Take notes from these Tekken greats and get ready to win your next battle
Photo by Rev Major/Gariath Concepts courtesy of Esports Inquirer
Tekken has become an icon in the video game scene ever since the release of its first installment at arcades in 1994 and on the original PlayStation in 1995.
Its seventh installment has stormed arcades all over Asia, making it one of the most popular fighting games in the professional gaming industry. Rising to fame due to its 3D fighting graphics and straightforward control scheme, Tekken incorporates movements from martial arts like taekwondo, muay thai, and judo and even displays a side-by-side gameplay that makes it even more enjoyable to play.
In the esports scene, Tekken 7 is one of the top fighting games that players and spectators participate in. In Tekken World Tour (TWT), the game’s international tournament, players from different countries compete to reach the top of the leaderboard. Game developer Bandai Namco organizes the tournaments by event type: dojo, challenger, and master, which all depend on points that players can earn based on the popularity of the tournament.
Tekken is also popular in the Philippines with Rev Major, the country’s largest fighting game tournament, also recognized by the TWT with a strong 800-player lineup and 3,000 followers. Winning the championship for Tekken in this tournament will help you qualify for the TWT. Luckily, Rev Major is open to anyone so if you want to hone your skills and join this tournament, you can turn to these Tekken pros for tips and inspiration.
Chikurin
Known as the top Tekken 7 player in 2019, Yuta Take or Chikurin is a Japanese pro gamer under the THY esports team that recently won the 2019 TWT. Chikurin placed fifth at Evo Japan 2020, another prestigious tournament, using the character Leroy; Chikurin also won the 2019 TWT this time using Akuma.
Knee
Bae Jaemin, better known as Knee, is a legend in Tekken and has been named as the Tekken God by many fans and critics. The South Korean champion has been playing the game since its first installment when he was still in elementary school. Now, Knee plays with the ROX Dragons and is known as the Mokojin of the Tekken players for mastering almost every character at tournament level. He topped Combo Breaker 2019, a TWT-recognized tournament in America, with a reverse sweep win that riled up the audience.
Arslan Ash
Named as ESPN’s Athlete of 2019, Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique made esports history by winning back-to-back championships in both the US and Japan Evo tournaments in 2019. The Pakistani player surprised everybody when he beat big names including Knee despite having visa issues. Playing under the teams of vSlash esports and RedBull esports, Arslan Ash is one to watch with his mastery of Geese and Kazumi.
AK
Filipino prodigy Alexandre “AK” Lavarez is known as one of the best Philippine Tekken players, finishing first runner-up to Arslan Ash in Evo Japan 2019. AK started playing Tekken at just four years old when his uncle introduced him to Tekken Tag Tournament 1 and rose to fame by placing third in the 2013 King of Iron Fist Global Championship at the age of 13. He bagged a silver medal at the 2019 SEA Games in the Tekken 7 match with military fighting character Shaheen. AK has mastered almost every character in the game but claims that Law was his favorite character ever since he started playing.