TAK
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human (Asian);
citizen of Japan
Occupation: Criminal; former sumo wrestler
Group Membership: Celestial Order of the Si-Fan
Affiliations: Fu Manchu (Zheng Zu), Haetae, Jinzha, Muzha
Enemies: Cat (Shen Kuei), Darkstrider, Ghost Maker (Grigori Sovchenko), Lady Iron Fan, Razor Fist (Douglas Scott), Red Cannon (Zheng Shi-Hua), Shang-Chi, Sir Dennis Nayland Smith, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Leiko Wu (possessed by Wyrmspawn), Zaran the Weapons Master
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: Yokozuna Tak
Base of Operations: His home in Tokyo, Japan;
formerly Fu Manchu's fortress in Hunan, China
First Appearance: Special Marvel Edition#15 (December, 1973)
Powers/Abilities: Tak was an expert sumo wrestler, who made it to the top of his sport. He possessed peak human strength and could crush people's limbs with his mere weight if needed. He was surprisingly agile for a man his size and could take a beating even from an expert martial artist without taking much damage and would be back on his feet within seconds even if he was knocked or tossed to the ground.
Height: Unrevealed (6'6"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (500 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Brown (presumably)
Hair: Black
History:
(Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings#4 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Tak gained the title of Yokozuna.
(Special Marvel Edition#15 (fb) - BTS) - <1959> Fu Manchu had Tak crush Sir Dennis Nayland Smith's legs in retribution for Smith and his allies messing with his organization.
(Special Marvel Edition#15) - Shang-Chi invaded Fu Manchu's fortress and encountered Tak and three other warriors. He quickly took down the three unidentified warriors, but Tak was not so easy to take down and vowed that Shang-Chi would never reach his father Fu Manchu. Shang-Chi already knew about Tak through Sir Smith's story and after a lengthy and brutal battle tossed Tak by his hair through a door so that he could continue on his way to his father.
(Master of Kung Fu I#17) - Tak asked Fu Manchu for another shot to battle Fu's son Shang-Chi, but Fu denied him the chance because Shang-Chi was a Living Weapon and Tak just a wrestler.
(Giant Size-Spider-Man I#2) - Tak listened to Fu Manchu celebrating that his plan to get Spider-Man to go after Shang-Chi had worked.
Tak guarded the stairwell to the top of the Empire State Building where Fu Manchu oversaw the construction of a new television aeiral by his name that would transmit the television signal with special subliminal mind control radiation to subjugate the Eastern United States. Tak was ready to fight Shang-Chi again, but Spider-Man was now allied with Shang-Chi and told Shang to move past Tak while he fought the sumo wrestler. Spider-Man eventually knocked out Tak, webbed up his arms and legs and hung him up at his ponytail.
(Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings#4) - Tak was having a meal in his Tokyo home when he was summoned to the Meritorious Striving Pagoda in Ta Lo by Haetae serving Jinzha and Muzha to be part of a contest to win the Game of Rings get his hands on all Ten Rings of the Jade Emperor. He received one ring at the start and the goal was to collect all ten rings during the contest against nine other competitors: Darkstrider, Ghost Maker, Shen Kuei, Lady Iron Fan, Razor Fist, Red Cannon, Shang-Chi, Zaran the Weapons Master and a Wyrmspawn of the Wyrm of Desoliation, who was possessing Leiko Wu. Tak fought Ghost Maker on the Yellow Level of the Pagoda, but they were both allowed to move up to the White Level after four players were eliminated.
(Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings#5) - Tak and Ghost Maker continued their battle on the White Level of the Pagoda, but Red Cannon killed them both. Tak got his neck broken by Red Cannon.
Comments: Created by Steve Englehart, Jim Starlin & Al Milgrom.
I assume Tak is not his real name and definitely not his full name. Sumo wrestlers traditionally receive a ring name, but even for that it is too short. Tak is probably the short version of something else, but our chance to learn his full name, even if it is just his fighting name, is probably slim.
Profile by Markus Raymond.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Tak has no known connections to:
images:
Special Marvel Edition#15, p13, pan5 (main)
Special Marvel Edition#15, p11, pan3 (head shot)
Giant Size-Spider-Man I#2, p23, pan6 (in construction worker gear)
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings#5, p9, pan1 (neck snapped)
Appearances:
Special Marvel Edition#15 (December, 1973) - Steve Englehart (writer), Jim Starlin (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Master of Kung Fu I#17 (April, 1974) - Steve Englehart (writer), Jim Starlin (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Giant Size-Spider-Man I#2 (October, 1974) - Len Wein (writer), Ross Andru (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings#4-5 (December, 2022 - January, 2023) - Gene Luen Yang (writer), Marcus To (artist), Darren Shan (editor)
First Posted: 12/16/2025
Last updated: 12/16/2025
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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