Sunday, 21 April, 20:00～21:54 『RIZIN.15』

Talk with GACKT before the match, “Nasukawa was unable to reset in his match against Mayweather”

One day before RIZIN.15, the final martial arts event of the Heisei Era, we made a special comment video with the Executive Organiser, GACKT, where he passionately commentated while watching footage of Nasukawa, Horiguchi, and RENA’s individual matches.
Regarding Nasukawa Tenshin In particular, who is the star of this event with his match against the Philippines’ Muay Thai champion, Biagtan, he was full of praises, saying――

“I can see why he’s being called a prodigy. Nasukawa’s speciality is diligence. In boxing, you only use your hands, but the fact that he has the ability to use his legs too shows his ability and talent. When it comes to kinetic vision, it peaks when we’re 17 or 18. What’s crucial until that point is the effort that you put into raising it or preventing it from decreasing. He has been raising it quite a lot since he was young, and he has maintained it. In addition to being smart, his imagination stretches quite a lot too. He’s had this momentum since he was young.”

However, he also gave him a shoutout that can only come from GACKT’s unique perspective.

“I believe that during his previous match against Mayweather, Nasukawa was unable to reset his own feelings. The one who underestimated Mayweather the most was him. After all, Mayweather who has reigned at the top of the world for 20 years is no joke. Perhaps breaking his nose at the right timing, or maybe it isn’t time yet. If he is able to understand this, he can still go further from here on. I can’t wait to see what kind of match this will turn out to be.”

To RENA who is looking for a comeback, “What the fans are hoping for is not a victory”

There was also a GACKT-style analysis for RENA, who is looking for a comeback.

“I definitely want to see how much RENA has been training to get here. Because the fans are also waiting for her as a woman who will be entering the ring. Many fans are looking forward to seeing whether she has a ‘next time’ following this. Whether she can meet those expectations… That would be an added highlight to the match. I believe that they are more interested to see her form than her victory.”

And with regards to Horiguchi Kyoji, who is known for his stoic attitude, GACKT himself staged a punch and explained while talking about the accumulation of repeated training and analysing the slow-motion movement of the other’s movements.

“There’s the wish that he would win, but more than that, his style, his free ideas, his flexibility, his hard work and research all come together in his victory… Perhaps this is his greatest achievement.
It doesn’t only apply to the world of martial arts. The same can also be said with regards to all kinds of work, all kinds of sports. That is necessary for many people to ‘win’.”

When asked ‘What do you want to become?’… What GACKT has gained through training his body

With his profound knowledge in martial arts, GACKT also possesses a physical body that is reminiscent of one that practices martial arts. But why does he train that much?

“I have martial artists friends who do boxing, kicks, karate, taekwondo, locks and so on, so I have many opportunities to practice. The more I did it, the more I came to feel that it’s interesting. As I continued my training, I’ve been asked before ‘What do you want to become?’ (laughs) I’m not doing this because I want to become something. The way of thinking that my family has is “if a man can’t fight, there’s no point for him to be a man” and even now, I have this same way of thinking too. That is something that hasn’t changed since I was a child.”

“When I was young, I thought that I’d become weak when I grow old. When I was 20, I thought, there’s no way I’ll lose to a 40 or 50-year-old old man. But now, I’m turning 46 but I have no intention to lose to the 20-year-olds. I’ve accumulated diligence and experience, so while I may lose in the area of stamina, I’ve learnt through diligence to use my opponent’s strength and win without using my own strength.”

RIZIN’s attraction… Try thinking of it as Othello or Shogi!

Lastly, the writer, who is a housewife, asked him to explain RIZIN’s attraction in a way that “people who don’t know martial arts can understand too”.

“Simply put, standing type styles are Othello while grappling and locking are Shogi. This means that the development and closing of the match are different. Othello is easy to get at one glance, but if you make a mistake right at the beginning, it’s easy to understand that you’ll lose. With Shogi, it looks as if it’s slow and actually takes a long time, but in reality, the two players in the game have already simulated the next 20 to 30 moves. When two fighters are latched onto each other in the ring and it looks like things have come to a standstill, they’re not actually waiting for each other, instead, they’re fighting while thinking about what comes next.”

“When you’ve come to understand that, you will also come to understand the enjoyment of both Othello and Shogi too. First, enjoy it as entertainment. After that, watch the footage over and over again. As you come to understand it in your own way and begin to feel that martial arts are profound, that’s when it get s fun and interesting.”

And that was his passionate spiel. It is finally time for the Heisei Era’s final RIZIN. What kind of development will happen? Will it be Othello, or Shogi?

Source: fujitv.co.jp

Translation: GACKT ITALIA Team

Translation © GACKT ITALIA