The Spotlight on Breaking Down Leads to Rampant Greed and SNS Backlash Demands from Sponsors

Asakura Mikuru’s “Breaking Down” event, where “Daisuke” alias Yamamoto Daisuke, along with “Shenron” alias Suzuki Shota, “Sapp” Nishinaru, professional boxer Hiroking alias Fukushige Hiroki, and former professional boxer Susumu Osawa were arrested on suspicion of assault and extortion.

“The trigger for the incident was the martial arts event ‘Osaka Kingdom’ held in Osaka city on December 3rd last year, where Hiroking, acting as an advisor, was performing a mic performance to liven up the event. A man in his 30s, who was a TikToker, provoked Yamamoto, who was performing, which angered Yamamoto, leading to him punching the man’s face, causing injuries such as a laceration of the upper lip and contusion of the lower jaw, with a recovery period of two weeks,” says a sports newspaper journalist.

Subsequently, Yamamoto allegedly called the man to a club in the city and, along with the arrested four, pressured him to become their sponsor, extorting him to transfer 300,000 yen.

“The popularity of Breaking Down is immense, and surprisingly, the sponsorship income is more substantial than that of professional fighters. Yamamoto probably thought that demanding sponsorship fees wouldn’t constitute extortion,” the journalist continues.

Participation in Breaking Down can drastically change one’s lifestyle. Becoming a popular player attracts numerous sponsors and supporters. Not only do companies get their names on players’ costumes, but they also get invited to events such as being a one-day manager at a bar or making guest appearances as hosts, which can be quite lucrative.

 

One of the players who achieved success with the same pattern is “Komeo,” also known as Numakura Taisho. He made his debut at “Breaking Down 4” held in March 2022, and his extreme behavior and quick-tempered character were well-received, making him an instant hit. It was said that he earned over 10 million yen in sponsorship fees alone. Currently, he runs a high-end reservation-only Japanese restaurant in Azabu, Minato Ward.

A former player of Breaking Down revealed,

“In my case, I earned around 600,000 to 700,000 yen per month, and there were times when I made 1 million yen. Like me, there are very few players who truly aspire to become successful professional fighters. The majority of players aim to earn as much money as possible and use it as a source of funding for restaurants or other businesses they want to start. Increasing visibility through Breaking Down, as Komeo did, comes with its own benefits. That’s why some players will do anything to attract attention.

Sometimes, sponsors demand players to cause controversy on social media before their event appearances (laughs). Before being strong, you need to have influence as an influencer. Some sponsors even find it amusing to attract attention through controversies like fights. This time too, it was initially supposed to be staged, but it turned into a serious fight. I anticipated something like this happening early on.”

He shared the insider information like this.

 

 

The arrests of participants continued. On the 16th, Tsung Juewei, also known as “Chon Tsuuwei,” was arrested on suspicion of assault for allegedly punching a man on the streets of Yokohama. On the same day, Makio Sakaki, also known as “Sakakimakio,” was arrested for allegedly assaulting a male restaurant employee by kicking him in the right side of the face from behind, and then fleeing without paying for his meal, on suspicion of robbery. In response to the successive arrests, Asakura posted on his X account (formerly Twitter),

“After being arrested following participation in Breaking Down, players will be suspended from future participation.”

However, doubts remain about the effectiveness of this measure. Has the event become more about satisfying financial desires than about the strength of the fighters? It’s clear that even Asakura himself is struggling to control the situation.

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