Evi Announces Retirement After 11 Years as Japan's LoL Pioneer
Evi's retirement closes the career of the player who carried Japan's LoL scene to its two biggest milestones: the first Worlds group stage appearance and the first Japanese stint in the LEC.
Reporting from 1 source: KAI-YOU.
Evi, the League of Legends pro for Fukuoka SoftBank HAWKS gaming, announced on September 4 that he will retire after the 2026 season. In a YouTube video titled "Thank you for 11 years," he said he approached 2026 as his last year of full effort and used up his motivation completely. He was the first Japanese player to reach a Worlds group stage and the first to compete in the LEC.
Evi made his LJL debut with DetonatioN RabbitFive in 2015 and played for 7th Heaven and Rampage before joining DetonatioN FocusMe in 2018, where he won 12 LJL championships. His defining moment came at Worlds 2021, when DFM beat Cloud9 in the play-in stage to reach the group stage, which he called the happiest moment of his LoL life.
He moved to Spain-based Team Heretics in 2023, becoming the first Japanese player in the LEC, and placed fourth in LEC 2023 Summer. From 2024 he played for SHG, returning to Worlds and then competing in the LCP. In his retirement video, he said he decided before the season that 2026 would be his last, and that he used up the firewood of motivation completely.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.