esports
The 'Japanese God of Street Fighter' is the latest major name confirmed to compete at the tournament this December.
A new player entered the game...
Actually, make that three new players – each with a different fighting style, yet the same unwavering belief that it is they who will finish on top – who'll be heading to Red Bull Kumite 2019 this December.
On one side there's a new and improved Tokido, aiming to finally win Red Bull Kumite after two second-place finishes in 2015 and 2016. This year the Japanese esports icon has turned to physical training and meditation to help increase his mental fortitude in-game.
Meanwhile, hailing from France, the unpredictable Luffy has more than one trick up his sleeve and is ready to blow his opponents' minds with his sleight of hand when the tournament comes to Japan from December 21-22.
But beware Kichipa-mu, an expert at predicting and punishing mistakes from even the most seasoned of Street Fighter stars, who will be intent on proving his favourite grappler can rise to the occasion.
Tokido
- Country: Japan
- Age: 34
- Real name: Hajime Taniguchi
- Title for RBK: Murder Face
- Character: Gouki
Considered to be one of the Five Gods of Fighting Games (alongside Daigo, who'll also be at Red Bull Kumite 2019), Hajime 'Tokido' Taniguchi is not only an outstanding Street Fighter player, but exceptional at every video game he touches, placing top eight more than 24 times on various games at EVO.
Tokido has always considered that winning matters more than anything else. To achieve this goal, he's been known to pick the strongest characters and apply the most optimised strategies to deny his opponents the right to play. But after a while, Tokido wasn’t satisfied and he realised that he had the wrong mindset. He thought winning alone didn’t actually prove that he was the greatest player and felt as if he had hit something of a plateau.
He is now focusing on finding his own style and forging his very own path to greatness, applying strict physical training and zazen meditation to keep cool and focus. He's finished in second position at Red Bull Kumite in previous years, but never quite managed to get the win. Expect him to go all out to make his own bit of history.
Luffy
- Country: France
- Age: 32
- Real name: Olivier Hay
- Title for RBK: The Trickster
- Characters: R.Mika, Kolin
Olivier 'Luffy' Hay started his Street Fighter journey in 2009 and quickly became the player to beat in Europe. For his first international tournament in 2010, he placed third, only losing to Daigo and Fuudo, which was of course no mean feat. From this moment on, he knew he had what it takes to win the world's most prestigious tournaments and would prove his legitimacy time and time again. In 2014, perhaps to everyone’s surprise except for the French contingent of the fighting game community, Luffy won EVO, defeating a dozen of high-profile Japanese players including the then-favourite Bonchan, who'll also be at Red Bulll Kumite 2019.
Despite looking dead serious while playing, Luffy is a rather carefree. He enjoys joking during tournament interviews and thwarting his opponents with unexpected plays. His main character is R.Mika, an unpredictable grappler who complements Luffy’s tricky playing style. Over the past few months he's also started training with Kolin, a character good at feinting and deceiving her opponent. His controller of choice can also be somewhat surprising: unlike most competitors who favour massive arcade sticks, Luffy plays with a Playstation 1 controller.
While he's a bit of a maverick, Luffy is a major threat who should never be underestimated.
Kichipa-mu
- Country: Japan
- Age: 26
- Real name: Hiroki Asano
- Title for RBK: The Muscle Spirit
- Character: Zangief
There's something truly special about players focusing on a single character archetype, which is the case with Hiroki 'Kichipa-mu' Asano. He's been a threat on the Japanese scene since 2014 and quietly remained under the radar of the international scene until this year's EVO, where he reached the top eight – an impressive feat, particularly as it's often considered impossible to win without a well-rounded fighter.
Indeed, Kichipa-mu is a character loyalist. He only plays short range – but explosive – characters. In Street Fighter 5, his character of choice is Zangief, a difficult-to-handle, but also powerful grappler who deals plenty of damage if he ever manages to get up close and personal with the opponent. Fortunately, Kichipa-mu is an expert at reading and predicting the opponent’s actions and figuring out a counter attack with which to respond. Zangief’s sparse but devastating blows fit this esports athlete's playing style perfectly.
However, Kichipa-mu’s competition will be rough at Red Bull Kumite. Some of the strongest players, such as Daigo Umehara and YHC-Mochi, are masters of keep-away (zoning) and fireball play and would prove a bumpy ride for Kichipa-mu if he's to take the next step at Red Bull Kumite 2019.
