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The storylines heading into Red Bull Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Japan
The last Dragon Ball FighterZ Saga event of the year is imminent and the outcome of many matches will decide who attends the World Tour finals next year. Here’s everything you need to know heading in.
As the Red Bull Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Japan tournament, the last Saga event of the tour, approaches at the Cross Dock Harumi in Tokyo, strong players from overseas are already testing their mettle against the local heroes at ANIMEILLUMINATI's Fighting Tuesday weekly event. Before the end of the circuit comes, everyone at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere venue in Tokyo is deep in practice in order to make an impact on the fate of the World Tour finals.
The Japan Saga marks the last stop on the 2019–20 tour and there's a litany of things riding on the results. From new rivalries to the wild race for a Saga qualifying seat, the chance for shake-ups is high. Let's take a look at what your scouters should be picking up at Red Bull Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Japan.
Preparing at Fighting Tuesday
For many players, improvement comes from having a strong scene dedicated towards the growth of all who attend. In Japan, Fighting Tuesday is one of those venues. They host dozens of threats from all over the globe at the Red Bull Gaming Sphere in Tokyo, ready to take on any powerful challengers at the Japan Saga event.
Of these players, tournament organiser Majin Obama predicts that B, Kaoru 'Kaimart' Kajimoto and Hirohiro's participation will be particularly interesting, because they all hover high in the rankings. On the Asia regional leaderboards, B comes in at seventh with 275 points, Hirohiro is 10th with 150 points and Kaimart trails close behind in 13th with 70 points.
Outside of the standings, fighters like Pakka and Tako, who have a habit of making it further than others in the weekly battles, are looking at this tournament to show their worth. Can they pick up a high profile win here?
Galvanising the pack
The strongest Dragon Ball FighterZ player was on a rampage this season, entering numerous tournaments and refusing to leave with anything less than the winner's trophy in his hand. CYCLOPS's Goichi 'GO1' Kishida reached a level that most players in the scene couldn't reach. That was until Echo Fox's Dominique 'SonicFox' McLeanfinally exacted revenge at the Red Bull Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Spain Saga event, showcasing an explosive grand finals set and breaking through GO1's defence play, which was considered impenetrable.
Witnessing a dominant player fall energises others, as the possibility of winning becomes far more real. If SonicFox found the gaps, maybe others can as well. With the best players heading to Japan to compete for that coveted Grand Finals spot, anyone could look to SonicFox's incredible victory and be compelled to do the same, no matter who they're facing.
Mirror match runback
In the first season of Dragon Ball FighterZ's circuit, Burning Core's Ryota 'Kazunoko' Inoue was unquestionably the best player, keeping that same energy right until the end by claiming the title at the World Tour Finals 2018. But that was then. At the Spain Saga tournament just weeks ago, he was knocked into the losers side of the bracket and eventually faced Tsubasa 'Maddo' Imai in a thrilling Yamcha mirror match. Kazunoko was defeated, though, and promptly sent home.
This caused a switch of positions on the World Tour leaderboards, with Maddo ahead at seventh and Kazunoko below in eighth. A rivalry between the two was born – who was truly the best Kid Buu/ Kid Goku/ Yamcha team user? Fighting a similar squad will take new tech and a deeper study of the opposition, so their next encounter should be even more fierce than before and we could see these two face each other in Japan.
Final summoning
After being on the cusp of reaching Top 8 in Spain, Steve 'Noon' Carbajal is looking to breach the conclusion of the Japan Saga tournament. He's not the only player banking on this final opportunity, though. Other US players are looking to try their luck, including Panda Global's Derek 'Nakkiel' Bruscas, who currently sits in a precarious 18th place.
He's joined by Echo Fox's Jon 'dekillsage' Coello. He's comfortable in third place on the global leaderboards, but like any hungry competitor, he'd like to clinch the coveted seat as a Saga Event qualifier. This tournament also contains some top European players in the mix, as Vodafone Giants' Joan 'Shanks' Namay Millones, Team Oplon's Hasni 'Noka' Rivallin, and AS Monaco Esports' Marwan 'Wawa' Berthe are also vying for a shot at the top after falling short during Spain Saga. Can any of these European players perform at the highest level in Japan?
Go for broke
With players moving up and down the leaderboard ladder, it's a scramble for points and staying alive long enough to reach the World Tour finals. Doing relatively well won't be enough, as placements could be drastically impacted by those above and below. For those on the very edge, this is a make-or-break moment.
Even those in the safe zone are eyeing the prestige and security of a qualification spot. Reaching just short of that for the strongest players might throw someone else off course and mean waiting until the next season starts. The result can only equal some of the most intense matches witnessed in the Dragon Ball FighterZ scene, as the entrants claw their way towards victory. When the smoke clears from the World Tour's Japan stop, only the roster for the finals will remain.
Red Bull Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour Japan takes place on November 30 and wraps up on December 1. Tune in live on Twitch.
