History Wrestling / Taru

* DoesNotLikeShoes: In the special appearances he has donned a karate gi. Inverted in his time in the Buko Dojo, as while most members chose to wear just footguards, he preferred shoes.

As usual, you can find the basics at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshikazu_Taru The Other Wiki]].

Yoshikazu Taru (born August 23, 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Wrestling/{{Toryumon}} circuit, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by Wrestling/{{CIMA}}, Wrestling/{{SUWA}} and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, replaced his martial arts ways with eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fourth wrestler. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to leave Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror in midst of the Puroresu Love era by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction, where he was their leader for years. A scandal in which TARU personally beat his stablemate Nobukazu Hirai, which contributed to Hirai ending up in a coma, forced TARU out of professional wrestling (a detailed writeup of the incident can be read [[http://www.armpit-wrestling.com/nobukazu-hirai-vs-yoshikazu-taru/ here]]). TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

* BigBad: While he delegated most of the action to who happened to be TheHeavy of Voodoo Murders at that moment (usually Shuji Kondo or Suwama), TARU was the leader of the stable and the mastermind behind their misdeeds, so he can be considered the central villain of the AJPW Puroresu Love age.

Yoshikazu Taru (born August 23, 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Wrestling/{{Toryumon}} circuit, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, Wrestling/{{TARU}} and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, replaced his martial arts ways with eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fourth wrestler. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to leave Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror in midst of the Puroresu Love era by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction, where he was their leader for years. A scandal in which TARU personally beat his stablemate Nobukazu Hirai, which contributed to Hirai ending up in a coma, forced TARU out of professional wrestling (a detailed writeup of the incident can be read [[http://www.armpit-wrestling.com/nobukazu-hirai-vs-yoshikazu-taru/ here]]). TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Wrestling/{{Toryumon}} circuit, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, Wrestling/{{TARU}} and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, replaced his martial arts ways with eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fourth wrestler. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to leave Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror in midst of the Puroresu Love era by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction, where he was their leader for years. A scandal in which TARU personally beat his stablemate Nobukazu Hirai, which contributed to Hirai ending up in a coma, forced TARU out of professional wrestling (a detailed writeup of the incident can be read [[http://www.armpit-wrestling.com/nobukazu-hirai-vs-yoshikazu-taru/ here]]). TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

!!!"Tarupes":

** TARU and his Crazy MAX pals were the most evil punks in Toryumon Japan until Wrestling/MasaakiMochizuki formed the savage M2K unit and directly out-punked them into babyface status. It helped that Crazy MAX had been really popular despite (or because) their villainy.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Wrestling/{{Toryumon}} circuit, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, SUWA and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, replaced his martial arts ways with eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fourth wrestler. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to leave Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror in midst of the Puroresu Love era by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction, where he was their leader for years. A scandal in which TARU personally beat his stablemate Nobukazu Hirai, which contributed to Hirai ending up in a coma, forced TARU out of professional wrestling (a detailed writeup of the incident can be read [[http://www.armpit-wrestling.com/nobukazu-hirai-vs-yoshikazu-taru/ here]]). TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

* PetTheDog: Despite being an evil mastermind, he unambiguously liked to be part of Crazy MAX.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In a bit of out-of-character for him, he used to play this role in El Dorado.

* TheUnfavorite: To the bookers of Toryumon, apparently. Of the four core Crazy MAX guys, CIMA and SUWA were the ones who contended at the main event scene, and Fuji formed a trios team with them, but TARU mostly teamed with whatever newcomer [=C-Max=] was trying to add to the stable (most notably JUN) and subbed into the trios team when one of the other three was injured or wrestling elsewhere.

* AntiHero: TARU spent a chunk of his career as a babyface after Crazy MAX did a HeelFaceTurn, but he didn't really change his character or stop being a nasty dude. Same for his brief EvilVersusEvil moments in Voodoo Murders or when doing charity work for eathquake victims.

* TheFace: During his time in Crazy MAX, he served as their manager and mouthpiece. It helps that he is a ''very'' good speaker.

* KnightOfCerebus: Relatively speaking. AJPW was already in a heated feud with Wrestling/TAKAMichinoku's stable RO&D since 2003, but it was when TARU came in 2005 and replaced him as the promotion's main villain that things turned serious. Bonus points because Voodoo Murders's first member, Johnny Stamboli, had just left the faction Love Machines, an appropriately named team of funny antiheroes with colorful masks.

