zackray

Zackray began competing in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U at the beginning of 2017, several years after the game's release. He also competed in a Super Smash Bros. Melee tournament in July 2018.{{cite web |last1=Hale |first1=Jacob |title=Japanese Smash player Zackray breaks down in tears after tournament win |url=https://www.dexerto.com/smash/japanese-smash-player-zackray-breaks-down-tears-after-tournament-win-1107201 |website=Dexerto.com |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=October 7, 2019}}

Although he was not a well-known player in Smash Bros. for Wii U,{{cite web |last1=Reyes |first1=Dio |title=Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Top Players So Far |url=https://thegamehaus.com/fighting-games/top-smash-players-so-far/2019/02/13/ |website=The Game Haus |access-date=May 5, 2020 |date=February 13, 2019}} in the Panda Global Rankings 100 – a ranking of the 100 best Super Smash Bros. for Wii U players of all time – Zackray was ranked 88th.{{cite tweet |author=PGstats |user=PGstats |number=1069763675043573760 |date=December 3, 2018 |title=Congratulations to these twenty-five Smash Wii U competitors who made it onto the #PGR100 All Time! |link=https://twitter.com/pgstats/status/1069763675043573760 |access-date= May 2, 2020 }}

Zackray found immediate success with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which launched in December 2018. At the beginning of December, he announced on Twitter that he had signed with esports organization GameWith.{{cite tweet |last=Okada |first= Sota |user=Ssb4_Zackray |number=1070649131935264769 |date=December 6, 2018 |title=報告です！この度株式会社GameWith(https://gamewith.co.jp/about )と契約をし |language=ja |link=https://twitter.com/Ssb4_Zackray/status/1070649131935264769 |access-date= May 5, 2020 }} He won seven minor tournaments in Japan in the months after the game's release. In February 2019 he traveled to Oakland, California for one of the first major Ultimate tournaments, GENESIS 6. Zackray was a minor at the time and it was the first time he had traveled to the United States for a tournament. After a series of strong performances throughout most of the event, he met his first defeat in the winners' semi-finals, and went on to tie for 5th place.{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Alexander |title=MkLeo, Hungrybox triumph at Genesis 6 |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/25926146/mkleo-hungrybox-triumph-genesis-6 |website=ESPN.com |access-date=May 6, 2020 |language=en |date=February 4, 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Reyes |first1=Dio |title=Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Genesis 6 Recap |url=https://thegamehaus.com/fighting-games/super-smash-bros-ultimate-genesis-6-recap/2019/02/06/ |website=The Game Haus |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=February 6, 2019}}

His performance at GENESIS qualified him for an invitation to Smash Ultimate Summit, a 16-player invitational tournament held in March, where he once again fell in the winners' semi-finals and tied for 5th.{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Alex |title=The stage is set for the Smash Ultimate Summit |url=http://gametyrant.com/news/the-stage-is-set-for-the-smash-ultimate-summit |website=GameTyrant |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=March 5, 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Alexander |title=MkLeo claims Smash Summit 8 title in Smash Ultimate |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story/_/id/26232606/mkleo-claims-smash-summit-8-title-smash-ultimate |website=ESPN.com |access-date=May 6, 2020 |language=en |date=March 11, 2019}} In April, Zackray came in second at 2GG: Prime Saga in an all-Japanese final against Shuto "Shuton" Moriya.{{cite web |last1=O'Neal |first1=EmaLeigh |title=Japan Conquers 2GG: Prime Saga |url=https://www.hotspawn.com/japan-conquers-2gg-prime-saga/ |website=Hotspawn.com |access-date=May 6, 2020 |language=en |date=April 15, 2019}} Months later it became public that Elliot "Ally" Carroza-Oyarce, another elite Ultimate player, had intentionally lost his match against Zackray at the event at the behest of a third player.{{cite web |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=Smash pro CaptainZack admits to fixing matches amid controversy |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/professional-smash-player-captainzack-admits-to-fixing-matches-amid-controversy |website=Dot Esports |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=August 4, 2019}} In addition to these results, over the first half of 2019 Zackray also tied for 33rd at Frostbite 2019 and tied for 7th at the Umebura Japan Major.{{cite web |last1=Banusing |first1=Justin |title=Spring 2019 #PGRU: 20-11 |url=https://www.redbull.com/us-en/pgru-spring-2019-20-11 |website=www.redbull.com |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=July 30, 2019}} In the inaugural Panda Global Rankings Ultimate, Zackray was ranked 12th in the world.

