It’s no secret that North America struggles in nearly each esport. As aggressive gaming has taken the worldwide stage, the area has been left behind. This makes the story of combating recreation heavyweights, NoahTheProdigy and KingReyJr, an anomaly.
These NA prodigies have been competing in tournaments in opposition to adults once they have been nonetheless in elementary college. Each additionally grew up as certainly one of three siblings, with their fathers getting as concerned as they might to assist them obtain their goals regardless of making an attempt to lift two different kids on the identical time.
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Of their respective combating video games, they’re carrying NA on their again as full-time professional gamers, managing to show combating video games into their job earlier than they turned 20.
NoahTheProdigy had the best NA placement at each Capcom Cup 11 and EWC for Road Fighter 6, and KingReyJr is the best ranked NA participant on the Tekken 8’s 2025 World Tour. They’re altering the storyline of their complete area.
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However, after sitting down with and speaking to them, it’s clear that there’s much more separating these two than the sport they compete in. Simply because they each grew up within the combating recreation group doesn’t imply they’ve the identical story.
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NoahTheProdigy determined being a Road Fighter professional was the one possibility
NoahTheProdigy has been making headlines since he was in grade college. Getting into his first event at seven years outdated, he’s been competing for over a decade. And, in accordance with him, being a Road Fighter professional was his solely plan. He wouldn’t have accepted the rest.
“I by no means had a backup plan. That is 100%. When you’ve got a backup plan, which means your plan A isn’t adequate and also you’re not assured sufficient,” he stated.
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“Solely b*tches hand over. In the event you hand over, you’re a b*tch.”
Noah’s strategy is a brazen one, and one which hardly ever works out in esports. No backup plans, no compromises, only a full dedication to competing and getting higher. However hardly ever doesn’t essentially imply by no means.
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His father totally supported him on this journey, encouraging him to focus much less on college and extra on Road Fighter.
As an alternative of homework, Noah was learning the Road Fighter GOATs. His father Moises inspired him to chase his goals and by no means hand over on them, it doesn’t matter what anybody instructed him.
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“I defined to [Noah] ‘There’s gonna be crowds yelling and all that and all you do is tune ’em out and simply focus.’ You simply have to show your child what’s proper, fallacious. Noah, when he loses, you already know what I say to him? ‘That is what it’s referred to as, son. You’re taking a licking and carry on ticking,’” Moises stated in an interview with Big Bomb all the way in which again in 2011.
NoahTheProdigyNoah’s father received a custom-printed shirt simply to cheer his son on at tournaments when he was youthful
Even earlier than esports was a possible profession path, Noah’s father supported him. When it did grow to be an actual chance, his father supported him much more, shopping for him a brand new PC setup throughout 2020’s lockdowns so he had a great setup to play on and make content material.
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Moises’ never-back-down mentality caught with Noah, even by way of tougher occasions when he needed to work no matter job he may get to remain afloat and show he was severe about Road Fighter.
“I used to be working some sh*tty-ass jobs, I ain’t gonna lie. However I at all times knew that it was gonna work out.”
From there, Noah grinded till he lastly received signed with Twisted Minds in 2024 and was capable of flip his dream right into a full-time job at 19. Now, he’s looking for out find out how to put North America on prime of Road Fighter.
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“I wouldn’t say I’m the most effective. This enterprise is simply exhausting. It’s exhausting to win. I imply, Japan is so robust, I feel as of proper now they’re simply higher than us. They gained Road Fighter League. They positioned method larger than us within the Esports World Cup. They gained Capcom Cup,” Noah defined.
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“America has an ego, and so they don’t know find out how to management it. That’s why we don’t get higher.”
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Although Noah talks quite a lot of trash and frequently calls folks out, he tries to maintain issues surface-level and focus his criticisms on his and his rivals’ shared occupation, Road Fighter. The trash speak is simply a part of his character, and he’s rather a lot nicer in individual than you’d assume from scrolling his Twitter timeline.
Noah cheering on some Road Fighter gamers between his swimming pools matches at Combo Breaker 2025“I’m a very nice man. I solely speak sh*t on Twitter as a result of it’s filled with b*tches. I imply, they don’t perceive me as a result of, like, they’ve school tuitions arrange. They don’t perceive my background and what I got here from,” he defined.
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Whereas Noah has ambitions of profitable the largest occasions on the planet, he already feels a deep sense of satisfaction in what he’s been capable of obtain and utilizing his abilities to uplift himself, his household, and his group.
