Considered by many to be the best figure skater in the world at that time, Asada was 87 days too young to compete at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

At the 2013 Skate America, she became the first singles skater, male or female, to win all seven of the current events on the Grand Prix series.

She won two gold medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and finished 6th at the 2006 Four Continents Championships.

At the Junior Grand Prix Final, she won gold with an overall score 35.08 points ahead of the silver medalist, Yuna Kim.

[20] Asada moved from Japan to the United States in August 2006 to train with Rafael Arutyunyan in Lake Arrowhead, California.

At her first event, the 2006 Skate America, Asada won the bronze medal behind Miki Ando and Kimmie Meissner.

Asada won her second event, the 2006 NHK Trophy with 199.52 points, setting the highest combined score in a Ladies' competition under the ISU Judging System and consequently, a world record.

During the summer of 2007, Asada received additional training in Russia from Tatiana Tarasova, while Arutyunyan remained her primary coach.

Asada won her second gold at the 2007 Trophée Eric Bompard with over 21 points ahead of silver medalist Kimmie Meissner.

Before Four Continents, she split with Arutyunyan[25] and returned to Japan to practice on the new Aurora Rink at Chukyo University, where she did not encounter with problems obtaining ice time.

Competing for the first time at Four Continents Championships, Asada won both segments and finished 13.71 points ahead of silver medalist Joannie Rochette.

[28][15] Asada made history in the free skate by becoming the first woman to land two triple Axels in the same program in an ISU competition, one in combination with a double toe loop.

[15] Entering the 2009 Four Continents Championships in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as the defending champion, Asada placed 6th in the short program but won the free skate.

Asada placed third in the short program and second in the free skating, finishing with the silver medal at 2009 Trophée Eric Bompard, 36.04 points behind gold medalist Yuna Kim.

At the 2009–10 Japan Championships, Asada was first in both programs and won her fourth Japanese national title, 8.72 points ahead of silver medalist Akiko Suzuki.

[15] She earned a Guinness World Record for the most triple Axels performed by a female skater in a competition – one in the short program and two in the free skating.

Under the guidance of her new coach Nobuo Sato, she relearned all the takeoffs and landings for all her triple jumps, beginning with a single rotation.

At the 2010 Trophée Eric Bompard, Asada placed 7th in the short program, 5th in the free skating and 5th overall, scoring a combined 148.02 points.

[46] First in the short program and second in the free, Asada won the silver medal at the 2012 Four Continents Championships behind gold medalist Ashley Wagner of the United States.

After a disappointing sixth at the 2012 World Championships, her mother's death, and the challenges of reworking her jump technique, Asada considered not competing.

During a press conference after Sochi, Asada was interviewed about her feelings regarding Mori's comments; she stated that it was in the past and that she has moved on.

[60] Asada said she was mentally and physically tired and wanted a chance to focus on other aspects of her life, including attending university.

[65] Asada began her season with a silver medal at the 2016 CS Finlandia Trophy, having finished second to Canada's Kaetlyn Osmond.

[12] Asada has been sponsored by Coca-Cola, Itoham Foods, Kao ("Asience"), Lotte, Nestlé, Oji Paper Company ("Nepia"), Olympus Corporation, Omron, and Weider.

[91][92] Her current sponsors include Airweave, Arsoa, Japan Airlines, Kuriyama Holdings, MiO, Morinaga & Company, Sato Pharmaceutical, Sumitomo Life, Toho Gas, and Triple Yogurt.

[97] On 8 April 2014, Asada's exhibition named "Smile" opened at Takashimaya department store in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district.

[99] The exhibition includes a collection of 30 costumes that were worn by Asada and a display of medals she has won over the years, among them the silver she scooped up at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

French Olympic Medalist figure skater Philippe Candeloro is a huge fan of Mao Asada and calls himself her godfather.

Discussing her choice, Asada explained that she wanted to give a chance to those who loved figure skating but had to quit early, due to injuries and unlucky circumstances.

Asada and her team managed to do it performing at small arenas with permanent ice, a strategy that helped to reduce the set-up time and costs.