Interview with a string player who will play the future of the professional scene of "Tekken" for 14 years at the age of 21

OPANGA League x Tekken 7 A string player who won the season 5 and is no longer a young ace, but a Japanese ace.

Tekken 7 professional player string player has played the "Tekken" series since he was in elementary school, and when he was a junior high school student, he won the runner-up in the North American fighting game tournament "EVO" and has a strong presence as a child prodigy player. I did. [Photo] A young string player who plays the "Tekken" series The string player who acquired a JeSU (Japan eSports Union) professional license in 2019 and started full-scale activities as a professional gamer is 21 years old. It is no exaggeration to say that it is leading the e-sports scene of Japan's "Tekken 7". In addition to winning national and international competitions, he has also won the Joltin'Joe Award, which is given to the best esports player of the year at the New York Game Awards, a game award sponsored by the New York Videogames Critics Circle. .. We talked to such a string player about his encounter with "Tekken," his college entrance exam, and his father. ――First of all, please introduce yourself. String player (hereinafter referred to as "string"): A string belonging to DONUTS USG. He has been playing the Tekken series for 14 years and is now a professional gamer. He is 21 years old. ――Your 21-year-old career for 14 years is already a veteran, isn't it? String: That's right. He started playing early, so his playing history has grown that much. ――Please tell us your impression of winning the "Joltin'Joe Award" at the "New York Game Awards". String: Actually, I didn't know much about "New York Game Awards". I looked it up later, but only really famous people have won the award. Once again, I was deeply moved that I received a great award. Above all, I was happy that "Tekken 7" was more noticeable than the award. After receiving the award, we received congratulatory messages from many people. ――In 2021, you won all the big competitions such as "TOPANGA LEAGUE x TEKKEN7 Season 3", "EVO 2021 Online", "Tekken Online Challenge 2021 Japan Online Masters", "Red Bull Kumite", but you can achieve results. Is there a secret to doing it? String: 2021 was the most successful year I've ever played. It wasn't until the second half of 2020 that we were able to produce results. It feels like the momentum is still going on. Before that, when I couldn't win, I wasn't confident at all. As I gradually get results, I feel more confident, which leads to further results. You can move more aggressively in the tournament, and you can play calmly. ――It was strong when I was using a character called Shaheen, but after that, it seemed to be compatible with the new characters Farcam Lamb and Lydia. String: Farcam Lamb and Lydia are strong characters, aren't they? When I was using Shaheen in the TOPANGA league, my opponent was using Farcam Lamb, which made it difficult and difficult to fight. Even though I was able to move the Shaheen I was using as ideal, I sometimes lost. Then I started to think that it would be difficult to win with Shaheen alone. So, in Season 3 of the TOPANGA League, I was able to win using Farcam Lamb, but in Season 4, I lost because I was confused even though I used Farcam Lamb. Therefore, I also started using Lydia. ――Many players use Farcam Lamb and Lydia, but it seems that it is not only the strength of the character that has won while using the same character. String: Of course, it is also important to be able to bring out the strengths of the character. We call the goodness of guards and the timing of attacks "Tekken power", but it seems that improving the Tekken power firmly led to the victory. --The string player had been suspended from the activities of "Tekken 7" for a year to take the university entrance exam, but he quit the university. What kind of thought did you have? String: I decided to quit college when I used to go abroad. When I had a lot, I traveled abroad about twice a month. I had to spend more time on the move, competitions, and practice, and as a result, I couldn't do the university tasks. In addition, I got an offer from a professional team and started to join the team. As long as I joined the team, I had to get results and practiced even more. That made the university less sparse, and I tended to lose credits. What's more, if you're doing college while focusing on "Tekken 7", you can't put all your energy into "Tekken 7". In the end, both the university and "Tekken 7" were halfway, and I decided to quit the university. It was a university I entered with much effort, and I had the support of my family, so I couldn't say that I would quit. ――Is the result starting to come out after you quit college and became a single "Tekken"? String: The one-year blank I was absent from college entrance exams was so big that I couldn't win