Former Super Smash Bros. for Wii U player Tomoyasu “Earth” Yamakawa has registered for a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament for the first time since Ultimate launched in December of 2018.
Earth previously worked for Nintendo as a playtester for Smash Ultimate. He was joined by three other Japanese Smash pros: Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto, Ryuto “Ranai” Hayashi and Yuya “9B” Araki. Because of their role in the development of the game, all four of these players had abstained from competing in Smash Ultimate prior to now.
While aMSa remained an active Melee pro, the other players stepped back from Smash competition completely. However, Earth has brought his hiatus to an end by signing up for the Smash Ultimate WINNERS!! -3on3- tournament.
RAINさんに優しく脅されたので数年ぶりに大会参加します
I just registered for WINNERS!!! -3on3- https://t.co/hQTXyumsp3 #WINNERsmash @startggから
— あーす (@earth_tyt) July 5, 2022
More about Earth and his Smash Ultimate debut
The Smash Ultimate tournament Earth is entering notably is not a standard Singles event. Rather, it will feature an experimental format that pits teams of three against each other. As a result, it is currently unclear whether Earth intends to return to traditional Smash competition.
Likewise, neither aMSa, Ranai nor 9B have announced whether they will start to compete in Ultimate brackets at any point. While their involvement in the development process could have given them an unfair advantage in early tournaments, it’s less clear whether they would have a similar advantage now. In addition, it seems their hiatuses were voluntary and informal, so any of them could theoretically make a comeback whenever they think it appropriate to do so.
In Smash 4, Earth was the best Pit main in the world, peaking at No. 5 in Japan. He was also ranked 42nd on the PGR 100, a ranking of the best players across the entire lifespan of Smash 4. Fans of his gameplay will get to see how Earth fares in Smash Ultimate for the first time on July 16.
Published: Jul 5, 2022 05:34 pm