[AnimeGamer]

EVO Championship 2023: The Anime Champions You Need to Know!

Figure 1. EVO Championship

Summer, the season of high energy and good vibes, also happens to be the host of this year's EVO Championships 2023. And what a championship it was, as it took place in mid-summer from August 4 to August 6 at Michelob ULTRA Arena! But this year was different as we saw the greatest number of participants for the anime game line in years. And while yes Tekken and the new Street Fighter 6 were still the main focus of the tournament, we still saw massive support for not only the community but also the winners of the anime game lineup. It is also prudent to mention that most of the games played in said lineup were developed by one single studio that has risen in recent years to be classified in the same league as SEGA and Capcom. This studio is none other than the beloved Arc System Works the makers of the classic Guilty Gear series and the most faithful adaptation of Akira Toriyama’s work in Dragon Ball Fighter Z.

Speaking of the lineup of games, EVO this time had the strongest line ever since 2019. To start it off we had Guilty Gear with its recently released Daredevil update. It features new changes for the existing game characters and even introduces some new ones. Guilty Gear Strives final match was held on the last day of the event and saw the Swedish Leffen take home the trophy with a landslide 3-nill victory against the North American NBNHMR.

Figure 2. Leffen, 2023 Champion of Guilty Gear Strive

Dragon Ball Fighter Z on the other hand had its finals on the 5th of August and saw the North American HIKARI barely squeeze in a win against the talented French player Yasha. As for prizes, HIKARI walked away with a staggering 10,000 Dollars and an automatic qualification in the DBFZ World Tour Finals 2023-24. Meanwhile, Yasha won the runner-up prize which was 5,000 Dollars.

Figure 3. HIKARI, 2023 Champion of Dragon Ball FighterZ

Melty Blood: Type Lumina also had its finals on the 5th and saw the Japan-based player Moai take home the win in a landslide 3-nill victory alongside 10,000 Dollars in cash prize against his fellow countrymen DAI. Melty Blood: Type Lumina qualifiers on the first day also saw the unveiling of French Bread's new game Under Night In-Birth 2.

Figure 4. Maoi, 2023 Champion of Melty Blood: Type Lumia

Alongside these action-packed tournaments, we also saw the new Beta of Bandai Namco’s upcoming game GranBlue Fantasy Verses Rising, an interesting title to say the very least. But from judging the fan reaction it seems that the game will be an instant hit though the release date is set to November 30, 2023. So be sure to stay tuned for our coverage of the game as it is released.

So, in conclusion, we saw one of the most action-packed EVOs ever take place and alongside this, we also got some massive updates on fan-favorite series and the live hands-on demonstration of Bandai’s sleeper hit sequel Granblue Fantasy Verses Rising. For more anime esports news and ongoing in the industry stay tuned for we have more coming soon.


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