Takeshi Matsuura

Takeshi Matsuura is a Japanese 5A and 1A player and a former member of Team YoYoJam. He is a seven-time World Yo-Yo Champion all won in the 5A Division. At the time of his first world title in 2008, Takeshi was the youngest person to have won a world championship title.

Takeshi began his competition career as a 5A player and was known for his speed at the time. He would later branch out into competing in 3A also, eventually picking up a Japan National Title in 2010. Becoming the first and still only player to win Japan Nationals in more than one division and to win more than one division in the same year.

His age and height would grow along with his string length and with that his style evolved to being more technical. He would win the 2010 5A world title by a speed routine utilizing the full breadth of 5a Tangler tricks. In 2011 he lost to the 2009 5A World Champion Takuma Innoe at Japan nationals and remarkedly bounce back a few months later to slightly edge out Takuma for the 2011 World Title (94.69 to 91.96), completely reinventing himself in that short span he transformed his speedy Tangler based routine for a much more technical 5a trickset. Takuma would later defeat Takeshi again at Japan Nationals 2014 but would never top him at the World YoYo Contest, getting 2nd place to him by close point margins, Takuma would pick up his second 5A World Title in 2017 in Takeshi's absence from the contest.

Takeshi's only two losses in the World 5A division were to American's Tyler Severance in 2007 and Jake Elliott in 2015. Ties were involved in both years. With his first Worlds competition in 2007, Takeshi tied with Sojun Miyamura for 2nd place. In Tokyo 2015, Jake would edge out Takeshi by the closest 1st place margin in World YoYo Contest history at three hundredths of a point, needing to tiebreak for the title at the time by calculating their scores to the second decimal place (84.93 to 84.90). Takeshi also had a rare -1 Major Deduction with a drop, stop and restart mistake in his loss to Jake.

In the early 2010's he would also drop 3A competition for 1A once his speed style finished migrating to a technical style. His 1A progression accelerated starting in 2012 and with it lead to earning him a 1A Japan National title in 2014 with it being one of the most noteworthy technical routines ever performed at the time. This routine also elevated him as the only person to ever earn a National Title in three different styles in any IYYF recognized National Competition.

Takeshi was close to becoming World Champion in the 3A and 1A Divisions as well. In 2010 he placed 4th in his only 3A entry but scored 79.99 to World Champion's Minato Furuta's 90.22 points, being only 10 points away from a 3A world title. He would get much closer to being a 1A world champion placing 2nd at Worlds in 1A in 2014 and 2018, falling short to YoYoFactory's Gentry Stein and Evan Nagao on those years respectfully. Both times were by quite slim margins score-wise. He had a -1 Major Deduction for his stop and restart but still scored a close 86.7 to 88.2 result to Gentry. Then also again under by about a point and a half in '18 to Evan, with a score of 90.0 to 91.4.

Takeshi's seven World Titles makes him tied for 2nd for the most World titles in history, matching the count of Rei Iwakura and Hajime Muira, with the three of them second to Shinji Saito's thirteen World titles. Takeshi is also tied for having the most Japan National Titles of anyone at nine (6 in 5A, 2 in 1A, and a 3A). Currently equaling Takuma Yamamoto's nine National Titles in 2A.

Signature Yo-yos[]

YoYoJam Ai
YoYoJam Destiny
YoYoJam Quest
Turning Point Palpitation
Turning Point Shake
Turning Point Colony
Turning Point Acanthus
Turning Point Mustang
Turning Point Mustang ES
Turning Point St. Elmo
Turning Point Palpitation ES
Turning Point Hinemosu

Achievements[]

2018[]

World Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 2nd Place

2016[]

North Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 2nd Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 2nd Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 6th Place

2015[]

Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 4th Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 2nd Place

2014[]

North Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 1st Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 1st Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 2nd Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 2nd Place

2013[]

Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place

2012[]

East Japan Yo-Yo Contest A-Block - 1A Division - 1st Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 4th Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 9th Place

2011[]

East Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
Asia-Pacific Yo-Yo Championships - 5A Division - 1st Place
Asia-Pacific Yo-Yo Championships - 3A Division - 2nd Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 3A Division - 2nd Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 2nd Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place

2010[]

East Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 5th Place
East Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
Asia-Pacific Yo-Yo Championships - 5A Division - 1st Place
Asia-Pacific Yo-Yo Championships - 3A Division - 3rd Place
Asia-Pacific Yo-Yo Championships - 1A Division - 5th Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 3A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 11th Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 3A Division - 4th Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
44CLASH - X Division - 2nd Place

2009[]

East Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 3A Division - 4th Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 8th Place
44Clash - X Division - 1st Place

2008[]

East Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
East Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 4th Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 1A Division - 11th Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - Combined Division - 4th Place

2007[]

East Japan Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 2nd Place
Japan National Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 1st Place
World Yo-Yo Contest - 5A Division - 2nd Place (Tied with Sojun Miyamura)