Designing Fighting Game Sumos

Part of a long term mystery project with Cheezopath and Tibi.

Traditionally, Sumos in fighting games are somewhat cookie-cutter, both in appearance and personality. They all stem from Street Fighter’s E Honda. Perhaps it’s because the sport itself is very strict and demands very identical standards for members. I need to watch and read more on real sumo wrestling. But either way, am I able to make fighting game sumo’s that break the mold, without straying too far from sumo, or having too many extrenuous things?

The 1995 USA Street Fighter cartoon has a few scenes where Honda codes and hacks away on computers¹, which I always found quite fun. I began trying to make a nerdy, computer hacker sumo fighter. But, after some talks, it was considered too far-out and drastic, not focused enough on the “sumo” aspect.

A Villainous Sumo

I went back to the concept stage, and instead looked into creating a sumo based on “vilain” archetypes, another unusual trait for a fighting game sumo. The design for such a sumo started with the face; a wicked, toothy grin with defined lips, almost like the snarling smile of a Don Bluth cartoon villain. After the face, came the hair, where I also experimented with a less traditional look, while still retaining hints of the original sumo chonmage shape.

That smile and hair reminded me of a shark’s mouth and dorsal fins, which unlocked the second main piece of this developping sumo’s puzzle. A villainous sumo with sharklike caracteristics, which of course also means a very sea-themed sumo. And what aspect of the sea itself, most resembles the raw pushing power of sumo wrestling, than clashing waves and unstoppable tides?

(Of course, Street Fighter’s Honda also had some water themeing to him already, such as his obsession with bath houses.)

Other fighting game villains also heavily influenced my sumo’s design, such as M Bison’s butt-chin, and Geese Howard’s permanent rictus and wide stances.

With how much I’ve loved watching friends play almost every game in the Yakuza/Like A Dragon franchise, that has definitely influenced some of my thoughts on this sumo too. Though I should broaden my tastes for this particular aspect. Compared to another villainous character concept we’re working on, this one is more criminal than super-villainous.

And while looking through references and writings on sumo’s and E. Honda, I also found a sugarpunch video on the subject, which even came to the same conclusions and solutions such as yakuza sumo.

a Nerdy Hawaiian Sumo

As for the nerdy sumo, he’s slowly making a comeback in the designs and talks, probably as a step-son for the nogoodnik sumo, with the latter’s ocean-themed life causing him to eventually end up in Hawaii. Another slightly unfortunate bit of bad timing, considering the release of Yakuza– I mean Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, and it’s own exploration of Japan-Hawaii relationships.

To complete the nerd picture, I’d like him to also be an otaku. Ideally, one from the “Naruto generation” to fit his fashion sense. That might not jive with the made-up timeframes we stick to normally for these, but maybe that’s not too important. I suppose being a nerd, would also be a bit on the nose for a fat character, but just like the criminal sumo, he doesn’t necessarily have to be a comedic character, or have his fat played for laughs.

A friend was suggesting designing a Mongolian Sumo… hmm, there might be something there if, god forbid, we needed a third.