Who are the best Japanese Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players?

In the year 1999, Masahiro Sakurai’s great franchise, the Super Smash Bros. series, was released in Japan. Ever since the games exploded in popularity, top players have emerged from many parts of the world. However, Japan remains one of the strongest regions on the planet, with their average players being more skilled than their counterparts elsewhere.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the status remains the same. While Mexican Smasher MKLeo is the best in the world, even he has been defeated in bracket by Japanese players at one point or another. Below, here is a list of the top ten best Japanese Smash Ultimate players.

On a side note, because some of these players do not have their real names available online, I deeply apologize. I will still attempt to provide their personal information to the best of my abilities. Please forgive any inconvenience.

10. ProtoBanham

The best Lucina main in the business

Real name: N/A

Age: 28 (Born 1992)

Team: Free Agent

Biggest Achievement: 5th place at EVO 2019

Fighters: Lucina, Inkling, Palutena

ProtoBanham is a Smasher from Kanto, and most possibly the best Lucina main in the world. He has a very aggressive playstyle, capitalizing on Lucina’s brilliant advantage state and range. He flits in and out of range while pestering his opponents with immaculate spacing and timing.

While not the best Lucina user (which could go to MKLeo as he is the World #1), his technical and exciting style won him many fans when he defeated Light in EVO 2019. The moment the game started, ProtoBanham swung hard and fast, taking a stock so quickly even Light, an aggressive Smasher, was surprised. He also has a very competent Inkling and Palutena and has used Link in bracket, though he focuses on the first three Fighters.

Watch him own with Lucina: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0rzU2ffBcs

Watch him beat my favorite player DIO with Inkling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTzRJGMKbhY

Watch this recent performance of his Palutena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRhc8NTGSuw

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SSBU_Lucina

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCf4mg3z4dpEcrN5neqVZyvw

09. Kome

The best Shulk main in the world, also known for his pop-offs

Real Name: Seisuke Komeda

Age: 27 (Born 1993)

Team: SUSANOO GAMING8 (SG8)

Biggest Achievement: 2nd at EVO Japan 2020

Fighter: Shulk

The dedicated Shulk main Kome saw his love for the Fighter pay off when Ultimate was released. He is a very technical player and considered ahead of his Shulk brethren. While not afraid to go far and deep offstage for the kill, Kome is also a very patient player and will bide his time to find the perfect chink in his opponent’s armor to exploit.

Dedicating all his time to Shulk, he is a very successful player, having defeated some of the world’s best players such as Marss and Tweek. He is also known for his signature pose when he nets a win, clenching his fist and pumping it. This has led to the Japanese community making memes out of it, all in good nature, of course.

Watch him own with Shulk (he’ll pop off): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OFqA6d4Nfk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/komesuma

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaYxc3XQT398aGs5rbAsk2A

08. Raito

Known for his love for dogs, Raito is the best Duck Hunt main in the world

Real Name: Ishiguro Tetsuya

Age: 27 (Born 1993)

Team: Thunder Gaming (TG)

Biggest Achievement: 5th at EVO Japan

Fighters: Duck Hunt, Banjo & Kazooie

Raito is the oddest one out of Japan’s best. Utilizing the bizarre toolkit of Duck Hunt, he traps and tricks his opponents with tricky angles, especially with the explosive Trick Shot projectile. Raito is extremely technical and very patient, though if the situation requires it, he is capable of being aggressive and active.

Other than known for his unique Fighter choice of Duck Hunt, he also has a Banjo & Kazooie secondary. He is very active on YouTube, making many types of videos such as Smash content and even cooking tutorials and slices of his life. While Duck Hunt is not the best Fighter in the game, Raito continues to bring them to new heights.

Watch him own with Duck Hunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueBabrOL8OA

Watch him own with Banjo & Kazooie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNt4XGiyPK4&

Twitter: https://twitter.com/raito_ssb

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Raito1496/videos

07. Abadango

Known worldwide as one of Japan’s best, he even had Abadango Saga named after him

Real Name: Yuta Kawamura

Age: 27 (Born 1993)

Team: Shinobism (SNB)

Biggest Achievement: 1st at Karisuma SP 7

Fighters: Palutena, Wario, Meta Knight

A man of many talents and Fighters, Abadango is a household name in Smash. He even had a 2GGaming event named after him back in the Smash 4 days. His skills speak for themselves, as he has been able to win tournaments in Japan and take names from the international community.

Other than being a skilled Smasher, he also competed in Pokken. He is very friendly towards American Smashers, and there is a funny image of him reading a book titled ‘How to be Black’ (https://twitter.com/shofu/status/994268135606837248) which was circulated widely. Overall, he is a widely loved figure in the Japanese community and beyond.

Watch him own with Palutena: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa6__0LRT28

Watch him own with Wario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t52mbLvbYM

Watch him own with Meta Knight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S87bRPklNw

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Abadango

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP-qK04cla6Qj_WToco8vPg

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/abadango

06. Kuro

The unseeded player who took names and even won a tournament

Real Name: Shintaro Kakihara

Age: 23 (Born 1996)

Team: Free Agent

Biggest Achievement: 1st at Umebura SP 6 from an unseeded position

Fighters: Zero Suit Samus

Kuro is one of the three best Zero Suit Samus mains in Japan alongside shky and Choco. He came out of nowhere, beating almost everyone he faced in Umebura SP 6. Since then, his skills with Zero Suit Samus have been known all around the world.

Kuro is known to speak English and has traveled to American tournaments before. He’s also not just the underdog who won, as he even made it to 18th in the Fall 2019 PGRU, making him 18th best in the world at that time. Notably, he won 120 cup noodle meals at Umebura SP 6 and has once donated his doubles tournament winnings from CEO Dreamland back to CEO.

