Hungrybox

Juan Manuel DeBiedma was born in Argentina on June 21, 1993, to Juan Daniel Debiedma, a diplomat for Argentina, and Lucia Violante, a flight attendant.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/24226215/evolution-championship-series-2018-hungrybox-profile-wolf |work=ESPN |title=Here's looking at you, kid: The saga of Hungrybox |last=Wolf|first=Jacob|date=July 29, 2018 |access-date=December 4, 2020}} He has two older brothers, Gaston, the oldest, and Fermin.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/friendlies-hungrybox-the-antithesis |title=Friendlies: Hungrybox, the Antithesis |publisher=Redbull.com |first=Robert |last=Paul |date=September 16, 2015 |access-date=December 12, 2020}} In the mid-1990s, DeBiedma's family moved to Orlando, Florida, after which Violante became a real estate agent.

DeBiedma played piano and sang a capella while growing up. He discovered video games at a young age, particularly enjoying the Super Mario Advance series, and started playing Melee when he was little after the stepson of one of his father's co-workers introduced him to the game. He would also often play Super Smash Bros. Brawl with Fermin. DeBiedma and his lifelong best friend and future manager, Luis "Crunch" Rosias, met in fifth grade in Orlando, and would often play Melee together. He originally used Ness as his main character, but switched to Jigglypuff after realizing the effectiveness of the "Rest" move.

His eventual nickname, "Hungrybox", came from middle school after he failed to forge his mother's signature, producing a drawing instead. He kept on recreating the drawing when bored in class, eventually resulting in a "hungry box" character resembling a box with eyes and a jagged mouth.

DeBiedma was abandoned by his father Juan Daniel when he was 15 years old; they last saw each other July 20, 2008, when Juan Daniel dropped him off at the venue for the Brawl tournament Fast 1 before flying back to Argentina.

DeBiedma discovered the Super Smash Bros. competitive scene sometime between 2006–2007 and started to perform at small local tournaments in 2007.{{Cite AV media|title=Zain wins Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles at LACS 2 |publisher=DailyEsports |first=Tate |last=Dylan |date=July 27, 1010 |url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/zain-wins-super-smash-bros-melee-singles-at-lacs-2/}} In July 2008, he volunteered to host several players at his parents' home for the upcoming 122-player Brawl tournament named Fast 1. He himself took part of the tournament, finishing in 25th place.{{cite web|url=https://smashboards.com/rankings/players/hungrybox.63550/ |title=Full history of hungrybox's performances amongst all leagues. |website=SmashBoards |access-date=December 1, 2020}}

In 2009 at a local Tampa tournament, Twilight Showdown 6, he placed 3rd for the first time in any tournament, earning $27.50, his first prize money; he recognizes this as the first moment he considered becoming professional. After finishing in 7th place at Revival of Melee on March 7, Hungrybox placed 3rd at GENESIS for Melee on July 11, his first high placement at a major Melee tournament, while placing 97th on Brawl the following day. Hungrybox won his first-ever tournament at Revival of Melee 2 on November 21, 2009. He then went on to place in high positions repeatedly on tournaments, with Apex 2010 on August 8 marking his first win in a major tournament.

For the following years, Hungrybox remained one of the top Melee players, and established himself as the best Jigglypuff player in the world. Results in major tournaments included placing 2nd at both Apex 2012 and The Big House 3 in 2013. He won both the Singles and Doubles tournaments at CEO 2010 (with ChuDat in Doubles), and then again at CEO 2011 (with Linguini in Doubles).{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} In parallel, he continued to compete on Brawl, to lesser success, and on the Brawl mod Project M, winning several minor tournaments.

