Evo Japan continues with its second day of exhilarating competition, starting with the Top 6 for THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV. On the Winners Side, we have E.T., Pineapple, M’, and Xiaohai, while Score and MadKOF begin in the Losers Bracket. While each player has proven they are the best of the best, only one will earn the Evo Japan Champion title. We’ve got the highlights for every set here so you can get filled in on the action as the Top 6 Players Shatter All Expectations!

Evo 2017 Champion E.T. and Pineapple kick off the Winners Semifinals with a set that's nothing short of a rollercoaster ride. We’ve got Geese, Shun’ei, and Goenitz vs Geese, Isla, and Heidern. Pineapple secures the first victory in the Geese mirror, setting the stage for a nail-biting showdown. However, Pineapple’s Geese didn’t last long against E.T.’s Isla, who also took out Shun’ei. The match was a flurry of intense moves and strategic decisions. Pineapple swapped out Shun’ei for Angel, who evened the score against E.T.’s Geese. Unfortunately for Pineapple, E.T.’s Isla overwhelmed his Angel. A familiar final matchup between Goenitz and Heidern ensued at the end of the final game, with E.T. emerging victorious in the Winners Semifinals, marking the day's first set.

The Evo Japan 2019 Champion M’ and three-time Evo event Champion Xiaohai deliver a masterclass in the Winners Semifinals, starting with identical teams featuring Geese, Benimaru, and Isla. M’ demonstrates his mastery of Geese, also defeating Xiaohai’s Benimaru and bringing Isla to half health. Despite Xiaohai’s valiant efforts, M’ turns the tide to win the first game of the set. Xiaohai retaliates at the start of the second game with his Geese overpowering M’s in the mirror. The mirror match with Benimaru showcases the players' determination to prove their dominance, with Xiaohai securing the next character win. The Isla vs. Isla matchup becomes a fierce tug-of-war, with each player trading blows. Ultimately, M’ triumphs over the Evo Champion, earning his spot in the Winners Final.

Next up, SCORE and Xiaohai duke it out in the Losers Quarterfinals with Andy, Chizuru, Heidern, and Geese, Benimaru, and Isla, respectively. Xiaohai brought the heat, swiftly removing Andy and Chizuru from the game before SCORE’s Heidern stopped the sweep. Xiaohai’s onslaught was only briefly halted as his Benimaru defeated SCORE, earning the first game of the set. SCORE swapped his team, bringing out Orochi Yashiro instead of Andy and giving Xaiohai’s Geese a run for his money. Xiaohai’s Benimaru won the next matchup after barely chipping SCORE’s Yashiro, leading to the final hits necessary to take him out. Xiaohai’s Ilsa made quick work of SCORE’s Chizuru, leading to the final round against SCORE’s Heidern. Moving his way forward, Xiaohai defeats SCORE after an intensely close set.

The Top 6 continues on the Losers Side, with Evo 2012 Champion MadKOF going up against Pineapple, starting with Geese, Heidern, and Goenitz, and Angel, Shun’ei, and Goenitz, respectively. Pineapple’s Ángel swiftly defeated two of MadKOF’s characters, losing her to their Goenitz, who lost the matchup against Pineapple’s Shun’ei. MadKOF saw an opportunity to swap characters and brought Clark to replace Geese. Unfortunately for MadKOF, the outcome would be the same. MadKOF was able to take out Ángel with his Heidern, also knocking out Pineapple’s Shun’ei. Pineapple’s Goenitz took the players to an incredibly close mirror match. The last game in the Losers Quarterfinals kept the same lineup, but the first round’s outcome was like nothing before. MadKOF’s Clark quickly defeated Pineapple’s Ángel, ultimately turning the tide and defeating Shun’ei. While MadKOF seemed to have the odds against him initially, he earned his victory against Pineapple, sending him home after an impressive showing with his Heidern.

M’ and E.T. keep the intensity going in the Winners Final. E.T. brings out Clark, Geese, and Isla, with M’ using Geese, Benimaru, and Isla. Clark gets the train rolling, unleashing an oppressive offense, winning against Geese, and nearly defeating Benimaru. Just as M’ started building momentum, E.T. denied his counterattack and definitively defeated M’s Benimaru and Isla. The start of the second game showed M’ putting up more of a fight against E.T.’s Clark, but the outcome was the same. E.T. continued his onslaught, taking out M’s Benimaru with surprising speed. Clark’s dominance didn’t last forever, with M’ taking the round with Isla and defeating Geese. Closing out the second game, we see an Isla mirror match in the closest round yet with pixels between each player, and E.T. takes the win, bringing the score to 2:0. 

M’ turns the tide to start, taking out E.T.’s fear-inflicting Clark. In Round 2, E.T.’s Geese took the win. While E.T. nearly defeated Benimaru, K’ stopped the KOF antagonist. We saw another mirror between Isla at the end of the third game, with M’ earning his first game win. With both players filled with determination, they trade blows and characters at the beginning of the first round of the fourth game. After a beyond-impressive bout between E.T. and M’, E.T. earned his way to the Grand Final to await the victor of the Losers Bracket.

