Aah! Harimanada is a Seinen 1992 anime and 1991 manga series that follows the story of the eponymous Harimanada, a somewhat inexplicably rebellious sumo wrestler recently made Yokozuna, who seems to bear a grudge against the sumo association and its hierarchy. The series kicks off by the new Yokuzuna making his entrance in the most disrespectful way possible, entering the ring with smoke and lights that wouldn't be out of place in professional wrestling, wearing a demon mask, "Harimanada's fan club" written across his waist, and most chiefly, declaring he will break the legendary Futabayama's 69 consecutive win streak, and that if he lost even once, no matter how sly the means, he would retire that very day. This invokes the wrath of the sumo association, all high ranking wrestlers, and even the vast majority of sumo's fans, uniting them against him in a desire to see him make good on his promise to retire and knock the arrogant Harimanada down a peg.
The story follows this controversial yokozuna acting out in a manner similar to a wrestling heel, as he faces opponent after opponent, each with their own motivations to win against him, though often it's to protect the traditions of sumo.
Aah! Harimanada provides examples of the following tropes:
- Acrofatic: Being a series about sumo wrestlers, there are many examples of this. Many opponents boast speed as their strongest trait, the heavy-set Shidenkai boasting his ability to effortlessly backflip, and some matches in the anime end within seconds! It's noted at one point that before becoming Ozeki, Harimanada used to struggle greatly against Shidenkai's impressive speed.
- Cool Mask: Harimanada loves his masks, and it seems to be his #1 way to ruffle the feathers of the sumo community. He particularly enjoys wearing them during his entrance processions, goading on much jeers from the crowd and announcer alike. He often uses them to make a statement or boast and wears increasingly ridiculous masks as he goes, even working in pyrotechnics! He eases up on the fireworks after one of his masks almost sets his hair on fire.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Despite Harimanada's abrasiveness, he risks missing a tournament to visit his mother (whom his antics are causing a great deal of stress to) when he hears she has fallen ill. Upon visiting, he performs a Shiko, a traditional sumo stomp said to dispel demons that can cause sickness. While he continues to rebel against sumo afterwards, he clearly does not enjoy the stress it brings his dear mother.
- Invincible Hero: Due to Harimanada's oath that he'll retire if he loses even once, most fights in the series are something of a foregone conclusion, as the story would end if he lost. Whether the protagonist qualifies as a "Hero" is a bit more up in the air.
- Ironic Echo: Shidenkai boasts in a public interview that not only will he defeat Harimanada, but after he does, he will perform his trademark backflip! When Harimanada wins, he does so by yelling "This is the Ozeki Shidenkai's backflip!" Then throws Shidenkai into the air, forcing him into a backflip, and shoves him out of the ring mid-air.
- Never Gets Drunk: Many of the wrestlers in the series have a strong tolerance, as sumo wrestlers in real life often pair meals with alcohol to pack on extra weight. Harimanada, in particular, consumes an absolutely preposterous amount of sake throughout the series, usually to everyone else's shock, without showing much in the way of inebriation. Most notably, he at one point is observed to drink "at least a To" (about 18 liters) of sake in one sitting, and after only a brief nap, wakes up in the middle of the night looking to spar with all of his stable brothers.
- Sociopathic Hero: Harimanada is... not pleasant to his opponents, to say the least. How much, if any of it, is an act, is never quite made clear. He does have several Pet the Dog moments, mostly with child fans, but it's hard to justify some of the things he says and does at times.
- The Bully: Hokudozan to his junior disciples, but especially to Genkai, whom he physically abuses. Hokudozan even hits him for cutting lettuce with a knife when he was ordered to chop it by hand, when he (allegedly) meant using his literal hands. Harimanada can also border on this trope at his worst, though he is shown to be better to his junior disciples than Hokudozan at the least.
