Taro Sakamoto Workout: Train like The World’s Best Assassin!

Last updated on November 8th, 2022 at 06:51 am

The next assassin joining our Anime Workouts Database is none other than Mr. Sakamoto.

Not only an assassin, the former BEST assassin in the world from the manga (and eventually anime) Sakamoto Days.

Sakamoto Days and Kaiju No. 8 are two of the newer manga that I’m reading and LOVE, both with different dynamics, but I knew I needed to get Mr. Sakamoto, AKA Taro Sakamoto on SHJ as soon as possible.

And, sure enough, I decided to do it on a week that I also brought in Kafka Hibino as our first character from Kaiju No. 8 as well.

But, this one will be a ton of fun being that we’ll be working around assassin qualities, but also insane amounts of strength and speed, as we’ll discuss more about below.

Taro Sakamoto Stats:

Real Name: Taro Sakamoto

Height: 6’0

Weight: 308 lbs.

Manga/Anime: Sakamoto Days

Powers: Yes

Mr. Sakamoto is fairly tall compared to male anime characters we’ve seen at SHJ, although our range has been slowly growing.

That said, he also weighs a TON because he has a ton of mass hidden by that chubbiness, but it’s also Yuto Suzuki’s way of having a bit of fun with him being heavier set.

Wolverine was the shortest spot among comic characters we’ve seen at 5’3, prior to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coming in at 5’2, (and Gimli even shorter) – but Damian Wayne (Robin) is only 5’4.  Goku isn’t that tall either, though, standing only 5’7, with Miles Morales only an inch above him.

One Punch Man falls in at 5’9 right there with Ryu, Nightwing at 5’10, and then Spider-Man, Daredevil, and Green Arrow coming in around 5’11 and Beast joining them.

We’ve had Superman and Eddie Brock’s Venom at 6’3, and Captain America, Scorpion and Batman at 6’2, and Carnage at 6’1. Thor and Cyborg are towering over them at 6’6, Thanos and King right there with them at 6’7, Bane at 6’8, and Deathstroke right below at 6’5, and Black Manta at 6’4.

Ronan and Sagat are 7’5, and Doomsday came in at 8’10, and I doubt any characters are touching that anytime soon.

But, don’t worry if you’re not the same height or weight range.

We write these routines to be utilized by anyone and everyone.

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Taro Sakamoto Diet and Nutrition

**Keep in mind: this section will be nearly identical for each hero.**

Every hero needs to still have a good diet.

Unfortunately we can train like them, but I don’t think any of us are suddenly getting their powers, or the ability to magically stop caring about nutrition.

You can’t out train your diet, so I want to still give some pillars for nutrition.

You can start by checking out The Nutrition Pillars on the site, but I’ll break down some more information for you guys as well.

Guys like Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart incorporate 80/20 dieting with big weekly cheat meals, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hopper, Benedict Cumberbatch and Terry Crews utilize intermittent fasting (something I use daily as well), Ariana Grande, Mustafa Shakir and Madelaine Petsch are vegans, Brandon Routh and Frank Grillo opt for paleo, and tons of others utilize their own variations as well.

It’s all about sustainability.

AND, there are a thousand different ways to reach your goals, so finding the most sustainable way is what’s important.

Which is why our Academy utilizes multiple different Nutrition Classes (Greek Gods, Vikings, Spartans, Hunter Gatherers, Monks, Samurais, Minimalists, SuperHumans) to allow people to choose what is right for YOU!

Curious where over a hundred celebs fall in their dietary choices ranging from High Protein and Keto to Vegetarian, Vegan and Intermittent Fasting? Want exclusive celeb meal plans? Check this out.

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Taro Sakamoto Routine Research

We’ve made it to “the fun part”.

And, if you don’t know by now, I say that every single time we get to the workout routine research section for character workouts.

In order to learn more about Taro Sakamoto I’ll be pulling right from his Wiki Fandom, which leads us off with this:

Taro Sakamoto is one of the main protagonists of the series. Formerly the best assassin in the world, he now runs a convenience store with his wife and child.

Not much to go on, but I promise we’re going to have more fun with it.

Being that it’s relevant I’ll also be sharing about his appearance as well, bring that he used to be much leaner and muscular (as shown above).

Here’s how they break that down:

Sakamoto is a fat man with combed-back gray hair tied into a ponytail. Sakamoto has a small broom mustache. He typically wears an apron over a T-shirt and long pants. Sakamoto prefers to wear slippers, even when outside. His eyes are usually hidden by the glare of his round glasses. In the past, Sakamoto was much leaner with no mustache. His facial features were more defined and his eyes were visible through his glasses. Through unknown means, Sakamoto can revert to this form for a power boost. Shin notes his transformed appearance makes him look handsome.

