This winter, the action over at one of Japan’s premiere arcades for competitive Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Mikado, is heating up for league action. Tenkaichi Budokai returns this year for a second coming, and it will be hosted on Joniosan’s Twitch stream. Thanks to information provided by MajinObama, we have a full guide regarding the event and descriptions of participating players and how viewers can get involved.
Unlike other leagues, which nowadays happen online, “Tenkaichi” (meaning “best on Earth,”) takes place offline in the arcade. The format for the league entails eight players who get split into two groups, who play round-robin FT10 sets with each other. The winner gets to go to the final round, while second and third place fighters get another chance to qualify.
Who’s going to enter? Three players are decided by a double-elimination tournament that will take place on December 10, 2016, at 2pm JST. Karinchu, who triumphed at the last Tenkaichi Budokai, gets a spot automatically. As for the four remaining players — that’s where fans get to come in, as a voting poll determines the rest of the competitors.
Ftg-reversal.net has a section on Tenkaichi Budokai, which lists the players to vote for. In order to vote, you must login with Twitter, which is done by clicking the button in the upper-right hand corner of the website. After that, return to the Tenkaichi Budokai page, select up to four players by clicking checkboxes, and click a large button at the end of the player list. You get to vote once a day until December 2nd.
Here’s a guide to all the candidates, written by MajinObama:
小川 (za) Ogawa
@ogawazato
Character: Zato-1
- Famous for his SBO Tougeki victories and your Evolution 2015 champ (and awkward yet hilarious celebrations), the infamous Ogawa will once again challenge the best in eastern Japan for the title of “Best Under Heaven.” Ogawa finished runner-up in last year’s event, and is eager to claim the throne this time around…
Ogawa vs Mocchi 2016 Tenkaichi Budoukai
サミット (ch) Samitto
@summit812
Character: Chipp
- One of the top Chipp players in Japan, Samitto is looking to make a statement, and add another accomplishment to complement his SBO Tougeki 2007, 2009, 2010 Top 8 finishes, as well as his GODSGARDEN 2015 championship.
Slash Series: Top Garen vs Samitto
310 (ve) Sato
@310_progressive
Character: Venom
- One of the strongest and hardest working Venoms in Japan, Sato is looking to enter the fray and impose his will on the league. Known for his strong labwork, he left a really deep impression on the foreign audience with his performance at Evolution 2016, almost singlehandedly removing the 2015 champion from the tournament.
310 vs Sato (EVO 2016 Pools)
THE RUNBACK (EVO 2016 Top 32)
ナゲ (fa) Nage
@nage_pink
Character: Faust
- Top 4 finalist from SBO Tougeki 2010, KSB 2015 and 2016; Evolution 2015 Runner up. Faust sage and one of the top players of the game. He faltered in the A league during last year’s event (losing to Mike [Jack-O] and Karinchu [Johnny]), and no doubt looks to improve on those results this year.
Nage vs Machabo- and Omito at KSB 2016
Nage vs Woshige Losers Finals EVO 2015
トゥーリオ (in) Tourio
@ino_tsukai
Character: I-No
- Fresh off of a Top 4 performance at Arc Revo 2016, Tourio is looking to cement himself as one of the premier I-no players in the world with a Tenkaichi Budokai performance.
Toushinsai Top 8 Tourio vs Haaken
ザディ (rv) Zadi
@SOorXTC
Character: Raven
- With Raven’s release, Zadi has exploded with awesome performances using this character. Qualifying for Toushinsai and setting Mikado weekly tournaments ablaze, his terrifying, dynamic playstyle that incorporates Raven’s tools in unique ways is sure to be fun to watch!
Zadi Matches from Mikado
FAB (po)
@gou4th_fab
Character: Potemkin
- No introduction necessary. A fan favorite and legend of the game, if you don’t know who this is, you don’t know fighting games. His accolades include top 8 finishes in SBO Tougeki 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, Arc Revo 2013, 2015 and 2016. He came in 3rd in his group last year, and will no doubt look to add a win here to his list of achievements.
Danger Time
りおん (ky) Rion
@lionhiro
Character: Ky
- One of the strongest Ky players and one of the most consistent players of the game today. Rion’s tournament results speak for themselves: Evolution 2015 7th, Evolution 2016 3rd, GODSGARDEN 11 2nd, and several other top 8 finishes at stacked events.
Evolution 2016 Top 8- Rion vs Kazunoko
あいん (ky) Ain
@ainman0107
Character: Ky
- Another one of the strongest Ky players, Ain’s balanced playstyle has earned him numerous accolades and strong praise in the arcade. Something he is looking to do is put more event titles under his belt, to accompany his GODSGARDEN #10 runner-up finish. As a player who is primarily arcade based, this event offers him a good opportunity for him to perform in his natural setting.
