Japanese Killer Instinct Invitational Tournament Kombo Klash Japan, By Ultra Arcade, Dated For 2015

The Killer Instinct-invitational tournament will be expanding to the land of the rising sun.

San Antonio-based Ultra Arcade will have a Japanese edition of their Kombo Klash tournament. While the North American edition of Kombo Klash will take place on Dec. 13, 2014, Kombo Klash Japan is currently dated for 2015. No other details except for the $1,000 additional pot bonus have been revealed at the moment.

If you are a Killer Instinct player living in Japan, contact Ultra Arcade.

You can take a look at our interview feature on Japanese player OGTY and his interest in Killer Instinct here!

Lone Wolf: A Talk With Japanese Player OGTY About Playing Killer Instinct & The Upcoming Release In His Homeland

Various Killer Instinct players group together at EVO 2014. OGTY featured in the bottom middle.When it comes to fighting games in Japan, Sony's PlayStation consoles have been the platforms to play and practice on when not in an arcade. Microsoft's Xbox consoles generally haven't been received, or sold, as well as the PlayStation but has its small share of folks including top Street Fighter IV players. For many other fighters, though, developers are more likely to make a game for the PlayStation only. In addition to the console preference, fighting game players in the land of the rising sun tend to engage in games made in their homeland despite efforts of U.S. developers.

There are, however, competitors who make up the minority by playing outside the status quo. Takuma "OGTY" Oguchi is part of that minority. The Japanese player came into recognition following the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as one of the dedicated players in the scene. He would contribute in shaping the once modest scene to something more reputable. Along the way, he would also get hands-on with Injustice. Now with help from a handful of players who were able to import Xbox One consoles, OGTY increased his repertoire to Killer Instinct.

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Promotional Combo Video For The Upcoming Major Japanese Tekken Tournament Mastercup 7

The seventh edition of Japan's major Tekken team tournament series has a video for you to check out after the jump!

Similar to Matadorcup 5, Mastercup 7 has a special video showing off crazy combos done by players in the national community. These combos, mostly situational, show off quirks including 10-hit combo strings, use of special items and ki charging. Other featured combos can be performed with proper execution. You can check out all of the players who participated in the combo video here!

Mastercup 7 will be the third tournament in the 5v5 team battle series to feature Tekken Tag Tournament 2. The latest iteration will take place at Tokyo Leisure Land Palette Town on Nov. 11, 2014. You can find the growing team list here! If you and your friends are going, or are already living in Japan in November, you can register now!

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New Location Test Information For BlazBlue: Chronophantasma Ver. 2.0, Will Feature Celica Mercury & Lambda-11

Japanese players will soon be able to get their hands on the latest build of BlazBlue: Chronophantasma.

Four arcades across the nation have been chosen to be part of the three-day location test process for Chronophantasma version 2.0 from Aug. 7-10. Along with balance changes, which players can examine and send feedback, two new characters Celica A. Mercury and Lambda-11 will be playable in these tests. You can check out a gameplay trailer after the jump and a slightly obscured look at their move list here!

Tokyo's Taito Akihabara Hirose Entertainment Yard, HEY for short, earned a testing spot. Taito Station Osu Shop in Nagoya is the second to be featured, and Taito Station Osaka Nipponbashi will also host the test. To players living in Kyushu, specifically Fukuoka, Taito Station Fukuoka Tenjin is the last of the four spots. If you live near any of these gamecenters and want to try out the changes and new content before its wide release, make sure to attend this weekend!

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First To 10 Ryu Vs. Ryu Set Between Kuroda & Jyobin In Ultra Street Fighter IV

The best Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike player goes against one of the top ranked Ryu players in a Ultra Street Fighter IV mirror set.

With help from weekly men's magazine series Weekly Playboy (Shupure), you can find a first to 10 Ryu mirror between Kuroda and Koichiro "Jyobin" Matsumoto (#5 ranked in Japanese arcades) after the jump. For Japanese listeners, commentary between both players will also be found after the jump. To Ryu players who want to get more familiar with the mirror matchup in Ultra, then go watch!

Kuroda, a contributor for Shupure, organizes special sets with various players in both Ultra and 3S for the magazine's YouTube channel. He also brings in players to review their sets. Matsumoto, a competitor once part of the Japanese MMA organization Deep, is now one of the trainers for the gym Honey Trap. Matsumoto has been known internationally for his unorthodox Ryu in the Street Fighter IV games.

You can find more sets of Ultra and 3S on Shupure's YouTube channel!

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Nyotengu Announced As New Character Coming To Dead Or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade

The newest character coming to Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate Arcade is a Female version of the series character Tengu!

Called Nyotengu, she bears wings similar to Tengu but features her own suggestive attire. The video reveal after the jump shows off her Tengu-like moves as well as her alternate outfits.

