1. Overview
Bernard Ackah is a multifaceted personality known for his diverse career as a martial artist, comedian, actor, and broadcaster. Born in Bonn, Germany, he holds Ivorian nationality and is primarily based in Japan. Ackah's career spans professional mixed martial arts (MMA) and kickboxing, where he competed against notable opponents, alongside a significant presence in the Japanese entertainment industry through comedy, television dramas, films, and voice acting. He also had a brief stint in professional wrestling. His ability to transition successfully between demanding fields, coupled with his multilingualism, has shaped his unique public persona.
2. Early Life and Background
Bernard Ackah was born on April 9, 1972, in Bonn, Germany, to Ivorian parents. At the young age of two, he immigrated to Japan, where he spent his childhood. During his formative years, he resided at the Ivorian embassy, where his father worked. This early exposure to different cultures contributed to his exceptional linguistic abilities; he is fluent in five languages: English, French, German, Korean, and Japanese.
3. Education and Martial Arts Training
Ackah's journey into martial arts began during his school years. He practiced judo throughout middle school and high school, achieving the rank of first dan. In 1998, at the age of 26, he moved to South Korea and dedicated two to three years to intensive Taekwondo training at the prestigious Yonsei University. His background also includes foundations in karate.
4. Martial Arts Career
Bernard Ackah embarked on a professional fighting career that encompassed mixed martial arts (MMA), kickboxing, and even a brief foray into sambo. He gained recognition for his powerful striking and aggressive fighting style across these disciplines.
4.1. Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
Ackah made his professional mixed martial arts debut on March 12, 2007, at K-1 Hero's 8, securing a first-round technical knockout victory over Hyun Pyo Shin. He quickly rose to prominence later that year, on June 2, 2007, at Dynamite!! USA, where he delivered a stunning knockout victory in just 38 seconds against former NFL player-turned-mixed martial artist Johnnie Morton with a counter right hook. This fight was a catchweight bout at 213 lb (213 lb), and Morton later tested positive for elevated testosterone levels.
Following these initial successes, Ackah faced a challenging period, losing his next three fights. This streak included a first-round knockout loss to Dutch kickboxer Melvin Manhoef at Hero's 9 on July 16, 2007, and a submission loss via armbar to Po'ai Suganuma at Hero's 2007 in Korea on October 28, 2007. He broke this losing streak on August 23, 2009, at Deep: 43rd Impact, achieving a swift knockout victory over Ryūshi Yanagisawa in just seven seconds with a right high kick.
Ackah continued to compete in the Deep promotion, securing two more victories: a unanimous decision win against Minoru Kato at Deep: 47 Impact on April 17, 2010, and a technical knockout win against Shunji Kosaka at Deep: Cage Impact 2009 on December 19, 2009. His later fights in Deep included a knockout loss to Yoshiyuki Nakanishi on June 24, 2011, in a title challenge for the Deep Light Heavyweight Championship, and a knockout loss to Shunsuke Inoue on October 29, 2011. He concluded his MMA career with a submission loss to Yuki Niimura via rear-naked choke at Deep: 57 Impact on February 18, 2012, after which he announced his retirement from professional fighting to focus on training future generations. An exhibition match was held for his retirement at Deep: 58 Impact on June 15, 2012, featuring rounds under kickboxing rules against Ryuta Noji, grappling rules against Takenori Sato, and MMA rules against Ryuta Sakurai.
His overall professional mixed martial arts record stands at 5 wins and 6 losses.
