Post
'Knee' Bae Jae-min, Crowned Tekken Champion at EVO Japan 2025
DRX 'Knee' Bae Jae-min has won the final victory at the Evolution Championship Series JAPAN 2025 Tekken World Tour Master+ Tournament held in Tokyo, Japan. In this tournament, where a total of 982 participants competed, 'Knee', along with runner-up DNF 'Mul Gold' Han Jae-gyun and 'Mangja' Park Geon-ho, secured tickets to the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
In the final, 'Knee' had a difficult start, losing the first two sets against 'Mul Gold'. However, he demonstrated seasoned gameplay and concentration, winning the next three sets in a row, completing a dramatic comeback of 3:2. In the last set, he showed overwhelming performance, not allowing 'Mul Gold' a single round, marking the end of the victory.
'Knee' had previously defeated 'Mul Gold' in the winner's bracket final to advance to the final. In the early stages of the final, 'Mul Gold' showcased strong offensive power by utilizing diverse characters such as Claudio and Feng. 'Knee' seemed to struggle for a moment, but from the third set, he selected his main character, Bryan, and reversed the atmosphere by displaying his unique precise combos and mind games.
This victory holds a deeper meaning for 'Knee' than just a tournament win. After experiencing a slump since 2017, he announced a clear revival through this EVO Japan victory. Despite being 40 years old, he still maintains top-class skills and has left a deep impression on Tekken fans around the world.
Furthermore, with this victory, 'Knee' achieved a brilliant feat of winning 4 EVO titles in total, narrowing the gap with Aslan, who has 5 wins, to just 1.
Knee, who had not achieved his long-cherished desire of winning the TWT Finals in the past, is expected to move towards a new goal of becoming the TWT Finals champion once again, using this EVO Japan victory as a stepping stone. Attention is focused on Knee's future moves, who has made a spectacular comeback like the team name 'Resurrection'.
웹진 인벤김병호 기자
2025-05-12