Goichi “GO1” Kishida, from team DetonatioN FocusMe, has become the first champion of Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves at the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, defeating tournament favourite Zeng “Xiao Hai” Zhuojun in the Grand Final.
The Japanese player was overcome with emotion after securing the final victory, becoming a 2025 Esports World Cup Champion and winning a life-changing prize of $300,000, more than double his total career earnings to date.
“This is the greatest moment of my life. I’m so happy, it’s hard to explain the feeling,” explained Goichi “GO1” Kishida.
“This is the biggest victory I’ve ever had in my career and the prize completely changes my life. It’s an amazing achievement and I’m so grateful for this incredible moment.”
With Xiao Hai coming into the competition as the favourite due to his previous results in Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, prior SNK fighting games, and a Championship win at EWC 2024, GO1 caused the upset in the tournament’s Grand Final.
Overcoming a challenging start, going 2-0 down, GO1 battled back with an exceptional display of skill to secure a 5-3 win and the Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves Championship, denying Xiao Hai the opportunity to become the first player to become an EWC Champion in different titles.
“It is like a dream, thank you so much, it’s amazing,” said Goichi “GO1” Kishida moments after his victory.
“I’ve been through lots of different things; however, I was given the opportunity to work with DetonatioN FocusMe, and I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone that made it possible.”
Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves is one of three new titles introduced to the Esports World Cup 2025, alongside Valorant and Chess. The tournament featured 16 players competing for their share of a $1 million prize pool.
As the winner, GO1 receives $300,000 and 1,000 Championship points, placing team DetonatioN FocusMe joint-first on the Club Championship table with Team Redline.
The first week of EWC 2025 continues until Sunday, 13 July, with finals across competitions in Apex Legends and Valorant.
