MT/KB Japan Question about Japanese kickboxers names

[Richard Fannin]

Hi there fellas, there's this thing I've been wondering for a long time, but I never found anyone who knew the answer, and despite squatting the search engine here and googling to the best of my abilities, I haven't been able to find an answer to my specific question.

As you all know, in some combat sports the athletes "noms de guerre" differ depending on the discipline; Muay Thai, Sumo Wrestlers, Capoeiristas, they all have very specific reasons why they pick or get their "combat names" picked for them, it's part of the cultures of these sports and it's easy to look it up.

But now comes the one I haven't been able to figure out; these last few years I've been watching more and more Japanese kickboxers in the lighter weight-classes, between ONE, RIZIN, K-1, Krush, Rise, or the co-promotions events like "The Match 2022" (which was K-1+RIZIN+Shoot-boxing+Rise) I've just been exposed to more and more of these guys, and I've often wondered why their names are, relatively often, just one single name.

Not a first and last name, just one. Sometimes it's their real first name, sometimes it's a nickname, but I just wanted to know if there was a particular reason why; I mean, Japanese MMA fighters don't follow this trend AFAIK.
It's always, from Japan, first name "nickname" last naaaaame (to be read with Lenne Hardt voice).

To list a few examples, I picked some famous guys, like the K-1 GPs veteran (participated in the 2024 one, the 2022, the 2020, the 2019, etc..) & Krush 5x champion for now, who took part in the Tenshin vs Takeru The Match 2022 huge card a few years back,
Riamu

Or to pick someone even more famous, YA-MAN is always introduced as YA-MAN, not Ren "Ya-Man" Sugiyama. But it's a nickname, like back in the old days of K-1 with Masato, Musashi or Kyotaro
(speaking of, what a good surprise it was when after losing to Gegard Mousasi in that kickboxing bout, well both he and Musashi did, but Kyotaro reinvented himself as a boxer, and had succesful career there, becoming the OPBF champion, defending his title and then challenging Daniel Dubois for the WBC & WBO world titles. He came back to kickboxing after that loss and had a handful of fights before calling it a career in 2023, truly impressive, to be honest I thought he was slowing down after the Mousasi loss in 2010 but damn!)

ANYWAY

Just looking at Riamu's record on tapology, a good chunk of his Japanese opponents & contemporaries in kickboxing in the last few years just have names like:

Kenta

Yura

Kazuki

Yuya

Toshi

Hideki

Ryoki

And there's a bunch of Rise/Krush/K-1 fighters who don't have their pictures on Tapology, but have extensive recent records and just a simple one-word name (unlike the JMMA guys who almost always go with their full name & a nickname on top).
For Instance: Masaki, Kazuyoshi, Takaaki, Riki, YOUTA, Urano, Masaya (he's more of a shootboxing guy though, in this thread I'm focusing on pure kickboxers with the odd Muay Thai bout here and there), and countless others.

Anyone more in tune with the current Japanese KB scene than me to nudge me in the right direction?
Cheers!

 

[noc]

Hi there fellas, there's this thing I've been wondering for a long time, but I never found anyone who knew the answer, and despite squatting the search engine here and googling to the best of my abilities, I haven't been able to find an answer to my specific question.

ChatGPT knows

"comes mostly from marketing and showmanship traditions in Japanese kickboxing. Unlike MMA, which is more sport-focused and often uses full names, kickboxing in Japan has a long history of being entertainment-heavy, especially in K-1, Krush, and Rise.
Some points to consider:
Branding / Memorability – A short, catchy name is easier for fans to remember and chant. Names like Musashi, Masato, YA-MAN, Tenshin, or Riamu stand out more than "Riamu Yokoyama" or "Ren Sugiyama." It’s similar to how wrestlers in pro-wrestling pick single-stage names.
Cultural influence – Japanese fighters have historically taken ring names inspired by samurai, famous historical figures, or nicknames that reflect personality, style, or their gym. The K-1 boom in the late ’90s and early 2000s cemented this practice. Masato, Musashi, and Kyotaro are classic examples.
Gym / Promotion tradition – Some gyms encourage it, especially for younger or lighter-weight fighters, to give them a “persona” that fans can identify with. That’s why you see a lot of lightweights with just one name—they’re building a brand, not just fighting.
Contrast with MMA – MMA is still presented mostly as pure sport in Japan (RIZIN included, though it mixes show elements), so fighters typically use full names plus nicknames. Kickboxing promotions, especially K-1/RISE/Krush, lean into the entertainment persona, so the single-name trend persists."

