Purgatory

Purgatory (, Rengoku) is one of the most prominent underground martial arts organizations in Japan, rivalling that of even the Kengan matches.The organization was founded and hosted by Toyoda Idemitsu.

About
Fifteen years ago, Toyoda Idemitsu founded Purgatory. Its policy of putting its distinctive entertainment value to the forefront brought it explosive support and it gathered many Gladiators (, Tōshi) by paying them large sums of fight money. Also, the Purgatory fighting stadium is built in the mountains, far from civilization, and typically hosts upwards of tens of thousands of spectators per event night.

In recent times, Purgatory has become the largest-scale underground martial arts promotion in Japan and has greater momentum than even the Kengan Association. Toyoda scouts talented martial artists, at any expense, even headhunting the headline of fighters from smaller martial arts promotions (who have since become defunct); some of the Kengan Association's affiliated fighters have gone on to transfer over to Purgatory. Purgatory guarantees "a degree" of safety and fight money equal to or exceeding that of the top public martial artists (this only applies to A-list and some B-list gladiators however).The vast number of Purgatory gladiators are classified into three tiers:


 * A-list (~??? gladiators)
 * B-list (~??? gladiators)
 * C-list (~??? gladiators)

According to a former gladiator, the overall strength level of the C-list is not particularly high, being an assortment of different levels with the diamonds in the rough getting promoted to the B-list relatively quickly. The B-list itself, while a higher level than the C-list, is also a mixed bag. However, the A-list is on a different level entirely, with only "strong guys" and "super-strong guys" on the A-list.

Rules
The rules of Purgatory are unique and set apart from that of other underground martial arts organizations, giving them the perfect balance between "extreme and competitive". A gladiator will automatically lose the match if:


 * 1) Knockdown: After being knocked down, they fail to return to their feet by the referee's count of 10.
 * 2) Ringout: Any part of their body makes contact with the ground outside of the ring.
 * 3) No Kill: A gladiator causes the death of their opponent during the match.

A gladiator who breaks the "No Kill" rule is not only disqualified in their match, but their fight money is also confiscated.

Notes & Trivia

 * Most of the known Purgatory gladiators are foreigners.