Goichi "GO1" Kishida Becomes Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Champion At The Esports World Cup
Jul 12, 2025.
After causing an upset in the grand final, Goichi "GO1" Kishida claims victory in the first fighting game tournament at the 2025 Esports World Cup.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (July 12, 2025) Goichi "GO1" Kishida has won the Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves tournament at the 2025 Esports World Cup after beating former EWC Street Fighter champion Zeng "Xiao Hai" Zhuojun in the grand final.
GO1 caused quite the upset in the tournament’s grand final, with Xiao Hai coming into the competition as the firm favourite thanks to his previous results in the recently released Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves and prior SNK fighting games, as well as his victory on the EWC stage last year. However, GO1 put on an impressive display in the grand final to take him down and deny his attempt to become the first player to win two EWC championships in different games.
The final got off to a rough start for GO1, going 2-0 down early on, but from that point on, he managed to lock in and looked unstoppable for the remainder of the match. Using Kain for the entirety of the final, he would eventually take a 5-3 win, collapsing onto the stage after the KO was confirmed as he was overcome with emotion.
“It is like a dream, thank you so much, it’s amazing,” said an emotional Goichi "GO1" Kishida moments after his victory. “I’ve been through lots of different things; however, I was given the opportunity to work with DetonatioN FocusMe, and I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone that made it possible. Thank you so much for everything.”
The result settles the question of who is the best Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves player in the world, with the Esports World Cup being the first truly international event featuring all of the top-seeded players. Xiao Hai entered the tournament as the favourite, with many considering GO1 to be right up alongside him, but the two had never before faced off at a tournament before. This first meeting coming in the grand final was a fitting end to the tournament, and now there can be no doubt as to who the best player in the world is.
The victory gives GO1 $300,000 of the $1 million prize pool, the largest for any SNK fighting game ever, and 1000 Club Championship points for his team DetonatioN FocusMe, who rocket to the top end of the leaderboard. However, the organisation currently only has players set to compete in one other game at the Esports World Cup, Street Fighter 6, so they may need to overcome defending champion Xiao Hai once again if they wish to earn a payout from the Club Championship.
Esports World Cup media contact:
Anna Rozwandowicz
Head of PR
a.rozwandowicz@worldcupfoundation.org
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