is a multi-purpose indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectato ...

located in Chūō-ku, Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It opened preliminarily on May 5, 2000, and then was officially opened on September 1 of the same year. Its maximum spectator capacity is 36,500, making it the second-largest indoor arena in the world. The main arena capacity is between 19,000 and 22,500. The arena was designed by Dan Meis, who at the time was working for architecture firm Ellerbe Becket, together with Nikken Sekkei. Meis's design was selected as a result of an international design competition. The arena features a gigantic movable section of seating which can reduce capacity for smaller events and create a more intimate setting. It is a favorite venue for puroresu (Japanese

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

) and mixed martial arts (MMA). It has also hosted other sports events such as

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball c ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

, and

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

. It is the only Japanese arena equipped especially for

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

. It formerly housed the John Lennon Museum, which displayed John Lennon memorabilia and closed in 2010.

Events

Mixed martial arts and professional wrestling

The Saitama Super Arena hosted a special WWE Smackdown event that took place on February 5, 2005 and was later broadcast on February 10, 2005. The event is famously remembered for the "Kimono Match" that took place between Torrie Wilson and Hiroko Suzuki (a Japanese native who would later be elected to the Funabashi city council as part of a political career). Hiroko was defeated after losing her kimono, being stripped down to her bra and panties at the hands of Torrie. The Saitama Super Arena has hosted a major martial arts event on New Year's Eve since 2001. It was sanctioned by Pride Fighting Championships from 2003 to 2006. The 2007 edition was hosted by Yarennoka, an MMA promotion organized by the former staff members of Pride Fighting Championship. Dynamite!! 2008 featured

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, al ...

and K-1 fights. Dynamite!! 2009 featured fights by

, Sengoku and K-1. Dynamite!! 2010 featured Dream and K-1 fights. Fight For Japan: Genki Desu Ka Omisoka 2011 featured fights by Dream, K-1 and IGF. The 2012 edition featured Dream and Glory fights. Since 2015 the event is the final round of the Rizin Fighting Federation. On November 29, 2009, the arena hosted one of the biggest fights in Japan's history, with WBC Flyweight Champion Daisuke Naito defending his title against Koki Kameda. The arena hosted the Japanese return of the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 26, 2012 for UFC 144. Followed by UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann on March 3, 2013 and UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson on September 20, 2014 as well as UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson on September 26, 2015. On November 7, 2019, Japanese bantamweight boxer Naoya Inoue defeated Nonito Donaire at the arena to claim the 2018–19 World Boxing Super Series. On December 29, 2019, the arena hosted Bellator 237.

Other sports

It is one of two home arenas of the Saitama Broncos basketball team. In 2000, the arena hosted two

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

games between the Nashville Predators and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2003, NBA basketball teams Seattle SuperSonics and the Los Angeles Clippers, played two regular season games. In 2006, the arena hosted the knockout stage of the Basketball World Championship 2006. In 2019, the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors played two preseason games at the arena. In 2022, the arena again hosted two NBA preseason games, this time between the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards. The

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

World Figure Skating Championships were held at the venue. On New Year's Eve 2018, the arena hosted the exhibition

match between former five-division boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. and kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa. The arena hosted basketball competitions at 2020 Summer Olympics hosted by Tokyo.

Music

Many music events have been held at the venue, including Music Station, Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ, Animelo Summer Live, WIRE, and 'Dream Power' concerts organized by Yoko Ono. Various notable Japanese music acts have performed at the arena, including Ado, AKB48, Namie Amuro,

B'z are a Japanese rock duo, consisting of guitarist, composer and producer Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto and vocalist and lyricist Koshi Inaba, 佐伯明『B'z ウルトラクロニクル』ソニー・マガジンズ、2003年。新型光�B'zはなぜ ...

, Babymetal, Berryz Kobo, Bump of Chicken, Minori Chihara,

fripSide fripSide is a Japanese pop and trance duo originally formed by composer Satoshi Yaginuma (Sat) and singer Nao in February 2002. History In a 2008 interview, Satoshi said that he was a fan of TM Network and its member Tetsuya Komuro in his ele ...

