M.U.S.C.L.E. #156 aka.. 'The Wolf' aka.. Chiyonofuji Mitsugu

M.U.S.C.L.E. #156 is known as 'Wolfman' in the world of Kinnikuman manga and anime. His character, sculpt AND name were directly based on, and inspired by real life Sumo Wrestler Chiyonofuji Mitsugu. 

When I was a boy, I'd often see blurbs and spots on different sports programs my brother would watch on TV. It was usually on slow news nights for sports, but they would have pieces showcasing this sumo wrestler in Japan, that appeared as if he was a third of the size of his opponents. The video footage shared was amazing, and I remember myself and my brother's jaws about hitting the floor upon watching Mitsugu tossing sumo's twice his size all over the place like rag dolls.

I've watched many of Mitsugu's matches on youTube and he truly was a phenomenon. He repeatedly dislocated his shoulder from throwing his opponents, and rather that getting it operated on (he didn't want to take the time off and risk losing his number one ranking) he instead focused on building MUSCLE to protect the weakness in his joints! Now THAT is a Man!

Mitsugu in my humble opinion was very likely the greatest Sumo of all time. He for sure is my all time favorite. I say this not only because of his incredible record of holding the Yokozuna rank for 10 years, but for his skills as well.

While considered small by Sumo standards, he toppled much larger opponents time and time again with his superior strength and incredible technique. Mitsugu sadly passed away in 2016 at the age of 61 from pancreatic cancer. However, his amazing feats of strength and skills will continue to astonish people for decades to come.