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Watch Mel Kishida Take on Sumo Wrestler at Niconico Chokaigi

Niconico Chokaigi 3, a fan convention celebrating the Internet culture represented by Japan's video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga, was held last weekend in Tokyo's vast Makuhari Messe convention hall. In addition to the standard events celebrating anime, games and cosplay, the convention also offered some more niche events like a submarine exhibition, shōgi matches with a robotic arm, and a shrine devoted to matchmaking. There was also a sumō tournament showcasing Japan's iconic form of wrestling. While most of the 250 participants were professional sumō wrestlers, some unlikely challengers also showed up.

Mel Kishida, a light novel illustrator and character designer for Hanasaku Iroha - Blossoms for Tomorrow and Heaven's Memo Pad, challenged Shōta Endō, a popular high-ranking wrestler famous for his long hair. Endō later fended off challenges from Hiroyuki Nishimura, founder of the message board 2channel, and Takafumi Horie, founder of the Internet portal Livedoor. As it was apparent none of the scrawny web titans stood a chance against Endō alone, they later teamed up with Akatsu, a comedian known for impersonating a sumō wrestler, to take on the wrestler four-to-one. Kishida and Horie were then able to eject Endō from the ring.

Kishida had decided to participate at the last moment, even though there was an enrollment deadline. He explained before the match that as an illustrator, he had broken deadlines before. He is also no stranger to putting himself in embarrassing situations — he has previously drawn attention to himself by cosplaying in the skimpy outfit of Shimakaze from Kantai Collection and a white bodysuit that fans were free to autograph.

Meanwhile, in another part of Makuhari Messe, Shinzō Abe, Japan's prime minister, gave a speech. It was his second appearance at the convention. From atop a Liberal Democratic Party noise truck (vehicles that roam the streets of Japan broadcasting political messages), he thanked the audience for turning out in comparable numbers to last year's event and said he had "a duty to fulfill [their] expectations." He also promised to defend Japan's "beautiful sea, land and air," to the cheers of the flag-waving crowd. He then went on to play Abe Pyon Kiki Ippatsu, a variation on Pop-up Pirate in which players must insert the "key to economic recovery" into the correct slot in the barrel to make Abe go "boing" ("pyon") out of the top.

[Via Otaku.com, Niconico Chokaigi official site, Netlab and ASCII.jp]