KO-D Openweight Championship
Though still unable to wrestle due to his injury, Takanashi resumed working storylines around the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship in May 2011. Takanashi wrestled his return match on June 19, 2011, and before the end of the month, won the Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship for the eleventh time. On July 24, Takanashi recruited former opponent, Daisuke Sekimoto, as his tag team partner and together the two of them defeated Harashima and Hero!, Gentaro and Yasu Urano, and Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa in a four-way match to become the new KO-D Tag Team Champions. The comedic big man/little man team would lose the title to Homoiro Clover Z (Danshoku Dino and Kota Ibushi) on August 28. On October 23, Takanashi won a sixteen-person rock-paper-scissors tournament to become the number one contender to the KO-D Openweight Championship, but would be defeated in the title match on November 6 by the defending champion, Kudo. On December 3, Takanashi made his American debut, when took part in the "Indie Summit 2011", promoted by Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, wrestling in a three-way match, which was won by Kudo and also included Dick Togo. Later that same day, Takanashi appeared on CZW's internet pay-per-view, Cage of Death 13, wrestling in a ten-man tag team match, where he, Jaki Numazawa, Jun Kasai, Kamui and Yoshihito Sasaki were defeated by Danshoku Dino, Kengo Mashimo, Kudo, Ryuji Ito and Takashi Sasaki. In early 2012, Takanashi began feuding with the Homoiro Clover Z stable. After leading fellow DDT Seikigun members Daisuke Sasaki and Harashima to a six-man tag team victory over Homoiro Clover Z on March 11, the stable's leader, the reigning KO-D Openweight Champion Danshoku Dino, named Takanashi and Sanshiro Takagi his top two contenders for the title. On March 18, Takanashi was defeated by Takagi in a number one contender's main event. On April 1, Takanashi took part in the annual Anytime and Anywhere battle royal, a match combining elements of a regular battle royal and a ladder match, where he managed to grab the "Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere" contract to earn the right to challenge for the KO-D Openweight Championship at a time of his own choosing. Later that same event, Takanashi used his contract, after Sanshiro Takagi had defeated Danshoku Dino to win the KO-D Openweight Championship, and defeated him to become the new champion. On May 4, Takanashi lost the KO-D Openweight Championship to Yuji Hino in his first title defense, ending his reign at 33 days. On June 24, Takanashi and Daisuke Sasaki received a shot at the KO-D Tag Team Championship, but were defeated by the defending champions, Homoiro Clover Z representatives Kudo and Makoto Oishi. On July 8, Takanashi and Sasaki joined Antonio Honda, Hoshitango, Yasu Urano and Yuji Hino to form the Monster Army. The group wrestled its first match together on July 22, when they were defeated by Akito, DJ Nira, Poison Julie Sawada, Rion Mizuki and Tetsuya Endo in a ten-man tag team match, after Hino and Hoshitango began brawling with each other. The brawling continued after the match with Takanashi and Sasaki siding with Hoshitango and Honda and Urano with Hino, which led to Takanashi announcing that the Monster Army was history and that he, Sasaki and Hoshitango were now known as "Familia". Later that same day, Takanashi made a special appearance for Pro Wrestling Noah, facing former training partner Taiji Ishimori in a losing effort. On August 18 at DDT's 15th anniversary event in Nippon Budokan, Takanashi, Daisuke Sasaki, Hoshitango, Tetsuya Endo and Tsukasa Fujimoto, representing Familia, defeated Antonio Honda, Tanomusaku Toba, Yasu Urano, Yoshiko and Yuji Hino, representing Crying Wolf, in a ten-person tag team match, contested under "Soccer rules".