In August, Zackray tied for 7th at EVO 2019.{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Nicholas |title=EVO 2019 results |url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2019/aug/02/evo-2019-results/ |website=EventHubs |access-date=May 6, 2020 |language=en |date=August 2, 2019}} He was eliminated by Leonardo "MkLeo" López Pérez, who praised Zackray after the event, saying he considered him "a top-five player" and that defeating him gave MkLeo confidence that he could win the tournament.{{cite web |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=MKLeo: "I just won the tournament, it just happened" |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/mkleo-i-just-won-the-tournament-it-just-happened |website=Dot Esports |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=August 7, 2019}} A week later, he tied for 9th at Super Smash Con 2019. In October, Zackray won The Big House 9, considered a "premier" or "supermajor"{{cite web |last1=Skopp |first1=Sam |title=Zackray's Big House 9 Smash Bros. Win Completes His Hero's Journey |url=https://www.thegamer.com/zackrays-big-house-9-smash-bros/ |website=TheGamer |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=October 7, 2019}} tournament, which Dot Esports called "arguably the deepest event for Smash Ultimate so far with nearly every top player in attendance".{{cite web |last1=Michael |first1=Cale |title=Zackray finally wins his first North American Smash Ultimate Major at The Big House 9 |url=https://dotesports.com/fgc/news/zackray-finally-wins-his-first-north-american-smash-ultimate-major-at-the-big-house-9 |website=Dot Esports |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=October 7, 2019}} In the double-elimination tournament, Zackray fell to Enrique "Maister" Hernández Solís in the winner's semi-finals, then defeated Gavin "Tweek" Dempsey, Nairoby "Nairo" Quezada, and Maister in a rematch to make it into the final, where he defeated Samuel "Dabuz" Buzby to win the tournament.{{cite web |last1=Tate |first1=Dylan |title=Zackray wins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Singles at The Big House 9 |url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/zackray-wins-super-smash-bros-ultimate-singles-at-the-big-house-9/ |website=Daily Esports |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=October 7, 2019 |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922012924/https://www.dailyesports.gg/zackray-wins-super-smash-bros-ultimate-singles-at-the-big-house-9/ |url-status=dead }} His victory at The Big House 9 made Zackray the first Japanese player to win a premier-tier Ultimate tournament held outside of Japan, and it was also Zackray's first tournament win of any tier outside of Japan.

His victory at the event qualified him for an invitation to Smash Ultimate Summit 2, held at the end of the month. He tied for 7th at that event.{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Nicholas |title=Smash Ultimate Summit 2 results |url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2019/oct/24/smash-ultimate-summit-2-results/ |website=EventHubs |access-date=May 6, 2020 |language=en |date=October 24, 2019}} Owing to these and other results, Zackray moved up to 7th in the Panda Global Rankings Ultimate when the rankings for the latter half of 2019 were released. Additionally, a separate ranking of Japanese players named him the best Japanese Ultimate player for the second half of 2019.

