Best underdog competitor?

[tns8597]

Best underdog competitor? e.g. competitor who performs well but isn't given the credit they deserve; you decide

[daramunya]

I think Yoshiyuki Okuyama is an underappreciated competitor. He wasn't hyped that much by the announcers but still performs well. Reached the third stage 6 consecutively tied with Drew. Only Takeda did better with 7 in a row. Oldest guy competing in the final stage

For underdog win definitely Morimoto. Only reached the 3rd stage once previously(so it could be a fluke). Then he did it again and beat the final stage on his 1st try. Simply an amazing story

[tns8597]

Yeah I agree Okuyama was an insanely strong competitor, he would've definitely beat the First Stage age record if he hadn't stopped competing, cos I remember the last time he competed was SASUKE 29 at age 43, and he would've probs made Stage 3 if it wasn't for that dumb af Stage 2 time limit/Backstream intensity. He would've probably also beaten the consecutive Stage 3 record as he didn't show any sign of slowing down despite his age.

For me probably Koji Hashimoto; he came really close to Total Victory in 24, and he nearly made the final again in SASUKE 27, but seemed to constantly get digested/ignored.

In terms of overrated competitors, definitely Darvish; I know he's a celebrity and he has made Stage 3 but imo he gets waaaaaaay too much screen time, like a long af fluff piece for every competition he did, whereas people like Drew who are far stronger constantly get cut/digested.

[m4tt3r0x]

Jun 14, 2020 10:23:28 GMT -5 tns8597 said:

Yeah I agree Okuyama was an insanely strong competitor, he would've definitely beat the First Stage age record if he hadn't stopped competing, cos I remember the last time he competed was SASUKE 29 at age 43, and he would've probs made Stage 3 if it wasn't for that dumb af Stage 2 time limit/Backstream intensity. He would've probably also beaten the consecutive Stage 3 record as he didn't show any sign of slowing down despite his age.

For me probably Koji Hashimoto; he came really close to Total Victory in 24, and he nearly made the final again in SASUKE 27, but seemed to constantly get digested/ignored.

In terms of overrated competitors, definitely Darvish; I know he's a celebrity and he has made Stage 3 but imo he gets waaaaaaay too much screen time, like a long af fluff piece for every competition he did, whereas people like Drew who are far stronger constantly get cut/digested.

Okuyama aged exceedingly well. As did Shiratori and I'd even argue Yamada considering his age at the start of Shin Sasuke. Akiyama appearance wise is immortal but his eye sight really hindered him.

[ChiBiJKT48]

Hasegawa Ken. Man had perfect First and Second Stage clear rate in three runs *something as far as I can remember only Kane achieved later and he ruin his perfect Second Stage record on fourth attempt*, but his number always getting lower everytime he compete. You don't went to Final Stage wearing #96 only to get #65 and #10 in next tournaments.

[tns8597]

Yamada I reckon could've done well into his early 40s if he didn't have this engrained lack of confidence/miss SASUKE 13. To be fair, I don't blame him for the latter; he was f***ing unlucky, think SASUKE 6 and 12.

It's weird how different competitors peak at different ages. We've got Yuuji who almost made the Final Stage at 41, Kongu who was still reaching the Third Stage consistently into his late 30s, but then we've got some members of the Shin-Sedai like Ryo and Kanno who seem to have run out of steam in their late 20s.

In terms of other underdogs, I forgot about Shinji Kobayashi; no one remembers that almost made it to the Final Stage in SASUKE 11, made it the furthest in 14, and could've really had a chance at Total Victory if he made it to the Final.