Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling’s midsummer singles tournament, the “13th Tokyo Princess Cup,” reaches its climax with the finals at Korakuen Hall on the 23rd. We spoke with Suzume (27) about her current mindset as she prepares to face her “idol,” Rika Tatsumi (34), for her first tournament victory.
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— Because you’ve beaten Rika in crucial matches, you’ve been called her “natural enemy” (Kryptonite), haven’t you? “That’s right. Between this tournament and the tag tournaments, I think people call me that because I’ve managed to pick up wins in those crucial situations. But honestly, it’s the highest compliment I could ask for.”
— With that in mind, how are you feeling heading into this upcoming match? “I really wanted to face Rika-san, but at the same time, I kind of didn’t. From the very first round, I could tell she was an absolute menace this year. But she actually told me she ‘didn’t want to face me’ either, which means she’s just as on guard. Along with being called her Kryptonite, I’m taking that as a huge compliment. If that’s how Rika-san sees me, then I plan to unleash an even better version of myself than ever before and truly live up to the title of ‘Rika Tatsumi’s Kryptonite.'”
— Have you thought about what comes after you win? “Of course, going into this summer’s tournament, I had thoughts and goals for the future. But honestly, if I had been looking past my opponents up to this point, I probably wouldn’t have won any of those matches. Right now, I just need to pour everything I have into the match right in front of me.”
— So the post-match microphone promo will be a surprise for later? “It’s rare for me, but I’ve actually main-evented twice so far in this tournament. Both times, it wasn’t until the match was over that it hit me: ‘Oh, right, this was the main event. I have to talk on the mic.’ (Laughs). So I really haven’t thought that far ahead at all.”
— What do you find most terrifying about facing Rika in the ring? “She’s fundamentally sound, yet completely erratic. That combination makes her incredibly dangerous. Most importantly, my biggest weapon is my speed and legs, and she specializes in targeting the legs. That’s definitely the scariest part.”
— If she does that, your signature quick movements will be sealed away. “I have memories of constantly suffering from that.”
— Do you have a game plan to stop her from targeting your legs? “I’m thinking about it, but it’s really difficult. After all, Rika-san isn’t a one-trick pony.”
— Plus, you can’t really calculate for her unpredictable side either. Is that part of her terrifying as well? “Of course, it’s absolutely terrifying. But those exact traits are why I fell in love with her wrestling and came to idolize her. Being able to fight that version of Rika in the finals makes me incredibly happy.”
— Idolizing Rika was actually what inspired you to join Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, right? What exactly drew you in? “It started when a friend showed me a photo of her. After hearing more about her, I said, ‘I want to see her in person,’ and went to a show. It was basically love at first sight at the venue. Seeing her living with all her might, just sparkling so brightly in the ring… Rika-san made me want to live my life with everything I have, too.”
— Now that you are ‘co-workers’ with the person you idolized, has your perspective of her changed? “It really hasn’t changed at all. But even though my feelings haven’t changed, when I joined TJPW, I felt very strongly that I couldn’t just stay as the ‘fan’ I used to be. I try my best not to show that side of myself.”
— That’s very professional of you. “There’s the me who was a fan, and then there’s the me who became a pro wrestler because Rika-san gave me a dream. I know I’m not the same person who used to watch from the seats, so I felt I had to flip that switch. After all, my goal is to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her as equals. When we had a title match in the past, she even told me, ‘We are equals as wrestlers now.'”
— Is that similar to when Shohei Ohtani gave his Samurai Japan speech and told his teammates to ‘stop admiring’ the major league players they were facing? “It’s a little different from that! (Laughs). I haven’t thrown away my admiration at all. That feeling of admiration is the core driving force behind everything I do. I can’t throw it away, and without it, I wouldn’t be Suzume.”
— Do you have a desire to show your idol just how strong you’ve become? “I do. Before my debut, I was so small that people were genuinely worried about me. That’s exactly why, now that I’ve reached the point where people call me her Kryptonite, I want to show her just how strong I’ve become. Opportunities to clash one-on-one head-on with Rika-san are rare, so I want to absorb everything the current Rika has to throw at me.”
— It’s a good thing you took that first step to become a pro wrestler. “I really believe Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling has that kind of power. That’s why, as long as I’m fighting in a TJPW ring, I constantly strive to be the kind of presence that moves other people into action, too.”
— We might start seeing wrestlers step into the ring because they watched you, Suzume. “Ren Konatsu actually told me that. Inspiring someone was one of my dreams, so I feel like she made that dream come true for me.”
— It would be deeply emotional if Konatsu challenged for your belt in the future. “I’m looking forward to it.”
— Returning to the finals—you mentioned that Rika is ‘an absolute menace’ this tournament. Where exactly do you feel that? “I just strongly felt her ‘I came here to win’ energy. Ever since her match with Miyu Yamashita, the entire tournament atmosphere became incredibly tense and sharp. It really tightened things up and fired me up as well. I can really feel her immense influence on everyone around her.”
— What kind of scenery do you think awaits you if you win this tournament? “I genuinely have no idea. It took me four years to get here after making the final four by some miracle back in 2022. This is my very first final. So, whatever lies beyond this is completely uncharted territory. I can’t even imagine what the summit looks like yet.”
— By the way, do you like summer? “I do.”
— What’s your favorite season? “Lately, it might actually be summer. Part of it is because I debuted in the summer, but a lot of crucial milestones seem to happen for me during this season. So I have a very strong emotional attachment to it.”
— Have you done anything quintessentially ‘summer’ this year? “I tried to go to the pool the other day, but a typhoon hit! (Laughs). So I haven’t been able to go yet. As for summery things, our annual TJPW yukata merch events might be the most ‘summer’ thing I do. We also had the outdoor event at TIF, so I’ve just been fully enjoying summer through pro wrestling. I originally didn’t like summer that much, but TJPW made it fun, which is probably why I grew to like it.”
— Well then, we look forward to the finals being the culmination of your summer. “I want to have the kind of match that makes someone watching want to take their own first step forward.”
Translator’s Notes
- Natural Enemy (天敵 – Tenteki): The literal Japanese translation is “natural enemy” or “predator.” In Western sports and wrestling contexts, describing an opponent who consistently has your number despite the odds is most accurately localized as being someone’s “Kryptonite” or “bogey team/opponent.”
- “An Absolute Menace” (ヤバすぎる – Yaba sugiru): Yabai is a versatile slang word meaning anything from “dangerous” to “crazy” to “amazing.” Given the context of a wrestling tournament, Suzume is emphasizing that Rika is on an entirely different, highly dangerous level this year.
- Shohei Ohtani’s Speech: The interviewer references a now-legendary locker room speech given by Shohei Ohtani before the 2023 World Baseball Classic final against Team USA. Ohtani told his Japanese teammates to “stop admiring” the American MLB superstars so they could step onto the field as equals and beat them.
- Ren Konatsu: A rookie wrestler in Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling who debuted in 2024.
- TIF (Tokyo Idol Festival): An annual summer music festival. TJPW frequently partners with idol events to host outdoor exhibition matches, reflecting the promotion’s crossover appeal with idol culture.