at all. I practiced to get better little by little and got advice from other players, so I thought that one year was a period to gain experience and played. Around the time when the results began to come out, a tournament called "YAMADA CUP" was held, and I was able to win the championship there. If you think about it now, that tournament may have been the trigger. After that, I was able to leave results in the "Tekken Pro Championship Japan-Korea Competition 2020" and "Master Cup". ――In the midst of the blanks, you got the JeSU pro license relatively early. String: At the tournament to get a professional license, I lost quite early and fell to the loser's side of the tournament. But when I won the Losers about three times, I felt like I could go. It feels like you're in a zone. I don't feel like losing at all. The player who beat me on the Winners side had won the Winners' Best 8 but lost in the first round of the Winners and fell to the Losers. We rematched there and were able to fulfill our revenge. Then I swam through the Losers and got a license. Besides, it was a tournament where there were various dramas such as a confrontation with a close friend in the tournament. ――I hear that you were able to play the "Tekken" series from an early age largely because of the support of your father, the so-called string dad. How have you been receiving support so far? String: At that time, my parents were addicted to medal games, and I often took them to the arcade. So I found "Tekken 6" and got 100 yen to play it. No matter how many times I tried, I was instantly defeated and repeatedly asked my father for 100 yen. I thought the computer was too strong, but my father who came to see the situation told me that there was an opponent in the store instead of the computer. If you're a computer opponent, it's "difficult", but when I learned that there was an opponent, I was very disappointed to lose. After that, when the school was over, I was taken to the game center and worked on it. ――Is your father good at "Tekken 6"? String: It's not that I don't play, but I wasn't that good. However, I thought it was good to teach. Look at my play and point out exactly what's wrong. It was a great reference for me to improve. ――I heard that you took me to an expedition to Osaka, etc. in addition to going to the game center every day. String: That's right. At the arcade I was attending, there was a monitor for "Tekken 6" in addition to the housing for playing the game. The rankings of players from all over the country and the competition of top rankers were displayed on the monitor. Then, I found out that there were strong people in Osaka, and I was suddenly interested in it, but my father, who was watching the situation, took me to Osaka for an expedition, saying, "Well, let's go." He also took me to stores with strong players from all over Kyushu. ――What kind of player did you meet during the Osaka expedition? Are there any players currently active as professional players? String: No player is active as a professional. The two strongest in Osaka were Tissuemon and Matador. He was the top player in the "Tekken" world at the time, and although I was able to play against him, I couldn't win a single victory and lost about 25 games in a row. ――In addition, you said that you moved your activity from Fukuoka to Tokyo when you quit university. What are the advantages of working in Tokyo? String: The reason I came to Tokyo was because the team I currently belong to was in Tokyo. Another reason is that I have been called for TV coverage and recording for about a year. It's hard to move here, and it's easier to call someone who lives in Tokyo, so other Tekken players have told me that there is a possibility of more work. In terms of practice, there are more players in Tokyo than in Fukuoka, and offline interpersonal practice is possible. It's harder to talk about advice and countermeasures online, so it's easier to learn what you're doing offline. However, I haven't been able to practice offline even once because of Korona-ka since I went to Tokyo. ――Fighting games are older players, and so are the professional scenes. However, recently, young players such as Kawano from "Sto V" and string players from "Tekken 7" have begun to emerge. How do you see this situation? String: It's good to see young people in the fighting game industry. I think it's time to change generations (laughs). However, there are many young players in "Sto V" other than Kawano, but there are really few young players in "Tekken 7". So I'm thinking of raising young people. For the time being, I am also a young person, so I am working to become stronger together. I hope more and more young people will play together in the future. I hope that my success will have an impact on as many people as possible to try "Tekken 7". ――I think that fighting games such as "Tekken 7" are being pushed by the player population and popularity in both the