When we start learning more about his abilities we can start with his overall abilities, which they start with here:

Overall Capabilities: As the legendary hitman, Sakamoto was renowned throughout the underworld for his ability to kill his targets and is known for his expertise in both hand-to-hand combat and mastery of different weapons. Even in his chubby form, Sakamoto is a force to be reckoned with. Granny Miya notes that present Sakamoto only has 30% of his physical abilities compared to his prime. Even present-day Sakamoto was able to contend with Kanaguri, an active Order member and thus one of the JAA’s strongest assassins.

From there they go on to discuss his enhanced strength, marksmanship, durability, speed, reflexes, stamina and even his skinny/prime form, genius level intellect, and master mixed martial arts.

Since there is so much to discuss I’m going to be picking and choosing what we’ll bring more depth for (specifically the things we’ll use for a workout).

Here’s some of the information we’ll need for this one:

Enhanced Strength: Sakamoto boasts incredible physical might, being capable of easily decapitating people and kicking Shin across his store through multiple shelves. Sakamoto stabilized the collapsing upper section of the Tokyo Tower by pulling it with a steel cable, stopping a speeding bus with a street sign, holding a person aloft with one hand and destroyed Son-Hee’s chakram with just a frying pan. During the Okutabi Lab Arc, Sakamoto severed multiple ropes restraining him using a coupon sheet and destroyed a mechanized dinosaur skeleton in hand-to-hand combat. Sakamoto is strong enough to throw his wife over the pillars of a suspension bridge.

Sakamoto’s strength makes him highly effective at using improvised weapons such as throwing a person around using the suction of a vacuum cleaner and firing cough drops fast enough to shatter storefront glass or making short work of assassins using cookware.

Enhanced Speed & Reflexes: Sakamoto moves so fast most opponents cannot see or react to him. He was able to dodge Son-Hee and Bacho’s “Tofu Scramble Attack” and hit the latter before he could react, dismantle and slice apart multiple opponents’ guns in the blink of an eye before incapacitating them, and being able to catch up with a speeding bus on foot. He was fast enough to swat aside sniper rounds fired by Heisuke, though this mildly injured him. During his battle with Kashima on a moving train, Sakamoto was thrown into a train going the opposite direction, which he ran through the entire length of before bursting out and landing back in Kashima’s train.

During a failed cruise date, Sakamoto threw Aoi into the air and defeated every assassin on the cruise ship before she landed back in his arms. Sakamoto has ran on the side of walls, scooped boiling water out of the air with an instant ramen cup and spun clothing hangers fast enough to deflect bullets. Sakamoto blocked a bullet fired at his head from less than an inch away using a fork and dodged close range machine gun fire from a turret. During a game of Old Maid, Sakamoto was fast enough to swipe a card from someone’s hand and put it back without the person noticing.

Enhanced Stamina: Throughout the entire series, Sakamoto has shown no exhaustion in any fight.

Skinny/Prime Form: Although it’s unknown how he does it, Sakamoto can assume a form similar to what he had when he was still in shape, gaining a massive boost to all of his physical abilities as demonstrated when he completely overwhelmed Boiled, an extremely capable hitman who’d previously been giving him quite a bit of trouble. Granny Miya is somehow able to prevent Sakamoto from using this form after her treatments.

And while his master mixed martial artist and assassin background is extremely relevant, we’ll stop there being that the breakdowns above give us far enough information to work with.

But we leave with the goals for our Sakamoto Inspired Workout being:

• Sakamoto’s Enhanced Strength, Speed and Stamina
• Sakamoto’s Assassin Mobility
• Sakamoto’s Skinny Form Aesthetic

Being that we’re working with an extremely strong and overall powerful character; the world’s best assassin…we’re going to be building this one out around an intermediate to advanced level.

If you’re not ready to jump into this level of training you can always also start with our Beginner Ninja Workout and/or our Beginner Behemoth Workout.

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Taro Sakamoto Workout Routine

Training Volume:

4-6 days per week

Explanation:

For this one we’re working with a hybrid training system so we’ll be training with our big four lifts but also incorporating core and calisthenics work to really get the shredded aesthetic and body control we see from Mr. Sakamoto (especially in his Skinny Form). This will help us build his enhanced strength while also keeping that assassin-feel to the programming. I’ll also give you optional core work and endurance each day that you can add-on however you’d like, as well as a World’s Best Assassin Circuit Test to complete weekly, biweekly or monthly.

Want To Upgrade This Workout?

The Superhero Academy now comes with an Upgrade Your Workout Tool that allows Academy members to turn any SHJ workout into a 4-8 week fully planned regime detailing exact weights to lift and including reverse & traditional pyramid training, straight sets, super sets, progressive overload and more.

