{{Infobox sport tournament | name = 2018 Japanese Evolution Championship Series | year = | image = | caption = | location = Tokyo, Japan | start_date = January 26 | end_date = 28, 2018 | administrator = | tournament_format = | venues = Sunshine City (Days 1+2) <br> Akiba Square (Day 3) | participants = | purse = | champions = {{Plainlist| * '''''SFVAE''''': Seon-woo "Infiltration" Lee * '''''GGXrdR2''''': Nage * '''''T7''''': Jae-min "Knee" Bae * '''''SSB4''''': Leonardo "MKLeo" Lopez * '''''BBCF''''': Shoji "Fenritti" Sho * '''''KOFXIV''''': Chia-Chen "ZJZ" Tseng * '''''ARMS''''': Pega }} | attendance = ~5,000 | previous = | next = 2019 }}
The '''2018 Japanese Evolution Championship Series''', commonly referred to as '''Evo Japan 2018''', was a fighting game event held in Tokyo, Japan on January 26–28. As mentioned in its namesake, the event was the first Evo event to take place in Japan and outside of the United States. The event offered tournaments for various fighting games, such as ''Street Fighter V'', ''Tekken 7'', and ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''. Over 5,000 people registered for the event with ''Street Fighter V'' and ''Tekken 7'''s entrant numbers being on par with their respective Evo 2017 numbers.
==Venue== Evo Japan 2018 was the first event in the Evolution Championship Series to take place outside of its usual Las Vegas. Instead it took place in the Japanese city of Tokyo. The first two days of the event took place at Sunshine City while the third day took place at Akiba Square.<ref name="compete venue">{{cite web|last1=Walker|first1=Ian|title=The First Japanese Evo Will Be A Bit Different|url=https://compete.kotaku.com/the-first-japanese-evo-will-be-a-bit-different-1814823879|website=Compete|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref>
==Games== Evo Japan 2018 featured seven games in its lineup as announced through a YouTube trailer. The lineup consisted of ''Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition'', ''Tekken 7'', ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'', ''Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2'', ''BlazBlue: Central Fiction'', ''The King of Fighters XIV'', and ''ARMS''. The lineup was a reflection of the event's location.<ref name="dot lineup">{{cite web|last1=Jurek|first1=Steve|title=Evo Japan to feature seven games at inaugural event|url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/evo-japan-lineup-revealed-15934|website=Dot esports|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref> The event was the first time that ''ARMS'' would be at an Evo event.<ref name="arms debut">{{cite web|last1=Ramos|first1=Jeff|title=Evo Japan will mark Arms’ fighting game tournament debut|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/16/15979838/evo-japan-2018-dates-games-trailer|website=Polygon|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref>
There were also many side tournaments at the event with ''Ultra Street Fighter IV'', ''Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers 3)'', and ''Catherine'' being notable side-events.<ref name="dtoid numbers">{{cite web|last1=Moyse|first1=Chris|title=Impressive number of competitors for inaugural EVO Japan tournament|url=https://www.destructoid.com/impressive-number-of-competitors-for-inaugural-evo-japan-tournament-484221.phtml|website=Destructoid|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref> The event also showcased a playable demo version of Bandai Namco's upcoming fighter ''Soulcalibur VI''.<ref name="sc6 gamespot">{{cite web|last1=Fillari|first1=Alessandro|title=Soul Calibur 6's New Character Groh Ushers In Big Changes To The Game|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/soul-calibur-6s-new-character-groh-ushers-in-big-c/1100-6456359/|website=GameSpot|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref>
The event was initially scheduled for May 2011, but was postponed due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The pre-tournament, entitled <nowiki>[sài]</nowiki>, featured ''Tekken 7'', ''Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2'', and ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U''. ''Street Fighter V'''s exclusion from [sài] was due to licensing issues which led to the latter of the three being included instead.<ref name="dot lineup"/><ref name="usgamer">{{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Mike|title=Smash Bros Picked Over Street Fighter V for Evo Japan's Sai Tournament|url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/smash-bros-picked-over-street-fighter-v-for-evo-japans-sai-tournament|website=USGamer|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref>
