Beginning’s Wild Monkey: The pro wrestling career of Aina Aiba (Yuuki Harima)

Note: All early photos of Harima used in this article are credit Hideki Togashi, aka A-Rex. His knowledge of the early days of Actwres girl’Z has been an incredible resource, and he generously let us share his photos, providing a unique look on a previously unseen era of the promotion. Check out his blog and follow him on X!

May 31, 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the debut of Actwres girl’Z. And thus, it’s the 10th anniversary of the debuts of Saori Anou, Natsupoi, Nao Kakuta, Tae Honma, Maika Ozaki, and the beginning of the short run of a wrestler named Yuuki Harima. Most Japanese womens’ wrestling fans know Anou, Poi, Kakuta, and anyone in-tune with the indies knows Honma and Ozaki. But some wrestling fans may not exactly realize that Yuuki Harima is the biggest star of them all.

Yuuki Harima tried to find footing as a voice actor. But as job opportunities dried up, and receiving a denial from 81 Produce, one of the largest voice acting agencies in Japan, Harima turned to other forms of performance. Including being part of a troupe with Maika Ozaki. An unabashed wrestling fan, Harima worked the subject into her routines, and led her to be scouted. She’d be invited to a Stardom show, and while she enjoyed it, she would initially decline the invitation to join the promotion. However, Harima would eventually join Stardom as a trainee.

And thus begins the complex history between Stardom and Actwres girl’Z. Harima would eventually switch to becoming one of the initial members of the Actwres girl’Z roster, along with Saori Anou, and AgZ’s first ring announcer, Mizuki Ishizuka.

In April, the initial promotion for the company began. On their YouTube channel, they started posting videos of the talent introducing themselves. Harima would open with what would become her catchphrase –

大阪発!目的地不明!
暴走機関車!

“Osaka hatsu! Mokutekichi fumei! bousou kikansha!”

“From Osaka! Destination unknown! Runaway locomotive!”

She also talks about going wild in the ring. Then, they posted another video that has a completely different tone. An early example of the range AiAi would become known for. After the intro videos, things started to shift on the channel. We began seeing a comradery being built among the early AgZ roster, silly videos from parks, a pre-launch event, and the debut of news reporter, Saori Anou.

It all led up to Act 0, billed as the “prologue” of Beginning. Harima would be facing friend, and future tag partner Maika Ozaki in her debut match.

Act 0 was indeed a prologue, more akin to a late preseason game simply to get some rookies some reps. The show opened with a rough debut for Kakuta and Honma, which is amazing to look at considering how far they have come since.

But the show’s main event was a showcase for two of the budding company’s pillars. Other than Manase, Harima and Ozaki were the most complete talents. Ozaki was already a national champion powerlifter, and her presence matched that. Harima’s wild look was an instant attention grabber. As the main event of the first show for a new promotion, made almost completely of rookies, this match was exactly what it needed to be, and absolutely a bit more.

Harima’s unpredictability in the ring was front and center. She didn’t back down from her imposing opponent. She hit a diving crossbody from the second rope. And her big move was the “Christ” hold, a modified headscissors Manji Gatame. She even managed to escape an Argentine backbreaker, before eventually submitting to Ozaki’s second attempt.

In September, Beginning Pro began in earnest. Its main event would feature the teams of MArZ, Yuna Manase and Saori Anou, against TurtleZ, the team of Yuuki Harima and Maika Ozaki. All four women were the pillars these early shows were built on, and there was no bigger match to headline its first proper show.

And again, Harima demanded fans’ attention with almost everything she did. From the intro and her team pose with Ozaki, to her getting Manase down for a pin and making finger guns towards her forehead. She takes a beating at the hands of Manase, but she hold her own as well. And her chemistry with her long-time friend and now tag partner really tied it all together.

At Act 2, we see another big singles match for Harima, this time with Saori Anou. And the match is great. Anou shows a ton of personality, and Harima starts showing her speed. Huricanranas, a sunset flip off the middle rope, a quick leg sweep, and a dive off the apron to the outside. Harima has become that unpredictable runaway train.

She even attempts a double foot stomp from the top, but Anou dodges. Harima follows it up with her Christ hold, and the crowd oohs and ahhs at the impressive maneuver. Anou ends up winning, but not before Harima hits a defiant Enzuigiri.

And at Act 3, we see a huge rematch between TurtleZ and MArZ. A video package sets the scene, TurtleZ has a victory over MArZ, Anou with a singles win over Harima at Act 2. This is a bit of a rubber match, but its meaning goes far beyond that. And we’ll get to why soon.

TurtleZ are out first and come out to the song “Toy Soldiers” by DOLL$BOXX. And despite the Christmas costumes they have on during the intro, they’re all business. MArZ, though, are as bubbly and chaotic as ever, dancing to the ring to “Kokoniiruzee!” from Morning Musume.

The match is an emotional ride as each of these four core roster members try to one-up each other. Everyone’s hitting harder. The submissions are more creative. And no one is backing down.

Anou dives off the apron, but Harima and Ozaki move out of the way and Anou takes out her teammate, Manase. Then Harima follows it up with a dive of her own, and nails it, wiping out both members of MArZ. There’s a great series of big moves and counters, an exclamation point made when Harima rolls out of an attempted double vertical suplex, and Ozaki surprises MArZ with a double clothesline. Then Harima and Anou exchange some brutal slaps, both collapsing to the mat.

