An interview with Zhen ahead of Red Bull Kumite New York!
After a weekend of duking it out at the Red Bull Kumite Canada National Final, Zhen took home the gold! He not only won the bulk of the National Final prize pool, but also earned a trip to Red Bull Kumite New York. This tournament’s main event will kick off on March 17, and Zhen sat down with esports.gg for a chat ahead of the Street Fighter 6 action!
Zhen's journey to the top in Street Fighter 6
Even prior to his victory at the Red Bull Kumite Canada National Final, Zhen boasted many accomplishments in the competitive side of Street Fighter 6. For example, he placed high in the the recent Capcom Cup Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) tournament and took home the gold in the Capcom Pro Tour (CPT) 2023 World Warrior: Canada East #2 event. In the interview with esports.gg, he revealed how Luo "Vxbao" Yanxin helped him on this journey to the top.
"I got into the Street Fighter 6 scene when I started to attend locals when I was in Shenzhen," Zhen said. "I met a lot of players and people who work in the esports industry. Vxbao was one of the players I met and he helped me a lot in getting better at fighting games in general."
Zhen at the Red Bull Kumite Canada National Final
The hard work and practice paid off. Throughout the Red Bull Kumite Canada National Final, Zhen played Dee Jay. With his main, he went 3-1 against Amin "Kaymin" Elsaad's Juri in the semifinal before pushing Michael "Mikex" Becker down to the elimination bracket. After Mikex won against Thunder "JOE UMEROGAN" De Langis, he faced Zhen once again in the grand final. With a score of 3-2 in this grand final against Mikex's Luke, Zhen became the Red Bull Kumite Canada National Final champion!
"The main reason is that he's good in the game. But I also like his design and voice acting — especially the Japanese version," Zhen told esports.gg, referring to Dee Jay as his Street Fighter 6 main. "He's just very satisfying to play because he can do so much damage and be so flexible."
The Red Bull Kumite Canada National Final took place in Toronto's Red Bull Gaming Studio. This in-person event boasted commentary from Michael "Yipes" Mendoza and Steven "Tasty Steve" Scott. It also featured analysis from Woolie and Rooflemonger. Sayff, who placed high in Capcom Cup X, attended the event in person as well.
Zhen said that he was impressed by the venue itself. "The commentators were hype and as well as the audiences," he added.
Zhen heads to Red Bull Kumite New York
With the national victory under his belt, Zhen will soon head to Red Bull Kumite New York. There, he will duke it out against other top competitors for a spot in the main show happening on March 17.
"I'm glad to be able to attend Red Bull Kumite again because I went to Red Bull Kumite South Africa last year. It was definitely good memories for me," Zhen said. "Would probably visit some spots in New York since I have never been there. Also excited to see some familiar faces that I haven't seen in a while."
That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates!