Deep in the heart of Tokyo is a small former dentist’s office that holds one of the hidden gems of the Japanese wrestling scene. Every week a colourful cast of characters duke it out on a chocolate mat, redefining what wrestling can be in front of a passionate fanbase that watch both in person and online.
ChocoPro (and the overarching Gatoh Move brand that it is a part of) is one of the true success stories in the past few years of wrestling, and at the heart of its popularity stands one of its more recognisable faces: Chie Koishikawa.
Bounding into view whenever her name is called, fencing sword in hand, the irresistible personality of Chie instantly draws your attention. ‘Endless Energy’ is an apt nickname, and you can feel it radiate off of her as she bounces about waiting for her chance to fly into action. There’s something incredibly genuine about her, belied by her cavalier, heart-on-her-sleeve style. When she takes a hard strike that sends her crashing to the mat, or when an unfortunate choice in Janken leaves her eliminated from the tournament, you feel it.
Joining both the company and professional wrestling as part of Gatoh Move’s Fourth Generation, it didn’t take long for Chie to realise this was where she was meant to be. Quitting her job to focus full time on wrestling, she bet on herself. In 2023 it’s clear that risk paid off. All that energy has been channelled into forging a cult favourite whose wrestling ability quickly grows with her newfound fame.
In many ways Chie embodies the true nature of Gatoh Move; a fun and friendly figure that is underscored by high intensity performances that exude both key fundamentals and creativity from bell to bell and beyond. As she nears her fourth anniversary there have been clear leaps forward – both as a key personality of the Gatoh Move brand and as a talented wrestler in her own right.
Gatoh Move’s growth has opened doors, and now she and the team prepare to travel to the UK for a series of shows bookending AEW’s All In. With the eyes of the wrestling world on England, Chie’s energy could be felt by more people than ever before.
Ahead of that adventure, Wrestle Inn had the chance to speak to Chie about her upcoming UK tour, how she got into wrestling, her obsession with sharks and lots more.
A special thanks to Kyosuke (@PuroresuBoi) for his translation work.
Q: Part of the charm of Gatoh Move is how friendly everyone seems to be and it really comes across on-screen. What do you think makes the team dynamics so special, how important has that sense of camaraderie been?
Chie: All the wrestlers in Gatoh move are incredibly nice. Everyone knows how the other person is feeling so it’s really fun to hang out with people. It’s like we can get along every day without having any fights. Also, I feel like there’s a big saying in joshi pro wrestling where it’s like, “It’s OK to have an age gap, it’s OK to have different goals”. Regardless if it’s a senpai or someone my age, everyone has different jobs, different life experiences, etc, everyone is different and that’s why I respect everyone in ChocoPro.
Q: It feels like you have really stepped up as a leader over the past year as some of the more experienced members have been away (Emi Sakura in America, Mei Suruga and Baliyan Akki often on tour). What has the experience been like for you, being in a more prominent role for the Gatoh Move team?
Chie: Well, kind of, not a leader-like role though. But, it was October of last year when Akki, Sakura, and Mei went to the US. I call that month “The October of Miracle”! From that month, even if someone has the day off, or if someone suddenly goes on excursion, I’ve had a strong mentality of “It’s gonna be OK! Chie will protect you! Chie will protect Chocopro! Leave it up to me!”
Q: You are an incredibly expressive performer and display your emotions to an almost superhuman degree. Where does your Endless Energy come from?
Chie: From sweet things and the strong support from Chocomints! I’ve always liked sweet things so I always eat them before matches! Another source of my energy is Red Bull! I always drink Red Bull before matches, it’s like my pre match supplement! I like to do call and responses in a lot of my matches, to boost my energy after my entrance, I have the mentality of “The audience will definitely love it if I do this!” Thanks to that, today I might have too much energy.
