ONE superstar Nat “Wondergirl” Jaroonsak often finds herself drawing inspiration from unexpected places.

Ahead of her strawweight Muay Thai clash against Martyna Kierczynska this Friday, February 16 at ONE Fight Night 19: Haggerty vs. Lobo on Prime Video, the 25-year-old Thai spoke about her love for the Japanese art of anime and manga. That bout is slated to air live in U.S. primetime from Bangkok’s legendary Lumpinee Boxing Stadium.

Nat Jaroonsak opens up about her love for Anime and Manga

Now a veteran of well over 50 professional fights across Muay Thai, kickboxing, and MMA, “Wondergirl” has long been considered a combat sports prodigy.

But well before she was fighting under ONE’s bright lights, Jaroonsak discovered anime. She recalled, “I can’t remember the first anime I watched, but now I’m following the ‘Naruto’ series. I’ve been following this manga since I was in middle school.”

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More than just a quick and easy source of entertainment after a hard day of training, “Wondergirl” admires the primary characters in anime for their unwavering determination – an attitude she carries with her into her fighting career. “I like the unyielding nature of anime protagonists. No matter what obstacles they encounter, they will not give up,” explained Jaroonsak.

What’s more, the Jaroonsak Muaythai athlete likes that anime can be both light and dark. While she tends to enjoy the more uplifting programs for relieving stress and unwinding, she says that plenty of anime dives into more serious themes:

“Some anime is fun, lighthearted, and relieves the stress in your life. But some people prefer to watch anime that has serious twists or dark content to meet their needs.” Given her background in martial arts, it’s no surprise that “Wondergirl’s” favorite anime character is Ippo Makunouchi – a professional boxer who faces no shortage of challenges as he fights his way to the top of the sport.

She said, “I like Ippo Makunouchi from ‘Hajime no Ippo.’ He has perseverance and never gives up. And some of the boxing techniques presented in the story can be used in a real fight.”

If there’s an anime character who is a professional fighter, why can’t Jaroonsak – one of the world’s top professional fighters – be an anime character?

ONE Muay Thai strawweight superstar reveals one of her favorite Anime

She admits to considering that exact question and says her character would star in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and employ a supernatural being (a “Stand”) to fight whoever gets in her way:

“My character should be called Wondergirl Joestar, because I really like ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.’ My character would be a Stand user who can unleash her Stand – an entity that resembles a protective spirit – to punch people.”

Also Read: “He’s Going to Crumble” – Jonathan Haggerty Plans to Unleash Himself Against Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19

Given her amazing skills when she fights, it’s not surprising to see Nat Jaroonsak draw some inspiration from anime. However, will that be enough to get a win against Martyna Kierczynska at ONE Fight Night 19? Let us know how you think the fight plays out in the comments section.

Also Read: “I Just Can’t Wait to Give Him a Beating” – Jonathan Haggerty Plans to Finally Settle the Score With Felipe Lobo at ONE Fight Night 19