* AscendedFanboy: Was a fan of Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and his visual style sometimes reflects it. He got to team up with him in a Ring Soul event.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Wrestling/{{Toryumon}} circuit, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, SUWA and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, replaced his martial arts ways with eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fourth wrestler. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to leave Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror in midst of the Puroresu Love era by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction, where he was their leader for years. A scandal in which TARU personally beat his stablemate Nobukazu Hirai, which contributed to Hirai ending up in a coma, forced TARU out of professional wrestling - a detailed writeup of the incident can be read [[http://www.armpit-wrestling.com/nobukazu-hirai-vs-yoshikazu-taru/ here]]. TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

** TARU and his Crazy MAX pals were the worst punks in Toryumon Japan until Wrestling/MasaakiMochizuki formed the savage M2K unit and directly out-punked them into babyface status. It helped that Crazy MAX had been really popular despite (or because) their villainy.

* {{Heel}}: Actually has it printed on his shirt.
* IKnowKarate: He was a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} fighter and trainer before getting into pro wrestling.

* LightningBruiser: His moveset contains moonsaults and diving leg drops along with power moves and karate kicks.

* AntiHero: Taru spent a chunk of his career as a babyface after Crazy MAX did a HeelFaceTurn, but he didn't really change his character or stop being a nasty dude. Same for his brief EvilVersusEvil moments in Voodoo Murders or when doing charity work for eathquake victims.

* EvilVersusEvil: When TARU arrived to AJPW, Wrestling/TAKAMichinoku and his RO&D stable were the main antagonists, so it was natural for them to clash once Voodoo Murders caught momentum. As usual with this kind of angles, it made RO&D turn slightly babyface, though unlike most examples (for instance, when TARU's previous group Crazy MAX were in the receiving end of this against M2K), they didn't become necessarily heroic. Only TAKA himself turned face when RO&D was disbanded.

** Sometimes attacks ring crew ForTheEvulz.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Wrestling/{{Toryumon}} circuit, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, SUWA and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, changed his martial arts ways for eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fighter. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to leave Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction, where he was their leader for years. A scandal in which TARU personally beat his stablemate Nobukazu Hirai, which contributed to Hirai ending up in a coma, forced TARU out of professional wrestling - a detailed writeup of the incident can be read [[http://www.armpit-wrestling.com/nobukazu-hirai-vs-yoshikazu-taru/ here]]. TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

* ArchEnemy: Half of Japan's pro wrestlers are or have been at some point enemies of TARU and his factions, but as individual examples we could count Wrestling/MasaakiMochizuki (in Toryumon Japan), Wrestling/TAKAMichinoku (in his beginnings in AJPW), Wrestling/KeijiMutoh and Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki (during AJPW's gang wars) and Wrestling/ShinjiroOtani (in [=ZERO1=]). Parodied with Stalker Ichikawa.

* BatterUp: During his Crazy MAX days, he used to carry around a black baseball bat painted with the gang's "Flower of Evil" logo. After leaving Dragon Gate, he replaced it with a crude [[PipePain lead pipe]], perhaps symbolizing his bygone era.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Became a Crazy MAX member after they spared him from a wild attack on the participants of a match featuring Kitao Dojo trainees. He had already teamed up once with the gang in Mexico, so they probably clicked then.
* BigBad: He could be considered the main villain of AJPW's gang wars.

* TheChessmaster: His specialty. One of his greatest examples happened with TAKA Michinoku during a match between their respective factions, Voodoo Murders and RO&D, in which the loser would be officially disbanded. TAKA had accepted the stipulation believing he had the advantage against TARU, but in the climax of the bout TARU revealed he had bought the loyalty of TAKA's champions Wrestling/DLoBrown and Bull Buchanan a long time ago and that it had been all a ruse. After that, RO&D lost the match and the traitors were integrated into Voodoo Murders.

* EqualOpportunityEvil: Has no qualms about the people he recruits for Voodoo Murders, including gaijins and former enemies of his. His very first two henchmen in the stable, Shuji Kondo and YASSHI, were his sworn enemies in the Toryumon Japan gang wars.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In a bit out-of-character for him, he used to play this role in El Dorado.

