[8.0] "Taichi is very underrated and I'm not sure why, every singles match that I have seen him in he always puts in at least a decent performance and you can tell he is very charismatic. In my opinion he deserves a good singles title run (not the Never Openweight)."
[10.0] "I like Taichi. He is one of my favorite wrestlers in this generation. He wasnt good when he did dirty role, but these days Taichi is just so good. He has great gimmik and cool looks. And his in-ring performance is very good. I like he doing Kawada moves. He made bunch of bangers after 2019, and people realized how good is him. I love Taichi and I hope he get some golds someday."
[10.0] "Taichi is currently one of my favourites. Everything is so great about him, his entrance, his moveset which consists of of ajpw pillars moves. I hope he is utilised better this year. Hes really been great for the past 4-5 years. Although he is an older guy, his peak has just started recently"
"I love taichi, he the kopw champion yay. Big up my mans hes the best part about new japan. Currently smashing the tag league with Y Sheila. Thank you taichi, my beloved."
[7.0] "Taichi is good. I've enjoyed a lot of his matches and he has greatly improved in my eyes this year. He's pretty charismatic, and after his match with will ospreay I started to care"
[10.0] "I love Taichi persona, plus he is a good wrestler, He is in my opinion very underrated and he is doing better than some of people may think, I give him 9.5 [10] Almost perfect for me, Taichi is very cool dude with amazing theme song amazing look amazing entrance and skills are fascinating, it's finally time to appreciate this guy"
[7.0] "His gimmick is one of the few I find just outright awful, and I have never warmed up to much of his character work. He improved in ring greatly in the past couple years and had a good thing with Zack. Overall tho there's nothing standout imo."
[9.0] "Updating my rating on Taichi. This is what I said in 2019: "Better than what people think. Cool character who plays his role of lazy asshole pretty well. Charismatic and good on the mic." Now people are willing to give him his flowers so it's good to see. Since he moved up to the heavyweight division he has been very good and had a lot of memorable matches and rivalry. Even at 43 years old it still feels like he can wrestle at a high level for a few years. He is consistently over with the crowd and can work very well with a dominant dynamic or being the underdog of the match, though I think people prefer the latter."
[10.0] "Taichi has improved so much. Ive been a fan of his for a while and got some ridicule for it, but since then hes been turning heads. The guy completely reinvented himself in the ring and I look forward to every singles match he has. Im beyond excited for his run as KOPW Champion and I wish NJPW would send him over to AJPW so he can potentially challenge and even win the Triple Crown with the Kawada ties. Its times like these where I wish New Japan didnt get rid of the IC title because Taichi getting a run with that belt wouldve been great."
[10.0] "When I first got into NJPW Taichi was only a Jr Tag guy with a bad gimmick & multiple injuries. However once I saw him do the loaded knee brace gimmick as a Jr, I knew he was going to be great. His team with ZSJ has really helped show him as a good wrestler and even before then his singles stuff was doing great. As a guy whose character was "lazy coward" the storyline of Ishii bringing the Strong Style out of him was good and helped evolve his character because when Taichi taps into the Strong Style the crowd pops for his personality change in ring. He also does a tribute sumo legend Hakuho and his infamous forearm strike & taunt in his last match ever, got to love this goof."
[7.0] "Ich habe mich lange gefragt, ob Taichi wirklikch so schwach im Ring ist oder ob das auch an seinem Gimmick liegt. Mittlerweile muss ich leider sagen, dass er wirklich sehr schwach im Ring ist. Die Heel-Aktionen passen soweit aber danach kommt ganz einfach kaum etwas. Scheint derzeit seine Lücke als grinsender Emo der Suzuki-gun gefunden zu haben aber viel mehr als das traue ich ihm nicht mehr zu. Update Februar 2023: All hail the holy emperor. Taichi hat sich das Update auf 7 Punkte redlich verdient. Seit seinem Aufstieg zu den Heavyweights scheint es fast so, als hätte Taichi wieder Lust auf Wrestling. Viele starke Matches hat er seitdem gezeigt und mittlerweile kann man auch an seine Matches eine gewisse Qualitätserwartung stellen ganz anders als zu meiner Zeit als Junior. Ich sehe ihn zwar nicht als Main Eventer aber in dem Bereich 15-20 Minuten ist Taichi verdammt gut."
