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The Most Famous

WRESTLERS from Japan

This page contains a list of the greatest Japanese Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 700 Wrestlers, 78 of which were born in Japan. This makes Japan the birth place of the 2nd most number of Wrestlers.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Japanese Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Japanese Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Japanese Wrestlers.

1. Masahiko Kimura (1917 - 1993)

With an HPI of 60.45, Masahiko Kimura is the most famous Japanese Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages on wikipedia.

Masahiko Kimura (木村政彦, Kimura Masahiko, September 10, 1917 – April 18, 1993) was a Japanese judoka and professional wrestler who is widely considered the greatest judoka of all time. He won the All-Japan Judo Championships three times in a row for the first time in history and had never lost a judo match from 1936 to 1950. In submission grappling, the reverse ude-garami arm lock is often called the "Kimura", due to his famous victory over Gracie jiu-jitsu co-founder Hélio Gracie. In the Japanese professional wrestling world, he is known for being one of Japan's earliest stars and the controversial match he had with Rikidōzan.

2. Antonio Inoki (1943 - 2022)

With an HPI of 60.12, Antonio Inoki is the 2nd most famous Japanese Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Muhammad Hussain Inoki (born Kanji Inoki (Japanese: 猪木寛至, Hepburn: Inoki Kanji); February 20, 1943 – October 1, 2022) was a Japanese professional wrestler, martial artist, politician, and promoter of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. He was best known by the ring name Antonio Inoki (アントニオ猪木, Antonio Inoki), a homage to fellow professional wrestler Antonino Rocca. Inoki was a twelve-time professional wrestling world champion, notably being the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion and the first Asian WWF Heavyweight Champion – a reign not officially recognized by WWE. After spending his adolescence in Brazil, Inoki began his professional wrestling career in the 1960s for the Japan Pro Wrestling Alliance (JWA) under the tutelage of Rikidōzan. Inoki quickly became one of the most popular stars in the history of Japanese professional wrestling. He parlayed his wrestling career into becoming one of Japan's most recognizable athletes, a reputation bolstered by his 1976 fight against world champion boxer Muhammad Ali – a fight that served as a predecessor to modern day mixed martial arts. In 1995, with Ric Flair, Inoki headlined two shows in North Korea that drew 165,000 and 190,000 spectators, the highest attendances in professional wrestling history. Inoki wrestled his retirement match on April 4, 1998, against Don Frye and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010. Inoki began his promoting career in 1972, when he founded New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He remained the owner of NJPW until 2005 when he sold his controlling share in the promotion to the Yuke's video game company. In 2007, he founded the Inoki Genome Federation (IGF). In 2017, Inoki founded ISM and the following year left IGF. He was also a co-creator of the karate style Kansui-ryū (寛水流) along with Matsubayashi-ryū master Yukio Mizutani. In 1989, while still an active wrestler, Inoki entered politics as he was elected to the Japanese House of Councillors. During his first term with the House of Councillors, Inoki successfully negotiated with Saddam Hussein for the release of Japanese hostages before the outbreak of the Gulf War. His first tenure in the House of Councillors ended in 1995, but he was reelected in 2013. In 2019, Inoki retired from politics.

3. Isao Inokuma (1938 - 2001)

With an HPI of 55.23, Isao Inokuma is the 3rd most famous Japanese Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Isao Inokuma (猪熊功, Inokuma Isao, February 4, 1938 – September 28, 2001) was a Japanese judoka. He won a gold medal in the heavyweight division (above 80 kg) at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and a world title in 1965.

