(DRAGONGATE): WRESTLERS HUMAN STORY: Ryoya Tanaka

Weekly Pro

16th September 2026 (Issue No.2428)

Ryoya Tanaka embodies a new era for DRAGONGATE, having set the record for the most title defenses of the Brave Gate Championship and launching his own new unit. How did a boy obsessed with *Kamen Rider* discover professional wrestling and decide to abandon a secured job to leap into the world he admired? We explore his little-known journey and true self—from his days as a trainee (the only one of his 14-member intake to remain) to his current status as a champion who has rewritten history.

Embodying a new era

"After rewriting history, I want to shatter preconceived notions and become the symbol!"

"On one hand, I’m glad I swam; on the other, I wish I’d ​​taken up calligraphy."

"I see this as an opportunity for people to get to know the person I’ve been up until now, so I want them to see the real Ryoya Tanaka—the whole package. I’ve talked about my background in various places, but here, I’m going to dig even deeper!"

Ryoya captured the coveted Brave Gate Championship last July and currently holds the title. As a figure expected to carry the future of DRAGONGATE, he has seen his profile skyrocket, leading to a sharp increase in requests for interviews.

We have frequently traced his roots in this magazine through interviews and other features, and we are excited to finally present his long-awaited personal story. What kind of childhood did Ryoya experience?

Hailing from Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, Ryoya grew up in a family of four that included his parents and an older sister—three years his senior. Although his father is typically mild-mannered and quiet, Ryoya recalls often being scolded and feeling intimidated by him during his childhood.

"My mother was an incredibly cheerful person, yet she could also be strict about various things, including my studies.

Speaking of her cheerful nature, she has a bit of a scatterbrained side; she’ll be looking around saying, "I can't find my glasses!" only to realize she’s already wearing them on her head (laughs). Apparently, she’s currently having trouble remembering the name of my new unit, XENOSTALNOVA."

Although he reportedly fought frequently with his older sister, his only sibling, while growing up, he says, "We get along incredibly well now."

While they were raised with a strictness intended for their own good, their family would take them out for fun almost every weekend. To this day, his family still rushes to venues to cheer him on.

He has loved Kamen Rider since he was a child. He is such a die-hard fan that he even incorporates the motif into things like his ring entrance gowns.

"I've loved Kamen Rider ever since I was little. Back when I was a kid, there weren't any smartphones, so I would just watch the Kamen Rider episodes I'd dubbed or rented over and over again. I also used to play Kamen Rider by myself, and have my action figures fight each other."

At his father's urging, he began practicing full-contact karate when he was in the first grade of elementary school. To keep him motivated, his father would show him various forms of combat sports, including karate, boxing, K-1, and mixed martial arts. However, it was professional wrestling that truly captured young Ryoya's heart. He also took swimming lessons, influenced by his older sister. 

"Apparently, when my older sister started taking lessons, I said, 'I want to do it too!' Not knowing how to swim is pretty tough, you know? There are times when you go to the beach or the pool with friends. So, I’m glad I learned when I was young. Another thing I wish I’d ​​learned—now that I’m older—is calligraphy. I would’ve liked to have cool handwriting when writing on autograph boards or signing my name."

To get back to the subject of pro-wrestling, the first program he ever watched was *World Pro-Wrestling*. It aired late at night in the Kansai region, and he looked forward to it every week. Once he started watching, he spent all his time playing at wrestling with his friends.

"After coming home from school or lessons, that was all I ever watched."

In addition to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, DRAGONGATE was also regularly broadcast in the Kansai region. Unlike other pro-wrestling organizations, its glamour and fast pace captivated viewers. There was also a high turnover of wrestlers within the units, and many of the wrestlers were relatively small in stature.

Dragon Gate’s ring is known for frequent mic work delivered in the Kansai dialect; for Ryoya, a native of the region, even that aspect fostered a sense of familiarity.

Secured a job, but unwilling to let life end there

As the prospect of life as a working adult began to feel real, the feelings he had kept buried deep within me started to swell.

"I don't want to end my life just like this."

It was a dream of becoming a professional wrestler, one he had harbored since childhood.

