In the glitzy, chest-slapping, occasionally pyrotechnic world of professional wrestling, careers are built over decades—broken backs, concussions, and more than a few poor choices in ring attire. And then there’s Yuhi: a five-foot-one-and-a-half inch crimson comet who burst onto the scene, landed dropkicks on women twice her size, and vanished faster than you can say “heel turn.”
Born on July 30, 1995, in the scenic wrestling mecca of Asaka, Saitama, Yuhi (which, not ironically, means “sunset”) crammed an entire wrestling career into two breathless years before retiring in 2014. Why? Because, apparently, there’s no clause in the wrestling handbook for “Must Graduate High School First.”
Yuhi wasn’t just a flash in the pan. She was the whole pan catching fire, being thrown out the window, and landing perfectly in a tag match with Kairi Hojo.
Dancing Queen to Dropkick Machine
Before she ever landed her first suplex, Yuhi spent six years as a dancer. That’s right—jazz hands before body slams. Toss in two years of acrobatics and you’ve got someone who can backflip over your disbelief. In 2009, at the age of 14, she did what all teenagers dream of: she began kickboxing training at Bukuro Gym. That gym turned out to be her gateway drug into pro wrestling, thanks to her trainer Satoshi Kobayashi and a guy named Ikuto Hidaka—who looked at this wiry, agile teenager and saw a future champion. Or at least someone who could take a stiff forearm to the jaw and still smile for the camera.
When Kobayashi opened the Norainu Dojo in 2011, Yuhi followed, diving into pro wrestling while still juggling homework, algebra, and what we can only hope were truly unhinged high school yearbook superlatives.
By 2012, she was officially unveiled by Pro Wrestling Zero1. The company, mostly known for hard-hitting, male-dominated matches, handed this teenage girl a singlet and told her to fight grown women for real in front of paying customers. Think of it like “Project Runway,” except the runway is covered in broken dreams and there’s a 300-pound woman named Aja Kong waiting to clothesline you.
Stardom Rising: Hello Kitty and Helluva Kicks
Her first opponent? None other than Yuzuki Aikawa, Stardom’s golden girl and Tokyo Sports’ 2011 Joshi Wrestler of the Year. It was like pitting a goldfish against a shark, except the goldfish spun around midair and slapped the shark across the gills. Sure, Yuhi lost. But in wrestling, as in boxing, it’s not the win—it’s how many teeth you still have when the bell rings.
From there, Yuhi found herself in World Wonder Ring Stardom, Japan’s glitter-bombed temple to women’s wrestling. It was a place where everyone wore sparkles, cut impassioned promos, and tried to murder each other with spinning backfists. Yuhi fit right in.
She quickly chose her faction: Zenryoku Joshi—basically Spice Girls meets Fight Club—with Kairi Hojo, Yoko Bito, and Saki Kashima by her side. And despite looking like she should be auditioning for a J-pop group, Yuhi could flat-out go.
By July 2012, she’d already notched her first win. And just weeks later, she was in Stardom’s prestigious 5★Star Grand Prix. Did she win? No. Did she get pancaked by Yuzuki Aikawa again? Of course. But you don’t watch a rocket for its graceful landing—you watch for the streak of fire.
Titles, Tournaments, and the Art of Almost
Yuhi made her rounds like a Japanese Terry Funk: never the top draw, but always the show-stealer. She entered tournaments, lost valiantly, entered more tournaments, then finally won the Rookie of Stardom tourney in December 2012. That win earned her some gold-plated glitter, the Artist of Stardom Championship, alongside the ironically-named Chibis—Kairi Hojo and Kaori Yoneyama. The trio took on all comers, including a group called “Kimura Monster-gun,” which sounds less like a wrestling faction and more like something the Avengers should be dealing with.
She also picked up a side hustle as Sunset☆JK, a masked alter ego nobody asked for but everyone respected. Think Nacho Libre, but with better hair.
Yet despite all the near-misses—High Speed title challenges, generational gauntlets, and a backstage pass to Wrestle Island—Yuhi never quite snagged singles gold. She was always the bridesmaid with the best moonsault in the room.
The Retirement Heard ‘Round the Ropes
Then came 2014. And like that dramatic ex who ghosts you mid-conversation, Yuhi announced she was done. Finished. Retiring at the ripe old age of 18.
She said she wanted to “find a new career after high school graduation,” which is the most devastatingly responsible reason for leaving wrestling ever uttered. It was like finding out your favorite death metal drummer quit to join a monastery.
But she didn’t just vanish quietly. No, Yuhi launched a retirement tour more dramatic than Ric Flair’s—debuting in Pro Wrestling Wave, Ice Ribbon, JWP, Osaka Joshi Pro, and Sendai Girls, like a parting gift to every promotion that ever gave her ring time. She wrestled Kana (the artist soon known as WWE’s Asuka) for 41 brutal minutes. She lost, naturally, but probably gave her a sprained neck and a complex.
Her final match? A three-bout farewell spectacle at Shin-Kiba 1st Ring. After wrestling under her mask, under her own name, and under the crushing weight of imminent adulthood, Yuhi bowed out. Not with a title. Not with a victory. But with dignity, mascara intact, and one final bump onto the canvas.
Epilogue: The Sunset No One Saw Coming
Yuhi was lightning in a bottle. A teenage phenom who somehow fought legends, held titles, survived Aja Kong, and retired before most wrestlers learn how to cut a decent promo.
She never had a scandal. Never did a heel turn. Never got hit with a flaming table. And in a business where too many stars burn out in scandal, substance, or somersault-related spinal trauma, maybe that’s the real miracle.
She left with her soul, her limbs, and probably still had time to make cram school that week. The wrestling world didn’t deserve her—but for two years, it got her anyway.
And just like the name on her boots… Yuhi set, far too soon.
Final Scorecard
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Matches Wrestled: Over 150
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Titles Won: 1 (Artist of Stardom)
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Careers Ended: Emotionally? Ours.
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Age at Retirement: 18
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Legacy: Brighter than her time in the ring