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Ikazuchido Neri

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Ikazuchido Neri - 雷道 根利 (born March 18, 2005) is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Soka, Saitama. He made his debut in May 2022 and currently wrestles for Ikazuchi stable. His highest rank as of 2025 is makushita 49.

Early Life[]

Nelly Yamada was born on March 18, 2005, to a Nigerian father and a Japanese mother from Asakusa, Tokyo.[1] His parents divorced when he was in the third grade and he was raised solely by his mother. When he was in fifth grade, his mother was diagnosed with depression due to workplace stress and could no longer work. All of his maternal relatives, including his grandparents, had passed away early. They survived on welfare, with no other source of income.[1]

Wanting to ease her burden, he became a devoted son. Upon entering Yatsuka Junior High School in Soka City, Saitama, he began dreaming of becoming an action movie star, inspired by his admiration for Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. To develop a strong body and learn how to take falls, he took up judo. His natural athleticism quickly showed, and in his third year of junior high, he made it to the top four in the 73 kg weight class at the Saitama Prefectural Individual Tournament. He subsequently caught the eye of Junji Omori, the judo coach of Shutoku High School, a powerhouse in Tokyo, and was invited to enroll through a sports recommendation.[1]

Toward the end of his second year in high school, Coach Omori suggested that he join Ikazuchi stable (then known as Irumagawa stable). Although he had no prior experience in sumo, he felt he could not refuse the offer, as Coach Omori had paid his high school tuition. Just before entering his third year, he withdrew from school and entered the stable.[2]

Career[]

Ikazuchido started his career with a score of 0-2-2 in maezumo, losing his first two matches and missing the final two due to injury. Despite his shaky start, he would post two consecutive 4-3 scores before going 3-4 in November 2022. He gained promotion to sandanme in May 2023, but was relegated to jonidan in July after posting a record of 3-4. He was re-promoted to sandanme in November 2023. He slipped back into jonidan in May 2024, but afterwards began a steady climb through sandanme. In September 2024, he posted a winning record of 4-3, and followed up with two 5-2 scores. This was enough to earn him promotion to the makushita division in March 2025.[3]

Personal Life[]

  • Ikazuchido is the first professional sumo wrestler of Nigerian descent.[4]
  • Ikazuchido's first name, Nelly, is sometimes misspelled as Neri due to its katakana transliteration, "ネリー". His Instagram profile handle uses "Nelly," confirming that this is the correct spelling of his name.[5]
  • Ikazuchido serves as Shishi's tsukebito, or personal servant.[2]

Fighting Style[]

Ikazuchido's Fighting Style

Ikazuchido defeats Shunrai by kakenage (hooking inner thigh throw)

Ikazuchido is a yotsu-sumo wrestler who prefers grappling to pushing and thrusting techniques. Due to his judo experience he is quite skilled with throws, but his light weight leaves him susceptible to yorikiri, or frontal force out. His most common kimarite is yorikiri (force out), followed by uwatenage (overarm throw) and kakenage (hooking inner thigh throw).[6] Since his debut he has received training to help him rely less on judo-style throws, and focus more on sumo-style force outs.[7]

Record[]

Division Results[]

  • Total: 71-55/126 (19 basho)
  • Makushita: 3-4/7 (1 basho)
  • Sandanme: 33-30/63 (9 basho)
  • Jonidan: 31-18/49 (7 basho)
  • Jonokuchi: 4-3/7 (1 basho)

Shikona History[]

  • Ikazuchido Neri (2022.05 - )

Gallery[]

External Links[]

References[]

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