On the 26th at Aichi Sky Expo, South Korea defeated Japan 5-2 in the fighting game team finals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Trailing 1-2, South Korea stormed back with four consecutive set wins to seal the dramatic comeback. Jae-min "Knee" Bae in 'Tekken 8', Lee Gwang-no in 'The King of Fighters XV', and Yeon Je-gil in 'Street Fighter 6' placed gold medals around their necks together. A miracle in Nagoya forged by a trio averaging 41 years old.
Bae Jae-min and Yeon Je-gil both rematched opponents they had lost to in their first meetings and emerged victorious. Lee Gwang-no won both of his matches, keeping the team firmly grounded. What did they learn from those initial defeats that allowed them to adjust and win the next game? From character selection and opponent analysis to the players' mindsets, we take an in-depth look at their story.
A chance to wear the national emblem that might never come again
Bae Jae-min was thrilled ever since fighting games were introduced at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Continuing with Street Fighter following Hangzhou was good news in itself. But then came the announcement that Tekken and The King of Fighters would be grouped together with it for a team event. Combining three distinct games into a single title event was an unfamiliar format, but it gave "Knee" his opportunity to vie for a spot on the national team.
During the national qualifiers, he competed against his own DRX teammates. Bae had mixed feelings, but he was delighted to earn the right to represent his country. There was no guarantee that Tekken, his main game, would be back for the next Asian Games. That made this an opportunity he simply had to seize.
“You never know if there will be a next time. I really wanted to represent the national team.”
Wearing the national flag was also a memory that had stayed with Bae Jae-min for a long time. Whenever asked about his happiest and most memorable tournament, he always pointed to WCG 2010—because of the overwhelming emotion of winning a medal for South Korea. But at this Asian Games, the weight on his shoulders felt even heavier.
“Back at WCG, I wasn't playing under the title of a professional player. It felt like an arcade gamer who happened to put on the South Korean flag. This time, after competing as a professional player for DRX and stepping up as a representative of South Korea, my mindset felt completely different,” Bae explained.
It was a stage watched by far more people, where even those who knew little about gaming could understand the magnitude of the result. For Bae Jae-min, this gold medal could not help but be truly special.
The strategy that delivered gold to South Korea: Head Coach Kang Sung-hoon's distinct roles for three players
The finals were conducted in a best-of-nine sets format, with the first team to reach five wins taking the championship. Each set was played in a best-of-three game format using a single game title. The three games had to appear once in each three-set block. The choice for the first game was decided by a coin toss, after which the loser of the previous set chose from the remaining titles, or the final title was automatically assigned.
Under rules where a team could not avoid an opponent's strong title, Head Coach Kang Sung-hoon saw ordering as critical. Delaying the opponent's strong title and securing two early sets could tilt the momentum in their favor. His assessment was that South Korea held balanced strength across all three games. From the moment he was appointed coach, he mapped out every scenario by cross-referencing projected rosters from each nation against the rules.
In the finals as well, he planned to claim the first point with 'The King of Fighters XV' if South Korea won the toss, and anticipated Japan starting with 'Street Fighter 6' if Japan won the pick. While the coach handled the complex probability math, he kept his instructions to the players straightforward.
He anticipated that Bae Jae-min and Yeon Je-gil might suffer early losses. Both players possessed a strong ability to formulate a game plan after experiencing an opponent firsthand—what Coach Kang called their ability to "download" opponents. The key was for the team to hold the line until they could figure out their opponents in the initial match.
That anchor role was entrusted to Lee Gwang-no. He instructed Lee not to lose a single game against Japan's "SCORE." Coach Kang explained that Lee had complete faith in his own abilities and possessed absolute confidence that he could defeat his opponent.
He asked Yeon Je-gil to secure just one victory out of up to three potential appearances. For Bae Jae-min, he instructed him to close out the match when his turn came, as he was likely to be the closer. The blueprint was for Lee Gwang-no to safeguard points while the other two players unlocked the answers for their rematches.
