Yuzuru Hanyu
All of the 2013 World champions were absent but the 2014 Olympic men's champion Yuzuru Hanyu, pairs medalists Ksenia Stolbova / Fedor Klimov and Aliona Savchenko / Robin Szolkowy, and ice dancing bronze medalists Elena Ilinykh / Nikita Katsalapov, as well as several team medalists, including Yulia Lipnitskaya, competed in Saitama.