e-sports scene and the game scene, such as FPS and MOBA. This is especially true for young people, but is there anything that the string players themselves are doing to get young people to play "Tekken 7" and fighting games? String: We gather people who have already done "Tekken 7", beginners and intermediates on Discord to practice and give advice together. However, we have not been able to attract new players and people who have never done it. But now, I'm getting along with the distributors who are playing the popular "Apex Legends" from young people, and they are interested in "Tekken 7". People who are famous for distributing game videos play "Tekken 7", so I sometimes play with them these days. We are also appealing to fans of "Apex Legends" who are aiming for their distribution, so I hope that new players will increase from there. --So that's it! This time, if the string players play while having them teach "Apex Legends", it may be more synergistic. String: That's right. I haven't been taught "Apex Legends" yet, so I'll say it next time. ――As for making "Tekken 7" known to many people, which is your goal, if you want to increase the player population or the audience? String: It doesn't matter which one, and it's important that more people are interested in "Tekken 7" itself. Compared to "Sto V", I think there is a considerable difference in the number of people who are interested. ――It feels like "Tekken 7" is popular globally. String: The amount of heat is really amazing at overseas competitions. When it is reversed, the venue will be shaken. ――Please tell us your future activity goals. I used to say that I wanted to enter university and get a stable job such as a bank clerk. String: Oh, you said that (laughs). Before and after taking the university entrance exam, I was looking for a stable job, but now it's the opposite. I get paid by joining the team, but as long as I am a professional gamer, I can get bonuses such as prize money by leaving the results at competitions. I would like to aim to increase this bonus even more. As a result, I am working as a professional gamer rather than a stable job, but I would like to continue this path in the future. Our future goal is to raise our profile. I've gained some recognition as a professional gamer, but I think it's still not enough. I want to be more famous. The goal is to get people to know. As I become famous, I should be able to know more about "Tekken". Therefore, we will accept any job offer that appears on the surface. Also, as long as I'm in public, I want to be able to speak more properly, so I'd like to study talk as well. Speaking of the same fighting game, the players of "Sto V" are all very charismatic, have a strong personality, and there are many people who are good at talking. The "Tekken" neighborhood, including myself, wants to emulate that. By the way, there are many people who are good at "Tekken 7" as a player of "Sto V". Sometimes I use players and Akuma really well, and I'm very strong. I wonder if this should also be done with "Sto V". ――Recently, Chiklin, Destruction King, and Yuyu are playing "Sto V" on the distribution. String: Yuu Yuu is doing it with momentum, thinking that he will become a "Sto V" girl. I touched it a little, but it's weak. It's not suitable for 2D, because the way of fighting changes completely. If you want to play, I wonder if Rashid is good. --Finally, please tell us about the appeal of "Tekken 7". String: Well, there are some charms that are unique to Tekken 7. First of all, there are many characters. It's fun to choose close to 50 characters. In addition, the high reversal rate is also attractive. There are often situations where you can't be alert until the very end, or "Is it going to reverse from there!" This is a unique feeling, and I can't help myself until the end. The height of the combo damage and the destruction of the wall are also fun that you can't see in other titles. --thank you. ＊＊＊＊＊ A string player who has been active since he was in elementary school and now has the “strength that cannot be touched” even with the same professional player. Souta Fujii's five crowns in the "Tekken" world. For that reason, it is best to see him in real time. If you haven't paid attention to it yet, it's a chance to see the active players who can be legends later, so I definitely want you to watch the string players play. Author: Manabu Okayasu A freelance writer who actively covers e-sports. He became a freelancer after working in the editorial department of a game information magazine. While contributing to various game magazines, he also wrote strategy guides, and has been involved in more than 50 books. Currently, he is active on the Web, magazines, Mook, etc. His recent books include "The latest e-sports textbook that everyone wanted to know" (published by Shuwa System) and "Play INGRESS for the rest of your life! (Published by Takarajimasha). @digiyas

Okayasu Manabu