Pancrase Hybrid Wrestling is a mixed martial arts organization founded in Japan in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. Pancrase is taken from Pankration, a sport in the ancient Olympic games. Suzuki and Funaki are particularly skilled in the art of catch wrestling and based the promotion on professional wrestling consisting of shoots rather than works. Per its custom, its champions are named King of Pancrase rather than the title of Champion.

The promotion had a rule-set more similar to that of professional wrestling than those used in contemporary fighting organizations such as Shooto. Just as in Japanese professional wrestling, closed-fists to the face were illegal and submission holds had to be broken when a competitor made it to the ropes. However, beginning in 1998, it began adopting a rule set more in line with other mixed martial arts organizations, with most fights transitioning to the new ruleset by 2000.

On November 7, 2007, a weekly television series entitled "Pancrase: Legends of Mixed Martial Arts" premiered on pan Asian cable network ImaginAsian TV2. Hosted by King of Pancrase Open Weight Champion Josh Barnett and Rob Wu, the show looks at legendary fights going back to the beginning of the organization.

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