Why The Black Tigers Are My Favorite New Gen Competitors

[m4tt3r0x]

and


Isa and Yamamoto have great personalities to them. I don't see too many other competitors having fun like this these days anymore. I think it's time the outside foreigners who nobody took seriously prior begin to dominate.

[m4tt3r0x]

Another gem at 4:20ish of this one

[subtleagent]

I think the Black Tigers have definitely found their niche. They used to be absolute jokes, but now they've really come out on their own. Isa went from a Rolling Hill bomb to being one of five to beat one of the hardest 2nd Stages in recent years. While Yoshiyuki has just shown he's a beast. Getting to the Cliffhanger twice with his second attempt being a tech clear had it not been for the wet ledge.

I still hope Hiroshige gets a chance to compete again, he's definitely got potential and he came very close to clearing Stage 2 in 34 so he has a lot of room to grow assuming he can adapt to modern Stage 2. That said I'm not sure how he'd do in Stage 3.

[m4tt3r0x]

They're two of the liveliest characters on the show nowadays along with Hioki and Yuuji imo.

[tns8597]

I was honestly surprised Isa was invited back for Sasuke 37, given that he took 30 seconds on the QS+RH and still failed the jump. But I’m glad he did, and it’s proof that competitors deserve a second chance (which Inui doesn’t seem to get given that he’s even started uninviting competitors who fail Stage 2 a couple of times).

The Black Tigers as a whole just have a great group and community spirit, unlike the Morimoto Sedai, given that they’re an actual self-defined group, but at the same time don’t shut themselves off from the other competitors, which I feel like did sort of used to be the case.

I do feel bad for the other guys in the group though, given that they spend as much time and effort training as Yoshiyuki and Isa but just don’t get to compete. Hiroshige especially, given that the only reason he was replaced was because he competed alongside Obata who got done for harassing women, so he was effectively unnecessary collateral damage. I mean he also failed the Rolling Hill in 35, but then so did Isa and he got invited back.

[Ninja Relaxer]

The show needed the Black Tigers. They fill the dojo role that all martial arts stories seem to have. They're sort of like Cobra Kai (because of Yamada's volatile past), but more wholesome.

Even so, I think Yoshiyuki achieving kanzenseiha would be very odd and even controversial. A lot of people dislike Yamada, and having one of his proteges achieve total victory would probably leave a bad taste in their mouth. I'd like to see him reach the Final Stage though, and as a Yamada fan, I would be happy if he went all the way to the top of Midoriyama.

[tns8597]

I think people used to dislike Yamada. Up until Sasuke 27 he was definitely an incredibly selfish, jealous and deluded character who let his obsession with Sasuke compromise several friendships and family relationships.

Then come 28 I think he was starting to realise that his time was up and slowly started to accept the situation for what it was. This ultimately led him to focus his attention on training the younger generation, protégés that he felt he could live his dream through. It was obvs a massive joke at first given that they performed really poorly but Yamada’s clearly honed his skills as a coach and that’s ultimately led to his team comprising of two of the strongest current competitors we’ve seen in this era.

I don’t think it’d be that controversial if Yoshiyuki achieved Kanzen. I’d just be really happy for Yamada that he’s finally achieved his dream, whether through his own success or his student’s. It would’ve been more controversial if Yamada had achieved Kanzen in, say, Sasuke 12 had they believed his bs on Stage 2 (which could’ve been a possibility), because he would’ve done so through lying and cheating.....

But yeah I for one really like Yamada for the role he’s filled in the community now. He’s far more active and friendly towards other competitors as he’s no longer trying to compete with them or jealous of them like he was with Nagano and Akiyama.