Eventually, Harima gets trapped outside by Anou while Manase finishes off Ozaki with an axe kick and big boot. MArZ celebrate but briefly. They invite Harima into the ring and raise her hands as well. Harima is leaving AgZ, and this is the final chapter in the story of these four pillars of early AgZ.

It’s not the last we’d see of Harima in AgZ, however, or even on this same show. Harima would participate in one of the wildest things on the early shows – a special gauntlet match centered around the comedic Gab Gabriel Gabuko. Each wrestler had different strategies to defeat Gabuko, like Eimi Nishina bringing foam swords for a sword fight.

Harima challenged Gabuko to a series of Japanese tongue twisters. As a voice actor, Harima truly had the advantage, with Gabuko stumbling over pretty much everything. Though, when Gabuko nailed one, the crowd let out an impressed “oooooh”. Mid-contest, Gabuko just laid some kicks into Harima and pinned her. A fun little moment.

After the show, the roster said farewell to Harima, gifting her a binder of photos from her time with AgZ. Harima begins to cry as she looked at them, and realized there was even more to it. She’s off to chase some big dreams, and the roster is cheering for her.

Harima would then participate at Act 4, in another comedic match with Gabuko. Gabuko started the match impersonating ring announcer Shizuka Sakano, and tried to introduce herself, while also not acknowledging she was Gabuko. Gabuko’s mind… I don’t even know how to put it into words. Gabuko ends the match by hitting Shinsuke Nakamura’s Bomaye knee, wild gestures and all, to win the match. Oh, yeah, this happened like, two weeks after Nakamura signed with WWE.

After the match, Harima addresses the fans at ShinKiba, and Gabuko wishes her well.

While Act 4 would be Harima’s last match, she would play an important role in Act 6. Maika Ozaki, her TurtleZ teammate would also leave the promotion, right before Act 6, which was scheduled to be the season finale for Beginning/AgZ.

The main event was between the other two pillars, TurtleZ’ greatest rivals, MArZ. Manase also announced she would be leaving the promotion, leaving Anou as the only pillar left standing.

In that match, the action shifted out of the ring, and at ringside, there they were, Ozaki and Harima. Manase addressed them, Ozaki, unable to hold back tears, and Harima with her intensity, yelled back, and the match continued. It was an incredibly powerful moment, the last time all four would be together in an environment like this.

Harima would then officially become Aina Aiba. In 2017, she became a member of Bushiroad’s Bang Dream! franchise, as Yukina Minato of Roselia. This led to nationwide fame, and to Aiba performing to sold-out venues across the country. She also voices Claudine Saijo from Revue Starlight, among many other roles. (including Teppen—!!!, which I had no idea existed until now, despite this website name…)

Her connection with professional wrestling would deepen beyond just the ring. Her association with Bushiroad would open opportunities to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Aiba recorded some voiceovers for the promotion over the years.

After Stardom was acquired by Bushiroad, she would occasionally do the same, and there’s even clips of her mixing it up with Saya Kamitani. She also recorded Saori Anou’s Stardom theme song.

She even had a show on YouTube discussing wrestling. And she’s never shied away from both being a fan, and embracing her time as a wrestler, usually throwing interviewers for a loop when she shows them photos or videos from that time.

Then, Nao Kakuta announced her retirement from professional wrestling. Then she announced her own produce show, CROSS. Kakuta called on an old friend, Aina Aiba, to ring announce that show’s main event, one of fellow former AgZ members, Kakuta teaming with Tae Honma against Natsupoi and Saori Anou.

Before the event, Aiba came out to address the fans, and initially began to introduce herself as Aina Aiba – but then interrupted herself.

大阪発!目的地不明!
暴走機関車!

“Osaka hatsu! Mokutekichi fumei! bousou kikansha!”

“From Osaka! Destination unknown! Runaway locomotive!”

For one night only, Yuuki Harima was back.

At the end of the show, they posed in the ring together, and the former AgZ members posed on the stage together, seemingly the last time they’d share such a moment.

(all photos from here on are by me)

Until May 31, 2025. 10 years after the beginning of Actwres girl’Z, the wrestling careers of Natsupoi, of Saori Anou, of Tae of Honma, of Yuuki Harima. On that night, Aina Aiba, once again Yuuki Harima, stepped into the ring one more time, teaming with her TurtleZ partner Maika Ozaki. They faced the team of Yuna Manase and Tae Honma, not quite a MArZ reunion, but Honma is more than a worthy substitute for Anou, who was busy with main event duties. Nao Kakuta also was the referee for the match.

And at times, it seemed like Harima was still an equal to her former peers. She dove from the top rope, hit her signature “Christ” hold. And overall, the match was great. We saw some great teamwork from TurtleZ, Tae was a menace, and once again, Manase played the role of the veteran keeping Harima in check. It both felt like it could have been taken right from one of those early ACT shows, and a logical evolution to answer “what could have been?”.

After the show, the audience was treated to a brief concert from Harima, once again Aina Aiba, it was obvious why she made her decision to leave Actwres girl’Z over 9 years ago. She’s an undeniable superstar and captivating performer with a huge, huge voice. As Aiba’s voice boomed and echoed through Ota City Gymnasium, fans waved light sticks, sang along, and it was a huge party.

Sadly, my camera batteries ran out after 5 hours of this show, plus a music festival early in the day, so all I have is this phone shot of Aiba’s performance. But one I feel captures how special it was.