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 5-6 | Yuki Niimura | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Deep: 57 Impact | February 18, 2012 | 1 | 3:35 | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Loss | 5-5 | Shunsuke Inoue | TKO (punches) | Deep: Cage Impact 2011 in Tokyo, 2nd Round | October 29, 2011 | 1 | 1:30 | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Loss | 5-4 | Yoshiyuki Nakanishi | KO (head kick) | Deep: 54 Impact | June 24, 2011 | 1 | 1:07 | Tokyo, Japan | For the Deep Light Heavyweight Championship. | |
| Win | 5-3 | Minoru Kato | Decision (unanimous) | Deep: 47 Impact | April 17, 2010 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | Light Heavyweight Tournament Reserve Bout. | |
| Win | 4-3 | Shunji Kosaka | TKO (punches) | Deep: Cage Impact 2009 | December 19, 2009 | 1 | 0:34 | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Win | 3-3 | Ryūshi Yanagisawa | TKO (head kick and punches) | Deep: 43 Impact | August 23, 2009 | 1 | 0:07 | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Loss | 2-3 | Young Choi | Decision (unanimous) | Deep: 42 Impact | June 30, 2009 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| Loss | 2-2 | Po'ai Suganuma | Submission (armbar) | Hero's 2007 in Korea | October 28, 2007 | 1 | 3:05 | Seoul, South Korea | ||
| Loss | 2-1 | Melvin Manhoef | KO (punches) | Hero's 9 | July 16, 2007 | 1 | 2:13 | Yokohama, Japan | ||
| Win | 2-0 | Johnnie Morton | KO (punch) | Dynamite | USA | June 2, 2007 | 1 | 0:38 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Catchweight (213 lb (213 lb)) bout. Morton tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. |
| Win | 1-0 | Hyun Pyo Shin | TKO (punches) | Hero's 8 | March 12, 2007 | 1 | 1:11 | Nagoya, Japan |
4.2. Kickboxing
Bernard Ackah ventured into kickboxing in December 2007, facing Japanese legend Musashi at K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite!! on December 31, 2007. Despite an aggressive start, he lost the fight via knockout in the third round due to a left hook. He also participated in the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Fukuoka on June 29, 2008, where he competed in the K-1 Japan GP first round against Tsuyoshi Nakasako, losing by decision.
His kickboxing career included a decision win against Keiiti Nishiwaki at the All Japan Kickboxing Federation's "Spring Storm" on April 26, 2008, and a decision win against Keigo Takamori at "Shoot Boxing End Road: Takeshi 2009-Bushido" on April 3, 2009. He suffered another knockout loss to Keigo Takamori at the "Korean Friendship International Martial Arts Tournament - K-1 Rules GLADIATOR" on August 16, 2008, and a knockout loss to Raoumaru at "RISEN 83" on September 23, 2011.
His professional kickboxing record stands at 2 wins and 4 losses.
| Date | Result | Record | Opponent | Event | Method | Round | Time | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 23, 2011 | Loss | 2-4 | Raoumaru | RISEN 83 | KO | 3 | Tokyo, Japan | ||
| April 3, 2009 | Win | 2-3 | Keigo Takamori | Shoot Boxing End Road: Takeshi 2009-Bushido | Decision | 3 | 3:00 | Japan | |
| August 16, 2008 | Loss | 1-3 | Keigo Takamori | Korean Friendship International Martial Arts Tournament - K-1 Rules GLADIATOR | KO (Left Hook) | 1 | 1:36 | Japan | |
| June 29, 2008 | Loss | 1-2 | Tsuyoshi Nakasako | K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Fukuoka | Decision | 3 | 3:00 | Fukuoka, Japan | |
| April 26, 2008 | Win | 1-1 | Keiiti Nishiwaki | All Japan Kickboxing Federation: Spring Storm | Decision | 3 | 3:00 | Japan | |
| December 31, 2007 | Loss | 0-1 | Musashi | K-1 PREMIUM 2007 Dynamite | KO (Left Hook) | 3 | 1:26 | Osaka, Japan |
4.3. Other Martial Arts
Beyond MMA and kickboxing, Ackah also participated in other martial arts competitions. On April 12, 2009, he competed in the 7th East Japan Sambo Championship in the +90kg class, where he reached the final but was defeated by Hirofumi Morimitsu, earning a second-place finish. His primary martial arts bases are Taekwondo and Karate.
5. Entertainment Career
Following his initial success and challenges in the fighting world, Bernard Ackah transitioned into the entertainment industry, establishing himself as a comedian, actor, and voice artist in Japan. His unique background and multilingual skills contributed to his distinctive public persona.
