[15] The over-the-top storyline continued with Sawada's "serpent god" decapitating him and turning his body into stone as punishment for his inability to create a cohesive army, while also taking away his minions,[15] and finally concluded in January 2003, when Hero!, while supposedly on a business trip to Hong Kong, found Habukage disoriented and unable to remember anything from his past.

[16][17] On January 4, 2003, Habukage, now working under the ring name Kudo and a martial artist gimmick based on his own kickboxing background, returned to DDT, teaming with Hero!

throughout 2003 and on December 29, the two ended the year by defeating Seiya Morohashi and Tomohiko Hashimoto, and Mikami and Onryo in a three-way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to win the KO-D Tag Team Championship.

[23] On July 13, 2005, Kudo made the first appearance of his American excursion, when he defeated Eddie Kingston at an IWA East Coast event in South Charleston, West Virginia.

[25] Later that same day, Kudo was defeated by Shane Storm in a six-way elimination semifinal match, which also included Claudio Castagnoli, Crossbones, Equinox and Niles Young.

[42] On July 2, Kudo, Mikami and Shiima Xion defeated Harashima, Toru Owashi and Yusuke Inokuma to win the 2006 Takechi Six Man Tag Scramble Cup.

[40] After returning from a short break following an injury, Kudo turned heel and formed the Team 2 Thousand Island stable with Sanshiro Takagi and Yoshiaki Yago, continuing his rivalry with the now-face Harashima.

[43] After wins over Team DDT (American Balloon, Danshoku Dino and Masamune) and The Iron Saints (Brandon, Sal and Vito Thomaselli),[43] the trio defeated The Kings of Wrestling (Chuck Taylor, Gran Akuma and Icarus) in their semifinal match on February 18.

[48] On April 9, Kudo and Urano entered DDT's 2008 KO-D Tag Team Title League, where they made it to the finals, before losing to Mikami and Tanomusaku Toba.

[52] On July 6, Kudo, Urano and Antonio Honda defeated Koo, Super Vampire and Toru Owashi to win the DDT Jiyūgaoka Six-Person Tag Team Championship.

[6][54] On March 27, 2009, Kudo made another trip to the United States and Chikara to take part in the 2009 King of Trios tournament, from which he, Kota Ibushi and Michael Nakazawa, as Team DDT, were eliminated in the first round by the Future is Now (Equinox, Helios and Lince Dorado).

[58] On July 5, Kudo and Yasu Urano wrestled Jun Kasai and Mikami to a thirty-minute time limit draw in a number one contender's three-way elimination match, which also included the team of Hoshitango and Masa Takanashi.

[59] Kudo and Urano made their first successful title defense on September 27 against the team of Great Sasuke and Sanshiro Takagi, and followed that up by also successfully defending the title against Takagi and Ultraman Robin on October 25,[60] Danshoku Dino and Keisuke Ishii on November 15,[61] Belt Hunter×Hunter (Hikaru Sato and Masa Takanashi) on December 6,[62] and in a three-way match against the teams of Belt Hunter×Hunter and the Italian Four Horsemen (Antonio Honda and Sasaki & Gabbana) on December 13.

[70] On July 24, Kudo defeated Shuji Ishikawa at DDT's largest annual event, the Ryogoku Peter Pan, to win the KO-D Openweight Championship for the first time.

[92] In Homoiro Clover Z's farewell match on September 19, Kudo, Hiroshi Fukuda and Makoto Oishi were defeated by stablemates Akito, Danshoku Dino and Kota Ibushi.

[99] While out with the injury, Kudo made an appearance under his old Toguro Habukage persona on November 25, 2012, when he, along with several other returning former stablemates, accompanied Poison Sawada Julie to his retirement match.

[102][103][104] As the recipient of the MAGP Award for the MVP of the event, Kudo was entered into a tournament to determine the number one contender to the KO-D Openweight Championship,[105] but was defeated in his first round match on February 24 by Makoto Oishi.

[122] On April 29, Kudo successfully defended the KO-D Openweight Championship twice; first in a scheduled match against Akito and immediately afterwards against Yasu Urano, who cashed in his "Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere" contract.

[123][124][125] On May 4, Kudo won another title, when Shuten-dōji defeated Daisuke Sasaki, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi to capture the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship.

[126] After Shuten-dōji had captured all other DDT titles, Kudo and Sakaguchi failed in their attempt to win the KO-D Tag Team Championship from Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi on May 11.

[128] On June 8, Shuten-dōji made their first successful defense of the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship against the new Smile Squash trio of Akito, Harashima and Yasu Urano.

[130][131][132] On July 13, Shuten-dōji lost the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship to Happy Motel (Antonio Honda, Konosuke Takeshita and Tetsuya Endo) in their second defense.

[145] On April 29, Kudo returned to the KO-D Openweight Championship picture by capturing one of the "Right to Challenge Anytime, Anywhere" contracts by pinning its holder Antonio Honda in a tag team match.

[156][157][158] In September, Kudo took part in Pro Wrestling Noah's 2015 NTV G+ Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League, teaming with fellow DDT worker Kota Umeda.

[161] Kudo returned from his injury on August 28, 2016, at Ryogoku Peter Pan 2016, wrestling in a tag team match, where he and Masahiro Takanashi defeated Akito and Yasu Urano.

[162] Kudo won his first title since his return on December 11, when he, Takanashi and Sakaguchi defeated Damnation (Daisuke Sasaki, Mad Paulie and Tetsuya Endo) for the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship.

[163] They lost the title to Kazusada Higuchi, Kouki Iwasaki and Mizuki Watase in a three-way match, also involving Antonio Honda, Konosuke Takeshita and Trans-Am★Hiroshi, on January 22, 2017.

[164] Kudo, Takanashi and Sakaguchi won the KO-D 6-Man Tag Team Championship for a record-tying sixth time on June 25, 2017, by defeating NωA (Makoto Oishi, Mao and Shunma Katsumata).