The sumo-wrestling world of Sanctuary is filled with different sumo-wrestling personalities, yet only some of them are able to capture the eyes of everyone.
To make sure that Sanctuary is entertaining when it is introducing viewers to the sumo-wrestling world, the show has sumo-wrestling personalities that are quite distinct from one another.
The ideologies, traits, and goals of these characters vary, and hence, even the viewers may find themselves divided when it comes to who their favorite is.
It’s more or less like a television show’s characters only, but, at the same time, one cannot ignore that each sport has players whose personalities often draw viewers to them.
Sanctuary also creates such personalities in its fictional world, and four of them stand out the most: Ryuki-zeki, Enya, Enno, and Shizuuchi.
Ryuki-zeki
Ryuki-zeki can be described as the nation’s hero. As a sumo wrestler, Ryuki-zeki has all those traits that a personality that leads a sport must have. He is hardworking, popular, and comes from a family of sumo wrestlers, as his father, Ryukoku, himself is a yokozuna.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Ryuki-zeki is promoted to Ozeki in Sanctuary, and he is one step closer to becoming a yokozuna. The whole world looks forward to him achieving this feat.
In the eyes of the public, he is the modern-day wrestler who is just as good at speaking as he is inside dohyo. The way interviewers surround him and ask about his future clearly suggests that the world wants him to carry the legacy of sumo wrestling.
Apart from that, he is also quite modern. He addresses the problems the sport is facing, considering sumo wrestling’s highly strict traditions that have been followed for 1500 years.
Ryuki-zeki might be a hero in everyone’s eyes, but not in his father’s. He looks forward to becoming like him, only to get dismissed by Ryukoku, who shuts his son down when he says the sumo world needs to change.
Sanctuary doesn’t clarify whether it’s Ryukoku’s jealousy or something else. One thing is for sure: unlike Ryuki-zeki, his father sticks to his traditional beliefs and is quite harsh towards Ryuki-zeki, who also suffers from health problems in the show.
Enya
Enya falls into the category of the underdogs who come close to touching the gold only to fall back because of some bad luck or one tiny mistake.
In Sanctuary, Enya is always seen as a well-respected and excellent sumo wrestler. Nobody hates him, and everyone just wants to see him win once in his life, as he brings the whole package required to be a sumo wrestler.
In the show, it is mentioned that Enya easily made it to Komusubi and nearly made it to Sekiwake. Enya’s injury forced him to miss tournaments, and he eventually fell down the ranks.
Enya attempts to climb the ladder again during the May Tournament, and his injury not only pushes him down again but also forces him to retire from the sport.
Towards the end, though Enya doesn’t achieve the rank of Yokozuna, he does become a wrestler the world will remember for years. He doesn’t need the rank of Yokozuna to be counted as someone among the greats.
Enno
Enno is the oddball who never should have really become a sumo wrestler in the first place. He enters the sumo wrestling world, aiming to only earn money, unlike many hard-working wrestlers who give their hearts to achieve the feat of Yokozuna.
What makes Enno likable in the show is that he looks past the traditions of sumo wrestling and has the courage to stand up to the greats. He is the rule-breaking punk, and everyone enjoys the antics of such people once in a while, and they do end up supporting them.
Furthermore, the unorthodox style and cheap tricks Enno first implements in matches give the viewers something different to look forward to. As time goes by, Enno learns the ropes of the sport and unlocks the strength Ensho first saw in him.
He changes his fate, and his whole story promises something out of the ordinary. Someone like Enno, who started off as a cocky brat and is a person the sumo wrestling industry will never accept, could be Yokozuna someday just because the rest of the world would root for him now after watching his struggles.
Shizuuchi
Shizuuchi seems like a silent monster that doesn’t care about the glory that the sumo wrestling competition brings. In fact, there is a lot about him that viewers don’t know yet. He does long for his family; he lost them at a very young age, and it seems like he wrestles just to navigate his life.
The fans might fear Shizuuchi as a person, but they are bound to root for that monster when he wreaks havoc in the dohyo, and that’s what makes him different. He isn’t your regular sumo wrestler. When he wrestles, he aims to destroy.
With that, the fans in the universe of Sanctuary who root for Shizuuchi may or may not care what his story is. They will just enjoy watching him use his adept skills to dismantle his opponent.
Also Read: Sanctuary summary and ending explained