The "2nd Yogibo presents YUBIWAZA CUP" e-sports tournament was held from Friday, October 25th to Sunday, October 27th.
We went into the qualifying round and the main competition that was held from Friday, 26th to Sunday, 27th.
The event was held at two venues: Chayamachi Plaza on the first floor of MBS headquarters and Umeda Loft on the first floor of Umeda Loft. However, the "Umeda Chayamachi Cosplay Fest," a collaboration project between Chayamachi acosta and YUBIWAZA, was also held on the same day, and the area around the venues was crowded with people.
At the main entrance, there was a grand sign for the YUBIWAZA CUP.
The area around the venue was crowded with many people. The following four game titles were the focus of this year's YUBIWAZA CUP, which attracted so many people.
- Street Fighter V Arcade Edition
- Puyopuyo eSports
- SAMURAI SPIRITS
- eFootball Winning Eleven 2020
At Chayamachi Plaza, qualifiers for Street Fighter V Arcade Edition and SAMURAI SPIRITS were held.
At LOFT, the preliminary round of "eFootball Winning Eleven 2020" was held, and the entrants were competing against each other one after another.
A scene from the tournament
The venue where the tournament was held looked like this.
The SAMURAI SHODOWN qualifying tournament was held on the Chapura stage.
The qualifying round was held in separate booths, with a prize money of 1 million yen and other prizes and sponsors from famous companies such as Yogibo, a magic sofa from Webshark Corporation, and Cup Noodles from Nissin Foods Co. The qualifying round attracted 128 players.
The preliminary round was divided into blocks A through H, with eight players from each block advancing to the next round.
SAMURAI SPIRITS (SAMURAI SHODOWN) tournament!
First of all, we visited the "SAMURAI SPIRITS" tournament, but before that, let's take a look at what "SAMURAI SPIRITS" is all about.
SAMURAI SHODOWN was SNK's first sword fighting game, released in 1993, 26 years ago. Up until that time, fighting games were all about punching and kicking, and fighting with a samurai was an unexpected and unexpected concept that had never been seen before! I was shocked.
Until then, I had an image of Samurai as something favored by older people in historical dramas, but this game changed that image dramatically.
Since the release of SAMURAI SPIRITS, many manga, anime, and video games have appeared that feature swords and samurai, such as "Rurouni Kenshin.
The battles using swords are often big and cool, and each character has different moves and different weapons, so the reach of each character is also different.
In fighting games, each character has a different type of technique that can be used, and you have to think about how to get in time with your opponent, which is even more important in this game.
Then there were a number of new creations, and the secret techniques that delivered powerful blows to the opponent with flashy effects, the commands were more difficult than in past fighting games, and the feeling of successfully inputting the commands was extremely moving.
The sword systems such as Tsubagakutai and Shirahadori, which are unique to sword fighting, were exciting not only to the player but also to the observer.
SAMURAI SPIRITS", the 11th title of SAMURAI SHODOWN released this year after 10 years of silence, was the game used in this tournament.
SAMURAI SPIRITS preliminary round
As the live broadcast of the matches was being picked up, the excitement in the hall gradually began to build up, with some players looking relaxed, others nervous, and some enjoying the matches themselves.
Some of the participants were well-known players, and we felt a sense of excitement watching the matches on the big screen.
Everyone was so passionate.
In the qualifying rounds, many displays and PS4s were set up on multiple desks, and matches were played simultaneously.
Tokugawa Keitora! Keitora Tokugawa was the main character in Samuspi Zero and Zero Special.
He is also famous as a character designed by Nobuhiro Watsuki, the author of "Rurouni Kenshin.
A player dressed as Ukyo Tachibana!
Many people are watching the matches in the back of the venue.
The cheering crowd was also very serious.
The winners of the qualifying rounds will advance to the main tournament on the following day, so everyone was looking very serious.
SAMURAI SPIRITS Main Finals
The 8 players who had successfully won the preliminary rounds were decided, and WP|K2, Attractive I Katsuji, KRONE/Abao, Bethel, gamera, Emujima, SCORE, and President Watanabe advanced to the final tournament.
In the main tournament, the competitors were introduced one by one and looked nervous as they entered the hall.
The matches began.
The audience cheered as each move and combo was executed.
Jubei Yagyu wins!
WP|K2, who we saw in the qualifying rounds, was dressed in a cosplay outfit. It was still very noticeable.
Bethel, who had just won.
Gamera vs. SCORE!
As one would expect from the final round, each match was tense and heated.
And then the battle went to the finals...!
SAMURAI SPIRITS Final
The match-up was Haonmaru vs. Jubei Yagyu!
Haonmaru is the main character of this series and is a balanced type character with flying, anti-air, and rushing moves.
Jubei Yagyu, on the other hand, is a character with an abundance of rushing techniques and is good at closing the gap and fighting at once. He also possesses ground-crawling flying and hit-and-run techniques.
The result is a victory for Haohmaru SCORE!
Congratulations!
The winner will receive a gorgeous prize money & prizes!
The winner, SCORE, will receive 1 million yen!
Yogibo will also award a magic cushion that will relieve the fatigue of e-sports players at once.
Nissin Foods will give away 100 servings of Cup Noodle Shio!
Rohto Pharmaceuticals will give away eye care products, essential for e-sports players.
Dr. Air, a total body care brand that lightens the body and mind, also awarded a variety of products.
The "SAMURAI SPIRITS" tournament ended with a comment from the winner, SCORE.
Epilogue & Interview with K2
We interviewed K2 ( @k2_kof ), who stood out in his Ukyo Tachibana cosplay.
The character he uses is, of course, Ukyo Tachibana.
He started playing fighting games when he was a university student, and he said that SAMURAI SPIRITS has a simple gameplay and that he enjoys playing with people who have been playing fighting games for a long time.
What he likes about SAMURAI SPIRITS
"What do you like about (SAMURAI SPIRITS)? When asked, "What do you like about (SAMURAI SPIRITS)?" he answered that he likes the characters and the world view, as well as the fact that the more you play the game, the more you get out of it, which is a natural part of a fighting game.
K2 is a professional gamer, and we asked him what has changed since he became a professional and before that.
K2.
I enjoy playing games, and that hasn't changed at all. I am able to do what I want to do better than before.
I am not sure if it is the same for me or not, but I am not sure. I think everyone likes games, but liking games enough to become a pro is an easy indicator for people who don't know anything about games.
Message to aspiring professional gamers
Finally, I have a message for those who want to become professional gamers.
K2
You will be playing games for a long time, so you have to like games. If you love games, you won't have a hard time.
During the interview, the keyword "fun" was mentioned many times.
It is clear that he is enjoying his current situation. This is reflected in both his games and his cosplay style, and I could clearly see that while I was interviewing him and watching him play.
Thank you very much for your cooperation in this interview with K2.
▼Photo & Written by YAT
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