[10.0] "Lord Taichi deserves a 10/10 rating. He has a great character and something else that we don't find in other wrestler. I hope he wins the New Japan Cup this year."
[8.0] "Took quite a while for him to find his feet, but man, is he one of NJPW's best guys right now, and easily one of it's most entertaining personalities."
[7.0] "An amazing example of a late bloomer. Pre-2019, Taichi was a whole load of nothing really; decent in the ring when he was motivated but coasted a lot, and the character work ranged from non-existent to cringey. Looked a completely different wrestler in the NJC 2019 then got his chance in the G1 later that year and he's just gone from strength to strength since. The character work is now enjoyable and he's showing some decent charisma. In-ring improvement has been massive and now you almost expect good matches from him."
[8.0] "Limited by his gimmick but man in the past few years Taichi has absolutely shown he can go in the ring. He's no spring chicken but he's still got great stamina, athleticism and power and can really put on a show. Very good also on the mic. Just a shame I don't think we'll ever see him get a real push beyond what he's got as a tag wrestler."
[10.0] "Taichi is the fucking man now. His morphing into a hybrid Strong Style/King's Road style wrestler has made him one of the more compelling in ring performers in addition to already being one of the most interesting characters in New Japan."
[9.0] "Mein Lieblingswrestler. Schon als feiger Junior-Heel unterhaltsam, als Kings Road Nachfahre in der HW Division bisweilen absolut großartig. Zudem einer der charismatischsten und unterhaltsamsten Männer im Business. Taichi war schon immer awesome und ich bin froh, dass ich mit der Meinung mittlerweile nicht mehr alleine dastehe."
[6.0] "Sein gimmick ist leider absolut nicht meins und ich kann nichtwirklich was damit anfangen. Sein Wrestlingstil ala Suzuki gun heel brawler ist teilweise sehr anstrengend. Da er aber mit den richtigen Gegnern gute Matches worken kann und als Tag wrestler gut funktioniert gebe ich eine solide 6."
[10.0] "Taichi embodies everything the japanese culture has to offer: the mocking mood, the extravagant clothes of a royal gimmick (acting the total opposite of it), the pleasant musics and the polished wrestling (and now sumo) skills. Not only that, he makes you hate him and love him at the same time; hate for treating his shortcomings like no big deal and for being lazy at times, and love him for the stories he can tell when he achieves success, so you will always expect more. At this point, Taichi is the heel you CAN'T hate, along with ZSJ and the rest of Suzuki Gun."
[7.0] "Absolutely love Tachi's entrance and ring attire, and gimmick. Lots of intensity behind his moves, and it really looks like it hurts. Seen some great matches with him in the G1 this year. He's definitely on the right track with every match feeling better and better."
[10.0] "Taichi has always owned it just took njpw not having all his matches be interference fests for people to realize it. It's nice to see him get more and more love as the years go on as he deserves every bit of it. One of the best acts in njpw the last 5 years or so"
[8.0] "Guy is getting better and better with the years. First i didnt like him at all but since a few years he really improved himself. Very underrated Midcarder by now!"
[8.0] "When I started watching New Japan in 2017, I remember how much people disliked Taichi, the lazy asshole of the junior heavyweight division who never had good matches. But he was getting reactions nonetheless, and it was obvious that people weren't just ignoring him. Something finally clicked with him during his match with Ishii in the 2019 New Japan Cup. Since then, he has slowly become one of the better mid-carders in the company."
[7.0] "Taichi has really hit his stride over the past few years. A veteran of the business and a pretty solid undercard guy in NJPW. Unfortunately it took him 15 years."
[9.0] "He's underrated. One of my favorites to watch. He can be funny and be an absolute killer in the ring. Dangerous Tekkers is probably my favorite tag team too."
[10.0] "Für mich der beste Heel bei NJPW. Auch finde ich, dass anders als bei vielen anderen, seine Matches trotz Eingriffen noch sehr flüssig und gut anzusehen sind."
[8.0] "A guy that doesn't enough credit. Now yes he's at his best when he really turns it on and goes in Dangerous T mode. But still has pretty good matches. I often think people don't appreciate the fact he bring good heel character work to New Japan."
