September 25, 2026
Welcome to our establishment. Thank you for visiting.
Now, for this week’s column, I had originally planned to write about my upbringing and the path I took to become a pro wrestler, but…
Sorry, this time I’m going to talk about the DREAM✴STAR GP.
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DREAM✴STAR GP 2026
To get straight to the result: I was the runner-up.
When I took second place, the very first emotion that hit me was simply “frustration.” Honestly, after the match, I was waaaaay down in the dumps.
I was just so frustrated, so disappointed in myself… entirely consumed by negative emotions.
Even though I was genuinely happy to receive all the praise and kind words from the fans who came to the autograph session, a part of me couldn’t just accept them at face value, thinking to myself, “That’s not true…” And then I ended up feeling disgusted with myself for acting like that………
…So, yeah, I was pretty depressed. I went home that day still agonizing over it, fell asleep like I had passed out, and didn’t wake up until around evening the next day. It was a slightly-too-deep slumber, but because of it, my head finally cleared up.
So, I took some time to reflect on this year’s DSGP once more.
First of all, I only managed to get a single win in last year’s DSGP. Yet this year, not only did that same girl advance to the final tournament, but I actually defeated the two people who reign at the absolute top of Marigold: Mayu Iwatani in the first round of the finals, and Miku Aono in the semi-finals.
Who on earth could have imagined a future like that? I bet 99% of people never saw it coming.
I pulled off a massive upset, and just like when I beat Mai Sakurai in the 3D Trios Championship match, these victories have given me a massive boost of self-confidence.
Especially when it comes to the World Champion, Miku Aono. Last year, I lost to her via submission.
But this year, I was the one who made Miku Aono say “I give up.”
For someone like me who stakes her life on submissions, there is no victory sweeter than that.
Then came the finals against Victoria Yuzuki. Even though I lost, I can’t help but think that the crowd’s energy that day was—if not the loudest it’s ever been—definitely the most electric atmosphere of the entire year.
Also, it’s a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the fans who came to watch that day were unanimously blown away by the technique of Rea Seto.
And there is one thing I want to declare right here.
The moon (me) does not shine by the light of the sun (Yuzuki). I shine on my own. I am here right now to shine.
Got it?
After the match, certain people told me two things:
“Having two young wrestlers main event the finals and generate that much hype is huge for Marigold.” “We could really see Marigold evolving.”
Maybe I only received those words because the final was against Victoria Yuzuki. But the fact that young, relatively inexperienced wrestlers like us could create that kind of excitement and make people feel Marigold’s evolution and growth…
Isn’t that an incredibly good omen?
And I’m glad that I could be a catalyst for that turning point, that shift.
Marigold is only just getting started.
It might sound weird coming from a heel like me, but if you leave the future of Marigold to us, everything will be just fine.
I will make it fine.
So believe in us, and watch over what Marigold does next.
Right now, in the pro wrestling world, there are promotions that sell out their tickets instantly.
If you go to one of those venues and look around in all directions, it’s just faces, faces, faces—the entire view is completely packed with a single sea of skin color.
Not a single empty orange seat in sight. Just a world painted with the skin tone of human faces.
And not just the four sides, but all the way up to the balcony…
It’s a breathtaking sight. And it pisses me off. I want Marigold to become a sea of faces as far as the eye can see as soon as possible.
And I want to see that view not from the audience seats, but from inside the ring.
This is also a dream that Rea Seto wants to make come true.
Well, rather than a “dream,” I always do what I want to do, and I always get what I want. That’s how I’ve lived my life up until now, so I have absolute confidence that Marigold can become that—that we can do it.
So, wait patiently for us.
Marigold’s future is brighter than a quasar. (That’s a celestial body with a higher luminosity than the sun, by the way.)
And to all the fans who came to the autograph session, thank you.
I thought back on all the words you gave me, chewed on them, and Rea Seto has officially taken them to heart.
Thank you for all the praise and appreciation.
Rea Seto still has a long way to go. Just leave it to me.
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Thank you for visiting the 4th installment of Doneness: “Rea”.
I ended up saying some very un-heel-like things, didn’t I? It’s a little embarrassing.
Well, basically, what I mean is… when people get tired, they fall into negative thinking and can’t make rational judgments! So everybody, go to sleep!
After all, “a sound mind dwells in a sound body.”
Therefore, to maintain a sound mind and body, I will continue to “eat well, sleep well, and train well.”
So all of you better “eat well, sleep well, and work well” too!
Push yourselves, but don’t do anything reckless!
Well then, see you next week. We sincerely look forward to your next visit.
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-Recently Watched Horror Movie-
Martyrs “Keep doubting.”
Translator’s Notes
- Title Pun & Motif: Rea Seto’s given name (レア – Rea) is phonetically identical to the English word “Rare.” The title of her column, 『焼き加減』は『レア』 (Yaki-kagen wa Rea), literally translates to “Degree of doneness: Rare,” doubling as a pun on her ring name. She leans heavily into this steakhouse/restaurant motif throughout the column by greeting readers as “customers” visiting an establishment.
- The Moon and the Sun: Seto compares herself to the moon and her rival Victoria Yuzuki to the sun. Yuzuki wrestles a traditional, bright, fiery “babyface” style, while Seto’s character in the Darkness Revolution faction is moody, aggressive, and heelish.
- “Not a single empty orange seat in sight”: When Seto describes wanting to see a packed venue with no “orange” and only the “skin color” of faces, she is specifically referencing the iconic bright orange audience seats at Korakuen Hall (the historic Tokyo venue often considered the Mecca of Japanese professional wrestling). A sold-out Korakuen Hall means the fans’ bodies completely obscure the orange seats.
- “Keep doubting”: Seto frequently closes her columns with a brief review or quote from a horror movie. Here, she references the 2008 French extreme horror film Martyrs. The quote “疑いなさい” (“Doubt it” or “Keep doubting”) was the official Japanese tagline used in the promotional posters for the film’s theatrical release in Japan.