On March 21, 2004, Taguchi and Goto received their second opportunity at the junior tag titles, falling to champions American Dragon and Curry Man. On the April "Strong Energy" tour, Taguchi was entered into the eight-man round-robin Young Lion Cup (YLC) tournament, earning nine points in the group stage and defeating Hirooki Goto and Michinoku Pro's Kazuya Yuasa in the semifinals and final, respectively. Winning the tournament earned Taguchi his first singles title opportunity, as he unsuccessfully challenged U-30 "(under 30)" Openweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi on May 13, 2004. Taguchi once again competed in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament in June 2004, finishing with 4 points by wrestling to 20-minute time limit draws with El Samurai and American Dragon, and defeating Jyushin Thunder Liger in 45 seconds. Taguchi again finished in last place for his block.