Koichiro Kimura
A fearless pioneer of Japanese shoot-style wrestling who helped bridge the gap between pro wrestling and early mixed martial arts.
1969–2014 (age 45)·Japanese wrestler·Birthday: November 18·Generation X
Biography
Koichiro Kimura was a foundational figure in the gritty, realistic world of Japanese shoot-style wrestling during its formative years in the 1990s. Operating under the colorful ring name Super Uchuu Power, he was a core performer in promotions like W*ING and Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling, where the line between worked match and real fight was deliberately blurred. Kimura didn't just play a fighter; he tested himself in actual combat. His courage—or perhaps his audacity—was most famously displayed in 1995 when he stepped into the ring with Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rickson Gracie at a Vale Tudo Japan event, a stark encounter that highlighted the gap between wrestling and pure martial arts at the time. Beyond the ring, Kimura was an innovator, founding the early female MMA organizations AX and G-Shooto, helping to create a platform for women's combat sports in Japan. His career, cut short by his passing in 2014, represents a specific, rugged era where the spectacle of pro wrestling actively sought validation through real fighting credibility.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Koichiro was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Koichiro Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Koichiro's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2014Died at 45
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
Key Achievements
- Founded the pioneering female mixed martial arts promotions AX and G-Shooto in Japan.
- Competed against legendary grappler Rickson Gracie in a high-profile match at Vale Tudo Japan 1995.
- Was a central figure in the hardcore and shoot-style promotions W*ING and Fighting World of Japan Pro Wrestling.
- Performed in the early years of the influential Fighting Network RINGS, participating in both worked and legitimate contests.
Did You Know?
His ring name 'Super Uchuu Power' translates to 'Super Space Power'.
He was known for his wild, unkempt hair and beard, which became a signature part of his rugged persona.
He trained in catch wrestling under the renowned wrestler and coach Karl Gotch.
In addition to wrestling and MMA, he also worked as a color commentator for combat sports events.
“In this ring, the only fantasy is the one the audience pays to believe.”
