Anime Rendition
His exploits were the basis of an anime series called Kick no Oni (which means "The demon of kickboxing", written by Ikki Kajiwara), and he was also a guest on an episode of the series Ultraman.
His anime series also became intensely popular in Brazil during the 70's and early 80's featuring 26 episodes under the name "Sawamu, o Demolidor". In this series, Tadashi Sawamu (Brazilian translation), was an arrogant karate fighter who was defeated by a kickboxer, leaving Sawamu in a mild coma. Once in the hospital and recovering from the coma, his opponent's kickboxing trainer Noguchi, came to his hospital room and convinced Sawamu to become a kickboxer. To which after some rigorous training, he learned a devastating finishing move: "The Jumping Vacuum Knee" (Shinku tobi hiza geri)
The Japanese name for Hitmonlee, a Pokémon character, is Sawamurā, which is most likely a reference to Sawamura.
In Cynthia, a girl embraces a sandbag which was kicked by Tadashi Sawamura.
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