Q: The Gatoh Move team are heading to England for some shows alongside Pro Wrestling EVE and Modern Nomad Pro Wrestling in August. What are your feelings about performing overseas for the first time, what are you most excited about experiencing on your trip to London? [Note: This question was asked and answered before Chie’s recent trip to Vietnam.]
Chie: To simply put it, I am very excited! This will be my first time wrestling abroad so I cannot wait! Right now, I am announced for one match but there’s so many firsts that I can experience. There’s gonna’ be venues that I will be visiting for the first time, wrestlers that I will be locking up with for the first time, so I plan to indulge in all the new experiences! In my first match there, Sayaka is in my corner so there will be more excitement than nervousness! I am also excited to see all the Chocomints in the UK! I plan to meet and greet almost every Chocomint I can meet and say Helloooooo. I don’t know much about England but I do know that they have some pretty good breakfast so I’m excited to try that out! I also want to visit Tower Bridge!
Q: Emi Sakura has had a strong presence in AEW, alongside Mei Suruga and Baliyan Akki also competing for the promotion and on the American independent scene. Is performing overseas something you want to do more of moving forward?
Chie: I had my first ever match overseas a few days back, and that was literally my first match outside of Japan. Before I flew over the border and crossed the ocean to go to another country, I thought it would be a hard system to be able to go overseas. But when I experienced it myself, I realized going to a different country is closer than I thought. I don’t know what the future holds but going overseas is something I want to do more often!
Q: It feels like anyone could walk through the door at Ichigaya Square, are there any wrestlers you would particularly like to see participate in ChocoPro?
Chie: Andreza Giant Panda! I had the chance to see him a couple days back, and my God he is big! I don’t know if he can even fit into Ichigaya Chocolate Square though, and even if he did, I don’t know if I will be able to work a match with him.
Q: We are approaching three years since you decided to quit your job so you could focus on pro-wrestling full time. How difficult was that decision at the time, and has the following journey been as you expected it to be?
Chie: It was 6 months after I debuted and I realized that it became a situation where it was hard to work shows whilst also having my full time job. My original plan was to switch jobs so I would be able to work matches and train more easily, but I still found it difficult to go and work shows. I was thinking about it a lot but in the end, I decided to venture off into pro wrestling and quit my job. My biggest worry was that when I quit my job, I would have no place to live! But, Sakura-san was able to give me a roof over my head, so that’s when I decided to quit my job. Since I quit my job, my life has been more fun than ever before. I’ve had so many experiences that I’m so grateful for. I’m very lucky that I decided to move into the dormitory and quit my job to pursue this wonderful career as a pro wrestler.
Q: Before you joined Gatoh Move you were working as a nutritionist. How did you first get into pro-wrestling, was it something you always had an interest in?
Chie: My introduction to pro-wrestling was an anime called KinnikuMan. I remember watching the reruns on my TV, and after that I started to watch and get hooked on pro-wrestling. I thought becoming a pro wrestler was a dream that was too far to grasp, but the stars aligned and I was able to grasp that dream.
Q: After you injured your hand the world was introduced to Same-zo and then later Hammer-san. Have you always had an affinity for sharks?
Chie: I had only seen sharks in aquariums and movie posters so most of my images of sharks came from those. When I got injured, I wanted to find a new friend to keep me company and Same-zo was one of many other companions I could have chosen. When I first took Same-zo to Ichigaya, I was surprised by the reception everyone had for Same-zo! Now, I love going to aquariums to see sharks, and whenever I buy something, I always try to find something that has some sort of a shark motif in it!
Q: Do you have a final message you would like to share with your international fans?
Chie: Thank you for all the wonderful support! I know that there are a lot of foreign fans of ChocoPro that have been watching us on YouTube, and we’ve been paying attention to those English comments in the live chat section! Even though I have not met many of you face to face yet, I am very grateful for all the support you have given us! I know there have been fans that have supported us from the very beginning, and I am grateful that you guys have supported us based far far away in Ichigaya Chocolate Square! I always scream Helllooo from YouTube, your phone, or your laptop, but I really want to just pop out from the screen and scream Hellooo because of all your support! If you see Chie overseas, please say hello to me in your home language!