Watch him own with Zero Suit Samus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnGG4WUpYoM

Twitter: https://twitter.com/_kuro258

Unfortunately, Kuro does not seem to have any content creation accounts.

05. Tea

Number one Pac Man main in the world

Real Name: Takuma Hirooka

Age: 22 (Born 1998)

Team: SUSANOO GAMING8 (SG8)

Biggest Achievement: 4th at Frostbite 2020

Fighter: Pac Man

Tea is a very famous Smasher, even from his Smash 4 days when Pac Man was not a viable Fighter. With the changes and improvements Pac Man received in Ultimate, Tea has managed to take names and establish himself as a formidable force to reckon with. He is known for his creative playstyle which utilizes the unlimited trapping and combo potential of Pac Man’s fruits.

Known for his love for his Fighter, Tea often dresses the part in a cap that has the eyes of the ghosts from Pac Man’s games. He also dresses smartly, preferring a buttoned shirt. Tea streams regularly on his YouTube channel, which experienced a boom in popularity recently.

Watch him own with Pac Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIk5NNccASk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chibiT2169

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM69W19x0V4uD_-NRw5BM_Q/featured

04. Shuton

One of the two best Olimar mains in the world and a living meme

Real Name: Shuto Moriya

Age: 24 (Born 1996)

Team: SunSister (SSG)

Biggest Achievement: Umebura SP 5

Fighters: Olimar, Richter

Shuton is a legend in the Japanese Smash community for reasons both technical and humorous. Being the best Olimar main in the world tied with Myran and best Belmont main before focusing on Olimar, he is highly respected by all in the community. Known for his tight execution and daring gameplay, he is exciting to watch from both competitive and casual standpoints.

Having a resentment for Olimar dittos (which are not fun at all), Shuton decided to use Richter against Myran when they were at Frostbite 2019. He performed a down aerial on a Pikmin Myran threw at him, allowing him to recover from what was certain death otherwise. This became a very popular meme from then on, with many in the community always reminding people to “not let this distract you from the fact that Shuton daired Myran’s Pikmin at Frostbite 2019” or some variation when other amazing clips and plays are shared.

Watch him own with Olimar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoIb-bdPnyE

The Shuton meme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7iWPpOWAs8

Unfortunately, winning footage of Shuton’s Richter has been lacking.

03. KEN

The Japanese Sonic extraordinaire

Real Name: Kengo Suzuki

Age: 26 (Born 1994)

Team: Free Agent

Best Achievement: 1st at Sumabato SP 6

Fighter: Sonic

KEN is a veteran Smasher, and with his natural talent in using Sonic, he is the world’s best without dispute. Even in Smash 4 he was considered the best Sonic and is 16th in the Fall 2019 PGRU as well, even when many Smashers scoffed at how Sonic was a pale shadow of his Smash 4 version. Known for his aggressive Sonic playstyle, KEN is truly deserving of his rank of 3rd in Japan.

An active user of Twitter, KEN is often seen tweeting about his recent exploits. Sometimes they range from his everyday life or some highlights from his YouTube Stream. He also happens to be a very studious Sonic main, constantly in the lab trying to find new techniques for Sonic.

Watch him own with Sonic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i16gbZS3dY

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kenisbg

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCao2KUfroeJuZt8u2ObqjOw/featured

02. Kameme

The best Mega Man main alive and one of the best Wario players out there

Real Name: Takuto Ono

Age: 24 (Born 1996)

Team: RayRoad Gaming (R2G)

Best Achievement: 1st at Umebura Japan Major 2019

Fighters: Mega Man, Wario, Sheik

The legendary Kameme is a model Mega Man for all to learn from. Having taken out MKLeo in bracket once using all his skill and cunning, he surely deserves the title. His Wario is also very potent, taking sets from skilled players, and his Sheik still reminds older Smashers of how he used to be very dangerous with her in Smash 4.

Having been a pioneer of Mega Man’s metagame since Smash 4, Kameme still pushes the boundaries of his main. He is also known to be a bit cocky. As of August 2020, he remains one of five players who have a positive record against MKLeo.

Watch him own with Mega Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIaa5kBRnOg

Another Mega Man set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njysb0rFXuc

Watch him own with Wario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWCFidSL5M0

The full roster owning ProtoBanham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZA6A44waQk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kameme8808

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkvYuVveFCVNquxzpcM7ylw

01. Zackray

The young Japanese prodigy with big dreams

Real Name: Sota Okada

Age: 18 (Born 2002)

Team: GameWith (GW)

Biggest Achievement: 7th at Frostbite 2020

Fighters: R.O.B., Joker, Wolf

The genius Japanese Smasher Zackray cemented himself as the best in Japan after toppling top Smasher after Smasher in Japan and the world. Originally a Wolf main, he has since switched to R.O.B. and Joker, preferring an aggressive, overwhelming playstyle in his Fighter choices. His execution, instincts, and many other aspects are all on-point, truly marks of a prodigy.

Zackray is the youngest Smasher to be ranked in the PGRU, and this makes him the center of attention both in Japan and abroad. He is known for being able to play most of the cast at a high level, frequently streaming himself doing so. For a young player, he has a very encyclopedic understanding of the game.

Watch him own with R.O.B.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmnp04H7vCc

Watch him own with Joker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AClRCOyuU2g

One of his earlier sets playing Wolf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne3nB_DnEFI

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ssb4_Zackray

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfoTAd662mucYxhZo7YHR9A

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