Verdi’s opera about political intrigue and familial drama has been updated from 14th-century Genoa to 21st-century Genoa in this new Simon Boccanegra production at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. Enjoy my review.
Articles by Antoni Matteo Garcia
Read More
A light lyric soprano with heaps of potential to shine and on the cusp of an exciting career tackles Violetta Valery, one of Verdi’s most iconic tragic heroines. Enjoy my review.
From her beginnings in delightful soubrette roles to establishing herself in the light lyric and lyric coloratura soprano repertoire, how does Kim-Lillian Strebel fare as Rusalka in Barrie Kosky’s bleak production? Find out in my review.
Hey, everybody. Antoni here. I have just hit a new DeviantArt milestone, as I have reached exactly 800 watchers. Since I hit this number of watchers, I thought it would be nice to put forty of my favorite art pieces on display for all of you, wonderful people, as 800 is also divisible by that number. If you know me, I enjoy going further than the norm. I am very grateful to all of you who have embarked on this exciting journey with me on DeviantArt. While there have been bumps and turbulence along the way, I am very glad to have gotten to know you and express the things I enjoy and am passionate about through my artwork. Whether it is The Splendid Seven being a powerful yet loving septet of Yokai warriors, especially with my number one beloved OTP of all time Inuyasha x Ayame leading the helm with their strength, sexiness, sinuousness, and superbness as well as their wonderful family, The Animated Jungle Brothers, The Comic Jungle Brothers or RobRae’s and Zutara’s Double Dates, I always feel inspired and motivated to create content for all of you. So, to all of my 800 wonderful DeviantArt watchers, please give yourselves a round of applause for being absolutely awesome. The Splendid Seven may have started with my undying devotion and love to Inuyasha and Ayame as my number one OTP of all time to the point where I drew their fan-children and built on their unfailing strength as a powerful family. In fact, I made Inuyasha and Ayame have a total of fourteen children, consisting of seven muscular sons named Masataka, Masaya, Masaru, Kenta, Keita, Kazuhiko, and Kaito and seven fierce daughters named Kiriko, Momoko, Makoto, Mikoto, Maya, Minako, and Meika, who I hope to draw a lot more of. Nevertheless, adding in Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran proved to be a fun and interesting endeavor because of how superbly their individual strengths as combatants can transform into formidable collectivity against enemies more powerful and more vicious than them. Even as I continue to adorate Inuyasha x Ayame as my number one OTP of all time because of how Inuyasha’s magnificent muscles complement Ayame’s formidable fierceness, thus making them a super strong and stunningly sexy couple, I can never neglect Sesshoumaru’s and Inuyasha’s virile manliness as a duo of strong brothers, Shuran’s, Hakkaku’s, and Ginta’s terrific chemistry as a trio of best brothers, Ayame’s and Shunran’s fabulous flexibility as a duo of gorgeous sisters, Sesshoumaru’s and Shuran’s fortitude as great comrades, Inuyasha’s equally strong brotherhood with Hakkaku and Ginta, and even Hakkaku’s and Ginta’s adorable lovability with Shunran. The best ideas I have made for The Splendid Seven were having them be the Mighty Morphin Inurangers in their teen years, thus donning the Power Rangers signature suits and fighting against Naraku’s monsters and demons doing so, and be involved in martial arts tournaments akin to UFC, Pride FC, Tekken, Street Fighter, and many other fighting video games as well as martial arts tournament events I could barely name off the top of my head as they reach adulthood. The latter idea of having Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran involved in martial arts tournaments is one I continue to have the most fun with because of the various martial arts I chose for each Yokai warrior, with Sesshoumaru having Mixed Martial Arts, Shuran having Professional Wrestling, Inuyasha having Pankration, Hakkaku having Muay Boran, Ginta having Lethwei, Ayame having Taekwondo, and Shunran having Shaolin Kung Fu, as well as the spectacle of having seven Yokai martial artists unite, use their amazing strength as well as infallible combat prowess, fight against more powerful opponents, and win the acclaim of the audience while