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Kazu Kokubo has always been a rebellious rider – from giving one finger to the cameras at last season’s X-Games to being barred from the Vancouver Winter Olympics opening ceremony for rocking up with his pants too low. When you compare Kazu’s story to the rest of the Adidas team, it’s clear that he’s come on a very different journey.

He started out as a serious little shredder in the early days, before moving on to dominate the halfpipe comp scene representing Japan with his distinctive style. When he came to America and started filming with Standard, he didn’t speak a word of English, which must have been pretty damn hard for the man! But no one cared. They overcame the language barriers, because he absolutely ripped.

In this video, we get much more insight into Kazu’s roots, his battle for recognition as a Japanese rider among Western athletes, plus his despondancy with the X-Games. Well worth a watch.