By his senior year of college, Ryoya had already secured a position in the apparel industry and was simply waiting to graduate. He had even spent some time working at the company that had hired him. However, his background was exclusively in karate, and he didn't have a particularly large physique. He struggled with the question of whether someone like him could really make it.

He excelled at mat exercises and sprinting. As his current fighting style demonstrates, he possesses great athletic ability and has been confident in his speed since childhood.

Amidst this situation, the karate school's head instructor—who was friends with Billy Ken Kid, the man who would later become the head of the pro-wrestling school, shared his aspirations with him, leading to the opening of a class.

Although it was a pro-wrestling school, it was held in a rented karate dojo, so naturally, there was no ring; the activities were inevitably limited.

They began by building basic physical strength through exercises like squats, push-ups, and neck-strengthening drills, then laid out mats and endlessly practiced mat exercises and 'ukemi' (how to fall safely). 

"To be honest, I wanted to do more serious training, things like the dropkicks unique to pro wrestling. But precisely because I had that foundational training here, I was able to keep up with the practice sessions after joining the dojo without hitting any major snags."

It seems the pro-wrestling school Billy opened was originally planned to launch much earlier. However, the project, which had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was set in motion thanks to Ryoya's determination.

"At first, the school was opened specifically so I could join DRAGONGATE. There were only two trainees at the time, myself included, so there were even occasions where I received one-on-one coaching."

After learning the fundamentals there, he finally took the step of knocking on DRAGONGATE's door.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling was what first got him into pro wrestling as a child. He became hooked, watching it avidly, and eventually discovered DRAGONGATE. When he began seriously pursuing a career as a pro wrestler, the fact that there were no height restrictions was the deciding factor in his decision to join.

There were fourteen wrestlers in his rookie class, including Ryoya.

During his time as a trainee, the ratio was "30% training, 70% chores." At first, there were enough people to share the workload of those chores. Even so, it was tough; but as time went by, fellow trainees kept quitting one after another due to the grueling nature of the training. As the number of trainees dwindled, the tasks that had previously been shared fell squarely onto the shoulders of those who remained. It was, indeed, a tough experience.

"I also have vivid memories, (for better or worse), of shopping for chanko ingredients. When it was my turn to handle the chanko duties, I’d walk about forty minutes one way to the supermarket after practice. The walk there wasn't so bad, but the return trip was brutal; I’d stuff my backpack to the bursting point with groceries and haul it back. Once I started training on the ropes, the skin on my back would get raw and peel, and the constant rubbing of that backpack was excruciating. Back then, I kept telling myself, 'This is just part of the path to becoming a pro wrestler...' but I never want to do that again!"

In the end, Ryoya was the only one of his trainee class to remain. 

Then came the day of his debut: a match against YAMATO at the Edion Arena Osaka (Gymnasium No. 2).

"I was genuinely thrilled when I heard that YAMATO from DRAGONGATE, someone I used to watch on TV, would be my opponent for my debut match. I didn't know the reasoning behind choosing him, but at the time, I just thought, 'They really get it.'"

This marked the true beginning of Ryoya's journey as a professional wrestler.

Ever since his days as a trainee, he had set his sights on the Brave Gate title, a belt contested for in the medium-lightweight division (for athletes weighing 82kg or less).

It was a weight class he had loved even as a fan, and it aligned perfectly with the fighting style he aspired to. He had secretly believed all along, "I’m the one who can make that belt truly shine."

He made his first challenge just five months after his debut and finally captured the coveted title on his third attempt.

A secret ambition held since my days as a trainee: "I could make it shine even brighter."

Having successfully defended the title for a full year since first winning it at Kobe World last year, the champion stepped into the year's biggest match once again. It was a crucial bout with the record for most title defences (previously held by PAC) on the line.

He was entrusted with the semi-final against Homare, who would later join him as part of the same unit. 

The two of them, both poised to lead the new era, made their presence felt on the biggest stage of the year. They emerged victorious, setting a new record.

Ryoya literally rewrote the history of the Brave Gate.