being honorable martial artists. Even better is when these seven martial artists train with the fighting game mentors that I have provided them with and even spar with the Saban-Era Power Rangers who I have chosen them to be their best friends for life as well as closest sparring partners, with Tommy Oliver, Jason Lee Scott, Eric Myers, Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, Taylor Earhardt, and Jen Scotts being top of mind as the best people the Splendid Seven would consider as their best friends and greatest people they have had the chance to train with. My love for Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran uniting as The Splendid Seven will never fail, and it will last for an eternity. George of the Jungle, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli uniting as a quartet of super strong, magnificently muscular, laudably lovable, and ferociously fierce jungle brothers will always leave me elated and inspired. There is always something phenomenal about having four muscular and powerful jungle warrior brothers being raised superbly by their father Chief Keewazi, who has seen his four precious sons grow from rambunctious boys to tough adolescent young men to the fierce warrior kings they have become. Since they also have Mufasa, Simba, and Kaj by their side as part of the family, given their strong affiliation with lions and leopards, it also makes sense for George, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli to use their muscles, fists, feet, claws, fangs, combat prowess, and animal ferociousness to overcome their enemies as well as be the feral hunters that they are. The brothers who truly embrace being feral are, of course, Basuli and Tarzan who would wrestle and roar at each other butt naked for sparring purposes, hunt naked while using their claws, fangs, muscles, and strength to overcome their prey whether they be antelope, wild boar, deer, or zebra; and smear their prey’s blood all over their buff, nude bodies to scare away poachers and looters by brutally pouncing them. Furthermore, George, Basuli, Tarzan, and Maugli revel in bodybuilding posedowns whether in the nude or in super skimpy g-strings, skinny-dipping in the river, and cuddling with each other like the close brothers that they are all while touching each other’s beautifully bulging muscles. Bulging muscles are not…
Greetings and salutations, fellow aficionados of anime, Power Rangers, Super Sentai, and everything early 1990s to early 2000s, Antoni here. This shall be the very last updated Toonami-era Inurangers teams list that serves as a fictional counterpart to the real-life Saban Era of the Power Rangers from 1993 starting with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to 2002 ending with Power Rangers Wild Force before moving to Disney, specifically ABC Kids, after Episode 26. My fictionalized Toonami-era Inurangers series would air from August 28, 2000, starting with all three seasons of Mighty Morphin Inurangers to December 31, 2005, ending with Inurangers Wild Force. Where Mighty Morphin Inurangers is concerned, this is going to be the season consisting of decomposite and composite characters for the main seven rangers, as I base them on which real-life counterparts they fit best. So, no Peace Conferences, no International Gymnastics deals, and no unexplained replacements are going to occur. Furthermore, this list is going to be kept to solely seven members per installment, considering that it follows the Super Sentai pattern of different team members per season. After much thinking, reflecting, and re-tweaking, and since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ 30th anniversary is gradually then suddenly approaching, I believe I have concocted a finalized Toonami-Era Inurangers line-up that I am most satisfied with and one that I feel makes more sense. I also feel that this line-up is going to be a whole lot more fully realized and legitimate after the countless times I have been updating and re-updating the team line-up for what felt like ages. The same rule applies that the main seven colors of red, green or any other color, white or any other color, black or blue, blue or green, yellow, and pink apply to each ranger team. As to be expected certain characters such as Billy Cranston from Zeo, Adam Park from In Space, Nancy Cooper from Lightspeed Rescue, Alex Drake from Time Force, and even Princess Shayla from Wild Force are going to have their more fictional counterparts more active rangers to thoroughly complete the seven-ranger team line-up for each season. With that said, it is time to morph into action for my final update of the Toonami-era Inurangers teams from Mighty Morphin to Wild Force. Say it with me now, everybody. It’s Morphin’ Time! Shift into Turbo! Let’s rocket! Go galactic! Lightspeed Rescue! Time for Time Force! Wild access! Mighty Morphin Inurangers Seasons 1 to 2 (2000) Inuyasha from Inuyasha the 18-year-old Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger version of Jason Lee Scott and Tommy Oliver voiced by Richard Ian Cox Shuran from Inuyasha the 18-year-old Green Dragonzord Ranger version of Tommy Oliver and Rocky DeSantos voiced by Scott Logie Sesshoumaru from Inuyasha the 19-year-old White Tigerzord Ranger version of Tommy Oliver and Jason Lee Scott voiced by David Kaye Hakkaku from Inuyasha the 17-year-old Black Mastodon Ranger version Zack Taylor and Billy Cranston voiced by Alistair Abell Ginta from Inuyasha the 17-year-old Blue Triceratops Ranger version of Billy Cranston and Adam Park voiced by Paul Dobson Ayame from Inuyasha the 15-year-old Yellow Saber-Toothed Tiger Ranger version of Trini Kwan and Aisha Campbell voiced by Natalie Walters Shunran from Inuyasha the 14-year-old Pink Pterodactyl Ranger version of Kimberly Ann Hart voiced by Jocelyne Loewen Mighty Morphin Inurangers the Movie and Mighty Morphin Inurangers Season 3 (2001) Inuyasha from Inuyasha the 19-year-old Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger version of Jason Lee Scott and Tommy Oliver voiced by Richard Ian Cox Shuran from Inuyasha the 19-year-old Green Dragonzord Ranger version of Tommy Oliver and Rocky DeSantos voiced by Scott Logie Sesshoumaru from Inuyasha the 20-year-old White Tigerzord Ranger version of Tommy Oliver and Jason Lee Scott voiced by David Kaye Hakkaku from Inuyasha the 18-year-old Black Mastodon Ranger version of Zack Taylor and Billy Cranston voiced by Alistair Abell Ginta from Inuyasha the 18-year-old Blue Triceratops Ranger version of Billy Cranston and Adam Park voiced by Paul Dobson Ayame from Inuyasha the 16-year-old Yellow Sabre-Toothed Ranger version of Trini Kwan and Aisha Campbell voiced by Natalie Walters Shunran from Inuyasha the 15-year-old Pink Pterodactyl Ranger version of Kimberly Ann Hart and Katherine Hillard voiced by Jocelyne Loewen Mighty Morphin Makai Rangers (2001) Yusuke Urameshi from YuYu Hakusho the 24-year-old Red Makai Ranger version of Aurico voiced by Justin Cook Keiko Yukimura from YuYu Hakusho the 23-year-old Green Makai Ranger version of Dulcea voiced by Laura Bailey Botan from YuYu Hakusho the 23-year-old White Makai Ranger version of Delphine voiced by Cynthia Cranz Hiei from YuYu Hakusho the 24-year-old Black Makai Ranger version of Corcus voiced by Chuck Huber Kazuma Kuwabara from YuYu Hakusho the 24-year-old Blue Makai Ranger version of Cestro voiced by Christopher R. Sabat Kurama from YuYu Hakusho the 24-year-old Yellow Makai Ranger version of Tideus voiced by John Burgmeier Yukina from YuYu Hakusho the 23-year-old Pink Makai Ranger version of Cestria voiced by Jessica Dismuke Inurangers Zeo (2001) Toran from Inuyasha the 19-year-old Zeo Ranger V Red version of Tommy Oliver voiced by Alison Matthews Kisuke from Inuyasha the 20-year-old Zeo Ranger VII White Gold version of Billy Cranston voiced by Colin Murdock Kuranosuke Takeda from Inuyasha the 21-year-old Zeo Ranger VI Black Gold version of Jason Lee Scott voiced by Ted Cole Enju from Inuyasha the 17-year-old Zeo Ranger III Blue version of Rocky DeSantos voiced by Rebecca Shoichet Karan from Inuyasha the 16-year-old Zeo Ranger IV Green version of Adam Park voiced by Maggie Blue O’Hara Sakurako Yukihira from Detective School Q the 15-year-old Zeo Ranger II Yellow version of Tanya Sloan voiced by Hunter MacKenzie Austin Kuniko Touya from Detective School Q the 13-year-old Zeo Ranger I Pink version of Katherine Hillard voiced by Mela Lee Turbo: An Inurangers Movie and Inurangers Turbo Episodes 1 to 19 (2002) Alexander Volg Zangief from Hajime no Ippo the 19-year-old Red Lightning Turbo Ranger version of Tommy Oliver voiced by Dave Wittenberg Shinosuke from Inuyasha the 21-year-old Black Phantom Turbo Ranger version of the Phantom Ranger voiced by Trevor…