Taro Sakamoto Workout: Sample Schedule

Monday: Assassin Hybrid Chest and Triceps

Tuesday: Assassin Hybrid Legs, Calves and Core

Wednesday: World’s Best Assassin Circuit Test

Thursday: Assassin Hybrid Shoulders, Traps and Core

Friday: Assassin Hybrid Back and Biceps

Saturday: Active Rest Day or Bonus Parkour/MMA/Endurance Work

Sunday: Rest Day

Taro Sakamoto Workout: Assassin Hybrid Chest and Triceps

Warm Up: 

Jump Rope Skips

3×50-100

Compound Lift:

Incline Dumbbell Press

5×15, 12, 10, 8, 5

Accessory Work: 

Cable Tricep Pushdowns with Rope

3×15

Hammer Strength Press

3×12, 10, 8

Dips

4×10

Chest Flys

3×12

Close to Wide Push Ups

3×30

Optional Assassin Core:

Hollow Hold

3×30 seconds

Sit Ups

3×20-30

Lying Leg Raises

3×20-30

Optional Endurance Work:

20-30 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Taro Sakamoto Workout: Assassin Hybrid Legs, Calves and Core

Warm Up: 

Jump Rope Skips

3×50-100

Compound Lift:

Back Squat

5×15, 12, 10, 8, 5

Accessory Work: 

Seated Calf Raises

3×15

Leg Press

3×12, 10, 8

Double Unders

4×15-20

Hanging Leg Raises

3×12-15

Double Unders

3×20-30

Optional Assassin Core:

L-Sit Hold

3×30 seconds

Cable Crunches

3×20-30

Russian Twists

3×20-30

Optional Endurance Work:

20-30 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Taro Sakamoto Workout Routine: World’s Best Assassin Circuit Test

In a perfect world our Academy members or 90 Day System members will use this day to work in our Benchmark Workouts to continue testing and improving scores and tracking them against other members; especially our SHJ Core Benchmarks (although our Hero Benchmarks are just as awesome).

If you are not an Academy member or you don’t have access to a 90 Day System, you can also sub in different circuits here from some of the HIIT resources I provide.

(Another note: You should continue coming back and re-trying to workout every so often to see how much you can improve your score!)

World’s Best Assassin Circuit Test: Complete 3 Rounds for Time

800M Run

20 Kettlebell Swings

15 Push Ups

10 Sit Ups

5 Wall Climbs

Taro Sakamoto Workout: Assassin Hybrid Shoulders, Traps and Core

Warm Up: 

Jump Rope Skips

3×50-100

Compound Lift:

Overhead Press

5×15, 12, 10, 8, 5

Accessory Work: 

Barbell Shrugs

3×15

Standing Shoulder DB Front Raises

3×12, 10, 8

Handstand Push Ups

4×6-10

Lateral Raises (Light)

3×20-30

Kettlebell Swings

3×20-30

Optional Assassin Core:

Superman Hold

3×30 seconds

Sit Ups with Twist

3×20-30

Hanging Knee Raises with Twist

3×20-30

Optional Endurance Work:

20-30 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Taro Sakamoto Workout: Assassin Hybrid Back and Biceps

Warm Up: 

Jump Rope Skips

3×50-100

Compound Lift:

Deadlift

5×15, 12, 10, 8, 5

Accessory Work: 

Alternating Bicep Curls

3×10 each arm

Wide Grip Pulldowns

3×12, 10, 8

Chin Ups

4×15-20

High Cable Curls

3×12-15

Cable Rows

3×15-20

Optional Assassin Core:

Plank Hold

3×60 seconds

Bicycle Crunches

3×30-50

Hanging Leg Raises

3×20-30

Optional Endurance Work:

20-30 Minutes of Varied Cardio

Taro Sakamoto Workout: Optional Endurance Work

For your endurance, HIIT or MMA/Parkour days you have quite a few options.
You can utilize enforced endurance training that I will program for you based on your fitness level like we do with other workouts here at SHJ…OR you can do 45-60+ minutes of varied cardio (bike, treadmill, elliptical, stairs, row, swim, etc.)…OR you can even use the HIIT resources I’ll provide.

I’ll break it down in that order:

Option One – Run Based on Overall Fitness Level:

Beginner: 1-3 Miles

Intermediate: 3-5 Miles

Advanced: 5+ Miles

Endurance Work Resources:

• Constance Wu Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Ewan McGregor Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Kid Flash Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Grant Gustin Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• How To Continue Training After Your First 5K (Workout Included)

Option Two – Varied Cardio for 45-60 Minutes:

Split your cardio up however you’d like but complete 45-60+ minutes using:

• Treadmill Walk/Run
• Rower Machine
• StairMaster
• Elliptical
• Swim
• Bike

Option Three – Complete HIIT Training Using SHJ Resources:

• The Best HIIT Workouts
• Jump Rope Workout Database
• Academy Members: Insert a Benchmark Hero Workout (Circuit) or SHJ Core Circuit Test

Taro Sakamoto Workout: Optional Additional Training Resources

Parkour Training Resources:

• The Nightrunner Parkour Workout Routine
• The Assassin’s Creed Parkour Workout Routine
• The Robbie Amell Parkour Workout Routine

Main MMA Training Resources

• Anna Diop Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Ryan Potter Workout Routine and Diet Plan
• Frank Grillo Boxing Workout

Other MMA Training Resources:

• Deathstroke Workout Routine
• Daredevil Workout Routine
• Moon Knight Workout Routine
• Sagat Workout Routine

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