A freelance games journalist based in the Philippines, Cedric has written on all aspects of the esports industry, from the business side to the craziness happening in the FGC scene. He has written guides, op-eds, and essays for Dot Esports, IGN, and Gaming News.
Olivia Richman is a seasoned esports journalist who has worked with Inven Global, Esports Illustrated, Esports.gg, and more. As an editor and writer at Esports Insider, she loves telling unique esports stories, especially within the FGC. When not working and gaming, Olivia loves collecting Kirby plush, eating sushi, and driving her cars at the track.
Image Credit: @airinagatomo / X In recent times, the Fighting Game Community (FGC) has been too serious for its own good and has forgotten how to have fun while playing the games they love. I don’t blame the community, though. It’s easy to lose sight of fun if there’s a million dollars dangling in front of you to claim, as long as you’re good enough.
It also doesn’t help that the video game industry is going through something of a downturn, with Sony thinking it’s a wise idea to stop producing physical CDs and to make Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls not playable in over a hundred countries . This has obviously sent the fighting game community into a frenzy, thinking that the studio has lost its mind for wanting to return to a practice that’s been considered barbaric.
In the midst of all of this, if you’re on FGC Twitter, then you probably have been flashbanged by legendary Ryuji “Hayao” Hayashi ’s behind on your timeline. In my case, it was actually Andrew “Jiyuna” Fidelis’s tweet that brought it to my attention.
Take back all of Hayao's EVO awards. Ban 3S from all future events. Delete all Co-Op Cup footage.
Then, the chain effect started. Christopher “NYChrisG” Gonzalez tweeted about it, while other members of the FGC tried to wash to wash their eyes after what they just witnessed.
Whats this hayao thing people are talking abo………. oooooooooooo……………. LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
It’s definitely a great tonal shift. Maybe even too jarring for other people. However, I believe that we need more people like Ryuji “Hayao” Hayashi. Just to clarify, no, I’m not talking about people who would post things like that on a regular basis.
I’m talking about what Hayao’s role is in the FGC.
I sincerely believe that we need more showmen in the FGC. The most fun parts of tournaments are the wild things that are happening at the event, such as Arslan “Arslan Ash” Siddique playing Tekken 8 shirtless and spreading cash all over his arm. We also had the old Lee “Poongko” Chung-gon, who also removed his shirt during matches that he found particularly difficult. Unfortunately, he no longer does this and has distanced himself from his old identity. Now, he just plays like a normal FGC competitor, without his previous flair.
This is what I’m talking about when I said that we need more people like Hayao in the FGC. These people are very entertaining to watch. Seeing Hayao do all those theatrics, doing perfect splits while also beating up his opponents in the most amazing ways. Keep in mind, this man is 43, and he’s still more flexible than I am.
I was first exposed to Hayao during Evo Vegas 2024, where he showed prowess in his main game: Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike. He’s called the “Hugo God,” and he showed why he’s definitely one of the...