We conducted an interview with M'(@arubionhat), who won the main tournament of THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV (KOFXV) at EVO Japan 2026, a fighting game festival held at Tokyo Big Sight from Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3, 2026!
This article delivers the interview, originally conducted in Japanese, translated into English.
Interview With KOFXV Champion M'!
― How does it feel to win?
M': This was truly my goal, so I am incredibly happy.
I faced many setbacks along the way, so I am glad I was able to achieve it.
― Did you receive support from those around you?
M': I am grateful to the players from Japan and China who helped me practice.
I believe this tournament showed the results of that training.
Saiga NAK― You secured a spot in the SNK World Championship 2026 (SWC 2026). What kind of preparations will you make?
M': Since game balance adjustments were just announced earlier, I think I will take this opportunity to try playing characters that I haven't used up until now.
I want to expand my possibilities in various ways.
― Are there any players you want to face at SWC 2026?
M': I definitely want to seek revenge against Lauyagami(@Lauyagami1), whom I lost to last time.
Also, since other top competitors like Xiaohai(@Xiaohai_) and MadKOF(@madkof81) will likely qualify, I would love to play against them if possible.
Saiga NAK― What was going through your mind when the bracket reset?
M': I felt like I made a mistake in my character selection, and that my thinking had been too naive.
― You fought through and won with Kula, didn't you?
M': Kula is a character I have been using for about 10 years.
In last year's Losers Semifinals, I used Kula and lost to Lacid(@kmg5661), but after that, I worked on counterstrategies specifically for Lacid, so things clicked well and I was able to win.