Greetings, anime fans, martial arts aficionados, fighting game devotees, and enthusiasts of all things pertaining to anime, martial arts, video games, and fighting tournaments. Antoni here with another written entry. It should come off as no surprise that I love anime, martial arts, fighting games, and martial arts tournaments such as UFC and what we have today with Karate Combat. I revel in how diverse and intriguing fight choreography can be when the impact of a punch, kick, strike, and/or grapple can have on a combatant. Most of all, I enjoy the brutality of any blow or hold that is unleashed by the combatant whether in a real-life martial arts tournament or in fighting video games such as Tekken and Street Fighter. Therefore, martial arts tournaments melding with fighting games and anime are up there with the best things ever to make any nerd let alone otaku enthusiastic as well as grin from ear to ear. Given my experience of growing up with various anime series, fighting video games, and martial arts tournaments, I thought it would be fun to make seven groups of seven anime characters that I grew up with and give them the martial arts I think perfectly suit them. A good number of them will be based on canon, while others will be based on fanon. There are going to be a good number of characters that I grew up with from Inuyasha, Fullmetal Alchemist, Solty Rei, Detective School Q, Ultra Maniac, Wolf’s Rain, Technolyze, Baki the Grappler, Shootfighter Tekken, Shura no Toki, Chrono Crusade, Geneshaft, Samurai 7, and Hajime no Ippo who will be featured on here. I am sure that fellow hardcore anime fans would recognize them in the team-ups provided as well as make their own assessments of the martial arts I have provided for them. With that said, arm yourselves well and be prepared to kick butt with these eight martial arts teams of seven consisting of anime characters I have had fond memories with ever since I was a child. You might even feel you are going through a character selection of your favorite fighting game. The Splendid Seven (Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran) These seven Yokai warriors, consisting of two dog Yokai brothers, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, three spiky-haired brothers, Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta, and two auburn-haired sisters, Ayame and Shunran, capitalize on bloody brutality when they pummel their opponents without respite or mercy, thus making them emerge as victors in any tournament. Therefore, they prove themselves to be a strong team because of how much they can take brutal hits from their opponents while delivering more serious ones. Strength and stealth define them with abandon, and they do not surrender that easily when the chips are down. Sesshoumaru (Inuyasha) – Mixed Martial Arts Shuran (Inuyasha) – Professional Wrestling Inuyasha (Inuyasha) – Pankration Hakkaku (Inuyasha) – Muay Boran Ginta (Inuyasha) – Lehtwei Ayame (Inuyasha) – Taekwondo Shunran (Inuyasha) – Shaolin Kung Fu The Honorable Budoka (Kuranosuke, Kisuke, Shinosuke, Toran, Wakana, Enju, and Karan) Honor, decorum, valor, and stamina are the hallmarks of what defines them as martial artists. The three dashing gentlemen, consisting of Kuranosuke Takeda, Kisuke, and Shinosuke, have been Karate practitioners ever since they were young boys. While the four ladies, consisting of Toran, Wakana, Enju, and Karan, are deeply rooted in Chinese martial arts. Their strikes are a combination of accurate and deadly because of how much they do not hold back in unleashing their series of punches, kicks, and strikes, thus numbing their opponents in pain due to knowing a thing or two about pressure points. Kuranosuke Takeda (Inuyasha) – Shotokan Karate Kisuke (Inuyasha) – Goju-Ryu Karate Shinosuke (Inuyasha) – Kyokushin Karate Toran (Inuyasha) – Wing Chun Wakana (Inuyasha) – Baguazhang Enju (Inuyasha) – Wushu Karan (Inuyasha) – Hung Gar The Kings of the Iron Fist (Baki, Ryoma, Takeshi, Kiibo, Alexander, Ichiro, and Ippo) Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts? Who gives a damn? Seven strong dudes who use Boxing’s punishing punches while incorporating Mixed Martial Arts’ strangulating clinches and bloody attacks? You’re going to give a damn, especially when Baki Hanma, Ryoma Sakamoto, Takeshi Sendo, Kiibo Miyazawa, Alexander Volg Zangief, Ichiro Miyata, and Ippo Makunouchi combine their furious fists, super strength, and crushing clinches with aplomb! Once these seven strong clinchers and punchers put their fists and clinches to great use, their opponents need pray profusely for their survival to not end up dead, let