In 2013, Evo, the most prominent fighting game event worldwide, announced Melee as part of the Evo 2013 line-up, after the game had only previously been featured at Evo 2007.{{cite web |url=http://www.evo2k.com |title=EVO 2008 Championship series—SSBM |publisher=EVO 2008 |date=March 5, 2008 |access-date=March 18, 2008 |archive-date=October 12, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012033938/http://www.evo2k.com/ |url-status=dead }} The event is considered the full beginning of the "Era of the Five Gods" (or "Platinum" Era), which marked a surge in prominence and popularity for the Melee competitive scene, and its near-total domination by five players: Hungrybox, Adam "Armada" Lindgren, Jason "Mew2King" Zimmerman, Joseph "Mango" Marquez, and Kevin "PPMD" Nanney, with every Melee tournament ranked Supermajor (the highest rating for a Smash tournament) or Major (the second-highest) for several consecutive years being won by one of the "Gods", and them rarely losing to anyone but another "God".{{cite web|url=http://shoryuken.com/2013/02/01/fighting-game-fans-raise-over-225000-for-breast-cancer-research-smash-wins|title=Fighting Game Fans Raise over $225,000 for Breast Cancer Research. Smash Wins!|work=Shoryuken|access-date=2020-12-12|archive-date=2015-03-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315055426/http://shoryuken.com/2013/02/01/fighting-game-fans-raise-over-225000-for-breast-cancer-research-smash-wins/|url-status=dead}} At Evo 2013, Hungrybox finished in 3rd place, losing to Wobblez in the losers finals after a controversial finish; in parallel, he took part in a Melee Doubles Evo side-event, teaming up with Mew2King to win the tournament.

On July 3, 2013, Hungrybox was picked up by team CLASH Tournaments alongside fellow Super Smash Bros. player Aziz "Hax" Al-Yami.{{cite web|title=CT Hungrybox and CT Hax Join The Team!|author=Chibo|work=old.clashtournaments.com|year=2013|access-date=2015-01-29|url=http://old.clashtournaments.com/ct-hungrybox-and-ct-hax-join-the-team/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130023511/http://old.clashtournaments.com/ct-hungrybox-and-ct-hax-join-the-team/|archive-date=2015-01-30}} On April 17 of the following year, he left CLASH Tournaments and joined Team Curse.{{cite web|title= Hungrybox Joins Team Curse Super Smash Brothers|author=Justin Wenzel|work=Team Curse|date=2014-04-17|access-date=2015-01-29|url= http://www.teamcurse.net/news/27998-hungrybox-joins-team-curse-super-smash-brothers}} On January 6, 2015, Team Curse merged with Team Liquid, leading Hungrybox to be picked up by Team Liquid along with his teammate Kashan "Chillin" Khan, joining other Smash Bros. players Ken Hoang and Daniel "KoreanDJ" Jung.{{cite web|title=NuckleDu, Hungrybox, and Chillindude join Team Liquid via merger with Curse|author=Steven Chavez|work=EventHubs|date=2015-01-06|access-date=2015-01-29|url=http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2015/jan/06/nuckledu-hungrybox-and-chillindude-join-team-liquid-merger-curse/}}

In 2014, Hungrybox placed top three in nine Melee tournaments, including a victory at Fight Pitt V.{{cite web|title=Hungrybox finds redemption at Fight Pitt V|author=Ian J. Barker|work=The Daily Dot|date=2014-11-03|access-date=2015-01-29|url=http://www.dailydot.com/esports/hungrybox-fight-pitt/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130172607/http://www.dailydot.com/esports/hungrybox-fight-pitt/|archive-date=2015-01-30|url-status=dead}} At Evo 2014, he reached the Grand Finals for the first time, losing to Mango and finishing in 2nd place; he once again won the Doubles side-event, this time teaming up with Justin "Plup" McGrath.{{cite web|url=http://nintendoenthusiast.com/article/evolution-2014-largest-smash-tournament-players-can-make-history/|title=Who Will Be Crowned Greatest Smash Player Alive at EVO 2014? "5 Gods" vs "3 Underdogs"|author=Joe Cribari|date=2014-07-10|website=Nintendo Enthusiast|access-date=2015-01-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150129123446/http://nintendoenthusiast.com/article/evolution-2014-largest-smash-tournament-players-can-make-history/|archive-date=2015-01-29|url-status=dead}}

