Kuma Kengo

Character Artwork by Monsieur Panda

Given Name: Kengo Oyama

Age: 25

Birthday: March 17th 

Height: 5'10

Weight: 261 Lbs

Country of Representation: Japan

Fighting Style: Sumo / Puroresu

Glyph: Pneuma

Power Finisher: 1,000 Spirit Shattering Drop

Submission Finisher: Bear King's Bloody Embrace

Favorite Food: Grilled salmon with rice

Likes: Hiking, nature, reading, spirituality, hugs, quiet time, cooking, baths, plant and animal spotting, video games, anime, baseball, taiko drumming, comfortable outfits, festivals, fundoshi, sweets, his roommate Spike.

Dislikes: Loud noises, large crowds, aggressive people, litterers and polluters, social engagements, seeing people hurt (unless he's doing the hurting), public nudity.

A shy sumo with potent spiritual abilities and a warrior's soul--do you really want to poke this bear?!

Humble. Kind. Shy. Not words that often spring to mind when describing your typical spellbreakers--but Kuma Kengo is far from typical! Born and raised into a tradition of spirit summoners from the foggy mountains of Wakayama prefecture, Kengo spent most of his life an isolated yet highly supportive community. He comes from a long line of magi who do not rely on glyphs in the same manner as their western counterparts. Technically, Kuma expresses the glyph “Pneuma”, the spirit glyph.

Spirits--animated and embodied forces of nature--take on many guises, usually phantasmagorical animals and creatures. In Kengo's tradition, one is expected to commune and make peace with these creatures in order to bring about karmic harmony between the physical and metaphysical worlds. Those who enter partnerships with a specific entity may bond it to their blood in a pact engraved in their flesh as traditional tattoo. However, because of stigma against those with tattoos, the people of Kengo's faith are often shunned, which is why he and his family remain largely out of public eye.

Spirit summoning is also a highly valued asset in Japan's version of spellbreaking, and those who stray from their ascetic practices often have no choice--outside of joining crime outfits--than to enter the ring as spellbreakers. Lucky for Kengo, he has the support of his temple behind him, and so he is able to move between the world of spellbreaking and spirituality with relative ease.

Kengo's father was a sumo, who passed on his love of the traditional folk style of wrestling to his son. With his father's strength and his mother's spiritual abilities, Kengo is a one-two combo and a total powerhouse! If only he would believe it...

Kengo is a gentle giant; a bulky boy with beefy muscles and a belly. Some might say he is a real life “bara” drawing come to life. His spirit summon, the Bear King Minoru, is his complete opposite. Though he seldom appears outside of battle, Minoru is vicious, cocky, headstrong, and very defensive of his human buddy and anybody Kengo calls a friend. As is customer in the Japanese spellbreaking style, Minoru often tags with Kengo in the ring as his summoned partner.

Kengo also happens to be the beloved roommate of fellow GSA spellbreaker Spike!

Though usually quiet, Kuma Kengo is a jack of all trades. He loves food, either eating it or making it for others. In the summer months he also loves going to festivals, and the sight of this bulky adonis wearing an open hakata and fundoshi has earned him the admiration from both guys and girls alike. But Kengo often finds this attention unwanted, as he is so painfully shy that paying him a compliment turns him beet red. The fact that he needs to be near-naked in order to fight often stresses him out! This typically changes when Kengo steps inside the ring, as his confidence and strength shine through. He can be a very intimidating opponent as he knows how to use his size to his advantage and considers going easy on others to be disrespectful of their abilities (an honor that usually turns his poor opponents in pancakes). He is a good roommate for Spike. The upbeat, rookie spellbreaker helps Kuma come out of his shell, and Kengo teaches Spike patience and calm.

Because of his size and skill, Kuma is a remarkable foe in the ring. He uses standard sumo throw techniques, but befitting the more “wild” pro style, he also uses his bulk to his advantage by dominating his opponents with his weight. His finisher, the bonzai-styled '1,000 Spirit Shattering Drop', has quite literally crushed the competition. He of course also has the ability to summon Minoru from his back, which is an impressive sight, and even deadlier when combining their power for a dual-force bearhug called 'The Bear King's Bloody Embrace'.

Even though Kengo is painfully afraid of nudity outside of the ring, that all changes in a fight! Kuma forgoes the traditional sumo mawashi for a folksier fundoshi with a gold bear-claw print over the crotch. He also fancies wrist tape and foot wraps as he is clumsy and frequently gets injured!

Illustration by J.Rock
@Jrockamongus

Kengo's spirit tattoo, which houses the soul of The Bear King Minoru, a guardian of a sacred spring near where Kengo grew up. In contrast to Kengo, Minoru is brash, harsh, grumpy, and quick to anger...but he is very defensive of anybody Kengo loves.

Kengo's entrance gear, a sporty jacket he received for his first birthday following his spirit bond with Minoru. It features a colorful bear from a popular line of mascots.

A different side of Kuma. When he enters the ring, he gets serious! He's probably sizing up his opponent, deciding if it will be more fun to squish him in a bear hug...or crush him with 261 pounds of sumo butt.

Kengo loves going to traditional Japanese festivals and has recently started picking up taiko drumming. Since he now trains and lives most of the year in the country of Texas, Colt has encouraged him to try and bring a bit of culture to the local country fairs and try out drumming there. This is still a work in progress.

Kengo sometimes gets a little over-excited when he's crushed his opponent in a moment of victory. Here he demonstrates the soul-crushing result of his finisher, 'The 1,000 Spirit Shattering Drop', on poor Spike!

Uh...perhaps TOO excited.

VERY excited.

Battle Quotes

" よし!"

"Oh no, my fundoshi is slipping!"

"Get ready for bear power!"

"Let's maul 'em, Minoru."

"Hope the gods are merciful on your soul."

"Oh no, I squashed him. Hey...you okay down there?"