* StartMyOwn: He founded the short-lived Ring Soul promotion, which actually was more of a El Dorado spin-off.
* StoutStrength: While not exactly fat, he is wide of waist, and whenever he wants, he lifts people up with ease.

* {{Yakuza}}: His character evokes clearly the stereotype: he wears fancy suits when not wrestling, sports tattoos, carries some of their classical mannerisms and poise, used to be referred as "aniki" (a yakuza term for a BigBrotherMentor) in Crazy MAX and "ojayi" (yakuza for TheDon) in Voodoo Murders, and prefers to lead other wrestlers in a mafia style as opposed to doing the dirty work himself. Also, although it isn't clear which style of karate he trained, some sources have it as Shidokan Karate, a school very popular among yakuzas in real life. There are, in fact, persistent rumors that he actually was yakuza at one point and isn't entirely retired from it.

* PintSizedPowerhouse: He uses moves usually associated to superheavyweight wrestlers, like the chokebomb and the over the shoulder piledriver, and by Japanese standards he is certainly a rather big man, but he is still just a regular heavyweight.

* {{Yakuza}}: His character evokes clearly the stereotype: he wears fancy suits when not wrestling, sports tattoos, carries some of their classical mannerisms and poise, used to be referred as "aniki" (a yakuza term for a BigBrotherMentor) in Crazy MAX and "ojayi" (yakuza for TheDon) in Voodoo Murders, and prefers to lead other wrestlers in a mafia style as opposed to doing the dirty work himself. Also, although it isn't clear which style of karate he trained, some sources have it as Shidokan Karate, a school very popular among yakuzas in real life.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Wrestling/{{Toryumon}} circuit, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, SUWA and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, changed his martial arts ways for eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fighter. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to leave Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction. He was their leader for years, until a scandal related to one of his underlings being beaten into a coma forced TARU out of professional wrestling. TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

* CastSpeciation: Deconstructed. The original Voodoo Murders included two superb speakers in TARU and Brother YASSHI, but the latter's MotorMouth tendences often annoyed the more aristocratic TARU, who had to tell him to cut his crap in order to end their promos.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Wrestling/{{Toryumon}} circuit, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, SUWA and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, changed his martial arts ways for eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fighter. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to left Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction. He was their leader for years, until a scandal related to one of his underlings being beaten into a coma forced TARU out of professional wrestling. TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Toryumon, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, SUWA and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps as bad boys do, changed his martial arts ways for eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fighter. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to left Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction. He was their leader for years, until a scandal related to one of his underlings being beaten into a coma forced TARU out of professional wrestling. TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

* AntiHero: Even when Crazy MAX turned babyface, TARU didn't really stop being nasty.

* BrilliantButLazy: He's a skilled shoot-style wrestler, but prefers to wrestle in a very slow, even lazy brawling style if he can get away with it. Since founding Voodoo Murders, he uses few wrestling moves aside from cheapshots and illegal attacks, and only reacts energetically whenever his opponent is outclassing him.
* CardCarryingVillain: Many villains in puroresu become so out of ambition and/or personal enmities. Not TARU: he's a heel because he is evil and loves it.

* TheUnfavorite: To the bookers of Toryumon, apparently. Of the four core Crazy MAX guys, CIMA and SUWA were the ones who contended for the UDG title, and Fuji formed a trios team with them, but TARU mostly teamed with whatever newcomer [=C-Max=] was trying to add to the stable (most notably JUN) and subbed into the trios team when one of the other three was injured or wrestling elsewhere.
* {{Yakuza}}: His character evokes clearly the stereotype: he wears fancy suits when not wrestling, sports tattoos, carries some of their classical mannerisms and poise, used to be referred as "aniki" (a yakuza term for a BigBrotherMentor) in Crazy MAX, and prefers to lead other wrestlers in a mafia style as opposed to doing the dirty work himself. Also, although it isn't clear which style of karate he trained, some sources have it as Shidokan Karate, a school very popular among yakuzas in real life.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} practitioner, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Toryumon, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, SUWA and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps, changed his martial arts ways for eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fighter. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to left Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction. He was their leader for years, until a scandal related to one of his underlings being beaten into a coma forced TARU out of professional wrestlering. TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

* BrilliantButLazy: He's a skilled shoot-style wrestler, but prefers to wrestle in a very slow, even lazy brawling style if he can get away with it. Since founding Voodoo Murders, he uses few wrestling moves aside from cheapshots and illegal attacks, and only reacts energetically when his opponent is outclassing him.