==Participants== Participation of Evo Japan 2018 was completely free due to the strict laws within Japan.<ref name="sili numbers">{{cite web|last1=Sato|title=Evo Japan 2018 Registrations Are Now Open, And It Is Completely Free|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2017/09/18/evo-japan-2018-registrations-now-open-completely-free/|website=Siliconera|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref> The event featured more than 5,000 players in attendance.<ref name="dot schedule">{{cite web|last1=Newell|first1=Adam|title=Evo Japan schedule released, here's everything you need to know|url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/how-to-watch-evo-japan-2018-20518|website=Dot esports|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref> ''Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition'' received 2,256 entrants while ''Tekken 7'' received over 1,000 entrants. ''Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2'', ''The King of Fighters XIV'', and ''BlazBlue: Central Fiction'' notably had more numbers than their respective Evo 2017 events. ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' saw a decrease in entrant numbers from ~1,500 to ~750 which is likely due to the game's huge proliferation of North American professional players.<ref name="dtoid numbers"/>
==Broadcasting== Evo Japan 2018 was streamed entirely through Twitch. The streams were viewable in the English, Japanese, and Chinese languages. Capcom also ran their ''Capcom Fighters'' stream for ''Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition''. The ''ARMS'' finals concluded on Friday while finals for ''The King of Fighters XIV'' and ''BlazBlue: Central Fiction'' concluded on Saturday. The rest of the lineup concluded on Sunday with ''Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition'' being the closing game for the event.<ref name="pgon schedule">{{cite web|last1=McWhertor|first1=Michael|title=Evo Japan 2018: Where and when to watch|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/25/16933100/evo-japan-2018-schedule-stream-date-time|website=Polygon|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref><ref name="dot schedule"/>
==Tournament Summary== The ''Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition'' event was won by Seon-woo "Infiltration" Lee who notably took most of the 2017 season off to recalibrate; he double eliminated Ryota "John Takeuchi" Takeuchi to claim the title. The ''Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2'' event was won by Nage who eliminated Evo 2017 champion, Omito Hashimoto in the second set of the grand finals. The ''Tekken 7'' finals were won by Evo 2013 ''Tekken Tag Tournament 2'' champion, Jae-min "Knee" Bae defeating Seong-ho "Chanel" Kang in a runback from Winner's Semi-Finals. The ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' event was won by Mexican player, Leonardo "MKLeo" Lopez-Perez with a Marth counterpick against Yuta "Abadango" Kawamura's Bayonetta.<ref name="espn summary">{{cite web|last1=Khan|first1=Imad|title=Champions crowned in inaugural Evo Japan|url=http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/22243431/inaugural-evo-japan-finals-conclude-street-fighter-v-guilty-gear-xrd-rev-2-tekken-7-super-smash-bros|website=ESPN|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref>
A notable match in the ''BlazBlue: Central Fiction'' finals paired Yuta's Es and MokeMoke's Relius against each other. When MokeMoke was down a game and was about to take a game on Yuta, the latter retaliated with a clash mechanic giving him the set win advancing him to loser's finals.<ref name="bbcf comeback">{{cite web|last1=Walker|first1=Ian|title=BlazBlue Comeback Reversed In Stunning Fashion At Evo Japan|url=https://compete.kotaku.com/blazblue-comeback-reversed-in-stunning-fashion-at-evo-j-1822567364|website=Compete|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref> In the ''Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2'' event, Mikado Shodai was able to send Omito Hashimoto to the loser's bracket, but then proceeded to get double eliminated in his next two matches.<ref name="gg emotion">{{cite web|last1=Van Allen|first1=Eric|title=Guilty Gear Player Gets Emotional After Taking Down Evo Champ|url=https://compete.kotaku.com/guilty-gear-player-gets-emotional-after-taking-down-evo-1822479843|website=Compete|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref>
