Kaito Kiyomiya

[10.0] "For a decade, Kaito felt like a man searching for a version of himself that could stand beside the legends whose shadows he grew up in. In 60 Minute Iron Man Match, he finally found that version. The hour he shared with Kenoh wasn't just a fight -- it was a portrait of his growth, his stubborn heart, and the identity he carved through adversity. When the bell rang, I realized something simple: Kaito is no longer someone we wait on. He's someone we follow. And that's why this is my first ever 10 for him."

[7.0] "Unfortunately Kiyomiya disappoints me. Like most NOAH-borns he is very athletic and has a good look however he is very bland. Despite wrestling for 9 years and having 3 GHC Heavy title reigns already, he still hasn't found his own identity, he is still young babyface Kiyomiya, only adding NOAH nostalgia spots to his repertoire. Why did he give up his tiger suplex finisher? His new Shining Wizard Mutoh reference looks terrible. He is very good at constructing a match, his selling is good, he knows when to do what and how to get the crowd hooked, but his moveset is terribly basic. He mostly does dropkicks, dragon screws, crossbodies, forearms and shining wizards. Why isn't his main strike the european uppercut anymore? Do we really need Kiyomiya referencing Misawa? He used to do more suplexes, which I think suit him perfectly, but he doesn't even do them that much anymore. If he was wrestling in 1983 we'd call him a high flyer and his moveset high-risk, but now he's just a bit boring. When he wrestles I only get reminded of NOAH legends and Kaito gets lost somewhere in all the references and callbacks. I think he needs some room to breathe and to find his own style. If NOAH had a few more stars I'd propose he make a second excursion or wrestle somewhere else for a while, but NOAH are very short on top stars right now imo. I hope he finds his own path soon."

[9.0] "Kaito Kiyomiya is the most talented wrestler of his generation, he became main event material for NOAH at a very young age, he was always ahead of his age and ahead of his contemporaries, always showed a huge maturity. Kaito is undoubtedly a superstar, he knows how to work main event matches, and is always delivering a lot in the ring, with his ability of telling stories trough facial expressions. He's an awesome seller too, and a very humble guy, not selfish at all, he's always selling a lot for any opponent that he's facing, a complete team player."

[7.0] "Not NOAH ace material i tell you that much. Kaito was a prospect, and then he turned to a Muta/Misawa clone. He can't carry a company for what it's worth as long as he doesn't create his own path. Good wrestler, good fire occasionally, not my guy."

[9.0] "Kaito Kiyomiya rivals the best wrestlers in the world right now, there is no question in my mind about that. Hes essentially the perfect Puro baby face and the fact he's been booked this poorly is a perfect example of NOAHs issues currently. He really channels the idea of fighting spirit, he has a great look and has had some of the best matches in NOAHs recent history. The fact he's only 27 and is this good is just astonishing. Hes a slight bit lower than someone like Nakajima simply due to the odd poor match when against certain opponents and just not quite having ascended to that perfect level, but Ive no doubt Ill be revisiting this to give him a 10 down the line."

[8.0] "This kid is incredible, so fun to watch and I really love his aura as a wrestler. Great attires, great moves, great style, he's SO CLOSE to being the true ace of Japanese pro-wrestling. Still, I feel like it wouldn't be fair to rate him higher than an 8 as of now because he's young and still has to improve on certain aspects. Hopefully we get that Okada match again in a few years once Kiyomiya hits his peak and Okada comes back to Japan. Aside from that though, this is THE GUY people need to be watching and placing all their hope on to carry Japanese pro-wrestling into the future."

"I've seen him in the World Tag League and I must say, he really exemplifies the fighting spirit of Japanese pro wrestling"

[9.0] "Kaito Kiyomiya has always been a good wrestler, but he has come to his own in the past two years and his current run in 2023 has been great. He is very smooth in the ring and shines when people can keep up with his style, similar to SANADA. He has the fire and passion as well, and it shows when he commits to big-time matches with everything he has."

[10.0] "Based on his career so far and future potential, I am a massive believer that Kaito Kiyomiya has all the tools to go right to the top of the industry. He's had a run at the top of NOAH already and I expect he will again, though I wouldn't be surprised to see him snapped up by one of the big two in America sooner or later."