In 2015, Hungrybox won the Melee Singles tournament at Paragon, defeating Mew2King in the Grand Finals.{{cite web|title=Hungrybox gets inside Mew2King's head|author=Imad Khan|work=The Daily Dot|date=2015-01-19|access-date=2015-01-29|url=http://www.dailydot.com/esports/paragon-2015-hungrybox-mew2king/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130122916/http://www.dailydot.com/esports/paragon-2015-hungrybox-mew2king/|archive-date=2015-01-30|url-status=dead}} At Evo 2015 in July, he finished in 2nd place, losing to Armada in the Grand Finals; the following month, he announced that he would be becoming less active in competitive Smash, as he began his career as an engineer. At Paragon Los Angeles, his next tournament after Evo, he finished 3rd in Melee after being eliminated by Mew2King with a score of 2–3.{{cite web|url=http://www.shacknews.com/article/90461/evo-2015-recapping-the-final-day-of-competition|work=Shacknews|title=EVO 2015: Recapping the final day of competition|last=Mejia|first=Ozzie|date=2015-07-20}}{{cite web|url=http://www.eventhubs.com/news/2015/sep/05/paragon-2015-la-live-stream-ft-mango-leffen-hungrybox-mew2king-westballz-axe-dabuz-nairo-plup-mr-r-sfat-shroomed-lucky-ally-and-more/|title=Paragon LA 2015 results feat. Mango, Leffen, Hungrybox, Mew2King, Westballz|author=Nicholas 'MajinTenshinhan' Taylor|website=EventHubs|date=September 6, 2015|access-date=September 18, 2015}} In parallel to his Melee career, he competed on the newly released Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U to little success; at Paragon Los Angeles in 2015, the largest Project M tournament in history, Hungrybox finished 4th after being defeated by Mew2King 3–1.

DreamHack Winter 2015 from November 26 to November 29, 2015, marked Hungrybox' first time winning both the Singles and Doubles tournaments at a Super Major event, winning Singles by defeating Armada 3–1 in the second set of Grand Finals after losing 3–0 in the first set, and Doubles by teaming up with Axe to defeat DaJuan "Shroomed" McDaniel and McCain "MacD" LaVelle 3–1 in the grand finals. His win in the Singles tournament earned him $10,000, his first five-figure payout; he broke into tears during his post-match interview. In early 2016, Hungrybox won two additional singles Super Major tournaments, Pound and CEO 2016.

On July 17, 2016, Hungrybox participated in the Evo 2016 Melee tournament and reached the Grand Finals for the third consecutive year, against Armada for a second consecutive time. In the Grand Finals, Hungrybox won two consecutive best-of-five sets, both with a score of 3–2, to win Evo for the first time in his career.{{cite web|url=http://www.redbull.com/us/en/esports/stories/1331806716257/hungrybox-takes-his-biggest-melee-win-at-evo-2016|publisher=Red Bull|title=Hungrybox Takes His Biggest Melee Win at Evo 2016|last=Ellis|first=Anne|date=2016-07-18}}{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/17097836/new-melee-king-crowned-evo|publisher=ESPN|title=True grit and glory: A new Melee king is crowned at Evo|last=Wolf|first=Jacob|date=2016-07-18}}

The following October, Hungrybox competed at The Big House 6, where he placed 5th, losing to Armada in the losers quarter-finals; although he had been juggling his entire e-sports career with full studies and/or working, Hungrybox, disappointed by his performance, decided to quit his job as process engineer for WestRock to become a full-time professional player for the first time.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/17782753/super-smash-bros-melee-player-hungrybox-team-liquid-quits-job-pursue-professional-gaming-full/|title=Smash 'god' Hungrybox quits job to pursue esports full-time|website=ESPN.com|date=13 October 2016|publisher=ESPN|access-date=November 29, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/ssbmrank-2016-2-red-bull-esports |publisher=Redbull|title=SSBMRank 2016: 2|last=Lee|first=Daniel|date=January 13, 2017}}

File:Hungrybox at EVO 2018.jpg]]

In 2017, Hungrybox won multiple tournaments, including the Supermajor tournament The Big House 7, and four Super Major tournaments: Shine 2017, DreamHack Austin 2017, DreamHack Denver 2017, and Smash Summit 5; for the latter, he set a new record for most money won in a single Melee tournament, receiving $29,315.30 as prize money.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/19286292/2017-dreamhack-austin-super-smash-bros-melee-finals|work=ESPN|title=Hungrybox victorious at DreamHack Austin |last=Luongo |first=Cody |date=2017-05-01}}{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/19286292/2017-dreamhack-austin-super-smash-bros-melee-finals|work=ESPN|title=Evo: An oral history of Super Smash Bros. Melee |last=Luongo|first=Cody|date=2017-05-01}}{{cite web|last1=McFerran |first1=Damian |title= Leading Smash Bros. Player Calls Out Nintendo For "Not Putting Resources Into The Scene" |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/02/leading_smash_bros_player_calls_out_nintendo_for_not_putting_resources_into_the_scene |website=Nintendo Life |date=February 17, 2020|access-date=December 3, 2020}}

