At Texas Showdown 2025, Harada observed Jamie ‘IGottaJet’ Drake playing Tekken 8, and while his gameplay was commendable, it was Jet’s dog, Kintaro, who truly stole the spotlight.
Competitive gaming events related to FGC (Fighting Game Community) are among the liveliest in the eSports world, featuring tournaments on a global scale that welcome anyone to participate via an open bracket. It represents eSports at its core, gathering numerous competitors under one roof and allowing them to engage in fierce competition to determine the ultimate champion.
Of course, many frequent tournament participants have their unique trademarks. Some use an arcade stick that’s six feet long, others have custom-made controllers with over 80 buttons, often crafted from cardboard boxes, and there are those who arrive dressed in a Spartan helmet to make a statement.
Yet, the player IGottaJet garnered widespread notice by merely having his longtime companion present – a two-year-old Shiba Inu named Kintaro.
Tekken 8’s cutest coach Kintaro makes a splash
Discussions about coaching have been intense in the context of Tekken 8. The game requires a lot of strategic thinking, as players must frequently adjust and adapt their strategies based on their opponents’ attacks to emerge victorious. This cognitive challenge has led the developers to establish new regulations for the 2025 competitive season, limiting coaching to maintain fairness.
But there’s one Tekken coach they’d probably let break the rules and stay on stage: Kintaro.
A Tekken player came to a tournament with his dog strapped to his back
Cutest Tekken coach ever
— TopMob (@TopMob) March 29, 2025
With Luci and Captain No Fun looking on, IGottaJet proudly entered the stage accompanied by his canine companion, Kintaro. This energetic pup shares a namesake with a famous Japanese folklore character, Golden Boy, reflecting IGottaJet’s admiration for this figure.
Not only is it adorable that Jet’s character Leroy always takes his dog Sugar along, but it seems like he has a protective shield in the game, given his resilience. The video we shared merely captures the beginning of their performance, yet the loyal canine helped Jet secure the victory against DannyBoy.
In the end, Jet was eliminated at position 65 among 277 participants, with a score of 2-2. Notably, he defeated Jermanji in their game, who is known for his frequent Tekken competitions over nearly a decade and had reached Top 8 without losing a single set. It could have been worse for Jet to lose in this manner.
Katsuhiro Harada, often referred to as the ‘godfather’ of Tekken, also acknowledged this. There is an opportunity for Kintaro to be included in the game.
Coaching by Shiba Inu!
I’ll add it to the customization items in the game…..— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) March 30, 2025
This series of events unfolded at the Texas Showdown tournament, which showcases not just Tekken but a variety of other combat games. With more than 1200 participants vying across 20 diverse games, there are separate brackets for contemporary titles like Street Fighter 6 and timeless favorites such as Vampire Savior.
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2025-03-30 18:49