r/Kappa, named after the Twitch emote, is a subreddit that essentially represents its own denomination of the FGC, made up specifically of stream monsters who aren't afraid to show their appreciation for trash talk, hype, blowups, and attractive, full-bodied Asian women (especially on Thursdays). Their reputation has led them to being seen as a controversial presence within the fighting game community, but one thing is for sure: they care about fighting games. As a testament to this, r/Kappa comes together multiple times a year to send one or several unsponsored top players to major fighting game events in different parts of the world, granting them opportunities they might not have received otherwise. They pay for these expenses by organizing donation drives and t-shirt selling campaigns and using the proceeds to cover plane tickets and hotel fees.
Their most recent completed sponsorship venture was bringing Japanese Guilty Gear pro, T5M7 (also known as Tomo), and Korean Street Fighter (and recently Tekken 7) pro, Poongko, to Evo 2017. The former made it all the way to second place in the Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 tournament, and the latter finished in 25th and 33rd in Street Fighter V and Tekken 7, respectively. r/Kappa's Evo campaign also nearly included Korean female streamer SooA, but she backed out because she gained the funds to pay for the trip herself.
Now, r/Kappa is preparing for another campaign where they will be sending two players to each of the following three events: Manila Cup, SoCal Regionals, and CEOtaku. Voting has already concluded for which two players will be sent to Manila Cup early next month, and the winners are both Evo finalists in their respective games. First is Tekken 7 player Jeondding, who reached fifth place at Evo last month, and Guilty Gear player 310, who reached 7th.in their respective specialties. Voting for who will be sent to the remaining two events is currently in progress but will close this weekend. Possible representatives for SCR include Jeondding once again, Japanese BlazBlue players Ryusei (newest Evo champion) and Fenrich (Evo runner-up), and Korean Tekken players 200won and LowHigh. Possible representatives for CEOtaku include Ryusei and Fenrich once again, plus fellow BlazBlue player Dora, and Guilty Gear players DaruIno, Kedako, and Isamu.
Manila Cup will take place Sept. 8-10, and both SCR and CEOtaku will happen on the weekend of Sept. 22-24, with CEOtaku starting on the 23rd.
What do you think of r/Kappa sponsoring Evo Finalists? Are there any players you'd like to see particularly sponsored for SoCal Regionals or CEOtaku? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
