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Japanese Wrestler And MMA Fighter Tomohiko Hashimoto Passes Away At 47

Tomohiko Hashimoto has passed away after an on and off fight against liver cancer.
Ethan Schlabaugh|
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Tomohiko Hashimoto is known for his work in Japanese wrestling promotions, Dramatic Dream Team (DDT), Apache Pro-Wrestling Army, and Pro-Wrestling A-Team (which he served as its founder).

A social media post made by the Pro-Wrestling A-Team X account confirmed that Tomohiko had passed away today after his battle with liver cancer.

Tomohiko Hashimoto passed away peacefully on August 5, 2025, at 7:55 AM. We express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported him. We will provide further updates in due course, but for now, please forgive us for sharing this news.
Pro-Wrestling A-Team

Hashimoto was diagnosed with liver cancer back in 2024, with a successful radiofrequency ablation treatment sending it into remission for a short while. Hashimoto himself revealed in June of 2025 that the cancer had returned and that he would need to take a leave of absence.

After announcing the diseases return, Hashimoto seemed positive that he would return. He said:

I will definitely come back to the ring after curing my illness with oriental medicine. I also have one more singles match with (Kazuyuki) Fujita and a goal to get revenge on, so please wait for me.
Tomohiko Hashimoto

Hashimoto's Legacy In Wrestling

Iyo Sky
WWE.com

Tomohiko was a veteran of professional wrestling, starting his career on April 14th, 2000. He found considerable success in DDT Pro-Wrestling, capturing the KO-D Tag Team Championships three times as well as winning multiple Tag Leagues and tournaments.

After his time with DDT came to an end in 2006, Tomohiko became a freelance wrestler, mostly working with Apache Army and Cho Sento Puroresu FMW.

One of his biggest contributions to the sport came when he founded Pro-Wrestling A-Team, a successor to Apache Army when that promotion folded. Hashimoto competed there and would go on to capture the WEW Openweight Championship and WEW Tag Team Championships multiple times (the promotion's top singles and tag titles).

Outside of creating and running his own promotion, Hashimoto also helped introduce a talent that many consider one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Iyo Sky, formerly known as Io Shirai.

Iyo and her sister Mio Shirai represented Team Makehen, a stable of wrestlers trained by Tomohiko Hashimoto, competing in multiple independent promotions around Japan such as Pro Wrestling Wave, JWP Joshi Puroresu, and Sendai Girls' Pro Wrestling.

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Ethan Schlabaugh
ETHAN SCHLABAUGH

Ethan Schlabaugh is a news writer for The Takedown on SI. His journalism experience has seen him cover professional wrestling for outlets such as TheSportster, The Takedown and more. He has been a lifelong fan of professional wrestling, dating back to his first experience with the WCW Nintendo 64 games, and that passion for the sport has remained many years later. He also writes feature articles for ResuraMag, where he focuses on mainstream Japanese promotions like Stardom and Marigold.