After dropping the opening 'Street Fighter 6' match, South Korea drew even with Lee Gwang-no's victory in the second set, but fell behind 1-2 following a loss in the subsequent 'Tekken 8' match. It was a flow that unfolded right within Coach Kang's prepared scenarios. The match played out in the palm of Coach Kang's hand, yielding South Korea's first esports gold medal at these Asian Games.
Bae Jae-min: "When it comes to facing Japan, we simply must perform"
Stepping up for Set 3 with the team score tied at 1-1, Bae Jae-min prepared Fahkumram expecting "Nobi" to open with Steve. This was based on his prior experience in Jinju, where "Nobi" had defeated him using Steve. His prediction was spot on. He won the first game with Fahkumram, having already planned for the possibility that his opponent might switch to Dragunov.
When "Nobi" took a game back with Dragunov, Bae deliberated between Bryan and Dragunov. He ultimately selected Dragunov, a character he had practiced for about a month, engaging in a mirror match. In actual competition, however, nerves got the better of him. He threw out more attacks than usual with fewer effective hits, shifting the momentum against him.
Even for a veteran of countless tournaments, the pressure of the Asian Games was different. If his defeat allowed the opposing team to score, his teammates would have to make up for it.
“If I lose, the burden on the next player grows heavier. On top of that, because it was a match against Japan, the mindset that we absolutely had to do well was overwhelming.”
Returning for Set 5 after Lee Gwang-no leveled the score at 2-2, Bae judged that his opponent would be mindful of his Fahkumram. Anticipating that "Nobi" would not start with Steve, he opened with Bryan while keeping Fahkumram ready should Steve appear. Indeed, after beating Dragunov with Bryan, he dropped a game to Steve, then brought out Fahkumram to win the final game, putting South Korea ahead 3-2.
After Yeon Je-gil won Set 6 to extend South Korea's lead to 4-2, it was Bae's turn once more. In Set 7, after defeating Dragunov with Bryan, Steve made an appearance again. Having learned what landed heavy damage against him in the previous loss, Bae said, “I thought that as long as I didn't get hit by the attacks that caught me before, I could win comfortably even with Bryan.”
If Bryan failed, he planned to turn back to Fahkumram. Even if he dropped the set, another chance remained. Under tournament rules, South Korea held the choice for Set 8 and could pick 'The King of Fighters XV', which had not yet been used in that block. Bae explained, “I even thought that if I lost, Lee Gwang-no would finish the job for us.”
A backup card proved unnecessary. Bryan's counter hits landed repeatedly, and the final game ended in a 3-0 round sweep. Winning both of his rematches, Bae Jae-min secured the gold medal.
Lee Gwang-no: The pillar who rescued the team through every crisis
After South Korea dropped the first match, Lee Gwang-no was sent out for the second set. Although he claimed the first game, "SCORE" bounced back in the next game to equalize the game score. When South Korea fell behind 1-2, it was Lee who stepped up once again. True to form, he leveled the score each time, becoming a reliable rock for his teammates.
Lee realized that his opponent had prepared specifically for his familiar character lineup. Since his main roster was widely known, he anticipated they would come prepared, and he felt that counter-preparation during the match. He noted that it wasn't a matter of poor condition; rather, because the opponent was handling his standard lineup well, he opted to bring out an alternative option he had prepared.
That character was Najd. By deploying a character he liked and had practiced extensively, he reclaimed the momentum. He took the final game to seal the set 2-1, bringing South Korea back to a 1-1 team score.
Set 4 of the finals was crucial for South Korea. If Lee Gwang-no fell here, the momentum would collapse uncontrollably. Yet Lee shared that he felt no pressure as he stepped up to play.
“If I lose, I lose; if I win, that's great. I've always played without pressure with that mindset,” Lee said. “I have belief in my skills. As long as my condition is good, I can beat anyone.”
Lee Gwang-no displayed tremendous confidence and backed it up with pure skill.
His confidence was rooted in thorough preparation. He had practiced against the characters used by his opponents alongside multiple sparring partners, repeatedly honing his blocking, counter-attacks, and defensive techniques. That was why, even when trailing 1-2, he remained confident he would not lose as long as his execution and condition held up.
