Gaming
esports
Innovators: The importance of character specialists in fighting games
Many FGC pros play more than one character, but the fighters that excel with just one push the boundaries further. We take a look at AngryBird’s prowess with Zeku and how he helps advance the meta.
In the Street Fighter V scene, there is one player undisputedly called “The Best Zeku”. The label came about after a debate sparked over who had the best control over the stance-changing ninja, but one player’s results at tournaments curbed all doubts. His prowess with the character became irrefutable, so much that even the Evo 2018 Champion holds him in high regard.
“You haven’t played a real Zeku [player] until you’ve faced him,” says Mousesports’ Benjamin ‘Problem X’ Simon. “He’s the best Zeku player, free.”
NASR’s Amjad ‘AngryBird’ Alshalabi is aware of the moniker given to him by the community, but he humbly ignores the platitudes. He says he simply focuses on taking Guy’s master as far as he can in his brackets, and that continuous drive for growth has created a shift in how others view the character.
"This is Bushinryu!"
The introduction of Zeku in Season 2 as a DLC extra in Street Fighter V garnered quite a bit of attention. Beyond a funky theme song and flourishes after every animation, his ability to switch between the zoning-based Old Form and the rushdown oriented Young Form mid-match added a fresh level of complexity to the game. Both Forms play host to completely different normal and special attacks, so players were essentially required to learn two characters in one. AngryBird notes that figuring out the right tempo for when to transform in the heat of battle and the right moments to apply each Form’s abilities was not an easy feat.
“Zeku is hard to use,” he says. “The character needs a lot of time to discover things in both Forms to win.” With the community largely unable to understand or apply the character’s strengths consistently, Zeku was routinely shuffled into the lower side of tier lists along with Ryu and Vega. The pressures of potentially wasting time learning a weak character thinned the Zeku fanbase.
In fighting games, character specialists are those focused on a single selection. Instead of splitting time between multiple warriors, they pursue maximum effectiveness with just one. It’s a gamble in the world of competitive esports to be mostly reliant on a solitary character, but AngryBird was willing to bet it all on Zeku.
“Now, watch and learn!”
This decision might have been energised by a new style of play AngryBird found that deviated from how others typically thought the character should operate. Instead of playing passively, AngryBird is consistently active in the neutral, always standing at the right ranges to counter his opponent’s buttons. Additionally, he eschewed the mentality of only using the Young Form, as he found that having full access to his toolkit by regularly switching was the great equaliser in many match-ups that were once difficult. The higher understanding of the character, coupled with the ability to perform insane hit confirms, allows him to optimally pressure and punish in all of his sets.
And without a dedicated scene to train with, AngryBird had to make do with what he had.
“For some match-ups, like Rashid and Birdie, I practiced with NASR Adel ‘Big Bird’ Anouche,” he says. “But for the ones I can’t run sets with, I have to sit in the lab and simulate situational things myself.”
Perhaps this grueling form of study worked in his favour, as the character specialist gained a deep understanding of the options he can use during battle. AngryBird later began travelling more consistently to Street Fighter V tournaments, with the belief of his character at his side.
1st at Ultimate Fighting Arena 2018 and the Capcom Pro Tour EU Regional Finals 2018. 7th at Capcom Cup 2018. 1st at Brussels Challenge Major Edition 2019. 3rd at Street Grand Battle 2019. As his pedigree grew, so rose the character’s notoriety. AngryBird’s success, in conjunction with the changes from both the Season 3 and 4 patches, meant the scene had to start looking at Zeku as a serious threat in the competitive circuit.
AngryBird has brought Zeku to the forefront
© Capcom
"Looks like I'll have to train you. Don't waste your breath."
“Everyone is realizing how strong he is,” AngryBird says, happy to finally see Zeku constantly discussed. “It’s amazing.”
It’s currently the middle of Street Fighter V’s Season 4. AngryBird’s activity, alongside a few other pro players like Victrix’s Yusuke ‘Momochi’ Momochi who’ve picked up Zeku again, has made a case for the ninja being situated somewhere in the Top 10 current best characters. The proven effectiveness at the highest level of play means players are forced to study those able to bring out his full potential. Even legendary pro Daigo ‘The Beast’ Umehara played the character for a few weeks in order to suss out countermeasures.
Zeku’s newly found inclusion in the realm of competitive viability has an impact on a broader scale. It the puzzling nature of how the character is supposed to be played effectively. The character diversity increases as he slides into more tournaments and events, adding more variety for viewers and participants. Most importantly, it inspires hope in beginner player leagues to keep playing whatever character they might enjoy so that they might craft their own path.
"Allow me a moment to entertain you."
Zeku isn’t the only character in the game to be doubted at release. Without a jump-back fireball and perception of stubby normal attacks, Akuma’s appearance in Season 2 was lukewarm. It wasn’t until Rohto Z!’s Hajime ‘Tokido’ Taniguchi unearthed the potential of the character and defeated Reciprocity’s Victor ‘Punk’ Woodley at the Street Fighter V Evo 2017 tournament that players scrambled to adjust their tier lists.
The lack of straightforward defensive tools gave Abigail a similar reception when he dropped as well. That was until Marcus ‘THE COOL KID93’ Redmond drove through the competition at the North America’s Last Chance Qualifier at Red Bull Battle Grounds. The towering giant’s damage output suddenly superseded his weaknesses.
The concept of character specialists making waves isn’t only relegated to Street Fighter V. South Korea’s Jeong ‘Rangchu’ Hyeon-ho shocked the world when he won the Tekken World Tour 2018 Finals with Panda, a character routinely put in the lower tiers, which spoke to the balance of the game. In the Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite realm, Hawkeye’s projectile moves being reflectable made him tricky to play, and he was tossed into the lower rungs of the tier lists. Kevin ‘Dual Kevin’ Barrios refused to drop his favorite arrow slinger, and dedicated himself towards fleshing Hawkeye out. The result was the discovery of deadly setups and a long, consistent stream of successes at tournaments.
Picking a character on strength alone isn’t always the most sound idea, and character specialists look further than what’s the best fighter. AngryBird used to have proficiency with Akuma, who has consistently been considered as one of the most powerful cast members throughout the game’s lifespan, but has benched the raging demon for a full-time career with Zeku. It’s a bewildering choice to outsiders, but for him, it's never been about looking at the upper area of a tier list to decide who he will play.
“Zeku fits my playstyle, and how I want to express myself in the game, [the] best,” he says. “That’s why I use him over any other character.”