5.1. Comedy Career
In 2001, Bernard Ackah formed the comedy duo "Sio-Koshō" (塩コショーSalt PepperJapanese) with Rex Jones. The duo was active in the Japanese comedy scene until their dissolution was announced on March 15, 2008, marking a shift in Ackah's career focus away from full-time comedy. During his time as a comedian, his high physical abilities were noted, which eventually led to his debut in mixed martial arts.
5.2. Television and Acting Career
Ackah has a notable presence in Japanese television and film. He is widely recognized by anime fans as the voice of the Master of Ceremonies in the original Japanese version of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, a role he reprised in related video games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Stardust Accelerator -World Championship 2009- and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Duel Terminal. He also voiced Taraba in Metal Fight Beyblade (2009).
He has appeared in various television dramas, including the Kamen Rider series, portraying the Phantom Caitsith in Kamen Rider Wizard (2012) and the Gunman Roidmude in Kamen Rider Drive (2014). Other drama roles include Charlie in Chōzetsu ☆ Zekkyō Land (2013), 3rd Bodyguard (2011) on BeeTV, and Yasuke in the NHK historical drama Gunshi Kanbei (2014).
In film, Ackah has appeared in Moon Dream (2013) as King Dada, TOKYO TRIBE (2014) as Jadakins, and Kaettekita Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger: Oinochi Chōdai! Chikyū Ōja Ketteisen (2017) as Koki. He also filmed a scene for 20th Century Boys 3: Our Flag (2009), which was cut from the theatrical release but included in an unaired ending broadcast in 2010.
Beyond acting, Ackah has made appearances on variety shows such as Mecha-Mecha Iketeru! (2003) as the father of Kaori Iida, the 19th Sasuke competition where he failed the "Jumping Spider" in the First Stage, Quiz! Hexagon II, AKBINGO! (2014) as a judge under the name "Beru", and Downtown no Gaki no Tsukai ya Arahende!! (2015) as an executioner. Early in his career, around 24 years old, he also worked as a model and appeared in music videos, such as for Asuka Hayashi's debut CD "ake-kaze" in 2003. He was also a radio DJ, where his fluent Japanese often led listeners to disbelieve he was a foreigner until they saw him on television.
6. Professional Wrestling Career
On November 30, 2014, Bernard Ackah made his debut in professional wrestling for the Dramatic Dream Team (DDT) promotion. He was introduced as the bodyguard for Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion LiLiCo. His first match took place on December 13, 2014, where he defeated Kazuki Hirata with a high kick. However, in his second DDT match, he was defeated by Sanshiro Takagi. In 2015, Ackah directly appealed to Sanshiro Takagi, expressing his desire to continue wrestling, which led to his participation in DDT's Saitama Super Arena event.
7. Personal Life
Bernard Ackah is known for his multilingual abilities, speaking English, French, German, Korean, and Japanese. He was married to a Japanese woman and lived with her parents, with whom he had three children. During this period, he humorously referred to himself as "Masuo-san" (マスオさんJapanese), a character from the popular anime Sazae-san known for living with his wife's family, noting that he had little say in household matters, including control over the television remote. After his second professional fight victory, his father-in-law jokingly offered him "channel rights."
However, he later divorced and now lives alone in an apartment. After his divorce, he also worked as a bar security. Currently, he works as a personal trainer and aims to open his own training gym. He maintains a friendship with fellow Ivorian-Japanese entertainer Bobby Ologun.
8. Public Perception and Legacy
Bernard Ackah is perceived as a unique and multi-talented individual who has successfully navigated diverse and demanding career paths, from professional combat sports to mainstream entertainment. His nicknames, such as "Fighting Masuo-san Comedian" (闘うマスオさん芸人Tataku Masuo-san GeininJapanese) and "The Tragic Comedian" (ザ・トラジック・コメディアンZa Torajikku KomedianJapanese), reflect the blend of his fighting prowess and his comedic background, as well as the challenges he faced in his career transitions. His journey from an elite martial artist to a public figure in Japan highlights his adaptability and resilience, leaving a legacy as a versatile entertainer who defied conventional career boundaries.