In January 2020, Zackray tied for 5th at EVO Japan 2020.{{cite web |last1=Carignan |first1=Kevin |title=EVO Japan 2020 results and recap: A big upset and the Leroy apocalypse |url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/evo-japan-2020-results-and-recap-a-big-upset-and-the-leroy-apocalypse/ |website=Daily Esports |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=January 28, 2020 |archive-date=June 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627064154/https://www.dailyesports.gg/evo-japan-2020-results-and-recap-a-big-upset-and-the-leroy-apocalypse/ |url-status=dead }} He tied for 7th at Frostbite 2020 the following month after being eliminated in a close match with eventual tournament winner MkLeo.{{cite web |last1=Younger |first1=Warren |title=Frostbite 2020: Three Biggest Takeaways from the Event |url=https://thegamehaus.com/super-smash-brothers/frostbite-2020-three-biggest-takeaways-from-the-event/2020/02/29/ |website=The Game Haus |access-date=May 6, 2020 |date=February 29, 2020}} Following this, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of most offline Smash tournaments. In October, Zackray defeated Yuta “Abadango” Kawamura to win the Eastern Powerhouse Invitational, the first significant offline Smash tournament since CEO Dreamland in March.{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/zackray-wins-smash-ultimate-singles-at-eastern-powerhouse-invitational/|title=Zackray wins Smash Ultimate Singles at Eastern Powerhouse Invitational|website=Daily Esports|date=October 24, 2020|access-date=November 2, 2021|last=Tate|first=Dylan|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102221638/https://www.dailyesports.gg/zackray-wins-smash-ultimate-singles-at-eastern-powerhouse-invitational/|url-status=dead}} In November, he then beat Kengo “KEN” Suzuki to win Mēsuma.{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/zackray-wins-super-smash-bros-ultimate-singles-at-mesuma/|title=Zackray wins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Singles at Mēsuma|website=Daily Esports|date=November 30, 2020|access-date=November 2, 2021|last=Tate|first=Dylan|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102221641/https://www.dailyesports.gg/zackray-wins-super-smash-bros-ultimate-singles-at-mesuma/|url-status=dead}} In December, he placed 3rd at Kagaribi after losing to KEN and Seisuke “Kome” Komeda.{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyesports.gg/ken-wins-super-smash-bros-ultimate-singles-at-kagaribi/|title=KEN wins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Singles at Kagaribi|website=Daily Esports|date=December 13, 2020|access-date=November 2, 2021|last=Tate|first=Dylan|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102221639/https://www.dailyesports.gg/ken-wins-super-smash-bros-ultimate-singles-at-kagaribi/|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://smash.gg/tournament/-488/event/singles/brackets/877801/1404451|title=Kagaribi top 48 bracket|website=smash.gg}}

In June 2021, Zackray competed at Kagaribi 4, the first supermajor since Frostbite 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.pgstats.com/articles/a-viewers-guide-to-kagaribi-4-super-smash-bros-ultimate|title=A Viewer's Guide To Kagaribi 4|website=PGstats|date=June 25, 2021|access-date=November 2, 2021|last=Craig|first=Joshua}} After losing to Naoto "ProtoBanham" Tsuji in Winner's Quarters, Zackray eliminated "Lea", "Kome", "HERO", and Takuma "Tea" Hirooka to rematch ProtoBanham in Grand Finals. Although Zackray won the first set, he ultimately finished at 2nd after ProtoBanham defeated him in the bracket reset.{{cite web|url=https://www.pgstats.com/articles/what-we-learned-from-kagaribi-4|title=What We Learned From Kagaribi 4|website=PGstats|date=June 29, 2021|access-date=November 2, 2021|last=Moore|first=Jack}}{{cite web|url=https://smash.gg/tournament/4-kagaribi-4-1/event/singles/entrant/7543469|title=Zackray's matches at Kagaribi 4|website=smash.gg}} In October, Zackray won Kagaribi 5 without losing a set, using only the newly released Sora throughout the tournament.{{cite web|url=https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2021/oct/31/zackray-solo-sora-ssbu-tournament/|website=EventHubs|title=Zackray's solo Sora wins major Japanese Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament|date=October 31, 2021|access-date=November 2, 2021|last=Gordon|first=Justin}} In January 2022, he also won Kagaribi 6, primarily using Joker and Sheik.{{Cite web |last=Tate |first=Dylan |date=9 January 2022 |title=Three takeaways from Kagaribi 6 Smash Ultimate Singles |url=https://upcomer.com/three-takeaways-from-kagaribi-6-smash-ultimate-singles |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125215807/https://www.upcomer.com/three-takeaways-from-kagaribi-6-smash-ultimate-singles/ |archive-date=25 January 2022 |access-date=14 May 2022 |website=Upcomer}}

