King of Abs, Heart of Gold: Rinne Sugeta of B&ZAI in anan No.2451

It’s been a year.

A year since Rinne Sugeta last gripped the weights, sculpting sweat into strength. For someone whose image often suggests he’s constantly training—abs sharp, movements precise—the reality of that pause might surprise some. Every leap on SASUKE feels like a quiet promise to never give up, so that break in his routine felt like an intermission we weren’t used to.

But now, as he shares in his recent anan No.2451 interview, Rinne is back—not with fanfare, but with the same quiet fire that first made us admire him. “I started weight training again after a year,” he says, almost casually.

For those of us who’ve followed his journey—from obstacle course finishes to stage-flipping stunts—those words land like a quiet declaration: the spark is still there.

The comeback wasn’t smooth. “I couldn’t even clasp my hands behind my head,” he laughs. “I was sore for five days. I couldn’t even put on a jacket properly!” There’s no dramatics in his tone, just the honesty of someone returning to what feels right.

“The more you train, the more bulk you get. You sleep better. It puts you in a positive mindset and also builds perseverance.” For Rinne, training isn’t about vanity—it’s about discipline. Something to ground him. Something to carry him. “In rehearsals, I tell myself, ‘I’ve lifted heavier than my own weight!’” he says, finding strength in what his body remembers. Even when talking about his abs, it’s never about size. “Clean lines,” he says, with that familiar grin. Not flash. Just form.

We’ve seen him soar. At SASUKE 42 in 2024, wearing number 52, he cleared the First Stage once again with only 2.88 seconds to spare. He hit the buzzer with tears in his eyes—a quiet, raw victory after two years of challenges. Rinne doesn’t scream his way through the course. He stands in silence, breathes, and moves with intent. And we watch, breath held, because that focus says everything.

On stage as an idol and artist, it’s the same. Five consecutive backflips, powered by those hard-earned abs, leave crowds stunned. “I worked so hard for those,” he admits. There’s a softness to him that fans adore—the way he balances strength with joy. He holds the stage the same way he tackles a wall—with intensity and something unshakably sincere.

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Running became his reset during that year without lifting. “I run 10 kilometers three times a week,” he says. Long-distance suits his current schedule, especially with more TV appearances, though he admits, “short sprints are my strength.” He’s not just talking, either.

Just a day before the interview, he ran the Spartan Race—5km of brutal obstacles, 60-kilogram iron balls, walls to climb, limits to break. Two weeks earlier, he sprinted up Hokkaido’s Okurayama Ski Jump slope. “It was a 30-degree incline,” he says with a shrug and a smile, as if it were no big deal.

And truth to be told, the incline to our hearts is not even an incline, it’s a downhill path, because there’s just so much to love about Rinne.

But he still smiles with pudding in hand. “Not at all!” he grins when asked if he watches his diet. “My trainer says I could do physique competitions if I did. But I eat natto, kimchi, and broccoli every day.” He pops supplements like amino acids, sure—but when fellow member Katsuki Motodaka jokes, “How do you eat all those bentos and snacks and never gain weight?”—Rinne’s response is simple: “Just build muscle and keep moving.” Our beloved snack-thief faces it with a simple mind, and it’s that kind of honesty fans have come to love.

For fans who’ve followed him not just online but across cities and oceans, Rinne’s presence on stage has never felt ordinary. During last year’s and JOY tour—what would become 7 MEN Samurai’s final as a full unit—his performances felt like a love letter to everything they’d built together.

He carries an everyman charm—a grounded warmth that feels effortlessly real, even as he chases excellence with quiet determination. He wears perfume inspired by the chiseled models on the bottle, saying, “I want to look like that guy.” But let’s be real. He already does. More than that, he’s the blueprint.

In fact, anan magazine even asked the question outright during the interview—who among ACEes’ Yuto Nasu, KEY TO LIT’s Reia Nakamura, and Rinne is the true “King of Abs?” The answer might be up for debate on paper, but for me, there’s no contest. It’s Rinne. Always Rinne.

As B&ZAI prepares for their upcoming live shows and performances, Rinne now faces a new challenge: building a band from zero. “We’re all pretty anxious,” he says. “We practice seven hours a day, but when we did ‘Star Song Special,’ we only had two or three run-throughs.” Even in the chaos, he saw something begin to take shape—a style, a sound, a shared potential.

He credits bandmates like Rei Yabana and Michiharu Inaba for helping create an honest, collaborative space. Hoshiki Kawasaki’s been deep in training too, and Ryo Hashimoto’s earned the nickname “chest muscle guy.” Rinne smiles recalling how Hashimoto and Katsuki cheered him on with a simple, “Ganbatte ne!” It’s those quiet moments of support that mean the most.

But what’s always stood out more than the muscle is Rinne’s mindset. “Having a goal boosts motivation,” he says. Whether it’s a race, a backflip, or the whimsical dream of resembling a perfume model—he gives it his all.

In March 2025, Rinne took on HANZO—a SASUKE spinoff aligned with the Olympic-style Obstacle Course Racing event set for the 2028 Games. Announced on March 18, HANZO featured brutal rounds: 80-meter sprints, 9-meter swims, laser shooting, and VR fencing. Representing B&ZAI, Rinne stunned fans and skeptics alike, even those who doubted he’d reach the final stage. Others continued to hail him as “an acrobatic genius” whose performance blended SASUKE precision with raw adaptability. Though he didn’t win, his tearful buzzer run in the Final echoed the emotional impact of SASUKE 42—proof of a relentless drive and the mental strength honed on Midoriyama’s unforgiving courses.

Fans don’t just admire his physique. They admire the way he evolves under pressure.

Maybe that’s what makes following Rinne so special. You never quite know when a moment will become the moment—when an idol you’ve admired from afar will suddenly feel close enough to touch. Whether on a stage bathed in red penlights or in the quiet aftermath of a race, there’s always the sense that Rinne gives us everything in the now—because even he knows things don’t stay the same.

SASUKE wasn’t the beginning. And this every time he participates? It’s not the end.

It’s another step in a life built on quiet effort, clear intention, and enduring motion.

“I want to show off how clean my form is,” he says.

It’s not just about training.

It’s about becoming.

Rinne Sugeta isn’t just coming back stronger.
He never stopped being strong.

This spotlight was inspired by Rinne Sugeta’s anan No.2451 interview, reimagined through the lens of fan reflection. The contents of the article from the interview are excerpts from the full interview, picked for this narrative.

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