On February 21, 2020, and on night three of New Japan Road, Tanahashi and Ibushi, dubbing themselves Golden☆Ace, defeated the Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship. Following the win, they were attacked by Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi and Zack Sabre Jr.) On July 12, at Dominion, Tanahashi and Ibushi were defeated by Dangerous Tekkers, ending their reign at 142 days. From September 19 to October 18, Tanahashi took part in the G1 Climax, where he finished in his block with a record of four wins and five losses. One of his victories was over Kenta, meaning Tanahashi could challenge Kenta for his shot at the IWGP United States Championship, which was confirmed on the night of the final. On November 7, at Power Struggle, Kenta defeated Tanahashi. At Wrestle Kingdom 15 Night 1, he defeated Great-O-Khan. At The New Beginning in Nagoya, Tanahashi defeated Shingo Takagi to win the NEVER Openweight Championship for the first time.