By: Jerome Bragg II
Photos by Jerome Bragg II
On the second day of Wolverine Con, our Film TV & Media department hosted Wolverine Fight Fest. On that day, a fighting game tournament was held here on campus. This was the 3rd tournament hosted at the school, and the first time with “Street Fighter 6” as the featured game. The event had a great turnout, with over 30 entrants in the tournament and even more showing up to cheer on their friends. Competitors from all over the Inland Empire signed up to win the $250 cash prize, but one player in particular quickly became the favorite.
The young player “EnzoTheHokage” emerged victorious in the end. He breezed through the competition, only losing one match throughout the tournament and racking up countless perfect rounds along the way. I had the unfortunate experience of matching up with the future champion in my first game of the tournament and he quickly disposed of me. After seeing how easily he ran through his next few opponents, I had to figure out just who this kid was.
Once the tournament concluded, I had the opportunity to interview Enzo, and it shed some light on how he got his skills. I asked how he got into fighting games, and he stated that his uncle was the one who introduced him. The only fighting game Enzo played previously was the game “Dragon Ball FighterZ,” although his uncle claimed it wasn’t a “real fighting game.” It’s hard to imagine his uncle still doubting his ability at this point.
Due to his young age, I assumed this would be one of if not his very first tournament win, but to my surprise Enzo is already a seasoned vet. His father takes him to local tournaments all throughout southern California, and apparently, he is very successful. When asked how many tournaments he’s won so far, he couldn’t even put a number on it. I’ve been struggling to get my first victory, and this kid has already lost count, I don’t know if I should be more impressed or embarrassed.
After finding out a bit more about him, everything began to make more sense. Enzo's older cousin is NoahtheProdigy, a player well known in the Fighting community for being able to compete at such an extremely high level at only 8 years old. At EVO 2011, Noah placed in the top 48 in a tournament with over 100 entrants. These family duos are somewhat common in the competitive fighting game scene.
There are numerous examples where two of the strongest players in a particular game are siblings. No one knows the exact cause of the phenomenon, but most assume it’s a result of sibling rivalries, as the saying goes, iron sharpens iron. Having a brother or cousin to compete and get better together with seems to be an invaluable asset.