alone reside in a hospital. Baki Hanma (Baki the Grappler) – Total Fighting Style Mixed Boxing Ryoma Sakamoto (Shura no Toki) – Pride FC Style Mixed Boxing Takeshi Sendo (Hajime no Ippo) – Naniwa Style Mixed Boxing Kiichi “Kiibo” Miyazawa (Shootfighter Tekken) – Nanshin Shadow Style Mixed Boxing Alexander Volg Zangief (Hajime no Ippo) – Otowa Style Mixed Boxing Ichiro Miyata (Hajime no Ippo) – Kawahara Style Mixed Boxing Ippo Makunouchi (Hajime no Ippo) – Kamogawa Style Mixed Boxing The Queens of Titanium Strikes (Rosé T, Rose A, Winry, Megumi, Maya, Solty, and Kaoru) There is no escape let alone point of blocking when these seven sultry babes have shell-shocking strikes to perfectly compliment their fancy footwork. Whether Rosé Thomas, Rose Anderson, Winry Rockbell, Megumi Minami, Maya Orihara, Solty Revant, and Kaoru Ichinose use their punches, kicks, and strikes to take their opponents down or use defenses and evasion to block their opponent’s attacks, they never surrender before the bell rings. Therefore, they may be beauties with a strong sense of sisterhood, but they fight like vicious beasts who leave their opponents bloodied and bruised without respite. Rosé Thomas (Fullmetal Alchemist) – Dutch Kickboxing Rose Anderson (Solty Rei) – Shootboxing Winry Rockbell (Fullmetal Alchemist) – American Kickboxing Megumi Minami (Detective School Q) – Sanda Maya Orihara (Ultra Maniac) – Japanese Kickboxing Solty Revant (Solty Rei) – Savate Kaoru Ichinose (Detective School Q) – Combat Hopak The Vicious Executioners (Yoshiki, Mamoru, Tsume, Mitsuhide, Masaru, Tatsuya, and Ryuichi) Heavyweight champions do not begin to describe…
Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees, martial arts aficionados, and fighting video game fans. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specializing in the martial arts they do. As per tradition, I shall be talking about the number one main martial art each of these seven Yokai warriors specialize in the most based on their skills and personalities as well as what moves opponents need to look out for. This is also based on the surveys I have been conducting to see what my watchers and people who answered them thought were the most appropriate but also the most brutal in terms of inflicting as much damage to their opponents. So, let’s gear up and step into battle with the Splendid Seven’s main signature martial arts. Sesshoumaru: Mixed Martial Arts The Octagon is always welcome to have Sesshoumaru in to give every opponent who dares to challenge him in one bloodily brutal beatdown. Being the honorable martial artist he is, Sesshoumaru neither seeks fame nor fortune from the public, the critics, and/or promoters such as UFC and Pride. He demonstrates disciplined dedication by never having an ego and training his body, mind, and spirit to prevail against stronger opponents. His uppercuts, liver punches, ground-and-pounds, sprawl-and-brawls, double-leg takedowns, armbars, and Kimuras are guaranteed to make his opponents bleed like oceans and writhe in pain. Shuran: Professional Wrestling Anybody who has access to a television or enough money to purchase tickets to a Pro Wrestling match whether it is WWE and/or TNA in the USA or Lucha Libre in Mexico would raise their voice in excited jubilation when Shuran enters the ring in his large-and-in-charge bravado and glory. He emits the showmanship and the fighting spirit necessary to make Pro Wrestling a sight to behold and not a joke. The moves his opponents need to be wary of are his piledrivers, bearhugs, sharpshooters, torture racks, full Nelsons, German suplexes, and suplex power slams, which are known to crush bones and tear ligaments to tiny shreds. Inuyasha: Pankration Zeus, Ares, Heracles, and Theseus have blessed Inuyasha with magnificent muscles, super strength, ferocious fists, and radical wrestling moves when he steps into the arena to give the spectators a great battle against opponents while his oiled, muscular body gleans in the sunlight. Therefore, he gives glory to the Olympian gods for the battles he has with more powerful opponents. Inuyasha loves devastating his opponents with his Superman punches, jabs, double axe handles, hooks, hammer fists, tracheal grip chokes, and rear naked chokes because he can smash joints, tear ligaments, and deliver fatally bloody blows to their bodies. Hakkaku: Muay Boran The kings of Thailand would never stop singing their praises to Hakkaku because he is velocity, high