4. Giant Baba (1938 - 1999)

With an HPI of 54.99, Giant Baba is the 4th most famous Japanese Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Shohei Baba (馬場正平, Baba Shōhei, January 23, 1938 – January 31, 1999), best known by his ring name Giant Baba (ジャイアント馬場, Jaianto Baba), was a Japanese professional wrestler, promoter, and professional baseball player. He is best known as a co-founder of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW), a promotion he founded in 1972 along with Mitsuo Momota and Yoshihiro Momota, the sons of his mentor Rikidōzan. For the first 10 years of its existence, Baba was the top star of All-Japan, while also serving as the booker, promoter, head trainer and president of the promotion from its inception in 1972 till his death in 1999. Baba was also responsible for recruiting much of the talent for All Japan, and was the public face of the promotion for much of his lifetime. Considered one of the most beloved Japanese wrestlers ever, Baba was a national hero with a level of popularity in Japan comparable to that of Hulk Hogan in the United States. The 2006 Top 100 Historical Persons in Japan survey ranked Baba the 93rd greatest person in the history of Japan, as voted for by the general public. Among his many accomplishments, Baba was a record seven-time winner of the Champion Carnival, a four-time PWF World Heavyweight Champion, three time NWA International Heavyweight Champion and a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion.

5. Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (1955 - 2016)

With an HPI of 51.36, Chiyonofuji Mitsugu is the 5th most famous Japanese Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Chiyonofuji Mitsugu (Japanese: 千代の富士貢, June 1, 1955 – July 31, 2016), born Mitsugu Akimoto (秋元貢, Akimoto Mitsugu), was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler and the 58th yokozuna of the sport. Following his retirement as a wrestler, he was the stable master of Kokonoe stable until the time of his death. Chiyonofuji was considered one of the greatest yokozuna of recent times, winning 31 yūshō or tournament championships, second at the time only to Taihō. He was particularly remarkable for his longevity in sumo's top rank, which he held for a period of ten years from 1981 to 1991. Promoted at the age of twenty-six after winning his second championship, his performance improved with age, winning more tournaments in his thirties than any other wrestler and dominating the sport in the second half of the 1980s. He finally retired in May 1991, just short of his thirty-sixth birthday. During his 21-year professional career, Chiyonofuji set records for most career victories (1045) and most wins in the top makuuchi division (807), earning an entry in the Guinness World Records. Both of these records were later broken by Kaiō. He won the Kyushu tournament, one of the six annual honbasho, a record eight consecutive years from 1981 until 1988, and also set the record for the longest postwar run of consecutive wins (53 bouts in 1988). That record stood for 22 years until Hakuhō broke it with his 54th straight win in September 2010. In a sport where weight is often regarded as vital, Chiyonofuji was quite light at around 120 kg (260 lb). He relied on superior technique and muscle to defeat opponents. He was the lightest yokozuna since Tochinoumi in the 1960s. Upon his retirement he became an elder of the Japan Sumo Association and became the Kokonoe-oyakata the following year.

6. Yasuhiro Yamashita (1957 - )

With an HPI of 49.52, Yasuhiro Yamashita is the 6th most famous Japanese Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages.

Yasuhiro Yamashita (山下泰裕, Yamashita Yasuhiro, born 1 June 1957) is a Japanese judoka. He currently works as an instructor or advisor for numerous organizations, including Tokai University, the International Judo Federation, and the All Japan Judo Federation. He retired from competitive judo on 17 June 1985 after a remarkable career where he won five gold medals in international competitions and marked 203 consecutive victories (with 7 draws in-between) until his retirement where he went undefeated his entire career against non-Japanese wrestlers. He received the Japanese National Prize of Honor on 9 October 1984. He is considered the greatest judoka ever.

7. Shinobu Sekine (1943 - 2018)

With an HPI of 44.31, Shinobu Sekine is the 7th most famous Japanese Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Shinobu Sekine (関根忍, Sekine Shinobu, 20 September 1943 – 18 December 2018) was a Japanese middleweight judoka. He won a gold medal at his only Olympics in 1972.

8. Takehide Nakatani (1941 - )

With an HPI of 44.23, Takehide Nakatani is the 8th most famous Japanese Wrestler. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Takehide Nakatani (中谷雄英, Nakatani Takehide, born 9 July 1941) is a retired judoka who won the first gold medal ever awarded in judo at the Summer Olympics as the Japanese competitor in the lightweight division (‍–‍68 kg).

