Some wrestlers get narratives they can’t shake. For better or worse, a version of their story, their character, some shorthand for their whole career, becomes widespread and sticks. There is a version of U-T’s story that goes something like ‘really talented guy, shame about the injuries’. As narratives go, there are far worse (Hi Kaito). Yet, especially having followed U-T’s career in its latter phases when the worst of those injuries have passed, something about it stings. It wraps him up in the sadness of the ‘potential’ he has not reached, rather than the joy of the connections he has created. It’s not wrong (and arguably there is something rather Dragongate about the yearning and pain of it all) but it misses so much by being focused on the aspects of his story he did not craft himself. It also skims over the significance of those two things – his talent and the injuries that he has overcome – for his character and role in Dragongate today.
This article is an attempt to balance and also to expand on that shorthand narrative a little by looking more closely at what it really means to be Dragongate’s ‘Brave Heart’. Though incredibly popular, U-T has rarely had the opportunity to be the ‘main character’. His career is crafted from sometimes seemingly disjointed moments but which show a remarkable consistency in character and, if viewed together, precisely the kind of resilience that his moniker ‘Brave Heart’ suggests. In working through repeated setbacks U-T has weaved narratives of hope, of gratitude, of belonging, and growth where others might have worked with tragedy, bitterness, fear, and entitlement. Both are understandable paths, but where we might be inclined to peer into the darkness, we perhaps do not look so closely at what is in plain sight.
Side note: I have been watching Dragongate for over 2 years and yet writing about it terrifies me due to the depth of connections, history and mixed coverage over its many years. This article is my own attempt to be brave and to embrace my principles that interpretation belongs to everyone and understanding is better when we share.
Brave (adjective) ˈbrāv braver; bravest
having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty: having or showing courage
There is a view of bravery that sees it as exceptional, requiring a special individual or special circumstance. From this view, bravery is about actions in the moments when we are severely tested – the heroism of protecting someone else from harm, or perhaps taking a risk in speaking out against an injustice. It requires an acceptance of risk to ourselves, often in service of a greater goal.
From another perspective, bravery is an everyday occurrence, something each of us has the capacity for. In this case it may be facing our everyday fears – fear of judgement, of failure – and we may be courageous regardless of our perceived success in overcoming that fear. The fear we face does not have to be recognised or accepted by others to still require an act of bravery to face it.
In the context of Dragongate, being ‘brave’ probably requires a little of both the everyday and the exceptional.
When the Open the Brave Gate Championship was created in early 2005, it was hoped that it might capture some of the legacy and drama of the previously fought over NWA World Welterweight Championship and, in doing so, also provide Dragongate’s developing talents something to aspire to. It was a call to ‘step up’, to be exceptional. When Eita broke the championship belt in 2018, it was repaired with a new white strap to replace the traditional black. Then Champion, Dragon Kid, stated his hope that the belt be ‘dyed in the colours’ of whoever earned the right to wear it – a way of expressing that the Champion should bring their own character and meaning to their title reign and defend it accordingly. Winning the Brave Gate requires an initial act of courage, maybe several, that goes beyond their peers, but defending it requires that its holder live that courage every day in order to give the belt meaning and purpose. Without that, the belt loses its shine and the meaning of bravery is lost.
What is the bravest thing that you have ever done?
U-T’s bravery is most often of the ordinary kind, but it runs deep. It is persistent, embedded, inseparable from his character and story. Small, even by Dragongate standards, U-T has been a perpetual underdog and has had to fight for recognition from his seniors, peers and every generation since. He loses. Repeatedly. But he persists. He is the embodiment of the proverb ‘fall down 7 times, get up 8’. Particularly in Dragongate, where fighting for a unit as much as personal pride is important, that persistence is meaningful. In many cases, because of U-T’s position as the smallest or newest within a unit, he has been fighting as much, if not more, for his unit’s goals rather than his own. Persistence in the face of loss, and the mental strength it requires, is a form of bravery asked of every wrestler. However, there is something significant in practicing that bravery consistently and, often, in ways that are largely invisible.
For several of Dragongate’s main characters, the experience of loss has been a powerful motivator of negative emotions, including resentment and blame. Not so for U-T, who has tended not to make his frustrations visible or, at least, not direct them at others. Even U-T’s own teammates have sometimes assumed that U-T’s ability to recover from frustration after a loss equates to a lack of investment in victory. However, this is less about lack of emotion and more about personal philosophy. In 2024, when Strong Machine J grew frustrated with missteps and losses within Natural Vibes (of course, at the machination of Z Brats and Shun Skywalker), U-T made the point that, as wrestlers, the place to settle their frustration is in the ring. Similarly, when his request to join a unit in 2017 was responded to by two bidding teams, it was U-T who suggested that the appropriate response was that they fight it out. It is that consistent philosophy that has chanelled U-T’s energy into what he can achieve in a match setting, regardless of other circumstances or any perceived limitations. It is in the ring, therefore, that much of U-T’s bravery can be found.
