This Viral EVO 2025 Defeat Has A Surprising Backstory

You didn’t have to watch the Fatal Fury finals bracket at Evo 2025 to see Kazuyuki “KojiKOG” Koji writhing around onstage in front of thousands. The moment instantly went viral online. It’s already been memed to South Town and back again. But there was more to KojiKOG’s Greek-tragedy-worthy theatrics than just performing for the camera.

KojiKOG’s epic semifinals defeat was delivered at the hands of Goichi “GO1” Kishida, who eventually went on to win the entire tournament. The former was playing Billy while the latter rolled Kain, both considered S-tier fighters in the current meta since Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves launched earlier this year. But KojiKOG was immediately up against the ropes, unable to break out of GO1’s combos. He quickly lost the first round but found a couple of openings in the second. Twice KojiKOG almost reversed fate, getting GO1 down to within a sliver of his health before ultimately failing to finish him off.

The entire semifinal lasted less than five minutes, but KojiKOG howling in dismay at his defeat lasted nearly 60 seconds. While GO1 giggled, shrugged, and eventually tried to comfort his rival, people watching at home instantly began clipping the moment and sharing it around online. It was a perfect encapsulation not only of the stakes of that specific match but of the inner screaming we’ve all felt any time we’ve tried our best and still been found wanting.

The End of EVOgelion #EVO2025 https://t.co/fZOHd1HmNF pic.twitter.com/Ht0vzmHXd3

— Keith Ace (@Keith_Ace_) August 3, 2025

As fans pointed out, this isn’t the first time KojiKOG has made extreme faces for the camera. nor was it his first bout against GO1. The two fighting game pros met in finals during an Evo 2015 side tournament for the 2D anime fighter Aquapazza as well. KojiKOG lost then, too, and pulled a similar stunt, acting as if his leg had been cut off. This time, of course, there was a lot more money and bragging rights on the line. GO1’s wins last night eventually netted him an extra $10,000 in prize pool money. He’ll also be in pole position for the $2.5 million Fatal Fury prize pool at the SNK World Championship in November (brought to you by Saudi Arabia’s human rights violation slush fund).

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10年ぶりに足を切断されてしまう小路KOG vs GO1 EVO2025https://t.co/sQTu3yb2xJ pic.twitter.com/DyPHT39YUu

— 小路ＫＯＧ (@kkkog) August 4, 2025

“KOG, who had his leg amputated after 10 years, vs GO1 EVO2025,” KojiKOG posted on X. While dramatic pop-offs after winning are a staple of the fighting game scene, KojiKOG may have just elevated the inverse of that into an art form all its own. Fans are already hyped to watch him lose his next big tournament.