energy, persistence, and strength personified. Hakkaku demonstrates that strength alone does not make a great fighter, but combining strength, speed, and timing can make a truly complete fighter. There is nothing that can bring him down even when the opponents he faces are much stronger and tougher than him. Hakkaku can overcome his opponents with his elbow slashes, elbow strikes, spinning elbow strikes, upward headbutts, overhand punches, flying knee strikes, and knee bombs to make them bloodied and bruised. Ginta: Lethwei Crowds of Burmese royals would be more than elated to cheer Ginta on when he steps up to do battle with more powerful and speedy opponents because he maintains a positive attitude and incorporates perseverance in every move he makes. Ginta may have a charmingly lovable face with adorable dimples, but he is not to be underestimated because he can unleash quick and powerful attacks that can make his opponents bloodied and bruised to numbness and pain. He accomplishes this with his thrusting headbutts, side headbutts, spinning backfists, cross punches, flying elbow strikes, jumping knee strikes, and push kicks. Ayame: Taekwondo Quick as lightning, strong as titanium, fierce as a lioness, and agile as a gazelle are what perfectly describes Ayame as a combatant whose strikes can make opponents bigger and stronger than her fall like trees being cut down by lumberjacks. She is a clear example of a beauty who fights like a beast thanks to her speed, strength, balance, and timing. Laying a hand on Ayame would be a terrible idea because she possesses excruciating strikes to bring her opponents down. Her strikes include reverse punches, knife-hand strikes, ridge-hand strikes, spear-hand strikes, roundhouse kicks, spinning back kicks, and spinning axe kicks. Shunran: Shaolin Kung Fu There has never been an instant where grace and might could not merge together, for Shunran is a combatant who can do just that and more thanks to her cleverness, craftiness, and conscientiousness of the human anatomy in terms of pressure points. She leaves no opponents unturned, as they end up walking into her trap and become prisoners to her vicious strikes. Shunran’s moves can be best described as soaring like a crane, trapping like a praying mantis, and slashing like a tiger. Her specific attacks include her leopard blows, finger strikes, palm strikes, nerve strikes, tornado kicks, double flying kicks, and split kicks. I hope you all enjoyed this, and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and train hard and well, everybody.
Greetings, Splendid Seven devotees, martial arts aficionados, and fighting video game fans. Antoni here with another written entry focusing on Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran specializing in the martial arts they do. With all the martial arts I can see these seven powerful Yokai warriors specialize in, this lineup consisting of the seven updated martial arts that I have for them would, what I believe, define them the most in terms of their personalities, combat abilities, fighting prowess, and overall skills. So, let us not waste any more time and get cracking. Sesshoumaru: The Bengal Tiger of Ultimate Fighting Championship With a strong background in Karate, Kenpo, Jujitsu, and Judo, it should be no surprise that the martial arts have always been a staple in Sesshoumaru’s life from infancy to adulthood, especially considering that his martial arts roots are firmly rooted in his native Japan. He may be proud of his Japanese roots from Karate to Judo in every UFC cage match, but he also embraces martial arts from Brazil and Hawaii because of how superbly he can use his chokeholds, armbars, liver punches, ground and pounds, leg wheels, uppercuts, and leglocks, thus making his opponents bleed profusely and cower in fear for their lives. Mixed Martial Arts Shootfighting Pancrase Luta Livre Brazilian Jujitsu Kajukenbo Kickboxing Shuran: The Tyrannosaurus Rex of the World Wrestling Federation Shuran is the definition of going global when it comes to wrestling thanks to how he combines the brutality of combat with the bravado of showmanship. Aside from the influences he has acquired from the American and British styles of Professional Wrestling, he has also acquired styles and moves from Mexico, India, Mongolia, Korea, Turkey, and his native Japan. Wrestling promoters from the WWE to TNA may be won over by Shuran’s massive size, but he backs it up with his