EVO Japan 2026 presented by Levtech was held at Tokyo Big Sight from Friday, May 1, to Sunday, May 3, 2026.
The main tournaments for all 12 titles were held in grand style, creating many moving moments and stories.
At the venue, we interviewed Kyohei "MarlinPie" Lehr (@MarlinPie), a former pro gamer who currently serves as a designer for Riot Games' 2XKO!
Interview with 2XKO Designer Kyohei "MarlinPie" Lehr!
― Please introduce yourself briefly.
Kyohei Lehr:
I am MarlinPie, and I work on champion and game design for 2XKO.
My mother is Japanese, so I can speak a little Japanese, but I moved to the US when I was a child.
My favorite champion is Teemo.
2XKO is my first game development experience, but as for fighting games, I've played various titles since childhood, starting with Street Fighter II, the Guilty Gear series, and the Smash Bros. series.
― You mentioned you were a professional player as well. Were you working a regular job at the time?
Kyohei Lehr: I belonged to a professional team called Panda Global (@PandaGlobal), but I was also a software engineer at the same time.
― Have you ever been to EVO Japan before?
Kyohei Lehr: I've been here three times!
― You go to other EVOs as well, right?
Kyohei Lehr: I'm originally a player, so I still compete in tournaments whenever I have time.
I even won GUILTY GEAR Xrd REV 2 at EVO 2024!
Saiga NAK― You are still very much active (laughs). Do you notice any differences between EVO and EVO Japan?
Kyohei Lehr: Japan is the birthplace of fighting games, and I have immense respect for it.
It's really fun that the tournament atmospheres are different.
EVO Japan feels like a place where you see structured play and gameplay that comes from deep practice.
In the US, the impression is more "wild," or rather, showing off raw strength through improvised freestyle.
I really look forward to seeing regions with different playstyles battle it out.
― What kind of plays are you hoping to see in the tournament?
Kyohei Lehr: Personally, I support those who play in duos, and in Japan, I'm a fan of 2WINz (@2WINz25).
I'm also cheering for SonicFox (@SonicFox) and Inzem (@INZEM2).
― Please tell us about the difficulty and appeal of duos.
Kyohei Lehr: 2XKO isn't the first fighting game to be played by two people.
Balancing the strength between duo and solo play is incredibly difficult.
But in 2XKO, people feel there isn't much of a gap, which is really gratifying.
I was originally quite worried about it, but once it went out into the world, it was fair while still retaining the strength of duos, which surprised and delighted me.
― At Frosty Faustings XVIII 2026, the balance of champions used by the top players also left a strong impression.
Kyohei Lehr: First of all, I was happy just to see a wide variety of champions.
In the previous patch, there were champions that were frighteningly strong, and the meta was becoming somewhat fixed, so I was a bit anxious.
Seeing a rich variety like Illaoi, Teemo, Yasuo, Vi, Warwick, and so on made me really happy.
I'm not that involved in balancing, but I'm grateful to the team.
Saiga NAK― Yasuo and Akali have a Japanese motif, right?
Kyohei Lehr: I'm not involved in deciding which characters to bring over, but since they are among the few Japanese-style champions in League of Legends, I was surprised and personally happy.
Not as much as Teemo, but I liked both of them (laughs).
I don't know the reason why those two were brought over... well, isn't it just because they are way too cool? (laughs).
I'm glad we could be meticulous with their designs.
― How do you select the moves?
Kyohei Lehr: When bringing moves over, I value the feelings of both the player executing them and the player receiving them very highly.
I haven't played League of Legends that deeply myself, but I keep thinking about how each skill can be expressed in a fighting game.
In the beginning, I keep pondering that continuously, and once my understanding of the champion deepens, I start thinking about the specific kit.
― So that people who started from League of Legends can also embrace it?
Kyohei Lehr: That's right, I truly value the feelings of the original fans.
If you play it and it feels completely different, that leaves you feeling a bit disappointed, right?
I want to reduce that kind of letdown, and I figured if we create characters while utilizing the skills originally used, the fans will accept it.
I'd be happy if that kind of respect comes across.
― On the other hand, I imagine you also need to include expressions that aren't in League of Legends.
Kyohei Lehr: I truly realized how difficult it is to translate the gameplay of League of Legends into a 60fps fighting game through animations and effects.
You are overlaying effects into things that move frame-by-frame, and there are also moves that come out in 5 frames or 4 frames.
Balancing that with the art side is the hardest part.
Saiga NAK― I think the feeling of satisfaction when playing is important, but where do you think that satisfaction comes from?
Kyohei Lehr: I think satisfaction varies depending on the move, but after I make a move, I play with it endlessly.
I keep going until it feels good and satisfies me when I use it.
For example, with Teemo, whether it's a move where he just throws a mushroom or a punch, the satisfaction varies depending on the move.
There is no common rule for that, so I iterate through trial and error myself and have everyone playtest it.
We build it up through that accumulation.
― Is there a champion that gave you the most trouble to create?
Kyohei Lehr: Teemo (immediate answer).
More than anything, it's the character size.
Because his hurtbox and hitbox are too different from other champions, I adjusted him while considering various things to ensure fairness.
We even put a hurtbox on the feather on top of his hat (laughs).
― Please give a message regarding the future of 2XKO.
Kyohei Lehr: It has been three months since 2XKO was released. Right now, it feels like we have finished our self-introduction.
I truly value the people who continue to play the game even after that self-introduction is over.
I want to make this an exciting game that genuinely pleases players who love this sense of chaos, or rather, team games.
When looking at posts on the internet, people are saying things like "Won't it become 1v1?" or "Maybe it will become simpler?", but I don't want it to become like that, and I want to hype it up even more so as not to disappoint the current players.
