After plying his trade around the world, Shingo Takagi debuted in NJPW at King of Pro Wrestling 2018 in Los Ingobernables De Japon.

Instantly making a mark, he won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships with BUSHI at Wrestle Kingdom 13, and made the finals of Best of the Super Jr. 26 before transitioning to heavyweight competition after G1 Climax 29.

New Beginning in Hokkaido in 2020 saw Takagi defeat Hirooki Goto to score his first singles championship in NJPW, the NEVER Openweight Championship, a title he has held twice. Victorious over the imposing Jeff Cobb in a thriller at Wrestle Kingdom 15, Takagi had another classic the same month, on January 30 in Nagoya against Hiroshi Tanahashi for the title, but this time it ended in defeat. The proud Dragon reset with a stunning run in the 2021 New Japan Cup. 

Takagi would reach the finals before losing to eventual winner Will Ospreay. Hungry for revenge, Shingo quickly reacted to Ospreay’s Sakura Genesis World Heavyweight Championship reign, demanding he got the next shot, at Wrestling Dontaku.