[8.0] "Taichi used to be hit or miss for me, there would be times where he didn't seem to care all that much and just be average in the ring, but all that has changed. Taichi now has been putting on bangers for the past 2 years or so, part of that is him being in a team with Zack Sabre Jr, but I think if he were to be on his own I'd think he'd still shine as a singles star."
[9.0] "Taichi has really grown as a wrestler, from someone you'd groan about having to watch to now someone you really enjoy. In ring he's broken into that upper echelon with the other top NJPW talent, and his character work has gotten excellent too. He's gone from a bleh heel to now a superb face leaning tweener the crowd actively loves. I hope he eventually gets a run at the top of the card with a World Title, he's earned it."
[5.0] "Love Dangerous Tekkers as a team, though the start of their year was bogged down in a GoD feud. Had two amazing matches on the Summer Struggle tour - vs Naito and SANADA for the IWGP Tag Team Championships, and vs CHAOS for the NEVER Six-Man belts. Unfortuantely his singles tournament performances were weak in my opinion, lowlights vs Goto in the NJC, and SANADA in the G1. His character work is elite, but he can have a plodding style that pads too much time, especially in singles bouts."
[10.0] "Taichi is an extremely underrated performer who is mostly disliked for his days as a junior heavyweight. Then he was really annoying, but since 2018 Taichi moved to the heavyweight division and since then has developed very quickly and by 2021 he is one of the most interesting performers of New Japan, which is always interesting to follow and at the same time Taichi shows excellent matches."
[7.0] "His gimmick is so corny that it's easy to forget he's actually pretty good until he gets to show out for a match. He's steadily gotten to a point where he's consistent in delivering good, to even great performances."
[7.0] "Taichi is a mixed bag for me. In some matches I think he can steal the show but in others... it's just so mediocre. Taichi is a good Heavyweight now, and I think his current placement on the card in New Japan suits him well, especially for his age."
[8.0] "I don't often rate wrestlers. But Taichi deserve a better note. He's improve a lot that last two and a half years. He's look a completely different wrestler the one i knew when i start watch njpw."
[5.0] "A honest but very limited midcarder whom NJPW has been more or less forced to push due to how depleted their roster has become over the past couple of years. I genuinely honestly don't understand the hype surrounding him: he's exactly the same honest if uninspiring worker as before. His matches become a veritable chore to watch when they go over 10 minutes, which these days in NJPW means always. One bonus point however for being Kawada's whipping boy in his early days and lampooning his teacher's lounge singer gimmick."
[4.0] "He has some charisma and that's the end of his upsides. He's a slog to watch at times and his gimmick isn't that great at all. Move him away from ZSJ so Zack can get some singles runs."
[10.0] "over the past 2 years, Taichi has made a huge leap in self-development, he certainly has charisma, and he is also one of the best in-ring performers"
[3.0] "The guy has a good look and that? s where the positives end he is very average in the ring with little to excite anyone not particularly athletic or charismatic in the ring and treated like a bigger star the. He really is there are much better wrestlers in Japan"
[9.0] "He has improved so much. He is definitely one of my favorite NJPW wrestlers now. Great gimmick, charisma, in-ring skills. His bromance with Zack is awesome. I wish him all the best and I am sure that the future is bright for him."
[10.0] "Taichi is one of the best wrestlers in the world and the continuous disrespect towards him makes no sense. He has a clearly defined character and psychological approach to his matches, his work is built off of a symbosis of him and his opponent's personalities as much as their technical styles, and that makes everything he does immediately engaging to watch. No one played with Suzuki or Jay White's characterisation more in last year's G1, and no one has brought the fight to Ishii more than Taichi in the last 2 years. He is filled with swagger, has consistently excellent matches, has fantastic kicks, is great in singles or in tags and is more than capable of delivering when it matters most."
[9.0] "Taichi cut the bullshit this year and is possibly in the top ten best wrestlers in New Japan because of it. Superb talent when he just wrestles. God Bless him... wait? He is the holy emperor! Nine!"
