Episode 161: Charming Peculiarities ("Charming-se")

September 29, 2026

Looking at New Japan Pro-Wrestling right now, to be completely honest, our roster of talent is well-stacked. There are plenty of strong wrestlers and skilled wrestlers. However, there is just one frustrating thing. Their "peculiarities" (kuse)—in a good way—haven't fully grown yet.

You could almost say there are too many model students. Their match quality is magnificent. They have technical skills. Their bodies are well-built. They are delivering results too. And yet, for some reason, they don't leave a fiercely deep mark in people's memories. Even though their ability is already proven, that "standout factor" is still lacking.

However, I am not pessimistic about this. Rather, I am looking forward to what comes next.

Because "peculiarities" are not something you possess right from the very beginning; they are something that sprouts later on.

I myself wasn't flashy or flamboyant (charai) when I first debuted either. The persona of "The Sun's Genius Child," the way I faced boos from the crowd, and my expressions inside the ring—all of those were things I grabbed onto little by little over time.

"Will I get scolded if I do something like this?"

"Will people think I'm weird if I say something like that?"

When I was young, I used to think like that. However, starting from a certain point, I became able to think, "That's enough. I'm going to be myself." From then on, I think my own true colours gradually started to emerge.

At first, nobody gives themselves permission to let out their own unique quirks. Worrying about how others see them, they play a safe version of themselves. That is by no means a bad thing; it's a rite of passage everyone goes through.

That's why right now, what I want to tell those wrestlers who have the skill but lack quirks is not "you're still not enough," but rather "your time is coming."

A peculiarity is not a flaw. It is a charm that belongs solely to that person.

It can be their way of speaking. It can be their ring entrance. It can be a move. It can be their mindset. It can be their approach to a match. Once you find just one single thing where you can say, "This one thing is pure ME," that gradually piles up and becomes a unique personality that belongs to that wrestler alone.

And when the moment arrives where they feel in their heart, "I can actually do this," a person transforms completely overnight.

While that is individual growth for the wrestler, at the same time, it holds massive significance for the company as well. Rather than creating just a single superstar, building an environment where main characters are born one after another—that is precisely what I want to do as President.

If the "faces" that reach the general public increase one by one, the company known as New Japan Pro-Wrestling itself will grow even stronger. Next year's January 4th Tokyo Dome show, and the next 10 years beyond that, are bound to become infinitely more exciting.

In the current heavyweight division, there are several wrestlers right now who are waiting for that exact moment. Now then, who will be the first to sprout their own "peculiarities"?

I am deeply looking forward to it.