GODSGARDEN #10- Ain vs Tomo
中村 (mi) Nakamura
@nakamura_mi
Character: Millia
- Perhaps the finest Millia in eastern Japan, Nakamura has stunned players and fans alike with his awesome execution and aggressive playstyle. As one of the other players with a high degree of tournament placing consistency, he looks to impose his will on the Tenkaichi Budokai. His accomplishments include Tougeki SBO 2008 Top 4, and Top 4 finishes at KSB 2015, Evolution 2015, and Evolution 2016.
EVO 2016- Nakamura vs Ogawa
mike (jc)
@_suineko
Character: Jack-O
- Although he is famous for his Jam play in XX, for Xrd competitive play he uses Jack-O and Johnny. Famous for his numerous SBO Tougeki top 8 appearances across multiple titles (including Sengoku BasaraX, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Aquapazza, and FATE UNLIMITED/CODES), Mike has a history of being something of a crowd pleaser. Last year, using Jack-O, he fell in the A league to Koichi and Karinchu. He undoubtedly hopes to return this year and make a stronger run for the throne.
Tenkaichi Budokai A League- Nage vs Mike
かっこう (ra) Kakkou
@kakkou_K
Character: Ramlethal
- Kakkou is one of the few players to remain loyal to Ramlethal after her wings were clipped in Sign version 1.10. However, through his struggle he has grown into one of the premier players of the character. His high arcade rank and tournament entry record show a high degree of hunger. He wants to show the world what Ram is capable of against even the best players.
Kakkou Matches from Mikado
ふも (el) Fumo
@humo_ah
Character: Elphelt
- Fumo has emerged as one of the premier Elphelt players in Japan. Fumo’s name appears in high tournament placings across Gear and BB, from his XX days as a top ABA player, to his SBO Tougeki BB Championship with Arakune. After a disappointing performance at Evolution 2016, he is looking to make his mark and challenge his fellow Mikado regulars for the throne.
The Mikado Open Grand Final: Nakamura vs Fumo
押田撲滅委員会会長 (di) Kazuki aka “Oshida Extermination Chairman”
@cucumbergod
Character: Dizzy
- Kazuki is one of the classic Dizzy players from eastern Japan. With Dizzy’s recent addition to Xrd this year, you can see he has been hard at work in the arcade, quickly ascending the ranks as one of the top Dizzy players in Japan. It is his wish to destroy FAB in front of a live studio audience at Tenkaichi Budokai.
Kazuki Matches from Mikado
エン (sl) En
@en_turuou
Character: Slayer
- One of the top Slayer players in Japan, En wants to make a strong impression with this event. As a player that emphasizes thinking about match flow (not the restreamer), yomi (no, not david sirlin’s card game), and overall match strategy, he is a player viewers can expect to bring fireworks to the league. With a second place finish at SBO Tougeki 2008, and a top 8 finish at Arc Revo 2015, En has his sights set on Tenkaichi Budokai.
En matches from Mikado
The final match of SBO Tougeki 2008
あぜすけ (ma) Azesuke
@tukupin
Character: May
- Azesuke has been playing May in Guilty Gear since the release of GGX in 2000. He doesn’t have a detailed record of high tournament placings, but he is a strong, veteran of the game and wants to challenge the best in eastern Japan. He has been competing in Japanese national tournaments and events for over a decade. As one of the best May players at Mikado, look for him to turn heads!
Godsgarden 11: Azesuke vs Machabo-
ロイ (so) Roi
@Ume_MK2
Character: Sol
- One of the classic Sol players, Roi has been training to bring his Xrd performance to the level fans of his GGXX series play would expect. With 3 top 8 placings at SBO Tougeki tournaments from 2006 to 2010, Roi’s history is quite decorated. Although we haven’t seen much from him in Xrd series tournaments, he wants to make his mark on this league with a strong performance against the best in eastern Japan.
Roi Matches from Mikado
SBO Tougeki 2010 Top 4: Roi vs Shonen (Testament)
“Whether you are a Guilty Gear veteran or a casual fan, Tenkaichi Budokai will give spectators a riveting example of what makes fighting games special, and why the arcade scene is so irreplaceable,” MajinObama wrote.
Make sure to keep this guide handy as we race closer to the event. Vote on Ftg-reversal.net for your favorite players, and tune in to the action at www.twitch.tv/joniosan, for English and Japanese commentary provided by MajinObama and Jonio.
Sources: MajinObama; Joniosan