[8.0] "the ratings for him early on seem unfair as he seemed to be coming into his own a bit; now he is able to effortlessly make you believe in a ridiculous character and still seriously show up in the G1"
[10.0] "Taichi has really come into his own in recent years, very entertaining to watch and is superb in ring. Won't ever win the big one but a reign with the ic belt is a need"
[10.0] "Taichi is the most underrated wrestler in New Japan roster. Despite the fact, that he can cause the reaction of audience, he never won important prizes. Yes, being a junior heavyweight, he was very awful, but after return from NOAH with entire Suzuki-gun he became more interesting performer than ever. His matches with Tomohiro Ishii or Kazuchika Okada and recent tag team with Zack Sabre Jr. prove that. Incredible guy."
[10.0] "Taichi is a masterful wrestler, possessing pretty much everything a star needs. He's got a unique look, incredible charisma, great chemistry during both matches and promo's with most other members of the roster and he's versatile enough to where he can do pretty much everything excluding lucha moves, combining heavy, hard-hitting strikes and good holds. He hypes up a viewer like no other, and while he is a heel, he keeps the cheating to a minimum unless actively provoked. Easily my all-time favourite."
[8.0] "The Lord of the universe is Taichi. This man is insanely entertaining. His entrance is one of the best ones currently and he is no longer lazy in the ring so his matches are also great. He really sold me during the G1, especially against Ibushi where they only kicked and still put on a banger. He is also 1/2 of the best NJPW team of the year. Taichi is great."
[10.0] "This person shows that it is never too late to start. Initially, Krinj Gimmick turned out to be a great addition to make Kawada what he is. Kawada should be pleased."
[10.0] "One of the most underrated wrestlers in the world imo. I think he's one of the most charismatic heels in the world right now, and has had great matches with the likes of Okada, Naito and Ishii."
[10.0] "One of the most interesting wrestlers around. When he decides to bring it to the ring, his moves are crisp and amazing. Plus he has a great entrance and personality. I'll take Taichi over some pushed NJPW guys. Few hit moves like him nowadays."
[9.0] "The guy can go very well when he wants to do so, but as a heel he usually keeps it down to a lower level. One of the few heels left in the business who the crowd actually properly loves to hate. Can work well with basically anyone in the ring, through some of his best stuff is in tag matches, I find. (update 2020) With his amazingly consistent run in the latest G1 and MASSIVE pick up in in ring quality (probably because he's focusing less on boring Suzuki-Gun antics and interference and actually getting work in) I definitely have to bump up Taichi's ranking from his original rating. He's definitely improved as a performer and has shown surprisingly strong potential as a tweener babyface and as a stiff underdog."
[10.0] "You know, when I first started watching NJPW, I didn't like Taichi and I thought he was a bad performer. In part, this was true, there were a lot of dirty tricks in his matches and little good wrestling. However, what I see now is a completely different level and a completely different Taichi. The first time I changed my mind about him after the match with Ishii at Dominion, but then I thought "Hey, it's Ishii, everyone shows cool fights with him! ". But then there was G1, a high-quality match with Naito, a hard and intense fight with Takagi, an original and interesting match with White, and a gorgeous rematch with Ishii on the last day of the tournament. After that, I said to myself, "Damn, Taichi is good! " Then there was an extremely successful team with Zach Sabre Jr. , with whom they played great matches against Ibushi and Tanahashi. Taichi also had a great singles match with Okada at the New Beginning. But the real discovery of Taichi was for me on this G1. He hasn't had a bad match in the tournament this year. Each was good in its own way, each had its own story and good wrestling. I will especially mention another fight with Ishii and Ibushi, they are great and deserve if not 5 stars, then about that. Taichi made huge progress and became one of my favorite wrestlers in NJPW today."
[10.0] "A highly underrated wrestler. I, as a person who recently began to intensively fly behind the puro stage, became very interested in this performer. He literally has everything to be at the main events. Watching his matches, you see emotions and energy that are transmitted through the monitor. By far one of my favorite New Japan wrestlers."
[7.0] "He can be good when he wants to but almost every time he overplays his matches with shenanigans that I can't really say a lot about him. Against Ishii he gave such a great performance but just when I think that he is really good he goes back to his bullshit."
[10.0] "Together with YOSHI-HASHI and Jeff Cobb the name with a little less starpower in this year Climax that delivered only good matches. This symbolic 10 is for that."
