About Arata Imai
Arata Imai (今井新) is a competitive yo-yo player from Osaka, Japan, specializing in the 2A (two-handed looping) division. He began throwing around 2010 after encountering yo-yos through the manga magazine CoroCoro Comic and the children’s TV program Oha-Star. He was drawn specifically to 2A after watching veteran player Ryuji perform simultaneous two-handed looping tricks — in particular a move called the Stairstep. He began entering contests around 2012 and has since built one of the most decorated careers in modern 2A competition.
Throughout the 2017–2025 period Imai became a fixture at the top of the Japan and international 2A rankings. He won the Asia-Pacific Championships in 2017 and 2019 and the Japan National Championship in both 2021 and 2022. He placed second at the World Yo-Yo Contest in 2023 and again in 2024 before converting those runner-up finishes into a world title at WYYC 2025 in Prague, where rival Hajime Sakauchi finished second.
Imai competes under sponsorship from yoyorecreation, a Japanese manufacturer known for precision bimetal designs. The collaboration produced the Inevitable, a bimetal 1A throw with a 7075 aluminum body and stainless steel rims tuned for high-speed play. He also has a signature competition string — the Arata String — produced by HKMT Equipment in collaboration with Takumi Hakamata.
In His Own Words
The following is drawn from a 2020 interview with the Japan Yo-Yo Federation (JYYF), conducted after Imai won the West Japan 2A title. Translated and paraphrased from Japanese.
How did you get into yo-yoing?
I first saw yo-yos in CoroCoro Comic and on the TV show Oha-Star. My first favorite performer was someone named Shun, but the moment I became serious was watching Ryuji do a Stairstep with two yo-yos at the same time. I had never seen anything like it. That’s what locked me into 2A.
How do you practice?
On weekdays I run about five complete three-minute routines from start to finish. I focus on full run-throughs rather than drilling individual tricks. I practice mostly at home, occasionally at university. I also deliberately practice on equipment that isn’t my preferred setup — that way the yo-yos I actually want to use on competition day feel easier by comparison.
What were you thinking about going into the 2020 West Japan final?
I wanted to prioritize bonus points above everything else. I wasn’t trying to balance technical content and crowd appeal equally — I went specifically for the point bonuses. It worked out.
What do you want to accomplish?
At that time: beat Takuma Yamamoto and become world champion. I’ve done both since then.
