Megumi Muto

Bushido (masked)

## Story

One day, Muto is reluctantly dragged along to a shopping trip in Tokyo by a friend and the friend's boyfriend. Once there, the couple go shopping by themselves, leaving Muto behind on her own in the street. At this point, Muto encounters Chigusa Yuki who is looking for the New Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling headquarters where rookie tryouts are being held that day. Despite being a tourist herself with no clue where she is, Muto offers to help Chigusa look for the New Japan headquarters together. When they finally find it, Muto also ends up participating in the tryouts, even though she knows nothing about wrestling beyond what she has just been hearing from Chigusa. Both of them pass and thus join New Japan. They are given the orientation tour of the New Japan headquarters by Risako Sakuma. Unlike Chigusa, Muto has no clue that Risako is a legend of wrestling and assumes she is just an office staffer (though she is stunned by her beauty). Despite such differences, Muto and Chigusa have already become lifelong best friends.

   Shortly after their debut, Muto and Chigusa see Mighty Yukiko and Beauty Ichigaya fighting outside the ring, and rush in to break up the fight. Yukiko immediately backs away to prevent the juniors from accidentally getting hit. Ichigaya, on the other hand, lifts Muto and Beauty Bombs her into concrete ground. When Muto wakes up in the hospital, she is shocked by the utter ease with which Ichigaya manhandled her, and resolves to become strong enough to avenge herself.

Muto is picked for deployment to Mexico. Prior to leaving, she and Chigusa arrange to see who will have improved more when they next meet. By the end of her stay in Mexico, Muto has improved enough to defeat AAC ace Chocho Caras.

Returning to Japan, Muto is greeted at the airport by Ichigaya, who invites her to join JWI. Muto's first reaction is to refuse, but Ichigaya changes her mind by offering her a match against herself if she accepts. Inside JWI, Muto joins Blade Uehara's Rebel Army, and borrows Uehara's finisher to successfully defeat Ichigaya in her long-awaited revenge match, but Ichigaya attacks Muto after the match is over, sending her to the hospital again.

After Muto recovers, JWI forces her to wear a mask and deploys her to Germany under the name Bushido. At EWA, she meets none other than Chigusa, who by pure coincidence has been deployed to Germany at the same time by New Japan. Chigusa not only recognizes Muto but jumps to the conclusion that Muto is masked because she has become disfigured during their time apart, compelling Muto to immediately remove her mask in order to allay her best friend's fears (thereby breaching her contract with JWI).

Returning to Japan, Muto defeats JWI wrestler Hikaru Ogawa and tells the media that Yukiko's presence alone makes New Japan immeasurably superior to JWI, further angering Ichigaya. JWI implodes soon after.

A decision is made by New Japan to re-admit ex-JWI defectors, but on the condition that Muto and Ogawa participate in a special tag match against Yukiko and Chigusa. They accept, and are squashed. Yukiko expresses sympathy with Muto wanting revenge on Ichigaya, but explains that joining JWI was the wrong way to go about it, as she could have stayed with New Japan and simply told Yukiko her wish, which she would have granted. Muto apologizes for not sharing her pain, and decides to take time traveling in America to think things through. As Muto queues at the airport for a ticket, Chigusa arrives and delivers to her a first-class ticket paid for by New Japan along with instructions to report in with WWCA, making her trip to America an official deployment.

In America, Muto meets various wrestlers including Dynamite Lin and The USA. The latter invites her to form a tag team with herself, but Muto declines. Muto then runs into Uehara who is traveling the world as an unaffiliated wrestler. Uehara advises Muto to pursue local belts on her own initiative. Muto agrees and, guided by Uehara, eventually wins her first title of Atlantic Heavyweight Champion by defeating The USA.

One day while passing by the gym on her way to the office, Muto encounters Jena Megalight for the first time. Megalight is weight training alone in silence, doing endless 200kg reps for as long as she watches. Muto is shaken by Megalight's total concentration on her training and by her terrifying power.

Muto is urgently recalled to Japan after Yukiko and Bomber Kishima lose the IWWF Tag Team Champions title to the Sniper Sisters of WWCA. A match is arranged between Muto and Kishima, which Muto wins, following which Muto replaces Kishima as Yukiko's tag partner. Yukiko and Muto then win back the title from the Sniper Sisters in a return match. Meanwhile, Muto notices that Chigusa is not around. She finds a note left for her from Chigusa, who writes about carving her own path. Subsequently, Muto informed by Risako that Chigusa has resigned from New Japan to wrestle in Europe with EWA. Muto is left confused, but Risako reassures her that Chigusa will return.

In an unexpected development, Yukiko and Muto then lose the title to fellow New Japan tag team Haruka Yamada and Kayo Ozawa. The media inquires about Muto's poor form, and Muto admits that she cannot stop thinking about Chigusa. Yamada and Ozawa then lose the title to the Sniper Sisters again. The next news sends a shockwave through New Japan: the Sniper Sisters have been defeated by Ichigaya and her new tag partner Megalight, who now hold the title.

Yukiko and Muto prepare for a match against Ichigaya and Megalight to take back the title, but Ichigaya and Megalight break Yukiko's leg outside the ring before the match, rendering her unable to participate. Megalight suggests Muto surrender, reasoning that potential substitute choices such as Minami or Kishima stand no chance against her. With only hours left before the match, Chigusa suddenly shows up having just got off the plane.

Muto and Chigusa face Ichigaya and Megalight and triumph using incredible teamwork on a level never seen before. In addition to winning back the IWWF Tag Team Champions title, their tag team instantly becomes a new legend of wrestling.

Muto and Chigusa remain the top eventers of New Japan during Yukiko's absence. One day, Muto receives a letter from Uehara, reminding her to cherish the spiritual bond which she and Chigusa have achieved, a treasure which cannot be replaced by anything else in the world.

## Personality

Muto quickly detects and reacts to bad intentions in others. In particular, she is more hostile towards Ichigaya than any other wrestler is. On the other hand, she deeply appreciates those who possess genuine benevolence.

As an aerial specialist, Muto makes the most of her explosive jumping ability (she broke Teddy Cat Hori's high jump record). She also has many highly effective striking attacks to fall back on when required. She possesses a keen combat intuition, which helps her make split-second decisions as to what to do next when there is no time to think things through. While not to be taken lightly in singles matches, she is undoubtedly at her best in tag matches, especially when paired with her ideal partner Chigusa, whereupon they can be counted on to assist/rescue each other at exactly the needed times so as to nullify virtually any tactics or other advantages of their opponents. The Muto-Chigusa combination is believed by many fans to be Japan's strongest tag team ever.