Hana Kimura, the late 22-year-old pro-wrestler who starred in the latest season of popular Japanese reality show, Terrace House, was allegedly made to put up a confrontational front by the show.

Her shock passing in late-May has halted the production of the reality show indefinitely while investigations are ongoing.

"Costume incident" was staged

Kimura was speculated to have taken her own life after facing numerous death threats and criticisms from online commenters due to a conflict that she got into with a fellow co-star.

Viewers of Terrace House were enraged after seeing Kimura slap co-star Kai Kobayashi's baseball cap on his head, as she blamed Kobayashi for shrinking her expensive wrestling costume that was left in the washing machine.

However, Kimura's mother, also a famed pro-wrestler, recently spoke to a publication and said that it was the producers who staged the scenes.

Kimura's mother said that she wishes to restore her daughter's "honour" and to reveal the "truth" behind her death.

Kimura was reluctant to hit co-star

Kimura's mother told The Asahi Shimbun that the 22-year-old was told to slap Kobayashi on his face but she could not bring herself to do so.

Instead, Kimura chose to hit him on his baseball cap.

The Asahi Shimbun also reported that all Terrace House members have to sign an agreement to obey the production instruction from the staff and the filming policies.

Kimura's mother recalled Kimura voicing out her concern in tears to her during a car ride home, saying that the Terrace House staff wanted her to take on a pro-wrestler persona and to “turn level-one-type situations up to 100”, SoraNews 24 reported.

The staff allegedly told her that she can go as far as slapping Kobayashi just to dramatise the scene.

Japanese magazine Shuukan Bunshun also shared these messages which Kimura allegedly sent her friends prior to her death:

“My work stuff got ruined so staff told me to lose it on camera.”

”Staff fanned the flames before filming.”

“They said to basically hit him across the face, but of course I can’t do that.”

“It’s not real so I feel really bad about it. Sorry.”

SoraNews 24 also reported that Kobayashi confirmed that Kimura was uncomfortable with the staged scenes.

However, on July 3, the production crew of Terrace House denied these allegations made against them.

A representative of Fuji Television Network, Toru Ota, said the cast members do not have to follow every instruction from the production crew.

Internal investigations are ongoing.

Top photo via Getty Images