“NO ONE HAS EVER LOOKED LIKE THEY SUFFERED LIKE THIS IN HUMAN HISTORY.”

At Evolution Championship Series 2025 (Evo 2025) this yr, a professional combating sport participant’s theatrical meltdown caught the eye of social media, the place it has gone viral. During the Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves match, Japanese participant Kazuyuki “KojiKOG” Koji reacted to a tense loss in a manner that was so over-the-top, followers couldn’t look away.

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After his loss towards opponent Goichi “GO1” Kishida, KojiKOG clutched at his headset and glasses, knocking them askew as he silently screamed his frustration. GO1 stood off to the aspect, trying excited and somewhat bit confused at his dramatic win. The second was shared on social media, together with on Evo 2025’s official X account and past as of us had been impressed by the dramatic expressions on the gamers’ faces.

@Evo tweeted, “A story in two parts.” It included two pictures of the rivals after GO1’s win over KojiKOG.

Who is KojiKOG?

KojiKOG is a longtime esports competitor from Japan. He made a reputation for himself as a participant in titles like Street Fighter, Guilty Gear, and King of Fighters. He is understood not just for his talent as a participant, but additionally for his over-the-top reactions to them.

Throughout his profession, KojiKOG has leaned into the efficiency. He ceaselessly makes humorous faces in post-match interviews, typically exaggerating his reactions for laughs. His now-famous scream pose harkens again to a different time he and GO1 went head-to-head in a match.

What was the occasion?

The viral second occurred throughout the Winners’ Semi-Final for Fatal Fury: City of Wolves at Evo 2025 in Las Vegas. There are additionally occasions held in Japan and France. Evo is the world’s largest combating sport match. According to the corporate’s web site, “We’re not just a convention. We’re a global community of more than 10 million casual gamers, esports enthusiasts, and industry professionals dedicated to building a bigger world for fighting games.” 

While GO1 finally took each rounds, the match remained neck-and-neck till the tip. Shortly after the ultimate blow landed, KojiKOG dropped into his now-iconic pose.

Why did KojiKOG react this fashion?

Many informal viewers assumed KojiKOG had an actual breakdown or panic assault. However, longtime followers knew higher, as identified by @HiFightTH on X. His over-the-top loss response wasn’t spontaneous. It referenced his match towards GO1 at Evo 2015 precisely ten years in the past, the place he struck an almost equivalent pose.

At the time in 2015, Japanese commentators had been confused by what he was doing as a result of KojiKOG’s sense of comedy wasn’t very well-known. At the time, esports professional Daigo Umehara in contrast it to a SAW film sufferer having a limb minimize off. The metaphor caught with him, and amongst Japanese followers, it’s now nicknamed the “leg cutting incident.” Now, nevertheless, it’s understood as a part of KojiKOG’s persona: a mixture of comedy and drama layered into severe competitors.

How KojiKOG crashing out become a meme

Even although KojiKOG positioned joint fifth within the match and received 80% of his matches at Evo 2025, it’s his hilarious response to shedding that everybody remembers. Clips and screenshots of KojiKOG’s loss response are flooding social media. Many viewers are utilizing these pictures and clips as response memes and methods to explain themselves and others in a given state of affairs.

@Dexerto tweeted, “Fatal Fury pro KojiKOG was fighting for his life after dropping a set at Evo 2025.”

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