[8.0] "Taichi has to grow on you, no one likes Taichi immediately. If you start liking him it's probably ironic at first, but eventually you'll notice he has a well put together character. He flips between hard-hitting King's road style and very despicable cheating. Both styles make sense for him at any given match."
[4.0] "For the most part Taichi is just not fun to watch but every now and again he gets his shit together and has a really enjoyable match. If he was consistent with that I could give him a good rating but as is, I just can't justify more than a 4."
[10.0] "Whatever you're thinking of him, this man means money and entertainment. Always great to have the Lord in a NJPW show. All hail to him and long live the Lord !"
[7.0] "Taichi has grown on me as of late, and he has the best entrance in New Japan. He's serviceable in the ring but he has great matches when hes against the right opponent."
[6.0] "Taichi became a good wrestler since he became a heavyweight. Obviously he is not at the level of Okada, Tanahashi or Naito but he really had fun matches with these guys."
[9.0] "My Lord. One of the most charismatic heels in all of japanese wrestling scene today. He might not be the best in-ring worker, but his matches are always exciting-to-watch at least. This is THE underrated talent in wrestling. His style is majestic, indeed."
[9.0] "Taichis great man- he does kicks, he wears pants (and then doesnt), hes in an inexplicably asexual worship-based relationship w/ Miho Abe, the most attractive woman in history, . Love Taichi, best in the world GOAT."
[6.0] "Alright fine, you've had three good matches Lord Taichi I concede, praise to you and Miho Abe. Now make that your average and I'll like you more. Also thank you for the fire promoter cheat code."
[7.0] "Taichi has really shown me through his performance against Ishii in the G1, as well as his latest match against Okada at New Beginning that he is a master of emotion and selling. He has made me care about him and his character development more than perhaps anyone else in the mid card / upper mid card in New Japan over the last year or so. When he can turn it on, he does wonderfully. And the fact that he's not always doing his best work-rate wise just makes these performances even better and adds a nuance that I never expected out of this character. Years ago, I rolled my eyes when I found out that Taichi had one the NEVER Openweight title, but since then, he has shown me that he truly is worthy of his position in the company, and that his training by Kawada was not a failure, nor is it just a platitude to be used on commentary. His kicks are wonderful, the pants ripping is electric, and it has really been interesting to see how he can balance his trickster side with the more serious, Kawada trained side of him. I'm hoping to see Taichi do even bigger and better things in New Japan before he decides to hang up his boots."
[7.0] "Taichi is good. Very good. Like most people, I also didn't like Taichi when I first came across him. His singing gimmick was stupid and his constant interferences were annoying; however, once I tried looking at the bigger picture, I appreciated him far, far more. Firstly, he's actually a great heel. Even when he was a more full-on heel a few years ago, he never had 'go away heat' of any sort. The crowd reacted big to all his heel spots, as they loved to hate him for how infuriating he was. The guy had (and still has) fantastic facial expressions to make himself look like a total prick that is totally in love with himself. Secondly, Taichi has now proven over and over again what a great wrestler he can be. He works the big-bomb strikefest style very explosively, since he knows the best moments to pull out a big move and he executes all his strikes with perfect technique and impact. I also love how he's been incorporating so many Kawada tribute spots into his game, since that not only reminds us of his connection to one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but he also just generally performs them extremely well. There's also some subtle storytelling there, as these tribute spots show Taichi throwing away his heelish, selfish, care-free attitude and caring about things other than himself, hence why he chooses to delve into the arsenal of his legendary master when he feels his own offence can't get the job done. It's always awesome whenever Taichi is driven to fully throw off his annoying heel schtick and go 100% with his aggressive striking approach, since he not only works that style perfectly, but this shows us yet another deeper level to his character, since we see that even he can eventually get so angry and passionate that he will throw away his tricks and valiantly try prove himself as a serious wrestler. Let's all stop pretending Taichi is in any way bad, because that's just too difficult now."
[9.0] "One of the best and most intriguing heels in wrestling. The best shit eating smirk in wrestling ever, the guy looks like he loves the smell of his own farts. I can understand some people not liking him for workrate reasons, some of his moves not looking crisp yet being a mentee of Kawada. I find all of his timewasting and gimmick shtick super funny and entertaining though."
