1v1 combat games have risen in popularity ever since they became available in the arcades back in the '80s. Along with other games, it has become a part of e-sports culture. Impressively, a 31-year-old father with little time to spare for practice managed to enter the ranks.
Tekken World Tour Global Finals 2022
The player who beat the odds, Joshua "Ghirlanda" Bianchi, has two full-time jobs and a family to take care of, yet he managed to squeeze in two hours every night for practice, given that he wasn't too tired to do so.
His perseverance managed to take him to the top eight of the Tekken World Tour (TWT) Global Finals of 2022. If that wasn't impressive enough, the pro-Tekken player had no one backing him, as opposed to how pro-e-sports players are sponsored by brands to shoulder expenses.
Representing his region Amsterdam, Netherlands, he faced players like the reigning EVO champion Jae-Min "Knee" Bae from Korea, reigning TWT champion Yuta "Chikurin" Take from Japan and unified EVO champion Arslan "Arslan Ash" Siddique from Pakistan.
Ghirlanda pushed through the round-robin group stage, according to One E-Sports, which allowed him to qualify for the final bracket. He did so by using Katarina and winning against Arslan Siddique, who has Kunimitsu as his main champion, with a result of 2-0.
The two battled it out in the Dragon's Nest arena. Ghirlanda beat Arslan Ash by taking advantage of the space and walls of the arena, bombarding his opponent with counter-attacks and combos, and using wall positioning to trap him.
Pakistani representative Arslan Ash chose Infinite Azure 2 for the second round, eliminating the boundaries brought by the walls in Dragon's Nest. Still, the wider stage did not hinder Ghirlanda from winning, concluding the game with a lower kick.
The Italian representative snatched 4th place in the Tekken World Tour Global Finals. The 31-year-old father lost to Sang-Hyun "Jeondding" Jeon. Regardless, considering the circumstances, it was a victory to remember.
Tekken 7
The Tekken franchise has been around for a long time since 1994, spawning seven main games and spin-offs over the years with Tekken 8 set to release in 2024. The latest game, Tekken 7, has sold more than 7 million units globally since its 2017 release.
The Tekken series has seen so much success with an overall 51 million units sold. With over 50 characters to choose from, the franchise added in characters over the years, but the main fight within the Mishima bloodline remains.
Following through the series, you'll see the bloodline of Jinpachi Mishima fall into chaos for love, revenge, and pride. The more recent games show Heihachi Mishima, Kazuya Mishima, and Jin Kazama battling it out to determine who truly holds power.
Every character has a story-rich background that is interwoven with other characters as well, bringing in a good plot to go with why they joined the Tekken Tournament to reach the top. You can even fight with DLC characters like Negan from "The Walking Dead."
