Daisuke Takahashi

is a Japanese figure skater (men's singles and ice dance), ice show producer and actor. As a singles skater, he is the 2010 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2010 World champion, the 2012–13 Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time (2008, 2011) Four Continents champion, and a five-time (2006–2008, 2010, 2012) Japanese national champion.

Takahashi represented Japan at the 2006 Winter Olympics, 2010 Winter Olympics, and 2014 Winter Olympics. His bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics was the first Olympic medal for an Asian country in the men's singles event. He was also the first Asian man to win a World title at the 2010 World Championships. At the 2012–13 Grand Prix Final, Takahashi made history again as the first Asian man to win a gold medal in the event, an addition to his previous accomplishment of being the first Japanese man to medal at the event in 2005.

Takahashi retired on October 14, 2014, but returned to competitive skating on July 1, 2018. and has been be cited as an inspiration by his peers including as Patrick Chan, Tatsuki Machida, Adam Rippon or Tomáš Verner as well as by skaters of younger generations such as Shoma Uno, Denis Ten, Jason Brown, Deniss Vasiljevs, Misha Ge, Jimmy Ma or Kazuki Tomono.

Outside of the competitive field Takahashi has been a key individual in innovating the Japanese ice show market by headlining Hyoen, a new cross-genre show format, which combines figure skating and Japanese culture (incorporating several genres, such as kabuki, the Takarazuka Revue, musicals and literature) and by producing Kassouya, an ensemble show that provides performance opportunities for and nurtures young figure skaters.

In addition to performing in ice shows, he has also appeared as a dancer in Cheryl Burke's stage production Love on the Floor.

In July/August 2024 he made his acting debut in the movie Kura no Aru Machi (蔵のある街) (engl. The Tales of Kurashiki), written and directed by Emiko Hiramatsu. The movie is scheduled to be released in cinemas nationwide in the summer of 2025.

At the 2005–06 Japanese Championships, Oda was initially declared the winner, but his gold medal was revoked when a glitch in the calculation of scores in the event's computer system was discovered. The reason for the error lay in Oda's first jump combination, a combination of triple Axel, triple toe loop and triple loop. The last jump of the combination, the triple loop, was initially incorrectly identified as a double jump, but was later corrected to an under-rotated triple jump attempt.

This is where the Zayak rule came into play, which says that in a free skate "of all triple and quadruple jumps only two can be executed twice." Oda had performed two triple toe loops and two triple Lutzes, and since he had also performed a triple loop and the loop at the end of his first combination jump was corrected to an under-rotated attempt at another triple, he had performed three triple jumps twice. As a result, the score for the second triple lutz was invalidated. The rankings were reversed and Takahashi was awarded the gold.

Takahashi went on to dominate the men’s event at the 2010 World Championships in Turin, Italy with two outstanding performances. He won the gold medal with a combined total of 257.70, more than 10 points over his nearest rival, becoming the first Asian to win a world championship in men's singles. Takahashi’s jump coach, 2002 and 2003 World bronze medalist Takeshi Honda, said: "Daisuke’s victory was a big step forward for Japanese men’s skating. I was very happy for him because I see him train so hard every day." Together with Kozuka's result, who placed tenth, three spots were maintained for the 2011 World Championships.

Upon his return from Turin a parade was held in his hometown of Kurashiki to celebrate his historic achievements. Takahashi said about the reception he received when he returned home from Italy: "I did not realize it when I was in Torino, but my victory was bigger news in Japan than I thought. I was very surprised about that." Together with Mao Asada he was also invited to a garden party held by the Emperor and Empress of Japan to honour the achievements of all of the Japanese athletes, who medaled at the 2010 Winter Olympics. At the 2011 World Championships, he was third in the short program but finished in fifth overall. In the free skate, a screw in his boot came loose on his first element, a quad toe. where he won the silver medal. The French crowd believed he deserved the gold medal over Patrick Chan, who had mistakes, including a fall on a double Axel, and booed the final result. Takahashi stated that he was pleased with the result, which he had not expected after his off-season surgery. and thus securing three spots for the Japanese men's team at the 2014 Olympics and 2014 World Championships, together with Hanyu, who placed fourth.

2013–14 season In the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix season, Takahashi placed 4th at 2013 Skate America before winning the 2013 NHK Trophy for the fifth and final time and thus qualifying for the Grand Prix Final, from which he had to withdraw due to an injury, a shinbone bruise, he sustained on November 26. He was replaced by compatriot Nobunari Oda, who was the first alternate.

At the Japanese Championships, not having recovered from the injury, he placed 4th in the short program and 5th in the free skate to place 5th overall. Due to satisfying multiple selection criteria over other contenders, including ISU World Standings and ISU Season's Best Score, he was named to the Sochi Olympic team.

At the Olympics, he finished 4th in the short program and 6th in the free skate to finish 6th overall, with a total score of 250.67. He was originally slated to compete at the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, but pulled out due to lingering effects of his injury.