pulverizing moves such as bearhugs, piledrivers, sharpshooters, torture racks, full Nelsons, German suplexes, and suplex power slams. Professional Wrestling Hardcore Wrestling Lucha Libre Pehlwani Malla-yuddha Mongolian Wrestling Turkish Oil Wrestling Inuyasha: The Nemean Lion of Mount Olympus Super strength, grueling grappling, powerful punches, and magnificent muscles are what define Inuyasha as one of the most formidable Pankratiasts in Japan and in the world. Just like his older brother Sesshoumaru, he also had a background in Karate, Kenpo, Judo, and Jujitsu ever since he was a child. Nevertheless, he also incorporates various martial arts from Greece, Russia, Hawaii, and Brazil to show that he is open to every fighting style. Thanks to his openness, he can overcome his opponents with his blood-inducing double axe handles, tracheal grip chokes, Superman punches, jabs, hooks, rear naked chokes, and hammer fists. Pankration Combat Sambo Vale Tudo Kapu Kuialua Shooto Shoot Boxing Shoot Wrestling Hakkaku: The King Cobra of the Siamese Kingdoms Every king of Thailand would give honor and laudability to Hakkaku for his vicious clinches and sterling endurance when facing the strongest opponents. If there is a reason why the Thai people salute Hakkaku, it is because he never surrenders and always stays true to his word of maintaining high energy in every match that he finds himself in. This high energy is what also propels him to gain power and speed as well as makes him just as adept in Filipino fighting styles. Furthermore, opponents would fear his elbow slashes, elbow strikes, spinning elbow strikes, upward headbutts, overhand punches, flying knee strikes, and knee bombs. Muay Boran Muay Lerdrit Muay Chaiya Muay Thai Panantukan Yaw-Yan Buno Ginta: The Coral Snake of the Burmese Palaces Crowning laurels to Ginta is truly a sign of honor and reverence which he truly deserves because how his charisma and charm are just as infectious as his discipline to his craft as a martial artist. All of the Burmese royalty would have the pleasure of saluting Ginta not only because of his fearlessness in battle but also his unwavering resolve. He is also adept in Cambodian martial arts, thus mastering the ways he can attack hi opponents. Therefore, his opponents will never have enough of his thrusting headbutts, side headbutts, spinning backfists, cross punches, flying elbow strikes, jumping knee strikes, and push kicks. Lethwei Bando Naban Pongyi Thaing Bokator Pradal Serey Baok Cham Bab Ayame: The Red Eagle of the Kukkiwon Speed, power, balance, and timing are the hallmarks of what makes Ayame a formidably fierce fighter who never backs down from any and every battle. Her fighting styles are deeply rooted in both North Korea and South Korea in terms of powerful military precision combined with speedy agility. Politicians and opponents may find her fighting prowess impressive, but she is no loser pawn because she has a mind of her own to match her physical strength. In fact, they are even terrified of her reverse punches, knife-hand strikes, palm heel strikes, roundhouse kicks, spinning back kicks, spinning axe kicks, and ridge-hand strikes. Taekwondo Hapkido Yongmudo Kuk Sool Won Tang Soo Do Hwa Rang Do Taekkyeon Shunran: The Pink Crane of the Shaolin Temple Shunran is velocity, grace, deadliness, and accuracy personified because of how she never relents when pulling her attacks with finesse and exuberance. Coupled with her physical prowess is her mental endurance, as she is a maven in Chinese martial arts. Emperors and empresses would always pleasure themselves with seeing Shunran in action because of how she brings power to her moves. The Shaolin monks would find her to be a clever fighter because of how she uses her mind well. Opponents can never escape from her leopard blows, finger strikes, palm strikes, nerve strikes, tornado kicks, double flying kicks, and split kicks. Shaolin Kung Fu Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu White Crane Style Kung Fu Monkey Kung Fu Baguazhang Wushu Bajuquan I hope you all enjoyed this, and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and train well, everybody.
I ring in 2023 and Three Kings’ Day back at the opera with two singers known for their ambitious repertoires singing the iconic main couple from one of Puccini’s most popular operas of all time. Enjoy my review.
What an exciting way to celebrate New Year’s Eve and commence 2023. With an exciting firework show.