The tournament gave players a pretty rare chance to qualify for the Arc World Tour 2024 Finals. All the details are here.

Under Night In-Birth 2 is one of the best entry points to the fighting games genre and one of the most satisfying playing experiences. The game has a super dedicated competitive community, and at Evo Japan 2024, there was a UNI2 Platinum Qualifier for the Arc World Tour 2024. These exciting fights may interest you in top-level fights and motivate you to try out Under Night.

UNI2 (Image via Arc System Works)
UNI2 (Image via Arc System Works)

For newcomers to the Under Night In-Birth, we can quickly summarize why it’s so special. 

  • The story is super engaging. People open Chronicles of the first game, UNIclr, and get lost in the mysterious Hollow Night for hours. 
  • The music is so atmospheric. The Soundtrack creates very special vibes.
  • The fights are accessible but deep. It’s easy to grasp the general input patterns and enjoy the fights starting from your very first matches. Then, the deeper you go, the more opportunities you find in those mechanics. As a relatively small and niche game, UNIclr remained alive in top-level fighting esports for so long for a good reason.
  • The roster of characters gives an amazing choice of archetypes and playing styles. Sure, it’s an essential feature of any good fighting game, but in Under Night In-Birth, this aspect is especially pronounced. The characters feel so different! When you find someone who clicks with you, it’s extremely satisfying.
  • The community is amazing. The competitive survivability and the current presence of UNI2 in the AWT line-up have become possible thanks to the players.

UNI2 may have some downsides in comparison to the first installment, it’s true. Still, the game is excellent to have fun in and to explore the anime fighting sub-genre. We have a detailed review of Under Night In-Birth 2 on esports.gg, so check it out.

Under Night In-Birth 2 at Evo Japan

The stakes at this tournament were quite high. There will be only two Platinum Qualifiers for UNI2 in the Arc World Tour 2024: Evo Japan and Evo (July 2024, Las Vegas). The chance to get one of just a few invites to the global league finals is quite a motivation!

Quite interestingly, no one from Top 6 of this tournament participated in the AWT 2023 Finals. Japanese players will get a chance to prove themselves on the international level,specifically in the matches against US opponents.

The Semi-Final of Kyo vs CROW was an even and intense fight. The characters were worth each other: quick Merkava with the float ability and Gordeau with his far-reaching scythe. It seemed like Merkava of CROW had an advantage here, but Kyo quickly adapted and proceeded to the Winners Final.

Crimson Crusader took Gordeau too — to his Semi-Final against Nanase of hishigata. The quick and long scythe looked so much stronger  compared to the somewhat slow but heavy-fitting greatsword of Nanase. hishigata was super close to winning in a couple of rounds, but Crimson Crusader successfully clutched and won with a clear 2:0.

Hyde is a great character for beginners. He is Shoto and has effective tools for various playing styles. Isaac proved Hyde is viable for the top-level fighting esports — he eliminated hishigata. The match was really close, though, up to the very last decisive round.

Another UNI2 character in the Top 6 part of this tournament was Seth. He is very technical, with lighting mixups and unusual trap-like projectiles. That did not really help oushuu hittou, and the player was eliminated by CROW.

Only one Gordeau survives

Kyo and Crimson Crusader played in the Winners Final first, and it was an amazing mirror match, Gordeau vs Gordeau. Despite having some good moments and winning one game, Crimson Crusader could not stand against the power of Kyo. He fell into Losers and had to defeat CROW to have that mirror match once again.

UNI2 Evo Japan 2024 Top 6 brackets (image via Evo)
UNI2 Evo Japan 2024 Top 6 brackets (image via Evo)

The Grand Final was much closer, and Crimson Crusader was one point away from resetting the bracket — twice. Still, Kyo did not let that happen. In a spectacular way, he clutched and won the match. Kyo is the UNI2 Champion at Evo Japan 2024. Congratulations!

Placement
Player
Characters
1GDG | KyoGordeau
2Crimson CrusaderGordeau
3CROWMerkava
4Shoutou | IsaacHyde
5-6hishigataNanase
5-6oushuu hittouSeth

Under Night In-Birth 2 is in the stage of active development. The next DLC character in the current Season Pass is Uzuki.  During the award ceremony, the developers confirmed she is coming in August 2024, with no extra details.

Stick around on esports.gg for more info from Evo Japan 2024.