The death of Japanese professional wrestler Hana Kimura shocked many fans on Saturday morning after the news began spreading. The wrestling champion was also known for her role in the Netflix import series Terrace House. While no details are confirmed about her passing, Pro Wrestling Observer writer Dave Meltzer reports that Kimura faced intense cyberbullying and shared what seems to be a suicide note.
While a lot of the online abuse is the result of her wrestling career, her time on Terrace House brought out critics too concerning her actions on the reality series. As Meltzer adds, an incident filmed for the show in January involved male housemate Kai washing his own clothing with Kimura’s outfit from New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Tokyo Dome show, ruining it by throwing it in the dryer.
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She ended up losing her temper with her housemate and hit a hat from his head, sparking hate messages and evolving to attack her physical appearance and nationality. The show was on hiatus due to the coronavirus and fans didn’t let up on Kimura, allegedly leading to her death according to her message on social media.
“Nearly 100 opinions every day. I couldn’t deny that I was hurt. I’m dead. Thank you for giving me a mother. It was a life I wanted to be loved,” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone who supported me. I love it. I’m weak. I’m sorry. I don’t want to be alive anymore. It was a life I wanted to be loved. Thank you everyone. I love you. Bye.”
Kimura also posted a final message on Instagram, with the translation reading similar to the longer message writing, “I love you, have fun. I’m sorry.”
The Terrace House incident sparked some discussion online, including the subreddit for the Netflix reality series. Some debated who has responsibility for another person’s laundry, with many saying Kimura was the only person to blame for her clothing mishap and others telling her housemate Kai should’ve checked before washing his own.
After her death broke on Saturday, this debate changed quite a bit and a post on Reddit discussing the laundry incident added a new line to the original post.
“Having discussions on a reality show is one thing, but if you went out of your way to send Hana hateful comments, then shame on you. RIP Hana,” the original poster added on Reddit.
According to Meltzer, Kimura was the only child of professional wrestler Kyoko Kimura who grew up around the business. She started her career at 18 and quickly earned championships in Japan. She was 22.
If you or someone you know are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.