In 2018, Hungrybox continued to consistently rank high on tournaments, winning a total of 18, including three Supermajors: Shine 2017, CEO 2018, and The Big House 8.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/mpgr-2018-10-1 |title=#MPGR2018: 10-1 |publisher=Red Bull |first=Andrew |last=Nestico |date=February 7, 2020 |access-date=December 3, 2020}} At Evo 2018, Hungrybox lost to Armada in the losers semifinals and ranked 4th. Hungrybox would go on to score five consecutive tournaments wins at the end of the year, including the Singles tournament at Smash Summit 7 on November 15.{{Cite AV media|url=https://smash.gg/tournament/smash-summit-7/event/melee-singles/overview |title=Smash Summit 7 Melee Singles |publisher=smash.gg |access-date=December 12, 2020}}

In February 2019, Hungrybox won GENESIS 6, his first GENESIS win after participating in all five previous editions of the Singles Melee tournament.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/mpgr-2019-10-1 |title=#MPGR2019: 10-1 |publisher=Red Bull |first=Andrew |last=Nestico |date=January 24, 2020 |access-date=December 3, 2020}} He went on to win more Majors, including Pound 2019, Low Tier City 7, CEO 2019, Shine 2019, and Mainstage.

Following the release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in December 2018, Hungrybox started entering Ultimate tournaments as part of events in which he was also competing as a Melee player; his Ultimate endeavors were less successful. In his first Ultimate tournament, the 385-entrant Ultimatum on December 29, he finished in 65th place.{{Cite AV media|url=https://smash.gg/tournament/ultimatum-smash-bros-ultimate-tournament/event/smash-bros-ultimate-1v1/brackets/449117/855366 |title=Ultimatum: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament - Groupe B2 |publisher=smash.gg |access-date=December 4, 2020}} At GENESIS 6, the biggest Ultimate tournament at that point with 2105 entrants, Hungrybox placed 193rd in Singles, and 257th in Doubles with Kashan "Chillindude" Khan.{{Cite AV media|url=https://smash.gg/tournament/smash-conference-united/events |title=Smash Conference United results |publisher=smash.gg |access-date=December 4, 2020}} His best Ultimate ranking for 2019 was at Mango's Birthday Bash, where he finished in 7th place; in addition, he performed as a Melee player, finishing 2nd in both singles and Doubles tournaments (teaming up with Zain for the latter).{{Cite AV media|url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/mango-wins-his-own-tournament-defeats-hungrybox-at-mangos-birthday-bash |title=Mango wins his own tournament, defeats Hungrybox at Mango's Birthday Bash |publisher=dotesports |first=Cale |last=Michael |date=December 9, 2020 |access-date=December 3, 2020}}

Hungrybox won GatorLAN Spring 2020, before finishing 2nd at GENESIS 7 after losing to Zain in the Singles Grand Finals, while teaming up with him to rank 5th in Doubles.{{cite web |title=SSBM 2020 Q1 Rank: 5-1 |url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/ssbm-2020-q1-rank-5-1/ |publisher=DailyESports |date=May 22, 2020 |access-date=December 3, 2020}}{{cite web |title=Hungrybox wins Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles at Smash Summit 9 |url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/hungrybox-wins-super-smash-bros-melee-singles-at-smash-summit-9/ |publisher=DailyESports |date=February 17, 2020 |access-date=December 3, 2020}}{{cite web |title=Zain vs Hungrybox - GRAND FINALS: Top 8 Melee Singles - Genesis 7 Marth vs Puff |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OVP0Z9xF7M |publisher=Beyond the Summit - Smash |access-date=June 10, 2020}} He went on to win Smash Summit 9 in February. At CEO Dreamland, he won both the Singles tournament, and the Doubles tournament with Kilmer "mayb" Varela.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/hungrybox-wins-smash-melee-singles-at-ceo-dreamland-2020/ |title=Hungrybox wins Smash Melee Singles at CEO Dreamland 2020 |publisher=DailyESports |first=Dylan |last=Tate |date=March 15, 2020 |access-date=December 3, 2020}}

He won his first Ultimate tournament by finishing 1st in The Salad Online 13's Ultimate Singles bracket.{{Citation |title=I FINALLY WON MY FIRST SMASH ULTIMATE TOURNAMENT WITH SOLO JIGGLYPUFF |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8gyu5Gw6nE|access-date=2022-11-03}}{{Cite web |title=The Salad Online 13 |url=https://www.start.gg/tournament/the-salad-online-13/details|access-date=2022-11-03|website=start.gg}}

