Go Shiozaki
「第３３代ＧＨＣヘビー級チャンピオン」潮﨑豪
“33RD GHC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION” GO SHIOZAKI
私はあなたがそれを好き願っています。 あなたのフィードバックは非常に高く評価されています。
I hope you will like it. I would appreciate your feedback for this drawing.
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Extra Notes:
The year 2020 was not the best year for many people around the world. However, I think it’s safe to say that it was a good year for reigning GHC Heavyweight Champion Go Shiozaki. As such, I made it a point to draw him before this year ends.
Shiozaki won the championship from Kaito Kiyomiya back in January 4, 2020. At the time, I was surprised that Kaito dropped the belt to Go, and thought the latter would have a short reign. Then the pandemic came, and Go emerged as a real champion.
Even when he was down, even when his tag team partner turned on him, and even if his arm didn’t look like it was in top shape, he still carried on and fought like a true champion. In my view, he became the kind of champion we needed in the midst of the ongoing global crisis.
Tokyo Sports may not have selected him as the MVP of the Year, but he was recognized with the Outstanding Performance Award. Besides, for many fans, he is their MVP.
Fight on, champ!
Momo no Seishun (Peach Youth)
MOMO NO SEISHUN (PEACH YOUTH) – ATSUSHI KOTOGE & DAISUKE HARADA
桃の青春 – 小峠篤司＆原田大輔
I hope you will like it. I would appreciate your feedback for this drawing.
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Extra Notes
A few weeks ago in Pro-Wrestling NOAH, Daisuke Harada was blindsided by his partner after their match. His rival and former partner Atsushi Kotoge then came in out of the blue to make the save. Kotoge’s actions, though, led to him being dumped by his own team as well. After the chaos that ensued, Kotoge and Harada shook hands and decided to reunite once again as the tag team Momo no Seishun (Peach Youth). And this is why this fan art was made.
This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve drawn about Momo no Seishun. Back in 2015, I made a fan art of Attack on Titan characters Jean Kirstein and Marco Bott dressed as Kotoge and Harada. Back then, they were the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. I thought the tag team were similar to the dynamic of Jean and Marco, so I made that fan art.
However, part of me felt that I should’ve made a fan art for Kotoge and Harada themselves. That idea was shelved when Kotoge and Harada split up. But now that they’re back together, it was a perfect time to do the piece.
For this piece, I tried to make something that could use colors related to peach, since that is part of their name after all. That’s why I ended up making something similar to an anime promotional poster or DVD cover.
Their pose here is based on their typical pose when they set up one of their tag team moves, the Double Dropkick. Although recent pictures of them show them being very serious, I decided to let them smile here to fit with the warm peach-inspired background.
I hope you would enjoy this piece.
Naomichi Marufuji vs Momotaroh
NAOMICHI MARUFUJI (PRO-WRESTLING NOAH) VS MOMOTAROH (THE MOMOTAROH)
丸藤正道（プロレスリング・ノア）ＶＳモモタロウ（ザ・モモタロウ）
I hope you will like it. I would appreciate your feedback for this drawing.
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Extra Notes:
Let’s start with what originally inspired me to do this. I wanted to re-draw my drawing of Momotaroh from the manga series “THE MOMOTAROH”. It’s been years since I did the drawing, so I thought it’d be nice to draw it again. But I wanted to give it a twist.
Then I remembered a pro-wrestling event back in 2017 dedicated to THE MOMOTAROH. Pro-Wrestling NOAH wrestler Naomichi Marufuji wrestled in that event as Momotaroh, giving life to the manga character. Thus, I decided to make a NOAH-style match card involving a crossover between Marufuji and Momotaroh.
The interesting thing about this is that Naomichi Marufuji recently started a faction in NOAH called the M’s Alliance. Members of this faction have to be pro-wrestlers whose names begin with the letter M. Since the fictional Momotaroh fits that description, it seemed like a good crossover to illustrate. This M connection idea was supposed to be a surprise, but Marufuji realized it by himself days ago.
Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoy the drawings I have for you today.
Alternative versions
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- Naomichi Marufuji (2020)
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- Momotaroh (2020)
Mitsuharu Misawa (1962-2009)
三沢光晴 (1962-2009)
MITSUHARU MISAWA (1962-2009)
安らかに眠れ、三沢さん。
Rest in peace, Mr. Misawa.