For U-T, achievement in the ring has meant having to bring something extra to address size and power differentials. That has come in the form of a reliable and well-matched partner or team, but also in his ongoing development of llave techniques and their use against opponents who cannot match those skills. Arguably, whatever fuels his willingness to run repeatedly at Don Fujii’s elbows or to criticise Mochizuki Dojo has also played some role in his paths to success, though whether that is bravery or stupidity is too long a debate for this article.
U-T’s use of llave, though initially a reflection of his time in Mexico and an appropriate approach for his size, was later a conscious choice to enable him to compete in a company where he felt he had fallen behind. After joining Tribe Vanguard in 2017, U-T returned to honing his llave techniques as a way to overcome his setbacks from missing 1.5 years of his 5 year career through injury. Although by no means a straightforward path (no thanks to one Shun Skywalker) the route of trusting in his llave skills first earned Tribe Vanguard a Triangle Gate challenge and eventually earned U-T his first Brave Gate challenge against Susumu in 2019. Llave is more than just a specialism for U-T, it is also a source of his courage and a reflection of his commitment to finding a way to achieve his goals.
“The thing about working with time, instead of against it, he thought, is that it is not wasted. Even pain counts.”1
U-T has repeatedly been set on a different path to that laid out for him. Some through his own choice, like skipping out on his planned debut to go to Mexico with Eita and T-Hawk and forming the Millennials as a clear challenge to the generations he was a fan of as a child. Some diversions have not been so fortunate, or within his control. U-T occupies an unenviable position stuck between generations, with almost no peers to speak of and out of step with his juniors. He is different. He cannot be otherwise. He has watched his units disband from the sidelines, having to relinquish cherished connections as others move on.
And injury.
There is no escaping that U-T’s story is also about injury and where that has led him. There is bravery in U-T’s persistence, in his ability to endure and still be hopeful. It is not the only form of bravery in response to injury – there can be strength and courage in walking away, in finding different ways to heal – but how U-T has responded tells a story about who he is and where he finds meaning. Throughout U-T’s periods of injury, he has sought to stay connected and to stay hopeful. Where some wrestlers who are injured disappear from view, U-T has often been very present during his longer spans of injury – still promoting, still attending shows, still cheering on his unit mates via social media – remaining very obviously part of Dragongate even when not competing. He has repeatedly reaffirmed his intent to return, urging others not to worry on his account. He tries to trust in himself and his ambition, despite the longer route. His relationship with Kzy developed, in part, due to Kzy’s support and concern for him during injury. Their long-standing connection has been and remains important for U-T as a source of strength and a debt he hopes to repay. Consistent connection, regardless of whether he is active in the ring, is part of U-T’s character and bravery. His return matches tell a similar story – alongside Flamita and Maria, against Flamita, his planned return against Kzy and then actual return against Ultimo, alongside Jacky – these are, for the most part, not weighty matches but demonstrate remarkable consistency in connection.
Of course, there is pain here too. U-T’s injuries have sometimes come, like in 2019, when he seemed on the cusp of being able to achieve his ambitions. They have pushed him back to a point where his juniors have been able to overtake him. They have left him cut off while former teammates move on or even betray his unit. He is outside the flow of Dragongate time, forced to run to catch up when everything is different. For U-T, who wants to stay connected and to contribute, it is disorienting, frustrating, and deeply, deeply unfair. And yet he is bright. He makes a conscious choice to not make his presence about that pain or regret. He looks forward. So much of wrestling runs on hope. U-T is no exception.
“it ain’t about how hard you can hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.”2
Coming back from losses, a pattern of struggle – these are expected for any wrestler on their journey to a position where they might be Champion. How they deal with loss is often a test of who they are. The journey is also rarely smooth for any wrestler, with peaks followed by painful crashes, success followed by painful irrelevance. However, the mountains U-T has had to climb, the falls he has had to endure, the bumpiness in his roads to victory – arguably these are challenges outside of the ordinary. U-T has not only had to pick himself up after a match loss, he has contended with the loss of his units in situations outside his control. He has watched the numbers of his generation dwindle, his teammates depart. He has dealt with the pain of victory followed by injury, with success ripped from him repeatedly. He has had to prove himself worthy again and again, reintroduce himself to audiences. And smile. U-T’s ordinary bravery becomes exceptional by being the exception, by being a constant. Yes, U-T does something that is simple, ordinary, almost expected. But it’s still brave. It’s a kind of bravery I find myself lacking some days. It means something.