Starting in March 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic caused the Smash community to either cancel events or move them online. Due to Melee not having an online mode, the Melee community became de facto inactive, apart from tournaments using a fan-made online mod of Melee. Hungrybox failed to win any for the rest of the year.{{cite web|last1=Dylan|first1=Tate|title=Zain wins Super Smash Bros. Melee Singles at Pound Online |url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/zain-wins-super-smash-bros-melee-singles-at-pound-online/ |website=DailyEsports |date=April 26, 2020|access-date=December 3, 2020}}{{cite web|last1=Dylan|first1=Tate|title=iBDW wins Smash Melee Singles at Frame Perfect Series 3: Online |url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/ibdw-wins-smash-melee-singles-at-frame-perfect-series-3-online/ |website=Hungrybox's YouTube channel |date=November 8, 2020|access-date=December 3, 2020}} He achieved his worst Melee placement in 13 years in July at LACS 2, finishing 13th. The following November at Perfect Series 3: ONLINE on November 3, he finished in 17th place.

From July 15 to July 18, 2021, Hungrybox took part in the Melee Major tournament Smash Summit 11, the first offline Super Smash Bros. Major in North America since Frostbite in February 2020. At the end of the three-day singles tournament, he took third place, losing to Zain in the winner's finals and then to eventual tournament winner Mang0 in the loser's finals.{{cite web|title= Smash Summit 11 results |url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2021/jul/17/smash-summit-11-results/ |website=eventhubs.com |date=July 19, 2021 |access-date=July 19, 2021}}{{cite tweet|number=1417152434581819405|user=BTSsmash|title=Yesterday was huge. If you haven’t watched some of the #SmashSummit 11 VODs yet… you’re missing out 👀 Congratula… |access-date=July 19, 2021|date=July 19, 2021 }} He and Plup also took 2nd place in a special single-elimination doubles tournament where players could only pick each character once per set, losing to Mang0 and SFAT in the finals. Mang0's first-place prize in the singles tournament of $46,700 surpassed the all-time record of $29,315 Hungrybox had earned for winning Smash Summit 5 in 2017.{{cite web|title= Mango wins Smash Summit 11, takes biggest prize pool in Melee history |url=https://www.upcomer.com/mango-wins-smash-summit-11/ |website=Upcomer |date=July 19, 2021 |access-date=July 19, 2021}}

At Riptide on September 10–12, 2021, Hungrybox took third place in the singles tournament after losing to iBDW in Winners Finals and to Plup in losers finals. He and Plup also won the doubles tournament.[https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2021/sep/09/riptide-results/ Riptide results] Hungrybox and four of his fellow Team Liquid members became co-owners of the team in December.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Alexander |title='Joining a consultive team to the leadership': Why a leading esports organization is inviting its players to become investors |url=https://digiday.com/marketing/joining-a-consultive-team-to-the-leadership-why-a-leading-esports-organization-is-inviting-its-players-to-become-investors/ |access-date=December 16, 2021 |work=Digiday |date=December 15, 2021}}

On July 3, 2022, Hungrybox won Get On My Level 2022 in Canada, marking his first Singles major won in two and a half years since his last major win at Smash Summit 9 in February 2020; he would later score his second major win of that year at Riptide in September in the United States.{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Riptide 2022 {{!}} Details |url=https://www.start.gg/tournament/riptide-2022/details |access-date=May 15, 2023 |work=start.gg}} He would ultimately be ranked 5th in the world for Melee in 2022 (the first official yearly rankings since 2019's due to COVID-2019), officially losing his rank as top player in the world and receiving his lowest Melee ranking since 2014.{{cite web|title=SSBMRank 2022: The Top Ten |author=GimmeDatWheat|work=start.gg|date=January 21, 2023|access-date=May 15, 2023|url=https://blog.start.gg/ssbmrank-2022-the-top-ten-dd20add1d177 }} OrionRank (a group with rankings larger than UltRank, the main ranking entity for Ultimate, which is limited to 100 players) also ranked him the 199th Ultimate player in North America for 2022.[https://twitter.com/OrionRank/status/1614320316922183682 OrionRanks North America 2022]

