Portraits of Sukeban's Female Fighters
Japanese pro wrestlers before and after the ring
Sukeban is a Japanese female wrestling league that recreates (in dramatized fashion) the street conflicts of all-girl ‘Sukeban’ criminal collectives in 70s Japan. These ‘delinquent girls’ gangs were defined by their loud taste and penchant for shoplifting, and had strict hierarchies (complete corporeal punishment systems for those who failed to adhere to them), plentiful stimulants, and a violent edge.
Officially, nothing illegal happens at Sukeban events, which are hosted across the world, and often staged during cultural happenings like Art Basel and Anime Expo. Their roster of fighters are broken up into competing ‘gangs’ with distinct names and aesthetic codes, which loosely reflect styles of the era 70s groups they reference.
Sukeban might be the most creative directed pro wrestling league in existence. It was only founded in 2023, and its entire approach if internet native. Make-up, outfits, and the rappers and DJs that make frequent forays into the ring all reflect an overarching creative strategy.
At its heart is the palpable desire to bring the enchanting simplicity of anime into real life. On the promotion’s homepage, each gang has anime-style reproductions over their photographs.
But the fighters are humans, confined to our fallen and imperfect physical world. Their outfits tear, and their makeup smears. These portraits reveal just how.
Portraits by Ramona Jingru Wang
How cool is this. The before-and-after-the-ring framing makes the portraits hit differently.
Scary!