Your top 3 all time Japanese single ladies and men?

[Jeanie19]

Ladies.

Mao
Kaori Sakamoto
Suguri

Men
Oda
Takahashi
Hanyu

But it could change in a year or two because I have loved the juniors .

 

[ks777]

Yuka Sato
Shizuka Arakawa
Midori Ito


Minoru Sano
Dasuke Takahashi
Yuzuru Hanyu
Shoma Uno

 

[friedbanana]

Mao Asada
Midori Ito
Shizuka Arakawa

Yuzuru Hanyu
Daisuke Takahashi
Shoma Uno

 

[Nocturne]

1. Mao!!! My all time favorite skater forever
2. Mai Mihara - she is just so cute and always smiley and so inspiring considering her permanent sickness
3. I cant decide - Marin, Rika, Kanako, Miki, Satoko I like them all

 

[Krunchii]

Loves me some Kanako! Not only is she adorable but she is a powerful jumper and I think her artistry was underrated.

Ando, Miyahara, and Suzuki would also make my honourable mentions list, and of course Yuka Sato, whose skating quality is absolutely divine (arguably the best artistic Japanese skater ever, at least in my books).

Suguri doesn't get a ton of love but I respect the hell out of her for continuing competitively (including maintaining difficult jumps) as long as she did, and her achievements when she was at her peak.

I'm always so saddened by how Fumie is less remembered than her co-patriots, she should be up there making it hard for people to choose just 3 skaters. She had great artistry and many memorable and well choreographed programs. I'll admit I made fun of her a bit too for competing so long but she really had that competitive fire.

 

[laiyamanika]

Ladies:
Mao Asada
Satoko Miyahara
Midori Ito

Men:
Daisuke Takahashi
Yuzuru Hanyu
Nobunari Oda

 

[chopinskate]

1. Mao Asada
2. Midori Ito

The rest.

 

[skateluvr]

I'm not really keen to participate in this kind of thread but this comment successfully dragged me out. :rofl2:



For the record, mine is Yuzu.

No offense intended. He’s one of my faves as you read. I was simply pointing out my surprise that so many prefer other Japanese men over Hanyu. I thought that he was adored by Japanese and the entire world. I’m just saying what I have seen stated yet in a question. The humility thing which is very very hard given his Olympic medal and then worlds and then another Olympic medal. So it was a question based on ccomments and not intended as baiting Yuzu fans because I am a big Yuzu fan. When he is on he flies and has given me joy and a feeling of awe.

Japan has made so many great figureskaters and we have many more in the ladies event. An embarrassment of riches.

It think it’s ok to state why you love someone or why you don’t. Didn’t mean to distract from the list format. Pardon me!

 

[Mathman]

Restricted to the very tip-top three, the competition is too fierce. I want to give a shout-out to the remarkable two-time World Champion Miki Ando. (She has only a couple of honorable mentions so far on this thread. )

Also, the 2003 world junior champ Yukina Ota always warms my heart, especially factoring in her professional post-competition career. (As far as I know she still performs.)

 

[chopinskate]

I want to give a shout-out to the remarkable two-time World Champion Miki Ando. (She has only a couple of honorable mentions so far on this thread. )

(Fight fight fight)

I felt at least one of those world titles was undeserved. Maybe others think so too.

 

[skateluvr]

Yes Miki Ando was first woman to land a ratified quad was she not? Please someone correct me if not accurate. And if accurate what quad did she land and when and where?

I really liked Shizuka but I was very disappointed in her free skate in Torino. In 2002 Sarah Hughes landed two triple triples to come from fourth to win the gold at 16. It was thrilling and Olympic though she probably flutzed. That ladies final was a nail biter and the other medals can be discussed forever but my point is Shizuka was doing 3 by 3 by 3 in practice and didn’t even do a 3x3 in her lip! She calmly did the math or her coach did and skated safely and boringly. She is first and only Japanese lady to win Oly Gold. She could have thrown down a memorable performance but played it safe.

I remember her for being called cool beauty. Talented and a great skater but an underwhelming Oly Gold so she does not make my list. I loved Yakari Nakano but short career due to injury? I had totally forgotten Fumie because I didn’t enjoy her skating but she was a world medalist in the days when She was their top lady. The mind boggles to remember all these talent people.

Takeshi Honda seems to be the first male that Japan had with million dollar legs to quote Scott. Now Japanese men take two out of three Olympic medals.

I only hope Nathan Chen will be skating as much as studying. He is the best challenger in this hemisphere to Yuzu and Shoma. I had forgotten a few beloved skaters. Makes me want to go YouTube them to remember how the skated.

The current ladies are amazing and deserve their own list. I guess someone can start that thread or add on. For me Satoko heads that list’ then Wakaba then ? Too many to choose from.

With so many honorable mentions maybe I should have said number 4 for the all time pewter medal lol. I always feel mixed about Shizuka who makes many a list it appears because I expected her to do her max at that Olympics. Well not every competition can be thrilling in every way I guess. I wasn’t really watching that year for personal reasons so I really should rewatch that Olympics.

