Rainbow Six Siege pro arrested for participating in alleged kidnap and torture of a man for three months in Japan
Rainbow Six Siege pro Sho "BlackRay" Hasegawa of the Japanese CAG Osaka esports organization has been arrested along with six others for allegedly kidnapping and confining a man for a period of three months, during which time they tortured him and extorted around 2 million yen ($13,000).
A machine-translated report by Jiji.com (via SiegeGG) says the victim was held at multiple locations between January 29 and April 30, during which time he was tortured with boiling water and beaten with a hammer.
Authorities also suspect the victim was stabbed with a screwdriver and had a hot frying pan pressed against his body, and that the accused kidnappers filmed the torture and shared it with unnamed parties. The victim suffered serious injuries as a result of the torture, according to the report, including broken ribs, a broken hip, and extensive burns.
Hasegawa, who is 24 years old, can be seen being taken into custody beginning at the 14 second mark in this ANN News video:
The incident apparently arose from a dispute between the victim and the ringleader of the group, identified as Yuto Oshiro, over some renovation work. The victim's ordeal only came to an end when Oshiro crashed his car into a taxi while driving with the victim; Oshiro fled the scene, leaving the victim behind.
As noted by esports outlet SiegeGG, Hasegawa was in Boston in February for the Six Invitational 2025, a major event held by Ubisoft, where he won the MVP award for the first day of the event. It's not known to what extent he's allegedly involved in the crime, but given the timeline it's possible he was competing in a major Rainbow Six Siege tournament while simultaneously being involved in a brutal kidnap-and-torture plot at home in Japan.
Hasegawa's earnings since 2018 in competitive play are estimated at $198,830, including $75,000 shared among the team for its performance at the Six Invitational, according to Liquidpedia.
CAG Osaka has not yet commented on the report or Hasegawa's alleged involvement, but shortly after it went live the team announced that it is withdrawing from the APAC North 2025 Stage 1 playoffs that are scheduled for July 20.
An explanation for the withdrawal wasn't provided, but earlier today CAG Osaka also announced that it has terminated its contract with Hasegawa.
I've reached out to CAG Osaka and will update if I receive a reply.