Hariyama (Pokémon): Difference between revisions

Hariyama seems to be based on a {{wp|rikishi|sumo wrestler}}, also known as a ''rikishi'' or ''sumōtori''. Its bald head and long hair resemble a {{wp|chonmage}} (a traditional hairstyle for sumo wrestlers) before it's tied into a topknot. Its two-toed feet resemble {{wp|geta (footwear)|geta}} or {{wp|zōri}} (Japaense wooden sandals). The square flaps surrounding its midsection resemble ''sagari'' (stiff strings) that hang off a wrestler's {{wp|mawashi}} (cloth belt). Its large hands, {{pkmn|category}}, and ability to learn {{m|Arm Thrust}} may be a reference to ''harite'' (an open-hand strike), and its habit of stomping the ground in battle may be a reference to ''shiko'' (an exercise/ritual used to drive away spirits).

Its ability to learn {{m|Brine}} and [[signature move]] {{m|Smelling Salts}} may be a reference to the ritual of throwing salt before a match to purify the {{wp|dohyō}} (wrestling ring), and ability to learn {{m|Whirlwind}} could be a reference to the god of thunder, {{wp|Takemikazuchi}}, who is believed to have fought in the first recorded sumo wrestle. Many behaviours of Hariyama - attempting to derail trains with its punches, challenging larger Pokémon, and elderly Hariyama training younger Makuhita - is comparable to {{wp|the Great Gama}}, a wrestler famed worldwide for his Herculean strength and 50-year win streak, who fought people much larger and older than himself from a young age, and, after retiring, threatened to stop a moving train with his bare hands in protest for free travel fees for impoverished people, and went on to train his nephew during his retirement years.