==Reveals== At ''Evo Japan 2018'', SNK revealed Oswald for ''The King of Fighters XIV'' along with announcing three more characters for the title that will be DLC released in the month of April 2018.<ref name="dtoid oswald">{{cite web|last1=Moyse|first1=Chris|title=Oswald will be joined by three more King of Fighters XIV characters in April|url=https://www.destructoid.com/oswald-will-be-joined-by-three-more-king-of-fighters-xiv-characters-in-april-485024.phtml|website=Destructoid|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref> In addition, the company announced Samurai Shodown's Nakoruru as the sixth character for their upcoming fighting game, ''SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy''.<ref name="snk heroines">{{cite web|last1=McWhertor|first1=Michael|title=New SNK Heroines trailer is heavy on fan service|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/29/16945096/snk-heroines-tag-team-frenzy-nintendo-switch-ps4-fan-service-trailer|website=Polygon|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref> The company also announced an online version of ''The King of Fighters '97'' entitled ''The King of Fighters '97: Global Match''.<ref name="kof 97gm">{{cite web|last1=Wong|first1=Alistair|title=SNK Reveals The King Of Fighters ‘97 Global Match At EVO Japan 2018|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2018/01/29/snk-reveals-king-fighters-97-global-match-evo-japan-2018/|website=Siliconera|accessdate=2018-01-31}}</ref> Bandai Namco would reveal Nightmare, Kilik, Chai Xianghua, and newcomer ''Grøh'' for ''Soulcalibur VI''.<ref name="sc6 gamespot"/>
==Results== {|class="wikitable" |- !colspan=5 | ''Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition'' |- ! style="width:50px;"| Place ! style="width:180px;"| Player ! style="width:150px;"| Alias ! style="width:300px;"| Character(s) |- | 1st | {{flagicon|South Korea}} Seon-woo Lee | <nowiki>GRPT|Infiltration</nowiki> | Menat, Juri |- | 2nd | {{flagicon|Japan}} Ryota Takeuchi | John Takeuchi | Rashid |- | 3rd | {{flagicon|Japan}} Daigo Umehara | <nowiki>CYG|Daigo Umehara</nowiki> | Guile |- | 4th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Hajime Taniguchi | FOX<nowiki>|</nowiki>Tokido | Akuma |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Hong Kong}} Jonny Lai Cheng | HumanBomb | Chun-Li |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Joe Egami | <nowiki>GRPT|MOV</nowiki> | Chun-Li |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | stormKUBO | Abigail |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Hiromiki Kumada | <nowiki>DNG|Itabashi Zangief</nowiki> | Abigail, Zangief |}
{|class="wikitable" |- !colspan=5 | ''Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2'' |- ! style="width:50px;"| Place ! style="width:180px;"| Player ! style="width:150px;"| Alias ! style="width:300px;"| Character(s) |- | 1st | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Nage | Faust |- | 2nd | {{flagicon|Japan}} Omito Hashimoto | Omito | Johnny |- | 3rd | {{flagicon|Japan}} Ryota Inoue | <nowiki>GGP|Kazunoko</nowiki> | Raven |- | 4th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Ruki | Dizzy |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Masahiro Tominaga | <nowiki>TLA|Machabo</nowiki> | Ky |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | <nowiki>ERG|DC</nowiki> | Sin |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Yuko Sonoda | Kedako | May |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Lox | Jam |}
{|class="wikitable" |- !colspan=5 | ''Tekken 7'' |- ! style="width:50px;"| Place ! style="width:180px;"| Player ! style="width:150px;"| Alias ! style="width:300px;"| Character(s) |- | 1st | {{flagicon|South Korea}} Jae-min Bae | <nowiki>ROX|Knee</nowiki> | Paul, Bryan, Steve |- | 2nd | {{flagicon|South Korea}} Seong-ho Kang | <nowiki>ROX|Chanel</nowiki> | Alisa, Eliza, Lucky Chloe, Akuma |- | 3rd | {{flagicon|South Korea}} Chae Dong | <nowiki>NM|Gura</nowiki> | Geese, Lili |- | 4th | {{flagicon|South Korea}} Jin-woo Choi | FOX<nowiki>|</nowiki>Saint | Jack-7 |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Takumi Hamasaki | <nowiki>COOAS|Noroma</nowiki> | Jack-7, Dragunov |- | 5th | {{flagicon|South Korea}} Im-su Hun | <nowiki>NM|UlsanGoding</nowiki> | Kazumi |- | 7th | {{flagicon|South Korea}} Sun-woong Youn | <nowiki>Fursan|LowHigh</nowiki> | Shaheen, Law |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Aoki Takehiko | <nowiki>Yamasa|Take</nowiki> | Kazumi |}