"When I first won the title—back on July 13, 2025, at Kobe World—I never imagined that a year later (July 20, 2026, at the same venue), I’d be returning after one successful defense to compete in a match where I could break the record for the most title defenses. But amidst the fierce competition, I’m incredibly happy to have rewritten a history that had stood unbroken for decades and to have etched the name 'Ryoya Tanaka' into the record books."

After that match, he named Dragon Kid as the opponent he most wanted to face with the Brave Gate title on the line. That showdown is finally set to take place on September 12th at Ota Ward Gymnasium.

"I’d been dropping hints for months that I wanted to do this, but outside interference kept getting in the way, so it never quite materialized. Speaking of interference, Ryu Fuda has been clamoring for a title shot lately, but I’ve politely turned him down. And now, a title defense against Dragon Kid, the very embodiment of the Brave Gate, has finally been set.

After rewriting history, my next goal is to shatter the fixed idea that 'Brave Gate equals Dragon Kid.'

I’m going to become the symbol of the Brave Gate for this new era."

However, the "new era" Ryoya envisions extends far beyond just the Brave Gate.

A young warrior who came of age in DCourage now sets out to forge a new era himself.

After his debut, the first unit he joined was DCourage, founded by Yuki Yoshioka and Dragon Dia.

"Thanks to being a part of this amazing unit, I truly feel that I've grown considerably.

I achieved my first victory, gained various experiences in D'Courage, and even won the Brave Gate title for the first time, which was my goal. Amidst all this, Dragon Dia, a member of D'Courage, left the company. I believe D'Courage is uniquely D'Courage, so Yoshioka and I decided to go our separate ways to aim even higher. At the same time, I had a strong desire to create my own unit, change DRAGONGATE, and create a new era."

He then launched a new unit called XENOSTALNOVA, and he first recruited the young Kazuma Kimura, and after a match at the July 20th Kobe World event, where he faced Homare in a Brave Gate title bout, he shared a firm handshake with his opponent.

The unit currently operates as a trio. He also took this opportunity to explain the origin of the name exclusively to this magazine.  

"I’ve only touched on this briefly before, but I want to explain it in detail for the *Weekly Pro-Wrestling* readers checking this out. First off, 'XENOSTAL' is a coined word. For us, it combines 'XENO'—implying unique qualities, distinctiveness, and breaking the mold, with 'Crystal' (which also appears in our unit logo). As for 'NOVA,' it signifies things like a 'supernova' or a 'young generation.' We came up with the unit name together as a trio: Kimura suggested 'XENO,' Homare proposed 'Crystal,' and I came up with 'NOVA.'"

While he often hears people say the name is hard to remember, that is actually part of Ryoya’s own strategy.

"It actually leaves a stronger impression if people stop to wonder, 'Wait, what was that name again?' or take a moment to try and recall it. Plus, using a coined word instead of a common term makes it easier to spot mentions when I search for my name on social media." 

The team is young, and a conscious effort was made to assemble a roster of players from the same generation.

As for Homare, it is said that he stood out as the perfect fit right from the initial planning stage.

"I was confident that if I teamed up with Homare, we could definitely reach the top. I also felt that Kimura was a promising talent who would undoubtedly become an amazing wrestler if he worked with us."

As for the line up, there are currently no plans to force an expansion; the intention is to establish the new unit with just these three members for the time being.

"As for adding more members, that’ll be a conversation for later. Personally, I think five is the ideal number for a unit, so if there’s anyone who fits our concept, they’re more than welcome to join."

In the first half of this year, he set a new record for the most successful title defenses of the Brave Gate Championship, a goal he had set for himself, and he intends to keep pushing that record even further throughout the second half of the year.

As a unit, they also have their sights set on the Open the Triangle Gate Championship, a title contested by six-man teams.

"I can personally feel the potential in 'Xenostalnova,'" says Ryoya.

Once a boy in Amagasaki obsessed with Kamen Rider, he chose to abandon a stable future, just as he was on the verge of starting a conventional career, to dive headlong into the world of professional wrestling, a world he had long admired.

Of the fourteen wrestlers who started in his class, he is the only one who remains. He has since rewritten the history of the Brave Gate title and even established his own unit. Yet, the vision Ryoya holds in his mind is not yet fully realized. To become the true symbol of a new era, the real story is only just beginning.