Takahashi announced his retirement from competitive skating in October 2014.

2018–19 season Takahashi announced his intent to return to competitive skating at the start of the 2018–19 season. Asked for his goal/reason for coming out of retirement, he replied: "I have decided that I want to live as a skating performer, so my goal is to perform the best I can until I feel I have reached my limits. To be able to do so, I see this return to active competition as the start. I haven't thought about my goals as an active skater yet. However, in terms of goals for the future, I think the time I can perform is short (due to my age), and I don't know what the future holds for figure skating, and I don't know how long I'll have a place to skate, but as long as I have the opportunity, I want to show my best performances in ice shows. After that, if there is anything I can do to help the younger skaters involved in skating, I would like to support them. I tried out different talking jobs (as a newscaster, etc.), but I've come to realise that I don't have the talent for that. I think that I'm better suited to expressing myself through my body, regardless of whether I have talent or not. I've come to realise that people have their own strengths and weaknesses, so I want to rebuild my body again… When I went to New York, I didn’t skate for months and just quit completely. If I had kept performing in shows after retiring, I probably wouldn’t have ended up like this, but I realised that it takes time to get back to that level."

At the 2018–19 Japan Championships he placed second behind Shoma Uno, but declined offers of international assignments.

2019–20 season In September 2019, Takahashi announced that he would finish his competitive singles career that season and switch to competing in ice dance with partner Kana Muramoto.

2020–21 season Following the conclusion of his singles career, Takahashi began training with Muramoto in Florida under Marina Zoueva, the coach of Olympic champions Virtue/Moir and Davis/White. Takahashi's star status in Japan made his decision to switch to ice dance a point of considerable interest in the country's media and figure skating audience. Muramoto decided to retire with him to pursue a professional show career together.

Post-competitive career After his first retirement from competitive figure skating in October 2014, Takahashi mainly performed in ice shows such as the new Japanese production Hyoen, Art on Ice and Ice Legends in Switzerland, Denis Ten and Friends in Kazakhstan, The Ice, Shizuka Arakawa's Friends on Ice and Stars on Ice Japan and worked as a reporter and sports caster for Fuji tv, hosting, among other things, a segment called Spotlight, for which he interviewed professionals and artists from various fields such as movie director and visual effects supervisor Takashi Yamazaki, actor Nomura Mansai or photographer Mika Ninagawa. Together with triple Olympic champion, retired judoka Tadahiro Nomura, he reported live from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. He also appeared as a guest on numerous talk and variety shows.

In 2016 Takahashi took part in a test-run for the fusion of projection mapping and figure skating, performed to the song GIFT by Japanese pop rock band Mr. Children. The technology was subsequently implemented in the new innovative cross-genre show Hyoen – Basara (2017), starring Takahashi, kabuki actor Ichikawa Somegoro VII (now Matsumoto Kōshirō X) and retired singles figure skater and Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa. This marked the first time projection mapping was used in a Japanese ice show.

In 2016 and 2017 Takahashi performed as a main dancer alongside retired singles figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, retired ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White as well as an ensemble consisting of professional dancers in Cheryl Burke's (Dancing with the Stars) stage production Love on the Floor. Burke praised Takahashi: "When I heard that Daisuke would love to be a part of 'Love on the Floor,' I was just so blown away that he would even want to do something like this … [and] the fact that he is able to take on such an amazing challenge, and be so ready and willing to do it. I've seen him dance and grow as an artist – he is already such an amazing dancer. I have a lot of experience working with celebrities with no dance experience, and I tell you – if he were ever to do ‘Dancing with the Stars’ here in America, he would win hands down." The premiere was attended by world-renowned ballet dancer Tetsuya Kumakawa, actor Junichi Ishida and ballet dancer and actor Shuntaro Miyao, among others. Kumakawa offered his support, saying, "He has a gentle personality, but on the ice, Takahashi Daisuke has a wonderful charisma that I really relate to. I'm looking forward to a performance that will really bring out Daisuke's talent. I hope that he will become a dancer and leader in Japan." The show was held at the TOKYU THEATRE Orb. During its 2016 run it grossed over two million dollars in ticket sales in ten sold out shows.

In 2018 Takahashi took on his first project (called D-color) as 'total coordinator' for his sponsor, real estate company Sky Court Ltd, designing the interior and exterior of a 13-storey condominium building in Asakusa, Tokyo.

Following his second retirement in May 2023, Takahashi has performed solo and with Muramoto in ice shows such as Hyoen – The Miracle of the Cross Star, Hyoen – Mirror-Patterned Demon, Prince Ice World, Friends on Ice, Stars on Ice Japan and The Ice. In February 2024, he produced the first edition of his own ice show Kassouya, having already made his debut as producer for the second edition of his show Ice Explosion in January 2023. The second edition of Kassouya took place in March 2025 with a third edition planned for spring 2026.

In 2024 Takahashi co-choreographed the program Symmetry with Muramoto, which they debuted during the Prince Ice World – Broadway Rocks! tour. For Friends on Ice 2024 he choreographed his solo show program Wake up, you're dreaming.

