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Esports & Fighting-Game Handles (eスポーツ・格ゲー · 本名)
Japan is one of the centers of the fighting-game community (FGC). Its top players are famous under their handles, ハンドルネーム (handle name), at events like EVO, Capcom Cup and Tokyo Game Show.
The naming custom. Japanese arcade players historically signed scoreboards and arcade notebooks with short handles. Many came from a part of the player's name: Daigo is Daigo Umehara's given name, and Momochi is Yusuke Momochi's surname. Others are nicknames, like Tokido. Pro players now sign with sponsors and teams, and their real names appear in team rosters, tournament broadcasts and news coverage.
Unlike idols, most Japanese pro gamers compete publicly under their real identity, so their names are well documented. We still list only names that appear in official team profiles, event coverage or major media.