"A future legend of Japanese wrestling. Having watched his work in NOAH over the last few years and now his current run in the G1 tournament, he's proving himself with every showing. What a talent."

[8.0] "Kaito has real star quality, and regularly delivers on big occasions. He has the potential still to get even better and become one of the prominent all time greats on the modern scene, so I really look forward to seeing where he goes. He gives me Tanahashi vibes, also is the ideological successor of Misawa, but I hope he continues to grow his way and not be the "next anyone"."

[9.0] "ORG 08.07.2020 - I am very upset and forced to lower Kiyomiya score. He is incredibly promising, but with age he does not create anything of his own, but only continues to be Misawa. I really do not like this, but at the same time I really like Kiyomiya. He copies Misawa overview, Misawa colors, Misawa moveset. You know, Naomichi Marufuji said that he is not Misawa despite the fact that he can be called his protege. Marufuji was always independent and therefore he became great. One of the greatest. I hope that Kiyomiya will change later and I will change my mind about him. 5/10. UPD 11.11.2021 I'm glad to write this: Kaito has really changed for the better. I'm glad that the company realized that Kaito is not Misawa, that forcibly shoving him down fans' throats won't work. Kaito was kind of popular, but he didn't become the mainstay for the promotion, the role that was put on him. I think that hit him hard. I think Kaito himself was absolutely disappointed in the role he was given on his debut. Kiyomiya went through physical and mental suffering, changed his appearance, and is even starting to change his muuset to a more original rather than Misawa-style moveset. I think that if things keep going like this, Kaito will achieve much more than he could have before.UPD 12.02.2023 Kaito is only getting better."

[9.0] "He's found the edge I was looking for since his program with Muta began and he's been on a roll. Great fire and intensity throughout the entire N-1 tournament and he seems to have recaptured what made him so interesting when he came back to NOAH."

[8.0] "Needs that intangible to truly become a real star in my eyes, however I'm not worried that he will exceed his already high ceiling. Yes, he is an ideological offspring of Misawa but he is steadily progressing in-ring and out of ring."

[9.0] "When I first saw Kaito he was amid his Heavyweight Title reign and while I could see glimpses of it I didn't really enjoy the "beat up for 20+ minutes hits a few big moves wins the match formula" unless was against kenou who felt like a legitimate threat his time away from the belt has really allowed him to shine and go outside the limiting japanese big title match formula he selling is top notch and his timing is also impeccable he's for my money far and away the most athletic wrestler in NOAH and his tiger suplexes are beautiful he's only been wrestling for five years he's a top guy and under 30 I might rail against NOAH for their pushing of the old guys over the younger talent but no doubts about it they've booked kaito well and actually built a home grown star all hail the emerald supernova.... 9/10"

[10.0] "Kaito Kiyomiya is 25 years old and already has a case for being the single best wrestler in the world. Unlike the aces and main eventers of other big promotions, Kaito's matches are well-structured, dynamic, and captivating from bell to bell. He has eschewed the trappings of a lot of contemporary big match puroresu - pointless limb work to kill time, fancy and choreographed reversal sequences, "get my shit in" spot checklists, GIF-worthy signature move spam - and is seemingly dedicated to being a complete pro-wrestler. This year alone, he's spent 38 minutes mat-wrestling Yoshinari Ogawa, bladed like Ric Flair, won the tag titles, feuded with his own booker and both Keiji Muto and Great Muta, went on a rage-inducing losing streak, and got hit by a car. All of this, especially in comparison to the blandness of Okada or the robot-like repetition of Miyahara, is on a completely different level. If you want your main event to be 20 minutes of limb work that serves no purpose followed by 20 minutes of a "Best Moves of Your Favorite Wrestler" highlight video, Kaito is not going to be for you. For everyone else, Kaito is probably professional wrestling's best hope."

[8.0] "I don't think Kaito is a 10, but for only being 25 he is DAMN good. He's definitely the future of NOAH, and has some awesome singles matches on his record. Amazing in the ring for his age and has a load of potential."

[8.0] "I really like Kaito as a wrestler. He's one of the best in terms of performing fiery comeback spots and his athleticism and physicality are on point, but he doesn't abuse it like some could. He's fairly grounded technically and likes to build to big spots using that technical work rather than simply leaping all over the place. Yes, he takes a lot of Misawa's moveset and sorta copy pastes it into his own, but who doesn't? He doesn't overdo those borrowed assets and uses them sparingly as big, match equalising techniques. He's a top seller and knows how to just show utter pain and frustration perfectly and works great when selling for a long duration of time. What's the issues? I feel like Kaito doesn't really have much of a character for one. He doesn't really have anything that makes him different from other babyfaces and he's a bit too white-meat in terms of personality. This isn't necessarily a bad thing with the likes of Cena successfully achieving this concept but Go already fills those boots just fine. For another, Kaito's main event formula gets really old, really fast. His first run with the belt had the same standard "Kaito gets his ass kicked for a majority, comeback spot, finish" over and over again until fans got pretty tired with it. Kaito is a great wrestler in the ring but he brings next to nothing beyond it. However, he's VERY young and has plenty of time to refine those issues. In terms of potential, he could perhaps be one of the best with a few years of development."

[9.0] "He's a 9 now, if booked correctly he will be a 10. I love him, he's gorgeous, great in the ring and still basically a rookie. It would take catastrophic levels of failure on NOAH's behalf to mess this up."

[9.0] "Kaito has unreal potential at such a young age. Will be regarded as an all-time great within the next decade."

[8.0] "NOAH's young ace! While Okada and Miyahara were having kind of down years Kiyomiya was there working hard, putting in solid performances. I think there is something missing in Kaito that he is slowly developing. He's improved greatly since just 2019. He's going to be really, really good in the near future, I think. He carries himself well as a young babyface and you can see he's influenced by Misawa, but you can also see elements of Miyahara, Okada, and even Tanahashi in his work. He's going to get better and will soon enough be one of the top stars in Japan."

[8.0] "I can't rate him any higher bc I haven't watched enough NOAH, but this guy is something else. I could talk about his in-ring ability, which is fantastic, but it's the way that he carries himself in the ring that has most impressed me so far. I can't imagine how good this guy could be in 5-10 years."

[10.0] "He is an incredibly talented wrestler, very young, and he has it all put together. The world is Kaito? s oyster I? m telling you, he is the future of NOAH."

[10.0] "Been following his career since his return to NOAH from excursion and he has always delivered. I believe he is underrated because he doesn't do insane, flash moves but instead focuses on the basics. In terms of consistency, he is up the very best and when he wrestles, you can always get behind him. His title reign in 2019 was excellent at establishing a new ace and every big match he had was worth watching. People seem to be rating him lower than I believe he should be, maybe because of his simple style, but they should remember that at only 4 years into his career, he is already one of the best in the Puro scene."

[7.0] "Maybe not necessarily the guy I would have gone with to represent the new generation of NOAH, but it certainly seems to be working. Kaito definitely can go and has had some great matches (I was fortunate enough to witness one of his matches against Kenoh last year in person. ) If he adds a little bit more to his character beyond "fan of Misawa", I think that would do wonders for him."

[8.0] "The future ace of NOAH is right here! Kaito Kiyomiya is the youngest GHC Heavyweight Champion and I'm so proud of him! He needs to improvise his mic-skills and strikes, but he's still a great wrestler. I'm watching all his title defences, and, so far, he's doing great. NOAH is in good hands with Katsuhiko Nakajima, Kenoh, Go Shiozaki, Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada and Masa Kitamiya."

[5.0] "He's got the wrestling part down, but as of this writing, he still kinda feels like a young boy. Could he be the future of NOAH? Absolutely. But to say he is fit to be the top guy in that promotion right now I think is doing him a huge disservice. He's good, but there's still so much room for growth."

[9.0] "I'm really impress with this young man. He keeps improving in every show and he already has a couple of good match in his resume. With Go Shiozaki act as his mentor, the man is destined as the ace of NOAH."

[8.0] "Saw him get pummelled by Suzuki on recent NOAH show and it was really entertaining. He has great intensity and fire about him and its just his first year. Suzuki carried that match but he showed some great babyface comebacks and by the end people cared for him. Lots of potential. Looking forward to see him more."