FGC champions to watch at EWC’s Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves event

The Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves tournament at Esports World Cup will be the biggest showcase of the game’s scene for the FGC so far.

Since Fatal Fury’s latest fighting game came out, the FGC has largely applauded the game’s mechanics, gameplay and esports potential. However, there haven’t been many major tournaments to test out this theory so far.

Now, some potential big players are heading to the EWC to become one of the first major Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves champions.

Earlier this year, developer SNK announced the SNK World Championship 2025, which will be headlined by a $2.5m (~£1.8m) Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves tournament.

However, this is set to take place in ‘late 2025.’ This left Fatal Fury fighters without big tournaments until the Esports World Cup. With so much money on the line for those who dedicate time to the game, some fighting game veterans have decided to take on the challenge.

There are a few recognisable names in the upcoming Fatal Fury tournament. First is former Team Liquid player Naoki ‘Nemo’ Nemot, a name that’s usually associated with Street Fighter. In Street Fighter 4 and 5, Nemo was a top fighter known for his hard-to-read, aggressive playstyle. He came in second at Evo 2023.

When Street Fighter 6 dropped, Nemo struggled to break into that Top 24 spot but has been consistently competing online and all over the world — CEO 2025, for example, saw him place 33rd-48th. Nemo has also tried out other fighting games, including Marvel vs. Capcom. Now, he’s hoping to branch out with Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.

Fans may also recognise Reynald Tacsuan, especially if they follow The King of the Fighters. During The King of Fighters XIV and XV eras, Reynald has been a very dominant force, winning Evo back in 2013 and then DreamHack Dallas in 2023 — a decade spent at the top of the game with plenty of victories in between.

Reynald has already started grinding Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, taking third at LVL UP EXPO 2025, second at Combo Breaker 2025 and then 5th-6th at CEO 2025. He’s been traveling the world on his quest to be the best.

Lee ‘Xyzzy’ Han-byul is a South Korean fighting game player that’s been swooped up by Team Falcons after a strong showing in Fatal Fury early on. He placed 9th-12th at CEO 2025 and first at a Tier 2 tourney, Hessen Crash XXII. He’s also been a very consistent fighter in Street Fighter 6, Guilty Gear -STRIVE- and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, showing his versatility and quick adaptability at fighting games.

Christopher ‘NYChrisG’ Gonzalez is a Marvel vs. Capcom champion having won multiple Evo events for the title. After becoming the best Morrigan in the world, NYChrisG decided to also compete heavily in Street Fighter, which he’s been grinding since Street Fighter Alpha II with pretty consistent results.

Evo champion Shoji ‘Fenritti’ Sho is another player to watch, a BlazBlue: Central Fiction pro that has multiple Tier 1 tourneys under his belt, including Combo Breaker 2018 and CEO 2019. He also has high placements for Dragon Ball FighterZ, winning the 2022 DBFZ World Tour Finals to become one of the best in the scene. Now, he has his eyes set on Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves.

Here is the full list of Fatal Fury competitors heading to the Esports World Cup on July 10th, who qualified through tournaments throughout the year: