Continuing the discussion from (Poll) Are you interested in getting to know the Japanese KI scene?:
In a recent poll on this forum, 95% of 79 voters said that they were interested in knowing more about the Japanese KI scene. Below is my brief (or long) report about my time at Kombo Klash Japan. Thanks again for voting!
First, to manage expectations, this is merely an introduction to the Japanese KI scene based on the info I gathered in three short hours I was at Kombo Klash in Tokyo. Second, I am no professional writer, so the information is not always very well organized or presented but I hope that you will enjoy it anyway. Third, this is not a match report, so you will not find any real analysis of fights and matchups but rather backgrounds of a few players as well as the KI scene in Tokyo based on my brief experience. And finally, this report has three parts and about 1500 words. As I have included various pictures, vids and links for your reference and reading pleasure, donât stop reading and make sure you donât miss any of the three parts as there is usually more coming after a photo or video.
The first place I visited was Kombo Klash Japan, and during my time there, I either watched other players play or played casual matches myself. I really wish I had more time to take better pictures and ask more questions. However, I did get invited by some Japanese players to their Tokyo âhideoutâ, so once I have been to this place, then I will have more specific information on more gameplay related topics. Before I continue, just a few questions to keep you curious and interested. The answers appear in the text. Though, no prize is attached 
- One Japanese player who mains Riptor is actually very well known in the Japanese arcades for playing another fighting game. It really surprised me when I heard what this game was, so what fighting game do you think it is? (sort of a trick question).
- Does the word Aomori (Awmorry) ring a bell? If you are a diehard FG fan, then it shouldnât be too difficult
- One Japanese player just picked up KI in June. Do you know what character he is looking forward to making his main? (another trick question)
Here we go!
Part 1 - A remote but not so lonely Spinal player
One of the first Japanese players I talked to was a player named âkappyâ. Kappy is a Spinal player and one of the few players attending who wasnât living in Tokyo. He actually lives quite far from Tokyo, toward the north in an area called Aomori. Aomori, you say? THAT Aomori?! Yes, all you hardcore CvS2 players rejoice, it is the Aomori you remember:
So I asked him how and where he practices, since Aomori is a very long and lonely 8 to 10 hour drive from Tokyo. Apparently, there are no other KI players in his area, and he usually practices KI online in ranked. Confirming with a few players on the floor about the online experience (just the lag, not the rage quitters, lol), I learned from them and Kappy that online works great in Japan, which is definitely a compliment to the game and the devs.
Like most of the other local players I met, he stuck with his main character (Spinal) from the very start. As he was playing a match, I took a quick peek at his arcade/fight stick and he uses the Razer Atrox (the only person I spotted using this stick at the tournament). After his practice sessions, he told me that he had modified both the stick/lever and buttons with Hori parts (Sakoâs âHayabusaâ and âKuroâ buttons).
Even though, Bass defeated him during the second tournament in a Spinal mirror match, other local players ensured me that Kappy is the nationâs best Spinal player. Honestly, I didnât get to see him play a whole lot at KKJapan, but I will be sure to watch more footage of him when it comes available (perhaps on Ogtyâs youtube channel). Well, nice meeting you, Kappy. Kappy has qualified for the KI World Cup. This ends part 1 and Part 2 begins after the youtube vid.
Posing for a pic with Bass (source: https://twitter.com/kappysenpai )
For those still puzzled by what âAomoriâ is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qm7gyQVhVo
Part 2 - A very good Riptor. Riptor top 5?
Not sure about the validity of the sample size, but according to some of our Japanese players at the Kombo Klash Japan (KKJ) tournament, Riptor belongs in the top 5. Very surprising! Wasnât Riptor low-tier and in need of a buff? (Read: Riptor, low tier?) Well, I recommend you check out Tonosama (æźżæ§). I didnât know who he was at first but now easily my favorite Japanese player to watch together with Domi (Cinder) and Osomatsu (Omen). Oh yeahâŠrumour has it that a few more local Japanese players are practicing with Riptor⊠So be prepared for EVO2016 
Back to one of the Riptor players I enjoyed watching: Tonosama. I had the pleasure to see some of his some practice sessions with other Japanese players. He was beating everyone easily with his Riptor during these practice runs on Saturday and also ended up winning the first KKJ tournament on Sunday. As far as I could tell, he is a very cool, quiet (and tall) guy. He was kind enough to spar with me and of course beat me easily 10-0 (!). But he was constantly praising me for consistently breaking his shadow linkers, which is unbelievable since I had failed to check infilâs guide before taking Tonosama on in practice. I am not a good analyst of KI matches as I am still trying to learn the game myself, but Tonosamaâs frame knowledge impressed me and apparently some in the twitch chat too. Very impressive reads on his opponents: rarely did I see him use a wrong (or inefficient) move in any situation. I did notice that he wasnât afraid to break often and early in the combos both during practice matches and actual tournament matches. Here is his triumph at KKJ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCrflsGke2U
Not bad for picking up KI in April this year!! Asking about what games he played before KI, he said Marvel vs Capcom 3. I actually googled this and found him on some UMvC3 youtube vids. To my surprise he confirmed what other Japanese players had told me earlier, and that he is also a Pokken (!) player. Others on the floor quickly pointed out to me that he is currently the number 1 ranked Pokken player in Japanese arcades. So I felt even more honored to lose those practice matches by his Hori stick. I asked him âwhy Riptor?â. I got a surprisingly straight answer: âRiptor is cute. Look at her. Donât you think you so?â. Leaving me speechless and appropriately ending this part 2. Go check out Tonosama because he has a really good Riptor.
