“Faster Than Anyone Else” Ryuusei Kawakami: “My weapon is Speed, and I don’t want to lose to anyone there.”

Since 2025, Ryuusei Kawakami has dominated junior titles both in Japan and overseas, making his presence felt in Japan as the “new monster.” He is the 2025 World Youth Champion. What does one of the brightest young talents of his generation, who says he “doesn’t want to lose to anyone in Speed,” have his sights set on?
People involved in Japanese Table tennis are predicting that “within the next two or three years, he’ll be competing on equal terms with Sora MATSUSHIMA.”

Photo = Manabu Nakagawa　photographs by Manabu Nakagawa

■Profile　Kawakami Ryusei

Born October 5, 2009, from Niigata Prefecture. He started Table tennis at age 4. At the 2026 All Japan Championships, he won the Junior (U17) title. At the 2025 World Youth Championships, at just 16, he captured a double crown in the U19 boys' team and Singles. World ranking: 140 (as of July 13, 2026)

KAWAKAMI, Ryuusei
World Youth U19 Champion

Faster Than Anyone Else

My Service was effective against Patrick FRANZISKA and ZHOU Qihao too, so it gave me a lot of confidence

　Ryuusei Kawakami’s results over the past year have been, in the junior class, nothing short of “invincible.” He won the Inter-High last summer as a first-year high school student, and at the World Youth Championships, at just 16, he completed a double crown in the U19 division with team and Singles titles. At the All Japan Championships in January 2026, he won the Junior title and also reached the top eight in the men’s Singles.

　He entered the men’s World Cup, held from late March to early April, as the World Youth Champion and made his debut on the big stage. He is now poised to leap from junior to senior, and from Japan to the world.

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●－This is your first cover, and your first cover interview. Thank you for being here.

Ryuusei Kawakami (hereafter KR)　I’ve been reading O-KOKU since I was in elementary school. I’m really happy to be on the cover.

●－Thank you very much (haha). You’ve also been standing out in major tournaments lately, but could you look back first on the men’s World Cup in March, which was your first big game?

KR　In the group stage, I was with Patrick FRANZISKA (Germany) and ZHOU Qihao (China), so it felt like the strong players had all gathered there, but I think that actually let me go at them head-on.

　I had only seen both of them play on video, so I had no idea what kind of Ball would come my way. But once I played, the Ball wasn’t as fast as I expected, and I felt I could compete.

●－Patrick FRANZISKA’s power is among the very best in the world, but you didn’t feel it was that fast?

KR　What I felt most was, “He’s unbelievably big” (haha). I couldn’t picture how I’d be able to break through, but I could handle the Drive he was bringing with no problem.

　I’m confident in my Service and Drive, and my Service was effective against both Patrick FRANZISKA and ZHOU Qihao, so that really gave me a lot of confidence.