People · Japan
Shota Watanabe (渡辺翔太)
3×3 · top 1.2% of 284,439 all-time · competing since July 2024 · 2024WATA05
Shota Watanabe (渡辺翔太) has been competing for 2 years. His best event is the 3×3: a personal-best single of 6.87, set at Tokai Summer 2025, puts him in the top 1.2% of the 284,439 people who have ever been ranked in the event, and 52nd in Japan. Until November 2010, no official 3×3 solve in the world had been that fast. Across 6 competitions since July 2024, he has put 59 official solves on the record across three events. Solve to solve, his 3×3 times vary about 11% around a typical one, an early reading from 8 counted rounds. His 3×3 best has come down from 21.81 in July 2024 to 6.87, a 69% improvement. Shota has entered six competitions, more competitions than 86% of everyone who has ever competed.
Standing, event by event
vs everyone ever ranked| Event | PB single | PB average | All-time standing | Japan | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3×3 | 6.87 | 10.38 | top 1.2% | 52 / 3,329 | |
| 2×2 | 3.03 | 4.23 | top 14.6% | 194 / 1,021 | |
| 3×3 one-handed | 22.55 | 24.36 | top 27.5% | 220 / 529 |
Percentile against all competitors ever ranked in each event, a fairer measure than raw rank, because the pools differ by a factor of ten.
The line so far
Best single per competition, 3×3. Faster is higher — the axis is the right way up.
The story so far
- 27 Jul 2025First sub-10 3×3: 6.87 at Tokai Summer 2025.
- 15 Jun 2025First sub-20 3×3: 10.25 at Kansai Odd and BLD 2025.
- 15 Jun 2025First sub-15 3×3: 10.25 at Kansai Odd and BLD 2025.
- 7 Jul 2024First competition: Katano Milky Way 2024. A 21.81 3×3 single to start from.
Competitions
- Hiroshima Spring 2026 · 30 May 2026
- Katano Spring 2026 · 21 Mar 2026 — 1 personal best set
- Shimonoseki 2025 · 28 Dec 2025
- Tokai Summer 2025 · 27 Jul 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Kansai Odd and BLD 2025 · 15 Jun 2025 — 1 personal best set
- Katano Milky Way 2024 · 7 Jul 2024
Reading this page: a single is one solve's time · an average is the middle three of five solves, best and worst discarded · a PB is a personal best · a DNF (did not finish) is an attempt with no valid result: a popped piece, an unsolved face, an over-limit memorisation · top X% compares against everyone ever ranked in that event, which is fairer than raw rank because event pools differ tenfold.
The circuit
The people whose scorecards keep turning up next to his.
- Takayuki Ookusa (大艸尊之) — met in 10 rounds, finished ahead 7 times
- Naoki Tani (谷直輝) — met in 10 rounds, finished ahead twice
- Sho Kashiyama (樫山匠) — met in 10 rounds, finished ahead once
Next targets
- A sub-6 3×3 single — 1,376 people have one; it is 0.87 away.
- A sub-3 2×2 single — 26,570 people have one; it is 0.03 away.
Targets move as he improves.