ONA
Description
Keizaburō Sawada is a character from the martial arts series Kengan Ashura. He is an affiliated fighter who typically represents the record label Murder Music in the Kengan matches, where he is known by the epithet "The Bird of Darkness". Born into a family of prominent traditional Japanese dancers, Sawada was originally on the path to becoming the heir to this family art. However, an incident led him to switch his focus to ballet, and he eventually combined his dance discipline with a fascination for martial arts to forge a unique fighting style. His background in ballet, from which he derives his combat techniques, has given him an extremely well-defined and lithe figure.
Sawada is a very androgynous young man, with golden eyes accentuated by eyeshadow and eyeliner, carefully styled eyelashes, and lipstick. He has a remarkable and unique hairstyle that resembles a Kabuki lion. His personality is defined by a strong belief in manners, etiquette, and fairness, especially concerning the treatment of women, and he becomes aggressively fierce when these principles are violated. He is also deeply offended by the use of homophobic slurs.
Sawada's primary motivation in the story is tied to his role as a fighter for Murder Music and his loyalty to its young chief executive, Yoshiko Togawa. He and Togawa are close in age and share a strong relationship, often hanging out together in their private lives. His role in the narrative primarily unfolds during the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, a competition to decide the next chairman of the Kengan Association. Sawada successfully advanced through the chaotic preliminary rounds on the S.S. Annihilation to secure a spot in the main tournament. His scheduled first-round opponent was Julius Reinhold, the hulking fighter representing Toyo Electric Power Company. However, before the match could begin, the CEO of Toyo Electric, Hayami Katsumasa, used his influence to intimidate Yoshiko Togawa into forfeiting the fight.
Outraged by this act of cowardly manipulation, Sawada defied the forfeit and attacked Julius Reinhold, as well as his allies Meguro Masaki and Nikaido Ren. In his fury, he managed to land a powerful kick on Julius, but the blow was completely nullified by the latter's immense physique. Julius retaliated with ruthless efficiency, catching Sawada's leg, breaking his ankle, and smashing him into a wall, knocking him out and leaving him hospitalized with grievous injuries. While recovering in the medical bay, Sawada continued to follow the tournament, cheering for his rival Rihito during his match. Despite still being in a cast and using crutches, he later helped defend the medical bay from an attacking force of Guardians during Hayami Katsumasa's attempted "revolution".
Sawada's abilities are entirely self-developed, based on integrating the precise and graceful movements of ballet with martial arts. His fighting style revolves around spinning his body at incredible speeds to generate high torque, which he then channels into devastating kicks. His ballet training grants him exceptional flexibility, an impeccable sense of balance, and complete control over his body, down to the tips of his toes. His signature technique is called the "2G," a combination of two rapid pirouettes followed by a powerful roundhouse kick, typically aimed at an opponent's head or neck. He has shown enough speed and precision to counter an attack from the lightning-fast Meguro Masaki. Sawada also has a noted vitriolic rivalry with another fighter, Rihito, which dates back to their time together in high school. Two years after the Annihilation Tournament, Sawada made a full recovery and returned to the underground fighting circuit, participating in the Berserker Bowl competition but was defeated in his opening match.
Sawada is a very androgynous young man, with golden eyes accentuated by eyeshadow and eyeliner, carefully styled eyelashes, and lipstick. He has a remarkable and unique hairstyle that resembles a Kabuki lion. His personality is defined by a strong belief in manners, etiquette, and fairness, especially concerning the treatment of women, and he becomes aggressively fierce when these principles are violated. He is also deeply offended by the use of homophobic slurs.
Sawada's primary motivation in the story is tied to his role as a fighter for Murder Music and his loyalty to its young chief executive, Yoshiko Togawa. He and Togawa are close in age and share a strong relationship, often hanging out together in their private lives. His role in the narrative primarily unfolds during the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, a competition to decide the next chairman of the Kengan Association. Sawada successfully advanced through the chaotic preliminary rounds on the S.S. Annihilation to secure a spot in the main tournament. His scheduled first-round opponent was Julius Reinhold, the hulking fighter representing Toyo Electric Power Company. However, before the match could begin, the CEO of Toyo Electric, Hayami Katsumasa, used his influence to intimidate Yoshiko Togawa into forfeiting the fight.
Outraged by this act of cowardly manipulation, Sawada defied the forfeit and attacked Julius Reinhold, as well as his allies Meguro Masaki and Nikaido Ren. In his fury, he managed to land a powerful kick on Julius, but the blow was completely nullified by the latter's immense physique. Julius retaliated with ruthless efficiency, catching Sawada's leg, breaking his ankle, and smashing him into a wall, knocking him out and leaving him hospitalized with grievous injuries. While recovering in the medical bay, Sawada continued to follow the tournament, cheering for his rival Rihito during his match. Despite still being in a cast and using crutches, he later helped defend the medical bay from an attacking force of Guardians during Hayami Katsumasa's attempted "revolution".
Sawada's abilities are entirely self-developed, based on integrating the precise and graceful movements of ballet with martial arts. His fighting style revolves around spinning his body at incredible speeds to generate high torque, which he then channels into devastating kicks. His ballet training grants him exceptional flexibility, an impeccable sense of balance, and complete control over his body, down to the tips of his toes. His signature technique is called the "2G," a combination of two rapid pirouettes followed by a powerful roundhouse kick, typically aimed at an opponent's head or neck. He has shown enough speed and precision to counter an attack from the lightning-fast Meguro Masaki. Sawada also has a noted vitriolic rivalry with another fighter, Rihito, which dates back to their time together in high school. Two years after the Annihilation Tournament, Sawada made a full recovery and returned to the underground fighting circuit, participating in the Berserker Bowl competition but was defeated in his opening match.