DetonatioN has always been Japan's premier eSports organization, with players in games from SC2 to Smash Bros., and FocusMe is definitely the most successful team in Japanese League of Legends. Now, in 2015, they've taken the next step to go full time and move into a training house. With a commitment to excellence far beyond that of any other Japanese team, DetonatioN FocusMe will be the squad to beat in this year's LJL and the favorite to earn the Wild Card spot.

Players

Top - Keisuke “BonziN” Oda: “I will work hard to carry from the top lane.”
Jungle - Yuta “Astarore” Hiratsuka: “I will give my all to ensure we win this year as well.”
Mid - Yoshida “Ceros” Kyohei: “I'll grab another championship, and this year's MVP.”
ADC - Yuta “Yutapongo” Sugiura: “This year, I'll be the MVP!”
Support - Yusuke “Arden” Suga: “I would like to play without hesitation.”

Bursting onto the scene in 2013 as PeachServer AllStars, Rascal Jester quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with through strong showings in the JCG online circuit. In the 2014 LJL, they took home the inaugural Winter season's championship, and advanced all the way to the Grand Finals, where they lost in a close 2-3 to FocusMe. Offered a sponsorship by Japanese game company CROOZ in the offseason, RJ has moved into a gaming house to practice in preparation for the new season. If any team will be able to match FocusMe, Rascal Jester would be the team to bet on.

Players

Top - Ryohei “cogcog” Matsuda: “I'll work hard this season!”
Jungle - Ryo “apaMEN” Odagiri: “I will aim for the championship.”
Mid - Yasuhiro “Scotty” Konaka: “I'll be working hard.”
ADC - Rikiya “Rkp” Yuasa: “My goal is to win LJL with no losses, and stand on the world stage. Please cheer for CROOZ Rascal Jester again this year!”
Support - Yoshiaki “Lillebelt” Koka: “We'll definitely win this year.”

One of Japan's top teams back in 2013, Ozone Rampage is the only Japanese team to have an official win against a Worlds-attending team in a foreign tournament. They took out Rascal Jester (then PeachServer Allstars) to earn a seed at WCG 2013, and managed to defeat KaBuM in the group stage but were ultimately eliminated 1-3. Since then, Rampage has clearly settled into their role as the third place team in Japan. They were strong enough to take down DetFM and RJ before, but now that both teams have taken steps towards competing on a higher level, it's up to Rampage to follow suit or get left behind.

Players

Top - Takahashi “Amuse” Ohtsuka
Jungle - Yoshikazu “Envy” Tanaka
Mid - Suzuto “tei” Shimizu
ADC - Kiichi “Mmeron” Watanabe
Support - Hiroyuki “alk” Okano

As the brother team of FocusMe, they're receiving financial support as part of the new sponsorship deal, but aren't joining them in going full time. You can expect these guys to work twice as hard, knowing the potential exists for them to join FocusMe in the gaming house. Given their dominance throughout last year's Challenger tournaments, and their constant access to FocusMe as scrim partners, RabbitFive has all the resources they need to take their game to the next level.

Players

Top - Yuta “Moyashi” Noguchi: “I'm finally standing on the start line. I would like to show everyone what we've accomplished.”
Jungle - Kentaro “Awaker” Hanaoka: “Tremble before my Lee Sin”
Mid - Sho “Estel” Takahashi: “The unseen blade is the deadliest.”
ADC - Shotaro “Zerost” Ikeda: “I've accomplished my goal of entering the LJL, so I'll try my best from here. Please watch me, everyone!”
Support - Motoki “7kane” Asanuma: “I will give it my all so as to not embarrass my teammates, so I hope you will support me.”

One of the newer teams in the LJL, Salvage Javelin was a strong performer throughout 2014 during the Challenger tournaments and earned a seed in this year's tournament by finishing in the Top 2 overall. Their rise to the top and their active recruitment on Twitter indicates they're taking this year's league very seriously, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see them make a run for the top.

Players

Top - Kento “Aero” Inoue: “My goal is to contribute the most to the team as a top laner!”
Jungle - Shiro “Intension” Sasaki: “I will work hard to fascinate those watching with my play!”
Mid - Ryota “Sweet” Murakami: “I will try my best to get those who may not know this game very well to want to try playing, just by watching my play!”
ADC - Takuya “Joke” Hiraishi: “I want to try to pull out my best, both as a player and as a team member.”
Support - Ryohei “Cool” Tsuji: “As a support player, I want to do my best to support my team both inside and outside of the game.”

It's fitting that 7th heaven is the only team to promise “entertainment” rather than victory, as 7th heaven is most notable for their popular mid-laner. A Nicovideo streamer with 16,000 subscribers, Clockday is known for his cheerful attitude on stream but is reportedly as serious as any during a real match. The team wasn't originally qualified for LJL this year, but the second challenger team who qualified alongside Salvage Javelin dropped out. A Replacement Match was held to determine the final team, and 7th heaven seized their chance. Will they capitalize? That much remains to be seen, but we can at least expect some fun games from this new team.

Players

Top - Yuuki “yunn” Doi: “Every team's pretty strong. No one's weak at any stage of the game. But I won't lose.”
Jungle - Yoshiaki “Yoshiaki3110” Saito: “I'm the best in the world at Nasus ADC!”
Mid - Kazuhiro “Clockday” Suzuki: “Nice to meet you!”
ADC - Kento “Mueki” Ojima: “Don't worry about me, I've been training. I won't die to Ignite.”
Support - Ryosei “enty” Tanioka: “I'm working hard. Please cheer for me.”