I knew this too from common sense. ChatGPT also knows a shitload about fighting

 

[Richard Fannin]

Thanks,I don't use chatgpt.
Not a lot there that wasn't directly pulled from ly post, but aside from obvious stuff It did give one élément that I was missing.

See, I hadn't particularly noticed that the J-KB scene was more entertainment-related than JMMA events... so they need to keep the names even shorter than the MMA dudes so the public isn't too confused?

I mean, if the context is correct and modern gyms really do push nicknames + remove real names from young kickboxers only, and leave thr MMA guys Aline with their complicated names + nickname combos ^^

I just thought that like the Sumo, Capoeira and Muay Thaï guys, that modern Japanse KBs might had had a legit/cultural reason behind that different naming conventions, and not just "nicknames are rad, let's also remove their real names while we're in"

 

[Iactus Inferus]

If it does have any cultural ties, it would likely be to samurai culture or a response to it. During wars, a samurai would usually yell his own name when he killed a high ranking enemy or did a heroic gesture so that he would be given credit and paid accordingly for his valor on the battlefield. On the other hand, the Japanese government banned the use of surnames in official capacities for commoners (most people who weren't samurai) in the 17th century, so it could be culture carrying over from there or something.

More than likely though, it's just a trend or marketing gimmick. I see more Thai fighters only using their first name nowadays as well, so I am guessing it makes it easier to market fighters outside of their home countries.

Also, ChatGPT (and AI in general) doesn't know shit about Kickboxing. It will give you the dumbest, most casual answers to your questions and anyone who takes its word at face value is revealing their ignorance of the sport. Japanese Kickboxing is no more entertainment oriented than Japanese MMA.

 

[noc]

Also, ChatGPT (and AI in general) doesn't know shit about Kickboxing. It will give you the dumbest, most casual answers to your questions and anyone who takes its word at face value is revealing their ignorance of the sport. Japanese Kickboxing is no more entertainment oriented than Japanese MMA.

This is his answer for you

"Dismissing all AI because it doesn’t match your personal narrative is just intellectual insecurity.
And let’s not rewrite history: Japanese kickboxing (especially the K-1 era) was more entertainment-driven in presentation, matchmaking, and rule design than MMA. That doesn’t mean it lacked elite skill — it clearly didn’t — but pretending it wasn’t built as a spectacle is dishonest.
PRIDE was also show, sure, but the technical freedom and competitive structure were different. Saying Japanese kickboxing was “no more entertainment-oriented” is flat-out false or willfully blind.
Nuance isn’t ignorance. Gatekeeping is."

 

[Iactus Inferus]

This is his answer for you

"Dismissing all AI because it doesn’t match your personal narrative is just intellectual insecurity.
And let’s not rewrite history: Japanese kickboxing (especially the K-1 era) was more entertainment-driven in presentation, matchmaking, and rule design than MMA. That doesn’t mean it lacked elite skill — it clearly didn’t — but pretending it wasn’t built as a spectacle is dishonest.
PRIDE was also show, sure, but the technical freedom and competitive structure were different. Saying Japanese kickboxing was “no more entertainment-oriented” is flat-out false or willfully blind.
Nuance isn’t ignorance. Gatekeeping is."

Anyone who takes its word at face value is revealing their ignorance of the sport.

Lazy responses beget lazy responses

 

[noc]

Lazy responses beget lazy responses

He destroyed you, you don’t know what to say

I never take him at face value. He simply makes sense, it even matches your own opinion, “marketing.”

That guy hasn’t been able to come up with an answer for a long time, and he just had to question an AI. That’s what was kind of weird or funny

 

[Iactus Inferus]

He destroyed you, you don’t know what to say

I never take him at face value. He simply makes sense, it even matches your own opinion, “marketing.”

