Faces/Heels in NJPW

[Manute Bol]

Who are the top faces and heels in New Japan?

Are Okada, Naito, and Tanahashi all faces?

Thanks.

[Urethra Franklin]

Suzuki-gun and Bullet Club are out-and-out heel groups, though Kenny Omega has been getting face reactions and is positioned as the face in the Jericho feud.

CHAOS was initially a heel stable and though there was never a turn, they’re babyfaces, so that’s Okada, Ishii, Sho/Yoh, etc.

LIJ are heels, but insanely popular. They’re essentially nWo Wolpac right now where they’re heels, but move the most merch and the crowd goes nuts for them.

Taguchi Japan is out-and-out babyface.

[AwamoriRock]

On any given night you would call Okada and Tanahashi faces, and Naito a heel. Japan, and particularly NJPW in general, will roll with the reaction of the particular crowd. If the crowd is hot for Naito and booing Okada, the commentators will just address that with "this is a really pro-Naito crowd", and even directly use the terms heel/babyface to describe their behavior in the ring. (They are used more as kayfabe terms in Japanese commentary).

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Maybe early Bullet Club counted as heels because the fans legit hated their interfering in matches but now are well liked.

[This Player Hating Mothman]

Dec 28, 2017 23:42:39 GMT -5 AwamoriRock said:

On any given night you would call Okada and Tanahashi faces, and Naito a heel. Japan, and particularly NJPW in general, will roll with the reaction of the particular crowd. If the crowd is hot for Naito and booing Okada, the commentators will just address that with "this is a really pro-Naito crowd", and even directly use the terms heel/babyface to describe their behavior in the ring. (They are used more as kayfabe terms in Japanese commentary).

Yeah, New Japan will actually consider the demeanor of a crowd and markets where Naito might be the cheered babyface and use those considerations when laying out matches and telling stories, as opposed to just forcing the story they want to tell in front of the crowd and having them reject it. Makes for better matches when the crowd is into it.

[Fundertaker]

NJPW plays face/heel dynamic like a D&D game without alignments. Not so much in an "it's convenient" way but more "oh that's what happened... we'll go with that!" kind of way.

[cabbageboy]

It's weird because I've seen Okada decidedly act heelish at times, such as in the Shibata match and a few other times. This year with the Bullet Club I don't know that I would say they've been all that heelish.