9. Asuka (1981 - )

With an HPI of 41.83, Asuka is the 9th most famous Japanese Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Kanako Urai (浦井佳奈子, Urai Kanako, born September 26, 1981) is a Japanese professional wrestler. She is signed to WWE, where she performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Asuka (アスカ or 明日華, ), as a member of Damage CTRL. She is one-half of the current WWE Women's Tag Team Champions with Kairi Sane in their second reign as a team and Asuka's record-setting fourth reign individually. Previously known as Kana (華名), she started her professional wrestling career in 2004 in the AtoZ promotion, where she remained until retiring in 2006. She returned to the ring in 2007, starting to work as a freelancer for promotions such as JWP Joshi Puroresu, NEO Japan Ladies Pro-Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Wave, Reina Joshi Puroresu, Smash, and Wrestling New Classic. Her achievements include winning the JWP Openweight Championship, Smash Diva Championship, and Wave Tag Team Championship. In 2015, Urai signed a developmental deal with WWE, making her the first Japanese female wrestler signed with the company in over 20 years. She won the NXT Women's Championship in 2016 (with her reign of 510 days being the longest in that title's history), and was moved to WWE's main roster in 2017. In 2018, she was the inaugural winner of the Women's Royal Rumble match. She is also a former one-time SmackDown Women's Champion, a record four-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion (with Kairi Sane twice, Charlotte Flair, and Alexa Bliss; the only woman to win this title with three different partners), and the 2020 Women's Money in the Bank ladder match winner. Following her first Raw Women's Championship win, Asuka became the third Women's Triple Crown Champion and the second Women's Grand Slam Champion. She would go on to win the title for another two more times to become a three-time WWE Women's Champion. After her Elimination Chamber match win in 2023, she became the only woman in WWE to win the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank, and Elimination Chamber matches. Urai has also worked as a freelance graphic designer and video game journalist and through her work with Microsoft she has been sponsored by the company, wearing an Xbox 360 logo on her gear. Since 2019, she has her own YouTube channel KanaChanTV focused on gaming and lifestyle content.

10. Shinsuke Nakamura (1980 - )

With an HPI of 41.72, Shinsuke Nakamura is the 10th most famous Japanese Wrestler. Her biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Shinsuke Nakamura (Japanese: 中邑真輔, Hepburn: Nakamura Shinsuke, born February 24, 1980) is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Nakamura is known for his time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is a former three-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, with his first reign coming at the age of 23 years and 9 months; making Nakamura the youngest IWGP Heavyweight Champion. His other accomplishments within the company include winning the 2011 G1 Climax and the 2014 New Japan Cup, and being the final IWGP Third Belt Champion, the final NWF Heavyweight Champion, and the longest reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion for his first reign (he formerly held the record for most reigns at five). He is also a founding member and the original leader of the stable Chaos. Vividly unrestrained and expressive, Nakamura portrays a wildly random and erratic mixed martial arts enigma, emotionally charged by the sound of violins. A pre-WWE gimmick, Nakamura played the character in other wrestling companies that he was contracted to prior. Nakamura's wrestling style is not merely gimmick as he has notably competed in mixed martial arts, amassing a 3–1 (1) record. Prior to his main roster debut in WWE, Nakamura competed in the company's NXT brand, where he became a two-time NXT Champion. In January 2018, Nakamura won the 2018 Men's Royal Rumble match, and later won the WWE United States Championship twice. He won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in 2019 at Extreme Rules, making him the second wrestler (behind Chris Jericho) to hold both WWE and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. Nakamura is also a former WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion with Cesaro. From July 2021 to October of the same year, Nakamura dubbed himself King Nakamura due to being in possession of the King of the Ring crown, although he never won the tournament, instead defeating reigning King of the Ring Baron Corbin in a "Battle for the Crown" match. Overall, Nakamura is a five-time world champion in professional wrestling.

People

Pantheon has 78 people classified as wrestlers born between 1895 and 2000. Of these 78, 67 (85.90%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living wrestlers include Yasuhiro Yamashita, Takehide Nakatani, and Asuka. The most famous deceased wrestlers include Masahiko Kimura, Antonio Inoki, and Isao Inokuma. As of April 2022, 17 new wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Katsutoshi Naito, Shinichi Shinohara, and An Chang-rim.