{|class="wikitable" |- !colspan=5 | ''Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'' |- ! style="width:50px;"| Place ! style="width:180px;"| Player ! style="width:150px;"| Alias ! style="width:300px;"| Character(s) |- | 1st | {{flagicon|Mexico}} Leonardo Lopez-Perez | FOX<nowiki>|</nowiki>MKLeo | Cloud, Marth |- | 2nd | {{flagicon|Japan}} Yuta Kawamura | Abadango | Bayonetta, Mewtwo |- | 3rd | {{flagicon|Japan}} Takuto Ono | <nowiki>DNG|Kameme</nowiki> | Mega Man, Cloud, Sheik |- | 4th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Yuta Uejima | <nowiki>DNG|Nietono</nowiki> | Sheik, Diddy Kong |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Toshimasa Hayakawa | Choco | Zero Suit Samus |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Kengo Suzuki | KEN | Sonic |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Rei Furukawa | <nowiki>2GG|komorikiri</nowiki> | Cloud, Roy |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | shky | Zero Suit Samus |}
{|class="wikitable" |- !colspan=5 | ''BlazBlue: Central Fiction'' |- ! style="width:50px;"| Place ! style="width:180px;"| Player ! style="width:150px;"| Alias ! style="width:300px;"| Character(s) |- | 1st | {{flagicon|Japan}} Shoji Sho | <nowiki>CO|Fenrich</nowiki> | Jin |- | 2nd | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Yuta | Es |- | 3rd | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Sayakachan-Bot | Es |- | 4th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | MokeMoke | Relius |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Fumihiko Yokobori | Fumi | Litchi, Nine |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Ryuji Utsumi | <nowiki>BE|DoraBang</nowiki> | Bang, Mu-12 |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Naoto | Nine, Rachel |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Daiwa | Platinum |}
{|class="wikitable" |- !colspan=5 | ''The King of Fighters XIV'' |- ! style="width:50px;"| Place ! style="width:180px;"| Player ! style="width:150px;"| Alias ! style="width:300px;"| Character(s) |- | 1st | {{flagicon|Taiwan}} Chia-Chen Tseng | <nowiki>HuomaoTV|ZJZ</nowiki> | Kula/Leona/Yuri, Mature/Leona/Yuri |- | 2nd | {{flagicon|Hong Kong}} Lau-yuk Sing | Lau | Benimaru/Billy/Mature |- | 3rd | {{flagicon|Japan}} Murakami Masanobu | Sanwa<nowiki>|</nowiki>M' | Kula/Robert/Iori, Robert/Benimaru/Iori |- | 4th | {{flagicon|China}} Zhuojun Zeng | <nowiki>DouyuTV|Xiao Hai</nowiki> | Kula/Benimaru/Iori |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Hong Kong}} | Ball KTB | Yuri/Leona/Mai |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Taiwan}} Chia-Hung Lin | <nowiki>HuomaoTV|E.T.</nowiki> | Billy/Benimaru/Leona, Leona/Billy/Zarina |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Koukou | Benimaru/Kyo/Iori |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Hong Kong}} | Fudoumyouou | Kyo/Iori/Kim |}
{|class="wikitable" |- !colspan=5 | ''ARMS'' |- ! style="width:50px;"| Place ! style="width:180px;"| Player ! style="width:150px;"| Alias ! style="width:300px;"| Character(s) |- | 1st | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Pega | Max Brass |- | 2nd | {{flagicon|USA}} Jonathan Valdes | <nowiki>StDx|GoreMagala</nowiki> | Helix, Max Brass |- | 3rd | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Sukuran | Master Mummy |- | 4th | {{flagicon|Canada}} Eve Schafer | <nowiki>AotN|Mileve</nowiki> | Mechanica |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Khu | Ninjara |- | 5th | {{flagicon|Japan}} | Cuvelia | Twintelle |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Japan}} Sota Ito | Chateau | Dr. Coyle, Min Min, Misango |- | 7th | {{flagicon|Finland}} Nicodemo Coco | Cojora | Kid Cobra |}
<ref name="evo japan results">{{cite web|title=Evo Japan 2018 final results|url=http://shoryuken.com/2018/01/28/evo-japan-2018-results/|website=Shoryuken.com|accessdate=28 January 2018}}</ref>
==Aftermath== On May 17, 2018, it was revealed that ''Evo Japan 2018'' suffered a loss of over one million dollars. The reasoning is mainly due to its status as a free-to-enter event. According to Joey "Mr. Wizard" Cuellar:
<blockquote>“Japanese law only allows us to pay out 20 times the entry fee, so in order for us to pay out the amount that we want, we have to make the tournament free entry.”</blockquote>
In comparison, Evo 2017 charged $55-$75 for competitor pass depending on when players registered as well as an additional $10 for every game each player wanted to enter. In addition, the first two days of ''Evo Japan 2018'' were free whereas the finals were paid entrance.<ref name="evojp money">{{cite web|last1=Ashcraft|first1=Brian|title=The First Evo Japan Lost Over A Million Dollars|url=https://kotaku.com/the-first-evo-japan-lost-over-a-million-dollars-1826098067|website=Kotaku|accessdate=2018-05-21}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://evo-japan.net/2018/en/ Official Website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201075226/https://evo-japan.net/2018/en/ |date=2018-02-01 }}
{{Evo}}
Category:2018 fighting game tournaments Category:Evolution Championship Series Category:Esports competitions in Japan