Kazushi Sakuraba
Sylvester Stallone, whose role as John Rambo had an influence on the game, owned an "Ikari Warriors" arcade cabinet in the 1980s. The future mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Kazushi Sakuraba (later famous for defeating the Gracie family of Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighters) was also a fan of "Ikari" in his high school years.