[10.0] "Perfect all-around pro-wrestler for my taste. I don't understand how someone can dislike him. Awesome gimmick, enormous charisma, arguably the best promos in New Japan. His entrance is outstanding, his valet is great, his faction mates are a great fit with him. I love his general attitude and the way he carries himself and how he has an enormous presence. Taichi perfectly executes the heel actions, but for me personally he is more of a face as I can relate to him very well. Exceptionally interesting chracter. And now he has The Iron Claw? Forget about it! Definetily one of the best guys in NJPW, and thus in wrestling. Idk, maybe the "workrate" fanatics can find something wrong with him, but idk what. I love how he executes most things in the ring and his moveset is outstanding. Decisively my favorite among the heavyweights in New Japan. The powerbombs, the lariats, the Black Mephisto, Stretch Plum, Gedo Clutch - wow! But the best part is the various incredible leg strikes, which he uses frequently - I am a huge fan of that. Yet, the most important thing is how Taichi always manages to make his matches entertaining, even when he is just on the undercard. Everything he does is just really fun to watch, even the wrestling itself. Where it gets really amazing is when something unexpected happens, like in his matches against Naito or Goto. Some people use words like "shananigans" or "bullcrap", but it's actually called "pro-wrestling". Without these fun, entertaining things, pro-wrestling would be nothing but a fake fight, a pathetic immitation of a combat sport. Guys like Taichi bring the emmence entertainment that most people watch pro-wrestling for and that is why he is among the best. Did I mention that he is an avid fan of the fire pro wrestling game? He even uses it in some of his angles. In the end of last year he became a hero among the players of this game when he forced to developers to improve it. Taichi is phenomenal!"
[8.0] "Taichi's gimmick is fun, and he carries himself well. Taichi was also suuuuuch a bad and boring Junior Heavyweight, because he's a bit sloppy and not nearly as agile as his opponents in that weight class. Now, however, Taichi is a Heavyweight, and it makes such a difference! That bit of sloppiness doesn't stand out as badly when he's having brawling, bomb-throwing matches instead of lightning-paced sprints full of high-spots. Where he was un-agile next to the Juniors, he's actually pretty agile looking against the big heavy-hitters he's facing in the Heavyweight division. He's just much better suited to having matches where he and his opponent are beating the hell out of each other. He'll always use some smoke and mirrors in the form of weapon spots and distractions Miho Abe (who adds a lot to the act). But he's perfectly capable of having some brawls that are really fun and exciting and a bit different, and he's gotten over for it."
[6.0] "Whilst I enjoy shitposting online as a hardcore Taichi fan, I have to admit that I have mixed opinions on our Lord and Savior. When Taichi is truly motivated to wrestle, he can have a good, if not great match (Ospreay & Ishii as recent examples). Often times however, his gimmick is to stall, cause distractions, use underhanded tactics and be otherwise lazy and go through the motions. It's hard to rate him highly when that's what he's most known for. I don't mind him most of the time, however. And I'll say that Taichi has probably my favorite presentation of any wrestler today - his attire befitting an emperor, his entrance video, him 'singing' Pageant (one of my favorite entrance themes) with Miho Abe at his side."
[9.0] "It's 2019, the year of our lord and savior Taichi. Ever since he moved up to heavyweight, he has been acceptable at worst, and excellent more often than not. Plus, he is one of the most charismatic people on the NJPW roster. Long live the holy emperor"
[7.0] "Give Taichi a chance, goddammit! He is one of the best heels I've ever seen in my life. He got a very good mic-skill, an awesome look, his move-set is pretty good without the Suzuki-gun bullshits. How can you people hate someone that was trained by Dangerous K?"
[6.0] "I honestly don't think Taichi is that bad. He definitely isn't a great in-ring talent, but he has proven against Naito, Ospreay and others, that he is more than capable of putting on a good match. He also plays his character well and has a reasonable amount of charisma."
[10.0] "Taichi is a nice and responsible wrestler who is 100% sure good at playing his charachter. As you can see by his match with Ishii, Taichi good enough to be the best Kawada's student and to Toshiaki to be proud of him. In 2019 Maki showed that if you will give him the opportunity he can create not only well made matches, but also the historic ones which will remain in your memory for a long time. Taichi has many limitations, but at the same time he is unique. It's a very important criterion today which should not be missed."