On February 16, 2025, Hungrybox won the eleventh installment of annual tournament GENESIS, which is seen as "one of the most prestigious international tournaments in the fighting game scene." This was his first time winning a major since Riptide 2022.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-18 |title=The god is back: Hungrybox secures Genesis X2 victory |url=https://www.uscannenbergmedia.com/2025/02/17/the-god-is-back-hungrybox-secures-genesis-x2-victory/ |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=Annenberg Media |language=en}}

Largely credited with elevating the Melee community's perception of Jigglypuff's viability in competition and setting the standard of how to play the character, Hungrybox relies heavily on a defensive, counterattack-centric playstyle revolving around avoiding his opponent until he finds an opportunity to attack and capitalize on their mistakes; it is considered a "high-risk high-reward" playstyle, as Hungrybox's usual goal is to eventually hit his opponent with "Rest", a move unique to Jigglypuff which inflicts abnormally high knockback on opponents and is able to take the opponent's stock at much lower damage percentages than other moves of its responsiveness. The move has a very small range, making it hard to land without setting up a combo that finishes with it and, regardless of whether it successfully hits or not, it leaves Jigglypuff asleep and completely vulnerable to enemy attack for three seconds afterwards; as such, failure to hit the opponent via "Rest" can result in drawbacks such as massive damage inflicted on Jigglypuff via combos or, if damage is already high, in an instant kill, since Jigglypuff is the second lightest character in the game and is prone to losing stocks quickly as a result. Even if the move is successful and takes a stock, Jigglypuff might not wake up fast enough to avoid getting attacked and potentially killed in return upon her foe respawning, leaving Hungrybox little room for mistakes during a game.{{cite news|url=http://kotaku.com/worlds-best-jigglypuff-player-makes-opponent-give-up-in-1680434766|title=World's Best Jigglypuff Player Makes Opponent Give Up in Smash Tourney|last=Hernandez|first=Patricia|work=Kotaku|access-date=2017-07-26}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/esports-juan-hungrybox-debiedma-everybody-hates-jigglypuff |title=World's Best Jigglypuff Player Makes Opponent Give Up in Smash Tourney|last=DeBiedma|first=Juan|work=The Players' Tribune |date= August 3, 2018 |access-date=December 5, 2020}}

Hungrybox claimed in 2013 that he "got good using gimmicks" and that his hands were not fast enough for technical skill.{{Cite AV media|title=The Smash Brothers: Episode 8 - The Natural |publisher=EastPointPictures |first=Travis |last=Beauchamp |year=2013 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZqiJgo7Nec}} Liking Melee for its "unorthodox value", he claimed in 2014 that he disliked traditional head-to-head fighting games. In 2014, he stated: "In my playstyle, I'm a greedy novel editor — I'll catch every last mistake or typo you make, and punish you harshly for it."

Hungrybox has earned the nickname "Clutchbox" due to his frequent clutch performances, pulling off comebacks when in difficult positions, particularly when in the middle of losing sets or after being sent to a losers bracket.{{Cite AV media|title=Smash's Hungrybox reacts to our analysis of his style and strategy |publisher=DailyEsports |first=Taha |last=Zaidi |date=August 2, 2018 |url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/hungrybox-reaction-daily-esports-analysis/}}

Hungrybox is unanimously seen as one of the best players in Melee history, as well as the best Jigglypuff player in the game's history.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/26576379/spectator-throws-dead-crab-hungrybox-following-victory-pound |work=ESPN|title=Spectator throws dead crab at Hungrybox following victory at Pound |last=Wolf |first=Jacob |date=April 22, 2019}} However, he has remained a polarizing figure for Melee fans and players all throughout his career, with part of the community criticizing his playstyle as annoying and too slow and Jigglypuff as an unpleasing character to watch; he has also been accused of hurting the community, with some alleging that his playstyle was driving viewers away.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/17211633/hungrybox-story |work=ESPN|title=Hungrybox - his story |last=Smith |first=Wynton |date=August 3, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/4/22/18510985/smash-bros-hungrybox-crab-assault-pound-2019-video |work=Polygon|title=Fan assaults top Smash Bros. player with crab at tournament |last=Marshall |first=Cass |date=April 23, 2019}} ESPN stated in 2016: "There is no question that Juan 'Hungrybox' Debiedma is the most polarizing figure in the realm of Super Smash Bros. Melee. Ten years deep as a competitor, he's seen fans discount him, his performances, and his character selection, some even believing that he's killing the game with each set." In another article in 2019, they stated that he "has been the recipient of a significant amount of hate throughout his career."

