"I don't mince words. You've got a long way to go, kid."
Name: Akira KoizumiAge: 52
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Height: 6’0 / 183 cm
Weight: 180 lbs. / 82 kg
Hometown: Shiroishi, Japan
Alignment: Tweener (leaning heel)
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Appearance:
As a trainer
On business
On the rare occasions she wrestles
Akira in her prime, circa 1990
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History: Akira is a veteran of the golden age of joshi puroresu, becoming one of many women who revolutionized the Japanese wrestling scene in the late 80s and early 90s. Making her debut at the age of 16 in 1988, she was a product of the harsh and grueling routine wrestling trainees were put under, which both tempered her grappling skills and helped breed her infamously cold and stoic personality. Though she might have been eager at first to prove herself in the ring, it wasn't long before she learned that she could afford no weakness or mercy, whether it came to how she approached her training or her opponents.
It took Akira some time to reach her stride, but after a few years of floating around the mid- and undercards, she managed to put her name on the map by securing her promotion's midcard championship and holding it against many challengers. Soon, she attained enough clout to attract the attention of one of her more famous contemporaries, and the two of them joined forces as a tag team. They rose to new heights of both success and popularity, defeating many notable opponents and holding a few titles, until it all came crashing down when Akira's partner suffered a career-ending injury during a heated barbed wire deathmatch against a rival team.
With Akira's team suffering a shocking defeat, many wondered how she was going to reclaim her reputation. But Akira proved resilient, re-emerging onto the scene as a singles wrestler. She began to change her style from an aggressive striker to a more cautious powerhouse, and put on more muscle mass to match it. However, in the process, she grew more reserved and cynical, shutting out the advice of others - even friends and family - in the pursuit of bettering herself and becoming stronger. She wasn't out to make friends, she insisted, but to be the best she could, and nothing was going to hold her back.
Akira's ruthless attitude was enough to bring her success, and in the latter part of her career she held some titles and challenged for others. However, she drifted away from those who had been close to her, and many questioned how sustainable her goal was. Even as many of Akira's contemporaries retired and settled down, she remained devoted to her career, continuing well into the 2000s, where she made a few appearances in smaller promotions and the independent circuit as well as opening her own wrestling school. But as she began struggling to keep up with younger talent, her career as a trainer began to take over her life. In 2017 she announced her retirement from full-time wrestling, devoting her attention to training the next generation of wrestlers (while still making some indie appearances where she could).
For a while, Akira's school in Shiroishi enjoyed success, training a number of joshi wrestlers under her strict regime. However, while her harsh teachings brought results, attrition was high, and many prospective students were unable to keep up with her demands. With attendance dwindling, it seemed as though Akira would be forced to close her doors - a fact that the veteran, who had swore she'd be involved in the business until the day she died - was reluctant to admit.
That was, until LAW came along. With the Tokyo-based promotion soaring in popularity and bringing an influx of female talent, Akira realized that if she wanted to sustain her school, she would need to move operations. She moved to the capital to establish a new school there, hoping that her approach to training could only help the League achieve its true potential.
Personality: Akira is known to be notoriously strict, both as a trainer and as a person. She rarely shows any outward emotion, and she's grown cynical and jaded from her long career in the ups and downs of the business. She was raised in the unforgiving traditions of old-school puroresu, and she has little tolerance for anyone who isn't applying themselves to the fullest. In particular, Akira tends to look down upon more gimmicky wrestlers or those who she deems to get by on personality or sex appeal, seeing them as taking shortcuts to succeed. As a trainer, she's both respected and feared by her students, and she isn't afraid to put her trainees through grueling regimens or punish them for failure.
She's also very committed to wrestling, and doesn't have much of a personal life outside of it, seeing it as a distraction that would only slow her down. She lives alone and only occasionally communicates with her family, preferring to focus on her involvement in the business, which she treats with the utmost seriousness and respect.
Despite her hard exterior, Akira isn't truly emotionless. She truly does care about her students, and she wants them to succeed. However, she's brutally honest with them and doesn't go easy on them, which has given her the popular image of an unfeeling, or even cruel, teacher. But although she'd never admit it to anyone, she's harsh because she cares.
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Fighting Style: On the occasions that she does wrestle, Akira uses a style grounded in the hard-hitting traditions of joshi wrestling at its peak. She's unafraid to use powerful strikes or to drop people on their heads; if anything, she considers anyone who has a problem with that too soft and naive. As she grew older, she adopted more of a powerhouse style of wrestling, using her size and strength to her advantage in controlling and overpowering her foes, and she uses a fair amount of slams and throws. She also has a respectable command of submissions and isn't afraid to use them.
Her greatest asset, however, is her endurance and resilience. She doesn't tire easily, and her years of experience have taught her to conserve her energy and to use it where she needs it most, allowing her to still hold her own even at her age. She doesn't tend to rush into things aggressively, preferring to feel her opponents out and meet them with appropriate force. Furthermore, she has the fighting spirit to keep herself going no matter what pain or fatigue she's subjected to.
Favored Match Types: For the most part, Akira has resigned to her job as a trainer and doesn't step into the ring all that often. When she does, however, she prefers traditional matches, having little patience for gimmicks. She's also uninterested in anything lewd, considering it low-effort at best and an insult to wrestling at worst, and refusing to acknowledge those wrestlers who partake primarily in such matches as worthy of being called athletes.
Finishing Moves:
Brainbuster
Headscissor
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Friends:
- Michiko Shimizu is one of Akira's star students from her previous wrestling school, and she looks at her successful career with pride. Michiko had to work hard to get through her training, but she was able to rise to the top, and Akira sees her as worthy of her legacy. Michiko, in turn, thanks Akira for her success, even if she doesn't necessarily agree with her methods.
- Sachiko Koizumi is Akira's neice, and one who disappoints her. Sachiko first learned wrestling when her parents sent her to Akira's school in the hopes of teaching her discipline, but not even Akira could control her rebellious spirit, and she ended up dropping out. Despite this, Sachiko went on to wrestling anyway, and became the exact sort of cheating, perverted, back-talking miscreant Akira believes to be ruining the sport. While she still recognizes Sachiko as family, she doesn't approve of what she does, and she especially doesn't like her name being associated with her.