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“I’m already a legend in life with the place I come from and the place I’ve been. If I begin shedding now, I’m nonetheless a legend in my hood. That’s all I care about.”
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KingReyJr was making reads in Tekken earlier than he may learn books
KingReyJr was competing in tournaments even sooner than Noah was, going to his first Tekken event when he was 5. Nevertheless, his journey began even earlier, at solely two and a half years outdated, when his father observed one thing really particular.
KingReySr, Rey’s father, would host Tekken 5 periods in his dwelling, and Junior would pull up a chair and watch. He was barely sufficiently old to talk however was already analyzing the sport deeper than anybody thought.
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KingReySr recording his son’s match in opposition to E1P1C, certainly one of Chicago’s greatest Tekken gamers, at Scrims Gaming MiddleOlder Tekken titles have a joke character referred to as Mokujin that mimics the strikes of a random character on the roster, and that moveset adjustments each single spherical. The problem is determining which character you bought caught with. Within the case of the unique Tekken 5, it could have been 32 completely different characters.
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Earlier than he was even in Kindergarten, KingReyJr may work out who round 80% of the forged was from their animations alone.
“Mokujin popped up on the display, he began shifting, and Junior pointed on the display,” KingReySr instructed me. “He stated, ‘That’s Steve Fox!’ We have been blown away with the truth that he knew who it was simply primarily based on the motion. I had by no means sat down and taught him the names of the characters.”
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KingReySr took this as an indication that he needed to train his son find out how to play Tekken, that there was expertise there he needed to refine. He then entered his son in his very first event at 5 years outdated. Now, he’s a world-class participant at simply 19.
After years of dedication, competing full-time in Tekken has grow to be KingReyJr’s first actual job.
“By no means labored a ‘professional’ job. Vitality is the primary official job I’ve truly had,” Rey instructed me. Even at 19, he’s received extra time underneath his belt than most combating recreation execs.
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“I’ve simply grown into it, I used to be born into this and raised in it. I’ve been part of the FGC for 14, occurring 15 years, I used to be actually molded and formed by it,” KingReyJr defined.
However, in contrast to Noah’s dad and mom, having good grades was a should for Rey Sr. The second KingReyJr’s grades dropped, Tekken was over. And even then, he needed to show he was nonetheless placing effort into enhancing within the recreation, particularly contemplating his dad was paying for him to journey worldwide.
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“I’ve at all times seen it as an funding in [my son’s] future. Granted, there at all times wanted to be issues in place like preserving his grades up, doing effectively in class,” Rey’s father defined. “After which, on prime of that, exhibiting that he’s at all times making an attempt to enhance. It didn’t make sense for me to place him in occasions the place he wasn’t frequently making an attempt to enhance his recreation and get higher.”
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I requested KingReyJr if he felt like being within the FGC modified his life, however he doesn’t actually know of every other way of life. He’s been within the FGC from the very starting.
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“I type of don’t know the rest. I used to be rising within the FGC my complete life. That is type of the one factor that I do know. However, I imply, I’m proud of the place I got here from, proud of how I grew as much as be the place I’m in the present day,” he defined.
“I’ve been prepared for one thing like this for what appears like my complete life. Even at VS Preventing 2024 – trigger that was my first time making it to High 8 at an enormous event ever – I nonetheless managed to get second.”
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VS Preventing is certainly one of Europe’s largest competitions, and KingReyJr’s 2024 efficiency is probably going an enormous a part of what landed him his sponsorship with Vitality. A North American participant demolishing a European main was nearly unprecedented on the time, particularly since Fergus, certainly one of Europe’s greatest rivals, performs the identical character as Rey.
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I instructed him I’d anticipate gamers over there to know find out how to play in opposition to him due to that, and Rey had this to say in reply:
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“They don’t know find out how to play in opposition to me.”
KingReyJr and NoahTheProdigy could have the same background, however they’re two very completely different folks. Nevertheless, there are two distinct similarities: Each males labored extremely exhausting to get the place they’re, and their fathers did all the things they might to assist that journey. There’s no “right” technique to be a mother or father, however that is about as shut because it will get.
The following greatest combating recreation gamers on the planet are in all probability hitting their first Evo this 12 months because of months of begging their dad and mom to pay for it.
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NoahTheProdigy’s journey with Road Fighter and KingReyJr’s journey with Tekken haven’t solely given them careers most individuals can solely dream about, however these experiences have additionally molded them into males their fathers might be happy with.
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