By Craig Tello
“Spida-Man, Spida-Man!” sings WWE Superstar Yoshi Tatsu, carrying a mild tenor through the aisles of Non Stop Toy Shop in Tokyo, Japan. The grappler’s overseas action figure browsing comes to an instantaneous conclusion when he discovers his undisputed, favorite fictional character of all time.
On a recent trip to the Far East, Tatsu—a competitor on WWE’s Monday Night Raw roster—cemented his status as a Fightin’ Fanboy, revealing his longtime affinity for the Marvel Universe’s most prominent characters, particularly Spider-Man.
As told by the turnbuckle titan himself, the global appeal of Marvel’s iconic, web-headed hero and others transformed a wide-eyed child living in Japan into one of the most exciting rising stars in WWE today.
“WWE Superstars and Marvel Comics stars were always the same for me,” Tatsu explains. “There are a lot of similarities between them: they’re both larger than life, plus WWE competitors and Marvel heroes even look similar, I think. They don’t look Japanese; they look foreign to me—very American—which always interested me.”
As he describes, the Far East fighter initially gained exposure to the western super hero phenomenon directly in front of a television set in his parents’ Japanese home.
“It’s a little funny because I used to watch the live action ‘Spider-Man’ show but it was the Japanese edition,” he recalls, “Marvel and Toei Company [the show’s production company] had a good relationship so they could use one another’s characters for a short time. I could see Japanese, Asian Spider-Man. Very cool.”
Admitting the humor of a Japanese actor spandex-suiting up in Spidey’s signature hues of blue and red, Yoshi remains reverent to the Japanese program that he believes was the catalyst for his journey into sports-entertainment.
“As a child, I used to hope to one day be Spider-Man,” Tatsu shares. “I wanted to be a super hero like him. Today, I do high-flying moves and leap off the ropes, so I am kind of as close to superhero as someone can hope to be.”
WWE’s Japanese Superstar cites Spidey’s black costume as his all-time favorite, indirectly substantiating his claims of compassion for Marvel Comics’ franchise protagonist.
“I like Spider-Man’s costume and his powers,” Tatsu says. “I feel empathy for Peter Parker because before he changed into Spider-Man, he was a very basic man, the same as me. When he changed into Spider-Man, he became a Superstar. Before the change, he was an ordinary man.”
Scouring pegs filled with Hasbro’s Marvel Universe figures, Yoshi sifts past Iron Man, Hulk and others for just one, single plastic iteration of his lifelong idol.
“Everyone [in the WWE locker room] knows that I like action figures,” Tatsu asserts. “In Japan, action figures are not popular. Super hero movies are the most popular. Movies, then cartoons and comics, then action figures.
“I have a different direction than most Japanese people,” he laughs, causing the lone blonde streak atop his jet black hair tuft to jostle a bit and cover his eyes.
It’s this alternative direction that has led Yoshi Tatsu roughly 7,000 miles from his current residence in Tampa to a tiny, niche shop on a narrow street in one of Tokyo’s bustling business districts. Decades before he debuted in WWE, many moons sooner than his appearance on the front cover of Japan’s biggest wrestling magazine, and years prior to prevailing in a 26-Man Battle Royal in front of 70,000 people at WrestleMania XXVI, Tatsu found himself inspired to Superstardom by Marvel’s core characters.
The X-Men? Big in Yoshi’s book since childhood. Fantastic Four? Also on his list. Still, no one tops the Amazing Spider-Man—though Marvel’s forefather, Stan Lee, comes awfully close.
The WWE Superstar from the Land of the Rising Sun anxiously awaits the debut of a Japanese motion comic written by Lee, inspired by Yoshiki Hayashi of the rock band known as X Japan, a preferred musical group of veteran WWE Superstar Chris Jericho, according to Tatsu.
“Stan Lee was very impressed with Yoshiki’s story and made a cartoon of him, just like Spider-Man,” Tatsu details. “I respect [Yoshiki] too, so it is a very big deal to me.”
While the Far East fighter can’t wait to see his countryman and friend, “J-rocker” Yoshiki Hayashi, immortalized in animated form, Yoshi remains loyal to Lee’s contributions to Marvel Comics. Globally recognized, Lee-inspired franchises like the Avengers and Thor continue to extend the Marvel Universe in film, in print, in toy stores, online and more.
And with the same eyes that watched Takuya Yamashiro—the Peter Parker of the Japanese Spidey show—summon an evildoer-defiling robot vessel named Leopardon on TV, Yoshi Tatsu peers ahead to a future filled with action, in the ring or in figure form, all as a result of a genuinely Marvelous influence.
Tune in this Sunday on pay-per-view to see the Superstars of WWE in action at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs and catch Yoshi Tatsu weekly at 9 PM EST on USA as part of Monday Night Raw! For more information, visit WWE.com.
Also, check out the full run of the Japanese Spider-Man show right here on Marvel.com.
Yoshi tatsu swell