Kazuki Hirata to Replace Kaisei Takechi in KING OF DDT 2026

By: Ian McCord

Kaisei Takechi, member of the musical group THE RAMPAGE, was scheduled to compete in DDT Pro-Wrestling’s KING OF DDT 2026 tournament. However, after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis, the 2025 Tokyo Sports Rookie of the Year will have to withdraw from this year’s competition.

From DDT Pro-Wrestling:

“Kaisei Takechi was diagnosed with acute appendicitis following a medical examination for abdominal pain. As a result, he will be unable to compete in “KING OF DDT 2026,” for which he was originally scheduled to appear. We sincerely apologize for any concern or inconvenience this may cause our fans. We appreciate your understanding. We will announce a replacement competitor as soon as a decision has been made.”

(English Translation via DeepL)

At DDT’s Yacchina Fight 2026 on April 25th, it was announced that former KO-D Openweight Champion, Kazuki Hirata, would be taking Takechi’s place in this year’s tournament. This will be Hirata’s first KING OF DDT in 6 years.

Kazuki Hirata is set to take on Danshoku Dieno in the first round of KING OF DDT 2026 on May 4th in the legendary Korakuen Hall.

Here are the full results from DDT’s Yacchina Fight 2026 on April 25th courtesy of purolove.com:

• Shinya Aoki defeats Rukiya (9:42) with a European Clutch.
• Kazuki Hirata & Naomi Yoshimura defeat Danshoku Dieno & Antonio Honda (0:02) after a Side Headlock by Yoshimura on Honda.
• 1 vs. 3 Handicap Match ~ No Touch Rule : Naomi Yoshimura defeats Danshoku Dieno, Kazuki Hirata & Antonio Honda (8:53) with an Anal Side Headlock by Yoshimura on Hirata.
• No Touch Rule : MAO, KANON, Yuki Iino, Yukio Naya & Viento Maligno defeat Kazuma Sumi, Junta Miyawaki , Tomimitsu Matsunaga, Yuni & Yuki Ishida (12:44) after the Assault Love Heart by MAO on Yuni.
• Special Tag Match : Yuki Ueno & Akito defeat Daichi Sato & Masami Inahata (15:46) after a Sit-Down Sunflower Bomb by Ueno on Inahata.
• FANTÔMES DRAMATIC vs. DAMNATION TA!: Hideki Okatani, Minoru Fujita & MJ Paul defeat Chris Brookes, HARASHIMA & Hinata Kasai (12:47) after a Kushizashi-Style Claymore by Okatani on Kasai.
• paleyouth vs. The37KAMIINA!: Shunma Katsumata & To-y defeat Takeshi Masada & Yuya Koroku (16:53) after a Frankensteiner by To-y on Masada.