Currently Nyotengu is only coming to the arcade version later this month through an update. No information on her availability in the console versions of DOA5U is present at the moment so stay tuned!

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Japanese Arcade Leaderboards For Ultra Street Fighter IV By SSF4 Ranking

To players curious about who is doing well in Ultra Street Fighter IV in Japan, there is a database!

Compiled by French player Kyosuke, he updated his website SSF4 Ranking with the current leaderboards in Japan. Daigo Umehara, Kazunoko, Nemo, Jyobin, Amiyu, GamerBee are among the top 100 players featured.

Along with the battle points ranking list, Kyosuke also included character-specific leaderboards and a list of the players who collected the most battle points with one or more characters used with their NESiCAxLive card.

The leaderboards for USFIV, as well as additional lists, can be found here!

Tencent Games Arena Announcing The King Of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match Major Tournament In China

China will be holding their next big tournament for The King of Fighters.

Tencent Games Arena announced that they will hold a tournament for The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match on June 3, 2014 at Tongji University Gymnasium in Shanghai, China. The tournament finals will feature over $12,000 in the prize pot.

From May 15-19, 2014, there will be four online qualifiers where players all over China will compete through the QQ version of KOF2002UM. In addition, four players from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea are invited to compete in the finals.

Sega-Sponsored Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- Tournament Announced Before Arc Revolution Cup 2014 Qualifiers

Arc System Works' Takeshi Yamanaka (@Yamanaka_ARC) announced that there will be a Guilty Gear Xrd -Sign- tournament, sponsored by Sega.

This event will be held at Game Corner Eastern in Sendai, Japan, on May 25, 2014. The tournament is not considered to be a qualifier for Arc Revolution Cup 2014, but will be another event for the players in Japan to show their strength before the beginning of the cup qualifiers starting on June 14, 2014.

On the same day, Game Conern Eastern will also hold a Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate Arcade qualifier for the APM Presents D-1 Ultimate Climax tournament, featuring DOA5UA and Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax.

Although there was no mention of a stream, be on the lookout for any possible announcements regarding the matter.

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Tournament Videos From Game Newton Oyama & Game Spot Versus

Illustration by Yoshihara Motoki (@hell_a_shock)Celebrate the 15th anniversary of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike with high-level videos from two of Japan's major 3S spots!

Game Newton Oyama had the monthly 3rd Maniax 3on3 team tournament as well as the Random 5on5 Team Battle that happened during Japan's Golden Week. The latter event assigned all attending players to random groups, making for interesting team dynamics.

Nishinippori Game Spot Versus had the season one finale of the Versus Grand Championship where players fight each with three characters of their own choosing. Also featured is an East vs. West team battle from Aug. 2013.

You can expect players such as Tominaga, Kokujin, Pierrot, Rikimaru, Vanao, Jiro and many more in the videos after the jump!

Game Versus and Game Newton can be found on Twitch streaming 3rd Strike and more!

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Korean Tekken Player Help Me Revealing Personal Origins, Competitive Thoughts & More

One of Korea's more popular Tekken players speaks out on his history with the series.

Help Me, creator of Japanese resource Tekken Mura, created a special column series dedicated to his experiences in playing Tekken. To kick things off, Help Me premiered with disclosing how he started playing Tekken, the differences between the Japanese and Korean Tekken scenes, his relationships with various players, why he doesn't believe Tekken Tag Tournament 2 didn't garner enough interest and more.

Translated by Avoiding the Puddle's Flying Wonkey, the full self interview with Help Me can be found here with an excerpt after the jump!

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New Console Screenshots Of Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late Show Off Training Mode, In-Game Menus & More

Here is what is in store for the PlayStation 3 version of Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late!

UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH EXE:LATE PLAYSTATION 3 SCREENSHOTS

In preparation for the July release of UNIEL on the PlayStation 3, new screenshots of the game are available. Along with in-game screenshots featuring new character Nanase, some screenshots reveal modes accessible through the main menu, customizable options paid with in-game currency ("Inverse Points") and a shot of training mode.

New details about the online portion of UNIEL are revealed. With the usual ranked match mode, there will be a lobby room-central with the ability to spectate and customize match parameters. You can read mode info about the modes, and new character Nanase, after the jump!

You can check out more screenshots above! Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late on PlayStation 3 is available on July 24, 2014 in Japan!

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Ultra Street Fighter IV Match Video Archive From Neo Amusement Space A-Cho

Here are new Ultra Street Fighter IV videos from Kyoto, Japan's Neo Amusement Space A-Cho game center.

The first video features an Abel player named "s t i g m a" going through more than two dozen matches with no losses recorded. The second is a more varied hour-and-a-half set with many different players. The last is from a weekly ranking battle that took place on April 25, 2014.

You can check out all three videos after the jump! You can find more A-Cho YouTube uploads on both their regular channel and their tournament channel.

