“A rematch 20 years in the making”: Ken and Bombsoldier showmatch announced for Nounsvitational

The heavily anticipated Nounsvitational just announced that two veteran Super Smash Bros. Melee players, Ken ‘LiquidKen’ Hoang and ‘Bombsoldier,’ will be having a showmatch after competing against one another 20 years ago.

Ken and Bombsoldier will duke it out in a first-to-five match in Tokyo, Japan sometime during the first week of December. The exact time hasn’t been revealed just yet, but the Melee community is already going insane over the news.

Over the weekend, Nouns revealed on X that Ken and Bombsoldier would be competing at the Nounsvitational this winter. While the main event features eight invited players — including Melee God Juan ‘Hungrybox’ DeBiedma and current top player Zain Naghmi — the week-long celebration of the competitive Smash scene will now feature a rivalry ‘over 20 years in the making.’

Ken is often referred to as the ‘King of Smash.’ Back in the 2000s, Ken was not just dominant in the esports scene but also helped shape it. He’s often credited with pioneering ‘dash dancing’ and other commonly used tech in modern-day Melee tourneys. He retired in 2008 but returned for a short stint, even getting 13th at Evo 2016. It’s been years since Ken has heavily competed.

Bombsoldier’s full name isn’t even known yet he has completely changed how Falco is played. He was an up-and-coming player in Japan in the early 2000s and attended the Jack Garden tournament in 2005 at just 12 years old. He breezed through the competition, ending up in Grand Finals with none other than Ken. This ended up being Bombsoldier’s only loss in the entire tournament.

While Bombsoldier attended just one other tourney ever since, his aggressive, fast, and tech-heavy gameplay shaped Falco play to this day. There’s even a move named after him that’s stuck 20 years later.

“I was expecting a really campy Falco that laser spammed me,” Ken recalled, “but the instant I played him, he jumps in and starts pillaring the crap out of me. He jumps and he Shines and he starts pillaring, which has never happened before. I was literally in shock at that point. […] I’ve never seen a Falco move so fast. “

Since then, Bombsoldier has competed in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as Lucas, although he hasn’t chased that scene too hard.

However, both Ken and Bombsoldier will be clashing 20 years later at the Nounsvitational. The Melee community was stunned at the announcement, excited to see such exciting lore from Melee’s past come back in full swing. Melee is a scene focused on rivalry, dedication, storylines and prestige, so this matchup let fans know that Nounsvitational was paying homage to Melee’s long-time esports history. The excitement has not died down over a day later.

“It’s been a long time, but I’m happy to have this opportunity! Thank you so much!” Bombsoldier declared on X. Ken retweeted the original announcement but hasn’t stated anything of his own just yet.

The Nounsvitational is taking place December 1st to the 8th, meaning there could be more exciting events to fill those eight days. The Ken versus Bombsoldier showmatch will likely be livestreamed for those that can’t attend the prestigious event.

While Ken won last time, the match was shockingly close. Fans are already making up lore that both Ken and Bombsoldier have been preparing for this rematch for years. Either way, watching Bombsoldier compete against Ken — this time in his 30s — is sure to be one of the most iconic moments in Melee history.