Thank you to Gatoh move for arranging this interview, Chie for generously taking the time to answer these questions and again to Kyosuke (@PuroresuBoi) for his translation work.
You can follow Gatoh Move on Twitter @gatohmove and Chie @chie_gtmv. Subscribe to Gatoh Move on YouTube to watch all their ChocoPro shows for free and support the entire roster with a Choco Bouquet or Choco Flower through their store!
For Japanese fans, please see the original Japanese interview below.
Q: Gatoh Moveはみんなが仲が良いイメージがあって、その仲が良いイメージは画面からよく伝わって来ます。チームワークや仲間意識の大切さとは、どのようなものだと思われますか?
小石川 チエ: ガトームーブの選手はみんなすごく優しいんです。相手のことを思い遣ったり、気遣いがあったりがあるのですごく過ごしやすくて、日々喧嘩したりせずに仲良くいられるのかなと思います。また、自分の中では誰でも女子プロレスの「年齢バラバラOK目的バラバラOK」という言葉も大きいです。同期も先輩もみんなそれぞれ仕事だったり、人生経験だったり全部が違う人だからこそみんなのことを尊敬しています。
Q: アッキ、エミ、メイたちが海外行ってる間に、あなたはチョコプロのリーダー役になった感じがします、あなたはそのリーダー役に立ってどんな矜持ですか？
小石川 チエ: あまりリーダーになった自覚はないのです。しかし、市ヶ谷にさくらさんやメイさん、アッキさんがいなかった時期が去年の10月にありました。そこで『「奇跡の10月」と呼ばれる月にします！』という宣言をしました。その時から思っているのは、誰かがもしお休みをしたり、急な遠征に行っても「大丈夫です！ここはチエが守ります！任せてください！」という気持ちが強いです。
Q: チエ選手は表現力豊かなパフォーマーなんですが、そのエネルギーはどこから来ますか？
小石川 チエ: 甘いものとチョコミントさんからの応援です！甘いものは単純にすごく好きなので試合前にエネルギーとして必ず摂っています。あと試合前には必ずレッドブルを飲みます。エナジー補給です。チョコプロの試合ではほとんど必ずコール・アンド・レスポンスをするのですが、入場してから「よし、今日も頑張るぞ！！！」という気持ちが高まるのは「これをしたら絶対皆さん答えてくれる！」という自信があるからです。そのお陰で今日もtoo muchなくらい元気でいられています。
Q: 8月にGatoh MoveはイギリスでPro Wrestling Eve と試合をやりますが、海外で試合をするのはどう思いますか？そして、イギリスでなにが楽しみですか？
小石川 チエ: とにかく楽しみです！今回が海外で初めてプロレスファンの方の前で試合になるので今から待ちきれません！自分はカードが一つ発表されているのですが、初めて行く会場、初めて組む選手、初めて戦う選手で初めてが沢山あるので全部を楽しめたらいいなと思っています！同じチームにタッグを組んでいる沙也加さんがいるので緊張よりも楽しみ！という気持ちを持てているのかもしれません。それからUKのチョコミントさんとイギリスでお会いするのは初めてになるのでとってもワクワクしています！ たくさん挨拶をするつもりです！ Helloooo! あまりイギリスのことはまだ詳しくないけれど、朝ごはんが美味しいと聞いたので楽しみです！タワーブリッジも見てみたいです！
Q: えみ桜選手がAEWで参戦してるみたいに、アッキとメイもアメリカでツアーしてるみたいに、チエ選手AEWや外国の団体で戦ってみたいですか？
