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Who to watch at EVO Japan 2026: the fighting game stars you need to know
From world champions to rising stars and bracket killers, these are the EVO Japan players and storylines worth following across the biggest fighting games.
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Fighting game fans, EVO Japan is on the horizon, and as the prestigious tournament heads to Tokyo for the seventh incarnation, where local legends and international superstars will battle head-to-head in a bid to be crowned an Evo champion. With multiple games on the cards, and many of the best fighters from all over the world taking part, it's set to be an exciting event to watch. Here's the lowdown.
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Why EVO is different from other esports events?
EVO winners are etched into history
© Natalia Martinez / Red Bull Content Pool
Founded in 1996, EVO – aka Evolution Championship Series – has established itself as one of the most prestigious fighting game tournament events in the world, and has grown from humble beginnings with Street Fighter II Turbo to a must-watch mainstay in the fighting game community calendar across multiple different fighting games. Many tournaments come and go, but EVO champions go down in history, and are remembered throughout the FGC for years to come.
02
Street Fighter 6 players to watch
Big Bird is aiming high
© Todd Gutierrez / Red Bull Content Pool
Now in its third year, Street Fighter 6 continues to evolve and stay true to its competitive core – and its healthy competitive spirit will shine at this year's EVO Japan. The tournament's 2026 Street Fighter 6 bracket has made waves as the biggest Street Fighter tournament to date, with over 7,000 entrants hitting the cap – that's exactly 7,158 would-be World Warriors aiming to take the EVO Japan crown. Among them are some of the world's top fighters, and here are some of the big names to watch.
MenaRD
Three-time EVO champ, and both EVO 2025 and EVO Japan 2025 winner Saul Leonardo 'MenaRD' Mena Segundo will be aiming to retain his title, and add further accolades to his cabinet. The former Capcom Cup winner bowed out of the Capcom Cup 12 earlier this year in the first round of the Third Phase, missing out on a quarter-final appearance to Chan 'Micky' Pak-yin, but you know he'll be looking to make a statement on the EVO stage.
While most opponents will be on the lookout for his Blanka, MenaRD packs a mean M. Bison in his back pocket too, but he has been spotted using Alex too. MenaRD is well worth keeping a firm eye on, and we can't wait to see how far he goes.
Gachikun
With a DreamHack Birmingham 2026 win under his belt just last month, and a confirmed qualification to this year's Esports World Cup, Tsunehiro 'Gachikun' Kanamori is no doubt looking for another successful win to notch up this year. The Rashid-main has had a mixed year of results, but will no doubt be looking to snowball his renewed success from DreamHack and improve on his 25th-32nd place finish at last year's EVO Japan.
Big Bird
Two-time Red Bull Kumite winner Adel 'Big Bird' Anouche is one of the top fighters from the EMEA region, and he's looking to make a mark at this year's EVO Japan. With a 9th-16th place finish at Capcom Cup earlier this year, Big Bird will be looking to bounce back and finally claim an EVO title, after narrowly missing out in 2024 in Las Vegas following an incredible run to Victor 'Punk' Woodley. Big Bird has big goals ahead of him, and we're looking forward to seeing how his 2026 run goes.
Sahara
Current Capcom Cup 12 champion, the relative newcomer known only as Sahara, scooped up the trophy and the cool $1m USD prize following his win – as well as a target on his back. With victory claimed only weeks ago, Sahara will be looking to carve out a new chapter as the reigning Capcom Cup winner, and to see if this is the start of a new legacy – as rivals will no doubt be looking to take down the current king of the moment.
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Tekken 8 players to watch
Can Arslan Ash add an EVO Japan trophy to his cabinet?
© Natalia Martinez / Red Bull Content Pool
Tekken 8 has had a turbulent time with its patch changes and balances, but its competitive core remains strong – and this year's competition at EVO Japan kicks off the start of the 2026 Tekken World Tour. With almost 900 players registered for the competition, it looks to kick things off with a bang. 800 TWT points are up for grabs, as well as qualification to the 2026 TWT Finals, and qualification slots to this year's Esports World Cup for the top four players – there's plenty in store for the world's top Tekken pros.
Arslan Ash
With seven EVO titles to his name, and the 2023 Tekken World Tour champ, Arslan 'Arslan Ash' Siddique has been one of the most exciting players to watch, not just out of Pakistan, but in the whole world. The Nina-main has racked up plenty of show-stopping wins, and last year, was able to scoop two out of three EVO titles, taking the top spot in Las Vegas and at the inaugural EVO France – but he was unable to attend EVO Japan due to visa issues.