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Archive Of Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Versus Grand Championship At Nishinippori Game Spot Versus

Nishinippori Game Spot Versus in Tokyo, Japan brings in something new for their high-level Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike competition.

Versus Grand Championship, Game Versus' latest weekly series, goes beyond their usual danisen ranking battle and East vs. West team battle events by encouraging players to play secondary characters. Players battle each other with three characters of their choosing, similar to the format found in The King of Fighters. This event fosters variety as well as an individual's overall skill and knowledge in 3rd Strike beyond their main character.

3rd Strike archivist The Shend uploaded most of season one with the rest coming soon. You can find the videos after the jump!

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Full Armor Version Of Unicorn Gundam Arriving In Latest Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS. Maxi Boost Update

To Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS. players who have access to Maxi Boost and also play Unicorn Gundam, the latest update brings in a new version of the mobile suit.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS. Maxi Boost will be releasing the Full Armor iteration of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn's RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. Still piloted by series protagonist Banagher Links, Full Armor Unicorn is equipped with a massive array of weaponry and can be switched into a mode similar to the original Unicorn Gundam.

The reveal video, found after the jump, shows that Full Armor Unicorn Gundam will always be in its "Destroy" mode instead of waiting for a cooldown period found in the original.

Full Armor Unicorn Gundam will be available in the coming weeks to all Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS Maxi Boost arcade units in Japan; Hong Kong will also receive the Gundam when the game becomes available at select arcades in the future.

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New Hori Fighting Edge Arcade Stick Dark Blue Variant, Designed By Sako, Coming June 5 Exclusive To Amazon Japan

Hori in Japan will releasing a limited production version of their Fighting Edge aracde stick.

With help from Sako, Hori will be releasing a Fighting Edge variant exclusive to Amazon Japan. This version of the FE will include special artwork and blue Hori Hayabusa lever and Kuro buttons to match with the stick's togglable LED lights and pay homage to Sako's original arcade stick. Unlike other versions of the FE, this variant is exclusive to the PlayStation 3.

For arcade stick collectors, this model will be available on June 5, 2014, for the price of 20,520 yen ($199.99 USD). You can pre-order now!

PlayStation 3 Version Of Under Night In-Birth Coming July 2014 In Japan

French Bread's latest original fighting game property will have a console port coming real soon.

Under Night In-Birth was announced for a July 2014 release in Japan in an advance issue of Famitsu. Confirmed for a PlayStation 3 release, UNIB will feature the same characters and gameplay from the latest arcade version, Exe:Late. In addition to existing content, French Bread will feature a new character in the console build named Na.

There are currently no plans to release the game internationally. Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm publisher Nyu Media had been interested in collaborating with French Bread for a PC release.

UNIB will be available in both physical and digital releases. Once the game is listed in importing sites, check out the Dustloop thread on how to get the game physically or digitally! You can find match videos uploaded daily on AbelcruEX's YouTube channel!

Trailer For Gundam Zabanya From Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Coming To Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS Maxi Boost

To Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS players living in Japan, there will be a new mobile suit to pilot!

From Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Awakening Of The Trailblazer, Gundam Zabanya will be added to the current list of suits. Piloted by Lockon Stratos, Zabanya will be able to shoot pistol and sniper beams along with enabling surrounding beam strikes as support. Stratos was also featured in previous editions of EXVS piloting both Gundam Dynames and Cherudim.

You can check out the trailer for Gundam Zabanya after the jump! Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme VS Maxi Boost is now playable in Japanese arcades now!

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Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Pre-Matador Cup 5 15 vs. 15 Team Battle At Neo Amusement Space A-CHO

Before the big Japanese Tekken Tag Tournament 2 5 vs. 5 team tournament Matadorcup 5, Mastercup hosted a special 15 vs. 15 team battle.

The special Japanese TTT2 team battle was held on Mar. 21, 2014 at Kyoto, Japan's Neo Amusement Space A-CHO, the same game center that also held Matadorcup 5. Many players who attended Matadorcup 5 also participated in the team battle including Nobi, Kagemaru, Lathin and more. You can find the full list here!

You can find all parts from the team battle after the jump! You can also check out A-CHO's YouTube channel featuring matches from Matadorcup 5!

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Hori Japan To Release New Real Arcade Pro Model Compatible With PlayStation 3 & PlayStation 4

Hori will be producing the first arcade stick for the PlayStation 4

Hori Japan is currently working on a new version of the Real Arcade Pro series compatible on both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 titled the "V4 Hayabusa." Based on the second generation of Real Arcade Pro bodies, the V4 will include Hori's own Hayabusa joystick lever and Kuro buttons with a Taito Vewlix layout.

According to Play-Asia's listing of the Real Arcade Pro V4, the stick will be available on May 2014 with a price tag of $189.99 (AmiAmi currently lists the stick for ~$121). There are currently no plans for any international releases. Stay tuned for more information in the weeks to come!