, Masaharu Fukuyama, Gackt, The Gazette, Glay, Ayumi Hamasaki, Tomoyasu Hotei, Janne Da Arc,

Kamen Joshi is a Japanese female idol group consisting of four teams. The name refers to the members of the group wearing masks which cover their faces during the performances of most songs and much of the promotional material, with the type of mask varyin ...

, Mai Kuraki, L'Arc-en-Ciel, Luna Sea, Man with a Mission, Nana Mizuki, Momoiro Clover Z, Morning Musume, Mr. Children, Nightmare, Kana Nishino, Nogizaka46, One Ok Rock, Pierrot,

Radwimps is a Japanese rock band who debuted independently in 2003 and signed with Toshiba EMI in 2005. The band's name, Radwimps, was formed from two English slang terms, "rad" and " wimp". According to the band, the coined word had several meanings, ...

, Maaya Sakamoto, Scandal, Ringo Sheena, Siam Shade, Sid, Sound Horizon, Spyair, Hikaru Utada, Vamps Aimer. Some anime projects like '' Uta no Prince-sama'', '' Love Live!'', '' K-On!'', '' The Idolmaster'', and '' Touken Ranbu'' have featured in live performances at the arena. Many international artists have performed at the venue, including The Black Eyed Peas, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Janet Jackson,

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Voice", she is Whitney Houston albums discography, one of the bestselling music artists ...

, Mariah Carey, Guns N' Roses, Beyoncé, Linkin Park,

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey (manager), Phil H ...

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Avril Lavigne Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, '' Let Go'' (2002), is the best-selling album of the 21 ...

, Backstreet Boys, Muse, DragonForce, Metallica, Radiohead, AC/DC, Jeff Mills,

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

, U2, Iron Maiden, One Direction, Katy Perry, and K-pop acts BoA,

TVXQ TVXQ (stylized as TVXQ!), an initialism for Tong Vfang Xien Qi (), is a South Korean male Pop music, pop duo consisting of Yunho, U-Know Yunho and Changmin, Max Changmin. They are known as in Japanese releases, and are sometimes referred to as ...

, Super Junior, BTS, SS501, Girls' Generation, Kara, Apink, Big Bang,

2PM 2PM (; romanized; ''Tupiem'') is a South Korean boy band formed by JYP Entertainment. The group is composed of six members: Jun. K (formerly known as Junsu), Nichkhun, Taecyeon, Wooyoung, Junho and Chansung. Originally a seven-piece group, fo ...

, F.T. Island, 2NE1, Shinee, CNBLUE, Seventeen, Kim Jae-joong, Exo, Twice, NCT 127 and Iz*One. Queen + Paul Rodgers performed there, with the concerts being recorded in the concert DVD ''

Super Live in Japan ''Super Live in Japan'' is a DVD by Queen + Paul Rodgers, capturing the performances in Saitama Super Arena in Japan on 27 October 2005 from their world tour, featuring songs from both Queen and Rodgers' catalogues. 15 of these songs became ava ...

''. Green Day taped the show for their new live album titled '' Awesome as Fuck''. David Coverdale's band Whitesnake, while performing at the Loud Park Festival, recorded their performance for their live album ''

Made in Japan Made in Japan may refer to: *Products made in Japan; see Manufacturing in Japan Music * Made in Japan (band), an Australian indie rock band, 2009–2014 Albums * ''Made in Japan'' (Deep Purple album), 1972 * ''Made in Japan'' (Flower Trav ...

''.

Gallery

References

External links

Saitama Super Arena (in English by Saitama Arena Co., Ltd.)

* ttps://meisstudio.com/saitama/ Saitama Super Arena — Meis architects {{Authority control 2000 establishments in Japan Indoor arenas in Japan Indoor ice hockey venues in Japan Basketball venues in Japan College football venues Music venues in Japan Music venues completed in 2000 Sports venues completed in 2000 Boxing venues in Japan Saitama Broncos Sports venues in Saitama (city) Venues of the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic basketball venues