Robot Pro Wrestling at Dekinnoka 16

The 16th robot “pro wrestling” event known as Dekinnoka took place in Soka City, Japan on Sunday.  This is an event that, just like real pro wrestling, puts more importance on entertaining the crown than on determining the best fighter.  As you may expect from Japanese robot hobbyists, the attention to detail is impressive, right down to the theme music that plays as each contestant marches down the gangway into the ring.  A dutiful referee robot starts and stops each match, and counts off how long any robot stays down.

Match 5 is particularly entertaining, in which “Wandahoo” takes a beating from a robot named GUT that’s not only twice its size, but also wielding a large sword.  But in the end, Wandahoo breathes smoke and “causes” GUT to collapse, defeated.

Not all the excitement is scripted, however.  The final match between reigning champion Saaga and challenger Hauzer showcases two very fast, agile robots going toe-to-toe for two rounds, and it doesn’t look to me like either of them is pulling its punches.  Check out the great take-downs at 6:15 and 6:40 on this video.  (And if you just can’t get enough, there’s another one at 8 minutes.)

Check out the full report, with more videos, at Biped Robot News Japan, or see our previous posts about Dekinnoka.