Interview with FUKUSHIMA IBUSHIGIN of Division F of SFL: Pro-JP 2025! "A team with close ties to the local community" "It's surprising to see two Dhalsims in the same division".

Yanai: I plan to use M.Bison as my character. I have known Torimeshi the longest, and the first tournament I played against him was the "Fukushima Gaming Day" tournament held at a hot spring resort. Torimeshi-san won the tournament and I won the second place. I was impressed by the fact that he plays games seriously every day while working. I have high expectations for him, and I think I can trust him with my game. I have the impression that you have been using the same character for a long time. It was only after we joined the same team that we started talking properly, so I hope we can share our ideas and knowledge of the game. This time we will be using Manon, so I am looking forward to working together with Manon's explosive power. 2BASSA-kun and I have only recently gotten to know each other, and I have the impression that we often compete in Ranked Tournament since Str6, and that he is extremely strong and young. The first time we met was at a traveling version of FC that was held at the FUKUSHIMA IBUSHIGIN gaming space, and I think Kobayan and I teamed up with three other players and finished in third place. That's how we became friends. This will be my first time participating in the league, but he said he wants to play without worrying about that part, so I want to do my best.

Torimeshi: My character is Dhalsim, of course, but this year I' m thinking of adding a koma-throwing character to my pocket. I'm from Fukushima, but where I live and the home base of FUKUSHIMA IBUSHIGIN are quite far from each other, about 1 hour and 20 minutes by car. I haven't had much of a chance to go there, but I went to the gaming space once and visited a ryokan (Japanese inn) the other day, and I thought it was quite cozy and nice to go for a hot spring bath while playing. I didn't know Yanai-kun until I met him at the ryokan I mentioned earlier, and I was thinking, "Maybe I'm the strongest person in Fukushima Prefecture. Then all of a sudden Yanai-kun showed up and said, "I don't know you..." (laugh). At that time, I almost lost the game badly, but in the end I won. By the way, I used to work at that inn.

Yanai: Oh, really?

Torimeshi: I have met Johnny many times in the league, and we played against each other, but we never really talked face to face. The first time I talked to him was two years ago at EVO in a ramen shop.

Johnny: I remember that (laughs).

Torimeshi: We finally started talking every time we met, but I never thought we would be teaming up to fight.

Johnny: The characters I plan to use are Manon, Marisa, and Ingrid. Before I joined FUKUSHIMA IBUSHIGIN, I had a vague impression that the team was loved by the local community. I think it was when I went to shoot a PV before. Yanai-kun gave me a tour of the area, and as he walked around, people at the inn said to him, "Good luck, Yanai-kun! I realized once again that Yanai-kun is a good team that is well rooted and loved by the local community.

2BASSA: I'm not sure which character to use, but I'm thinking I'll probably use Juri and Mai, and maybe Cammy as a point of reference. My impression of FUKUSHIMA IBUSHIGIN is that many of the team members have been with the company for a long time, and that they are very generous to their players. Although I am on loan, I have received a lot of support from the team, so I think it is a very good team in that aspect. The other day, I was at a charity event where they set up a gaming space in a home improvement center in Ibaraki to interact with local residents. I think they are a good team that is involved in a wide range of activities not only in their hometown but also in other areas.

Yanai: I'm all for having a fourth player. With the previous rules, there were many situations where three players would play and one would be a reserve, so I think it's better to have all four players play in order to test the team's strength. I think it will be difficult to order the reserve team because it is not based on the character of the players, but I hope that the four of us can discuss this issue and fight the match, including the extra rounds.

Yanai: I think we have explosive characters, and I would like to supplement them with artisan characters like Dhalsim. We are a Tohoku team of three Fukushima players and one Miyagi player, so we will do our best to be a team with close ties to the region!

Yanai: I didn't want to play REJECT and ZETA DIVISION Geekly. But we are going to play both of them, so I don't want to play them. If I had to say who I don't want to lose to, it would be Sho from ZETA DIVISION Geekly. We were on the same team last season, so we know each other. In terms of experience, I think Sho is indeed inferior to us, but I hope to win against him.

Torimeshi: What was a little surprising was that there were two Dhalsims in the same division (laughs)! I personally thought it was a waste. I don't want to lose to Mochi. Last season, while my group was not active because of the parade of Dhalsim's weak characters, Mochi was active on the opposite side, so I looked at her objectively and thought, "Wow, Mochi! I thought, "Wow, Mochi-san! This time, since I and Mochi-san are in the same group, I would like to improve my winning percentage more than Mochi-san.

Jonny: REJECT and ZETA DIVISION Geekly often organize competitions, but I feel awkward because we are in the same division. The opponents I don't want to lose to are Hibiki and Nauman, and on the other side, Ryukichi-kun is the same age as me, so I am conscious that I don't want to lose to him.

2BASSA: To be honest, I'm a bit surprised to see a team like REJECT or ZETA DIVISION Geekly, who are considered to be in the top or second place, but it would be great if we beat them, so I think it would be a good challenge for me. I think it's good for me to challenge myself.

Yanai: That's very positive.

2BASSA: To be honest, I feel that no matter who comes, my stock will go up if I beat them. I also don't want to lose to Adelie, who had a very good record last year, so I will do my best while keeping my rivalry burning.