[5.0] "This guy is weird and I don't know how to feel. Most of the time, he comes off as a painfully mediocre and annoying wrestler. He phoned it in, shit the bed and relied on his usual heel shticks. And of course, his matches mostly sucked massively. However, at some points, he suddenly got rid of his usual habit and stepped up his games. Yeah, he did great job against Tanahashi, Naito, Ospreay, etc for example. He played role well and worked hard and I can't deny. His style becomes a meme on internet as well. Overall, a weird wrestler but mostly average to decent at best. For sure, it is hard to expect him to be consistent for a long time. So a 5 seems to be fair. Not really bad but hardly great."
[6.0] "He's not a great wrestler at all, however, I find his character and the way he portrays it extremely funny and hilarious, he's so good at it and since he's a heavyweight he added a seriousness.............. that makes him even more comical lol, impossible to not laugh."
[8.0] "Taichi has improved drastically since becoming heavyweight, he focus more on actual wrestling than his usual heel stuff and reminds all of us that he was trained by one of the greatest wrestler of all time"
[9.0] "For real, who saw Taichi coming? Since I started watching NJPW last year Taichi has been my guilty pleasure wrestler because he stands out from the pack, I find his heel shenanigans entertaining and even though his Junior Heavyweight run was less than eventful I enjoyed him all the same. Taichi's fortunes began to turn when he faced Tetsuya Naito at TAKA-Taichimania in what was a great match, and afterwards Taichi made the move to the Heavyweight division and attacked Tetsuya Naito at The New Beginning in Osaka and wanted a rematch, since then, Taichi has proven that his performance against Naito wasn't a fluke, and that behind the heel shenanigans and lip-syncing, a genuinely good worker that has emerged. So if you're asking me which kind of NJPW fan I am, I'm on the "Let's go Taichi! " side, and let's just admire his taste in divas."
[7.0] "Anders als viele andere hatte ich nie was gegen sleazy junior Taichi, natürlich ruinert er matches und greift ständig ein ... Er ist immerhin Heel also hab ich da nie ein Problem gesehen und im Ring selbst kann er wenn er will. Finde es ja schon irgendwie schade das sein Team mit TAKA nun mehr oder weniger aufgelöst ist nun da er Heavyweight ist"
[7.0] "In a company full of outstanding workers, Taichi stands out in a way. He's not a particularly skilled worker like the god-tiers, and he's not a cool heel like most of the heels in New Japan. But he's definitely the best in terms of character and mannerisms. His Phantom of the Opera gimmick is enjoyable, he gets a good majority of genuine heat with his bits (the micstand, the pants, the lip-synching) and he's really upped his ring work with guys like Naito and Tana. He's an irredeemable heel that is fun to love to hate. Well he does have one redeemable quality, her name is Miho Abe."
[10.0] "Er bringt für mich sein Heel Gimmick rüber wie kein zweiter Wrestler auf der Welt. Wrestlerisch hat er auch kürzlich gegen Naito gezeigt, dass er sicher kein totaler Ausfall ist wie viele behaupten würden."
[8.0] "I don't think he should he go home at all. I love him! Good character work and has fun matches. But he can go in the ring as well, as we saw from his NOAH championship reign. Although we saw that side of him a lot less compared to his Suzuki-Gun sheenanigans. Plus, we should all be thankful to him for Miho Abe and that great theme song."
[8.0] "Always liked this dude and i'm glad he's getting more credit lately, even if i do understand why a lot of people have go away heat with the dude. He's just a really fun heel, a completely vain, narcassistic dick that everyone wants to see get his mic stand smashed over his face. Dude may not be on the level of a Kushida, Ospreay or Hiromu, but he's still pretty damn solid allrounder, with some damn fine kicks and powerbombs (Naturally, being a Kawada trainee), but never being so impressive that he overshadows the other guy in the match, and in the more high stake Singles/Tag matches he's involved in, he knows how to balance his schtick whilst having a good match. When a guy can legit have one of my favorite matches in the BOSJ tournament whilst technically not even touching his opponent for the majority of it, i cannot call him a bad worker."
[3.0] "Ich kann den Typen nicht ab. Und das ist fast schon Go-Away Heat. Man muss ihm lassen, dass er stets ausgebuht wird und das Singsang Gimmick hat Wiedererkennungswert, allerdings ist er im Ring eine Niete."