This year, Arslan Ash is no doubt looking to claim all three EVO titles in one year, with this weekend's competition first on his agenda. And with a 9th-12th finish at the Tekken World Tour, he's no doubt aiming even higher this year.
Anakin
Known as one of the most successful North American Tekken players in the region, Hoa 'Anakin' Luu has hit the EVO finals four times in the past, and is a five-time Tekken World Tour finalist – and is looking to make a dent on international soil with his Jack-8 skills. With Tekken 8 constantly evolving and shifting, Anakin will will be aiming to take advantage of the latest changes, and go further than last year's 33rd-48th placing.
LowHigh
As the reigning Tekken World Tour champ, Yoon 'LowHigh' Sun-woong will be looking to keep his crown – and his defence starts off at EVO Japan. The Bryan-main has been a mainstay of the South Korean Tekken scene since he was a teenager, and his prowess has seen him claim an EVO title in 2018 for Tekken 7.
2025 was filled with plenty of highs for the South Korean fighter – he claimed runner-up at the Esports World Cup, and he was able to take last year's Tekken World Tour title with a cool and confident 6-0 sweep of his fellow countryman Park 'Mangja' Geon-ho in the grand final. With EVO Japan right around the corner, LowHigh will be aiming to pull out all of the stops to ensure he can retain his top spot.
Chikurin
Last year's EVO Japan winner, Yuta 'Chikurin' Take, is back to defend his title – and the Tekken pro is aiming to make his way through the pack and show just why he took the top spot before. Eschewing an arcade stick, Chikurin shows off a fun and fluid playstyle using a gamepad, and with solid mastery of Clive and Lili, he has the skills to retain his title and show just why he's a solid threat.
04
2XKO players to watch
Wawa is ready to take on 2XKO
© Chloé Ramdani / Red Bull Content Pool
Riot Games' foray into the fighting game genre with its Runeterra-set 2XKO makes its official EVO Japan debut, and it marks the second Major in the pro circuit following Frosty Faustings XVIII earlier this year. With 428 entrants confirmed for the event, it looks to be an exciting bracket to see play out, and as the game settles and players continue to find their feet, we're keen to see how things pan out. Keep an eye out for these players.
bleed
After taking the top place at Frosty Faustings XVIII mere months ago, American player bleed looks to be a tantalising prospect to keep an eye on. The teenager caused plenty of upsets on his route to the finals, taking down experienced FGC players such as two-time EVO champ and Super Smash Bros legend William ‘Leffen‘ Hjelte and two-time DragonBall FighterZ World Tour runner-up Mael ‘WADE‘ Jomie, showcasing quick mastery of the new title, and serious skills on Ekko and Illaoi. This young prodigy is going to be one to watch, especially if he causes even more upsets.
Shanks
Former DragonBall FighterZ champ Joan 'Shanks' Namay Millones is no stranger to tag battlers, and the mainstay of the Spanish scene has been popping off about 2XKO, with the local legend appearing at local community tournaments to flex his skills. EVO Japan looks set to be his first Major to compete in, and with a cool head on his shoulders, the FGC veteran will no doubt put on a thrilling display.
Wawa
Frenchman Marwan 'Wawa' Berthe is ready for EVO: he lifted the 2022 DragonBall FighterZ trophy at that year's EVO, and was even crowned World Tour champion that same year. And with 2XKO in vogue, he's putting his talents to the test in Riot's fighter, having already established a name for himself – and he looks to go far. He took the top place at Evo France 2025 in 2XKO, but the game was only in early access then – but with some success on his shoulders already, he'll now be aiming even higher in the official circuit.
GO1
Multiple game winning FGC legend Goichi 'GO1' Kishida is taking part in multiple events on his home soil at this year's EVO Japan, and his appearance in 2XKO is not at all a surprise given his prowess in tag battlers. The 38-year old made frequent top-flight DragonBall FighterZ appearances, taking two titles over the years, and he's cool under pressure, having won on some of the world's biggest stages, such as the 2025 Esports World Cup and 2025 EVO titles for Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.
05
Anime fighters and cult favourites to watch at EVO
Japan, the birthplace of anime, is the perfect scene for many of the smaller anime-based fighting games, as well as some more niche cult favourites – the local crowd will surely be diving in. While Arc System Works' bigger titles, such as Guilty Gear Strive and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising are larger draws, smaller titles such as Under Night In-Birth II, Melty Blood: Type Lumina, and even cult-classic Vampire Savior are exciting picks that will have the local crowd going.
This year's EVO Japan even hosts a Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star) tournament, a bygone relic from the PlayStation 2 era, but still has its fans, with 154 sign-ups for its competition.
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