The Japanese star has been peerless in men's gymnastics in recent years, having claimed all-around gold at the last four world championships and the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
The 25-year old became the first man to achieve four world titles in a row when he triumphed in Antwerp last year and has been hailed by many as the greatest male gymnast of all time.
Uchimura sat out the recent Asian Games in Incheon, where compatriot Yuya Kamoto claimed all-around gold and Japan triumphed in the team event - in a bid to fine-tune his preparations for this year's world championships in Nanning, China.
Such is Uchimura's reputation in the sport, many of his rivals consider him an inspirational figure. That is certainly the case for Commonwealth all-around champion Max Whitlock of Great Britain, who describes Uchimura as a "motivation".
"Uchimura inspires me and motivates me because I could watch his gymnastics all day," Whitlock told The Guardian. "I met him in 2010 at a Japan Cup competition. I was starstruck seeing him. Honestly, he's been my idol – always.
"He's unbelievable, so to compete alongside him is pretty crazy."
"The Japanese keep themselves very much to themselves but I got to shake his hand and it's obviously great to meet your idol.
"It really inspires you to keep training harder. I'm constantly watching his videos on YouTube but the Japanese are very secretive. They don't put many videos on YouTube because they don't want any of us to see what they’re doing.
"Even in training during competition he will come into the gym and sit there for a few hours before he goes out. You hardly ever see him training. He's 25 and I want him to stick around. I think he wants to carry on to Toyko 2020 and that’s great."
Whitlock's enthusiasm to see Uchimura continue competing until his home Olympics might not be shared by all in the men's field, as toppling his dominance appears no mean feat.
Along with Whitlock, 2013 all-around bronze medallist Fabian Hambuchen and his German team-mates will be aiming to upset the Japanese, as will the home Chinese contingent led by Deng Shudi.
In the women's event, the United States' Simone Biles is aiming to become the first woman since Russia's Svetlana Khorkina in 2001 and 2003 to win back-to-back world crowns.
Compatriot Kyla Ross will have her eye on going one better than last year when she finished second, but suffered a hip injury in the build-up and claimed to be "held together by tape" earlier this week.
Russia's Aliya Mustafina and China's Yao Jinnan are likely to be among the other contenders for all-around glory.