Arslan Ash Reveals What Makes Pakistan a Tekken Powerhouse

When Arslan Ash burst onto the scene in 2018, it was soon followed by global recognition of his home country, Pakistan. While Arslan is the most popular, many players from the nation have established themselves as titans in Tekken.

It is often argued that Pakistan is the strongest Tekken region, but why is that? In a recent post, Arslan Ash tried to answer the question, stating that he believes it all comes down to long sets between players.

Responding to a post by FGC legend GO1, Arslan said:

“After spending time in different regions, I think one reason Pakistani players are strong is how we practice. I've noticed that especially in Tekken, a lot of players in Japan and Korea focus more on ranked matches, while in Pakistan we play a lot of long FT sets.

“Even if someone is much better than us, we keep playing to understand the matchup. We practice the same matchup over and over, even if we're losing most of the games.

“Of course, players in other regions do this too, but I feel like this is very common in Pakistan and might be one of the reasons we're good at fighting games.”

Arslan Ash has been living in Japan recently and has had the opportunity to travel to various regions and observe how players practice, so his comments are rooted in experience.

Japanese gaming veteran and freelance photographer Ohsu Akira also chimed in, stating that Arslan’s opinion was similar to the idea behind arcades.

“This is basically just like the old arcade spots before online multiplayer took off. Your opponents are right there in front of you, so all you can do is keep battling whoever shows up, no choice about it. Sure, it sucks if there's a huge skill gap, but that raw hunger to push through it ends up being the chance to unlock what you could call the ‘strong mentality’ ability down the line,” he said.

Pakistan is certainly considered a leading Tekken country, and its players currently include the champions of Evo Las Vegas and the Esports World Cup, along with winners of several of the year's biggest tournaments.