By Laura Holliday

Copyright dailydot

TikTok has found its latest obsession: kendama, a centuries-old Japanese skill toy now fueling leaderboard rivalries and TikTok fandom wars through an app called Kendamanomics.

Kendama dates back to Japan’s Edo period. The game is simple in theory, using a wooden handle (ken) and a ball (tama) on a string, but players use it to perform tricks that can get wildly complex, similar to yoyo or cup-and-ball.

Although it’s been a competitive sport for decades, the craze has recently gone viral on TikTok following the creation of an app called Kendamanomics, which ranks players on an international leaderboard.

Three worthy challengers have emerged, all vying for the coveted title of #1 in the world, and people are torn over who to support.

What is Kendamanomics, and who are the top players?

Created by kendama player Isaac Turner, Kendamanomics is an app where those within the community can log their skills and progression. Players film themselves completing various tricks of different difficulties, typically in a POV style, and upload them as evidence. Each successful, verified trick is worth one point, and all points are displayed on a global leaderboard that updates daily.

In a now viral video posted on Sept. 13, 2025, user @juggle_guy—also known as Casey Henson—brought the world of Kendamanomics to viral TikTok fame. He explained to over 5 million viewers that his position as the no.1 kendama player in the world had recently been stolen from him, performing complex tricks throughout the video to score the points needed to win it back.

@juggle_guy Attempting to get my #1 spot in the world back on Kendamanomics… WATCH TILL THE END!! #kendama #fyp #skill #kendamanomics ♬ original sound – Caseyh

With trick names like ‘2.5 forward spacewalk swap penguin bird downspike’, commenters were immediately hooked on (if baffled by) the obscure hobby.“There’s a whole other world out there I have no idea of,” one user wrote.“I thought we were going to do math problems, but this is scarier,” added someone else.

But it wasn’t long before Henson’s arch nemesis—a Polish player named Mateusz Rudny—also posted a video on TikTok, apparently joining the app solely to show off his skills and reclaim the #1 spot again. Those now invested in the drama were ecstatic to have ‘unlocked’ a new POV.

@oglinok Getting my Kendamanomics #1 spot back from @Caseyh 😎😎 #fyp #kendama #kendamanomics ♬ original sound – Rudny

“RUDNEY HAS ENTERED THE CHAT,” one user declared while another wrote, “the ops is here.”“Rudny I’m sorry but you are now the antagonist of the kendamanomics scene. Nothing against you, it’s just how the dice fell,” someone else wrote.Others felt their loyalties tested.“Oh no Casey was my hero but now I’ve met the villain and he isn’t so bad”, Charlie Zhang contemplated.

Are there any other contenders?

It turns out there is also a secret third option in the Kendamanomics Wars—the player directly below Henson and Rudny in the rankings, David Cherwak. He too posted his POV to TikTok and quickly garnered support for his juggling prowess, as well as … something else.

“ur the prettiest one so you have my vote,” wrote one user.

Others compared him to a certain celebrity. “They call him the Timothee Chalamet of kendama.”“#3 on the board but #1 in my heart” added another.

For those thinking this is a boys’ club, a player slightly further down the rankings named Erin has also been filming her POV trick shots, causing some users to rally support for her in the name of feminism. “I’m always rooting for women in STEM,” one person said.

There are other characters too, like underdog Miguel, but perhaps the biggest plot twist was the arrival of the fabled Kendamanomics creator Isaac Turner himself—onto the platform.

@lotuskendamas FRIDAY @ NOON top spot gets a lotus sampler box #kendama #kendamanomics #romania ♬ original sound – Lotus Kendamas

“I just wanted to come on here to say thanks to the players for competing for the top spot,” he told TikTok. “I also want to throw a challenge out there that by Friday at noon, ECT, whoever has the no.1 spot in the world will get a free Lotus Kendamas sampler box which just got released”, he continued — referring to his company, who sell kendamas designed by some of the best players in the world.So, will it be Casey, Rudny, Timothe—sorry David, or someone else? There is all to play for and, even if most of us still don’t have a clue what’s going on, we’ll be keeping our eyes on the ball.

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