Heart (noun) härt
the central or innermost part: center; the essential or most vital part of something
For all that U-T has been absent through injury – nearly 3 years of a 12 year career – he has managed to become a familiar presence within Dragongate, even a link between the older and younger generations. This is more than just a reflection of the length of his career, it’s also a result of the connections he’s built and how those have been maintained, and about the stories he’s told during that time. U-T is, for lack of a better term, very Dragongate. Aside from his height marking him out as a Dragongate wrestler, his journey has touched on the very things that make Dragongate what it is. From debuting in Mexico and continuing to derive inspiration from the techniques learned there, he reflects Dragongate’s origins in Toryumon. As a founding member of the Millennials, a faction that sought to challenge their seniors and the status quo, and later in challenging the younger generation of Mochizuki Dojo, he’s been a catalyst in the generational struggles that have driven so many of Dragongate’s major stories. Although Dragongate has remained strongly his home, he’s also been part of maintaining the sort of connections that have helped the company to survive and thrive, representing Dragongate in a crossover with NOAH and in Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling, holding the Sou Ryou Tag Team Championship with Kzy for nearly a year. Whilst U-T may not be a name some think of as synonymous with Dragongate, he is very much a Dragongate wrestler in character and history.
“If you evade suffering you also evade the chance of joy. Pleasure you may get, or pleasures, but you will not be fulfilled. You will not know what it is to come home.”3
It is through the relationships U-T has built up within his units that it becomes most obvious that U-T is not just a bit part player, but the glue that keeps things together, one way or another. 2024’s Dead or Alive match between U-T and Strong Machine J is testament to this and worthy of several essays or epic poems. As the efforts of Shun Skywalker and Z Brats pushed Natural Vibes apart, forcing missteps in their teamwork and straining their bonds of trust, J grew increasingly frustrated that his unit could not seemingly focus on victory or, in his mind, accept the significance of their losses. Kzy, as leader, insisted on stepping up to Shun and the challenge of entering the cage, even at the potential cost of his position in Natural Vibes. U-T vowed to defend his unit his own way, by challenging the increasingly distant Strong Machine J to a singles match. His aim was to force an understanding between himself and J and to bring J back to the side of his unit when they needed him most. Although J walked away from that singles match not only defeated but looking lost, he returned to protect Kzy at a crucial moment. U-T’s approach was pivotal in saving his friends and potentially Natural Vibes as a whole. Arguably, he was successful precisely because he understood what his teammates needed; Kzy needed to fulfil what he saw as his role as a leader and J needed to feel the commitment of Vibes for himself. There is a moment during their singles match where U-T, anticipating yet another Machine Lariat from J, stands in the ring and spreads his arms wide. He doesn’t hesitate in accepting J’s frustration, nor does it make him falter in believing and working towards his victory. He is, in that moment, entirely Dragongate’s Brave Heart.
The significant affection and esteem in which he is held by his unit-mates, particularly his ‘big brothers’ YAMATO and Kzy, tells a story also. When YAMATO suspended Tribe Vanguard to form the Dragon Gate Generation in 2019, he reached out to the injured U-T to tell him that he was needed as part of the new generational struggle. He offered U-T a place to return to. Both YAMATO and Kzy have also made a point of commenting on U-T’s continued growth and the potential they see in him. Although unit conflicts might put them on different sides, their faith in U-T is notable and seemingly unshaken by his periods of injury. They still see U-T as a vital part of Dragongate and will put their trust in him as a teammate. Of course, the relationship is not one-sided and U-T has much to thank each of them for in his journey – YAMATO’s comforting dojo cooking, his far less comforting training, and his inspiration in guiding U-T towards llave as his unique skill, and Kzy’s long-term support, in and outside the ring, and his well-stocked DVD collection. U-T’s heart does not go unnoticed by those closest to him, and he repays their trust in kind.
Passion (noun) pas·sion
5b: strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept
In a literal translation of U-T’s epithet, there is one more word: passion. It adds little to the English understanding of his nickname except perhaps for this one element: for a wrestler who has never actually held the belt in question, it is notable that it is hard to think of the Brave Gate without considering U-T. His dream from when he was in elementary school has been of joining Dragon Gate and winning the belt held by the wrestler he looked up to, Dragon Kid. That dream has become part of who he is as a wrestler and, though he has not yet fulfilled it, that dream has reached others. To share a dream and face potential ridicule or disappointment requires bravery. To have that dream reach and mean something to others requires passion. U-T has more than enough of both.
Dragongate is U-T’s home, the Brave Gate his permanent ambition. At least, until he wins it.