Hideo Ishida
2019 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Hideo Ishida’s first 5A World title was earned with a deeply technical routine showcasing a mastery of every single aspect of the current contest meta.

Sora Ishikawa
2018 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Sora Ishikawa, a long time contender, took his first World 5A title with a creative, high energy routine that had everyone on their feet.

Takuma Inoue
2017 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

2009 champion Takuma Inoue staged a major comeback with an impeccably strong freestyle in Iceland, filled with clean, snappy tricks that he cruised through with ease.

Takeshi Matsuura
2016 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Takeshi’s 2016 routine was a strong comeback, with old favorite tricks and new material blended seamlessly to showcase why Takeshi is one of the greatest 5A players of all time.

Jake Elliott
2015 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Jake Elliott took down reigning champion Takeshi Matsuura with a flawless routine, squeaking out just 0.03 points ahead and ushering in a new era of 5A yoyo play.

Takeshi Matsuura
2014 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Takeshi’s 2014 routine featured a dramatic shift in trick pacing, with him slowing down and really allowing the more difficult elements to have some time and focus.

Takeshi Matsuura
2013 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Takeshi’s 2013 routine focused more on larger, more high-risk body moves and, as usual, he executed them flawlessly. He started his routine with a banger from the previous year, and then expanded on it dramatically.

Takeshi Matsuura
2012 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Takeshi’s 2012 routine featured even more growth and refinement, while Takeshi began incorporating even more high-risk tricks (check out the one at 0:54 if you want to work on something that’s gonna break your mind.)

Takeshi Matsuura
2011 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Takeshi’s 2011 routine marked the moment that his confidence and stage persona combined to create an almost unbeatable competitor.

Takeshi Matsuura
2010 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

In 2010, Takeshi Matsuura started an unprecedented winning streak and began his utter domination of the 5A contest scene.

Takuma Inoue
2009 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Takuma started this routine with an absurdly difficult banger, and every single trick got better and harder from there.

Takeshi Matsuura
2008 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Takeshi’s first winning 5A routine introduced the highest level of technical play ever seen in 5A, building off what Tyler Severance brought and pushing it into the realm of the almost unbelieveable.

Tyler Severance
2007 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Tyler’s impeccable use of wraps and tanglers in his winning routine completely redefined the contest meta for 5A play.

Dana Bennett
2006 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Dana’s championship 5A routine set a new standard for creativity and trick pacing in the 5A division.

Maya Nakamura
2005 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Maya is the first woman to win a World Title in the 5A division, and to date still one of only a handful of women to win a World Title at all. Her routine was pure joy.

Makoto Numagami
2004 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Makoto’s winning 2004 routine was one of the first examples of a 5A player taking the existing trick base and expanding it with multiple variations of every unique element.

Rafael Matsunaga
2003 World YoYo Champion
5A Division

Rafael is the first player to win the 5A Division once the play style was separated from the X Division, and the first World Champion from Brazil. His Propellor and Helicopter tricks set the tone for 5A play with both their size and difficulty.

Shingo “Terry" Terada
2001 World YoYo Champion
X Division (5A)

One of the most influential early 5A players, Terry is the creator of “Electric Fan", one of the most common foundational tricks in counterweight play. He is the first player to win a World Title with 5A play.