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Extra Notes:
On June 13, 2009, Japanese pro-wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa passed away after suffering a deadly injury in an in-ring accident. When I first learned about the news in that year, I was not too familiar with Japanese pro-wrestling yet, but I learned then that he was a legend. As the years went by, I’ve learned more about what made Misawa legendary. Thus, for his 10th death anniversary, I decided to do an art tribute to the Leader of the Ark.
Misawa’s legacy has had an effect to me in some way. In my artworks, I’d find ways to get inspiration from Misawa, which is very prominent with my Goro Shigeno artworks. I would occasionally watch his matches, and be amazed at his athleticism and his in-ring presence. His theme song still excites me to this day, especially since I’ve made it my cellphone ringtone for years already. If I had a chance to turn back time, I would’ve worked to be the kind of pro-wrestler that Misawa became.
But I know that influence is nothing like the influence he had on many other people, especially to his colleagues in All Japan Pro-Wrestling and Pro-Wrestling NOAH. For many members of the pro-wrestling community, today is a day of sadness and reflection. But I hope that in the end, we can look back and remember his greatness in the ring, while also taking steps to make sure the tragedy never happens again.
Rest in peace, Mr. Misawa.
Kaito Kiyomiya
「第32代GHC ヘビー級チャンピオン」清宮海斗
“32ND GHC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION” KAITO KIYOMIYA
私はあなたがそれを好き願っています。 あなたのフィードバックは非常に高く評価されています。
I hope you will like it. I would appreciate your feedback for this drawing.
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Extra Notes:
Last year, I publicly made a promise that I would draw Kaito Kiyomiya if ever he won the GHC Heavyweight Championship. At 22 years old, he managed to win the Global League in Pro-Wrestling NOAH and was on track to be a rising star in the promotion. But he was up against Takashi Sugiura, one of its veteran champions. So I decided to make a little bet, just to see if the miracle would really happen.
True enough, Kiyomiya won and is now, as of this writing, the reigning GHC Heavyweight Champion. Sugiura had a very good run, but now it’s time for the young man to make his mark. And now the reality sets in: I have a drawing to make!
When Pro-Wrestling NOAH rebranded itself and Kiyomiya was up against Naomichi Marufuji, another veteran, I made another promise: I would finish the drawing by this month if Kiyomiya retained the championship. And so he did.
As such, this fan art is completed.
Admittedly, it’s kinda awkward to submit a fan art to a guy who is actually younger than me. But hey, he earned this, and I hope Kiyomiya enjoys this.
Fight on, champ!
Alternative versions
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- Kaito Kiyomiya – Profile Picture
REVOLUTION! Atsushi Kotoge
革命！小峠篤司
REVOLUTION! ATSUSHI KOTOGE
私はあなたがそれを好き願っています。 あなたのフィードバックは非常に高く評価されています。
I hope you will like it. I would appreciate your feedback for this drawing.
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Extra Notes:
I’ve really wanted to draw Pro-Wrestling NOAH pro-wrestler Atsushi Kotoge for a while already. He came across to me as a really cool wrestler. Also, he once reminded me of Attack on Titan’s Jean Kirstein, which I had drawn as a wrestler in numerous occasions. In fact, one of my Jean Kirstein fan arts featured him dressed in Kotoge’s pro-wrestling gear.
However, I haven’t really drawn Kotoge himself. But when he unveiled his cape and brought in the Revolution gimmick, I decided it’s time to make the illustration.
I decided to make two versions of this piece. One features a sunburst theme, while the other features a manga-style impact theme. I also decided to make poster versions of this, as well as a profile photo version.
The piece was supposed to be submitted next month. But because of the feedback I saw from the preview sketch, especially a retweet from Kotoge himself, I decided to just go ahead and finish it. I was itching to see the final results, anyway.
I hope you enjoy this piece. REVOLUTION!
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- Atsushi Kotoge 2018 – Impact English Version
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- Atsushi Kotoge 2018 – Impact Japanese Version
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- Atsushi Kotoge 2018 – Square Sunburst Version
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- Atsushi Kotoge 2018 – Sunburst English Version
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- Atsushi Kotoge 2018 – Sunburst Japanese Version
Manga Pro-Wrestling 「漫画プロレス」 