[9.0] "An excellent heel who gets legitimate heat from the crowd and viewers at home. Taichi is just FUN to watch work. Although he isn't one of the best juniors in the world, his in-ring work is actually massively underrated by most. He can put on good singles matches and holds his own in tag team formats. When it comes to pure entertainment, this guy is one of the best in Japan. PLUS he has a 10/10 entrance."
[4.0] "Eine Sache mussman Taichi lassen und das ist, dass errecht ordentlichen Heel-Heat zieht. Die Crowd stellt sich so gut wie immer gegen ihn und das ist eine Rarität in NJPW. Trotzdem im Ring unterdurchschnittlich, ebenso wenige solide Matches. Bleibt bei mir auf "ausreichend"."
[8.0] "I love this guy! I don't have a problem with his heel tactics and I actually look forward to his trope of Suzuki-Gun tactics more than anyone else really in the group, because the way he uses his micstick and other stuff, is hilarious and adds tension to matches. His theme is also really cool and I like his "singing" gimmick!"
[0.0] "The worst part of New Japan Pro Wrestling is Taichi. He makes all of his matches suck with his shitty tactics. Every match he's in is bad. Every one! People should study how bad he is. It's quite amazing. I don't wanna hear how "It's good heat! " It's not. The day he retires is the day i throw a party."
[5.0] "Taichi is a painfully average wrestler. I kinda like his look, incredibly punchable face aside, but when he gets in the ring he immediately loses me."
[2.0] "Probably the most boring Jr. Heavyweight wrestler I have ever seen. Subpar in ring work and his heel antics have always been the same in all his matches which doesn't entertain me at all. Other than having a punch-able face and annoying heel character that people can easily hate, Taichi doesn't have anything to offer. Hopefully he won't compete in BOSJ this year."
[1.0] "Kann gar nix im Ring. Einfach nur nervig und langweilig. Ich verstehe nicht wieso so jmd RPV die IWGP Junior Tag Team title abnehmen darf! Ich gönne Suzuki Gun einen Titel aber nicht Taichi denn der nervt"
[5.0] "Es ist kaum zu glauben das Taichi einst der Rookie war der ziemlich blass und fern jeglicher Ausstrahlung, Kawada zum Ring begleitete. Generell war er in seiner ersten Zeit unauffällig, was sich aber nach seinen Mexikoreisen änderte. Rein optisch erkennt man ihn jetzt sofort und auch sein Verhalten erzeugen Aufmerksamkeit, tja aber wenn es um Wrestling für sich allein genommen geht ... Das ist das größte Manko, den außer Heel Flucht- und Feiglingsinteraktionen wird nicht mehr viel geboten. Daher kann ich nicht so genau wissen wozu der Mann eigentlich fähig ist."
[7.0] "I find Tai-Chi incredibly entertaining. He makes me laugh every time I see him. Sometimes his in ring performance can seem a little lack-luster but, he's a great heel. He may not be as flashy in the ring as some of the other New Japan wrestlers but, his almost hipster-esque heel gimmick is a perfect match for all the good guy's on the under card."
[4.0] "Er kann natürlich etwas, nur zeigt er seit geraumer Zeit fast gar nichts mehr im Ring, einer der lahmsten Heels in Japan und jemand der versucht mit möglichst wenig Einsatz durch die Matches zu kommen."
[4.0] "In meiner ersten Wertung habe ich geschrieben, dass Taichi was drauf hat, aber lernen muss, schneller zu wrestlen. So - er hat mittlerweile genau das Gegenteil gemacht: er wrestlet jetzt noch langsamer, entzieht sich dem Kampf. Was dem Ric Flair erlaubt ist, ist dem Taichi noch lange nicht erlaubt. Funktioniert überhaupt nicht, langweilt nur. Wertung satte 2 Punkte runter, hoffentlich besinnt er sich bald eines besseren. Hat mir noch vor ein paar Monaten deutlich besser gefallen."
[6.0] "Ganz guter Junge. Er hat den großen Durchbruch nie so richtig hinbekommen, aber bei New Japan kann er zumindets nun dauerhaft zeigen, dass er ein solider Junior ist."
