by stuchiu

10 months. It has been 10 long months since the last time Naniwa stepped into the booth to play SC2. And in that time SC2 had become a much calmer, more peaceful place. But the second Naniwa decided to enter competitive play once more, the entire EU community erupted as player after player after player wanted to take him out, including: Dayshi, Kas, Happy, MarineLord, Miniraiser, Nerchio, Kane. And what caused it all was Naniwa exercising his right to force the Russian stream off the game as they had been broadcasting without delay. In typical Naniwa fashion, he made certain to accuse Happy of stream watching before kicking them out.

As has become tradition, the Live Report thread ended with fans and haters slinging mud at each other until it all ended with a hail of bans. Nothing had changed. Even 10 months since his departure from SC2, Naniwa’s mere participation had led to more EU rivalries in one day than the entirety of 2013.

Naniwa himself incites conflict.

Even before his infamous incident at IEM Katowice, Naniwa was a nexus of constant arguing. Take for instance his road to Blizzcon in 2013. During that year, Zealousy released an article previewing Naniwa at Blizzcon. In it he described Naniwa as the most polarizing figure to have ever played the game. One that had always played the game for himself above all else. In typical fashion, posters got angry at the assessment, calling it negative, false, biased or shit. Naniwa then went on to almost quote Zealousy verbatim in his Blizzcon preview video where he said, "I came here with my own strength, and I will continue to play for myself. Whether you cheer for me or not, that's up to you, of course. I appreciate it but, you're not the reason I play the game. I play because I like to win."

This anecdote is a microcosm of the entire dynamic of SC2’s relationship with Naniwa. No statement made about Naniwa, no matter how true, can be made without an entire discourse that ends with both sides flaming each other. Those who hate Naniwa constantly bring up his attitude problems, his flaming and his unprofessional behavior. Those who love him either shrug off those antics or revel in them. In either case both his fans and his haters cannot deny his skill in the game. It is a common turn of phrase when discussing Naniwa to hear something along the lines of, “Despite what he does, I love Naniwa because he wins.” Or “If only Naniwa would stop doing this shit, I’d be a fan.”

The arguments about Naniwa hinge on two major aspects. His skill in the game, and his actions outside of it. And a majority of fans focus on either one or the other as though they were two separate, distinct parts. I believe this is a flawed simplification of who or what Naniwa is.

It is Naniwa’s ego that drives everything above all else. It is why he is one of the most intensely competitive players in the scene. It is also why he is a terrible loser prone to flaming people for his losses. It is why he can go practice upwards to 14 hours a day on ladder or drop the game for months before coming back. It is the drive, the ego, the ambition, the relentless pursuit of being the best that makes Naniwa both an icon of SC2 and its pariah.

That drive is what forced Naniwa to push through and get 2nd at MLG Providence in 2011. It was also that same drive that made him feel utterly repulsed and disgusted at being forced to play a meaningless game against Nestea. That drive forced him to go to Korea and try to become the best and led to his consecutive Ro8 finishes in Code S. That drive is also what led him to scream in the parking lot after his loss to Mvp and then accuse Polt and ST of leaking replays.

For every pro SC2 player, every victory or loss is keenly felt (unless you’re Taeja or Life who don’t seem to give a fuck). Every victory is an affirmation of your skill, your time, you work, your everything. Every loss is a condemnation. A mark of shame that reaches into your chest and boils over as the rage, the shame, the hatred, the anger, the disgust, the repulsion overcomes and overwhelms you in waves. These feelings are something every competitive player has felt at some point in their career. The biggest difference between Naniwa and the rest of the SC2 players is he can’t contain it. He cannot put on a public persona for his fans. He loves his fans, but in the end he plays for himself. So when he loses he finds excuses, he flames, he rages, he talks shit, or he forfeits one of the largest tournaments of the year after 1 game due to soundproofing issues.

As to the truth of the situation we will almost certainly never know. And the truth of the matter is that it doesn’t matter. Because this was just another incident of Naniwa being who he is. A force of competitive will that has simultaneously created some of the best and some of the worst moments in SC2 history. One whose ego, drive, ambition, and will has forced him atop the SC2 elite class with equal amounts of praise and derision. That is what Naniwa is. To praise his skill without acknowledging his flaws is to deny Naniwa his humanity, the source of what has pushed him so far. To ignore his skill and focus on his failings and unending drama he creates is to ignore the burning competitive spirit that defines Starcraft 2 competition which Naniwa exemplifies.

You can say many things about Naniwa. He is a Champion and a rager, he is a hero and a villain, an icon and a pariah. But what you cannot say is Naniwa is a fake. A hand crafted personality that is put on when he has to deal with the fans or the public. Naniwa is who he is. He never pretended to be otherwise whether it be fighting Life to the death at IEM NY, pulling the probes against Nestea, dancing his zealots in front of MC to only die to DTs, raging at Tefel as the worth player on earht, or forfeiting Katowice. Naniwa is Naniwa for better and for worse and I wouldn’t have it any other way.