Sinister animal theme and House of Torture

Might be a weird comparison, but you can really make the argument that every member of HOT has their own realistic and animalistic counterpart:

***1. Yujiro Takahashi – Common Lizard***

Reptiles are old, very old. Yujiro might be a little younger, but the point is that they’ve been around since the age of the dinosaurs. Back then, a small little lizard might have been special in a sense that it’s surviving in a planet dominated by literal giants, but that poor creature was never going to prosper. That’s basically the story of Yujiro’s career – No Limit, CHAOS, Bullet Club or HOT, he has always been the most basic member. Moreover, the common lizard is the most widespread reptile on Earth anyway, which is in correlation with the fact that every wrestling stable, nay, every friend group has their own Yujiro – basic ass bitch.

***2. Dick Togo – Chameleon***

Being a chameleon is Dick’s character anyway – commentary always points out how he’s survived and thrived in the wrestling business for decades, by always maneuvering around and adopting new strategies. The art of deception is a chameleon’s way of survival, and that’s exactly what Dick’s done his entire career. Furthermore, Dick influencing EVIL to turn heel from the shadows is the epitome of such behavior, and even his actual debut with the company mimics this – Dick took off a BUSHI mask to finally reveal his true identity.

***3. Yoshinobu Kanemaru – Turtle***

Much like Yujiro and Dick, Uncle Nobu is an aged heel (coincides with him being a turtle, as turtles are far more sneaky and twisted than people give them credit for) that is still kicking at a decent level despite his age. Much like a turtle, Nobu is adaptable – water, land, sand (Junior matches, Six Mans, Tags), both of these creatures have done it all. Yoshinobu is cold-blooded, kind of lazy, opportunistic, and minimalistic in a sense that his own brand of specialized water (whiskey) gives him serenity. Turtles are often met with question marks from people when they find out they’re reptiles, which works perfectly for Nobu being in HOT, since going through a goth phase at 40+ years old is not a every-day occurrence.

***4. SHO – Snake***

The long-awaited R3K split saw SHO adapt a heavy snake-related theme in his clothing, gear, and even logo, which worked well with his new Goro Majima-esque lunatic persona. However, even in terms of appearance and personality, SHO fits magnificently. As the smallest member of the group, he is sinuous, dexterous, vindictive, cunning, and often head-scratching in his methods (like miscellaneously cheating and biting lower body parts eh?). Snakes are known to be colorful creatures (how many hair colors has this man had), that prefer smaller prey (Junior Heavyweights perhaps?), on top of having some strange physiological characteristics. Snakes don’t have lips, so SHO’s signature “mouth-covering” shocked face pose works flawlessly with that fact.

***5. Ren Narita – Alligator***

Nevermind the fact that Narita’s mouthguard resembles gator teeth, the young personifies this devilish creature in several ways. Alligators, much like common lizards, have been around since powerful dinosaurs, so it’s only natural that ‘gators are their successors, modern counterparts that share some of their characteristics. We can tie this with the point of Narita being the spiritual successor of some of New Japan’s most evil and devious wrestlers, like Masahiro Chono, Minoru Suzuki and EVIL himself, with the final two even formally mentoring Narita. Alligators are incredibly fast water creatures, and slow yet very agile on land, which correlates with Ren’s wrestling style of being a mix of a rapid-fire technician, and a slow, methodical brawler. Finally, alligators are arguably the most intelligent reptile predator, that love to poach unsuspecting prey by using their tails to push themselves up, jump, and snatch you forever. Similarly, Ren’s likely doing the same thing to the House itself very, very soon…

***6. EVIL – Scorpion***

And then there was EVIL. While not a reptile, that fact actually works well in relation with EVIL, and not just because both of them are nocturnal creatures. He’s the only one in HOT that’s never really changed, he’s always been into the dark stuff, while all the others are just brainwashed cult followers. Like a scorpion, EVIL has used his poison to influence others, and create a small army of mini versions of him. EVIL is the largest, the most aggressive, and the most dangerous member, due to his experience and unnerving charisma, which is why The House is his… for now.

by DawnOfLegion1