Lee won Set 4 as well, tying the score at 2-2. Both of his victories came when South Korea was behind. Throughout the interview, Bae Jae-min and Yeon Je-gil repeatedly mentioned how reassuring and incredible it was to watch Lee play.
Enduring PTSD from the past, Yeon Je-gil powered through on pure revenge
For about six months after Hangzhou, Yeon Je-gil struggled to breathe whenever he went to bed. Looking back, Yeon confessed that those were symptoms of PTSD. The reason he never gave up was his desire for redemption.
“I didn't want to remain defeated. And I had my wife, who supported me through it.”
Though the Asian Games title shifted from 'Street Fighter V' to 'Street Fighter 6', Yeon Je-gil's skill remained top-tier. He admitted that compared to Hangzhou, his actual skill level hadn't changed drastically. What had changed was his mindset.
He confessed that back in Hangzhou, hearing people call him a title favorite made him complacently assume he would land on the podium. This time, determined to become mentally fortified, he underwent more mental coaching than his two teammates. Psychological therapy proved to be a massive help for him.
When he lost the first set of the finals to "Higuchi" with a game score of 1-2, Yeon was already looking ahead to the next match. Stepping back, he told his two teammates, “I think I can win next time.” After playing him directly, he concluded it was a match he could win.
What he noticed were "Higuchi's" offensive and defensive habits. Seeing the frequent use of invincible reversal moves, Yeon realized he needed to bait and block them. He also reflected on how he had rushed when he was just one hit away from winning. Remembering his opponent walking backward, he devised a plan to target low attacks in their next encounter.
Bae Jae-min was observing the same moment. Yeon shared that Bae advised him, “You had the game won, but you lost because you couldn't stay patient.” His teammate pinpointed the very impatience Yeon himself had identified upon reflecting on the first game.
When he faced "Higuchi" again in Set 6 with South Korea leading 3-2, Yeon was confident in his victory. By countering his opponent's habits and remaining patient, he even pulled off a Perfect round without taking damage. As Yeon pulled off the upset, the tie turned rapidly in South Korea's favor.
After securing the win, he felt he had fulfilled his duty. Yeon said, “I trusted that the other two would get two wins each.” Believing in Bae Jae-min and Lee Gwang-no, his focus was on contributing the single point entrusted to him.
45 sparring partners alone: The people who helped forge the gold medal
The preparation the players described behind their finals performance involved the dedicated time of many individuals. According to Head Coach Kang Sung-hoon, a total of 45 sparring partners across all titles traveled directly to the bootcamp in Busan. Top domestic players took time out of their schedules to serve as practice partners for the national team. Coach Kang expressed his gratitude to the players who readily traveled to Busan, especially Seo Jin-woo and Kang Myeong-gu, who stayed for an extended period to support the team until the very end.
Bae Jae-min explained that top-tier players do not ordinarily practice together all the time. He expressed deep gratitude that they offered their time for the Asian Games, acted as practice partners, and shared valuable feedback.
Support that enabled sustained training was equally vital. Bae mentioned that practicing eight hours a day for several days caused wrist pain that made playing difficult, but at the bootcamp, receiving physical therapy allowed him to continue training. Mental coaching played a pivotal role in helping Yeon Je-gil regroup after his initial defeat. Managing both body and mind was an integral part of tournament preparation.
Lee Gwang-no shared that because the coach took care of all preparations, he could focus entirely on gaming without worries. He repeatedly expressed thanks to the practice partners and the three physical therapists who aided their training. Bae Jae-min extended his gratitude to association officials, support staff, team teammates and national team staff, as well as his wife, who trusted and waited for him throughout the month.
The first person Yeon Je-gil thanked was also his wife. While he was away—normally sharing childcare duties—his wife managed working from home alongside raising their child alone. He noted that without her looking after their child in his stead, this challenge would have been impossible. He also expressed appreciation to Seo Jin-woo, who provided extensive training support, and the physical therapists.
When he checked his phone after winning the gold medal, congratulations from his family were the first messages to arrive. During a video call with his son, Yeon saw him smiling and celebrating his father's gold medal. “Seeing my son so happy made me even happier,” he said with a beaming smile.
