Sareee Reflects on Highs and Lows of 2025, Looks Ahead to the New Year

By Noah Leatherland

Sareee has been one of the most talked about names in the Japanese pro wrestling scene across 2025. Sitting down with Tokyo Sports, Sareee looked back on the highs and lows of the past year, and also looked ahead to what 2026 may bring for The Sun God.

Sareee reflected how after a triumphant 2024, this year began in chaos:

2024 was a fulfilling year… but losing to Utami Hayashishita in my first match of the new year, then dropping the SEAdLINNNG title, followed by a loss to Meiko Satomura – three defeats in a row. Having worked non-stop since returning to Japan until January this year, losing the belts meant the year began with me having to re-examine myself.

Sareee then looked back on her journey to the IWGP Women’s Championship. That path began with the 30 minute time limit draw against Syuri at Sareee-ISM Chapter VII:

After losing everything, when I thought about what I truly wanted and what I wanted to do, the one thing that remained in my heart was winning the IWGP Women’s Championship. Having challenged Mayu Iwatani in April 2024 and lost, I felt I needed to bring something tangible to the table to earn another shot. I thought that defeating Syuri, STARDOM’s strongest wrestler, would make me a challenger everyone recognised and would satisfy me personally. That match made me truly understand Syuri’s strength.

Photo Credit: STARDOM

Syuri captured the IWGP Women’s Title in April, with Sareee meeting her at STARDOM The Conversion in June, and taking the belt from her. On that match, Sareee said:

I approached this match with the resolve that if I missed this chance, I might never get to wear this belt again. It was the belt I’d been saying I wanted ever since I returned to Japan, so when I finally wrapped it around my waist, I was truly overjoyed.

However, Sareee lost the belt back to Syuri at NJPW’s King of Pro Wrestling event in October. Sareee shared her thoughts on that experience and the IWGP Women’s Title:

For a freelancer like me, the New Japan ring isn’t one you can just easily step onto. I never even imagined I could get there. Standing in that place as champion, wrestling there, I felt, ‘I’ve finally made it this far.’ But I wasn’t satisfied just by getting there. Precisely because I was looking beyond that, losing was incredibly frustrating. If I’d won there, I might have had a defence match at the Tokyo Dome on 4th January next year. I still resent having ruined that chance myself… Even now, I believe the IWGP Women’s belt suits me best. I think I’m the wrestler who can elevate that belt’s value the most. So, I naturally feel that chance will come around to me again. When it does, I absolutely intend to reclaim it. Alongside the IWGP Women’s belt, I have this desire to make the women’s pro-wrestling world even bigger and bigger.

Still a freelancer, Sareee spent much of her year competing in STARDOM. It did not take long for her to ruffle a few feathers within the promotion:

Before my IWGP Women’s Championship match against Syuri, I ended up facing Ranna Yagami in a singles bout. Before the match, I told Yagami, ‘I’ll show you the real deal.’ That caused a stir, and even wrestlers who didn’t know me were posting things like ‘What’s the real deal?’ on social media… The ring is fundamentally a place filled with anger and a killing intent. I think Yagami, hearing me say that, felt she had to prove herself. I sensed that kind of fighting spirit in the ring, and I thought, “She’s a good wrestler.” But if she had that kind of anger or frustration, I thought she should have brought it out before the match even started. That kind of rage is the origin of pro-wrestling, and for me, it’s something very important. I honestly felt that aspect was overwhelmingly lacking in STARDOM, so I voiced it.

Sareee not only drew the ire of fellow wrestlers, but also the STARDOM fans:

When I fought Konami at the opening match of 5★STAR and shouted ‘Here I go!’, I got ‘Boo!’ Having received cheers for 14 years, I thought it must be a mistake, so I tried shouting ‘Here I go!’ again, and got ‘Boo!’ again. Every time I attacked, the booing started. At first, I wondered what on Earth was happening. Especially since my opponents were H.A.T.E., the bad guys. It was a first for me… When I entered [in Tochigi], the crowd gave me the middle finger. I get it at big Tokyo matches, but getting the middle finger in a regional venue with no lights? That was a bit of a shock, to be honest.

Photo Credit: STARDOM

Facing tough challenges both inside and outside the ring, Sareee received the Tokyo Sports Fighting Spirit Award. Sareee reflected on what that meant for her:

I don’t deliberately make statements to invite criticism, nor do I seek to be liked. As a freelancer, I have nothing to protect, so whatever happens is entirely my responsibility. I’m human too, so sometimes I wonder if what I said was wrong. But I believe if I compromise myself or let outside voices sway me, I’d cease to be myself. So I’ve walked the path I believe in. As a result, I received the Women’s Pro Wrestling Grand Prix last year and the Fighting Spirit Award this year. It gave me confidence that those watching are truly watching. But I’m not satisfied with this. Next year, I want to keep pushing forward without compromising myself.

In that same bunch of awards, Saya Kamitani became the first woman to win the MVP Award. On that, Sareee shared:

Honestly, it stung. That’s precisely why I feel I have to fight her. I’m ready whenever she is; it’s down to her.

Saya Kamitani is not the only name that Sareee wants to face. She also listed several names that she would like to share a ring with in 2026:

I want to fight Takumi Iroha, who I’ve shared the tag team belts with this year, Mayu Iwatani of Marigold, and also Bozilla. Takumi and I are opponents who spur each other on as Spark Rush. We haven’t had a singles match in years, so I want to settle once and for all who’s stronger. Iwatani is the only one who debuted in the same year as me… We’re both celebrating our 15th anniversary, so I think she’s the one I should fight now. But she keeps turning me down… I wonder what she doesn’t like about me. I’ve fought Bozilla several times in Marigold as well as in STARDOM, including losing to her in the tag league finals. I want to fight her again in STARDOM.

2026 will mark Sareee’s 15th anniversary as a pro wrestler. She aims to make 2026 another year decorated with gold:

It will be a big challenge, but precisely because it’s my 15th anniversary, I want to shake up the pro-wrestling world even more than last year or this year. To do that, I definitely want to win a singles belt again next year. As long as I’m a pro-wrestler, a singles belt is really important, and winning a belt makes you stronger. Next year, I’ll be aiming for belts in all the organisations.

(Quotes translated via DeepL)