Pro wrestler Hana Kimura died by suicide last year, and her mother is taking action. According to Kyodo News, Kyoko Kimura is set to file a lawsuit next year against the producer of the Netflix reality series Terrace House as she is seeking compensation for her daughter who appeared on the show. Kyodo said she wants Fuji Television Network Inc. and the production company to “sincerely” investigate the reason for her daughter’s suicide as well as “clarify in court whether the human rights of the cast were protected.”
Kimura was on Terrace House for the 2019-2020 season. She was found dead in her apartment in May 2020 after being harassed on social media. The incident led to the show being canceled. “We would like to express our sincere condolences for the death of Hana Kimura, a statement from the show said at the time, per the Japan Times. “We take the incident seriously and will continue to respond to it in a sincere manner.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Shortly after Kimura’s death, Kyoko said that her daughter spoke to her about “The Costume Incident” on the show. “On 15 May, Hana and I celebrated the birthday of her grandmother. While driving Hana home, she broke down in tears,” Kyoko said, per Yahoo. Kimura wanted to present herself well as a pro wrestler. However, she was told to play up her “heel” image, according to Kyoko. “The Costume Incident” depicted Kimura shouting at fellow castmate Kai Kobayashi and hitting his cap off his head for accidentally shrinking her costume in the washing machine. But Kyoko said the incident was staged.
Kimura was 22 years old at the time of her death and spent the majority of her pro wrestling career with World Wonder Ring Stardom in Japan. During her time at Stardom, Kimura won the Artist of Stardom Championship twice and the Goddess of Stardom Championship once. Kimura also competed internationally, appearing in Ring of Honor and Pro-Wrestling: Eve.
“Ring of Honor is deeply saddened to learn that Japanese star Hana Kimura has died. She was 22,” the company said in a statement last year. “Hana was one of the top young stars in STARDOM, the premier women’s professional wrestling organization in the sport. She also competed in several matches in ROH, including a six-woman tag match at G1 Supercard before a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.”
If you or someone you know is 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.