We returned to MadKOF and Xiaohai in the Losers Semifinal with Geese, Heidern, and Goenitz, and Geese, Benimaru, and Isla. At the outset, Xiahoai unleashes Geese to remove two of MadKOF’s characters. While MadKOF put up a good fight, Xiaohai won the first game. MadKOF swapped Heidern forward with Goenitz. Xiaohai’s Geese continued to prove to be a threat, but he was stopped before taking out MadKOF’s Goenitz, who would stop Xiaohai’s Benimaru. Xiaohai was determined to claw his way for the runback, taking the win 2:0 and knocking MadKOF out of the tournament.

The Evo Champions M’ and Xiaohai returned to face off in the Losers Final. We see another complete mirror match with Geese, Benimaru, and Isla character selections from both players. The first round was incredibly close, with M’ winning with his Geese. Next, we saw the Benimaru mirror, with each player trading blows until Xiaohai found an opening to take the victory at half health. With barely any life left, M’ took out Xiaohai’s Benimaru but lost the first game in the Isla mirror. Xiaohai built up momentum in the first round of the second game, finishing with enough health to fully recuperate against M’s Benimaru, who would knock Geese out of the game. The back-and-forth continues with Xiaohai winning the Benimaru mirror and Isla knocking out Benimaru, bringing us to an Isla mirror with Xiaohai with the meter lead, taking Game 2. Xiaohai nearly defeats M’s two characters at the start of Game 3, but M’s victory against Geese would be short-lived as Xiaohai’s Benimaru would make quick work of M’.

The Grand Final brought together Xiaohai to defend his title against E.T., who earned his way through the Winners side. Xiaohai continued with his Geese, Benimaru, and Isla combo, and E.T. maintained their Clark, Geese, Isla arrangement. E.T.’s Clark took out one and a half characters on his own, and after a quick back-and-forth, the two faced off in an Isla mirror match. When it seemed like E.T. had victory in his grasp, Xiaohai saw an opening and won the first game of the Grand Finals. Xiaohai defeated both E.T.’s Clark and Geese with a single character. While E.T.’s Isla stopped Geese’s run, he had a long way to go against Xiaohai’s Benimaru and Isla lineup, with Xiaohai taking Game 2, bringing the score 2:0, with only one more game needed to reset the bracket.

E.T. was determined to turn things around, taking out Xiaohai’s Geese with near-perfect health. It wouldn’t be easy to combat against Xiaohai’s Benemiaru, who won a perfect round. E.T. kept up with Xiaohai’s momentum, returning us to an Isla mirror match. When it seemed like a reset was assured, E.T. won his first game in the Grand Finals, bringing the score to 2:1 with Xiaohai still in the lead. In a devastatingly close first round of Game 4, E.T. stopped Geese before he could build up speed with a super finish. E.T.’s Geese made quick work of Xiaohai’s Benimaru with only Isla in his way to bring us to Game 5 of the Grand Finals.

Everything was on the line for E.T. with what could be the last Grand Finals set. Neither player had room to breathe with the kickoff of the fifth game. E.T.’s Clark won, and both players were quickly brought to their second characters. E.T.’s Geese overpowered Xiaohai’s Benimaru, but the final round would be a mirror match between Islas. Xiaohai showcased Isla superiority, bringing the first Grand Final reset of Evo Japan 2024.

Now, the Grand Finals really begins. Xiaohai unleashes the pressure with an overpowering Geese, nearly taking out all of E.T.’s characters, bringing the score to 1:0. With practically zero health, Xiaohai’s Geese stops E.T.’s Clark from a nailbiting win. Xiaohai’s Geese seemed unstoppable until E.T.’s Isla turned the tide, devastatingly damaging and defeating Benimaru. The Isla mirror match returned with E.T., proving he was still in the game, taking the Grand Finals to 1:1. Xiaohai stopped E.T.’s Clark, with E.T.’s Geese nearly balancing the playing field until Xiaohai took an opportunity to force E.T. into his last character. Continuing to the mirror match, E.T. used a series of Shadow Strikes into a DP, bringing the score 2:1 in his favor. An even matchup for the mirror with Isla, E.T. came to win, not giving an inch for Xiaohai, finally becoming the Evo Japan 2024 THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV Champion! In a Grand Finals that felt like it could go either player’s way, E.T. proved his skill to earn his second title at an Evo event.

Final Standings For Evo Japan 2024 

1. X Gear Brook | E.T.

2. Quanba douyu | Xiaohai

3. SANWA_douyu | M’

4. MadKOF

5. AMTRS SCORE

5. Pineapple

See the full results at start.gg.

Check out the entire Evo Japan 2024 THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV broadcast on the EvoEvents YouTube channel!

Evo Japan 2024 Day 2 continues with Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising! Join us on Twitch and YouTube for more non-stop action!