.
What sets Adesanya apart from other fighters is his open and unapologetic adoration for anime. Few fighters have publicly discussed their love for anime and expressed their support for the anime community. This has endeared him to anime enthusiasts who may not be familiar with the world of UFC.
Adesanya has even gone a step further by replicating memorable moments from different anime series. For example, he mirrored Rock Lee from Naruto during a face-off with Anderson Silva, creating a special connection between his fighting career and his anime fandom.
But it doesn’t stop there. Adesanya has revealed that an iconic anime influenced one of his most intense fights. His willingness to embrace his anime interests and incorporate them into his professional life has not only won him fans in the fighting world but also among anime enthusiasts, further solidifying his unique position in the sports and anime communities.
Israel Adesanya’s Planned Death Note Theme at UFC 243
In a GQ sports’ interview where he discussed his affinity for anime, Israel Adesanya disclosed that his act of pretending to write Whittaker’s name down at UFC 243 wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision.
He had already conceived the idea of incorporating a Death Note theme into the fight, particularly because Whittaker’s cage name is ‘The Reaper’. When discussing Death Note, Israel Adesanya remarked:
“I love a good thriller…So like, I said, in every fight, I always have a theme, and Robert’s fight name is ‘The Reaper’. So I was like, ‘Imma show you who the real God of Death is.’ So yeah, I did everything with intention. When I stepped in and I took his name and I wrote it in a ‘Death Note’. There are some forces you don’t tap into, but I like to tap into them once in a while. That was the theme of the that fight – the battle to see who the real God of Death is, and I showed him who the God of Death was.”
The narrative of the Japanese anime Death Note centers on a young individual named Light Yagami and his intense rivalry with a globally acclaimed detective.
Light assumes the clandestine identity of ‘Kira’ and employs the Death Note, a supernatural notebook bestowed upon him by a Shinigami, a Japanese God of Death, to orchestrate the demise of criminals. According to the rules of the Death Note, any person whose name is inscribed in it meets their end within a specified time frame.
In a bout that took place in 2019, ‘The Last Stylebender’ succeeded in knocking out Whittaker in the second round.
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Israel Adesanya’s Anime Inspiration in Fights
The showdown with Robert Whittaker wasn’t the sole instance where Israel Adesanya drew inspiration from anime for his fights.
As a devoted fan of the widely popular Japanese anime Naruto, Israel Adesanya revealed its influence into his battle against middleweight legend Anderson Silva:
“When I fought [Anderson] Silva, I felt like it was two taijutsu masters fighting. So, my character was Rock Lee. So you see me in the intro when Bruce Buffer was announcing my name, I took the weights off and I went like that. Boom. I hit a flip, I hit the pose. It was gangster. If you know, you know. I play to my crowd.”
Rock Lee, the character whom Adesanya stated he emulated, is a shinobi in the series who didn’t possess the same level of proficiency in ninjutsu or genjutsu as his peers. Nevertheless, he triumphed over these limitations through rigorous training in taijutsu, or combat techniques, to the extent that he could move with remarkable speed even while carrying weights on his legs.
Source: GQ sports