In March 2022, Zackray announced via YouTube that he would be taking a break from Ultimate for a few months to focus on competing in Pokémon Unite.{{Cite web |last=Richman |first=Olivia |date=22 March 2022 |title=Zackray leaving Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for Pokemon Unite |url=https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/16789/zackray-leaving-super-smash-bros-ultimate-for-pokemon-unite |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514192125/https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/16789/zackray-leaving-super-smash-bros-ultimate-for-pokemon-unite |archive-date=14 May 2022 |access-date=14 May 2022 |website=Inven Global}} However, in May, he participated in the Japanese tournament WINNER! #10 and placed 3rd, losing to Kohei "Suinoko" Kuwamoto and Takuto "kameme" Ono, using primarily Sheik.{{Cite web |date=16 May 2022 |title=WINNER!#10 zackray HIKARU KEN Shogun ライト あばだんご kept かめめ takera ...and more! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MgZFN95Qo4 |access-date=23 May 2022 |website=YouTube}} In June, he announced that he would make a full return to Smash Bros., after he and his team were disqualified from the Pokémon Unite Championship Series due to one of his teammates, "U", oversleeping and failing to appear for a match.{{cite web|url=https://www.invenglobal.com/articles/17477/zackray-returning-to-ultimate-after-disappointing-pokemon-unite-run|title=Zackray returning to Ultimate after disappointing Pokemon UNITE run|website=Inven Global|date=June 18, 2022|access-date=June 26, 2022|last=Richman|first=Olivia}} He made his offline return in August's Ultimate WANTED 4, winning the tournament over Shuto Moriya.{{Cite web |title=ULTIMATE WANTED 4 - Powered by Predator |url=https://www.start.gg/tournament/ultimate-wanted-4-powered-by-predator/details |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=start.gg |language=en-us}} He was invited for Ludwig Ahgren's Smash Invitational in October, where he would place 23rd in the tournament's Swiss bracket.{{Cite web |title=Ludwig Smash Invitational |url=https://www.start.gg/tournament/ludwig-smash-invitational/details |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=start.gg |language=en-us}}

In the Super Smash Bros. franchise, players control one of a large cast of characters drawn from other games. Zackray is known for the number of characters he is able to play at a high level, which Panda Global Rankings' Colton Costopoulos called "one of the deepest character pools in the entire competitive scene". At GENESIS 6, he used Wolf O'Donnell. Two months later, he used Wolf, Lucina, and Wario in his second-place finish at 2GG: Prime Saga. He also used R.O.B. and Pokémon Trainer in tournaments in the first half of 2019. By the time he won The Big House 9, he had picked up Joker. He also briefly used Sonic and Corrin at the event, though did not win games with either. At Smash Ultimate Summit 2, Zackray used seven different characters, including Mr. Game & Watch and Ridley. By the end of 2019, he had also added Mario to his repertoire. Near the end of 2021, Zackray picked up Sora, whom he later solely used to win the supermajor Kagaribi 5.{{cite web|url=https://www.pgstats.com/articles/kagaribi-5-preview-protobanham-zackray-headline-japanese-major|title=Kagaribi 5 Preview: ProtoBanham, Zackray headline Japanese Major|website=PGstats|date=October 29, 2021|access-date=November 2, 2021|last=Craig|first=Joshua}} At Kagaribi 6, he used Sheik alongside Joker for most sets, and used only Sheik at WINNER! #10. By February 2023, he had added Pit to his lineup, using him to place 3rd at the supermajor Kagaribi 9.{{cite web|url=https://upcomer.com/smash-ultimate-players-to-watch-during-japans-golden-week/|title=Smash Ultimate players to watch during Japan's Golden Week|date=April 25, 2023|access-date=May 12, 2024|website=Upcomer|last=Tate|first=Dylan}}

{{reflist}}

{{Competitive Super Smash Bros.}}

Category:Living people

Category:Japanese esports players

Category:Super Smash Bros. for Wii U players

Category:Super Smash Bros. Ultimate players

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)