Antonio Inoki, the legendary wrestler who passed away in October 2022, is being honored with an ambitious project: the creation of a human-like robot using artificial intelligence. The project aims to 'revive' Inoki three-dimensionally, with a planned completion date coinciding with Inoki’s birthday in 2027.
It has come to light that the 'Android Antonio Inoki' project is a collaborative effort by Inoki Genki Factory, AVITA Inc., and SMBC Value Creation Inc. A launch event was held in Tokyo on February 19th, 2026, to commemorate what would have been Inoki's birthday on February 20th.
Hiroshi Ishiguro, CEO of AVITA Inc. and a renowned roboticist, is spearheading the technological aspects of the build.
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Inoki's Legacy to Live On
Keisuke Inoki, Antonio Inoki's younger brother and President of the Inoki Genki Factory, explained the vision behind the project.
One major purpose of the robot is for it to be an advisor for the youth 100 years from now," Keisuke said.
He added that he wants people to understand the kind of person his brother was.
The possibility of the robot wrestling was raised, and Hiroshi Ishiguro stated that it would take some time before that could ever happen. The focus remains on creating a lifelike representation of the wrestling icon to preserve his memory and impact for future generations.