* CastSpeciation: The original Voodoo Murders included two superb speakers in TARU and Brother YASSHI, but the latter's MotorMouth tendences often annoyed the more aristocratic TARU, who had to tell him to cut his crap in order to ends their promos.
* TheChessmaster: His specialty. One of his greatest examples happened with TAKA Michinoku during a match between their respective factions, Voodoo Murders and RO&D, in which the loser would be officially disbanded. TAKA had accepted the stipulation believing he had the advantage against TARU, but in the climax of the bout TARU revealed he had bought the loyalty of TAKA's champions Wrestling/DLoBrown and Bull Buchanan a long time ago, and that it had been all a ruse. After that, RO&D lost the match and his traitors were integrated into Voodoo Murders.
* CoolMask: Used to wear a samurai ''menpo'' mask during his entrance. After founding the Voodoo Murders, he replaced it with more elaborate designs.

* EqualOpportunityEvil: Has no qualms about the people he recruits for Voodoo Murders, including gaijins and former enemies of his. His very first two henchmen in the stable, Shuji Kondo and YASSHI, were his sworn enemies in the Toryumon Japan gang wars before becoming his cronies.

* EvilIsPetty: He took a liking to attack random ring crewmen after founding Voodoo Murders.

** Got fired from Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling for real when he reportedly lost his temper on another wrestler named Nobukazu Hirai and beat him in backstage. Hirai subsequently suffered a severe stroke. He has recovered, however, and TARU has made amends with him.

* LimitedMoveArsenal: He had a much wider moveset back in Crazy MAX, but those days you can literally count on one hand the wrestling spots he does: TARU Driller, T-Crush, spinning heel kick, snapmare followed by a soccer kick to the back, and body kick followed by an axe kick to the head.

* PintSizedPowerhouse: He uses moves usually associated to superheavyweight wrestlers, like the chokebomb and the over the shoulder piledriver, and by Japanese standards he is certainly a rather big man, but he's still just a regular heavyweight.

* RedBaron: "Satsuriku Yojimbo" ("Slaughter Bodyguard").

* StoutStrength: While not exactly fat, he is well built, and whenever he wants, he lifts people up with ease.

* {{Yakuza}}: His character evokes clearly the stereotype: he wears fancy suits when not wrestling, sports tattoos, carries some of their classical mannerisms and poise, used to be referred as "aniki" (a yakuza term for a BigBrotherMentor) in Crazy MAX, and is dedicated to lead other wrestlers in a mafia style as opposed to doing the dirty work himself. Also, although it isn't clear which style of karate he trained, some sources have it as Shidokan Karate, a school very popular among yakuzas in real life.

'''Yoshikazu Taru''' (b. 1964) is a UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}ese {{Professional Wrestl|ing}}er, better known by his ring name '''TARU'''. Initially a UsefulNotes/{{Karate}} trainer, he decided to enter professional wrestling and joined Wrestling/KojiKitao's Buko Dojo, which had a soft spot for karatekas. He had his debut as part of Kitao's entourage in Wrestling/GenichiroTenryu's WAR promotion, but he ended up in Wrestling/UltimoDragon's Toryumon, where Japanese wrestling and Mexican lucha libre meet. Shortly after his arrival, he turned heel and joined the villainous gang Crazy MAX (composed by CIMA, SUWA and Don Fujii), which constituted a change of personality for him: he adopted his name to TARU in all caps, changed his martial arts ways for eccentric {{Yakuza}} manners, and became the faction's manager, mouthpiece and occasional baseball bat-wielding fighter. Through many years TARU was part of Crazy MAX's adventures in Toryumon Japan, completing them with some comedy work with Stalker Ichikawa, and eventually outlasted the promotion when it was replaced by Wrestling/DragonGate. However, backstage struggle behind this change led him and SUWA to left Dragon Gate. TARU moved then to Wrestling/AllJapanProWrestling, where he initiated a campaign of terror by founding the incredibly extense and long-lived Voodoo Murders faction. He was their leader for years, until a scandal related to one of his underlings being beaten into a coma forced TARU out of professional wrestlering. TARU finally resurfaced in a new incarnation of the group in Wrestling/ProWrestlingZERO1, where he wrestles now.