In April 2024 Takahashi completed his third D-color project for the 55th Anniversary of Sky Court Ltd, designing the interior of a one-room apartment.

Since April 2024, he has co-hosted the variety show Poka Poka (ぽかぽか) on Fuji tv on Thursdays.

In July/August 2024 he made his acting debut in the movie Kura no Aru Machi (蔵のある街) (engl. The Tales of Kurashiki), written and directed by Emiko Hiramatsu, which is set and was entirely filmed in Takahashi's hometown of Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture. In the film, he plays a curator of a local museum who becomes the confidant of the main characters, high school students Aoi Nanba and Beniko Shiraga, portrayed by Soma Santoki and Runa Nakashima. Director Emiko Hiramatsu on why she cast Takahashi: "I really wanted an actor with name recognition for this important role. So while I was wondering what to do, just by chance, I saw a program on NHK where Mr. Takahashi was being interviewed. And I instantly knew I didn't have to worry anymore. It was such a perfect match that I thought that his speaking style, mannerisms, and atmosphere were so perfect that I thought that was all I needed. And he's also from Kurashiki." Takahashi reflected on his first movie acting experience: "My honest impression is that I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in a film production despite having no acting experience. Although it was challenging and difficult, the experience made me realise that I enjoy acting. I would like to continue participating in similar projects in the future. In addition to acting itself, I truly enjoy the process of collaborating with others to create a work of art." The movie is scheduled to be released in cinemas nationwide on August 22, 2025.

In October 2024 he was announced as the recipient of the "Suits of the Year 2024" award in the sports category, "which focuses on people who have achieved results through their spirit of challenge and fair play and are admired around the world". The award is sponsored by The Nikkei Magazine, a media business of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and recognizes "people who have the talent and ambition to take on challenges with passion in business or their own field and change the times."

In October 2024 Takahashi founded the members-only official fan community F-Ske on the platform Fanicon together with Shizuka Arakawa, his ice dance partner Kana Muramoto, Takahito Mura, Kazuki Tomono, Keiji Tanaka, Yuna Aoki, Kosho Oshima, Yuto Kishina and Rena Uezono.

For October 2025 he is scheduled to make his stage acting debut in the Japanese dance drama Genroku Chûshingura at the Nagoya Odori NEO festival.

Notable show appearances Takahashi has performed in numerous (ice) shows in Japan and abroad. Because of the high number of appearances, only the most notable ones are listed below.

For further information about the Hyoen series see the main article: Hyoen

Producer and performer Ice Explosion (Japan) (2023) Kassouya (Japan) (2024–2026) Headliner / Chairperson Kobe charity show (Japan) (2011–2015) Christmas on Ice (Japan) (2014–2018) Hyoen (Japan) (2017, 2019, 2024, 2025) Ice Explosion (Japan) (2020) LUXE (Japan) (2021) Dancer Love on the Floor (Japan) (2016, 2017) Stage Actor Genroku Chûshingura (Japan) (2025)

Cast member Prince Ice World (Japan) (2006–08, 2010–14, 2016, 2018–19, 2023–25) Friends on Ice (Japan) (2006–2014, 2016–17, 2019, 2022–25) Stars sur glace (France) (2007) The Ice (Japan) (2007, 2016–17, 2023) Stars on Ice (Japan) (2007–08, 2010–13, 2015–16, 2022, 2025) Festa on Ice (South Korea) (2008) Carnival on Ice (Japan) (2008–13, 2016–17) Fantasy on Ice (Japan) (2011, 2014) Art on Ice (China) (2012) Art on Ice (Japan) (2013) Denis Ten and Friends (Kazakhstan) (2014) Art on Ice (Switzerland) (2015, 2017) Ice Legends (Switzerland) (2016) Golden Moment (Hawaii) (2017) Bloom on Ice (Japan) (2023, 2024)

Filmography The Tales of Kurashiki (2025)

Personal life Takahashi was a student at Kansai University, along with Nobunari Oda. He has three elder brothers.

In 2023 Takahashi moved from Osaka to Tokyo.

Public life and endorsements With the silver medal at the 2007 Worlds, Takahashi made many media appearances and performed in many ice shows in Japan. He was also invited to the French team's show Stars sur glace (Stars On Ice) in Paris. In 2008, he performed at Festa On Ice in South Korea.

In July 2007, the Japanese Olympic Committee selected Takahashi as one of the "JOC symbol athletes" (JOC paid about 20 million yen per year to the symbol athletes for the image rights. JOC partner companies can use images of JOC Symbol Athletes for free). 195.01|2023 World Team Trophy 79.56|2022 CS Denis Ten Memorial 47.71|2022 CS Denis Ten Memorial 33.25|2023 World Team Trophy 116.63|2023 World Team Trophy 65.67|2023 World Championships 51.50|2023 World Team Trophy

Senior men's singles Takahashi with the other medalists at the 2011 Four Continents Championships.