Part 3 â A spectator at Kombo Klash Japan (KKJ)
On the first day of KKJ, likely around 15 or so Japanese players showed up. Everyone seemed to know each other, and above all, everyone had a lot of mutual respect for their opponents at all time. Giving a heartfelt round of applause to opponents was very common, even if it was one of their own buddies that lost a match. During the side tournaments and practice FT10s, I looked around to see what characters were being used: Riptor, Aganos, Spinal, Cinder, Orchid, Jago, Fulgore, Glacius, Hisako, Omen, Sadira, Maya and TJ Combo. Almost the entire cast!!! For the number of players that showed up, and then to get such a huge variety of characters says a lot about KIâs balance. Most of the players used the same character they used in practice/side tournaments also in the main tournament. Just a few players shared the same main character (noticed a few Spinals and Jagos).
Speaks for itself (Source: https://twitter.com/XiBassiX)
A person I hadnât mentioned a lot but who had a good KKJ, was Osomatsu, the Omen player. At some point he asked me if he could borrow my TE2 as he couldnât find his controller before a match. I was nervous and hoped that the same thing that happened in SFIV Evo Grand finals (malfunctioning stick) wouldnât happen, because they would probably take my passport and jail me
Osomatsu (Omen) taking a huge risk with my Aria stick 
Thank you @KrizmKazm for the template. Some players even took pictures of my stick, lol!!
A certain Jago player, who had only recently started playing KI in June of this year, wanted to pick up Aganos at first, but the big manâs moves seemed too intimidating to him. The guy ended up picking Jago but he is actually looking forward the most to Rash(!), who isnât out yet but this should surely please our devs. âWhy Rash?â I asked. More so than Aganos, he could understand the attacks by simply watching the character, he answered.
Some random photos of the small and cozy venue
At the registration counter, I was greeted by two guys who later appear to be a Fulgore and Spinal player. Asking them where they usually play their matches, they let me know that either online ranked or at the Black-eye(?) in Meguro (a neighborhood in Tokyo) is the way to go in Tokyo. Being unfamiliar with Black-eye, I ask them about it. Apparently it is a personâs living room where a lot of the local fighting game players gather and play their favorite game (GG, KI, UMvC3, USFIV). Every Tuesday after 9pm or so, KI players gather there, but not before tweeting eachother if they are available as everyone has a job to maintain. At the end of the first day, I finally had a small chat with Ogty, who organizes the stream and comments with UA|Bass. Ogty is one of the better-known streamers and players in Japan. He also welcomed me to the Black eye/Meguro spot for some games.
Bass, Domi and others at KKJ (source: https://twitter.com/ogty)
I hope this brief introduction gave you a bit of insight into the scene in Tokyo. Once I visit Black eye, hopefully I will meet more Japanese KI players and maybe become even better myself. While I am in Japan, I have my XB1 with me, so I will have to train more to not make a complete fool of myself. Going forward I will put some Twitch and Youtube references to Japanese playersâ footage for you at the bottom which I will update regularly.
Thank you for reading.
References (UPDATED with Japanese Orchid player)
Hereâs a channel with ranked matches of one of the Japanese Jago players (Reto) Twitch
DragonSpits, my favorite Orchid: around the 46:00 mark you can see the only Orchid in Japan: Twitch
To:
TheKeits, MBABanemobius swordman09 adymunrox TheNinjaOstrich Quancro @Marbledecker Infilament BigBadAndy WandaMaximoff TheFinalboss666 CrimsonScorch88, JEFFRON27, CRIS178, thyReaperMC, oTigerSpirit, GalacticGeek and other voters who showed interest! Sorry the forum doesnât allow me to send to more than 10 people.