Hungrybox also attracted criticism for his tendency to loudly and flashily celebrate his wins (called "pop-offs" within the community), which some considered disrespectful to his defeated opponents. According to Hungrybox, the Melee community's partial rejection of his playstyle started very early in his career, claiming that "people didn't like that at all" when he started placing high in local tournaments in 2008.

He has admitted to suffering from the way part of the community treats him, also stating that the community's perception of him was a factor in him starting to drink excessively in 2017 and resuming having a day job despite being the No. 1 Melee player in the world.

In the Grand Finals of DreamHack Austin 2017 in which he faced Daniel "ChuDat" Rodriguez in several highly contested games described by ESPN as "high-level spectacle", Hungrybox won the final game, and therefore the tournament, by camping and avoiding contact with ChuDat's Ice Climbers until the clock ran out, giving Hungrybox the win due to his statistical advantage in stocks and damage ratio. {{cite web|url=https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/05/01/dreamhack-austin-melee-tournament-champion-wins-pathetic-way-possible/|work=Bleeding Cool|title=DreamHack Austin Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament Champion Wins In The Most Pathetic Way Possible|last=Sheehan|first=Gavin|date=2017-05-01}} Bleeding Cool reported the event with the headline "DreamHack Austin Champion Wins In The Most Pathetic Way Possible". In April 2018, Hungrybox claimed on Twitter that a stranger attracted his attention while he was shopping at Walmart earlier during the day, before saying "Fuck you and your family Hungrybox", as well as "some other stuff about [him]".{{cite web|url=https://www.vpesports.com/more-esports/hungrybox-dead-crab-pound-2019 |work=VPEsports|title=FGC fan throws dead crab at Hungrybox after Pound 2019 final |last=Koslav |first=Radoslev |date=April 22, 2019 |access-date= December 26, 2020}}

Hungrybox's match against Zac "SFAT" Cordoni in the losers semifinals at Evo 2017 attracted controversy after Hungrybox called his coach, Luis "Crunch" Rosias, over for advice in between games, which was as a violation of the event's "No Coaching After Pools" rule; as the discussion between Hungrybox and Crunch was ongoing, Gordon "G$" Connell, a friend of SFAT, approached and mocked the other two by mimicking a coach-like discussion with SFAT. As the result, Evo considered that both players had violated the rule, and let the match's original result, a win for Hungrybox, stand; both players nevertheless received a yellow card as punishment for their actions.{{cite web|last1=Van Allen|first1=Eric|title=Yellow Card Ruling On Melee Coaching Stirs Controversy|url=http://compete.kotaku.com/yellow-card-ruling-on-melee-coaching-stirs-controversy-1796956065|website=Compete|date=16 July 2017 |access-date=2017-07-16}} This upset part of the fans, who believed that, as SFAT was not actually being coached, he should have won by disqualification. Others pointed out that, according to the official Evo ruleset, if such an incident is not reported at the time it took place, then it is ignored, and that, as neither Hungrybox nor SFAT reported the other, neither should have been carded in the first place.{{Cite web|url=https://www.evo.gg/|title=Evo 2021|website=www.evo.gg}} Hungrybox eventually lost the following round, the losers finals, against Mango, finishing 3rd in the tournament while SFAT placed 4th as the result of his loss.

One of the most infamous moments in Melee history took place in April 2019 at Pound 2019, when, after Hungrybox won the Melee Singles tournament by defeating Mango in the Grand Finals, a member in the crowd, presumably upset by his win, threw a dead crab at Hungrybox, barely missing him. After a moment of incredulousness, an infuriated Hungrybox picked up the crab and shouted at the crowd, demanding to know who threw it and to "show some respect.", questioning if they knew how hard he works. The individual in question was later identified and ejected from the building, with a Pound official announcing that they had been permanently banned from future Pound events and that their name would be privately disclosed to other Smash tournament organizers. Hungrybox then apologized on Twitter for losing his temper, later stating: "I was just so disappointed. I looked down and I’m like 'who threw this? Why would you throw this at me?{{' "}}, later making fun of the incident by eating a crab during a live stream. The crab incident became viral and was relayed by a variety of media outlets, quickly becoming a meme within the Smash community.

After abandoning his family and returning to Argentina in 2008, Hungrybox's father Juan Daniel passed away from a heart attack in late 2015. This was shortly before Hungrybox won both the Singles and Doubles Melee tournaments at DreamHack Winter 2015, earning his first five-figure payout and marking his first time winning both Singles and Doubles at a Super Major tournament; in a post-win interview, he broke into tears and opened about his father's lack of support. Conversely, Hungrybox credits his mother Lucia Violante for being consistently supportive since the beginning.