 

[chopinskate]

Yes Mike Ando was first woman to land a ratified quad was she not? Please someone correct me if not accurate. And if accurate what quad did she land and when and where?

4S, but it was UR. Ratified, but not clean.

I really liked Shizuoka but I was very disappointed in her free skate in Torino. In 2002 Sarah Hughes landed two triple triples to come from fourth to win the gold at 16. It was thrilling and Olympic though she probably flutzed. That ladies final was a nail biter and the other medals can be discussed forever but my point is Shizuoka was doing 3 by 3 by 3 in practice and didn’t do a 3x3. She calmly did the math or her coach did and skated safely and boringly. She is first and only Japanese lady to win Oly Gold. She could have thrown down a memorable performance but played it safe.

She might have played it safe on the jumps, but she did so well on everything. It allowed her to be calm. Her edges were sure. Her spirals were magnificent. Her jumps were still big. Her ina bauer was wonderful. In that performance, she skated like she was born to skate, just an aura of sureness. Not the most talented skater out there, that was Sasha, but that's not what matters most.

The current ladies are amazing and deserve their own list. I guess someone can start that thread or ad on. For me Satoko heads that then Wakaba then ? Too many to choose from.

I am less impressed by the current ladies, but mine would be 1. Wakaba Higuchi 2. Kaori Sakamoto 3. Satoko Miyahara (for being good to watch despite the CoP nonsense).

 

[narcissa]

No offense intended. He’s one of my faves as you read. I was simply pointing out my surprise that so many prefer other Japanese men over Hanyu. I thought that he was adored by Japanese and the entire world.

It could be that those who like Hanyu are afraid to post. As for me, everyone knows who I like, so why bother? Don't want to turn another thread into a dumpster fire.

 

[Wynter]

all that

No offense taken--you just got me laughing a bit since you and I seemed to have different interpretation for humility.

 

[skateluvr]

I think Takahashi broke the mold. He was an incredible skater and his outfits and style made it easier for Hanyu to be himself don’t you think? People or some anyway thought him flamboyant and maybe he was but he reall was so talented and some performances are for the ages. I was amazed by his techno swan and watched it a while back. This makes me want to go watch more of Daisuke. I can’t believe he is coming back. How old is he and is he got GP assignments?

 

[narcissa]

How old is he and is he got GP assignments?

Google is your friend...lol

 

[ankifeather]

The humility thing which is very very hard given his Olympic medal and then worlds and then another Olympic medal. So it was a question based on ccomments and not intended as baiting Yuzu fans because I am a big Yuzu fan. When he is on he flies and has given me joy and a feeling of awe.

Not sure what is meant by the "humility" thing. Is it implying he is not preferred because he is not humble? or because he is strong competition as a multi-gold medalist? If the former not sure what he had done to give off a not humble impression - Yuzu is one of the most well mannered and humble skaters out there, always thanking fans and coaches, never talking down anyone. If the latter, that is normal right, given if one strongly favours another male skater, it would be difficult to prefer Yuzu at the same time if he is a direct competitor.

 

[yume]

I really liked Shizuka but I was very disappointed in her free skate in Torino. In 2002 Sarah Hughes landed two triple triples to come from fourth to win the gold at 16. It was thrilling and Olympic though she probably flutzed. That ladies final was a nail biter and the other medals can be discussed forever but my point is Shizuka was doing 3 by 3 by 3 in practice and didn’t even do a 3x3 in her lip! She calmly did the math or her coach did and skated safely and boringly. She is first and only Japanese lady to win Oly Gold. She could have thrown down a memorable performance but played it safe.

I remember her for being called cool beauty. Talented and a great skater but an underwhelming Oly Gold so she does not make my list. I loved Yakari Nakano but short career due to injury? I had totally forgotten Fumie because I didn’t enjoy her skating but she was a world medalist in the days when She was their top lady. The mind boggles to remember all these talent people.

She might have played it safe on the jumps, but she did so well on everything. It allowed her to be calm. Her edges were sure. Her spirals were magnificent. Her jumps were still big. Her ina bauer was wonderful. In that performance, she skated like she was born to skate, just an aura of sureness. Not the most talented skater out there, that was Sasha, but that's not what matters most.

About Arakawa, despite being the oly champ she's not in my list. Because even if she had a beautiful skating and she won the big one, she wasn't the top1 Japanese of her era, fumie was. She was more consistent, was more decorated, but never get scored well enough or never was enough lucky to get a world or oly title.
Arakawa's oly title is the definition of rise into the occasion. She was lucky, but that's the sport, that's what competition is. Without the mistakes of the favorites she would probably still have get the bronze.

 

[yume]

Restricted to the very tip-top three, the competition is too fierce. I want to give a shout-out to the remarkable two-time World Champion Miki Ando. (She has only a couple of honorable mentions so far on this thread. )

A bit sad considering that she's the most decorated at worlds after Mao. Maybe it has to do with people not linking her skating that much and thinking that she was just a good jumper (that's the comments i read on her most of the time).

 

[Merjan]

Ladies:
Mao
Miyahara
Arakawa

Men:
Yuzuru
Oda
Tomono ( or Shoma)