Posts

Posted on

Street Fighter V and Various Players Make Guest Appearances in Akiba’s Trip: The Animation

Currently airing in Japan, Akiba’s Trip: The Animation is an anime (based on the video game of the same name) that’s made something of a name for itself for a number of shout-outs and references to other bits of Japanese pop culture. As such, it should come as no surprise then that an episode based on a fighting game tournament would somehow reference Street Fighter V and its competitive scene.

Now “reference” is selling the episode short. The entire premise of Akiba’s Trip: The Animation’s fifth episode is based around a Street Fighter V tournament, and there are a number of top Street Fighter players in attendance. In one shot alone, we see  can clearly see Razer’s Fuudo, GODSGARDEN Pro’s Kazunoko, and Detonation Gaming’s Itazan.

akibas_trip_ep5_sfv_Fuudo_Itazan_Kazunoko

If their arrangement looks familiar, it is, as Kazunoko himself as mentioned on Twitter, based on a photo of the three of them from their stream.

In addition to this, MOV can can be seen standing to the side on one shot while someone who seems to be Tokido points out something on stage. Both even even have some dialogue pointing out how the current player spends their first match downloading their opponent.

akibas_trip_ep5_sfv_MOV_Tokido

In addition to this, one of the opponents faced by the main character, Tamotsu,is an African-American Zangief player (wearing a shirt and cap) that’s clearly a shout out to Red Bull’s Snake Eyez.

Of course, Street Fighter itself features a lot in the episode, including an homage to the Evo Moment #37.

Earlier in the episode, we get a glimpse of some old school Street Fighter II Turbo Hyper Fighting where Tamotsu first meets his rival Matsuko.

The episode itself ends with a match on stage between the main character and a new character introduced this week. We won’t spoil how that goes down. For anyone interesting in watching episode five of Akiba’s Trip: The Animation, the series is currently simulcast over on CrunchyRoll.

Sources: CrunchyRoll via Kazunoko; Megumin Explosions

Posted on

BrolyLegs Receives Sponsorship from AbleGamers

It looks like one of the best Chun-Li players in the United States is going to officially get a chance to prove it. Mike “BrolyLegs” Begum, a top online and tournament player from Texas, has received a sponsorship deal from AbleGamers.

Begum is not only notorious for having a strong Chun-Li in both Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter V, but has done so with a major disability that gives him limited usage of his arms and legs. In order to compensate for his disability, he plays on a controller and uses his mouth to play along with various key bindings that act as slight option selects for the normal moves he wants to do.

This sponsorship with AbleGamers is an amazing deal for him, as the group itself is a charity focused on bettering people with disabilities through video games. Begum has notoriously had travel issues due to his disability, requiring a specialized van for travel and someone to drive it. These limitations have seen him focus his competitive efforts within his native Texas and at Evo, with the rest of his competitive play being online. This sponsorship will surely give him the opportunity to travel more and show the world what he is capable of.

Source: BrolyLegs (Twitter)

Posted on

Gigantic – Eternal Dawn Update to Launch February 23rd

Gigantic will be undergoing yet another big update with Eternal Dawn on February 23rd. A new hero, Zandora, will be entering the game alongside new skins, Eternal Light weapon skins, and the competitive leaderboard. Over the next few weeks after that, players can look forward to new skins and a new creature as well.