Post by tns8597 on Dec 2, 2020 14:42:42 GMT -5
Who do you think are the 5 strongest competitors who are neither All-Stars nor new stars, or as I like to call them 'outsiders'? Obviously there's a bit of speculation over what counts as a 'new star'; I consider them to be the Morimoto-Sedai, plus the trial qualifiers from Shin-Sasuke (these being Kawaguchi, Ryo, Hashimoto, Urushihara, Asa, Kanno, Tajima, etc.)
Mine are, in order (I put 6 because I couldn't decide between the last three):
1. Okuyama: Honestly I always viewed him as the second strongest competitor of the era behind Urushihara; the fact he was able to reach Stage 3 on six consecutive occasions, during an era where Stages 1 and 2 were the hardest they've ever been (especially in SASUKE 26 where he was the only Japanese competitor to reach Stage 3), at the age of 40 is incredible. He's also the only competitor to have that long a streak of Stage 3 appearances including a Final Stage appearance. Definitely my number 1 as he's so underrated.
2. Kongu: The fact that he's one of the few competitors to have reached the Third Stage in 3-4 different eras spanning 15 years is incredible, something the All-Stars never managed to do. I also feel like he had the best combination of speed and power out of any competitor.
3. Lee En Chi: statistically the most successful foreigner ever to compete on Sasuke, and the fact that he went the furthest out of any competitor for two competitions in a row (which I know was replicated by another certain foreigner....) during a notably hard era of SASUKE 25 and 26 definitely says something. The only reason why he's number 3 and not a bit higher is because he did considerably decline during the RISING era. Though I do think he had a shot of breaking age records given that he was competing internationally well into his 40s.
4. Hiroyuki Asaoka: one of the most underrated competitors of his time, especially how he didn't get a number above the 70s until SASUKE 14, by which point he'd already made the Final Stage, and the Third Stage three times. I think he would've had a genuine shot at Total Victory if he'd continued competing consistently after SASUKE 12 as his training clearly paid off, and would've possibly been considered as an All-Star given that Bunpei, who also made the Final in the same tournament, did so.
5. Shinji Kobayashi: realistically he wouldn't have been on this list due to his inconsistency and troubles with Stage 1. The reason he's on here is because he probably had the best shot of any non-All Star of Kanzen given that most secondary players during that time would often make Stage 3 but struggle there. He always showed that he had a shot at clearing Stage 3 and would've likely also cleared the final due to his speed, especially in his debut run where he almost did. Unfortunate that he never got a shot at the tower.
6. Koji Yamada: one of the most consistent competitors, and also one of the most adaptable given his performance on a completely new and insanely difficult Stage 1 in SASUKE 19. Constantly improved on his Stage 3 appearances, so I think had it not been for his slip-up in SASUKE 17 he could've legitimately had a shot at the Final, where he would've likely achieved total victory due to his firefighter rope climbing skills.
Mine are, in order (I put 6 because I couldn't decide between the last three):
1. Okuyama: Honestly I always viewed him as the second strongest competitor of the era behind Urushihara; the fact he was able to reach Stage 3 on six consecutive occasions, during an era where Stages 1 and 2 were the hardest they've ever been (especially in SASUKE 26 where he was the only Japanese competitor to reach Stage 3), at the age of 40 is incredible. He's also the only competitor to have that long a streak of Stage 3 appearances including a Final Stage appearance. Definitely my number 1 as he's so underrated.
2. Kongu: The fact that he's one of the few competitors to have reached the Third Stage in 3-4 different eras spanning 15 years is incredible, something the All-Stars never managed to do. I also feel like he had the best combination of speed and power out of any competitor.
3. Lee En Chi: statistically the most successful foreigner ever to compete on Sasuke, and the fact that he went the furthest out of any competitor for two competitions in a row (which I know was replicated by another certain foreigner....) during a notably hard era of SASUKE 25 and 26 definitely says something. The only reason why he's number 3 and not a bit higher is because he did considerably decline during the RISING era. Though I do think he had a shot of breaking age records given that he was competing internationally well into his 40s.
4. Hiroyuki Asaoka: one of the most underrated competitors of his time, especially how he didn't get a number above the 70s until SASUKE 14, by which point he'd already made the Final Stage, and the Third Stage three times. I think he would've had a genuine shot at Total Victory if he'd continued competing consistently after SASUKE 12 as his training clearly paid off, and would've possibly been considered as an All-Star given that Bunpei, who also made the Final in the same tournament, did so.
5. Shinji Kobayashi: realistically he wouldn't have been on this list due to his inconsistency and troubles with Stage 1. The reason he's on here is because he probably had the best shot of any non-All Star of Kanzen given that most secondary players during that time would often make Stage 3 but struggle there. He always showed that he had a shot at clearing Stage 3 and would've likely also cleared the final due to his speed, especially in his debut run where he almost did. Unfortunate that he never got a shot at the tower.
6. Koji Yamada: one of the most consistent competitors, and also one of the most adaptable given his performance on a completely new and insanely difficult Stage 1 in SASUKE 19. Constantly improved on his Stage 3 appearances, so I think had it not been for his slip-up in SASUKE 17 he could've legitimately had a shot at the Final, where he would've likely achieved total victory due to his firefighter rope climbing skills.