* AscendedFanboy: Was a fan of Hiroyoshi Tenzan, whose visual style sometimes reflects it, and got to team up with him in a Ring Soul event.

* BrilliantButLazy:
** Usually wrestles in a slow, even lazy brawling style, mostly based in cheapshots and illegal attacks. However, if the occasion requires it, he can be a skilled shoot-style and power wrestler.
** He said in an interview that the first time he went to Mexico, he spent more time partying with local females than training, which made Último Dragón scold him.

* TheCorrupter: He's skilled at taking babyface wrestlers and turning them into criminals. Kohei Suwama was the greatest example, although by no means the first nor the last. Even

* GroinAttack: One of Crazy MAX's trademark moves was for two of the other members to stand an opponent on his head and pull his legs apart into a Y, and then TARU would axe kick him in the groin.
* TheFace: During his time in Crazy MAX, he served as their manager and mouthpiece. It helps that he is ''very'' good speaking.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: A bit out-of-character for him, but nonetheless, in El Dorado.
* RedBaron: "Satsuriku Yojimbo" ("Slaughter Bodyguard", in his Crazy MAX manager days).

* {{Yakuza}}: His character evokes clearly the stereotype: he wears fancy suits when not wrestling, sports tattoos, carries some of their classical mannerisms and poise, and is dedicated to lead other wrestlers in a mafia style as opposed to doing the dirty work himself. Also, although it isn't clear which style of karate he trained, some sources have it as Shidokan Karate, a school very popular among yakuzas in real life.

* ArchEnemy: Half of Japan's pro wrestlers are or have been at some point enemies of TARU and his factions, but as individual examples we could count Wrestling/TAKAMichinoku (in his beginnings in AJPW), Wrestling/KeijiMutoh and Wrestling/MinoruSuzuki (during AJPW's gang wars) and Wrestling/ShinjiroOtani (in ZERO-1). Parodied with Stalker Ichikawa.

* CanonImmigrant: Comes from the Kitao Dojo.

* TheChessmaster: His specialty.

* TheCorrupter: He's skilled at taking babyface wrestlers and turning them into criminals. Kohei Suwama was the greatest example, although by no means the first nor the last.

* EvenEvilHasHisStandards: Although he plays a heel, his real life charity work for the victims of the 2011 Earthquake are a solid part of his character. It helps that the reason why TARU became a pro wrestler in the first place was surviving to another earthquake and realizing he had a dream to fulfill.

** He said in an interview that the first time he went to Mexico, he spent more time with local females than training, which made Último Dragón scold him.

* TheFace: During his time in Crazy MAX, he served as their manager and mouthpiece.

* RealMenWearPink: Despite his nasty character and personality, he is famously a fan of girly J-pop bands and female idols like Morning Musume, Q.T.Honey (not, not [[Anime/CutieHoney that one]]) and Misato Watanabe.

* AscendedFanboy: Was a fan of Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and his visual style sometimes reflects it.
* BatterUp: His reliable baseball bat, decorated with the Crazy MAX's "Flower of Evil" logo. After leaving Dragon Gate, he replaced it with a crude [[PipePain lead pipe]], perhaps symbolizing his bygone era or something.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Became a Crazy MAX member after they helped him in a match featuring Kitao Dojo trainees. He had already teamed up once with the gang in Mexico, so they probably clicked then.

* TheCasanova: According to interviews with other wrestlers from his time in México, he was often more interested in picking up girls than in training.

* IKnowKarate: Trained in Shidokan UsefulNotes/{{Karate}}

* TheUnfavorite: To the bookers of Toryumon, apparently. Of the four core Crazy MAX guys, CIMA and SUWA were the ones who contended for the UDG title, and Fuji formed a trios team with them, but TARU mostly teamed with whatever newcomer [=C-Max=] was trying to add to the stable (most notably JUN) and subbed into the trios team when one of the other three was injured or wrestling elsewhere.