That guy hasn’t been able to come up with an answer for a long time, and he just had to question an AI. That’s what was kind of weird or funny

Remember to switch from breathing through your mouth to occasionally breathing through your nose

 

[noc]

Remember to switch from breathing through your mouth to occasionally breathing through your nose

Still no real arguments, you’re full of shit, dork

 

[Iactus Inferus]

Still no real arguments, you’re full of shit, dork

We're not arguing about anything? You've just been making strange comments this whole thread. I see why you need the AI to help you now. Try to have a good day if you can

 

[noc]

We're not arguing about anything? You've just been making strange comments this whole thread. I see why you need the AI to help you now. Try to have a good day if you can

I brought the IA thing here just to teach him something, google and people didn't help him

Then i had the same IA refuting what you said, and you didn't have a rebbuttal

 

[Iactus Inferus]

I brought the IA thing here just to teach him something, google and people didn't help him

Then i had the same IA refuting what you said, and you didn't have a rebbuttal

Also, ChatGPT (and AI in general) doesn't know shit about Kickboxing. It will give you the dumbest, most casual answers to your questions and anyone who takes its word at face value is revealing their ignorance of the sport. Japanese Kickboxing is no more entertainment oriented than Japanese MMA.

Remember when I said this part? The fact that you think its response was an actual refutation of what I said reveals your ignorance. The argument is fundamentally off base and if you're someone who's so lazy and intellectually uncurious that you need the information spoon fed to you by a glorified chat bot instead of doing the bare minimum of research (or having reading comprehension and understanding the scope of the question) about a sport you are purporting yourself to be knowledgeable about, then we don't really have much to discuss.

 

[noc]

Remember when I said this part? The fact that you think its response was an actual refutation of what I said reveals your ignorance. The argument is fundamentally off base and if you're someone who's so lazy and intellectually uncurious that you need the information spoon fed to you by a glorified chat bot instead of doing the bare minimum of research (or having reading comprehension and understanding the scope of the question) about a sport you are purporting yourself to be knowledgeable about, then we don't really have much to discuss.

It's not ignorance, i think he is right. i knew that part it would piss people here. That GPT knows a lot, like things you learn just if you travel to Japan

I told him to say to you the harsh truth, that if you are right.. just told you that you are right, i can screenshot that

I never said i was the most knowledgeable i know some things. It's not my sport, im not much in here, im more mma

 

[Richard Fannin]

If it does have any cultural ties, it would likely be to samurai culture or a response to it. During wars, a samurai would usually yell his own name when he killed a high ranking enemy or did a heroic gesture so that he would be given credit and paid accordingly for his valor on the battlefield. On the other hand, the Japanese government banned the use of surnames in official capacities for commoners (most people who weren't samurai) in the 17th century, so it could be culture carrying over from there or something.

More than likely though, it's just a trend or marketing gimmick. I see more Thai fighters only using their first name nowadays as well, so I am guessing it makes it easier to market fighters outside of their home countries.

Also, ChatGPT (and AI in general) doesn't know shit about Kickboxing. It will give you the dumbest, most casual answers to your questions and anyone who takes its word at face value is revealing their ignorance of the sport. Japanese Kickboxing is no more entertainment oriented than Japanese MMA.

Well, thanks for your take, marketing to non-Japanese and casuals might be the simple solution
(like how in TUF they only introduce the fighters by their first name, unless there are 2 guys with the same name like in seasob 10 with Wes Sims and Wes Shivers, who I still maintain should have won that majority decision against James mcSweeney, yeah I said it),

...but since I had noticed it starting to happen in KB a 2 or 3 years ago, and that this trend didn't seem to translate to JMMA or Japanese boxers (not as the same rate at least), I started to wonder...

Oh well, thanks for the help and sorry for the late reply

 

[Iactus Inferus]

...but since I had noticed it starting to happen in KB a 2 or 3 years ago, and that this trend didn't seem to translate to JMMA or Japanese boxers (not as the same rate at least), I started to wonder...

Oh man it goes back farther than that, at least to the K-1 days.
Musashi for example, and of course the man himself, Masato. Another possibility could be a response to the Thai tradition of using your first name and replacing your surname with your gym's name (since we do know that Kyokushin vs Muay Thai matches were one of the major influences on KB in its infancy), but I'm just spitballing. I did some online research as well because your question really piqued my curiosity, but couldn't find anything substantial. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help! Hope you have a great day man