Alright, so here’s the thing. You didn’t need to be glued to the Fatal Fury finals at Evo 2025 to catch Kazuyuki “KojiKOG” Koji’s wild antics on stage. Nah, that moment blew up online faster than a cat video. It’s all over the place, like some epic meme tour through South Town. But honestly? There was more going on than just playing it up for the cameras.
See, KojiKOG got slammed by Goichi “GO1” Kishida in the semifinals. Kishida then cruised his way to the top. KojiKOG was throwing punches with Billy, while GO1 was wielding Kain. Both characters are like, mega-powerful in the current game meta since Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves dropped earlier. But KojiKOG? He was backed into a corner from the start, totally stuck in GO1’s combos. Lost the first round, found a crack in the second. Almost turned it around—twice!—but couldn’t seal the deal.
That semifinal? Barely lasted five minutes. But KojiKOG’s dramatic show of despair? A whole minute of pure agony. Meanwhile, GO1 was there, laughing it off, even trying to cheer up his rival. Folks at home? They couldn’t wait to clip and share every second of it. It was like capturing that “I gave it my all and still fell short” gut punch we all know too well.
Oh, and fans? They noted this wasn’t KojiKOG’s first rodeo, facial expressions-wise. Nor his first clash with GO1. Flashback to Evo 2015, during an anime fighter side tournament—Aquapazza, if you know it? KojiKOG lost then too, acting like he was maimed or something. But this time? Bigger stakes. More cash. GO1 bagged an extra $10k last night, plus he’s eyeing that $2.5 million Fatal Fury prize at the SNK World Championship in November. (Thanks, Saudi oil money or whatever.)
KojiKOG even tweeted something like “KOG, losing his leg again after ten years, vs GO1 EVO2025.” Seriously. His over-the-top reactions post-loss? They might just be the next big art form in esports drama. Fans are already stoked, practically buzzing to see how he’ll outdo himself in the next tournament meltdown.
