The Japanese team looks strong
Japan’s representatives for the fighting game esports category at the 2026 Asian Games have now been selected. They were selected at the recently concluded Asian esports Expo 2026.
There are three titles included in the fighting game esports category:
Street Fighter 6
Tekken 8
King of Fighters XV
These titles will contribute to a single medal awarded to each country rather than to individual players. This means that every participating nation will field a team made up of competitors across the three games, with overall team performance determining who takes gold, silver, and bronze.
Tournament Determines Japan’s Picks
Japan held a selection tournament to determine its representatives for each title. At the end of the event, three winners emerged:
Higuchi (Street Fighter 6)
Score (King of Fighters XV)
Nobi (Tekken 8)
Event Details and Background
The 2026 Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4, 2026, in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The Asian Games are a multi-sport event held every four years to strengthen ties across the continent. The competition has been in existence since 1951, with India playing a key role in its inception. A total of 45 nations will take part in this edition.
Esports will be making its second appearance at the event, having debuted in 2022, where Street Fighter V was the only fighting game included. There, Kim Gwan-woo or 'M. Lizard' was the winner taking the gold medal over GamerBee and Oil King, who won silver and bronze, respectively.
With more fighting game titles now included and the continued growth of the genre within esports, the development of the scene is starting to look like something far more tangible than a distant dream.
T8
MK1
SF6
GBVSR
2XKO
SSBU
T7
DBFZ
BH
GGST
SC6
SG2E
KI
MVS
KoFXV
MBTL
SF5
MK11