Hungrybox's lifelong best friend and manager is Luis "Crunch" Rosias, whom Hungrybox credits with training him and helping him develop his skills at Melee, most notably in how to win against Fox, who is often considered the best character in the game, and has a notoriously favorable matchup against Hungrybox's character, Jigglypuff.

While competing professionally in Melee, DeBiedma continued to be a full-time student, graduating Freedom High School in 2011, and the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 2015; after getting his degree, he relocated from Jacksonville, Florida to Buford, Georgia, and then again to Demopolis, Alabama, in order to find work that could still allow him to continue his full-time Super Smash Bros. career.{{cite magazine|title=Super Smash Pro - Interview with Juan "Hungrybox" DeBiedma|author=Sam Stewart|magazine=Game Informer|date=2014-12-12|access-date=2015-01-29|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/12/12/interview-with-juan-quot-hungrybox-quot-DeBiedma.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216104141/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/12/12/interview-with-juan-quot-hungrybox-quot-debiedma.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 16, 2014}}{{cite AV media|people=Taylor Ingalls|year=2014|title=Juan DeBiedma Feature|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fDzi_-IudE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805052412/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fDzi_-IudE|access-date=January 29, 2015|archive-date=2016-08-05|location=Gainesville, Florida |publisher=WUFT|url-status=dead}} In 2015, he began working as a process engineer for WestRock, but quit his job the following year after underperforming at The Big House 6, in order to pursue a full-time eSports career. In March 2018, however, the decline of his mental health in 2017 following a break-up led him to take a regular job once again at ServiceNow in Florida; his feeling that the Melee community's perception of him was deteriorating also weighed heavily on him and was a factor in this decision.{{cite tweet|number=1025087547784015873|user=LiquidHbox|title=I did it. I return as the #1 Ranked Melee player in the world. Except this is a big deal for me because... I qui… |date=2 August 2018}} In June 2019, after winning CEO for the fourth time, he announced that he would be leaving the workforce to pursue eSports full-time once again.{{cite tweet|number=1145421404269109250|user=LiquidHbox|title=CEO 4-Peat Champion. 🏆 I have finally decided to pursue esports full time. Life’s too short to not do what makes… |date=30 June 2019}}

On August 15, 2017, DeBiedma became a U.S. citizen.{{cite tweet|number=897523071631986688|user=LiquidHbox|title=20 years later, it's official: I am now a US Citizen. Never stop moving towards your goals!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 |access-date=August 16, 2017 |date=August 15, 2017}}

Only Majors and Supermajors are listed.

DeBiedma's early Melee career was documented in an episode of the 2013 documentary series The Smash Brothers.{{cite news |last1=Garst |first1=Aron |title=The Smash Bros. community: An oral history |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/10/2/20887994/the-smash-bros-community-an-oral-history |access-date=3 August 2021 |work=Polygon |date=2 October 2019}} He also is present in another documentary about the competitive Smash scene called Metagame.{{cite web|title=Watch the Super Smash Bros. Melee Metagame documentary here|url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/121934/watch-the-super-smash-bros-melee-metagame-documentary-here|access-date=2020-12-12|website=Shacknews|language=en}} Hungrybox has been a vocal advocate for the competitive Super Smash Bros. scene, praising the technological advancements created for Melee, and criticizing Nintendo for their lack of support towards the community.{{cite web|last=DeBiedma|first=Juan|date=12 Jul 2020|title=NETPLAY HAS BEEN SAVED|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB5oYTalj3U|access-date=7 Dec 2020|website=YouTube}}{{cite web|last=DeBiedma|first=Juan|date=19 Nov 2020|title=NINTENDO JUST KILLED SMASH BROS MELEE|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uupwy-Y-eQw|website=YouTube}} On January 26, 2020, YouTuber EmpLemon uploaded a video entitled "there will Never Ever be another Melee player like HungryBox" detailing key moments in Juan's career and his impact on the Melee community.{{cite web|first=Aaron|last=Lemos|date=26 Jan 2020|title=there will Never Ever be another Melee player like Hungrybox|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmLSJrA0n9w|access-date=9 Nov 2023|website=YouTube|language=en}}

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Category:1993 births

Category:Living people

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