小石川 チエ: 先日初めて海外で試合をしたのですが、そもそも海外に行くこと自体が初めてでした。海を渡って国境を越えることはとても遠い場所に行く困難な事だと思っていました。けれど、別の国に行くことは自分が思っているよりはもう少し近いのかもしれないと思う事ができた経験になりました。今後どうなるかはわからないけれど、いろんな国に行ってみたいと思っています！
Q: 前スターライトキッド選手が市ヶ谷チョコレート広場に行った時みたい、誰でも市ヶ谷チョコレート広場に入れるみたいですが、チエ選手は誰がチョコプロで参戦して欲しいですか？
小石川 チエ: アンドレザ・ジャイアントパンダ選手です。先日拝見する事があって、すごく大きかったんです！そもそも物理的に市ヶ谷に入ることができるのか、入れたとしても試合をすることができるのかが気になっています
Q: プロレスラーに目指すために仕事を辞める決心をしてから3年が経とうとしています。その決断は当時どれほど難しかったですか？また、その後の道のりは期待通りでしたか？
小石川 チエ: デビューをしてプロレスラーになってから半年くらいで、思うように試合に出たりするのが難しい情勢になってしまいました。元々は仕事を変えて練習や試合に出やすいようにしたいとは考えていたのですが、そもそも試合に出られない事になってしまい、色々なことを考えるうちに一度仕事を辞めてプロレスラーだけに専念してみたい、と考えるようになりました。仕事がなくなると住むところがない！ということが一番問題だった気がします。しかし、さくらさんから寮に入る提案をしていただいて仕事を辞める決断ができました。
仕事を辞めてからの道のりは想像していたよりも何倍も楽しくて、自分では想像もできないほど沢山の経験をさせていただいているので、あの時に、仕事を辞める、寮に入るという選択ができた事がとても幸運だったと思っています。
Q: Gatoh Move入った前にあなたは栄養士として働いていましたが、プロレスのきっかけはなんでしたか？前からずっとプロレスを目指していましたか？
小石川 チエ: プロレスが好きになったきっかけは「キン肉マン」のアニメでした。テレビで再放送を見て、そこからプロレスを観るようになりました。自分なんてプロレスラーにはなれないと思っていたのですが、たまたまタイミングも相まってプロレスを始めることができました。我闘雲舞に入ったきっかけはダレジョに通っていたこともあるのですが、1番大きいのは帯広さんがいる事でした。私は帯広さやかさんに憧れて我闘雲舞に入りました。命を燃やして試合をしている姿がかっこよくて、帯広さんがいる場所にいきたいと思いました。
Q: 手をケガした時に、ハンマーさんとサメぞーが生まれました、あなたはずっとサメのこと好きでしたか？
小石川 チエ: サメのことは水族館で見たり、映画のポスターで見たりくらいの印象でした。怪我をした時に新しい友人を探していて、サメぞうはいくつかある候補の中の一つでした。サメぞうを友人として市ヶ谷に連れてきた時、こんな風にみんなに好きになってもらえるとは思っていませんでした。いまではサメを見るために水族館に行ったり、何か買う時にサメのモチーフを探すくらい好きです。
Q: 外国のファンへのメッセージはありますか？
小石川 チエ: いつも沢山応援してくださってありがとうございます！外国からチョコプロを観戦してくださっている方はYouTubeを通してご覧になる方が多いと思うのですが、チャット欄には英語が沢山並んでいて、対面した事はないけど毎大会応援してくれる方が沢山いることを実感しています。それはチョコプロが始まった頃から今までずっとで、色んな選択肢がある中で遠く離れた市ヶ谷の私たちを見つけてくれて、応援してくれて本当にありがとう！という気持ちでいっぱいです！YouTubeを通して、携帯の画面だったり、パソコンの画面の向こうにいる皆さんにいつも挨拶をしていますが、いつか画面を飛び出して「Hellooooooo!」を言いたいと思っているので、もしも海外でチエと会ったらみなさんの国の言葉で大きな声で挨拶をしましょう！
Wrestle Inn 