Evan Nagao*
Evan Nagao is a competitive yo-yo player and musician from Honolulu, Hawaii, introduced to the sport by his father Alan Nagao. He rose through the U.S. competitive ranks through the 2010s, taking 1st at PNWR 2016, EYYC Open 1A 2017, and back-to-back U.S. National 1A titles from 2017–2018 before winning the 2018 World Yo-Yo Contest 1A division — the sport’s top title — on his signature Edge Beyond. He remained a top competitor into the 2020s, taking 2nd at Worlds 2019, 1st at Nationals 1A in 2022, and a 1A/2A national title double in 2023, with a 3rd-place finish at Worlds 1A that same year. As a longtime YoyoFactory signature player he lent his name to a run of throws under the Edge line — Edge, Edge Beyond, Wedge, Edge Infinity, Monster Edge, and the Koʻolau Edge, named for the mountain range near his childhood home.
* Editorial note: In June 2023, Nagao drew community backlash after social-media posts reportedly showed him and fellow player Angelo Aguirre interacting with a man they described as affiliated with the Ku Klux Klan, framed with a message about yo-yoing bridging divides. Forum members who said they watched Nagao’s subsequent Instagram Live response criticized it as an inadequate apology. Community sources reported his YoyoFactory sponsorship ended around the same time, though no company statement or independent journalistic account has confirmed the reason or exact date — this note reflects community reporting, not a confirmed record.
