In the most intense grand finals of Evo 2019, Goichi “GO1” Kishida defeated Dominique “SonicFox” McLean in Dragon Ball FighterZ, with the most wholesome and endearing of endings following the match. It was an emotional rematch between the two competitors, having been in this spot during the 2018 Evo tournament, only then it was SonicFox who took home the title of champion.
The pair were in great spirits as the match began, joking with one another and bumping wrists in a playful gesture to their one screen characters from the Dragon Ball universe. The match began strongly in favor of SonicFox, who took a 2-round lead before Goichi made an spectacular comeback to take the series 3-2. When it was over, Goichi was overcome with emotion, dropping his glasses and letting the tears of joy stream down his face, while SonicFox cheered his opponent on in celebration despite having lost the grand finals.
The moment was the most wholesome at this years Evo, by far, and comes as little surprise for fans of the game. Most know that Goichi and SonicFox are more friends than competitors, as evidenced at the start of Evo 2019, when they sought one another out and began to practice Dragon Ball FighterZ together well before any of the pools had even begun.
The finals themselves were a grand display of technical superiority, as Goichi displayed an unprecedented defense against SonicFox’s all out assault. Perhaps that is what gave Goichi the edge, knowing that SonicFox always elects to establish a non-stop assault with his characters. If so, the move was calculated but risky, but clearly paid off in the end.
The roster for each player was as expected without any surprises. SonicFox went with a meta pick, consisting of GT Goku, Kid Buu, and Bardock, while Goichi went with Bardock, Goku, and GT Goku.
The win is also impressive because Goichi has previously been suffering from hand injuries that some speculated might inhibit his performance, but this has clearly not been the case.
Now that the tournament is over, it will be fascinating to see what Goichi does next. While the rematch between the two competitors is something that fans loved to see, Dragon Ball FighterZ as a game has been suffering as of late. Recent patches and changes in the last year have driven players away from the game in frustration. In 2018 there were 2,575 entrants for the game, but in 2019 there were only 1,191.
The change in numbers looks catastrophic, and some doubt if the game will return next year. For now we can only speculate, and it will depend entirely on the developers of the game and how they choose to approach future patches, either in favor of maintaining the game alive and attractive for competitors, or if they instead want to push out more games instead.
For now, it is Goichi’s time to shine. Congratulations Goichi on a well-deserved victory!