Takeru is a K-1 World Grand Prix three-weight champion, affiliated with ONE Championship, Asia's largest martial arts organization. He captivated his fans with his fierce fighting style and determination, especially during his fight against Tenshin Nasukawa at "THE MATCH 2022", which attracted a great deal of attention, even outside the martial arts scene.

Takeru perfects his fighting through rigorous training and continues to put his life on the line to fight in the ring. Dragon Ball characters have helped support him through this perseverance. In this interview, we took a closer look at Takeru's Dragon Ball lifestyle, which resembles that of a Saiyan.

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—You previously posted a picture of yourself in the Genki-Dama pose on Instagram. Some of the comments included "it really suits you" and "you look like you'll really save the Earth", which made it seem like some of the fans could see Goku in you.

Takeru: Ever since I was little, I've always really loved Dragon Ball. In elementary school, I'd go to the secondhand bookstore in my neighborhood every time I got my allowance, and I bought all the comics one at a time until I collected them all.

I always dreamed of becoming a K-1 fighter, so I started doing karate when I was in elementary school. I even used to imitate the way Goku and Krillin trained, like running zigzag through the mountains behind my house. I genuinely wondered when I would be able to do the Kamehameha (laughs).

—So, you've been influenced by Dragon Ball from a young age?

Takeru: Even now, I still watch the Dragon Ball anime before my fights. I need to lose weight before my fights, causing me to become nervous and high strung. During those times, I want to try and forget real life as much as I can. But watching dramas on TV always ends up bringing me back to reality, since I know the celebrities acting in them and where the scenes were filmed. Also, commercials always show such delicious-looking food... That's why I try to lift my spirits by watching Dragon Ball battle scenes like Goku's fight against Frieza in the Planet Namek Arc.

—So you're saying you still get strength from Dragon Ball even though you're now a martial arts star?

Takeru: It's when I'm fighting, too. Even in a recent match (09/27/2024 "ONE Friday Fights 81" against Thant Zin), I was downed in the first round, but I managed to bounce back and achieve a KO win. I think it was because of the idea of Saiyans I have; they always bounce back even stronger no matter what kind of tough situation they're in.

—I think the appeal of your matches is that you always get back on your feet even in tough situations and continue forward by fighting bravely. I didn't realize that type of fighting style was influenced by Dragon Ball.

Takeru: Doesn't Goku bounce back even stronger after getting defeated, too? Watching scenes like that really shows me the connection the series has to martial arts. A martial artist without the experience of being downed wouldn't know what kind of move is effective or what move the opponent is weak to. Using the experience gained from a loss fuels you to improve your skills and feels very Dragon Ball-like to me.

—You mentioned training just now. I've heard you're famous for your rigorous training and I feel like that's also something you have in common with Goku and the others, considering what they undergo.

Takeru: The period right before a match is where I push myself by completely eliminating food, entertainment, and contact with friends, so that I focus only on martial arts. There are times where it makes me feel like I'm in the Room of Spirit and Time.

—You previously said, "I had my teammates kick my legs as hard as they could, 50 times a day, so that low-kicks from my opponents won't be effective" on a YouTube program. I thought that was an insane way to train.

Takeru: It's a dangerous and very primitive way of training (laughs). But it actually works. At first, it hurt so much I would limp on my way back home from practice, but as I was kicked, my muscles gradually got used to it and attacks on my legs became ineffective.

—Attacks becoming ineffective... That's just like a Saiyan.

Takeru: (Laughs) But at some point, I was even able to overcome my limits and attack with more strength than I'm usually capable of, which is also Dragon Ball-ish since it's a lot like the Kaio-Ken.

—What is it like to "overcome your limits"?

Takeru: I'm able to attack more smoothly and see my opponents' moves more clearly. I even know when it happens. It's like, "Oh, I've done it".

I'm not a very physically strong fighter and always lost my karate matches when I was little. It was only during my amateur period that I was able to attack past my limits. From then on, I was able to beat other athletes who had a better record than me. It's a very, "Huh? I just won..." kind of moment.

Even in the 2016 K-1 tournament (K-1 WORLD GP 2016 1st Featherweight Championship Tournament) I won, I fractured my shin in the first match and my hand in the second match, so I went to the finals with both bones broken. By all reasonable standards I wasn't in any condition to fight, but that was another time when I'd overcome my limits, so I didn't feel any pain no matter how many times I was punched or kicked. I was able to win the tournament because of that, but my friends were flabbergasted and later told me, "Takeru, you're out of your mind..."

—During that time, did that make your hair stand on end...?

Takeru: I think it might've been (laughs). I have blond hair, so maybe I'm subconsciously trying to become a Super Saiyan during my matches.

—You've taken on many rivals up until now. If you were to compare your career to a Dragon Ball plotline, which part of the story do you think you're in now?

Takeru: I'd say I'm approaching the final battle. I've gotten injured a lot and I can feel myself getting worn out, to the point that, during these last few years, I've honestly considered retiring a couple of times

But recently they started that new Dragon Ball anime (Dragon Ball DAIMA, which premiered October 2024), right? So, even though the story was supposed to end at the Majin Buu arc, they decided to keep going. I think I'd like to continue writing my own story in the same way.

—When speaking about your career, it seems impossible to ignore your fight against Tenshin Nasukawa in THE MATCH 2022. When you lost during that match, many people thought your story was at its end.

Takeru: It's true, even before the fight I was considering retiring if I lost against Tenshin.

—But after that, you decided to switch over to ONE Championship and begin a whole new chapter in your story.

Takeru: I was pretty serious about retiring after losing in the Tenshin fight. But after the fight I started getting so frustrated, I knew I had to make a comeback somehow.

But Tenshin had moved over to professional boxing, and there was no way I could get a rematch. So, I set my sights on Rodtang (Rodtang Jitmuangnon, who fought Tenshin into overtime in 2018 and lost by decision) and began training again, with the idea that if I could beat a fighter who had gone toe-to-toe with Tenshin, then it was like I was getting back at Tenshin himself.

—Entering a new era featuring an all-new rival really is like a Dragon Ball plotline.

Takeru: It feels like that doesn't it? But in the new anime, Goku and his friends all become kids again, so it makes me wish I could be young again like that. I keep wondering what it would be like to get to fight again without all the injuries I have now.

—By the way, do you have a favorite Dragon Ball character?

Takeru: When I was a kid I hated Broly, but since becoming an adult I've started to think he's really cool. When I first saw the Dragon Ball movie with him (Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan) as a kid, I was so scared of his white eyes and his overall ominousness, it was actually pretty traumatic.

But, watching it again as an adult, I love how obsessed he is with defeating his opponents, to the point that it's actually influenced me. He has a simple desire to pursue absolute strength over anything else, and I think if I could have that same desire, then maybe I could also get even stronger.

—What about the battle scenes in the show? Are there any that left a particular impression?

Takeru: The fight I got the most engrossed in has to be the Cell Games. In Dragon Ball, you usually have the enemy suddenly appearing and the fight just begins. But, with the Cell Games, you had a predetermined fight date that Goku and the other fighters were training towards, so it was similar to a real martial arts match.

—It's quite similar isn't it.

Takeru: Right before the Cell Games begin, Goku tells Gohan that he's trained enough and needs to take it easy, and they both relax together. I always train my body to the breaking point before a fight, but you have to give yourself time to rest in the last week. I always feel on edge during that time though, thinking, "I have to train more", "What am I doing resting before a fight?", and so on. Having Goku say, "Don't you worry about a thing," or "There's no point in pushing any further. We've taken our bodies as far as they can go," really helps put my mind at ease.

—It helps having someone like Goku say that.

Takeru: It's true. Gohan reaches an all-new level of power during the Cell Games and ends up winning. When I watch that scene while resting, I imagine myself winning like that, and it helps me maintain positivity during that time.

—Lastly, if you could have one wish granted by Shenron, what would it be?

Takeru: Ah, the ultimate question. That's a tough one... I'd have to say I'd wish to be young again like Goku in Dragon Ball DAIMA. I want to be able to fight one more time as my younger self.

Fighting is what I love, and I'm still willing to push my body even further to fight at my absolute limit. I have a lot of injuries though, and there's some types of training I can't do anymore; I have to limit what I do during practice to take care of my body. It used to be that I could train as hard as I wanted without worrying at all, then go right into a fight, but that's getting hard now. That's why I want to be turned into my young self again, like Goku, so I can train again and become an even stronger fighter than I am now.

—How strong could you become if that were possible?

Takeru: (Laughs) Seriously, though, it's like I'd be climbing Korin Tower from the ground again. That's all I want lately.

—The Rodtang fight we talked about earlier is scheduled for 2025. Is there anything you'd like to say about it?

Takeru: Every time I fight, I approach it like it's gonna be my last, so I'd like to do the same for this one, using every last bit of energy I have left to win. In my mind, this is a fight that I absolutely have to win, so I'm going to give it everything I have, and I will win.

—Thank you, Takeru, for giving us a chance to feel like that real Dragon Ball energy that you have.

Interviewer/Writer: Ryuta Shimabukoro
Photography: Nanami Miyamoto