Rikidozan is the father of puroresu. He established the puroresu as a popular professional sport in Japan less than a decade after Japan lost the World War II. Continuously defeating Americans with his famous karate chop, he was a hero for the Japanese people who were still depressed from the war. Many of his students became big stars in the sport, including Shohei "Giant" Baba and Antonio Inoki, who are two of the greatest wrestlers in the history of puroresu, and Kintaro Ohki (Kim Il), who was also a superstar in his home country South Korea.