When Toryumon X made their Japanese landing in August 2003, Naoki debuted as a surfer (similar to Genki Horiguchi) defeating Kenichi Hanai.

Tanizaki joined up with Muscle Outlaw'z but soon had a losing streak against Jack Evans and any other gaijin wrestler Cima brought in.

Tanizaki once again signed with Dragon Gate six days after announcing he was becoming freelance again, as a result of being sacrificed to the newly arriving Magnitude Kishiwada just like in 2005.

On August 30, 2009, he won his first title in his career when he defeated Kagetora in a tournament final to win the vacant Open the Brave Gate Championship.

On June 13, 2010 he started showing some heel tendencies during his match against Super Shisa where he used a low blow to set up for his Implant finisher.

Later during the main event he almost cost his fellow World-1 teammate Masato Yoshino a chance at becoming the number one contender for Yamato's Open The Dream Gate title by mistakenly hitting him with the Deep Drunkers signature Blue Box nearly costing him the match to Deep Drunkers leader Takuya Sugawara.

On August 24, 2010 he accidentally cost his team the win against Deep Drunkers after a misfired Protein Powder attack struck Pac leading to their loss, he quickly apologized to his partners after they questioned what was wrong with him lately and told them everything was fine.

On August 29, 2010 he competed in a tournament to crown a new Open The Brave Gate Champion after Masato Yoshino vacated the title but fell to his Deep Drunkers rival Kzy in the first round.

On September 3, 2010 he along with Naruki Doi and BxB Hulk challenged for the Open The Triangle Gate Championship but fell short after he was pinned following Genki Horiguchi's Backslide From Heaven.

On October 3, 2010 he went on to win the Three Way Match between himself, Hulk, and Doi following interference from his new Deep Drunkers teammates as he eliminated both men and went so far as to mock them by saying their diamonds were probably made of glass, a knock on the World-1 logo.

[2] On October 25 Tanizaki, Kanda and Sugawara defeated Cima, Gamma and Genki Horiguchi to win the Open the Triangle Gate Championship.

[5] On July 17, Tanizaki attacked Open the Brave Gate Champion and member of rival group Junction Three, Pac, and stole his championship belt.

[6][7][8] On September 2, Tanizaki, Kzy and Naruki Doi defeated Gamma, Masato Yoshino and Yamato to win the Open the Triangle Gate Championship.

Blood Warriors claimed he was the real Tanizaki returning early from injury, but the slight change in spelling of his name (written as 谷崎なおき instead of 谷嵜なおき) was used to indicate that Tomahawk T.T.

and Ryo "Jimmy" Saito unsuccessfully challenged the Mad Blankey trio of Akira Tozawa, BxB Hulk and the fake Naoki Tanizaki for the Open the Triangle Championship.

[14] The rivalry culminated on February 11, when the Jimmyz defeated Mad Blankey in a five-on-five elimination tag team match, as a result of which Penguin was exiled from Dragon Gate.

Over the course of 2017, Tanizaki was quietly removed from Dragon Gates official website before announcing his contract with the promotion expired in October.